The VAPS HCV Vryheid 400 will be remembered as one of the tougher weekends on the 2026 SA Rally-Raid Championship calendar. The fourth and penultimate round, held in the Vryheid area of KwaZulu-Natal, dished up 420 kilometres of racing across two days, and competitors had to deal with everything from thick morning mist to a route that never let up.
Guy Botterill and Henry Köhne came out on top in their Toyota Gazoo Racing Hilux IMT EVO, claiming their third consecutive victory with a combined time of five hours, 26 minutes and 14 seconds. It was not a straightforward run for the pair, who had to open the road on day two after leading overnight and lost time early in Stage Two with a puncture. They recovered well enough to post the quickest time on Stage Three and take the win.
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Their teammates Saood Variawa and Charan Moore were just 72 seconds behind in second, having opted for a measured approach that paid off over the long distance. Gareth Woolridge and Boyd Dreyer completed the overall and Ultimate FIA T1+ podium in their Castrol NWM Ford Evo Plus, but their weekend was anything but smooth. The local KZN crew could not complete the qualifier and had to start Stage One from the back of the field. They were then held up for more than 15 minutes by a civilian road accident, and later found locked gates on the route after farmers assumed all the vehicles had already passed.
They ended day one in eighth and went into Saturday with a point to prove. Keeping their heads, they took advantage of teams who made way for them during Stage Two and worked their way up to third overall and in class, finishing three minutes and 44 seconds behind Variawa and Moore.
Daniel Schröder and Juan Möhr were fourth in 05:32:46, while Puck Klaassen and Danie Stassen rounded out the top five in 05:41:15. Stassen was competing in his 100th national event, and Klaassen used her first outing in the #TeamHilux Rally-Raid Toyota Hilux to get to grips with the machine on a tight and technical route.
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In Ultimate SA T1+, Johan van Staden and his son Sean claimed their second win of the season in the Red-Lined Revo T1+, leading the class from the qualifying race and finishing in 05:48:30. Philip Botha and Andries Mynhardt, also in a Red-Lined Revo T1+, lost a rear propshaft in Stage Two and had to settle for seventh overall in 06:02:32. There was consolation for the pair, though, as they won the Road to Dakar Challenge and with it a full-fee entry into the 2027 Dakar Rally.
Abrie and Iaan Olivier finished eighth overall and completed the Ultimate SA T1+ podium in 06:19:30. In the Adventurer Class, Nielen Marx and Rikus Hattingh took the win for the second race in a row in 06:25:34, beating class leaders Peet Victor and VanZyl Jonck, who had issues in Stage Three and finished 10th overall in 06:54:24.
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It was a race of attrition, and several teams did not make the finish. Tyler Botha and Kyle Lotter completed day one in 14th, but Lotter fell ill and was replaced by Gerhard Schutte for day two. The team could only finish Stage Two. Lance Woolridge, standing in for the Lawlor family with navigator André Vermeulen, posted the best time after the qualifier but suffered a broken input shaft in Stage One. Danie Ludick and Adriaan Roets, who replaced Denzil Williamson, were inside the top 10 on day two but were involved in an accident. Both crews were okay, but neither could finish.
Jayden Els and Johann Swemmer made a good start and began day two from fifth, but could not complete Stage Two. The same stage caught out Pim Klaassen and Sasha Siripanyavuthi, who had started the final day 10th overall.
The championship now moves to the fifth and final round, the Northam Zondereinde Bushveld 400, which takes place on 13 and 14 November at Thabazimbi.
