Vos and Howie on top

The action was fast and furious during round five of the Absa Off-Road Championship at Sun City at the weekend.

And after two days of intense competition it was former national off-road champion Duncan Vos and co-driver Rob Howie, driving a Toyota Hilux, who took line honours in this gruelling event.

In second place, just 4.48 minutes behind, were Hannes Grobler and Hennie ter Stege in a BMW X3, followed by Malcolm Kock and Johan Burger in another Hilux.

For Vos and Howie it was second time lucky this season, having previously won round three held in KwaZulu-Natal back in May.

With cool conditions at the start on Saturday, it was always going to be tough for man and machine - and a combination of tight rocky tracks and fast grassland sections dotted with trees took its toll on competitors over the 340km route.

The day wasn't all plain sailing for Vos and Howie.

Starting in second position following the prologue on Friday, the pair struck trouble at the 93km-mark when they had to change a flat tyre.

"We're right back in the championship," said the four-times previous champion Vos.

"Apart from our puncture, we had a trouble-free run and the Hilux didn't miss a beat. It was a tough event and we had to push hard to make up for the lost time. The dust was a big problem."

Saturday's win has also cemented - for the time being - their position at the top of the championship board with 67 points followed by Thomas Rundle and Juan Mohn.

Also smiling at the end of the day were the support team of Toyota after they won the manufacturers challenge after having four Hilux bakkies and two Land Cruisers finish in the top 10.

Team principal Glyn Hall commented: "Both drivers did a superb job today. The two Castrol Toyota Hilux bakkies are now setting the pace and improving with every outing. We need to maintain the pressure and push hard in the remaining three events for a championship victory."

• The next round of the Absa Off-Road Car Championship is the Carnival City 400 in Gauteng on September 10.