Leeroy Poulter and Henry Dearlove have a clear objective in mind for the 4th round of the Sasol South African Rally Championship, the Rally of South Africa, which takes place in the Ermelo region of Mpumalanga; to take maximum points and the lead of the first 1600cc Championship and reward their new sponsors Imperial Toyota for their investment and belief in the team.
The Imperial Toyota/Ferodo Toyota RunX pair leads the class A6 Championship by two points after dominant class wins in the last two rounds, which has also rocketed them into 3rd in the 1600cc rankings.
In spite of limited gravel racing – the Sasol Rally last month was Poulter’s third ever rally – he put in a giant-killing performance to end as the top front wheel drive car. It is a measure of Poulter’s natural talent that he is viewed as a potential winner regardless of running with no prior knowledge of the Rally of South Africa’s conditions.
“If we win the 1600cc category that we compete in, then the class win automatically comes with the result, so the Class A6 championship has become a secondary objective to winning the first national 1600cc title”, Poulter explained.
“Going into the Rally of South Africa, I am once again driving ‘blind’ with no prior knowledge or experience which is where Henry places such a vital role. I’m looking forward to the long Jessievale stage. Concentration shouldn’t be an issue because in my off road season, we drove for 5 hours at a time and although it’s at a different pace, you still have to pay attention!” he added.
Co-driver Henry Dearlove says that their route note preparation is the key to their success. “I have to work a lot harder because Leeroy hasn’t had much exposure to the route note system. I spend around 20 hours viewing the DVD and compiling my instructions”.
The Northern Regions Co-Driver’s Champion added: “We’re going to have to work a lot harder for a win than we did on the Sasol Rally because the stages in Warburton and Panbult are a lot faster and less technical, and the Toyota Auris of our main rival Tjaart Conradie has better acceleration. It’s going to be a tough fight”.
“People tend to under estimate the Rally of South Africa because the rods aren’t as rough, rocky or mountainous as
those on the Sasol Rally, but it is a hard rally on man and machine”.
“I think the stages, point and squirt in nature, will suit Leeroy’s driving style because he carries a lot of speed through the corners through a combination of late braking and precise turn-in> We’re looking forward to the battle”, Dearlove concluded.
Mario da Souza, Group Marketing Manager at Imperial Toyota said: “Leeroy is a phenomenal talent and stood out from an early age as one of the best driving talents in the country. Imperial Toyota is proud to offer their support and be a part of Leeroy’s successful career. We’re very excited to have put this deal together and wish the team
well for the rest of the season”.
Team Director Rod Hering added: “I would like to welcome Imperial Toyota to our team; their faith in Leeroy and Henry is a great motivation to the whole Race Prep team. It is going to be another tough fight in the forests but we’re quietly confident that if all goes well, we should be able to add a lot of value to the Imperial Toyota brand”.
– Credit: Race Prep Motorsport Solutions
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