With four of the six rounds of the SA Cross Country Championship completed, consistency at the top of the standings has been the name of the game in the Special Vehicle Championship, although Lady Luck has played a role, and sees the overall leaders as the only team to have scored at each event, but they are not out of danger.
The father and daughter team of Coetzee Labuscagne and Sandra Labuscagne-Jonck (4×4 Mega World ARB Porter) has, as always, been extremely consistent albeit that they have only won once. They have bagged points at each event, despite not having the best of luck, but would have preferred to lead by a bigger margin. A single point separates the pair who lead the overall standings from John Telford/Victor Ntsekhe (Calcamite BAT) who have finished on the overall podium at each of the four events to date.
They have quite a comfortable breathing space and are 24 points ahead of the winners of the recent Atlas Copco 400 as well as the opening round, Stefan van Pletzen/Jaco Pieterse (Live Lesotho Chenowth). Van Pletzen/Pieterse have shown they have the speed and can win races, but not finishing two races, has not done their title chase any good. They will give it their all at the last two events to make up for lost points and still stand a chance of the title.
Van Pletzen must stay ahead of Nic Goslar (SA Clinics Zarco) in the driver standings as the Class P trouper trails him by a mere seven points with Werner Kennedy (Live Lesotho Porter) only three points behind Goslar. This means while Van Pletzen will do everything in his power to win the title, the fight for the podium is wide open and interesting battles are on the cards for the remaining two events this season.
The rest of the top 10 are somewhat further behind Kennedy but still close together and the order could change on a whim. Keith du Toit is 26 points in arrears, but only a couple of points ahead of both André Voigts, who won the Battlefields 400, and John Thomson (Zarco) only finishing once this season with a victory on the second heat in the Botswana desert.
In the overall navigator standings, Kennedy’s navigator, CJ van Pletzen, is fourth and trails his team-mate by 10 points. This could turn into a battle where team-mates stand together, but also aim for the best position. Goslar’s navigator, Joe Lima is fifth, 24 points behind Van Pletzen, but only two points ahead of Carolyn Swan, who navigated for Du Toit at the Toyota Kalahari Botswana 1000 Desert Race, the only marathon event on the SACCS calendar, who is only three points ahead of both Ralph Voigts, André’s navigator and Maurice Zermatten who sits next to Thomson.
Andrew Massey, Goslar’s regular navigator who missed two events so far this season, is ninth and three points behind Zermatten while he is five points clear of Onkabetse Seemise who won Class P at the TDR 1000 with Julio Ferreira in a Sandmaster.
In the Class A driver’s championship, the gap between Labuscagne and Telford is a little bigger, but the six points separating them is not enough for the leader to breath easily. Telford leads Van Pletzen by 20 points while the latter is only 11 points ahead of his team-mate, Kennedy. There is not too much pressure on Kennedy as he has opened a gap of 28 points to Du Toit, but this does not mean he can relax.
The situation is much the same in the Class A navigators’ championship with Labuscagne-Jonk leading Ntsekhe by six points with Pieterse third, a further 20 points adrift. Van Pletzen is fourth, nine points behind Pieterse and 28 points ahead of Swan.
Goslar leads the Class P driver standings followed by Julio Ferreira (Sandmaster) 16 points behind with Tony Gouveia on the podium albeit only scoring once this season.
Onkabetse Seemise is the leading Class P navigator, but Massey is not too far behind and can close the gap of six points. Lima rounds off the podium and is 13 points behind.
Nico du Rand/JG Claassen (Can-Am Maverick) lead the Side x Side Interprovincial Challenge and are comfortably ahead of Werner Mostert/Rob Green (Can-Am Maverick). Team Mostert/Green will, however, be under pressure as only a single point separates them from Peter Walter/Shaun de Villiers (Can-Am Maverick).
The final two events of the season will be crucial for teams with an eye on the titles. There are not many kilometres left and the cards will have to be played right and fall right. The penultimate round of the SACCS, the Harrismith 400, takes place at the Eeram Farmers Complex on the outskirts of Harrismith on 14 and 15 September and these standings predict some exciting racing.
Round 3 of the South African Cross Country Series – The Atlas Copco 400 in Bronkhorstspruit.
