SURPRISE DONALDSON PROLOGUE VICTORY FOR BEZUIDENHOUT’S
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SURPRISE DONALDSON PROLOGUE VICTORY FOR BEZUIDENHOUT’S
Lydenburg, Friday – The husband and wife team of Ramon and Maret Bezuidenhout sprang a major surprise today when they took the Production Vehicle honours in the Donaldson Prologue at the Toyota Dealer 400, round two of the Absa Off Road Championship, here today.
The Donaldson Prologue, to determine grid positions for the race, produced more than its share of drama with a number of competitors hit with time penalties after deviating from the route. The Bezuidenhout’s, in only their second outing in the Red Star Raceway Toyota Hilux in the premier SP Class, stayed out of trouble to upstage some high profiled crews.
The Delmas based crew finished 11 seconds ahead of Adenco 400 winners Chris Visser and Japie Badenhorst in the RFS/Visser Transport Toyota Hilux. Visser/Badenhorst were just two seconds ahead of former South African champion Hannes Grobler and Hennie ter Stege in the RFS Toyota Hilux.
The top five were rounded out by the Castrol Toyota Hilux factory entries of reigning South African champion Duncan Vos and Rob Howie and Anthony Taylor and Robin Houghton. Taylor/Houghton were a little unlucky when they arrived at a river crossing a kilometre from the finish only to find a Special Vehicle stuck in the exit from the stream.
“There was nothing we could do but wait until they were pulled out the stream,” said Houghton. “It was frustrating because it dropped us from first to fifth.”
The Bezuidenhout’s, delighted with their first Donaldson Prologue success, reported a clean run. The pair finished fourth on the Adenco 400 in the Western Cape, the first event of the year, and were looking forward to another good result.
“We had a good day,” said Maret, “but the race is tomorrow. Starting first on the road is going to put a little extra pressure on us but we are looking forward to the challenge.”
Visser/Badenhorst, Grobler/ter Stege and Vos/Howie also reported runs free of major problems. Crews were, however, caught out by the unexpected amount of water on the 125 kilometre route.
“The amount of water out there took a lot of us by surprise,” said Houghton. “Moving the event forward by a couple of months also meant the grass was a lot longer and made life a little more difficult.”
Among the high profile crews who ran into trouble were Gary Bertholdt/Andre Vermeulen (Atlas Copco Toyota Hilux) and the Regent Racing crews Terence Marsh/Buks Carolin and Mike Whitehouse/Mathew Carlson. An overheating problem saw the Atlas Copco crew stop before they blew the motor, while the Regent racing crews were among those hit with 40 minute penalties for deviating from the route.
A solid run also took Thomas Rundle and Juan Mohr, in the first outing in the ex Vos Nissan Navara now running in Barden Tyre Services colours, into sixth place. They were around a minute ahead of former SA champions Neil Woolridge and Kenny Skjoldhammer in the Ford Racing Ranger, with privateers Kobus van Tonder and Freddie Kriel (Uni Freight Ford Ranger) closing out the top eight.
There were no Class D starters with Class E crews Michael Griffith/Frikkie Tennant (Toyota Hilux), Johan de Lange/Gert Ochse (Nissan Hardbody) and Lance Woolridge/Ward Huxtable (Ford Racing Ranger) all falling by the wayside. All three Class E cars are, however, eligible to start tomorrow from the back of the field.
The race will start outside Lydenburg Toyota in Voortrekker Street at 08h00. The designated service point and the finish will be at the Lydenburg Rugby Club with the first cars expected at around 13.30.
There are a number of spectator points along the route within easy access of Lydenburg. Entrance to the start/finish, designated service point and spectator areas is free of charge.
HUTCHISON/BERGMANN WIN DRAMA PACKED SPECIAL VEHICLE PROLOGUE
Lydenburg, Friday – South African champion Evan Hutchison and Achim Bergmann won a drama packed Special Vehicle category prologue for the Toyota Dealer 400, round two of the Absa off Road Championship, here today.
The Donaldson Prologue determines start positions for the race proper with a string of high profile crews hit by time penalties for deviating from the route. Clerk of the course Rex Boreham hit the transgressors with an additional 30 minutes plus a 10 minute 19 seconds benchmark for the section of the route they missed.
Hutchison and Bergmann, in the Motorite BAT, almost made the same mistake but quickly realised they were on the wrong route. They backtracked onto the correct course and after that reported a clean run.
“It turned out okay for us, but we so easily could have been among those penalised,” said Hutchison . “As it is we are seventh on the road behind a string of Production Vehicles and that could make life difficult.
“It is a really tough route with an unexpected amount of water and longer than usual grass, and tomorrow is going to be a long day.”
With the penalties and tight and tough route Hutchison/Bergmann and the Class P pair of Johan van Staden and James Rossouw, in the KEC BAT, were the only Special Vehicle crews in the top 10. Van Staden/Rossouw were around two and a half minutes slower than the Motorite pair and were 10th fastest overall.
Third fastest went to Adenco 400 winners Shameer Variawa and Siegfried Rossouw (Total Motorsport Porter) who were another 36 seconds adrift. The father and son combinations of Herman and Wichard Sullwald (Sullwald Transport SVR) and Nick and Ryan Harper (Atlas Copco BAT) rounded out the top five.
Only five seconds separated Jimmy Zahos/Stefan Coetzee (Cobalt Racing Porter) and Kallie and Quintin Sullwald (Sullwald Racing BAT) in sixth and seventh. Eighth were the Century Racing BAT pair of Colin Matthews and Alan Smith who finished second on the opening event of the season in the Western Cape.
The other high profile casualties were Brandon Harcus and Ralph Pitchford in the JMR Fleet Management BAT. They rolled down a bank but with no damage to the car will start from the back of the field tomorrow.
Second in Class P were the Regent Racing Jimco pair of Archie Rutherford and Craig Doubtfire with Mark Corbett and Rudi Balzer (Century Racing CR3) nearly 10 minutes in arrears in third place.
Class B drivers champion Derick du Toit and Rod Jeffrey (Orange Tree BAT) led Class B ahead of brothers Hamish and Alistair Stubbs in a Viper. Du Toit and Jeffrey, however, were plagued by a power steering problem that was going to cost them some midnight oil.
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