Nissan Spirit of Africa shows how competition 4x4-ing should be

The Citizen

30-05-2025

The 21st running of the event, and third sponsored by Nissan, came with the added task of restoring the author's take on four-wheel-drive battle events.
Annual Spirit of Africa this year saw new the Nissan Navara Pro-4X Warrior being the vehicle of use. Image: Charl Bosch
Off-roading, whether as a passenger or behind the wheel, has been part of my life for more than 25 years.
Having spent a great deal of my formative years, post-2000, in the back of a single cab Isuzu KB, two double cab Mitsubishi Colt Rodeo V6s and a Nissan Pathfinder with my father, late mother and brother criss-crossing Southern Africa from Swaziland to the Caprivi strip, the passion and appreciation for what these vehicles can do remains undiminished to this day.
Not the best memory
An invite nine years ago to attend an off-road jamboree in fully kitted-out short wheelbase Mitsubishi Pajero came with the same then enthusiasm, but ended in complete distrain.
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Being a competition environment, the event was anything but enjoyable and ultimately descended into an ego trip filled with unsavoury post-results behaviour and remarks.
I was, therefore, apprehensive to say 'yes' to the annual Spirit of Africa media event this week, as the competition aspect of off-roading has left a resounding bitter taste in my mouth.
Celebrating a milestone
Marking its 21st anniversary this year, and the third to be sponsored by Nissan, I decided to tick the 'yes' box as, unlike last time, I was to compete with my colleagues and not self-image driven individuals keener to belittle others than enjoying what had been set-up.
Spirit of Africa this year celebrated its 21st running. Image: Charl Bosch
The brainchild of 11-times South African rally champion and motorsport legend Sarel van der Merwe, the event this year took place at the Sandwani Game Lodge outside Cullinan, and saw the media and Nissan representatives use the newly launched Navara Pro-4X Warrior on 16 stages varying from high speed to slow and technical.
Supposed to be as testing as possible, but within each driver and the car's limits, the 15 competing Navara Pro-4X Warriors made for an evocative sight standing next to each other.
Spirit of Africa yes' and no's
Confidence was something I had nothing of. Unlike some of my colleagues who were taking part in their third or fifth event, I was the rookie and under illusion that this won't be easy first time out.
The Spirt of Africa fundamentals are, in fact, easy: each team starts out with 100 points and lose points for reversing (30), hitting the marker poles (10), the red flag indicators (30) and for every second over the stipulated time each stage would normally take.
The devised stages were tight and confined in some places. Image: Nissan
What's more, warnings and being disqualified for being unnecessarily silly – speeding in between stages for example – are also applicable, with the very real outcome of being thrown-out completely if damage to the car is recorded.
Gaining points though comes via the speed sections, completing the stage within or faster than the mandated time, and not hitting any of the mentioned poles.
Welcome Pro-4X Warrior
There was the topic of who the Australian-developed Navara Pro-4X Warrior would perform first time around.
The work of Melbourne-based engineering firm Premcar, the Pro-4X Warrior, as its name points out, uses the 'normal' Pro-4X as a base, but receives a redesigned front bumper with a steel bashplate, wider front and rear tracks, uprated springs and dampers, and a lift-kit that raises ground clearance from 221 mm to 232 mm.
The Navara Pro-4X Warrior showed no let-up in its maiden Spirit of Africa. Image: Nissan
Completing the upgrades are 17-inch alloy wheels wrapped in all-terrain tyres, side-steps, 'riveted' wheel arch cladding, red accents, Pro-4X Warrior decals on the side of the loadbox, black mirror caps and a black grille with a red Nissan badge.
Besides red Warrior embroidery work on the headrests of the front seats, the interior is otherwise identical to the Pro-4X, with the same applying to the standard features sheet.
Underneath its bonnet, the stalwart YD25DDTI 2.5-litre turbodiesel engine has not undergone any changes and as such, delivers 140kW/450Nm to the rear or all four wheels via a seven-speed automatic gearbox.
Action commences
Pre-event rule briefing over, I decided to sideline the happenings of almost a decade ago and try to enjoy my time with the Pro-4X Warrior rather than worrying about the scorecard.
