Article
2023 Defender Trophy Limpopo
2023-05-01
The Defender Trophy has become a popular event on the 4x4 calendar, boasting two annual trips that cater for Defender owners in the northern and southern parts of the country.
Although the Trophy is best known as an exploration event for like-minded adventurers, participants are still given a series of challenges to complete, where the winning team gets to walk away with a TyreLife-sponsored main prize: A brand new set of Coopers worth R30 000!
For the 2023 Limpopo Defender Trophy, sixteen Defenders and a sole Grenadier traversed one of South Africa’s lesser-known treasures, the rocky Soutpansberg Mountains.
Words and pictures by Patrick Cruywagen.
The first Defender Trophy was held in 2004 in the mountain kingdom of Lesotho, a mecca for 4x4 enthusiasts. While most subsequent events have been held in South Africa, the trophy has visited neighbouring countries such as Zimbabwe, Botswana, Swaziland and Mozambique.
I asked organiser Johan Kriek, who drives a Defender 90 Tdi, what to expect. “Trust me; I will take you to places you have never been before; we have special permission to drive some challenging 4x4 tracks on private land and in provincial nature reserves.”
Before the first bit of off-roading, we had a quick breakfast stop at the Polokwane Land Rover dealership, where the only old Defenders in attendance were ours. Not far from here, we took a gravel track which ran parallel to the busy N1.
Centre diff-locks were engaged, and the gaps widened between vehicles because of the dust. The Louis Trichardt Air Force base we drove past was active during the Bush Wars of the 70s and 80s. Private pilots took off in their private planes from here to assist with the war effort.
After a short tar section north on the N1, we turned off onto the Bluegumpoort Forest road. We were supposed to take another steeper and rockier access road into the Soutpansberg Mountains, but the rain and mist ended those plans.
The Defenders and sole Grenadier were starting to look the part, thanks to a covering of red dust and mud. We enter a lane of the tallest Bluegum trees I have ever seen. The mist and low light further enhance the dramatic atmosphere of the occasion. It is like watching Grenadier in the Mist.
The wet gravel track takes us through private farmlands and nature reserves; Johan has received permission from the landowners so that we can proceed through the locked gates.
Eventually, one of the gates leads us into Happy Rest Nature Reserve, where we start to see our first wild animals, such as kudu and impala. We continue to fight through the rain and mist; the yellow media Defender, which used to be a game viewer, slides off the main track and into a ditch. Due to its high centre of gravity, things don’t look good, and it is in danger of toppling over.
It takes a few vehicles to first secure it before winching it out. Everyone is happy when we eventually drive to the campsite. The weather and the hills remind me a bit of Scotland though the big roaring fire and the smell of Karoo lamb sizzling on the coals tell me this is Africa.
We awake to more mist and low clouds; no one is happy about packing away the wet tents and gear. From Happy Rest, we wind our way to the valley floor, passing through several farm gates.
The mist and clouds clear, and the sun makes a welcome appearance. Johan barks out a set of instructions over the radio. “Engage low range and brace yourselves for a long, rocky climb.” Michael is a good driver, and second-gear low range does the trick. Unfortunately, others are not so lucky and need several attempts at the climb; one of the Defenders cannot engage their centre diff. This makes the rocky climb even harder.
This Trophy would not have been possible without the wonderful people of the EWT (Endangered Wildlife Trust) as they run the Soutpansberg Mountain Range as one big game reserve. To do this, they need strong relationships with the farmers and landowners.
We have a quick stop at the EWT rest farm before continuing towards the Sand Rover. The landscape changes in the afternoon as we make our way into the American-owned Bahiti Nature Reserve; the tracks now seem sandier, while we see loads of palm trees for the first time.
We also start to see more wildlife, such as buffalo and wildebeest. I spot a marshland in the valley below as we descend towards our campsite. The tree-filled campsite is perfect for a convoy to laager (not lager) up for a peaceful night. Barking baboons on a nearby hilltop have other ideas.
