Weekend Argus (Saturday Edition)
‘It can’t be’, says our Fortuner Challenge winner
“THERE is no way that this is real, it can’t be. I’m so incredibly overwhelmed and thankful that I’m at a complete loss for words.”
With these words, the winner of the Toyota Fortuner Challenge 2023, Jan Withaar, representing Independent Media, wrapped up two days of gruelling challenges in the scorching Stellenbosch heat.
Withaar was chosen to represent Independent Media after submitting his application, along with a few thousand other hopefuls, and this year, it turned out we had a winner on our hands.
He and three other competitors, represented by Arena Holdings, Maroela Media and SuperSport, teamed up with four “heroes” and tackled a series of physical and mental challenges that would test them to the limit for the ultimate prize – a Toyota Fortuner.
The four heroes this year were Toyota motorsport legend Giniel de Villiers, veteran Fortuner Challenge competitor and Toyota Cheetahs rugby player Oupa Mohojé, South African judoka, Olympian, and Commonwealth Games gold medallist Geronay Whitebooi and professional cyclist and marathon rider Sam Sanders, who has South African colours.
Teams were randomly paired by pulling a coloured ball out of a bag. This saw Withaar join racing ace and Challenge veteran De Villiers.
From there, it was game face on as they ticked off each challenge, starting with a weights and mathematical problem solving by the heroes who allowed them to add or subtract weights from their own or other competitors.
Turns out, De Villiers doesn’t only have a knack for winning in the Hilux Dakar bakkie but also a head for numbers.
Balancing a tennis ball on a plank anchored by ropes and extending their distance from the ball in a limited time followed. If they leant backwards to ease the pain in their arms or back or didn’t move fast enough, they would be disqualified.
By then, the sun was beating down and the spectators were heading for the shade.
It had only just begun.
Being blindfolded by welding goggles and put into a large plastic ball to be guided by the hero towards four
Fortuners and asked product-related questions was entertaining to watch but taxing for those in the bubble, with all sense of direction and speed out the window.
Tethered to a pole by a bungee cord, picking up weighted medicine balls and placing them outside a marked circle had eight contestants exhausted before lunch. More was to come.
A timed wheel change on the rear wheel of a Fortuner and putting a puzzle together in the rear of South Africa’s most popular SUV, with the vehicle reversing every minute or so up a very steep metal ramp, rounded off the day’s activities.
But like they say, that wasn’t all. Just when competitors were admiring the sunset after a tough day, a
“stalk the Fortuner” challenge threw a spanner in the works.
They were dropped off and given the co-ordinates of where the Fortuner was. Using their Garmin epix (Gen 2) sapphire edition smartwatch, they had to see who could get the closest without being spotted by the instructors who were constantly roaming around.
“That was my favourite task of the day; we didn’t know whether to crawl, hide, make a detour or run but with only three minutes to spare, we were
the only team to make it,” a relieved Withaar said.
It was tight but things were looking up for team Independent but you never knew how the judges would score the competitors. And there was another full day of challenges ahead.
It started with a cycle loop on their Specialized bicycles which was our man’s speciality as he slammed through the course and tapped De Villiers who then had to run 400m up a dirt road to answer a question. If it was correct, the contestant collected a tennis ball, ran back and tapped Withaar, repeating the process four times.
If the answer was wrong, another cycle loop and run up the hill awaited until all four balls were in the bucket.
It was also a lot hotter than the previous day, so litres of water were being used to hydrate and cool aching bodies.
The balls had to be edged along a narrow plank and slotted into four holes, not easy when you have sweat in your eyes and sore muscles.
A doubles padel tennis match followed that saw Withaar and De Villiers take the laurels.
The final and probably the most mentally and physically taxing challenge awaited. You could see the strain starting to take hold as the chance to win a Fortuner hovered over competitors.
Using their Garmins, they were given a co-ordinate to find a key for the Thuli top box that had to be unlocked to reveal an inflatable stand-up paddle board. Pulling the board across a dam saw them find another set of co-ordinates that would be used to locate the paddle, so they could follow a set route around coloured buoys.
One challenge remained. It involved careering around a cycling pump track to collect four golf balls that had to be manoeuvred up a large cut-out Toyota logo and dropped through a hole at the top of it with a curved piece of wood connected to a rope on either side.
If the ball fell, except through the designated hole, another lap of the pump track was required to get it back.
It involved serious teamwork and communication and when the final horn eventually blew, eight exhausted competitors breathed an exhausted collective sigh of relief.
“I was thrilled when I got the call to say I had been selected but had no idea what to expect. It’s been an incredible experience and I can’t thank Giniel enough for his calm and tempered approach. He is a large part of why we won.
“I’m honoured to have been a part and it’s going to take a while for it all to sink in,” Withaar said.
Apart from the Toyota Fortuner fitted with Thule racks he also walks away with a Thule Chasm luggage set, clothing and footwear from Salomon, the Specialized bicycle, Garmin smartwatch and a R15 000 Total Fuel card.