The INGCO Parys 400, the opening round of the 2026 SA Rally-Raid Championship that takes place this weekend, 19 and 20 June, in the Parys area in the Free State, started on an interesting, but tricky note while spectators were entertained by the action along the route, competitors and their teams could settle the early season nerves and enjoy the varied terrain.
The first day of the INGCO Parys 400 consisted of a very short qualifying race while the veld was still wet from the overnight dew and mere seconds separated the 29 teams. This was followed by two stages of 21 kilometres each with fast, open sections as well as rocky hills and mud patches forcing the teams to focus until the end.
Looking at the scoreboard after the qualifying race, it was clear that youngsters, Jayden Els and Johann Swemmer, now in the colours of the Century Racing Factory Team competing with the CR7, meant business as they posted the fastest time, although they were only three seconds faster than Danie Ludick/Denzil Williamson, who are now in a Castrol NWM Ford Rally-Raid Evo Plus. The former champions and their team-mates, Gareth Woolridge/Boyd Dreyer, were a second behind them after racing for just over three minutes.
Hennie de Klerk/Carl Swanepoel (Toyota Hilux) finished fourth followed by the three Toyota Gazoo Racing teams who posted the exact same times in their Hilux IMT EVO steeds – Guy Botterill/Oriol Mena Valdearcos, the defending champion, Saood Variawa with Charan Moore reading him the notes and his brother, Sa’aad and Wade Harris.
They were a mere second faster than the German driver, Daniel Schröder and Juan Möhr (PS Laser WCT VW Amarok) with another second separating them from the two teams completing the top ten – Fouché and Bertus Blignaut (#TeamHilux Rally-Raid Toyota DKR T1+ EVO), who opened the road and Daniel’s dad, Jurgen and navigator Rikus Fourie in a similar PS Laser WCT VW Amarok posted the same time.
These 10 teams then drew choosing their starting positions for Stage One with Schröder/Fourie first on the road followed by the Blignaut brothers; Variawa/Harris; Saood Variawa/Moore and Botterill/Mena Valdearcos who were the first five teams off the start line.
It was a game of dodging rocks and fast flying while playing it safe to post the best times possible with the aim of a good starting position for the second day and the bulk of the racing kilometres of the INGCO Parys 400. And when the dust settled, it was Woolridge/Dryer who appeared on top (00:30:07) with Saood Variawa/Moore only three seconds behind them in second place followed eight seconds later by Botterill/Mena Valdearcos (00:30:18).
The two #TeamHilux Rally-Raid entries, the Blignaut brothers (00:30:34), who started second and the former multiple champions, Giniel de Villiers/Dennis Murphy (#TeamHilux Rally-Raid DKR Hilux T1+ EVO), who started 12th, ended the day in fourth and fifth respectively with 11 seconds separating them, after De Villiers/Murphy lost time when they hit a rock that damaged a rear rim resulting in a flat tyre just before the end of the first stage while a front tyre was also punctured.
The Brazilian team of Marcos Baumgart/Kleber Cincea in the second Castrol NWM Ford Rally-Raid Evo Plus started just outside the top 10 and worked their way to sixth (00:31:17) while Ludick/Williamson finished eighth overall, 11 seconds behind their Brazilian team-mates. They sandwich the early leaders of Ultimate SA T1+, Gary Bertholdt/Henry Köhne (Toyota Hilux) (00:31:20) with De Klerk/Swanepoel (00:31:33) getting their race off to a good start finishing ninth overall and second in Ultimate SA T1+. The young Sa’aad and Harris (00:31:39) were 10th overall and eighth in Ultimate FIA T1+ with a mere 92 seconds covering the top 10 teams.
The fourth of the five Castrol NWM Ford Rally-Raid teams, Wors Prinsloo/André Vermeulen (Evo Plus) completed the first day just outside the top 10 in 11th place (00:31:46) with Schröder/Möhr in 12th place (00:32:37) followed by the first of the Red-Lined Motorsport line-up, Philip Botha/Andries Mynhardt (Revo T1+), 13th overall and third in SAT1+.
Brian Baragwanath/Leonard Cremer in the 2WD Century Racing Factory CR6T lost time with a flat tyre and were 14th (00:33:25). Former SSV champions, Geoff Minnitt/Rodney Burke (Hydro Power Equipment Maverick) led the Challenger Class and are 15th (00:33:36) with a minute and 45 seconds separating them from the Dutch brothers, Henk and Pim Klaassen (DaklaPack Rallysport Taurus T3Max) who are second in the class and lying 19th overall.
The Dutch duo of Victor Versteijnen/Petrus van Dal (DaklaPack Rallysport Red-Lined Revo GTR) were 16th (00:33:39) while Els/Swemmer managed to finish 17th (00:33:58) after mechanical issues. Lood du Preez/Adriaan Roets (Farmers Meat Century Racing CR6) were 18th (00:34:18) with Abrie and Iaan Olivier (VAPS HCV Rally-Raid Team Red-Lined Revo T1+) 20th (00:35:54).
Their VAPS HCV Rally-Raid team-mates, Peet Victor/VanZyl Jonck took the lead in the Adventurer Class (00:38:36) with team-mates Tyler Botha/Kyle Lotter rounding out the class podium, sandwiching Tokkie Ferreira/Nardus Janse van Rensburg (Ford Ranger) who finished second in the class.
Schröder/Fourie experienced power steering problems and had to settle for 22nd place (00:38:13) while difficulties resulted for the defending Adventurer champions, Johan and Sean van Staden (Red-Lined Revo T1+) finishing the day in 27th place (02:18:59).
With the first day completed, teams will face just over 400 kilometres on Saturday with the action starting at 08:00 at Stonehenge River Lodge at Parys.
Enthusiast can follow the race via the RallySafe App with various spectacular vantage points along the route or on Facebook: @sarallyraidchampionship; Instagram: @sarallyraidchampionship; Tik Tok: @sarallyraid and YouTube: @SouthAfricanRallyRaidSARRC
Published by: Charmaine Fortune
Photography by: Dave Ledbitter
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