The Barden Tyre Services Racing team of Thomas Rundle and Juan Mohr in a Nissan Navara will be aiming for a top-three finish in the final round of the Absa Off Road Car Championship in Gauteng this weekend.
“This weekend’s RFS Magalies 400 will be our last chance to make up for what has been a very disappointing season,” said Rundle. “We had such high expectations when we bought the ex-Duncan Vos Nissan Navara and, although we have experienced a few technical problems this year, we still have absolute faith in the Navara and ourselves to at least repeat, if not better, our third place in the Sun City 400 in July.”
Rundle and Mohr, a former national co-driver champion, have proved to be a formidable team in their first season together and have been unfortunate not to score more good results. They came close to winning the Sun City 400 after leading until two punctures dropped them back to third. They followed this up with a good performance in the early stages of the Mega World 400 in August, running second behind eventual winner Vos until slowed by an overheating engine.
They were in touch with the leaders in the Toyota 1000 Desert Race in September until sidelined with engine problems and, on the recent Human Auto 400 in the Free State, they again found themselves in the lead of a national championship off road race only to be frustrated by a technical problem that saw them forced out of the event.
“We owe it to ourselves and the team, who have worked very hard throughout the season, to finish this championship with a good result,” said Rundle.
The Donaldson prologue to determine race grid positions will start at 12:00 on Friday from the Tarlton International Raceway and the 60-km route will take competitors along the R24 Krugersdorp/Magalies road through Maloney’s Eye into a new section in the Blaauwbank area.
The race will start at 08:30 on Saturday. Two 180-km loops including Friday’s prologue will take in the Syferbult, Carletonville and Ventersdorp areas before heading back to Tarlton.
While Barden Tyre Services is the principal sponsor, the team also enjoys a mutually beneficial relationship with other partners and suppliers like Dunlop tyres, Autozone, Hausberger and Associates, Maxwell Design and Advertising, Willard batteries and Cedar Chem.
– Credit: Peter Burroughes Communications.