ADVENTURE
F
or a second, I wanted to pinch myself in disbelief. There I was, in a rally car, with Giniel de Villiers, Toyota Gazoo Racing SA’s champion
racing and rally driver, and a veteran Dakar rally winner. No, we weren’t traversing the intimidating deserts of Latin America – we were in an isolated test drive spot outside Upington in the Northern Cape. With its rugged. wide-open terrain, it’s a test venue that perfectly mimics the challenges of a rally route. The interior of the rally car was far
from being the “polished” cockpit you’d expect in modern vehicles. The dashboard seemed rudimentary, but it featured a wealth of components that
On this adventure track day, our short
reflect and track all sorts of performance data, including our (terrifying) speed. Between our seats was a monstrous gear lever that De Villiers continually and deftly changed, and I was reminded of Mad Max: Fury. At some point, though, I gave up trying to guess what each component was for and succumbed to the sheer exhilaration of the ride.
BRACE FOR THE BUMPS… Although I had a helmet on and was
firmly strapped into my seat, nothing could have prepared me for the tumultuous terrain, or the involuntary jerking of my head and body as we traversed the rocks, sand and dirt at bone-shaking speed. When the 10-minute ride was over, someone in the group remarked: “Imagine being in a real Dakar race and jerking around like that for eight hours every day for two weeks [the time it takes to complete the Dakar]. It’s commitment racing!” That observation makes you
appreciate the immense task resting on De Villiers’ shoulders as he and the team continue to aim for glory at Dakar, a race De Villiers won in 2009. As it turned out, the Toyota team also used our Upington outing as preparation for the gruelling Toyota Kalahari Botswana 1000 Desert Race that was set to start in a few weeks’ time.
“race” was a demonstration of what skilful driving in demanding conditions is all about. I sat with my right hand glued to the rail above my head as the car went through the circuit and couldn’t help grinning like a Cheshire Cat at the thrill of it all. It’s not every day that you get to sit in a rally car flying at 180km/hour on dirt, slowing down just in time to navigate a sharp bend before regaining its balance and resuming its breakneck speed. At some point, De Villiers had to drive through a narrow gap between two gates. Any misstep and they would have been history! Before I knew what was happening, we were through them, without him even needing to glance sideways.
NERVES OF STEEL Later, the car bounded up a hill
at full speed and, with the bonnet facing skywards, the track before us momentarily disappeared, only for the car to suddenly dip (my churning intestines!) and then zoom away. Twisting this way and that on the surface, with a cloud of dust inevitably rising, created the impression of a car skidding on ice. Sheer poetry on wheels – and something I’m unlikely ever to experience again. So I sat back and savoured the moment. De
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WORDS: PHAKAMA MBONAMBI. PHOTOGRAPHER: SHAUN MALLETT
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