Kameel 250
Team Madtraxx took first place in their class at the Kameel 250. Well done Dirk & Hennie You put hard work into it and deserve the win. We will soon publish more action from the race.
Baberspan 250
The Q8 Oil Ford 3L Diesel arrived with high expectation at the Baberspan 250 event, the 2nd of 8 events for the the year in the TIORC-The Inland off road championship. It was a cloudy day with a strong north west wind which could assist with dust for overtaking the 44 competitors, each chasing their own class victory for championship points.
The starting order for the 34km prologue was a random selection, we took off second in our class and 2 minutes apart. Within the first 4km we missed a hidden turnoff and lost 72 seconds on our GPS download. We pushed hard to catch up with such short distance left and managed to gain back 32 seconds for our line up in the main race. We positioned 3rd in Class E.
The main race consisted of 2 laps, 197km each, through corn fields, around salt pans, a lot of twisty sections and very tight bushes. We took off right beside the 2nd Class E as our time on the prologue was the same up to the second. It was not far in the race and our class leaders hit a few deep potholes on high speed and lost their brakes. We all moved up one position and we applied more pressure. With the wind clearing the dust, we maintained a very close gap behind the leader.
64km into the 2nd lap, the leaders lost control and missed a turn putting us in the lead. For the first time in the race we had a dust free route and kept it like that to claim 1st place in Class E, our 2nd victory in the TIORC and gaining a very valuable point.
The Q8 Oil team celebrates this victory with all their sponsors and supporters. We invite everyone to our next event at the Mafikeng 250 on the 13th of April. Please visit,like and join our Madtraxx Facebook page for the latest updates, information and videos.
Mafikeng 250
The Mafikeng 250 was a race to remember with heavy rainfalls the week before, the playground were muddy and anything could happen. It was sideways racing through a 250km of mud, tested your ability to switch from right hand slides to left hand slides as fast as possible with hidden cautions under the mud that tested the vehicle’s suspension. Constant mud on the windscreen that drain the window washer water on the 2nd loop to make navigation in tight busy section very difficult and when communication failed we had to use hand signals for the biggest part of the race
We approach Prologue with caution as we realize this is not our everyday racing routes and finished good with an understanding what to expect in the main race.
We took off seconds apart on the Main race, 3rd in Class E. It took us few hundred meters to overtook some competitors to claim 2nd place. Loop one went well with no problems chasing the lead we could see the leaders but the route did not give us the chance to go flat-out without risks.
The 2nd loop we pushed and managed to keep up until we got stuck in the mud 10km from the end. We were back on the road 30 minutes later still 2nd in class with other competitors chasing us now.
3km before the end the class leaders broke down with steering problems and stopped to repair. We claimed the lead with claiming another class win. Were surprised how many were caught out in the muddy conditions.
We are preparing for our next race in Johannesburg at Carnival City on the 25 May and hope you could come and support us there.
Thanks to all our sponsors, supporters and everybody who follows us on Facebook MADTRAXX for updates, videos, photos and race information
Gauteng 250
Madtraxx was on the road to the Gauteng 250, were the weather would be cold and windy, and the team was excited as we have reached the halfway mark of the season. All preparation went well and the Madtraxx Ford Ranger was ready for the 250km ahead. Race day came and the team was ready for the qualifying to start. With the cold weather the Ford diesel was performing well and the E Class bakkie was running without problems. To the end of the qualifying section we had to slow down due to dust being a problem. The route was marked with tight sections and we saw that for today’s race we will have to be careful for the tight sections not to miss a turn.
Qualifying went well and the starting order was exactly where we wanted to start. The main race started and we were once again starting real time, so from the flag dropped we had dust in front of us, but managed to overtake a few competitors not far from the start. With the road opening ahead of us the Ford did its job and kept pushing forward, there was some rocky terrains were we had to be careful not to damage a wheel and rim. First lap went well and we were starting the second lap, pace was good and the dust did clear in front of us. About 50km from the start for the second loop we misjudged a rocky section with rocks on the side of the road and unfortunately clipped a rock standing out, causing the tyre rim and brake drum to break. We had to stop, change the tyre and strap the diff back in to place, block of the break lines for the rear brakes. We managed to get going again but our pace was not as it should be due to the damage to the drive train.
We limped home doing our best to the end. 3 RD Place class E bakkie across the flag and we were glad we made it to the end. Driving by Dirk Putter was once again of high standard and the navigation by Hennie Hattingh was on the map.
