Henk Lategan suffered a shoulder injury after his Toyota Hilux rolled during the Renergen 400 on Saturday. He will concentrate on recovering for the 2024 Dakar Rally now that the event is three months away.
Lategan positioned himself as the race’s leading driver by setting the fastest overall time on Friday and outpacing Gareth Woolridge by 13 seconds. However, the following day, as he was driving up to a locked gate, his Hilux rolled into a ditch.
The Toyota driver suffered a dislocated shoulder injury as his co-driver Brett Cummings escaped injury. As a result, Lategan got eliminated from the race, while Woolridge ultimately went on to secure victory.
“Unfortunate end to the weekend for us, we hit a ditch at the wrong angle, which ended in a crash and my shoulder getting dislocated again,” said Lategan.
“Sorry to the team who worked hard to give us a good car all weekend. Thanks to my trusted co-driver for doing such a good job opening the road and sorry for the mishap.
“The race now is on to recover in time for the 2024 Dakar Rally. We will do everything we can to be fit and ready.”
Lategan previously dislocated his shoulder in a seperate incident when he rolled on Stage #5 of the Dakar Rally in 2021. He had to miss the South African Rally-Raid Championship’s opening round because of the injury.
The Waterberg 400 which is the final race of the 2023 SARRC, will take place on November 10 and 11. Despite the fact that the race is a month away, an athlete’s recovery from a dislocated shoulder usually takes longer.
The 2024 Dakar Rally will start on January 5.
