Giniel de Villiers pips Henk Lategan to 2022 SA Rally-Raid title
The Parys 400, the seventh and final round of the 2022 South African Rally-Raid Championship last Saturday, turned out to be one of the year’s most challenging events.
Torrential rain and a flooded route resulted in changes to the final title decider of the season.
With round six the previous day shortened to a 12-km Pirelli qualifying race and one 98km loop, the final championship decider last Saturday followed after more torrential rain that drenched the route.
Conditions made it almost impossible to race and the organisers had to shorten the distance for the final event to a 12km qualifier and an 86km loop, which included a 16km decontrolled section.
Only 27 starters in the production and special vehicle categories started the event.
Eventually, the overall victo-* ry and FIA T1+ went to Gareth Woolridge/Boyd Dreyer (Castrol Ford Ranger T1+) who edged out Giniel de Villiers/Rodney Burke (Gazoo Toyota Hilux FIA T1+), but the runner-up result was enough for De Villiers to claim the overall and FIA T1+ titles.
Defending champion Henk Lategan and navigator Brett Cummings, who led the championship going into the final round, was leading until late in the loop when they got severely stuck due to a dislodged alternator belt in deep water.
Third place went to Chris Visser/Albertus Venter (RedLined Motorsport Revo) who were the FIA T1 victors.
Guy Botterill/Simon Vacy-Lyle (Gazoo Toyota Hilux FIA T1+) finished fourth overall while the FIA T1.2 victory went to the newly crowned class champions Lance Trethewey/Leonard Cremer (King Price Xtreme CR 6) who were fifth.
The Horn brothers Johan and Werner (#TeamHilux Rally-Raid DKR T1+); finished sixth overall followed by Johan de Bruyn/Gerhard Schutte (Red-Lined VK56) .
New FIA T1 champions Eben Basson/Leander Pienaar (#TeamHilux Rally-Raid Toyota) were eighth.
Thomas Bell/Wade Harris brought their Red-Lined Motorsport Revo home in ninth, just ahead of team-mates Philip Botha/Roelof Janse van Vuuren (VK56).
In the special vehicle category, Trace Price Moor/Shaun Braithwaite (TipTop Milk BAT Venom) took the overall and Class A victory, with Lood du Preez/ Chris Visser Jnr (Farmers Meat Stryker) finishing second overall and in Class A.
It was another real challenge for the open-wheel vehicles in Classes A, P and G in the treacherous conditions with these vehicles not having the luxury of a windscreen, wipers or windows.
Newcomers Gideon Jacobs/ Richard Vardy Jnr (Moto-Netix Can-Am Maverick) claimed the top step of the Class G podium and third overall in the special vehicle category.
They were followed by teammates, Glen Theron/Craig Galvin with the outgoing Class G champions, Cecil and Elardus Larney rounding off the class podium and finishing fourth overall.
The 2022 Parys 400 will be remembered as the wettest race in almost two decades. It was more than likely the first time in the history of the modern racing series that organisers were forced into the extreme changes to the race and routes.