Despite a frustrating first season in the Absa Off Road Championship with the ex-factory Nissan Navara in which Duncan Vos won the 2009 production vehicle championship, Barden Tyre Services Racing’s Thomas Rundle remains upbeat about his and co-driver Juan Mohr’s chances in this weekend’s Toyota Kalahari Botswana 1000 Desert Race, which takes place on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
With just one points scoring result from four appearances in the 2010 championship to date, Rundle and Mohr could be forgiven for being somewhat down-hearted. Far from it. The Barden Racing pair has shown good pace and teamwork and the podium finish they enjoyed in the Sun City 400 in round four in July was a more accurate indication of their potential. Had it not been for two punctures they could well have won instead of coming in third.
They followed this up with a good performance in the prologue and the first half of the 4×4 Megaworld 400 in Gauteng last month only to be slowed by an overheating engine while lying second and then having to retire.
“Juan and I have worked well together and, but for some relatively minor teething problems, we would have a lot more to show for our efforts in our first season together in the top production vehicle class,” said the affable Rundle. “I have complete faith in the Nissan. It is quite capable of winning overall. It’s just up to us to get the most out of it and this we intend to do on the Desert Race.
“Duncan (Vos) won the Desert Race last year in this very car, so we know its potential. Although it’s the third last round of the season, it’s a long race and almost like two separate events, so we’re looking forward to getting some extra race kilometres under our belts to make up for the missed opportunities when we didn’t finish. We’ll be aiming for a good performance in the all-important prologue, which will give us a good starting position for the race itself. Then we’ll be taking the two-day race one day at a time.
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.