The Atlas Copco 400, the fourth round of the 2018 South African Cross-Country Championship that takes place on 3 and 4 August in the Bronkhorstspruit area on the outskirts of Gauteng, will be extremely important for competitors in the Special Vehicle category as chances are getting less to score points towards the various championships. At the halfway mark of the series, there is not much of a breathing space between the teams and the scene is set for some action-packed racing on terrain that will be new to all.
After claiming their first win of the season at the recent Toyota Kalahari Botswana 1000 Desert Race, the consistent father and daughter team of Coetzee Labuscagne/Sandra Labuscagne Jonck (4×4 Mega World ARB Porter) have kept their lead in the overall standings as well as in the Class A championship and have opened a little gap. The pressure will be on to bag even more points if they want to keep their lead as the gap is not big enough to sit back and relax. They are the only team who have entered, started and finished each of the races so far this season while they also scored points after each event and if this is anything to go by, chances are good they might walk away with another helping of points.
Behind them John Telford/Victor Ntsekhe (BAT Warbird) have been relatively consistent and scored three podium results and would like to make up for not being able to finish the second event of the season. They are, however, in a position to catch the father and daughter team and the chase will be on.
While the battle continues for the overall and Class A titles, both teams will have to keep an eye on various other teams who might not be in the title chase but can throw a spanner in the works by taking away points with good results. These teams include Stefan van Pletzen/Jaco Pieterse (Live Lesotho Chenowth) who won the season opener and were doing well in the desert until Lady Luck turned her back on them. They know they can move up the scoreboard rapidly if they bring it home safe and sound.
Another fast dark horse is Lance Trethewey with navigator Adriaan Roets (LTE BAT Venom) who will again be on the Class A start line. They have not scored any points yet but are a threat to those chasing the titles. A successful race resulting in their first points will be a good start towards the second half of the season for them.
The experienced driver, Nic Goslar (Zarco Magnum) leads the Class P drivers’ standings and is third in the overall standings while stand in navigator, Joe Lima is somewhat further back. They will be out in full force as the only Class P competitors and would like nothing better than full marks and trophies for the cabinet.
Werner Kennedy/CJ van Pletzen (Live Lesotho Porter) will hope to keep their rhythm and earn more good results after bagging double points in Botswana. They might end up in an interesting family tussle as they lead their team-mates, Van Pletzen and Pieterse, on the overall standings as well as in the Class A championship, albeit by a mere point or two.
After not being able to finish the first three events and lots of bad luck, John Thomson/Maurice Zermatten (Zarco Challenger) took the victory on the last day of the recent Toyota Kalahari Botswana 1000 Desert Race. With the trophy on the shelf and points on the scoreboard, they will hope to follow this up with another win. They are within striking range to catch and overtake a few teams ahead of them which will add pressure to leave Bronkhorstspruit with the best result possible.
Rookies Talha and Taahir Moosajee (Stryker) will also be on the start line and will be aiming for a first finish this season as will Dean Bradbury/Timmy Botes (BAT Venom).
Another interesting team to follow, will be former rally driver, Schalk Burger Jnr who again teams up with former SA National Rally Navigator Champion, Elvéne Vonk for the first time this season. Burger has recovered from a hand injury sustained during the 2017 TDR and his racing experience combined with Vonk’s navigational expertise, could spring a surprise at Bronkhorstspruit.
The Atlas Copco 400 starts on Friday, 3 August at 14:00 with a 40 kilometre Qualifying Race that will determine the starting order for Saturday. On Saturday, 4 August competitors will have to complete a 170 kilometre loop twice to be deemed finishers of the Atlas Copco 400. The racing action starts at 08:00 on Saturday from the Soetdoring Function Venue where the race headquarters as well as the Start/Finish and designated service point will be situated.