Evan Hutchison and Darryl Curtis’s debut as a team in the Motorite Racing BAT Spec 3 in the recent Sun City 400 in July didn’t quite turn out as expected and the pair will be looking to make amends in this weekend’s (August 27 and 28) 4×4 Mega World 400. The event marks the start of the second half of the eight-round Absa Off Road Car Championship.
Hutchison, the reigning national champion in the Special Vehicle category and Curtis, the multiple former national off road and enduro motorcycle champion, did not exactly hit the jackpot at Sun City in July, sidelined after just 30 km with steering rack problems and a loss of power steering.
The two off road champions had made a promising start to Curtis’s first-ever car race when they completed the prologue in fifth place overall, just 49 seconds off the leaders’ pace.
“It was disappointing, especially for Darryl, who was really looking forward to his first off road race in the passenger seat of a car,” said Hutchison. “We gelled well together in the prologue and the short distance we travelled before hitting mechanical problems went very smoothly.
“This weekend’s event, traditionally held around the Carnival City area, is one in which I have to get a good result if I am to successfully defend my championship title. I’m currently lying fifth and have a 39-point gap to make up to current leader Shameer Variawa. I can’t afford any more DNFs, but with a win worth 25 points there are 100 points still up for grabs.”
Curtis, a current competitor in the world extreme enduro motorcycle challenge, which includes the famed Roof of Africa Rally in Lesotho, can’t wait to renew his education in co-driving. “It was very different to what I am used to, relying on someone else to guide the vehicle through the bush, but the upside was that I didn’t have to worry about flying over the handlebars or having my arms ripped open by thorns.”
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.
– Credit: Motorite.