But, as my colleague Willem van de Putte famously put it, once behind the wheel and into the stage, the competitive aspect takes over as simply having fun turns into a desire to win, not being silly and completing the stage with one's race-face on.
The first stage involved a simple speed test, but through a tunnel of poles and flags on either side.
My driving partner, Naresh Maharaj, acquitted himself brilliantly and we finished it relatively trouble-free.
Navara Pro-4X Warrior should its worth going up and down. Image: Charl Bosch
Knowing that the slow and technical sections tend to suit me better, I took the wheel for the second stage, which became a disaster not long after.
Tight and twisty it was, precision was the key and unfortunately, a few poles got touched – some disappearing underneath the Pro-4X Warrior – as I simply to get into a rhythm with the clock ticking.
As disappointed as I was, the driver swap for the next speed section went according to plan with a clean run.
Stage four, named Blood, Sweat and Gears, had everything I loved about off-roading; rocky outcrops, tight corners, a few downhill section, blind crests and a steep descent at the end.
Stages demand patience, precession and not hitting any of the placed market poles. Image: Charl Bosch
Again though, a few wrong lines saw poles being touched, yet I was starting to get into the swing of things and, admittedly, taking it very seriously.
Another well executed speed section later, the second section of the event, a slalom and then a an uphill park in reverse, went completely array as both Naresh and I copped a 'DQ' for different infringements that had departed our minds in the heat of battle.
Admittedly, this resulted in memories of the past event flaring back up. However, I knew I couldn't let it keep me downhearted as I made peace with the fact that our #10 Navara Pro-4X Warrior had probably dropped to the back of the field.
The final technical and twisty section, despite appearing anything but difficult, proved to be the most enjoyable.
Third last stage came with a water crossing. Image: Charl Bosch
Again, all about being precise, smooth and accurate, it also included a river crossing and a tight uphill turn to the left and the right.
Dropping downhill at the finish, less poles were clipped and more points gained, though we still had no idea where we ranked overall.
For the final pair of speed tests, Sandwani's version of the Mulsanne straight had been laid out.
But, unlike the famous stretch of public French road that forms part of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, there would be slipstreaming. Instead, the stage was a side-by-side drag race, on gravel.
Penultimate stage consisted of a high speed drag race. Image: Charl Bosch
Having kept the Navara in 4L or high range four-wheel-drive throughout the event, thoughts of possibly switching back to the default 2H came up for discussion as we prepared to blast off.
Concerns, however, of traction being lost settled the argument and instead, an impromptu launch control method was settled upon.
With 4L still selected, dabbing the throttle while keeping my left foot on the brake saw the Pro-4X Warrior accelerate quicker than I had expected when the 'go' call crackled over the handheld radio.
Feeling stable and undramatic, we crossed the line well ahead of our competition and at close to 120 km/h.
The second run was just as faultless and once again, Naresh and I won our battle, albeit with a slightly narrower margin than before.
While supposed to have taken place over the mentioned 16 stages time constraints meant only 12 could be completed, the final being a figure-of-eight with each car starting at the opposite end based on their number.
A stage that balances speed with smoothness into the corners, I knew I had to do well after what had been a much better second half of the event than the first.
Badly cut-up in places by the time we arrived, the stage was testing but fun, and while two poles we touched, I exited with a smile in complete contrast to how it started a few hours before.
Top 10 finish
At the end of it all, we didn't place 15th, but rather scored a top 10 finish, aptly in 10th place as per our vehicle number.
From L-R: Naresh Maharaj, Sarel van der Merwe and The Citizen's Charl Bosch at the end of the event. Image: Nissan
An event that ended on a high despite my pre-conceived notions, no egos arose and became thoroughly enjoyable as a discipline of this type should be.
What's more, it also showcased the capability of the Navara Pro-4X Warrior as no vehicle developed issues or sustained damage throughout the day.
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