Battlefields 400 expects tight racing

THE second round of the 2017 SA Cross Country Series today and tomorrow and the Toyota Gazoo Racing SA is geared up and ready to face the challenge of the Battlefields 400.

The race will be run in the area around Dundee in KwaZulu-Natal and promises some tight racing, as Class FIA will field new entries.

Defending champions Leeroy Poulter and Rob Howie, unbeaten since 2015, are the favourites for overall honours.

Poulter is fresh from a third-place finish on the Qatar Cross Country Rally, which was won by the fellow Toyota Hilux crew of Nasser Al Attiyah and Mathieu Baumel.

Toyota Gazoo Racing SA teammates Giniel de Villiers and Dennis Murphy will aim to keep them honest, however, especially after missing out on a finish during Round One, the Lichtenburg 400.

“Both Leeroy and Giniel are looking forward to the weekend’s racing,” Toyota Gazoo Racing SA team principal Glyn Hall said.

“They had the run of Class FIA on Round One but this time round they’ll be facing more competition. Even so we’ve continued the development of the Toyota Hilux in line with our Dakar programme and we have every reason to be confident,” Hall said.

The top class in the SA Cross Country Series will be bolstered on the Battlefields 400 with the addition of two Class FIA Nissan Navaras and one Class FIA Renault Duster.

At the same time, the pack in Class T will aim to hunt down early championship leaders Johan and Werner Horn in their Malalane Toyota Hilux.

The Horn brothers drew first blood in the 2017 championship when they took line honours on the opening round.

The pair clearly benefited from an upgraded engine in their proven Toyota Hilux and blitzed the field despite a so-so qualifying performance.

They will face stiff competition from the Ford Ranger battalion, with two Volkswagen Amaroks also in the chase.

The Battlefields 400 kicks off with a qualifying race today at 1pm. The main race is tomorrow at 8am.

The race HQ will be based at the Battlefields Country Lodge near Dundee.