Parys, Free State – Anticipation is high for rounds two and three of the South African Rally-Raid Championship (SARRC), one of the most demanding events of the season.
On 15 and 16 August, the town of Parys will host not one, but two national championship races, the INGCO Parys 400 and INGCO Vaal 400, bringing nearly 800 kilometres of full-throttle, terrain-testing action to the Free State.
“This year we’ve reduced the national series from seven rounds to six due to the extreme weather experienced earlier in the year,” says Archie Rutherford, CEO of SA Rally-Raid. “This is our second venue out of a total of five, and it’s a double-header, which makes it absolutely pivotal in the title race.”
Fans, crews, and competitors can look forward to a jam-packed weekend with two races in two days, an ultimate test of speed, endurance, and strategy. Hosted at Stonehenge River Lodge, which will again serve as Race HQ and Designated Service Park (DSP), the routes are designed to challenge the best whilst offering spectators front-row action in a spectacular riverside setting.
“Parys is a brilliant venue,” Rutherford adds. “It offers great terrain for technical driving, and it’s close enough to Johannesburg to make travel easy for teams and accessible for fans. Plus, it’s a massive boost for local tourism, we bring in between 600 and 800 people for the event, not even counting spectators. The big circus comes to town.”
On Friday 15 August the INGCO Parys 400 kicks off with the Falken Wild Peak prologue at 08:00, followed by two competitive stages totalling around 350 kilometres.
On Saturday 16 August the INGCO Vaal 400 ups the challenge with a second qualifying round at 08:00 and two racing sections covering approximately 425 kilometres.
For competitors in classes including FIA Ultimate T1+, Adventurer T1, Challenger, and SSV, it’s an all-out sprint where every kilometre counts.
“These back-to-back races are a mental and physical battle. Two full races in two days require ‘Dakar style’ preparation of the vehicles overnight,” says Rutherford. “You have to be fast on both days but preserve the car too—the teams have got just one night between races to fix and reset.”
Among the top contenders gearing up for the Parys double-header are Toyota Gazoo Racing’s Saood Variawa and Guy Botterill, along with Gareth Woolridge from the Castrol Neil Woolridge Motorsport Ford Rally-Raid Team, and Giniel de Villiers and Fouche Blignaut from Team Hilux.
Variawa is looking forward to the weekend, noting that Parys’ close proximity to Johannesburg usually draws strong crowds. “We’ve made solid progress since the last race and are feeling confident. The cars are in great shape. We’ve just returned from a race in Spain, where we finished fourth and our sister car took the win. We’ve made a lot of progress since the last race and done plenty of development, so we’re aiming to come out strong. I’m confident the team will perform well.”
“We’ve made solid progress since the last race and are feeling confident. The cars are in great shape. We’ve just returned from a race in Spain, where we finished fourth and our sister car took the win. We’ve made a lot of progress since the last race and done plenty of development, so we’re aiming to come out strong. I’m confident the team will perform well.”
Saood Variawa
Botterill echoes the excitement but warns that Parys can be deceptively tough. “It’s a technically challenging course, especially for navigation. If the rain stays away, we’re expecting a great event, we’re hungry for points after a tough opener, and team morale is high after our overseas win.”
He continues: “Parys is a fantastic town, a proper farming community—and the event is always well supported by the locals. It’s also close enough to Johannesburg that plenty of people travel through to watch, so we usually get big crowds, which is always exciting. The team is ready. They raced overseas last weekend and did really well, they won, so that’s great for morale. We’re continuing to evolve the Hilux and improve the setup, and I’m really looking forward to the race in Parys and the rest of the season. Hopefully, we can push hard, challenge for the podium, ideally the top step, and get some solid points on the board for the championship.”
Woolridge is equally optimistic, especially with their upgraded NWM Evo Plus vehicle. “Parys can be fast and flowing, but it’s also tight in places, which makes it an exciting challenge. With two full races in two days, this round could be a real championship decider, and we’re ready to fight for the front.”
“Parys can be fast and flowing, but it’s also tight in places, which makes it an exciting challenge. With two full races in two days, this round could be a real championship decider, and we’re ready to fight for the front.”
Gareth Woolridge
“The Parys event is always a good one. We are hoping things will be a lot closer and we can have a proper fight at the front. It’s an exciting race and a great event to come and watch. I’m really looking forward to it. I’m confident we can fight with the top guys, the last event was tight, and we were in a tussle the whole day.”
“One thing is for sure,” says Rutherford, “fans can expect fireworks from the championship favourites all pushing for podiums, points, and momentum heading into the final stretch of the season.”
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