Round 5 of the 2018 South African Cross-Country Series (SACCS), the
Harrismith 400, takes place around the Free State town of Harrismith on
September 14th and 15th, and for Toyota Gazoo Racing SA it offers an
opportunity to cement its standing at the top of the championship table.
Giniel de Villiers, partnered with Dennis Murphy, currently leads the Production
Category standings by 33 points over teammate Henk Lategan, who races with
Barry White beside him in the Class FIA Toyota Hilux.
"Giniel is still in the lead at the moment, and if all goes to plan
he should be able to bring the championship home," says Toyota Gazoo
Racing SA team Principal, Glyn Hall. "But Henk and Barry are fresh off a
victory at the previous round, and will certainly be pushing hard to keep
Giniel and Dennis honest."
With 30 points on offer for a win, the battle between the two Toyota
Gazoo Racing SA crews is certainly one to watch, and even a minor slip by De
Villiers/Murphy could close the gap considerably before the final round of the
2018 series.
Both Class FIA Toyota Hilux race cars have already been prepared for the
Rally of Morocco, which takes place from 3-8 October, 2018. As such they
feature numerous upgrades including tweaks to the engine, transmission and
suspension.
"As much as we need to win in Harrismith, we also need to look
after the cars, as they will be shipped to Morocco directly after the
race," continues Hall.
In the Class FIA championship, it is an all-Toyota podium as things
stand at present. The two Toyota Gazoo Racing SA crews lead the charge, with Chris
Visser and Philip Herselman (Atlas Copco Toyota Hilux) in third place, 34
points behind Lategan/White.
The battle for Class T supremacy is set to continue at the Harrismith
400, as defending Class T champions, Johaan and Werner Horn (Malalane Toyota
Hilux) fight to regain the lead in this season's standings. The pair are
currently just four points behind log leaders Lance Woolridge and Ward Huxtable
(Ford Ranger), and with only two races to go, the Toyota lads will be going
all-out for victory in the Free State.
With that said, Gary Bertholdt and Geoff Minitt, in the Atlas Copco
Toyota Hilux are not out of the Class T title fight either, and find themselves
just ten points behind the Horn brothers, thanks to victory on the Atlas Copco
400 in Bronkhorstspruit last month.
Class S will see Archie Rutherford and son Kent back in action in their
Toyota Hilux, with 4x4 Mega World's Heinie Strumpher and Henri Hugo also
joining the fray in their Toyota Hilux. Strumpher is currently in third place
in the championship, 19 points behind Class S leader David Huddy (Nissan
Navara), but a good performance in Harrismith could put him right back in the
title fight.
The Harrismith 400 gets under way at 13:00 on Friday, 14 September, with
the qualifying race to determine the start positions for the main event. This
short, sharp race takes place over only 40 km, but may play a pivotal role in
the outcome of the main event, which starts at 08:00 from the Earam Farmer's
Market Complex, on the Johannesburg side of Harrismith.
Toyota Gazoo Racing South Africa Acknowledges Its Sponsors and
Specialist Official Suppliers and Technical Partners
Toyota enjoys a mutually beneficial
relationship with Total, Toyota Financial Services and the Innovation Group.
Also Hallspeed, Imperial Toyota, SKF, Spanjaard, OMP, NGK, Donaldson,
Mastercraft, Edgecam, 3M, Bandit Signs, Shatterprufe, Supreme Springs, Smith’s
Manufacturing, TRD, Peritus Forex, 4x4 Mega World, First National Battery,
Duxbury Netgear and Plan-C Productions.
