The Benoni-based father and son team of Tony and Michael Gouveia led the way in yesterday’s qualifying race for the LMC Mega Centre Barberspan 500, round two of the Northern Regions Cross Country Championship, here today.
The Gouveias, in a BAT, led home a quartet of Class P cars as Special Vehicle entries dominated the 100 kilometre event to determine grid positions for tomorrow’s race. Youngster Dylan Venter and Vince van Allemann, in the 4×4 Mega World Toyota Hilux, were the first of the Production Vehicle brigade in fifth place overall and also took the Class D honours.
The Gouveias were hit by mechanical problems in the opening round of the championship, the Vredefort 250, but turned in a commanding performance today. It saw them come home two minutes and 34 seconds ahead of the Aceco of Werner Kennedy and Thinus Venter, who followed up a win on the season opener with another good performance.
Third overall were Francois Smit and Craig Galvin, in the Jetpatcher/Isuzu Racing Zarco Lite, who were 38 seconds adrift of Kennedy and Venter. The top five in Class P were rounded out by Kobus Fourie/Sidriaan de Villiers (BAT) and veteran Giel Nel and Ferdi Pieterse in the Zarco Truggy.
The Class B contingent found the going much tougher than the Class P runners, with Vredefort winners Marthinus and Tiaan le Roux continuing their good early season form with a healthy lead over John Boxhoorn in the singleseater WPP. Veteran Wolf-Peter Pfumfei (Jetpatcher/Isuzu Racing/WPP Sandmaster) was third ahead of Chris Hooman (Sandmaster Magnum) and Lodewyk Lesch in a Mighty Mag.
The Class D win also saw Venter and van Allemann continue their good form after a win on the opening event. The pair were a minute and nine seconds ahead of the LMC Land Rover Defender of brothers Sarel and Jaco Oosthuizen, with Reagan Austin and Warren Vos (Toyota Hilux) and Andre Geldenhuys/Victor Fincham (Isuzu KB) fourth and fifth.
Normal service resumed in Class E when reigning champions and former national champions Dirk Putter and Koos Claasens (Ford Ranger) bounced back after a disappointing opening round. The biggest casualties here were Vredefort winners Henri Zermatten and Johan Grobler, in another Ford Ranger, who ran into mechanical problems.
The pair will repair the vehicle overnight and will start tomorrow’s race from the back of the field. Putter and Claasens were around four minutes clear of Bertus Kriel and Anton Muller (Ford Ranger) who, in turn, were around two and a half minutes clear of Rob Reid and Bodo Schwegler in the Mitsubishi Pajero.
In a tight finish the Mitsubishi pair edge out Theuns du Toit/Arnold Nortje (Toyota Hilux) by just two seconds. Right on the heels of du Toit/Nortje were David Huddy and Buks Carolin in a Nissan Hardbody with 39 seconds the gap between the two crews.
Tomorrow’s race will be run over two 200 kilometre loops with a compulsory 15 minute halt after the first lap. The race starts at 7:30 with the start/finish and designated service point all located at the Barberspan Motor Club.