And the winner is ...
GINIEL AND COMPANY TAKE OVERALL PRIZE
Series ends on a high note with various winners in title chases.
The 2017 South African Cross Country Series ended on a high note on the West Rand over the weekend, with the Atlas Copco Gold 400 season finale concluding a number of title chases.
The race was won overall by Giniel de Villiers and Dirk von Zitzewitz (Toyota Gazoo Racing SA Hilux), crossing the finish line ahead of Henk Lategan/Barry White (Puma Lubricants Ford Ranger) and Johan/Werner Horn (Malalane Toyota Hilux).
Their podium place was enough to clinch the year’s Class T championship for the Horn brothers.
Fourth went to Lance Woolridge/Ward Huxtable (Puma Lubricants Ford Ranger), leading home Luke Botha/Andre Vermeulen (Red-Lined Nissan Navara), Johan van Staden/Mike Lawrenson (Elf Renault Duster), Richard Leeke Junior/Henry Kohne (Ford Ranger) and Shameer Variawa/ Zaheer Bodhanya (Red-Lined Nissan Navara).
Rounding out the top ten places were Jason Venter/Vince van Allemann (4x4 Mega World Toyota Hilux) and Archie Rutherford/ Charl Ackerman/Kent Rutherford (Toyota Hilux).
Though they failed to finish the weekend’s race, Jannie Visser and Chris Visser (Toyota Hilux) had done enough earlier to clinch the season’s Class S title.
Other high profile retirements included Chris Visser/Philip Herselman (Atlas Copco Toyota Hilux), Gareth Woolridge/Boyd Dreyer (Puma Lubricants Ford Ranger) and Mark Corbett/Rodney Burke (Century Racing FIA Buggy).
In the Special Vehicle category Marius and Jolinda Fourie (PHB BAT) clinched the season’s overall and Class A titles by finishing third, behind Stefan van Pletzen/ Jaco Pieterse (Live Lesotho Chenowth) and Naeem Moosajee/ Rayhaan Bodhanya (Tyre Rack Stryker).
The top six places were rounded out by Sandra Labuschagne/ Jaco Jonk (4x4 Mega World Porter), John Telford/Victor Ntsekhe (Calcamite Hellcat) and Guy Henley/ Juan Mohr (Century Racing CR-2).
Their fifth place earned Telford and Ntsekhe the year’s Class P title.
Prominent retirements included those of overall ttle contenders Evan Hutchison/Danie Stassen, whose King Price Extreme BAT Viper stopped with terminal engine failure, and Class P contenders Nic Goslar/Andrew Massey (SA Clinics Zarco) who broke a sideshaft.