Ballito rally driver bounces back for first Rally-Raid stage win

Ballito’s Guy Botterill battled through frost and dust clouds to claim his first stage win in this year’s SA Rally-Raid Championships.

Racing in the ruthless Parys 400 on August 16, Botterill and navigator Dennis Murphy had to start the race in 19th position after hitting a rock in qualifying.

They also had to contend with early-morning below zero temperatures and lingering dust clouds left by earlier drivers in windless conditions.

But they delivered amid a strong field of previous champions and Dakar Rally regulars to claim the stage win in a time of 5:04:08 after a combined 380 racing kilometres.

It was Botterill’s first victory of the season at the fourth time of asking, after he registered second-place finishes in Nkomazi and Vryheid earlier this year.

Those close calls ensured the win in Parys was all the sweeter.

It would not be their last race of the weekend however, as the teams were again in action the following day for the more technical 390 kilometre Vaal 400.

Botterill and Murphy dealt with more early trouble when they were forced to replace a puncture a few kilometres in, but pulled back time throughout the rest of the day.

They would end up in a respectable second place in a time of 5:40:35, just 78 seconds behind the team of Henk Lategan and Brett Cummings.

Lategan is also leading the overall driver standings, with Botterill in a comfortable second position ahead of the legendary Giniel de Villiers in third.

A strong finish in the final two events on September 13/14 and November 8/9 is crucial for Botterill, who will be hoping to retain his Dakar Rally driver’s seat in the Toyota Gazoo Racing team.

Botterill finished 6th overall in this year’s Dakar and was the leading rookie in the race.

---

Stay in the loop with The North Coast Courier on Facebook, X, Instagram & YouTube for the latest news.

Mobile users can join our WhatsApp Broadcast Service here or if you’re on desktop, scan the QR code below.