A close and exciting Absa South African Off Road Car Championship reaches a nail-biting climax this weekend (November 11 and 12) with privateers Thomas Rundle, aiming to be South Africa’s youngest off road car champion, and former co-driver champion Juan Mohr (Barden Tyres Services Racing Nissan Navara) leading a group of six crews who are all still in with a chance of taking the driver and co-driver titles in the RFS Magalies 400 in Gauteng
The Pretoria-based privateer team has had a great year with six consecutive points scoring finishes in succession before fuel starvation problems and a broken gearbox sidelined them in the recent Human Auto 400 in the Free State. This reduced their championship lead to just five points ahead of defending champions Chris Visser and Japie Badenhorst (Ford Ranger) with Jannie Visser and Joks le Roux third a further 10 points behind.
With a maximum of 25 points on offer for a win in the final round, the three teams in fourth, fifth and sixth places are all mathematically able to win the championship provided the crews ahead of them run into problems.
Michael Whitehouse and Mathew Carlson (Nissan Navara) have 71 points, while Duncan Vos and Rob Howie (Toyota Hilux) and Terence Marsh and George Smalberger (Nissan Navara) have 67 points each.
“It’s a bit crowded at the front of the field,” admitted the 28-year-old Pretoria businessman, “but we have the psychological advantage of occupying pole position and we aim to keep it that way throughout the weekend.
“The whole Barden Tyre Services Racing team has worked tirelessly throughout the season to get us to where we are today and Juan and I don’t intend to let anyone down, least of all ourselves. Our first win is long overdue and I can think of no better way of ending the season with a race victory as well as the championship.
In a year that has seen three privateer teams win four of the seven rounds run so far ahead of the factory Ford (two wins) and Toyota (one win) teams, each of the to six contenders has failed to finish at least one race, so the obligatory drop of their worst score will not affect the championship result.
“We’re all competing in a really tough and closely contested championship – probably the best national off road racing series in the world - with most of the 19 regulars in the top Super Production class capable of a win. It’s been our best year in off road racing by far and its not surprising that seven ‘graduates’ of our championship will be competing in the 2012 Dakar Rally in South America in January.”
The RFS Magalies 400 will be based at Tarlton International Raceway near Krugersdorp, with race headquarters, start/finish and designated service point all located there. Friday’s Donaldson Prologue to determine the start positions for Saturday’s race will begin at 12.30 and cover a distance of 60 kilometres. Saturday’s action will start at 08.30 and cover a distance of some 360 kilometres.
While Barden Tyre Services is the principal sponsor, the team also enjoys a mutually beneficial relationship with other partners and suppliers like Dunlop tyres, Autozone, Hausberger and Associates, Maxwell Design and Advertising, Willard batteries and Cedar Chem.
STORY COURTESY OF PETER BURROUGHES COMMUNICATIONS
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