A new event on the calendar and close championships are ingredients for potential drama and the Special Vehicle category ticks both boxes when it comes to the Harrismith 400, round four of the South African Cross Country Series (SACCS), on July 28 and 29. The Harrismith 400 makes its debut on the SACCS calendar and signals the start of the second half of the series. With close contests in the overall, Class A and Class P championships the race could be a make or break affair for top of the table crews.
A change of personnel in Harrismith sees the Marius and Jolinda Fourie combination broken up, and Hendrik Pienaar will take over co-driver duties in the PHB BAT and has a tough job ahead of him. Marius Fourie tops the driver’s standings and it is also white knuckle time for reigning champions Evan Hutchison/Danie Stassen (King Price Extreme BAT Viper) and Stefan van Pletzen/Jaco Pieterse in the Live Lesotho Chenowth.
Only a handful of points separate the drivers and co-drivers in both the overall and Class A championships, and they will be forgiven for approaching with some trepidation a race that will take competitors into uncharted waters in the eastern Free State. Although Pieterse missed an event he has still managed to retain third in both the overall and Class A championships for co-drivers.
All of which points to an interesting battle between the three crews. And with the Harrismith 400 being a new event on the calendar there will be a little extra pressure on the co-drivers, and Pienaar in particular, but they are all experienced campaigners.
As a team the Fouries made their best ever start to a season while van Pletzen and Pieterse have turned consistency into a habit. But in tight championship situations you have to think the odds are slightly in favour of Hutchison and Stassen who are no strangers to what it takes to close out championships.
A solid performance on the Toyota 1000 Desert Race lifted the father/daughter combination of Coetzee and Sandra Labuscagne (4×4 Mega World Porter) into fourth in the overall and Class A stakes. But there are two standout teams who could make life difficult for Fourie, Hutchison/Stassen and van Pletzen/Pieterse.
Multiple Class P champions John Thomson and Maurice Zermatten, now campaigning a Zarco Magnum in the premier class, appear to be finding their feet and sheer consistency is a weapon that on a new event might reap a rich dividend. The leading trio will also be keeping a wary eye out for Lance Trethewey and Geoff Minnitt (LTE BAT Venom), in only their second start of the season, who finished runners-up on the Battlefields 400.
The Harrismith event sees Naeem Moosajee and Rayhaan Bodhanya TyreRack Jimco and Lourens and Carien Booysen (BAT) return to action after missing the Toyota 1000 Desert Race. Together with rally driver Visser du Plessis, standing in for the injured Schalk Burger and Elvéne Coetzee (King Price Extreme Porter) they and Keith Makenete/Ferdie Pieterse (BAT) will be looking for improved results over the second half of the season.
The tactical options between the “flyers” and those who prefer a more sedate approach, add a new dimension to a race that is likely to be run in typical Highveld conditions where winter has left its mark.
The Class P championship is even closer than the battle raging in Class A. There is only one point between Nic Goslar/Andrew Massey (SA Clinics Zarco Magnum) and Werner Kennedy/Thinus Venter (Live Lesotho Aceco) with early championship pacesetters John Telford and Victor Ntsekhe (Calcamite Hellcat) only three points in arrears.
Goslar/Massey and Kennedy/Venter produced outstanding results on the recent Toyota 1000 Desert Race to sneak in ahead of Telford/Ntsekhe, who were not helped by a non-finish in heat two of the Botswana race. The Class P brigade have also produced a string of top five overall finishes this season, and it would be no surprise if one or two of their numbers upstage Class A crews.
Race headquarters, the start finish and designated service park for the Harrismith 400 will be located at the Eeram Famers Complex with public entry to these areas free of charge. There will also be free public entry to spectator points along the route.
The qualifying race to determine grid positions will start at 14:00 on Friday, July 28 and the main race at 08:00 on Saturday. The race will be run over two loops of approximately 200 kilometres with a compulsory 20 minute service halt and re-bunch after the first lap.
There is ample parking at the Eeram facility with the local Vroue Landbou Unie and farmers supplying an array of meals, buffet snacks and beverages throughout the weekend. The event also includes round four of the Northern Regions and KwaZulu-Natal regional championships, and cross country enthusiasts can look forward to a bumper weekend of motor racing within easy reach from KZN and Gauteng along the N3 highway.
Cross country enthusiasts can also follow the fortunes of their favourite teams at home or in the office on the RallySafe app, which can be downloaded free of charge for iOS and Android systems. The app is user friendly and enthusiasts can follow the race via maps which chart the progress of each car with split and overall times.