Absolute spirit

“Three, two, one – GO!” We set off into the bush, the Triton’s centre and rear diffs locked in four-wheel drive high ratio makes short work of the thick, red sand dune as we dart over the top, switching and crossing back a few times over its peak through the scrub and easily drive out.

“Not bad,” Sarel van der Merwe says — but our effort seems a bit slow as the next Triton storms to a halt.

“Is this a race?” I ask SuperVan as I take note of the second crew through.

“Of course it is, why?”

“Well, I never knew that!”

Rookie mistake number one — we took note of it and were much quicker in the second test — another speed section, but several teams touching Sarel’s white canes lining the route incurred 30-second penalties, so we’re looking quite good with a fifth and a third out of the 16 teams competing in the first two tests.

The Spirit of Africa is a test of man and 4x4 machine in the toughest of African conditions. Run by ‘SuperVan’ Sarel van der Merwe and using a fleet of brand new Mitsubishi Tritons for the first time this year, I was delighted to be there — it's taken me three years and I was soon wondering why I never made the effort before…

The competition is tough. There I was, Office Johnny in my Sandton special pink shirt and Coober Peddy hat and my partner in crime The Star Motoring’s similarly city PC Minesh Bhagaloo among a gang of farmers clad in tri-tone shirts complete with their own and their team’s names. They’d arrived in Upington from as far afield as Namibia, Zeerust, Pongola and the Boland — driving all the way in their 4x4 bakkies, of course. We flew in…

They’re serious bunch — particularly Namibians Hennie Moller and Frank Scholz — previous finalists with a thing to prove. Hennie lives in the deep Namib and drives those conditions every day — he’s good and he’d cleaned up, so far scoring a maximum 100 points in the first two tests.

A couple of teams from Zeerust are also doing well. Andre and Fritz van der Merwe and Robert van der Merwe and Willie Smit in Tritons 1 and 3 directly in front and behind our Number 2 are also Spirit veterans and real bakkie men — as are most of the guys here. This is indeed a mean challenge…

Next test is a tricky hillclimb up a thick sand dune. We’re now at the back as the first team in the last test moves to the back of the field to keep it even as the rest of the field watches, so each gets a turn to ‘break the ice’. This test has three sets of flags up the peak of the dune, pass purple number 3 at the top and we get 100 points, red scores 80 points and orange 1 just 60. We’re one of four teams to get over the top and our rivals are looking at us in a different light.

Next up is a time trial. We must pass through four of a pair of flagged pole ‘gates’ at the precise second on the schedule to score maximum points. Not as easy as it looks because we must run up treacherous climbs to each gate in typical sly Sarel fashion so it’s quite a trick. We get through each within a second or two to take third overall there — another team of Robert Pretorius and Riaan Zietsman in Triton Number 8 score a perfect 100 to win it.

Test five is another speed section in what I now know is a race and we almost win, but I overshoot and lose it by two seconds. Still third behind the flying Namibians and the Zeerust Van der Merwes is a fine result for the rookies from the city. Of the 15 teams, 10 have driven at least one Spirit and we’re now in a strong second — Office Johnnies or not…

It’s back to climbing for the two tests before lunch, the first being an all or nothing test from a trio of flagpoles. Getting over from purple bags 100 points, from red earns 75 and yellow gives you 50 but fail and get none. The Namibians fail from red. We’re among just three teams to get over and grab 75 points.

Test seven is an impossible climb up a dune with the crew stopping at the highest point taking maximum points and those going the shortest distance up the least. For inspiration the Namibian team fails to stop and gets lowest points. We don’t have a good run and score just 45, but at lunchtime, we’re leading overall to the shock of everyone — most of all ourselves!

After lunch I’m nervous. I can’t park well. Or reverse. And Test eight is a reversing gymkhana followed by a run backward to a point up a hill. Which I cock up. Twice! By now the Zeerust boys are doing well and Namibians Hennie and Frank are well back in the hunt.

The next test is another time trial with an option to skip a treacherous climb en route and drop 25 points. Everyone skips the climb and we come out quite well to keep up our charge going, but the following speed test and our rookie status start to count against us. I notice a few cars have their wing mirrors folded back and wonder why.

We found out in that speed test 10 when one of Sarel’s tight ‘gate’ poles clip a mirror and we lose 30 points and a possible third in stage. We immediately folded the mirrors back! We bogged down in the following time trial and lost 20 seconds but struck back with an ultra close third in the final speed test.

Overall we’re fourth and the talk of the town. Hennie and Frank’s brilliant overall performance has seen them overcome their pre-lunch disasters to lead comfortably from the two Zeerust teams, thanks to their consistency throughout, and us, not far ahead of time trial specialists, Pretoria 4x4 freaks Robert Pretorius and Riaan Zietsman in fifth.

Next morning started well for us after another evening of Great Spirit around the campfire. Robert and Willie in Triton number 3 tagged a Sarel Pole and we ran in well. Next up was a hillclimb with a 100 percent score for crossing over and all the contenders get over. But we failed in the last two tests — I stopped too early to lose 10 seconds at the end of the figure of eight super special and badly missed the peak of the final climb our rivals all made and copped a poor score…

So after holding third earlier that morning we dropped to a close fifth, still delighted to be the best rookies by far.

The Mitsubishi Spirit of Africa is an awesome event — well organised, fair and hugely challenging. We were in a very tough group but ended up surprisingly well. Namibian Super Team Hennie and Frank left Upington in the overall lead — virtually guaranteed a slot in the finals, as are second placed Andre and Fritz and probably also Ruan and Willie.

Minesh and I will get to the finals — or at least a part of them — through our media influence, but next year I have already booked off a couple of days in August to go back to the Spirit of Africa and make good our rookie errors in an effort to earn a place in the final.

An event that is more than just worthy of its name, the Spirit of Africa has become a measure of ultimate off-road skill in an incredible atmosphere and environment. If you think that sounds cool, make an effort to get there — it certainly is worth the effort and expense…