We would just once again like to thank all our sponsors Filter man Polokwane, Q8 Oils, Points Polokwane, GBU Signage, Greensky, Cool Ladies Air-conditioners Polokwane, Pic 2 Mix Polokwane, BB Ford Polokwane, without the support we received from the sponsors a result like this would not be possible. Hope to see you at the next event in Bloemfontein.
Madtraxx Greeting, E4
Dirk/Hennie
Bloemfontein 250
Madtraxx was on the way to Bloemfontein for round 5 of the TIORC Inland Off-road Championship to be held at Tempe Air Field, and known as the Goldco Midas Bloemfontein 250. The event was held on 20 July 2019 were there would be Production and special vehicles competing in the cold Bloemfontein weather for top places. Madtraxx were well prepared and all ready to go!!! The event would start early on Saturday morning, were we had to get the pits organised and paper work done for the entries. The weather was cold and temperatures going down to about -7, the team was almost frozen as Madtraxx were not use to these weather conditions. Time trial went well and Navigation and Driving was spot on with no mistakes from either and the Ford Ranger was going at full pace. After time trial we had a short break were Madtraxx team checked the vehicle to make sure there was no problems with the main race. All was in order for the race and Madtraxx would be starting in 25 position and the 3 rd E class bakkie on the road.
The race had good pace in the straight areas but there were section that was very sandy and we had to make maximum use of the 4 wheel drive to get us in and out of those sections, up to about the 140km mark we were in second position in class E, but riding in the dust in some section caused us to slow a bit down and that causing the follow E class bakkies from behind to catch up to us. The two Toyotas in front of us had good pace and they were definitely faster than us out of the tight sections and the acceleration for the Petrol bakkies was surely helping them to stay ahead of the Ford Ranger.
At the finish line we were stopping behind each other and was really good racing until the last km’s. We were 3 rd class E bakkie back at the pits were the team met up to discuss the race. Dirk Putter did a brilliant job on the driving side where he kept the wheels on the road and navigation was up to standard from Hennie Hattingh. Thanks to Phillip, Jaco and Lourens for all the help and the family members and supporters for all the support along the route.
Results came out we were 3rd in class E and overall were 17 th out of 36 entries. We would also like to thanks all our sponsors for their support, Hi Q Middestad Polokwane, Q8 Oils, Filterman Polokwane, Point S Polokwane, BB Ford Polokwane, Cool Ladies Airconditioners Polokwane, Pic 2 Mix Polokwane, GBU Signage-Digital Idea Polokwane, Greensky, with out there support it would not be possible for us to travel and compete in this year’s series. Next event will be on the 24 TH of August 2019 at Stella, were Madtraxx will surely be competing for the top position of the podium. It is one of the highlight of this years calender and we will surely be making sure that all preparation will be spot on ready to go!!!
Stella 250
The Stella 250 has arrived and it was surely one of the events for the year for Madtraxx. We were well prepared and have done all that was needed to compete for the top honors on the podium for class E and end up in the top 10 Overall. We left Polokwane a day ahead of schedule to make extra sure our pit setup and vehicle setup was to specification and ready for what the Stella could throw at us. The Friday before the rally we were all busy with final tuning and setup. All was done and Madtraxx was ready to take on the dusty Stella.
Race day has arrived and we were excited for the challenge ahead of us. The prologue has been changed for this rally were we do a 90km section to determine where we would start. All went well with the qualifying and we were up to pace with the other competitors. The main race would start with a lot of vehicles in each other’s dust, but that was part of the days racing and we had to push hard to stay ahead of the chasing bunch behind us. Our race went to plan were we pushed the Ford Ranger to its limits in the tight and open sections. The Ford Ranger were doing its part and the well prepared vehicle were ticking the KM of one by one. The main race was well marked and the route brilliantly prepared by the race organizers. Dirk Putter did brilliant driving especially in the tight sections were we managed to catch up to a few competitors and make up some time on them, navigation from Hennie Hattingh was on the map and the team did not miss a turn. The race came to a close and we reached the checkered flag, signalling the end of a hard days racing. We came home 2 nd in class E, and we were the 17 th vehicle in out of 43 competitors. We were very satisfied with the result and we managed to finish yet another race.
We would once again like to take the opportunity to send a big thanks you to the sponsors, Q8 Oils, Filterman Polokwane, Point S Polokwane, Hi Q Middestad-Polokwane, GBU Signage, Digital Idea, Pic 2 Mix Polokwane, Cool Ladies Airconditioners Polokwane, Greensky for the brilliant wrapping of the Ford Ranger, once again without the sponsors support this result would not have been possible.
