With the FIFA Soccer World Cup in South Africa over and the sound of vuvuzelas stilled for a while, Motorite Racing’s Evan Hutchison is keen to get his Special Vehicle title defence back on track as the Absa SA Off Road Car Championship resumes at Sun City this weekend after an enforced seven-week break.
Two third places and a non-finish in the first three rounds of the championship see Hutchison in third place in the points standings, 20 behind early leader Shameer Variawa. “We’re at the halfway stage of the championship with this weekend’s event and a good result on Saturday is absolutely essential if we want to take the title again,” said the 40-year-old from Kyalami Estates in Gauteng.
Hutchison won this event last year with Achim Bergmann in the unique four-wheel drive Motorite Racing Revo 1 on the way to their second Special Vehicle championship together. This time he is partnered by multiple national off road and enduro motorcycling champion Darryl Curtis in the Motorite Racing BAT Spec 3.
It will be a brand new experience for the 39-year-old Curtis, who is a leading competitor in the inaugural World Extreme Enduro series that consists of the planet’s top five extreme motorcycle enduros, including the Roof of Africa in Lesotho.
“I’m more scared of sitting in the passenger seat next to Evan and reading notes than of any extreme enduro I’ve ridden,” joked Curtis. “Seriously, though, I’m really excited about this opportunity. It will be my first ever car race and certainly the first time I haven’t been in charge of the vehicle.”
“The competition is very strong and winning requires maximum effort in all areas,” added Hutchison. “A good result in Friday’s prologue is our first aim. It’s never easy to overtake and we can expect a lot of dust this weekend.”
Motorite Racing is the motor sport division of Motorite Insurance Administrators, the largest independent mechanical breakdown insurance and full maintenance plan service provider and administrator in South Africa.