26 Jun 2014

Local racing crews are ready for the Toyota 100 Desert Race and will hopefully be able to use the race to qualify for the Dakar Rally next year.

Botswana racers will not be represented in the production vehicle category, but they have promised to give spectators a good show in the special vehicles category.

The desert race is famous for producing surprises and upsets, but local racers are confident that they will get a podium finish this time around.

Local crews are expected to enjoy a competitive edge because of the familiar local terrain, but experience will play a major role. In an interview, local racing enthusiasts said they look forward to the pair of Keith du Toit and Xander Mare to represent the country well in Class A. 

The pair will be racing with the White Star Racing BAT. Mr Du Toit and Mr Mare are an experienced team with more than ten years in motor racing. Mr Du Toit stands a good chance of repeating last year’s feat when he finished second both at the Desert Race and Dakar Challenge.

A mechanic by trade and now a business man, Mr du Toit is confident that his new BAT SPEC 2 will enable him to fly the national flag high. “We put a lot of effort in preparing this car and its doing very well. The BAT Spec 2 is very fast and it won the Sun City race last year. The car has a good finishing record,” he said.

Another local team to watch out for will be Mr Thulani Dube and his navigator Mr Don Mahlanza, who will be racing in the Zarco Junior Sandmaster.

The pair started competing in the Desert Race last year. But they had two breakdowns that resulted in them not being able to finish the race.

This year they announced a few changes to the car and they are optimistic of a good finish. “Last year the route was very difficult and there was a lot of sand which finally broke our clutch plate. But we have raised the car a bit and we will obviously employ new tactics,” they said.

Born in Thamaga, Mr Dube said he is aware that they will be competing with more experienced racers in a very tricky terrain. But he is confident that they will pull off a good lead this time around.

33 year old Mr Mogrey Mabille, a member of Team Scoot, is perhaps the youngest driver for Botswana. He is also aiming for a podium finish. Mr Mabille revealed that he has been physically training in preparation for the big event.

He started competing in the Desert Race in 2012 but failed to compete last year because of a few minor problems. Though he admitted that Botswana’s terrains are tougher and more complicated, Mr Mabille expressed confidence that the new route will not be that difficult for him as he is familiar with it.

Mr Mabille will once again partner with Zelda Niemandt on their A18 Sandmaster to compete in their first outing of the season. New local entrants Mr Asante Sebego and Mr Onkabetse Keletso will also enjoy passionate support from local enthusiasts as they will be racing in the Class P Sandmaster, also under the Team Scoot banner.

They said since they are new to the race, they only want to enjoy themselves and finish in a respectable position. The local teams have found it difficult to attract corporate sponsorship, but they remain focused and determined to steal the show. ENDS