Also we would like to thank the family and friends that joint us on this trip, and for the many supporters along the road that was encouraging Madtraxx every km of the way to the end.
Our next event will be on the 12th of October in Delareyville, North West Province, hope to see every one there,
Madtraxx Greetings
Hennie/Dirk-E4
Delareyville 250
Madtraxx was heading to the Province of Noord-Wes for the second last rally of the year and we had no idea what was waiting for us, as this was a complete new route and an area where we have not competed in a race. All went well with our preparation and we were confident to bring home a good result.
The morning of the race we had all checked and we started with a briefing session about the days racing ahead. The starting order for the prologue was out and we knew were we would be starting for the 49km Time trail. With the vehicles ahead of us and behind us we knew that we had to be on top of our game and there we no margins for any error either from driver or navigator. We started in 32 position where we had to push forward and ended up in 22 position overall, the Ford was well set up and were making up time in the tight river sections were the suspension and four wheel drive were bringing their part to push forward. The prologue went well and we ended up in 22 position on the starting order for the main race.
Main race were 2 loops op 107km each, crossing from river sections to mieliefield to almost undriveable conditions. The track was very challenging and we had to really work hard to make it to the final section. At about the 160km mark we lost our front drive shaft and we were on 2 wheels from there, that was a complete new challenge as the vehicle were now very hard to control. Dirk Putter did brilliant driving to take the Ford Ranger to the finish line. Navigation was spot on and there was no error from Hennie Hattingh. All went well and we made it to the end even though the last 50km we had dropped on the pace due to only being on 2 wheel drive. But that’s what they say, racing is never over until you crossed the finish line.
We ended up 17 th overall out of 51 competitors and we were the 3 rd class E bakkie crossing the Finish Line.
Thanks once again for the sponsors, Q8, Filter man Polokwane, Point S Polokwane, HI Q Polokwane, Greensky, GBU Signage, Cool Ladies Polokwane, Digital Idea, BB Ford Polokwane, without their support a result like this could not be possible. Next event will be the Molopo 500 in Vryburg that will be over a two day period, from 8-9 November, hope to see you there,
Madtrax greetings,
Dirk/Hennie-E4
Molopo 500
The year has come to an close for the Madtraxx team, were we departed one day ahead of schedule to make sure our preparation was spot on for the Molopo 500 held in the town of Vryburg. The final round of the TIORC INLAND OFF ROAD SERIES held over a two day race covering 500km of hard rocky and rough off road terrain in the province of North West.
Early morning up on Friday and we headed to the pits area were we would be for the next two days of racing ahead. Everything on the Ford Ranger were checked to make sure that all is in order for what lied ahead for the next 200km. The first day would be a time trial for the second day, so we needed a good result to make sure we had a good starting order. Line up on the vehicles were ready and the days racing would start with 2 loops of about 115km each. We had a good start and pushed the Q8 Oils Ranger in every part of the race. We knew we had to get a good result for the class points and the championship points. The race went well and the Madtraxx team ended up first in class E. Planning went well, driving and navigation were spot on and we did not need to get out of the vehicle. Points was on the board.
Saturdays event started off with a mass start were we managed to be under the top ten bakkies starting with a good head start. For Saturday we needed to do 3 loops on about 120km each, that was also very tough terrain and the weather was hot. The first loop went well then we unfortunately got two flat wheels on the rocky section causing us to lose time on the other competitors. After the tyre problems were sorted we managed to get the Ford Ranger back in the race and had to push hard to get the competitors that passed us back in sight. Then as they say, it is never over until you cross the finish line, at about the 185 km mark we unfortunately broke a left front ball joint and we had to stop again for repair work. The repairs were done and we pushed for the end of the second loop. The time was against us as we did not make the time bar to go out on the final loop and we had to go in to the pits. We were not satisfied with the result as this means we had a DNF for the final rally of the year and that was not according to plan. But we live to ride another day and valuable lessons were once learned.
We still managed to take top honours in our Class E, and we came second in the overall result.
Once again a big thanks you to our sponsors, Digital Idea, BB Ford Polokwane, Filter man Polokwane, Q8 Oils, Point S Polokwane, Greensky, Cool Ladies Air conditioners Polokwane, Pic 2 Mix Polokwane.
Without the support this results would not have been possible. Thanks for everyone’s support throughout the years racing and everyone next to the road always giving a thumbs up as we pass, believe us that makes a big difference and keeps us motivated.
We will be looking ahead at next year’s racing calendar and hoping to have everyone back on board for 2020,
Season Greetings
DIRK/HENNIE-E4
