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25 June, 2012
Double triumph for Hutchison
Former South African off-road car racing champion Evan Hutchison scored a double triumph on the Toyota Kalahari Botswana 1000 Desert Race which ended in Gaborone on Sunday.
Hutchison added a win on the TDR to an already impressive curriculum vitae, and in the process won a free entry into next year's Dakar Rally in South America as their victory in the Special Vehicle category on the Botswana classic also saw the pair win the Dakar Challenge.
The TDR was one of four races worldwide counting towards the Dakar Challenge with the prize a free entry - worth around R250 000 - into the world's toughest motor race.
"What can I say," said an ecstatic Hutchison at the finish at Kumakwane. "It does not come much better than winning the Desert Race for the first time and winning a free entry into the Dakar Rally."
It was, however, touch and go whether or not Hutchison would make it to the finish. As he left the designated service park to start the last 200 kilometres of the race his Motorite BAT suffered an alternator failure, and the crew saw out the distance on a wing and a prayer.
Hutchison finally had six minutes and 36 seconds to spare over Johan van Staden and Mike Lawrenson (Atlas Copco BAT) on an event which scored points-and-a-half towards the championship standings. Van Staden and Lawrenson came up with a workmanlike display over the entire weekend and second place did nothing to harm their overall title challenge.
The final podium position went to Quintin Sullwald and his father Kallie (Elegant BAT). The former SA champions are previous winners of the Desert Race, but on that occasion Kallie was doing the driving and Quintin the navigating.
"Third on this race in his first year as a driver is no mean feat," said a proud Kallie. "Quintin drove like a champion and this will do his confidence the world of good."
The Sullwalds were just over four minutes ahead of another father-and-son combination in Nick and Ryan Harper in the Motorite Revo 4x4. The Harpers came under some intense pressure late in the race from Class P winners Richard Fuller and Dennis Murphy, in the Regent BAT, who were only 20 seconds further back at the finish.
Steady performances took Laurence and Gerhard du Plessis (Zarco), Naeem Moosajee/Rayhaan Bodhanya (TyreRack Porter) and Free State crew Pieter Ruthven and Leander Pienaar (Ruwacon BAT) into the top eight. For Ruthven and Pienaar it was a season-best performance and they were followed home by reigning SA champions Hermann and Wichard Sullwald (Elegant Porter) and David and Gary White in a second Ruwacon BAT.
A top-five finish and victory in Class P was just reward for Fuller and Murphy who hardly put a wheel wrong all weekend. The pair took control of Class P on racing section one on Saturday when Special Vehicle and Class P championship leaders Colin Matthews and Alan Smith, (Century CR3), ran out of petrol.
Matthews and Smith lost more than an hour but a good fight back saw them finish second in Class P. They were looking for their fourth straight class victory this season.
A tough route took its toll and there were no Class B finishers.
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