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 | ABSA 2012: Top entry for "Toyota Dealer 400" Rally, round 2 in South Africa.
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The "Toyota Dealer 400" Rally in Mpumalanga on April 13 and 14, round two of the South African "ABSA Off Road Championship" 2012, has drawn a top entry with some interesting developments in both the Special and Production Vehicle categories.
A field of 60 cars is expected to come under starters orders for the Donaldson Prologue on Friday, April 13. The 60 kilometre prologue will determined grid positions for the race which will be run over two 175 kilometre loops the following day.
On the Special Vehicle front former Toyota Desert Race winner Rob Wark will make a return to action with former motorcycle racer Chris Davies in an Aceco. The Aceco was previously campaigned by Motorsport South Africa Off Road Car Racing Commission president Richard Schilling and Davies.
The Mpumalanga race will also see the debut of a Botswana crew Mogrey Mabille and Lepsy Mosope who will campaign a Zarco Lite throughout the rest of the season.
The Production Vehicle category has also been bolstered by a third BMW X3 to be campaigned under Vossies colours by the Rustenburg father and son team of Willem and Dana Vos. Two other BMW X3s, the RFS entries of Hannes Grobler/Hennie ter Stege and Christiaan du Plooy/Henk Janse van Vuuren, have been regulars in the ABSA series with Grobler and ter Stege winning last year’s RFS Magalies 400.
The ABSA series continues to grow with new faces in the Production and Special Vehicle categories. Jaco Visser/Werner Weiss will be out in Class D in the ex Vos Toyota that started life as an SP Class entry, along with Johan Griffioen/Willem Marais (Force Fuel Toyota Hilux) and Rowan Lamb/Lyle Parker (Ford Ranger) in Class E.
Visser/Weiss and Griffioen/Marais are graduates from the Northern Region off road championship.
"It is nice to see new faces coming into the sport, particularly when they come through the ranks of the Northern Region and KwaZulu-Natal regional championships," said Schilling. "That shows us that the sport is healthy at grass roots level, and the commission will continue to place a great deal of emphasis on further developing these championships."
The Toyota Dealer 400 race headquarters and designated service park will be located at Lydenburg Toyota on the road to Long Tom Pass. Public access to these areas and to 14 spectator points along the route will be free of charge.
2012/04/04 | 11:57 CET | ARTICLE: MR/SY/FORTUNE
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