Works crew Mark Cronje and Chris Birkin have had victory in their grasp on the last two events only to fall at the last hurdle. The pair led both the Toyota 1000 Desert Race and the recent Amathole 500 when late crashes handed victory to Nissan driver Duncan Vos.
“Losing out in Botswana and the Eastern Cape was a major disappointment, but you have to look at the positives as well,” said Toyota Motorsport manager Wammy Haddad. “Both events drove home the point that we have vehicles capable of winning races.
“All it needs now is for a little luck to fall our way, and for all the bits and pieces to fall together.”
Cronje later described the Amathole accident, only a kilometre from the finish, as the worst moment of his life. He and Birkin limped home in fourth place after Hugo and Jaap de Bruyn, in the Micaren Exel Toyota Hilux, stopped to help get the factory Castrol Toyota Hilux back on four wheels.
While Cronje and Birkin will be aiming for a third time lucky result, team-mates Bevan Bertholdt and Robin Houghton will be desperate for a good result on what is round six of the Absa Off Road Championship. Accidents and mechanical failures have plagued Bertholdt and Houghton throughout the season, with the Limpopo race providing them with an opportunity to finally get some points on the board.
In two outings in a third Castrol Toyota Hilux running in the premier Super Production Class, former Class D and E champions Chris Visser and Japie Badenhorst have picked up two top 10 finishes. The de Bruyn’s, who led the Toyota Desert Race overnight, have also settled down in the SP Class with both teams earning high praise from Haddad.
“Chris and Japie have always been consistent, and the de Bruyn’s have settled down nicely in the SP Class,” said Haddad. “Hugo and Jaap also showed great sportsmanship in stopping to help Cronje and Birkin in the Eastern Cape.”
A rookie crew in Ramon Bezuidenhout and Stefan Lock, in the ex Visser/Badenhorst Toyota Hilux, have emerged as Class D championship contenders. The pair, with a first time out win on the Nissan Hluhluwe 400 to their credit, now lie second in the championship.
A good result will keep their challenge alive, and Toyota will also be hoping for a good showing from Cliff and Louis Weichelt in the Bosal Toyota Hilux D4D. The father and son team returned to form with a good result on the Amathole 500, and that will be a boost for them.
The Limpopo event will also be important for Toyota crews chasing championship honours in Class E. The consistent Jannie Visser/Joks le Roux (Team Barberspan Toyota Hilux) are now second and first respectively in the drivers and co-drivers championships.
This follows the withdrawal of Ford’s Lucio Santoro at the halfway mark of the Amathole 500. Santoro suffered a bout of car sickness and driver and championship leader Jack Peckham had to finish the event on his own.
George and Sharon Barkhuizen (Ruwacon Toyota Hilux) lost ground after crashing out of the Amathole 500, and suspension damage saw Brian Martin and Ockie Fourie, in the Castrol Toyota Hilux, pick up their first non finish of the season. Both crews drop down the pecking order and will want to immediately bounce back.
Mark and Stuart Moffatt (Bosal Toyota Hilux), Jaco Swanepoel/ Grayham Bishop (IDM Cement Toyota Hilux) and Fabio Tafani/Alun Dearling (Club Refrigeration Toyota Hilux) have so far this season made sporadic appearances. All three crews are capable of good results, and add to Toyota’s powerful Class E challenge.