Day 3 begins with a presentation by Oldrich van Schalkwyk, the MD of Wild Estate, home of the Bahiti Nature Reserve. He shares many interesting facts about the 210km long Soutpansberg Mountain range with us. He tells us it is home to the highest number of tree species in South Africa. And that you find several different microclimates on the mountain; we can attest to that as we have experienced massive temperature changes as we have climbed up and down the various passes.
We depart from Bahiti and make our way to the start of the Van Collers Pass near Waterpoort. Legend has it that it was built by a local farmer tired of being cut off from the world when the Sand River floods. His wife used to drive the pass in her Nissan Pulsar. It was low-range first gear on the long, steep decline of the pass. There was a dramatic drop-off to our left with lovely views over the river.
It was slow going as we crawled down the steep pass before taking on the steep climb back towards the EWT’s rest farm, our next campsite. Johan Fouche bent a trailing arm while James struggled with his centre diff again. That evening at camp, Nick and Tiffany worked for hours to repair both vehicles.
Day 4 kicked off with what was undoubtedly one of my highlights of the 2023 Defender Trophy. We were the first group of 4x4s to drive the nearly completed Doug Wilson Pass.
The EWT built the pass because it connects the eastern and western sections of the Madike Nature Reserve. This saves staff around 3 hours of driving time. Johan Kriek was quick to warn drivers of the dangers. “First gear, low range and don’t touch your clutch.” It was one of the most prolonged and beautiful declines I have ever driven. The red, rocky Soutpansberg mountain tops surrounded us.
Once again, we had one or two technical issues, so Nick and Tiffany were kept busy. These old Defenders are certainly getting and need a bit of TLC. After the long descent, several smaller climbs and descents lay ahead. It took the best part of the morning to do the pass but what a special drive it was.
After a quick stop to top up with essentials, we made our way to a nearby quarry where one of the sponsors, Securetech, demonstrated how to use recovery equipment correctly.
From here, it was a short transit to our overnight camp at the Blouberg Nature Reserve. We were lucky enough to see a rather large group of giraffes just as we stopped to set up camp. The reserve is also home to buffalo and leopards.
The final day of the trophy consisted of a drive through the Blouberg Nature Reserve; each vehicle was given a set of GPS coordinates they had to visit while filling in the daily questionnaire. These questions were about the area we drove through, Land Rovers and the event sponsors.
They would help determine the eventual Trophy winners. The reserve is best known for being home to over 1,000 breeding pairs of Cape Vultures. After lunch, we drove up a 4x4 track to a viewpoint where we could observe some of these vultures. Incredibly the whole side of the mountain was white from the vulture's droppings. Watching these nearly extinct animals soar with the help of the thermals was a great way to finish the Trophy. All that was left to do was drive to Camp Aquila for the prize-giving ceremony.
Trevor and Helen Siebel were declared the 2023 winners and received a set of Coopers Tyres worth R30 000.
I have done over 10 Defender Trophies, but this was by far one of the most special, not only because of the company but rather the privilege of being able to drive through such a unique and bio-diverse area.
"These rocky tracks were a good test for my Cooper Discoverer S/T LT235/85R16 tyres. On one steep rocky incline, I had to stop to deal with a convoy issue. When I pulled away, there was no wheelspin, and the tyres' traction massively impressed me. I ran my tyres at 1.7 bar and recommended to the rest of the drivers to run theirs between 1.6 and 1.8 bar. Tyre pressure is key. Run with tyres that are too hard, and you will struggle in these conditions." – Johan Kriek
"I had complete faith in my Cooper Discoverer STT PRO LT265/75R16 tyres. I was not worried about the millions of loose rocks. The tyres just crawled from one rock to another. My Defender is an off-roader, and I chose tyres that would not let me down when off-roading." – Sibu Buthelezi
WANT TO JOIN THE NEXT EVENT?
Defender Trophy Richtersveld will run from 4-9 September 2023. To find out more, see www.defendertrophy.com.
