“It’s been a dream debut for Motorite in the competitive world of off-road racing,” said Hutchison, a former quad champion and experienced special vehicle co-driver and team manager, who turned to driving this year. “We have enjoyed amazing support from Motorite Insurance Administrators, a brand new sponsor in motor sport, and thanks to this support we have been able to prepare a race-winning car for every round so far this year.
“It hasn’t been a cake walk by any means as class B has been tightly contested and there are a number of potential winners, including reigning champions Marcus Taylor and Marc de Chalain in their JRE, but our consistency has made the difference. We had a few teething problems after our debut win, but since round three we haven’t looked back and have often been among the more powerful class A vehicles at the finish.
“We’re very proud to have enjoyed all our success so far in a South African-designed and built car, the BAT, which is the brainchild of off-road racing enthusiast and driver Brandon Harcus, whose spaceframe racers are now designed and built by Achim Bergman and Andre van Aarde of Havoc Chassis at Hartbeespoort Dam.”
BATs currently hold the top three positions in the overall Special Vehicle championship.
Hutchison, who will share the car with regular co-driver Trevor Ormerod, the new class B co-driver champion despite missing the last event (Vincent Horn stood in), will not be resting on his laurels this weekend. “We have a big contingent of family and friends and our sponsor’s customers coming to watch the Carnival City race and we cannot let them down. More importantly, racing is about aiming to win and another win will set the seal on an almost perfect debut season,” said Hutchison.
He currently lies a remarkable third overall in the Special Vehicle driver’s championship, ahead of all but two of the class A contenders, and leads reigning class B champion Marcus Taylor (JRE) and joint second-placed Rudi van Graan (Zarco Lite) by an unbeatable 111 points to 68.
Season’s results to date:
Nissan Sugarbelt 400, KwaZulu Natal, March 19 Hutchison/Trevor Ormerod 5th overall and first in class B
Nissan Dealer 400, Western Cape, April 23 Hutchison/Ormerod 10th overall and 5th in class B (fuel pressure problems robbed them of a possible 4th overall and 2nd in class)
Toyota 1000 Desert Race, Botswana, June 4 and 5 Hutchison/Ormerod non-starters after engine problems in prologue
Sun City 400, North West, July 2 Hutchison/Ormerod 6th overall and 1st in class after a fine come-from-behind drive caused by power steering pump problems.
Lesotho Sun 400, Lesotho, August 6 Hutchison/Ormerod 4th overall and 1st in class Harcus/Salley 2nd overall and 2nd in class A
Ford Motorite Limpopo 400, Limpopo, September 10 Hutchison/Ormerod 5th overall and 1st in class Brandon Harcus/Steve Smith 6th overall and 4th in class
Toyota Dealer 1 000, Mpumalanga, October 13, 14 and 15 Hutchison/Vincent Horn 5th overall and 1st in class
