Toyota celebrates 28 years of 4x4 success

The 2019 edition of the Rust de Winter 4x4 Jamboree marked the 28th successive event in partnership with SA’s largest manufacturer Toyota.

The now famous family-event and highlight on the off-road calendar also celebrated its 40th anniversary earlier in March when 150 participants along with their families and friends arrived at the Rust de Winter campsite to compete in the 2-day Jamboree.

Toyota’s senior manager of communications, Clynton Yon, was quick to point out that more than half of the competing vehicles were in fact Toyotas.

“It is always great to interact with our customers and to experience the loyalty that some of them have towards our brand,” said Yon.

He also added that the partnership they have with the organising 4x4 ATV Club of South Africa is a perfect fit for Toyota. “We are the overall market leaders, but we are especially proud of our 4x4 range and how they perform on the sales charts each month, and one only needs to cast an eye over the campsite at Rust de Winter to see how that translates into the real world,” he added.

“Half of the 150 vehicles that make up the event are Hilux bakkies, Prados, Fortuners and Land Cruisers. And although some of the vehicles here are highly modified, the range of standard off-roaders has certainly proved to be more than capable of successfully competing in the event.”

Tough

As was the case for the past 39 years, the 2019 Jamboree consisted of a tough route stretching over 60 km in the nearby mountains as well as a spectator-friendly and compact gymkhana which once again featured ten different obstacles. This year, participants had to master the mountain first before tackling the gymkhana on the second day.

The area is known for its natural beauty, but the participants had no time to admire the scenery as the obstacles along the daunting route required their full attention.

Toyota South Africa Motors also fielded a fleet of standard Hilux doublecabs and Fortuners driven by a variety of specialist journalists and motoring scribes from both print and electronic media. The exercise succeeded in showcasing the excellent 4x4 and off-road capabilities of the Hilux and Fortuner under extreme off-road conditions.

After all or most of the 150 entries successfully survived the mountain, the attention shifted to the gymkhana course where 10 more obstacles had to be conquered, often with an added challenge or task for the co-driver thrown into the mix as well. And although an overall winner is crowned at the end of the event, the emphasis was always on fun for the whole family.

Winners

When the points were added up, it was the husband and wife team of Christo and Karien van Wyk who dominated the mountain route and scored enough points at the gymkhana to be crowned the overall 2019 Toyota Rust de Winter 4x4 Jamboree champions.

Chris and Marzanne Rudolph finished as the highest placed Toyota pairing, and was rewarded with the chance to compete in the Atlantis 4x4 Fun Day in the Western Cape later this year.

“The event was once again a huge success,” Yon continued. “The organising club did a great job and we as a company will continue to support the event going forward,” he concluded. - MotorPress