Nissan Motorsport’s Duncan Vos and Hennie ter Stege will miss round six of the Absa Off Road Championship, the Mafikeng 500, on September 24 and 25, following the sale of one of Nissan’s three Proudly South African Hardbody pickups to a buyer in Dubai. Flying the dominant Nissan flag in the North West Province event will be reigning champions and current championship leaders Hannes Grobler and Richard Leeke and former champions Giniel de Villiers and Francois Jordaan, both in Class T Proudly South African Nissan Hardbody pickups.

“We’re as disappointed as Duncan and Hennie are that they won’t be competing in the Mafikeng 500, particularly after their excellent debut win together in the recent Lesotho Sun 400,” says Nissan Motorsport manager Glyn Hall.

“But an opportunity arose for us to sell one of our vehicles to a competitor in Dubai, who will compete with it in the Dubai round of the FIA Cross Country Rally World Cup. Also competing in this international event in South African-built Nissan Hardbody pickups will be former rally world champion and works Nissan rally raid driver Colin McRae of Scotland and Belgium’s Gregoire de Mevius.

“Nissan Motorsport South Africa is part of a global Nissan motor sport initiative and is the only source of the off-road racing version of the Hardbody, which competes in the domestic South African off-road championship as well as in international events like the Dakar Rally,” adds Hall.

“We are pleased and proud to be able to contribute to increased Nissan representation in international off-road racing through the export of our Proudly South African Nissan Hardbody pickups.

“We are already busy building a new Hardbody for the local championship and we are accelerating our efforts to have it ready for Duncan to drive before the end of the season,” Hall concludes.

Original article from Car