11TH SUCCESSIVE WIN FOR PROUDLY SOUTH AFRICAN NISSAN HARDBODY AND 7TH FOR HANNES GROBLER AND RICHARD
author: Nissan Motorsport Release
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Hannes Grobler and Richard Leeke - yet again!
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Nissan extended its record winning streak in the SA Off-Road Championship to 11 races when Hannes Grobler and Richard Leeke in their Proudly South African Nissan Hardbody 3,5-litre V6 won the Oven Fresh Biscuits 500, which ended in Mafikeng on Saturday afternoon.
The former national off-road and rally champions led the 500-km event, which was held in hot and dusty conditions, from start to finish, beating their Nissan Motorsport team-mates Giniel de Villiers and Francois Jordaan by 1 min 55 sec after over five and a half hours’ of racing.
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Giniel de Villiers and Francois Jordaan - 2nd overall
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Third overall, nearly nine minutes behind the winners, was the Ford Ranger 3,4-litre V6 of Neil Woolridge and Kenny Skjoldhammer, with Apie Reyneke and Robin Houghton fourth in their 4,5-litre Toyota Land Cruiser a further 22 min 42 sec in arrears.
Grobler and Leeke have now won a record seventh consecutive national championship off-road races and have extended their lead in this year’s eight-round championship to 36 points. They also lead class T (for modified production vehicles), where they are the defending champions, by a healthy 81 points.
The two Proudly South African Hardbody pickups took full advantage of their starting at the front of the field on Saturday after Grobler finished first and De Villiers second in Friday’s prologue time trial and they were unchallenged throughout the race.
“We had a trouble-free run and must thank our team for preparing a very good car,” said a delighted Grobler. “Richard and I are also very pleased we were able to extend our overall championship lead over Mark Cronje and Chris Birkin.” Cronje and Birkin finished 18th overall and sixth in class E in their factory-prepared Toyota Hilux .
De Villiers was philosophic about his second successive runner-up spot to Grobler, but happy to have finished the race after two non-finishes this year. “We had to fit an older engine to our car after the race engine gave trouble in testing, and we were a bit short of power early in the race. But it improved towards the end and we closed to within 30 seconds of Hannes at one stage before a puncture dropped us back,” said the 2001 champion.
Reigning champions Duncan Vos and Mike Griffith were unable to make it a Nissan 1-2-3 after retiring just six kilometres from the finish. They struggled with an engine misfire during the first half of the race after starting fourth behind Woolridge’s Ranger and were still fourth behind Woolridge at the halfway stage.
“We stopped at the midway service point to attend to the misfire” said Vos, “and the engine was fine after that. We were having a good second lap and making up time on the Ford when we had to stop to put out a small fire in the engine compartment. The engine wouldn’t restart and we had to call it a day.”
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Alfie Cox and Hennie ter Stege in their Arnold Chatz Cars Nissan Hardbody
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Alfie Cox and Hennie ter Stege won class D (for near-standard six-cylinder production vehicles) in their Arnold Chatz Cars Nissan Hardbody and were sixth overall behind the class T Land Rover of Cliff Barker and Vic Campher.
“Hennie and I had a great race,” beamed Cox, a multiple SA off-road motorcycle champion who continues to impress in his first season on four wheels. “We were quickest class D car in the prologue and we managed to stay in front throughout the race. But we were a little worried after a puncture at the start of lap two because we only had one spare, and we took no chances from there to the finish.”
Nissan privateers Coetzee Labuschagne and Johan Gerber finished a creditable ninth overall and third in class D in their GBS Hardbody, with team-mates Hein Grobler/Gerhard Prinsloo 25th (they lost a lot of time replacing a broken wishbone under the watchful eye of a marshall) and MC Coetzee/Marius Liebenberg 26th in their Hardbody pickups.
Neels van der Walt and his wife Zelda had their best result of the year in their privately-entered class E Nissan Hardbody, finishing 10th overall and second in class.
Deon Schoeman and Jeremy Fall, in the Ferodo/Topcar Nissan Hardbody, maintained their clean record of finishing in every event so far this year by taking 13th place overall and fifth in class D.
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Deon Schoeman and Jeremy Fall, in the Ferodo/Topcar Nissan Hardbody
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Brothers Jurie and Andre du Plessis were 20th overall and 8th in class E in their BB Auto Nissan Hardbody after suffering problems with dirt in the fuel .
BB Auto’s Arnold du Plessis and George Baker, competing in their first event of the year in a class D Nissan Hardbody, were forced to retire with rear suspension problems after a promising start.
Nissan won the manufacturers challenge on the day and extended their already considerable lead over Toyota and Ford in the Manufacturers Championship.
