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Team Nashua Mobile Botswana 1000 preview
CONSISTENT NASHUA MOBILE OFF-ROAD TEAM NOW CHAMPIONSHIP LEADERS The consistent Nashua Mobile team of Terence Marsh and Michael Whitehouse will enter the upcoming Toyota 1000 Desert Race, the third round of the Absa Off-road ...
Published: May 31, 2005, 8:28 PM
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CONSISTENT NASHUA MOBILE OFF-ROAD TEAM NOW CHAMPIONSHIP LEADERS
The consistent Nashua Mobile team of Terence Marsh and Michael Whitehouse will enter the upcoming Toyota 1000 Desert Race, the third round of the Absa Off-road Championship that will take place from 3 to 5 June in Botswana, as the leaders in the Special Vehicle championship. Marsh and Whitehouse scored points at both rounds of the 2005 Absa Off-road Championship with their brand-new BAT Spec-1, scoring their maiden overall victory at the Nissan Dealer 400 held in the Western Cape.
Even with the newly built Class A Special Vehicle, it has not been an ideal start to the 2005 season for the team as the Nashua Mobile BAT Spec-1 was only completed a week before the season opener, the Nissan Sugarbelt 400. Without much testing and with a vehicle not ideally set up, this tough event ended up serving more as a test for the team as they brought the vehicle home in a credible fifth place.
After some significant changes to the front suspension set up as well as the inclusion of an anti-roll bar at the back of the vehicle they were ready for the second round of the championship. After qualifying in 4th place they started the Nissan Dealer 400 and soon picked-up a good race pace with the front-runners, Makgekgenene and Carolin (Jimco) as well as Rob and Gareth Wark (Chenowth). The new Nashua Mobile BAT Spec-1, fitted with a Corvette LS-1 450hp engine and a Fortin five speed sequential gearbox as well as the latest Fox suspension, matched the pace of the leading vehicles and it was clear that they would stand a good chance of a podium-finish if they could maintain their intensity as well as get the vehicle to the finish.
And this was exactly how they managed to score their first Special Vehicle Championship victory, a combination of exceptional team-work, good navigation and a well prepared vehicle that was designed around the crew and could handle everything that was thrown at it.
It is also noteworthy that the first two vehicles home were immacutely prepared by Graeme Thornton with the second-placed team overall at the Nissan Dealer 400, Will Battershill and Reg Sutton, in their recently acquired ex-Marsh Jimco managing to record their best result to date in a national event.
Marsh and Whitehouse go into the upcoming 2005 Toyota 1000 Desert Race with the objective of finishing this tough event. Completing this tough endurance event has become a difficult task for most competitors and with the team not completing the event last year the strategy this year is just to bring the vehicle home safely, thereby consolidating their lead in the championship.
-tnm-
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