Latest news with #DennisMurphy
The Citizen
25-05-2025
- Automotive
- The Citizen
Locally manufactured Hilux wins inaugural SA Safari Rally
Serving as round three to the 2025 World Rally-Raid Championship (W2RC), the SA Safari Rally concluded after six days of competition through some of Mzansi's highveld terrain, just outside of Sun City in the North West Province. The rally featured five stages, including the opening prologue and it covered multiple road surfaces and landscapes, dominated by dry savannah with some black sand and soft gravel inbetween. The final stage encompassed a total of 222 kilometres, with a 111 km high-speed special stage around Sun City. TGRSA drivers Guy Botterill and Dennis Murphy finishing 12th on the final stage and securing 13th overall. Saood Variawa and Francois Cazalet, managed a win on Stage 4 but faced the challenge of opening the route on Stage 5, finishing 18th for the day and 12th overall. Gazoo Racing added that both crews contributed valuable points to Toyota's lead in the Manufacturers' Championship. Related: Nissan's Rosslyn Plant Risks Closure Amidst Global Restructuring Henk Lategan and Brett Cummings clinched the overall victory in the car category with their Toyota Gazoo Europe Hilux T1+. In the motorcycle division, Daniel Sanders of Red Bull KTM secured his fourth consecutive W2RC victory, extending his lead in the championship standings. Related: All-New Honda Amaze Lands in SA – Pricing and Spec With the South African round concluded, the W2RC now shifts focus to the next event in Portugal, where TGRSA aims to build on their home soil experiences and continue their pursuit of championship success. 2025 SA Safari Rally W2RC Round 3 Standings H. Lategan / B. Cummings (#205) – Toyota Gazoo Racing: 12h10m42s S. Loeb / F. Lurquin (#219) – The Dacia Sandriders: +01m39s L. Moraes / A. Monleon (#203) – Toyota Gazoo Racing: +02m55s G. Woolridge / B. Dreyer (#277) – Neil Woolridge Motorsport: +04m48s C. Sainz / L. Cruz (#225) – Ford M-Sport: +05m15s S. Quintero / D. Zenz (#204) – Toyota Gazoo Racing: +06m19s N. Roma / A. Haro (#227) – Ford M-Sport: +06m45s D. Schröder / H. Köhne (#242) – PS Laser Racing: +09m04s G. De Mevius / X. Panseri (#222) – X-Raid Mini JCW: +11m44s N. Al-Attiyah / E. Boulanger (#200) – The Dacia Sandriders: +11m48s Click here and browse thousands of new and used vehicles here with CARmag! The post Locally Manufactured Hilux Wins Inaugural SA Safari Rally appeared first on CAR Magazine.
IOL News
23-05-2025
- Automotive
- IOL News
Navigational hurdles challenge Toyota Gazoo Racing SA in intense third stage of South African Safari Rally
The third day of the 2025 South African Safari Rally presented another demanding test of navigation and endurance. The event, sponsored by Toyota Gazoo Racing, is the third round of the World Rally-Raid Championship (W2RC). After a cold night in the Marathon bivouac outside the Town of Stella, the Toyota Gazoo Racing South Africa (TGRSA) teams had a tough day on the third and Marathon stage of the 2025 South African Safari Rally around Sun City in the North West Province. Demanding day The day presented another demanding test of navigation and endurance, with both crews working hard to overcome the challenge of starting near the front of the field. The stage covered 518 kilometres in total, with a 246 kilometre competitive section, preceded by a nine kilometre liaison, and followed by a 263 kilometre road section. Terrain conditions were as tricky as any seen so far in the rally, with vast grasslands, soft sand, rocky ridges, and an absence of clearly defined tracks, especially in the early parts of the route. For the crews tasked with opening the road, the difficulty was compounded by the low morning sun and limited reference points in the open veld. Stress Guy Botterill and Dennis Murphy, fresh off their win on Stage two, their first ever in the World Rally-Raid Championship, were first into the special on Stage three. Despite the navigational stress of opening the route, the pair kept things tidy and pushed through the toughest terrain with a clean run. 'Today was always going to be tough,' said Botterill. 'At the driver briefing, we were warned that the navigation would be even harder than Wednesday, and it definitely was. I think we did a fantastic job today. 'Although our times don't show it, I actually think today's drive was better than yesterday's. We drove close to 100 kilometres with no road at all, which was tricky to navigate. Dennis did a great job, no punctures, and we kept it all clean and tidy.' The pair finished the stage in 18th place, 10min 10sec off the fastest time that saw them maintain 15th position in the overall standings, 20min 25sec off the rally lead.
