Tough outings in Parys 400 Rally-Raid as mechanical issues hamper Toyota, Ford

Parys in the Free State hosted two rounds of the 2023 South African Rally-Raid Championship (SARRC) as part of the Parys 400 event.

Toyota Gazoo Racing South Africa (TGRSA) drew first blood on the two days of activity, winning Round 4 (18 August) and Round 5 (19 August).

Round 4 started with a short 18km qualifying route, with TGRSA's Dakar heroes, Henk Lategan and co-driver Brett Cummings, starting on pole. The run to the chequered flag was largely uneventful, but TGRSA occupied all three podium positions.

Giniel de Villiers/Dennis Murphy and Guy Botteril/Zaheer Bodhanya completed a trio of TGRSA crews at the end of Round 4.

For the Neil Woolridge Motorsport (NWM) team, driving a Ford-backed Ranger, Round 4 had its fair share of challenges.

Lance Woolridge and Kenny Gilbert suffered a mechanical problem just 13km into the 173km loop which ended their race, with teammates Gareth Woolridge and Boyd Dreyer suffering a rear CV joint failure.

Woolridge/Dreyer managed to finish Round 4 in fourth place, but it was a blow the championship leaders did not envision.

'Fast and tough'

Round 5 brought new challenges for the teams and crews participating in the Parys 400.

TGRSA's Lategan/Cummings looked to replicate their win the previous day, but replacing one of the transmission sensors meant they could not leave the service park at the required time.

It led to a five-minute time penalty in the race, but the duo managed to finish the round in fourth place.

Botteril/Bodhanya capitalised on their teammates' misfortune to secure the win.

Bodhanya has been called in as a replacement co-driver, and the result will surely aid his hopes of full-time participation. De Villiers/Murphy finished Round 5 in second place.

"We are extremely happy with