The Parys 400 featured two consecutive rounds of the 2023 South African Rally-Raid Championships (SARRC), run in a double-header format, with Round 4 happening on Friday, 18 August; and Round 5 following on the Saturday. Both rounds comprised full qualifying races, in addition to two race loops of roughly 170km every. The two rounds featured largely unbiased routes, however the dry, dusty terrain of the end-of-winter Free State was a typical characteristic.
TGRSA’s Parys 400 weekend began robust
It was towards this backdrop that TOYOTA GAZOO Racing’s (TGRSA) squad of 4 Toyota Hilux T1+ crews set in regards to the enterprise of successful races, with Henk Lategan and co-driver Brett Cummings drawing first blood in Friday’s qualifying race. They set the early tempo, besting Saood Variawa and Danie Stassen by 48sec over the brief qualifying route of 18km.
The race itself – Round 4 of the championship – noticed Lategan/Cummings energy to a largely uneventful victory, whereas Variawa/Stassen fell foul to a difficult water crossing that tripped them up, and excluded them from the ultimate outcomes.
But teammates Giniel de Villiers and Dennis Murphy made the a lot of the alternative to maneuver up into second place total. They completed simply 25sec behind Lategan/Cummings, with the ultimate Hilux pairing of Guy Botterill and stand-in co-driver, Zaheer Bodhanya, finishing the rostrum. This was an influence efficiency by TGRSA, and a wealthy contribution in the direction of Toyota successful the Manufacturers’ Award on the day. By the time the mud settled over the primary race day of the double-header weekend, Lategan/Cummings had made up some misplaced floor in the championship struggle, and had been trying ahead to a different stable efficiency in Round 5.
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Saturday of the race weekend dawned crisp and funky, and Lategan/Cummings made the a lot of the situations to win their second consecutive qualifying race. This time their lead was solely 4sec, over Class T1+ rookies, Fouché and Bertus Blignault, in a #TeamHilux T1+. Variawa/Stassen went 4th-fastest, with Botterill/Bodhanya setting the 5th-fastest time of the morning. De Villiers/Murphy suffered a puncture early in the qualifier, costing them a major period of time. As a end result, they had been solely 13th-fastest in the session, however the principle race provided new alternatives.
As it turned out, Lategan/Cummings suffered a 5min penalty when the transmission of their automobile required a sensor alternative shortly earlier than the beginning of the race. They had been pressured to depart the service park not on time, and paid the value in the type of a penalty which largely precluded them from victory. But the TGRSA crew displayed the toughness and tenacity which is synonymous with Toyota to struggle again to 4th place total, thus conserving their championship aspirations alive.
At the identical time, De Villiers/Murphy recorded their second 2nd-place end in as many days, conserving themselves in with a shout in phrases of the championship. But the person of the second was undeniably Botterill, partnered with Bodhanya for this occasion. The pair recorded a largely clear run to clinch victory, albeit simply 9sec forward of their teammates. A shocking maiden win for the person from KZN/Natal.
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As for Variawa/Stassen, they struggled with the GPS unit in their automobile; and misplaced additional time once they suffered a puncture. The tyre was extraordinarily sizzling, they usually had been pressured to attend for it to chill down earlier than persevering with on their approach. Fifth place was one of the best they may muster in the circumstances, however the pair clearly had vital tempo, and will definitely play a job in future occasions.
“We are extremely happy with our results this weekend,” mentioned TGRSA Team Principal, SVR Hallspeed’s Glyn Hall. “Henk and Brett were a bit unlucky not to win on both days, but we are very pleased for Guy, winning his first event. Giniel and Dennis showed why they are known for their consistency, and we could see that Saood and Danie are sure to make big contributions to the team in the near future.”
The subsequent spherical of the SARRC will happen in the Free State city of Welkom on 6-7 October, 2023. This would be the penultimate spherical of the season, with the finale following on 10-11 November in the Waterberg.
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Published by Toyota South Africa on Motorpress
For extra information in regards to the 2023 South African Rally-Raid Championships, observe our motorsport web page.
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