In the end it was Koedoe van der Westhuizen (from Upington) and Cliff Oosthuizen (from Warenton near Kimberley) who came out on top and claimed the R50 000 first prize. In second place were Renier Boshoff and Renza Boshoff from Modimolle, followed by Juan Grand and Conrad Herbst from Pretoria. Lopie Jonck and Toppie Myburgh from Pretoria won the prize for Most Spirited Team, sponsored by Campmor.
The fourteen finalist teams and the Spirit of Africa crew used the service roads in and around a plantation near Bilene, the beautiful coastal town three hours drive north of Maputo, Mozambique, for their activities. Headed up by South Africa’s motorsport icon Sarel van der Merwe, the finalists set their sights on the task at hand and braved the bruising Mozambique terrain for the right to call themselves the champions.
“The standard of competition this year throughout the finals and semi-finals was extremely tough and all the competitor’s energy and adrenalin levels were at an all time high the entire week. The high level of 4×4 expertise at this year’s final was phenomenal and I thank all the teams for giving their all,” said Sarel Van der Merwe.
The semi-finals of the event were held in the Kosi Bay area, before moving up to Bilene for the finals. In both cases the Spirit team made sure the environment was not negatively affected, and all of the courses used were properly rehabilitated.
