It will be a fight to the finish between Shameer Variawa and Siegfried Rousseau and rivals Kallie and Quintin Sullwald in the Special Vehicle category championship decider at the RFS Magalies 400 on November 19 and 20.
A win on the inaugural Human Auto 400 in the Free State, the penultimate round of the Absa Off Road Championship, saw Kallie and Quintin Sullwald (Elegant Fuel BAT) move to within six points of championship leaders Variawa and Rousseau in the Team Total Porter. With 25 points for a win and 19 for second there is every prospect the two teams could tie on points, with the championship decided on a count out.
As matters stand Variawa/Rousseau have three wins and two seconds to their credit this season. After failing to pick up points in the first two events of the season, the Sullwald’s have since then racked up two wins and three seconds.
There are other permutations that could also come into play. The bottom line, however, is that the championship is a straight fight between Variawa/Rousseau and the father and son team from Phalaborwa.
Class P champions Johan van Staden and James Rossouw (Atlas Copco BAT) are out of the overall championship picture, but could pip the Sullwald’s in the runner-up stakes. A non finish on the Human Auto 400 dropped Herman and Wichard Sullwald (Sullwald Racing SVR) out of the overall picture and the best they can hope for is to displace van Staden/Rossouw in third spot.
Behind the top three there is also a good scrap in the offing for the minor placings in the driver’s championship. Nick Harper (Atlas Copco BAT), Jimmy Zahos (Cobalt Racing Porter) and Class P driver Archie Rutherford (Regent Racing Jimco) are separated by just two points.
All three drivers have used more than one co-driver during the season, with Mike Lawrenson the third co-driver to have sat alongside Rutherford. This has seen Louis Alberts, who sits alongside father Nardus in the Wrapsa BAT, move into fifth place in the co-driver overall championship.
The picture in Class A is much the same as for the overall championship. Here Variawa and Rousseau lead Kallie and Quintin Sullwald by just four points with the second Sullwald team a further nine points in arrears.
A win in the Free State has also given Cape Town crew Bes Bezuidenhout and daughter-in-law Lindie (Adenco BAT) the Class B title. The Human Auto 400 result put the Bezuidenhout’s out of reach of Coetzee Labuscagne and daughter Sandra (Raysonics Zarco) and the Makenete brothers, Keith and Andrew, in another Zarco.
Van Staden and Rossouw, who early in the season made history when they became the first Class P crew to win an Absa national event overall, also wrapped up their title in the Free State. Rutherford and Swaziland based John Thomson (Zarco Magnum) are second and third among the drivers, with Deon Bezuidenhout (Adenco BAT) and Rudi Balzer (Century Racing CR2) second and third among the co-drivers.
The final event of the season, the RFS Magalies 400, will be run on November 19 and 20 with race headquarters again based at the Tarlton International Raceway. The start and finish and the designated service point will also be located at the Krugersdorp complex.
– Credit: www.saoffroadracing.co.za.