Summarize

Hennie de Klerk returned to the driver’s seat of the TreasuryONE Hilux in style alongside new navigator Carl Swanepoel at the Off Road North Cross Country Vryburg 300 in the Northwest Province on Saturday. De Klerk was out of racing after he injured his hand in a race accident late last year before making his comeback over the weekend.

The TreasuryONE crew showed great pace only to ultimately be thwarted by a technical issue. “I was a little nervous before, even though I was medically cleared to race, but it went very well in the end,” Hennie admitted. 

“I felt comfortable and happy immediately in the car and delighted with Carl, who is a really good navigator. The TreasuryONE Hilux was also on form, we had a great prologue to come home a close second and enjoyed a great run until we were unfortunately stopped by a recurring technical glitch.

“So yes, our pace was great. But to finish first, we must first finish, so now the objective is to get to the bottom of those challenges in time for the Twinstar 300 at Koppies in the Free State on Saturday 19 July.” 

Triple Dakar veteran and 2018 Dakar Rookie winner Hennie and navigator Carl Swanepoel will continue to race the Off Road North series this year as de Klerk gets back up to speed in preparation for a fresh TreasuryONE racing campaign in 2026.