The top class in the car category, which has been contested for the past five years by the so-called class T ‘super trucks’ and dominated by Nissan Motorsport’s homegrown Proudly South African Hardbody 3,5 V6 pickup, is now called SP (Super Production) and will again be contested by the ‘big three’ off-road manufacturers Ford, Nissan and Toyota.
Nissan was first to break cover with a prototype of its new contender, a 4-litre class SP Hardbody, and 3 500 km of testing last year, including competing in the last three rounds of the championship, indicated that it would be a worthy successor to the more modified class T ‘supertruck’ and a likely front runner for the championship.
The two new class SP challengers for the 2006 championship, which gets underway with the Nissan Dealer 400 in the Western Cape on March 17 and 18, are Proudly South Africa Nissan Navara pickups, acknowledging the recent introduction of Nissan’s new contender in the luxury end of the double cab pickup market.
Drivers this year will be former champions Hannes Grobler and Duncan Vos and their team-mates and co-drivers will be former champion Francois Jordaan (who will navigate for Grobler) and current co-driver champion Ralph Pitchford.
“The ‘retirement’ of the locally-built and developed Hardbody T truck is the end of an era for both Nissan and South African motor sport,” says Nissan Motorsport’s award-winning general manager Glyn Hall. “Its incredible track record includes winning 32 races out of 40 contested over the past five years, 17 of which were won by multiple motor sport champion Hannes Grobler including a record seven wins in a row in 2002/2003. In the past four years it has won 28 out of 32 races, losing just one race a year.
“Four different drivers have earned national championship titles at the wheel of the Hardbody: Giniel de Villiers in 2001, Duncan Vos in 2002, Hannes Grobler in 2002, 2003 and 2004, and Alfie Cox in 2005.
“It took Nissan to the Dakar Rally, where it has made an indelible impression, and it took Giniel to Nissan’s first ever win in the FIA Cross Country World Cup, in Morocco in 1993.
“Who will ever forget the glorious sound of the 3,5 V6 Nissan engine in full flight? Fortunately, the new 4,0 V6 sounds almost as good!” adds Hall with a smile.
“Testing of the new pickup last year, which was largely handled by Duncan Vos, showed that the new 4-litre V6 engine is a fantastic unit with a huge improvement in torque, which is a vital ingredient in any off-road racer. Despite the more restrictive regulations, which are aimed at reducing costs and leveling the technological playing field, the engine develops almost as much power as the 3,5-litre version.
“Ford and Toyota will be debuting their new SP cars, along with several top class privateers, from round one in the Western Cape, and we can expect a lot tougher competition for the 2006 season.
“In Hannes and Duncan we have two of the best off-road drivers in the country. Sadly we had to say goodbye to reigning champion Alfie Cox, whose new Dakar commitments prevent him from driving for us this year. We wish him the best of luck. He achieved so much in such a short time with Nissan.
“Just three points separated Alfie and Hannes at the end of last season, a remarkable achievement over eight races and 5 500 km of off-road racing in South Africa, Lesotho and Botswana.
“I’m sure Hannes and Duncan will keep each other honest and entertain the fans equally well this year.”
Nissan’s official factory team, again backed by principal sponsors Sasol, Champion and Ferodo, will once more be supported by an enthusiastic band of privateers, who will be enjoy Nissan’s support and encouragement.
“Without these privateers and the Nissan dealerships that back some of the teams, we would not have been able to win five consecutive manufacturers’ championships,” says Hall. “Drivers will include Polokwane brothers Arnold and Jurie du Plessis in their BB Auto Hardbody pickups, Coetzee Labuscagne, Deon Schoeman of Topcar magazine, Thomas Rundle and, a new member of the Nissan family, old hand Henri Zermatten. All will be in Hardbody pickups.”