BONUS - RUSTENBURG - The 2024 SA Rally-Raid Championship might have kicked off somewhat later than usual with the first round of the season, the #TeamHiluxRally-Raid Nkomazi taking place on 19 and 20 April in the Malalane area in Mpumalanga, but it will all be worth the wait.
With South African competitors and vehicle manufacturers playing major roles in the rally-raid scene globally and the World Rally-Raid Championship, which started with the Dakar Rally in January in Saudi-Arabia, various competitors have been competing elsewhere, but locally the action will be tangible from the opening round until the end of the seventh round in November. Like last year, the #TeamHiluxRally-Raid Nkomazi will be the opening event on the calendar and it will also be the first race where a few changes to the SARRC will be put in place for the first time.
One of these changes is the abolishment of the Production and Special Vehicle Categories with all vehicles and teams now competing for overall victory in respective classes. These classes are Ultimate T1+ which includes 4x2 vehicles; Adventurer T1; Challenger for vehicles that previously competed in Classes A, P and T and the SSV Class.
The season kicks off on a high note with the #TeamHiluxRally-Raid Nkomazi being a Super Event, which does not only mean more racing kilometres for the competing teams, but also more racing action for the spectators.
On Friday, the 11 kilometre Castrol Qualifying Race will start at 10:00 and will be followed by Loop One on Friday afternoon. For the 11 kilometre Castrol Qualifying race, teams will take on a new section of terrain consisting of tight and fast tracks in the sugarcane fields adjacent to the Designated Service Point (DSP) at the Nkomazi Fuel and Gas Depot, where the Start/Finish as well as Race Headquarters will also be situated.
The anticipated action will be taken to the next level as competitors will be met with virgin terrain not used for the event last year. After the Ceremonial Start at 13:00 at the Nkomazi Fuel and Gas depot, teams will complete a nine (9) kilometre liaison to the start of the first section of Loop One. This section will comprise 41 kilometres of tight and technical bush tracks on a game farm before they enter a 15 kilometre neutralisation zone en-route to the start of the second section of the loop. Here 27 kilometres of more tight and technical bush tracks as well as a short stint in a riverbed with thick sand on another game farm awaits them. A 22 kilometre liaison section will then lead them back to the DSP and the finish of day one.
The SA Rally-Raid fraternity would like to pay tribute to the late Johan Horn Sr, businessman and owner of Malalane Toyota who was the driving force behind Cross Country and Rally-Raid racing in Mpumalanga with the inaugural 2013 Nkomazi 400 in Malalane.
All the action will happen at the Nkomazi Fuel and Gas Depot on the R507 on the outskirts of Malalane where the local community will have mouth-watering treats available while there will also be a shaded beer garden and entertainment for the kids.
