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Former multiple South African Rally champion Guy Botterill and Henry Köhne and their Gazoo Racing Toyota Hilux IMT EVO are on the cusp of clinching the 2026 South African Rally-Raid Championship after completing a hat trick of overall victories at the VAPS HCV Vryheid 400 over the weekend. On a good weekend for the Gazoo outfit as Saood Variawa and Charan Moore raced home second in the other Hilux IMT EVO, while it was also an excellent outing for Red-Lined Motorsport.
The penultimate fourth round KwaZulu-Natal humdinger was characterised by changing weather and a treacherous route throughout. Substitute Castrol NWM Ford Evo Plus crew, Lance Woolridge and Andre Vermeulen took the Friday morning time trial, but Botterill and Köhne (above) were already 14 seconds ahead of Variawa and Moore (bottom) by the end of Friday’s tricky first stage.
The Toyotas stayed out front through Saturday to come home a powerful 1-2. KZN home team Gareth Woolridge and Boyd Dreyer’s Ford Evo Plus completed the overall and Ultimate FIA T1+ podium after a stirring fight from the back. German Daniel Schröder and Juan Möhr’s WCT Amarok ended fourth from impressive Team Hilux duo, Dakar side-by side star, Stellenbosch lass Puck Klaassen on debut alongside Danie Stassen.
Red-Lined dominated Vryheid classes
Red-Lined Motorsport entries filled the rest of the top ten as father and son Johan and Sean van Staden’s REVO T1+ held Philip Botha and Andries Mynhardt (above), and Abrie and Iaan Olivier similar machines off for the Ultimate SA T1+ win in sixth, seventh and eighth overall. Seventh was however as good as win for Botha and Mynhardt, who won the Road to Dakar Challenge and a free entry to the 2028 Dakar estimated to be worth north of R600,000. They trail the van Stadens by a handful of points in the T1 SA chase.
Two more Red-Lined crews, Nielen Marx and Rikus Hattingh held Peet Victor and VanZyl Jonck’s similar VK50 off for the Adventurer T1 Class 1-2 in ninth and tenth overall. Class leaders Victor and Jonck can thank their winning rivals for even finishing, after Marx and Hattingh stopped to assist after Peet and VanZyl rolled their car.
A race of attrition, the VAPS HCV Vryheid 400 claimed its fair share of retirements. The show will go on when the 2026 South African Rally-Raid Championship comes to a head at the Northam Zondereinde Bushveld 400 at Thabazimbi on 13 and 14 November.
