The vagaries of the off road scoring system have seen to it that Proudly South African Nissan Navara pair Hannes Grobler and Francois Jordaan lead the overall championship. The SP Class stakes, however, are led by Neil Woolridge and Kenny Skjoldhammer, in the Ford Racing Ranger, and the Lydenburg based event could tip the scales either way in both championships.
It is an intriguing situation and a clash between two such highly experienced crews, with high stakes, is something to relish. There are other factors, however, which add to the recipe and make for a far more enticing menu.
Toyota has not had an overall victory for some time and will be looking to end the drought on what is their own event. This places a great deal of pressure on Mark Cronje/Chris Birkin and Bevan Bertholdt/Robin Houghton, in the factory Castrol Toyota Hilux V6 entries.
The works Toyotas, it must be said, have shown much improved form in the last two events. So much so that a Toyota win in Mpumalanga does not look out of reach – a situation that is a far cry from the early season form book where both crews were plagued with problems.
Grobler/Jordaan and Woolridge/Skjoldhammer will have support from crews who will also be looking to upset an applecart or two. South African champions Duncan Vos and Ralph Pitchford, in the second factory Nissan Navara, and Rob Gurney/Graeme Stainbank, in the second Ford Racing Ranger, will have winning aspirations of their own.
Vos and Pitchford have won this season and will be a major threat – of that there is no doubt. There is little to choose between the top teams but there is one factor that could trouble Woolridge and Skjoldhammer.
The Ford pair – comfortable winners of the recent Sun City 400 – have finished every event this season, and will be worried that the law of averages will catch up with them. With quality crews in quality vehicles chasing high stakes the Toyota Dealer 400 has the makings of turning into the sort of race that will be a talking point in seasons to come.
In Classes D and E the championship situations are not as fluid. In both classes, in fact, the leading crews will be looking to turn comfort zones into unassailable leads.
Chris Visser and Japie Badenhorst, in the Tyco Trucks Toyota Hilux, have a comfortable lead over two crews – former Class E champions Hugo and Jaap de Bruyn, in the Castrol Toyota Hilux, and Coetzee Labuscagne/Johan Gerber in the Raysonics Nissan Hardbody. Visser and Badenhorst had a winning streak halted on the Sun City 400, proving how quickly yesterday’s winners can be turned into today’s losers, but a good performance on the Toyota Dealer 400 could put the championship issue beyond doubt.
The de Bruyn’s won the Sun City 400 and will want a repeat performance, while Cliff and Louis Weichelt (Bosal Toyota Hilux), after two events they will want to forget, will be looking to get matters back on an even keel. Toyota crews have won every event so far this season with Visser/Badenhorst winning four times with a lone win apiece for the de Bruyn’s and the Weichelt’s.
It is a situation the Nissan crews will want to remedy, and Labuscagne and Gerber have the added incentive of pulling away from the de Bruyn’s in the championship. The two BB Auto Nissan crews of Arnold du Plessis and Johan Knox and Jurie and Andre du Plessis will also be looking for some reward from so far disappointing seasons.
Last season Manfred Schroder wrapped up the Class D drivers championship on the Toyota Dealer event, and will be looking to do the same this year in Class E. Schroder and Ward Huxtable, in the factory Ford Racing Ranger, are comfortably ahead in the driver and co-driver title races, and are the team to beat.
Schroder and Huxtable will also be full of confidence after a first in class and third overall on the Sun City 400. Behind them, however, matters could turn into a free for all between a horde of Toyota entries and Thomas Rundle and Brian Roberts in the Barden Tyre Service Nissan Hardbody.
Mark and Stuart Moffat (Bosal Toyota Hilux) and Jannie Visser/Joks le Roux (Toyota Hilux) made it to the finish of the Sun City 400 but the likes of Brian Martin/Ockie Fourie (Castrol Toyota Hilux), Fabio Tafani/Mike Baron (Club Refrigeration Toyota Hilux), Jaco Swanepoel/Grayham Bishop (IDM Cement Toyota Hilux) and George and Sharon Barkhuizen (Ruwacon Toyota Hilux) all fell by the wayside and will be looking to make amends.
Douw de Boer/Ben Kruger (Mahindra) fall into the same boat and will also be looking for a change in fortunes. Schroder/Huxtable are the outright favourites, but if they come unstuck the class will be wide open.
Where the manufacturer’s championship is concerned, Toyota have nosed ahead of perennial rivals Nissan. They will want to use their own event to widen the gap even further, and there will be a concerted effort from Toyota.