Beukes, Heyns sneak Sani2C title

The drama continued on day three of the Sani2C, with the racers heading 82 kms to Scottburgh for the finish.

Scottburgh – The drama continued on day three of the Sani2C, with the racers heading 82 kms to Scottburgh for the finish.

Overnight leaders Johann Rabie and HB Kruger suffered multiple mechanicals and a puncture which saw them give up their slender lead to the challengers Matthys Beukes and Gert Heyns, who took the overall race title. Gawie Combrinck and Nico Bell were the stage winners on the day, which was enough to see them elevated to second overall.

With the pair of Rabie and Kruger out of the running at the front of the race, it was a sprint finish between Beukes and Heyns, and Combrinck and Bell. The latter speeding home only three seconds ahead of the overall winners in a time of 03:37:09 which saw them elevated to second overall for the race.

In the end, it was Beukes and Heynes' total time of 09:05:06, which was over two minutes better than their nearest rivals, that saw the pair go from fifth on day one, and second on day two, to race winners. Rabie and Kruger were forced to take an obviously disappointing third overall after they came in a full seven minutes after the leaders.

In the women's race, the drama between the young upstarts of Candice Neethling and Vera Adrian, and Robyn de Groot and Jennie Stenerhag, continued with the ladies matching each other through most of day three. It was de Groot and Stenerhag who crossed the line mere seconds ahead of their rivals, but day two's heroics was enough to see Neethling and Adrian pick up a famous win. - Independent Media