Round five of the championship is the Queens Motor Spares 500 in the Tarkastad area of the Eastern Cape on August 22 and 23.
Provisional top 10 results:
H Grobler/R Leeke (Class T Proudly South African Nissan Hardbody) 5h 32m 36s
G de Villiers/F Jordaan (Class T Proudly South African Nissan Hardbody) 5h 34m 31s
N Woolridge/K Skjoldhammer (Class T Ford Ranger) 5h 41m 35s
A Reyneke/R Houghton (Class T Toyota Land Cruiser) 6h 4m 17s
C Barker/V Campher (Class T Land Rover) 6h 26m 14s
A Cox/H ter Stege (Class D Nissan Hardbody) 6h 38m 28s
M van Vuuren/C Mare (Class D Land Rover) 6h 39m 58s
K Coetzee/O Fourie (Class E Toyota Hilux) 6h 40m 15s
C Labuschagne/J Gerber (Class D Nissan Hardbody) 6h 40m 28s
N and Z van der Walt (class E Nissan Hardbody) 6h 45m 12s
AFRIKAANSE WEERGAWE
OVEN FRESH BISCUITS 500, VIERDE RONDTE VAN 2003 SA VELDRENKAMPIOENSKAP
11DE AGTEREENVOLGENDE OORWINNING VIR TROTS SUID-AFRIKAANS- NISSAN HARDBODY EN 7DE VIR HANNES GROBLER EN RICHARD LEEKE
Nissan het sy rekord-oorwinningsege in die Suid-Afrikaanse Veldrenkampioenskap tot elf verleng toe Hannes Grobler en Richard Leeke in hul Trots Suid-Afrikaans-Nissan Hardbody 3,5-liter V6 die Oven Fresh Biscuits 500-veldren wat Saterdagmiddag in Mafikeng geëindig het, gewen het.
Die gewese nasionale veldren- en tydrenkampioene het die byeenkoms oor 500 km, wat in warms en baie stowwerige toestande beslis is, van begin tot einde oorheers en hul Nissan Motorsport-spanmaats Giniel de Villiers en Francois Jordaan met 1 min 55 sek ná meer as vyf en ’n half uur se gejaag in die veld gewen.
Die Ford Ranger 3,4-liter V6 van Neil Woolridge en Kenny Skjöldhammer was derde algeheel - bykans nege minute agter die wenners - met die 4,5-liter Castrol Toyota Land Cruiser van Apie Reyneke en Robin Houghton vierde ’n stewige 22 min 42 sek later.
Grobler en Leeke het nou ’n ongeëwenaarde sewe agtereenvolgende veldrenoorwinnings behaal en hul voorsprong in vanjaar se kampioenskap oor agt rondes tot ’n gaping van 36 punte vergroot. Hulle is ook los voor in Klas T vir veranderde produksievoertuie waar hulle die verdedigende kampioene is en het nou ’n voorsprong van ’n gesonde 81 punte.
Die twee Trots Suid-Afrikaans-Hardbody-bakkies het hul wegspringposisies aan die voorpunt van Saterdag se renveld ten volle benut nadat Grobler eerste en De Villiers tweede in Vrydag se kwalifiserende voorren geëindig het. Hulle is nooit werklik op enige tydstip van die ren deur enige van die ander jaers bedreig nie.
“Ons het ’n probleemvrye lopie gehad en moet ons span vir ’n baie goeie motor bedank,” het ’n oorstelpte Grobler gesê. “Ek en Richard is ook baie in ons noppies met die feit dat ons ons algehele kampioenskap bo Mark Cronjé en Chris Birkin kon vergroot.” Cronjé en Birkin was 18de algeheel en sesde in Klas E in hul fabrieksingeskrewe Castrol-Toyota Hilux.
De Villiers was filosofies oor die feit dat hulle die tweede agtereenvolgende keer die naaswenners agter Grobler-hulle was, maar was baie in hul skik met die feit dat hulle die byeenkoms voltooi het nadat hulle die eerste twee byeenkomste van die jaar glad nie kon voltooi nie. “Ons moes ’n ou enjin in ons motor gebruik nadat die renvoorbereide enjin in ’n toetslopie probleme opgelewer het, en ons het ’n bietjie min krag vir die ren gehad. Dit het egter aan die einde begin verbeter en ons was op ’n tydstip net 30 sekondes agter Hannes-hulle voordat ’n pap wiel ons weer laat terugsak het,” het die 2001-veldrenkampioen gesê.
