Hot off-road action to excite
Dedicated Rally-Safe app for smart devices will help fans keep track of the race. DONALDSON CHAMPIONSHIP: TO FEATURE UNEXPECTED UP-FIELD ENTRIES IN THE SUN CITY LEG
Sun City will host the penultimate round of the 2016 Donaldson Cross Country Championship this weekend, with unexpected entries at the front of the field.
With already-crowned champion Leeroy Poulter unwell, his place in the Gazoo Toyota Hilux will be taken by Conrad Rautenbach, sitting alongside champion navigator Rob Howie.
Equally exciting, Toyota will use the Pilanesberg event as a test session for their new rear-wheel drive Hilux Evo Dakar racer, to be manned by Giniel de Villiers and Dirk von Zitzewitz.
Fans should grab this opportunity to see the Dakar charger in action on local soil.
Under the circumstances, the weekend’s overall victory favourites should be Anthony Taylor and Denis Murphy in their Gazoo Toyota Hilux.
In Class T, for cars above four litres with solid axle rear suspension, season-long adversaries Jason Venter/ Vince van Allemann (4x4 Mega World Hilux), and Chris Visser/ Ward Huxtable (Neil Woolridge Ford Ranger) should resume their rivalry for the title.
Able to interfere should be crews like Johan van Staden/Mike Lawrenson (Red-Lined Nissan Navara), Gareth Woolridge/Boyd Dreyer (NWM Ford Ranger), Luke Botha/Andre Vermeulen (Red-Lined Nissan Navara) and Johan and Werner Horn in their Malalane Toyota Hilux.
Others to watch include Hennie de Klerk/Adriaan Roets (VW Amarok), Otto Graven/Bobby Brewis (Graven Toyota Hilux), Heine Strumpher/Henry Hugo (4x4 Mega World Hilux) and Jannie and Chris Visser (Toyota Hilux).
The two top contenders in the Special Vehicle category are Evan Hutchison/Danie Stassen (Motorite BAT Viper) and Dave McShane/Elvene Coetzee (Fox Racing Porter).
Also in the picture will be Shameer Variawa/Zaheer Bodh-anya (Cobalt Racing Stryker), Coetzee and Sandra Labuscagne (4x4 Mega World Porter), Stefan van Pletzen/Jaco Pieterse (Che-nowth), Marius/Jolinda Fourie (PHB BAT), Andre Fourie/Hendrik Pienaar (PHB BAT), Dion Booyens/ Sidriaan de Villiers (BAT) , Ntoate Bereng/Makara Matekane (Aceco) and already-crowned Class P champions, John Thomson/ Maurice Zermatten (Porter).
Race headquarters and the designated service park will be located within the main Sun City complex, with free public entry to these areas.
The qualifying race to determine start positions is scheduled for 11am on Friday, and the main race at 8am on Saturday.
After a ceremonial start at Sun City, competitors will travel to the village of Tweelaagte, 30km to the west, where they will be flagged away at two-minute intervals.
The race will be run over two loops, with a compulsory 20-minute service halt at the end of the first loop, with loop two starting at noon.
There will be free public entry to spectator points along the route, with easy access from race headquarters. Catering, refreshments and route guides will also be available at race headquarters.
Cross country enthusiasts can also follow the event on the Rally-Safe app for Apple and Android devices.
The app is downloaded free of charge and enables enthusiasts to track the cars on a detailed map, download split times and access results.