It was a Toyota and Ford showdown at the 2022 Mpumalanga 400 which was the season opener for the 2022 South African Rally-Raid Championship. Toyota triumphed in a dominant display with their Dakar proven Hilux T1+ while Ford showed good pace which should yield an entertaining season.
The serene hills and valleys around the quaint town of Dullstroom were interrupted with the brutal and virile sound of petrol powered all-terrain machines that powered through the dirt tracks and off-road trails over the two day event. The first day consisted of an 20 kilometre Pirelli Qualifying Race which would set the order for the preceding stages.
The first of which was an 85 kilometre stage on the first day which ran on the dusty dirt roads adjacent to farmlands and through tree plantations in the region. The second stage the following morning utilised a 150 kilometre loop which drivers had to complete twice bringing the grand tally of mileage to just over 400 kilometres.
Dakar competitor and double stage winner Henk Lategan with co-driver Brett Cummings reigned supreme in the 2022 Mpumalanga 400 as the dynamic pair piloted the Toyota Gazoo Racing DKR Hilux T1+ to victory in the 400 kilometre rally raid event. The pair that opened both stages had to stop and open three closed gates and change a flat tyre and managed this with a time of 06:37:25.
This was only 51 seconds faster than team-mates Shameer Vaiawa and Danie Stassen who helped lockout a Toyota Hilux podium with Eben Basson and Leander Pienaar a few minutes behind. The third place challengers in the #TeamHilux Rally-Raid also won the T1 category and finished with a time of 06:46:21.
The two new Ford Ranger T1+ challengers prepared by Neil Woolridge Motorsport suffered bad luck throughout the event after Lance Woolridge and Elvéne Vonk took the lead but retired after colliding with a tree. Team-mates Gareth Woolridge and Boyd Dreyer managed fourth place overall in their T1+ with a time of 06:54:13
The 2022 Mpumalanga 400 also included some open-wheeled BAT and Can-Am models which got both driver and co-pilot drenched in mud and dust before and after the night downpour which made for slippery conditions on day 2.
The next event on the calendar is scheduled to take place in Easton, KwaZulu-Natal on the 29th and 30th of April.
Photos: Alex Shahini (@alexshahini)
