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The Battlefields 400, round two of the South African Cross Country Series (SACCS) on May 12 and 13 is aptly named.Based in Dundee in KwaZulu-Natal a bumper weekend of cross country motor racing is in the offing, and the Production Vehicle category has the potential to look like a war zone. The Toyota Gazoo Racing SA team is defending an unbeaten record that stretches back to 2105, and with any one of half a dozen or more crews capable of winning in Class T, the event will be no place for the faint of heart.
 Of course, the two Toyota Gazoo teams running in the FIA Class for cars conforming to FIA specifications – reigning champions Leeroy Poulter and Rob Howie and Giniel de Villiers and Dennis Murphy – will be outright favourites to win. But the good news is that the Toyotas will this time around have some competition in the FIA Class. Two new Red-Lined Nissan Navaras are earmarked for team principal Terence Marsh and celebrity co-driver Tony Ndoro and an international crew in Saudi Arabian driver Essa Aldossary and Dubai co-driver Ali Obaid. Johan van Staden and Mike Lawrenson will also be out for the first time this season in a Renault Duster, with the French car maker adding to the list of manufacturers now competing in the South African series. The two Toyota crews will again start favourites but could be forced to cast one or two anxious glances around them. Poulter/Howie and de Villiers/Murphy will still have to go out there and get the job done. Poulter/Howie duly took the win in the opening round of the series but getting the job done in Class T – for cars above four litres with solid axle rear suspension – is going to need something special in a hugely competitive field. The scene is set for high drama and there are certain to be casualties along the way. Mpumalanga brothers Johan and Werner Horn (Malalane Toyota Hilux) took the early Class T championship lead when they came from behind to win the Lichtenberg 400. The win provides a boost in confidence for the brothers, but such is the level of competition in Class T that predicting winners is a distinctly risky business. Second and third in class in Lichtenberg were Ford NWM Puma Lubricants team-mates Gareth Woolridge/Boyd Dreyer and rookies Henk Lategan/Barry White in a pair of Rangers. A win cannot be far off for the younger of the Woolridge brothers and Dreyer, while it was an auspicious debut for Lategan and White. A third Ford NWM Puma Lubricants Ranger in the hands of Lance Woolridge and Ward Huxtable gives the factory backed Pietermaritzburg based team a powerful hand. The fact that the Battlefields 400 is KwaZulu-Natal based provides the team with a little extra incentive. Former champions Chris Visser and Japie Badenhorst, in the Atlas Copco Toyota Hilux, cannot be left out of the mix along with team-mates Gary Bertholdt and Philip Herselman in the Atlas Copco VW Amarok. Bertholdt and Herselman may blow hot and cold at times, but on their day are capable a beating anyone. Hennie de Klerk (Treasury One VW Amarok) appears to have taken on a new lease of life after acquiring the ex RFS Amarok towards the latter part of last season. A couple of strong showings towards the end of last season were followed up with another impressive outing in Lichtenburg and offers de Klerk, who will be accompanied this time out by former South African champion Achim Bergmann, encouragement for the rest of the season. Lichtenburg was not a happy event for reigning Class T champions Jason Venter and Vince van Allemann in the 4×4 Mega World Toyota Hilux. After qualifying race woes the pair started from the back of the field and rescued valuable championship points with an eighth place finish, but the suspicion remains that Venter and van Allemann will find landing back to back championships a difficult task. A win in Dundee would go a long way towards repairing early damage. A good result will also be welcomed by Deon Venter and Jaco van Aardt, in the second 4×4 Mega World Toyota Hilux, and Luke Botha and Andre Vermeulen (Red-Lined Nissan Navara) who failed to finish in round one. Botha and Vermeulen will also be out in a new Nissan Navara to join the list of Class T contenders. Jacques van Tonder/Leander Pienaar (Ford Ranger) and Wayne and Paula Plit (OEM Lubricants Motul BMW X3) will also line up in Class T but the most interesting entry is that of Dakar Rally quad hero Brian Baragwanath and Leonard Cremer in a Ford Ranger.  Class S, for cars up to four litres with solid axle rear suspension, will be a mini manufacturer’s tussle. Archie and Kent Rutherford will be out in a Toyota Hilux, David Huddy and Gerhard Schutte in a Nissan Navara and rookies Richard Leeke junior and Henry Kohne in a Ford Ranger. The Battlefields 400 will offer cross country enthusiasts a full house of entertainment with the qualifying race to determine grid positions starting at 13:00 on Friday, May 12. The race on May 13 will start at 08:00 and apart from the SAACS national Auto and Moto championships the weekend also includes round two of the KwaZulu-Natal regional championship for cars, and an invitation race for the KwaZulu-Natal regional motorcycles and quads. Race headquarters, the start/finish and the designated service park (DSP) will all be located at the Battlefield Country Lodge and Sports Resort on the outskirts of Dundee. Public entrance to these areas and spectator points along the route is free of charge. Cross country enthusiasts can also follow the race from home or the office on the RallySafe app for Apple and Android devices. The app can be downloaded free of charge and allows enthusiasts to follow the event via maps and timing information. |
