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The historic battlefields area of Dundee in KwaZulu-Natal was the perfect venue for Castrol Team Toyota’s first 1-2 victory in the Absa South African Off-Road Car championship on Saturday.
It was an emphatic performance by the factory team after a string of disappointments and teething problems with the new V8 Hilux bakkies since the start of 2011.
First across the finish line at the end of the Atlas Copco Battlefields 400 in 6hr43min13 after 422km of off-road racing was the Toyota Hilux Double Cab of former champion Duncan Vos and Rob Howie, followed 6min08 later by Toyota team mates Anthony Taylor and Chris Birkin.
Third, 17min31 behind the winners, was the Nissan Navara of Michael Whitehouse and Mathew Carlson, who crossed the finish line at the Battlefields Country Lodge outside Dundee on a sunny autumn afternoon in 7hr00min44.
'SOLID PLATFORM'
"This result is the culmination of a lot of development, testing and hard work by a very dedicated team," said team principal Glyn Hall. "Our new Hiluxes have shown both the pace and the reliability to win races and now we have achieved the perfect result in only our third event with the new pick-ups."
"Duncan and Anthony drove well today on a route that was new to all the competitors and they were able to stay ahead of the opposition without taking any unnecessary risks. We now have a solid platform to build as we challenge for the championship in the remaining five rounds."
Vos was understandably delighted with his first win since the 4x4 Megaworld 400 in 2010. He started today’s 350km race in third place behind team-mate Taylor and reigning champion Chris Visser (Ford Ranger) after Friday’s 72km prologue that determines the race start order.
"We had a great run today. The course was a good combination of fast and slow sections; with tricky water crossings and rocky sections; not too rough, but a good off road route. We had no problems with the car."
Team-mate Taylor lost the lead after picking up a puncture on the first of the four loops that made up the day’s route and lost around three minutes. "Apart from the flat, we had a clean run and the Toyota didn’t miss a beat. We tapped off towards the end when we realised we had a good lead over the next vehicle."
NISSAN STILL LEADS
A gutsy performance by Thomas Rundle and Juan Mohr in their Nissan Navara saw the championship leaders finish a fighting fifth among the Super Production vehicles. "We struggled on the final loop and were very relieved to make it to the finish," said Rundle. "Under the circumstances we are delighted to have scored 11 valuable points and retain our lead in the championship."
After three rounds Rundle and Mohr have amassed a total of 49 points and are two points ahead of Michael Whitehouse and Mathew Carlson in another ex-factory Nissan Navara. Duncan Vos and Rob Howie, are third with 30 points in a factory Toyota Hilux.
The next round of the Off-Road Car championship will be the Toyota 1000 Desert Race in Botswana on June 26, a traditional highlight of the African motorsport calendar.
It was an emphatic performance by the factory team after a string of disappointments and teething problems with the new V8 Hilux bakkies since the start of 2011.
First across the finish line at the end of the Atlas Copco Battlefields 400 in 6hr43min13 after 422km of off-road racing was the Toyota Hilux Double Cab of former champion Duncan Vos and Rob Howie, followed 6min08 later by Toyota team mates Anthony Taylor and Chris Birkin.
Third, 17min31 behind the winners, was the Nissan Navara of Michael Whitehouse and Mathew Carlson, who crossed the finish line at the Battlefields Country Lodge outside Dundee on a sunny autumn afternoon in 7hr00min44.
'SOLID PLATFORM'
"This result is the culmination of a lot of development, testing and hard work by a very dedicated team," said team principal Glyn Hall. "Our new Hiluxes have shown both the pace and the reliability to win races and now we have achieved the perfect result in only our third event with the new pick-ups."
"Duncan and Anthony drove well today on a route that was new to all the competitors and they were able to stay ahead of the opposition without taking any unnecessary risks. We now have a solid platform to build as we challenge for the championship in the remaining five rounds."
Vos was understandably delighted with his first win since the 4x4 Megaworld 400 in 2010. He started today’s 350km race in third place behind team-mate Taylor and reigning champion Chris Visser (Ford Ranger) after Friday’s 72km prologue that determines the race start order.
"We had a great run today. The course was a good combination of fast and slow sections; with tricky water crossings and rocky sections; not too rough, but a good off road route. We had no problems with the car."
Team-mate Taylor lost the lead after picking up a puncture on the first of the four loops that made up the day’s route and lost around three minutes. "Apart from the flat, we had a clean run and the Toyota didn’t miss a beat. We tapped off towards the end when we realised we had a good lead over the next vehicle."
NISSAN STILL LEADS
A gutsy performance by Thomas Rundle and Juan Mohr in their Nissan Navara saw the championship leaders finish a fighting fifth among the Super Production vehicles. "We struggled on the final loop and were very relieved to make it to the finish," said Rundle. "Under the circumstances we are delighted to have scored 11 valuable points and retain our lead in the championship."
After three rounds Rundle and Mohr have amassed a total of 49 points and are two points ahead of Michael Whitehouse and Mathew Carlson in another ex-factory Nissan Navara. Duncan Vos and Rob Howie, are third with 30 points in a factory Toyota Hilux.
The next round of the Off-Road Car championship will be the Toyota 1000 Desert Race in Botswana on June 26, a traditional highlight of the African motorsport calendar.