Labuschagne wins Magalies prologue
Pikkie Labuschagne and Rikus Erasmus (Ruwacon Toyota Hilux) won Friday's prologue ahead of Saturday's Magalies off-road race.
The RFS Magalies 400 at Tarlton International Raceway is the final round of the Absa Off Road Championship and with just 10,5 points
separating six crews the season is headed for an exciting finale. A seventh crew also has a mathematical chance of stealing the title, and
adding to the potential for drama was the fact that three of the title contenders finished out of the top 10 on the 60 kilometre prologue.
Duncan Vos and Rob Howie (Castrol Toyota Hilux) were 11th, Terence Marsh and George Smalberger (Regent Nissan Navara) were 16th and
Thomas Rundle and Juan Mohr (Barden Nissan Navara) were 17th. Vos/Howie were hit by a puncture, Marsh/Smalberger rolled two kilometres into
the route and Rundle/Mohr encountered fuel pressure problems.
There was better news for the other title contenders. Championship leaders Chris Visser and Japie Badenhorst (Ford Ranger) were second
behind winners Labuschagne and Erasmus; Jannie Visser/Joks le Roux (International Toyota Hilux) were fourth and Mike Whitehouse/Mathew
Carlson (Regent Nissan Navara) and Malcolm Kock/Johann Burger (Kock Toyota Hilux) sixth and seventh.
Only 15 seconds separated Labuschagne and reigning champion Visser. Third-placed Anthony Taylor and Chris Birkin, in the second Castrol
Toyota Hilux, were another 20 seconds adrift with veterans Hannes Grobler and Hennie ter Stege slotting into fifth place in the RFS BMW X3
now fitted with a V8 petrol engine.
Apart from the difference in start times the big problem for Vos, Marsh and Rundle is where they will start on the road, with the
Production Vehicle brigade vying for grid positions with the Special Vehicle category. Vos will start 26th on the road, Marsh 42nd and
Rundle 47th and all three crews face uphill battles in working their way through the field.
"We are exactly where we wanted to be," said championship leader Chris Visser. "The car was good but this is a tough and
rocky route with plenty of lurkers. You need to be on top of your game throughout the race and it is going to be a tough day with plenty of
pressure."
Outgoing champions Deon Venter and Ian Palmer (Mega World Toyota Hilux) were eighth overall and led the Class D brigade. They were
followed by Louis Weichelt and Francis Boersma and Cliff Weichelt and Johan Smalberger with both crews out in N1 Toyota Land Cruiser
entries.
Class E honours went to Dirk Putter and Koos Claassens (Zizwe Toyota Hilux) ahead of rookie teenagers Jason Venter and Vincent van
Alleman (Mega World Toyota Hilux). Third were Diederik Hattingh, who leads Putter by a narrow margin in the drivers' championship, and Buks
Cilliers in the Transcor Toyota Hilux.
Race headquarters, the start/finish and the designated service park are all situated at Tarlton International Raceway with public access
to these areas free of charge. Public entry to spectator points along the route is also free. The race starts at 08h30.