The unforgiving terrain of the North-West Province played host to the second round of the 2026 SA Rally-Raid Championship over the weekend, with the GR Stella 1000 Marathon living up to its reputation as a true test of machine and mettle.
Across three days and nearly 1 000 kilometres of desert-like tracks around Stella, the competition was fierce, the navigation treacherous, and the margins for error razor-thin. When the dust finally settled on Sunday afternoon, it was the Toyota Gazoo Racing pairing of Guy Botterill and Henry Köhne who stood tallest, having controlled the race from the very first day.
Botterill, a multiple South African rally champion, and his new navigator Köhne laid down their marker early, posting the quickest combined times in Friday’s short qualifying sprint and the two opening 24-kilometre stages. That performance earned them the right to lead the field out onto Saturday morning’s daunting 420-kilometre loop, and they never surrendered that advantage.
With the chasing pack breathing down their necks, the Hilux IMT EVO crew maintained their composure through two more demanding sections on Saturday, before once again opening the road on Sunday’s final 400-kilometre push.
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The closing stages threw everything at the leaders – overgrown grass, faint tracks, and the kind of unexpected hazards that define desert racing – but Botterill and Köhne responded with a clean, incident-free drive to cross the line in 09:49:53, securing both the overall victory and the Ultimate FIA T1+ class silverware.
Their team-mates, Saood Variawa and Charan Moore, kept them honest from the outset, trailing by a mere 56 seconds when Sunday morning dawned. The young crew pushed relentlessly from second place throughout the weekend, but their charge was derailed on the final stage when an unfortunate collision with a spectator vehicle cost them precious minutes. They eventually brought their Toyota home in fifth overall with a time of 10:13:17, a result that could have been so much more.
The podium battle behind the winners was a nail-biter until the very end. Jayden Els and Johann Swemmer, in the Century Racing Factory CR7, had shown early promise by winning the qualifier and steadily climbed from seventh on Friday to third by Saturday night.
Despite a slipping clutch that troubled them in the latter stages, they held firm to secure second place overall in 09:52:55, just over three minutes adrift of the victors.
Only 63 seconds separated them from the hard-charging Castrol NWM Ford of Gareth Woolridge and Boyd Dreyer. The former desert race winners found their sweet spot on the final day, dialling in the perfect set-up to surge from seventh on the overnight standings to claim the final step on the overall podium and a strong class result.
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For Sa’aad Variawa, the younger brother of Saood, this marathon was an entirely new experience. With experienced navigator Wade Harris reading the notes, the team showed steady progress, moving from sixth on Friday to fifth on Saturday and ultimately finishing a commendable fourth overall in 10:00:08.
The #TeamHilux Rally-Raid entries both endured their share of drama but still secured top-ten finishes. Fouché and Bertus Blignaut survived a heart-stopping moment when they rolled their vehicle just two kilometres from the finish line, managing to right it and cross the line in seventh overall (10:22:28).
Their teammates, Giniel de Villiers and Dennis Murphy, were forced into roadside repairs on the final stage to fix a broken steering arm, eventually finishing ninth (10:25:04). Despite those setbacks, the squad took home the team award. Danie Ludick and Denzil Williamson brought the second Castrol NWM Ford home in tenth place (10:35:36) after a consistent run.
The class battle within the South African Ultimate T1+ category provided its own enthralling sub-plot. Johan and Sean van Staden and Philip Botha with Andries Mynhardt, both in Red-Lined Revo T1+ machinery, traded blows across all three days. Botha and Mynhardt led after Friday, but the father-and-son Van Staden duo seized control on Saturday and managed to hold a two-minute advantage through to the finish.
The Van Stadens took the class win and sixth overall (10:21:58), with Botha and Mynhardt second in class and eighth overall (10:24:26). Marathon rookies Abrie and Iaan Olivier rounded out the class podium with an impressive 12th-place finish overall.
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In the Challenger class, Geoff Minnitt and Leander Pienaar continued their fine form in the Hydro Power Equipment Maverick, not only winning their category but also finishing an excellent 11th overall in 10:44:52.
The Adventurer class saw Peet Victor and VanZyl Jonck lead from the front to take the win (11:06:40), while Nielen Marx and Rikus Hattingh followed them home in second (11:28:05) in a similar vehicle. Schalk Burger and Armand du Toit successfully completed the baptism of fire for their King Price Xtreme Ford Raptor, taking 15th overall in 12:11:28.
There was disappointment for several crews, however. Michael and Luke Lawlor, father-and-son newcomers, showed grit by completing their first marathon despite failing to finish the penultimate stage and taking a time penalty.
Their teammates Wors Prinsloo and André Vermeulen, who had started the final day inside the top ten, were forced to retire on the last stage due to brake problems. Lood du Preez and Adriaan Roets saw their podium hopes dashed by a problematic gearbox, while Hennie de Klerk and Carl Swanepoel succumbed to multiple issues on the third day.
With valuable championship points in the bag, the focus now shifts to the third round of the season. The Century Property Developments – Century Racing Endurance race, which was postponed earlier, will return to the scenic Garden Route area in the Langkloof on 28 and 29 August, promising another stern examination for the country’s top rally-raid talent.
Colin Windell for Colin-on-Cars in association with
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