The 2010 ABSA South African Off Road Championship ended on a high for Castrol Team Toyota with Anthony Taylor and Robin Houghton winning the RFS Magalies 400 in their Hilux SP. Toyota also won the Manufacturers’ Award in the event with a third place for the Hilux of George Barkhuizen and David van Wyck and a fourth for the RFS backed Hilux of Christiaan du Plooy and Henk Janse van Vuuren topping off the performance of Taylor and Houghton.
The strength of the Hilux in this event was apparent right from the start of the event with Duncan Vos and Rob Howie quickest in the Friday prologue in their Castrol Team Toyota vehicle followed by the RFS Hilux of du Plooy and van Vuuren.
Vos and Howie established an early lead in Saturdays racing section but fell back down the field with a power steering issue. Team mates Taylor and Houghton immediately took up the challenge and moved to the front of the field, at one point stretching their advantage to nearly six minutes over the next production vehicle. The Castrol Team Toyota pair went on to win the event with a 44 second advantage over the Ford of Louw de Bruin and Riaan Greyling after being delayed by a puncture almost within sight of the finish line.
Vos and Howie recovered some of their lost time in the second leg of the racing section but fell just five points short of the tally they needed to secure second place overall in the championship behind Chris Visser and Japie Badenhorst.
“With five wins out of the eight events, two of those to Castrol Team Toyota, and three to championship winners Chris Visser and Japie Badenhorst, the Hilux emerged as the dominant vehicle in the ABSA Off Road Championship this year,” says Toyota Team Castrol team principal, Glyn Hall. “The Hilux showed its form in the lower classes too with Deon Venter and Ian Palmer winning Class D in the Magalies 400 and the Class Championship in their 4X4 Mega World Hilux. Pikkie Labuschagne secured the Drivers’ Championship in Class E in his RFS- Mega World Hilux for a lock-out in all three classes for the Hilux. The durability and performance of the Hilux across the classes ensured that the Manufacturers’ Championship was won by Toyota.
“Our thanks go to our partners Castrol, Imperial Group, and the Innovation Group for their support during the year. Our congratulations go to Chris Visser and Japie Badenhorst for their Championship win and to our Class D and E Champions as well.”
– Credit: Toyota of South Africa.