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GROBLER AND LEEKE LEAD HOME NISSAN 1-2
IN MAFIKENG 500
SOUTH AFRICA OFF ROAD CHAMPIONSHIP
MMABATHO, SOUTH AFRICA - September 25, 2004
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Reigning South African production vehicle off-road champions Hannes Grobler and Richard Leeke led home Nissan Motorsport team-mates Giniel de Villiers and Francois Jordaan in their Proudly South African Nissan Hardbody pickups at the end of the Mafikeng 500 in North West Province on Saturday. The two Nissans were separated by 1 min 20 sec after 500 km of racing. Third, a further 6 min 31 sec in arrears, was the Ford Ranger of former champions Neil Woolridge and Kenny Skjoldhammer.
Fourth overall and first in class D (for near-standard six-cylinder vehicles) for the fifth event in succession was the Arnold Chatz Cars Nissan Hardbody of Alfie Cox and Ralph Pitchford, helping Nissan to win the manufacturers' challenge for the day. They finished 7 min 35 sec ahead of the second-placed class D car, the Toyota Hilux of Mark Cronje and Chris Birkin. Third in class D were Cliff and Louis Weichelt in their Toyota Hilux.
Nissan has now won all six of this year's races and extended their dominance of South African off-road racing to 24 wins from 30 races since 2001.
Grobler and Leeke, who repeated their success in last year's Mafikeng 500, increased their lead in the championship standings over De Villiers and Jordaan by another seven points. With two events remaining, they have 187 points to De Villiers' and Jordaan's 179. Cox and Pitchford are third with 165 points, ahead of Woolridge and Skjoldhammer with 157.
Grobler was pleased to be back on the top step of the podium after failing to finish the last event in Lesotho. "After our win in the prologue on Friday we pushed hard in the first half of the race to build a gap on the rest of the field. We were able to take it relatively easy in the second half until we had a puncture. It took us about three minutes to change the wheel and we managed to get going again before we saw anyone. Apart from that we had a good, clean run."
De Villiers was happy with his second place. "We did well under the circumstances - we started over three minutes behind Hannes after losing our power steering in the prologue - and had no problems. It was a fast race, but very enjoyable. We re only eight points behind with two events to go, so there s still everything to race for!"
Cox, a multiple off-road champion on two wheels, now has his first off-road car championship in his sights. "Ralph and I have had a very good run this year - we didn't finish the first event of the season, but we've won our class in each of the last five. We have to pay tribute to the Nissan Motorsport team for their excellent preparation. Once again we had a great car and its reliability and toughness continues to impress us."
Nissan Motorsport manager Glyn Hall also paid tribute to his team of technicians. "Although we haven't lost an event this year, we still prepare for each race as if it was our first. Congratulations to my team. These excellent results are as much the result of their hard work and professionalism as they are of the skill of our drivers and co-drivers."
Highest placed Nissan privateers after Cox and Pitchford were Hein Grobler and Gerhard Prinsloo in their GBS Racing Hardbody, who finished 11th overall and fourth in class D despite struggling with brake and fuel pressure problems in the second half of the race. Team-mates Johan Gerber and Riaan Gerber finished 14th overall and sixth in class D after completing most of the event without a functioning odometer.
Brothers Jurie and Andre du Plessis finished 18th overall and 6th in class E in their BB Auto Hardbody after struggling with an electrical problem throughout the event, which saw them reach the finish in Mmabatho under reduced power.
Arnold du Plessis and George Baker had a great prologue, recording the fourth fastest time and second-best in class D in their BB Auto Hardbody. They were having a good run until their steering shaft broke soon after passing through the designated service point at the halfway mark. They were forced to reverse back some 10 km to the DSP, where they lost an hour and a half effecting repairs. Then they had a problem with the engine management computer and were restricted to 2 000 r/min, limping into Mmabatho to finish 23rd and last and 10th in their class.
JP Augustin and Johan Doubell broke a ball joint on the front suspension of their GBS Racing class D Hardbody midway through the race and were forced to retire.
Neels van der Walt and his wife Zelda, driving their privately entered class E diesel Hardbody, crashed out of the prologue on Friday. Van der Walt, who suffered back injuries, was airlifted to Lanseria airport from Mmabatho and driven by ambulance to Pretoria's Unitas Hospital. According to his wife, who was uninjured except for bruising, the mishap occurred when they hit a ditch at speed in thick dust. "It appears that Neels has a fractured a vertebra," she said. "He is being kept under observation and will see a specialist on Monday."
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