Die verdedigende kampioene, Duncan Vos en Mike Griffith, kon dit net-net nie ’n driekuns vir Nissan maak nie nadat hulle net ses kilometer voor die einde van die pad af moes trek. Hulle het in die eerste helfte van die ren met ’n ontstekingsprobleem gesukkel nadat hulle in die vierde posisie agter Woolridge se Ranger weggespring het, en was teen die halfpadmerk steeds agter die Woolridge-Ford.
“Ons het by die versieningspunt stilgehou om na die ontstekingsprobleem te laat kyk en alles was piekfyn daarna,” het Vos gesê. “Ons het ’n goeie lopie in die tweede rondte gehad en tot kort agter die Ford gevorder toe ons moes stilhou om ’n paar vlamme onder die enjinkap te blus. Die enjin wou egter nie weer vat nie en ons moes daar en dan halt roep.”
Alfie Cox en Hennie ter Steege het Klas D (vir bykans-standaard sessilinder-voertuie) in hul Arnold Chatz Cars-Nissan Hardbody gewen met hul puik sesde posisie algeheel agter die Klas T-Land Rover van Cliff Barker en Vic Campher.
“Ek en Hennie het ’n goeie ren agter die rug,” het ’n oorstelpte Cox, ’n veelvuldige Suid-Afrikaanse motorfiets-veldrenkampioen wat steeds vriend en vyand met sy vertoning op vier wiele beïndruk, gesê. “Ons was in die voorren die vinnigste in ons klas en het daarin geslag om regdeur die ren voor te bly. Ons was effens bekommerd nadat ons kort ná die begin van die tweede rondte moes stilhou om ’n pap wiel te ruil, en ons het daarna tot by die einde geen kanse gewaag nie omdat ons net een spaarwiel saamgery het.”
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Coetzee Labuschagne en Johan Gerber negende algeheel en derde in Klas D in hul GBS Hardbody.
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Die private Nissan-jaers Coetzee Labuschagne en Johan Gerber het die eindpunt in ’n netjiese negende posisie algeheel en derde in Klas D in hul GBS Hardbody gehaal met hul spanmaats Hein Grobler/Gerhard Prinsloo 25ste (hulle het baie tyd verloor om ’n stukkende mikveer onder die wakende oog van ’n baanbeampte te ruil) terwyl MC Coetzee/Marius Liebenberg 26ste in hul Hardbody-bakkie was.
Neels van der Walt en sy vrou, Zelda, het hul beste lopie van die seisoen gehad en was tweede in Klas E in hul privaat-ingeskrewe Nissan Hardbody met ’n puik 10de algeheel.
Deon Schoeman en Jeremy Fall, in hul Ferodo/Topcar Nissan Hardbody, het hul skoon geskiedenis deur elke byeenkoms te voltooi, gestand gedoen met ’n 13de posisied algeheel en vyfde in Klas D.
Die Du Plessis-broers Jurie en André was 20ste algeheel en agtste in Klas E in hul BB Auto Nissan Hardbody nadat hulle aanvanklik met vuiligheid in die brandstof gesukkel het.
Hul BB Auto-spanmaats Arnold du Plessis en George Baker, wat in hul eerste byeenkoms van die jaar deelgeneem en in ’n Klas D-Nissan Hardbody gejaag het, is ná ’n belowende wegspring deur ’n stukkende agtervering uitgedwing.
Nissan het die vervaardigersprys vir die dag gewen en hul aansienlike voorsprong voor Toyota en Ford in die vervaardigerskampioenskap vergroot.
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Hein Grobler & Gerhard Prinsloo - nie 'n goeie byeenkoms vir hulle nie.
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Die vyfde ronde van die reeks is die Queens Motor Spares 500 die naweek van 22 en 23 Augustus in die omgewing van Tarkastad in die Oos-Kaap.
Voorlopige top 10-uitslae:
H Grobler/R Leeke (Klas T-Trots Suid-Afrikaans-Nissan Hardbody) 5h 32m 36s
G de Villiers/F Jordaan (Klas T-Trots Suid-Afrikaans-Nissan Hardbody) 5h 34m 31s
N Woolridge/K Skjöldhammer (Klas T-Ford Ranger) 5h 41m 35s
A Reyneke/R Houghton (Klas T-Toyota Land Cruiser) 6h 4m 17s
C Barker/V Campher (Klas T-Land Rover) 6h 26m 14s
A Cox/H ter Steege (Klas D-Nissan Hardbody) 6h 38m 28s
M van Vuuren/C Maré (Klas D-Land Rover) 6h 39m 58s
K Coetzee/O Fourie (Klas E-Toyota Hilux) 6h 40m 15s
C Labuschagne/J Gerber (Klas D-Nissan Hardbody) 6h 40m 28s
N and Z van der Walt (Klas E-Nissan Hardbody) 6h 45m 12s
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