The Citizen
23-05-2025
- Automotive
- The Citizen
Stage 3: No let up for Toyota Gazoo Racing on South African Safari
With two stages left, the factory supported pair of GR Hilux EVOs completed the third stage with no defects. Toyota Gazoo Racing kept up the pace on another difficult stage of the inaugural South African Safari Rally. Picture: Toyota Gazoo Racing Stage 3 of the South African Safari Rally saw the marathon stage come to a close, as crews returned to rally headquarters at Sun City following two days of intense action without technical assistance. For Toyota Gazoo Racing South Africa, the day presented another demanding test of navigation and endurance. Another tough stage The stage covered 518 km, with a 246 km over competitive racing, preceded by a nine kilometre liaison, and a 263 km road section. ALSO READ: Toyota Gazoo Racing hits back as Safari with double stage podium Conditions on the route were as tricky, featuring vast grasslands, soft sand, rocky ridges, and an absence of clearly defined tracks in some instances. For the crews tasked with opening the road, the difficulty was compounded by the low morning sun and limited reference points in the open veld. Reactions Guy Botterill and Dennis Murphy were first into the stage after winning the previous leg. Despite the navigational burden of opening the route, the pair kept things tidy and finished with a clean run. 'Today was always going to be tough,' said Botterill. 'At the driver briefing last night we were warned that the navigation would be even harder than yesterday, and it definitely was. 'I think we did a fantastic job. Although our times don't show it, I actually think today's drive was better than yesterday's. We drove close to 100 kilometres with no road at all – very, very tricky to navigate. Dennis did a great job, no punctures, and we kept it all clean and tidy'. They finished the stage in 18th place, 10 min 10sec off the fastest time. Overall, the #211 GR Hilux EVO maintains 15th place, 20 min 25 sec off the rally lead. Saood Variawa and Francois Cazalet also faced a stern test. Having started second on the road, the young crew struggled with fatigue following a freezing night in the bivouac and found the terrain particularly taxing. 'Today wasn't the best of days,' said Variawa. 'I think I got a bit sick after the cold night at Marathon camp. We had a rough day, picked up a puncture, got lost a bit. We were overtaking and being overtaken by the same car a few times. But we're still in the race and holding on'. Despite this, the #212 GR Hilux EVO crossed the line 22nd on the stage, 15 min 04 sec down. The crew now sit 14th in the general classification, 18 min 06 sec off the overall lead. Two stages left As it stands after three stages, Toyota Gazoo Racing South Africa remains focused on consolidating their position, while continuing to climb the leaderboard. ALSO READ: Stage 1: South African Safari starts rocky for Toyota Gazoo Racing
Yahoo
12-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Florida legal aid groups warn bank-backed legislation could slash their funding
A long-simmering feud over the money that banks pay to legal aid organizations to fund legal help for the poor is in front of the Legislature again. Florida bankers are supporting a bill (SB 498) to cap the rate paid on interest on trust accounts (IOTA). An attorney trust account is a special bank account used to hold client funds separately from a lawyer's business funds to follow legal and ethical rules. Legal aid organizations believe the move will cut their budgets, preventing them from providing services to those in need, including veterans seeking to access benefits, hurricane victims, families looking to adopt and more. 'The changes proposed would come at expense of vulnerable Floridians who rely on Florida legal aid programs even though those banks are not required to participate in the program,' said Leslie Powell-Boudreaux, executive director of Legal Services of North Florida. Because of a change made by the Florida Supreme Court in 2023, banks were required to pay out rates on trust accounts that were tied to the Wall Street Journal Prime Rate, which averages rates made on loans. That rate was higher than the prior IOTA rate rule, and combined with the surge in interest rates set by the Federal Reserve which drove loan rates higher, it resulted in a massive boost to the interest paid on trust accounts and the funds received by legal aid groups. In the 2021-22 fiscal year, IOTA funds provided $9.5 million to Funding Florida Legal Aid, the group formerly known as the Florida Bar Foundation. It provides money to legal services groups around the state. In the 2024-25 year, the funds jumped to $280 million, or about 29½ times more. Through the first six months of the current fiscal year, IOTA funds ran up to $155.4 million. Bankers argue the new higher rates they pay on trust accounts are unfair. Trust accounts involved a high volume of transactions and more work for the banks to maintain, while paying higher rates than they do for other low-volume accounts they maintain. 'We are fully in support of legal aid but it's got to be done in a way that makes sense,' said Dennis Murphy, president and CEO of Gulfside Bank, a Sarasota-based bank. 'These accounts literally have hundreds if not sometimes thousands of in-and-out type of transactions on a monthly basis,' he added. 'The rule change ... doesn't allow us to offset the interest with wire fees and all the other transactions we've got.' The banks in support of the bill also claim the rule change by the court was an inappropriate regulation of their business by the justices; the legal aid groups argue it was a change in the rules for lawyers. The Florida Bankers Association asked the court to reconsider its decision but the Florida Supreme Court rejected that move in August 2024. The court did approve of allowing the FFLA to set aside $143 million in its current budget for reserves – more than half of the $280 million it received. For the bankers, this showed that the legal aid groups can't spend all the money they've received in the last few years and the rate for IOTAs should be lowered. But legal aid groups counter that the reserves will allow them to mitigate for fluctuations in interest rates that could lead to lean times in the years ahead. The bill passed through the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday on a 7-2 vote, with two Democrats, Sens. Lori Berman of Lantana and Rosalyn Osgood of Tamarac voting against it. Another Democrat, Sen. Tina Polsky of Boca Raton, voted with Republicans in favor of it. Berman noted that banks don't have to participate in the IOTA program. As of December, 170 banks offer IOTA to lawyers, 16 more than in March 2023 when the Florida Supreme Court issued the rule change. 'I would like to see us have a dedicated funding source for legal aid,' Berman said. 'I would like to see a resolution where everybody can get on board … but until that time I'm going to support what the Florida courts have done.' Sen. Don Gaetz, R-Niceville, noted that while the bill might cut funding for legal aid groups, they have so much stored away in reserves it wouldn't disturb services for those in need. Saying he was a supporter of legal aid, he still took issue with how the courts made the change in the first place. 'I'm troubled that the Supreme Court would tell banks what interest rates they have to pay,' he said. The bill faces two more committee hurdles in the Senate before reaching the floor in that chamber. Its companion measure (HB 173) hasn't yet received a hearing in the House. Last year, a similar bill advanced in the Senate but didn't gain traction in the House. Gray Rohrer is a reporter with the USA TODAY Network-Florida Capital Bureau. He can be reached at grohrer@ Follow him on X: @GrayRohrer. This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Senate panel advances bill limiting legal aid funding from banks
