The inaugural Outeniqua 400, the fourth round of the South African Rally-Raid Championship that took place from Louvain Guest Farm in the George area in the Garden Route, proved to be a real test for competitors who described it as tough and testing and in the end, it was the experienced team of Giniel de Villiers and Dennis Murphy (#TeamHilux RallyRaid Toyota DKR T1+) who were crowned as the first winners of this new event on the calendar.
The Outeniqua 400 consisted of a short 28-kilometre Falken Wild Peak Qualifying Race followed by Stage One of 82 kilometres on Friday, 19 September and two stages of 166 kilometres on Saturday, 20 September, with the route taking competitors through the beautiful Langkloof and over the Kammanassie Mountains, and described as one of the best routes they have competed on.
For De Villiers/Murphy, who finished the first day in the lead, it was a trouble-free day and as they managed the race on the final day from the front from start to finish, the dust was not a major issue. It was the team’s first overall and Ultimate FIA T1+ victories this season and their total race time was 06:41:27.
It was a good weekend for the Castrol NWM Ford Rally Raid Team who claimed the second and third places on the overall and Ultimate FIA T1+ podiums with Gareth Woolridge/Boyd Dreyer (NWM Ford Evo Plus) eventually finishing a mere 60 seconds behind the winners. They had to make up for lost time due to a puncture during the qualifying race and two more punctures on the final two stages. The team started day two from fourth place trailing their Brazilian team-mates, Marcos Baumgart/Kleber Cincea by two seconds with the international visitors enjoying the event and rounding out both podiums (06:50:47) after a trouble-free two days.
The Blignaut brothers, Fouché and Bertus (#TeamHilux RallyRaid Toyota DKR Hilux T1+) started the second day just behind De Villiers/Murphy, but lost four-wheel drive very early in the race. They dropped back and had to settle for fourth place overall and in the class (07:05:30).
The Outeniqua 400 did not produce the results Toyota Gazoo Racing were hoping for although both teams managed to claw their way back into the results after their mishaps. Saood Variawa/Francois Cazalet (Toyota Hilux IMT EVO) posted the fastest time after the qualifying race, but ended up on their side in a ditch on the first day that saw them losing loads of time and having to start the second day way down the field. With the grit between their teeth, the team fought their way back to finish fifth overall and in the Ultimate FIA T1+ Class with only five seconds separating them from the Blignaut brothers after more than seven hours of racing.
Their team-mates, Guy Botterill/Mena Valdearcos were second fastest after the qualifier, but then lost time due to navigational errors during the first stage putting them in seventh on the starting grid for the final day. Disaster struck three kilometres after the start when they went down a cliff and landed in a river from where their vehicle had to be recovered. The team lost hours and decided to take the penalty and started the race again eventually finishing in 11th place overall. They were sixth in the Ultimate FIA T1+ Class.
Three more class winners were in the overall top 10 with Johan and Sean van Staden (Renault Duster) winning the Adventurer Class and finishing sixth overall (07:30:33) despite experiencing mechanical difficulties. Philip Botha/Andries Mynhardt (Red-Lined Revo T1+) won the Ultimate SA T1+ Class and were seventh overall (08:05:35) while Henk Klaassen/Gerhard Schutte (Daklapack Rallysport Taurus T3Max) won the Challenger Class and finished eighth overall (08:11:48).
The Namibians, Marko Himmel/Francois Schoonbee (Red-Lined Navara Evo) produced a solid performance with their eyes on the Ultimate SA T1+ Championship. The team were up against the experienced Gary Bertholdt and stand-in navigator, Rikus Fourie (Toyota Hilux IMT EVO) who lead the class after the first day, but were forced to retire during the second half of Day Two due to damage caused to their vehicle. Himmel/Schoonbee finished ninth overall with a total time of 08:59:44.
The top ten was rounded off by the Dutch duo of Dave and Tessa Klaassen (Daklapack Revo GTR) who also finished third in the Ultimate SA T1+ Class.
The Outeniqua 400, albeit enjoyable, tough and challenging, took its toll with sixteen teams receiving the chequered flag after two intense days of racing. There were problems for the young lady driver, Puck Klaassen and Danie Stassen (GRally OT3), but the team persevered and were 12th overall and second in the Challenger Class. Behind them, Johan de Bruyn/Adriaan Roets (Red-Lined Revo T1) overcame various mechanical difficulties during the weekend to finish second in the Adventurer Class.
There was also a first finish for Jayden Els/Johan Swemmer (Red-Lined Revo T1+ GTR) who started the final day in fifth place, but dropped back due to mechanical issues and finished 14th overall. The Horn brothers, Johan and Werner (#TeamHilux Rally-Raid Toyota Hilux) battled throughout the Outeniqua 400, but did not give up and were 15th overall and fourth in Ultimate SA T1+ followed by Danie Ludick/Denzil Williamson (Red-Lined Revo T1+) who were fifth in the class.
The Outeniqua 400 formed two rounds of the Eastern Cape Off-road Championship. It proved to be tough on the vehicles with two teams managing to finish. Grant and Gregory Watkins (Zarco) took the victory with Noel and Annamarie Acton (ORCO) finishing second.
Teams will now prepare for the fifth and penultimate round of the SA Rally-Raid Championship that takes place at Vryheid on 31 October and 1 November.
Published by: Charmaine Fortune
Photography by: Dave Ledbitter
Motorsport South Africa (MSA) publishes media releases from a variety of sources on its website as a service to the sport. Due to the volume of content, it is not feasible to review or approve every release prior to publication. Some news items and articles are written by independent correspondents and may not necessarily reflect the official views or positions of MSA.