The new special, called the CR1, will be driven by Century Property’s managing director, Mark Corbett, with Rudi Balzer in the ‘hot’ seat’ reading the route schedule. The pair contested last year’s championship in a locally manufactured and developed class SP Nissan Navara and, despite missing three of the eight rounds due to testing for the Dakar programme, they finished seventh in the championship and helped Nissan win the manufacturers’ championship. Their best result was a fine second place in the 1 000-km Toyota Desert race in June, behind Nissan Motorsport’s Duncan Vos and Ralph Pitchford in a works Navara.
The CR1 breaks new ground in local off road racing with its innovative construction and layout. Julien Hardy, in charge of the design and construction of the new vehicle, explained that it was a ‘clean sheet’ design. "Our new car is not based on anything that already exists. It will be the only special with four wheel drive among the top special vehicles. The project started in March last year, when we set out to build a four wheel drive vehicle, combining the advantages of both production and special vehicles," he said.
"We are very happy with the way it has turned out. We have a unique off road racer, which will offer the traction and driveability of a production car (like the Nissan Navara) and the suspension travel and light weight of a special. We are proud of the fact that our new car is around 85% local content, unlike the majority of specials where most of the components are imported from the USA. Where possible, everything has been designed and manufactured in South Africa, with 50% of the locally manufactured and fabricated components made in-house at Century Racing."
The team responsible for building the car includes Hardy, Balzer, Japie Ludick and Andries Dibetle.
The engine and transmission layout is unique in local off road racing and has been built and developed by the Century Racing team. The four-cylinder two-litre engine, which is turbo-charged and transverse-mounted in the back of the car, has been built by turbo-expert Balzer. It uses an advanced management system that features special anti turbo lag capabilities and should be able of producing between 300 and 350 bhp. With a low centre of gravity and weighing in at around 1 100 kg, the car has an excellent power-to-weight ratio The six-speed sequential gearbox was made to Century Racing’s specifications and, unusually, has no transfer case.
The CR1 features double wishbone suspension front and rear with a single shock absorber per wheel. As with the top teams in the Dakar Rally, front and rear A-arms (wishbones) are identical for ease of manufacturing and maintenance, reducing the number of spares the team has to carry. The car has a low centre of gravity and weighs in at a light 1 100 kg.
Corbett is a 33-year-old building science graduate of Wits University who has competed in local off road racing on two wheels and four since he was 14 years old. He is a past winner of the legendary Roof of Africa Rally (in a Jimco spaceframe special in 2000) and the 1 000-km Toyota Desert Race in 2000, which forms part of the Absa SA Off Road Championship. In 2006 he and Juan Mohr contested the UAE Desert Challenge in Dubai in the Century Racing Navara, a round of the FIA Cross Country Rally World Cup, and made a big impression by winning the prologue against the works Mitsubishis and Volkswagens. After running as high as fourth, he crashed out on the last day 100 km from the finish while lying fifth.
Balzer is a 46-year-old qualified tool and die maker who has built a reputation as an expert in turbo-charging and engine management systems. He has had extensive experience in building and preparing racing engines and has been involved with a number of leading teams in production car racing. He joined Century Property Developments Racing in 2005 and was involved with the building of the off road Navara. He has Dakar Rally experience as part of the Belgian Gregoire de Mevius team in 2007 (he looked after two South African-made Nissans) and he also worked on the Colin McRae Nissan that performed so well in the 2007 Transiberico Rally in Portugal, a round of the FIA Cross Country Rally World Cup.
