Front Runners Increase Lead After Ford/Motorite Limpopo 400

Reigning production vehicle champion Hannes Grobler and Francois Jordaan (Proudly South African Nissan Hardbody) and Terence Marsh and Michael Whitehouse (Nashua Mobile BAT-Chev) increased their lead in the production and special vehicle categories respectively of the Absa Off Road Championship after the Ford/Motorite Limpopo 400 in the Polokwane area on September 9.

After winning the Limpopo event, Grobler, looking for a third successive championship and a fourth overall, and Jordaan have accumulated 110 points and a 16-point lead over Nissan team-mates Alfie Cox and Ralph Pitchford, who were second in the last event after winning the previous three on the trot. Third, 30 points back, are Mark Cronje and Chris Birkin (class D Castrol Toyota Hilux 2.7i).

Marsh and brother-in-law Whitehouse also enjoy a 16-point advantage in the special vehicle category over Lesotho Sun 400 winners father and son Nick and Ryan Harper (BAT-Audi) and have accumulated 66 points to date.

Fourth in the production vehicle category after six of the eight rounds of the 2005 championship are Manfred Schroder and Alec Harris (class D Team Ford Ranger) with 58 points, a slim one point ahead of class D rivals Henri Zermatten and Bodo Schwegler Mastercraft/Ryobi Mitsubishi Pajero).

Because of the scoring system, where overall finishing points do not score towards class championships, Zermatten and Schwegler lead class D with 77 points, to the 76 points of Cronje and Birkin and Schroder and Harris' 72 points

Zane Pearce retains his lead in the class E drivers' championship in his Castrol Toyota Hilux 2.7i, 11 points ahead of Chris Visser (Tyco Trucks Toyota Hilux) and 23 points ahead of defending champion Hugo de Bruyn (Castrol Toyota Hilux)

Visser's co-driver, Japie Badenhorst, leads the co-drivers' championship with 80 points, from Hugo de Bruyn's father and co-driver Jaap (68 points) and Pearce's co-driver Hennie Vosloo (59 points). Joint third in the special vehicle category after Marsh/Whitehouse and the Harper father and son combination are Gerhard du Plessis and brother-in-law Ferdi Seegers (Jimco) after winning both events entered so far this year.

Andre Botha and Richard Carolin (Kopanong Hotel Superteam Chev) lead class F with 25 points, nine points ahead of Mark and Stuart Moffat (Bosal Land Rover).

Leading class B and seemingly headed for a championship win after four class wins in six events are Evan Hutchison and Trevor Ormerod in the Motorite Racing BAT-Nissan. They have 91 points and a 23-point lead over defending champions Marcus Taylor and Marc de Chalain (JRE). Third, a further 13 points back are Rudi and Pierre van Graan (Technochair Zarco Lite).

Richard Schilling and Chris Davies ("We're running in class S, because it's for Seniors", jokes Schilling) lead their class by 21 points from the impressive Naeem Moosajee and Naazim Moti, who scored all their 20 points in the Limpopo event, their first event this year in their new Automoti/Tyre Rack Raceco.

Toyota retains a healthy 75-point lead with 323 points to second-placed Nissan's 248 points. Third is Ford with 104 points, followed by Mitsubishi (67), Land Rover (25) and Chevrolet (3).