Toyota and Ford face off in desperate Mpumalanga duel
The works teams from Ford and Toyota will cross swords in Mpumalanga, with nothing to choose between them.
Reigning champions Anthony Taylor and Dennis Murphy (Castrol Toyota Hilux) will fight for victory in the weekend’s Nkomazi 450 race through Mpumalanga. Picture: Motorpics.
That is how enthusiasts will anticipate this weekend’s Nkomazi 450, round three of the 2014 Donaldson Cross Country Championship.
Going to the event, Manfred Schroder and Japie Badenhorst (Atlas Copco Ford Ranger) will lead the year’s championship from Leeroy Poulter/Rob Howie (Castrol Toyota Hilux), Anthony Taylor/Dennis Murphy (Castrol Toyota Hilux), Gary Bertholdt/ Siegfried Rousseau (Atlas Copco Ford Ranger) and Johan/ Werner Horn (Malalane Toyota Hilux).
The first two races confirmed that the two factory teams are the ones to beat, with the Nkomazi event returning crews to more familiar territory after the opening events broke new ground in Harrismith and Mooi River.
The battle of the privateers will offer intriguing possibilities.
Kobus van Tonder/ Freddie Kriel (UniFreight Ford Ranger), Johan van Staden/ Mike Lawrenson (Atlas Copco Toyota Hilux), Hennie de Klerk/ Johann Smalberger (Treasury One BMW X3), plus Regent Nissan Navara crews, Mike Whitehouse/ George Myburgh and Terence Marsh/ Bafana Bafana soccer icon Neil Tovey, could all shoot at podium places.
The battle in Class S, for vehicles up to four litres with solid rear axle suspension, also offers many possibilities. Pieter Ruthven/Hansie Rheeder (Ruwacon Toyota Hilux) and Deon Venter/Ian Palmer (4×4 Mega World Toyota Hilux) shared wins on the RFS 450 and Toyota Dealer 450.
They will be challenged by crews like Louw de Bruin/ Riaan Greyling (Ruwacon Ford Ranger), Archie Rutherford/ Gerhard Schutte (Regent Nissan Navara), Piet Kotze/Salomon Victor (Toyota Hilux), Luke Botha/Andre Vermeulen (Force Fuel Toyota Hilux) and former SA champions Jannie Visser/Joks le Roux (RFS Toyota Hilux).
Dewald/ Anton Nienaber (Toyota Land Cruiser) have Class D to themselves while Doug Fear/Kurt de Villiers (Brytons Removals Toyota Hilux) and Reagan Austin/ Warren Vos (Toyota Hilux) will fight it out in Class E.
Race headquarters, the start/finish and the designated service park will all be located at Riverview Preparatory School on the outskirts of Malalane.
Public entry to these areas and viewing points along the route will be free of charge.
The 100-kilometre qualifying race to determine start positions will start at 11.30am on Friday and the race at 8.30am on Saturday.
The race will consist of two laps of about 175km, with a mandatory 15 minute halt after the first lap.
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