Saood Variawa and navigator Charan Moore have claimed the opening victory of the 2026 South African Rally-Raid Championship, winning the INGCO Parys 400 in their Toyota Gazoo Racing Hilux IMT EVO.
The two-day event, held on 19 and 20 June over a total distance exceeding 400 kilometres, presented competitors with a demanding mix of rocky terrain, fast open stretches, dust and muddy sections. The challenging conditions kept the leading pack tightly bunched, with margins measured in seconds rather than minutes.
Variawa/Moore
Find the Hilux perfect for your needs right here - just a quick click
Variawa and Moore, who had French navigator François Cazalet’s regular seat filled by Moore for this round, began Saturday’s first of two 200-kilometre stages from second on the road. They had qualified behind Gareth Woolridge and Boyd Dreyer in the Castrol NWM Ford Rally-Raid Evo Plus, following Friday’s qualifying shootout and a short 21-kilometre stage run twice. Just three seconds separated the two crews after that preliminary running, with only 38 seconds covering the top five teams.
The main race quickly developed into a close contest, with Giniel de Villiers and Dennis Murphy – starting from fifth – joining the fray alongside Variawa’s teammates Guy Botterill and Oriol Mena Valdearcos, who had won this event the previous year.
At the finish, Variawa and Moore recorded a total time of 5 hours 56 minutes 31 seconds to secure maximum overall points, while also topping the Ultimate FIA T1+ class. Their winning margin over Woolridge and Dreyer was 29 seconds, with the Ford crew having endured the additional challenge of opening the road on the first stage.
Woolridge/Dreyer
In need of a Ford Ranger for business or pleasure - check out these beauties
The fight for the remaining podium positions proved even tighter: De Villiers and Murphy completed the overall top three in 5:57:01, just one second behind Woolridge and Dreyer, while Botterill and Mena Valdearcos finished a further second back in fourth place, also within the Ultimate FIA T1+ category.
Daniel Schröder and Juan Möhr adopted a measured approach to bring their PS Laser WCT VW Amarok home in fifth overall (6:06:57). Jayden Els and Johann Swemmer, who had won Friday’s qualifying race but dropped down the order after a mechanical issue on Stage One, recovered from 17th on Saturday’s starting grid to finish sixth overall and sixth in class (6:08:32), despite encountering further technical trouble just 30 kilometres from the finish. Wors Prinsloo and André Vermeulen rounded out the top seven in another Castrol NWM Ford Evo Plus (6:12:58).
In the Ultimate SA T1+ class, Lood du Preez and Adriaan Roets took the win for the Farmer’s Meat CR6 team (6:14:27), climbing ten places from their starting position of 18th. They finished 118 seconds ahead of Philip Botha and Andries Mynhardt, who in turn were just seven seconds clear of the Dutch pairing Victor Versteijnen and Petrus van Dal in their Red-Lined Revo GTR.
Botha/Mynhardt
Starting or running a small business and in need of a bakkie – click here
Several other crews scored points in the overall and Ultimate FIA T1+ standings. Sa’aad Variawa – Saood’s younger brother – and Wade Harris finished 11th overall (6:18:03), while the two remaining Castrol NWM Ford entries – newcomers Michael and Luke Lawlor, and Brazilian pair Marcos Baumgart and Kleber Cincea – placed 14th and 16th respectively. Danie Ludick and Denzil Williamson retired after a roll-over, while the Blignaut brothers, Fouché and Bertus, were forced out 40 kilometres from the finish due to a broken wheel-bearing.
In the Ultimate SA T1+ class, Jurgen Schröder and Rikus Fourie finished 12th overall and fourth in class (6:23:23), having started far down the order after losing time on Friday. Johan and Sean van Staden overcame multiple setbacks – including starting at the rear of the field and losing a wheel during the race – to claim fifth in class.
Gary Bertholdt and Henry Köhne, along with Hennie de Klerk and Carl Swanepoel, had begun the final day inside the overall top ten but both retired during the second half of the race.
The Adventurer Class podium was led by Peet Victor and VanZyl Jonck, with Tokkie Ferreira and Nardus Janse van Rensburg taking second and Tyler Botha and Kyle Lotter finishing third. In the Challenger Class, veterans Geoff Minnitt and Rodney Burke outpaced Dutch siblings Henk and Pim Klaassen, finishing 13th and 19th overall respectively.
The championship resumes with the second round, scheduled for 24 to 26 July in the Stella area.
Colin Windell for Colin-on-Cars in association with
proudly ALL THINGS MOTORING
Images: Dave Ledbitter
