Creditable third for SA in Qatar
CAMEL GRASS IN THE DUNES CAUGHT US OUT SA-built Toyotas clinch two places on the podium.
South African cross country champion Leeroy Poulter and German navigator Dirk von Zitzewitz took their South African-built Gazoo Toyota Hilux bakkie to third place overall in this year’s Qatar Cross Country Rally.
The Rally, which finished in Doha on Saturday afternoon, was the fourth round of the 2017 Cross Country World Cup, and featured five stages, with a total race distance of 1 373km.
It was won overall by Nasser Al Attiyah and Mathieu Baumel in another South African-built Toyota Hilux, followed by Jakub Prygonski and navigator Tom Colsoul (Mini).
Poulter and Von Zitzewitz demonstrated their class throughout the event, and the race-proven Toyota Hilux never even missed a beat.
The pair looked set for a second-place finish, but a small mistake in the final 10 kilometres dropped them down to third place.
It was Poulter’s fi rst visit to the notoriously tough Qatar Cross Country Rally, and his first event with Von Zitzewitz as navigator.
“It was a really good event for us,” said Poulter.
“Both Dirk and I learnt a lot, and we are pleased with what we’ve achieved. Obviously, I’m disappointed not to have held onto second place in the overall standings, but some camel grass in the dunes caught us out. That’s the nature of the game though, and we’ll learn from the experience.”
“For us as a team, the Qatar event could hardly have gone better,” said Toyota Gazoo Racing SA Team Principal, Glyn Hall, from the podium at Doha.
“Leeroy and Dirk both learnt a lot, and we progressed well with the development of our Toyota Hilux. What’s more, we have two of our SA-built cars on the podium, which really proves the cars’ toughness and reliability.”
Race winner Al Attiyah described this year’s event as the race with the toughest navigation in the FIA’s World Cup. He also added that the roads are extremely difficult to read, with many hidden dangers along the way.