Story: Evan Rothman
Pictures: Motorpics
Will this weekend’s South African Rally Championship event see yet another different crew spraying the winners’ champagne come Saturday evening?
The previous three rounds of the thrilling championship have produced three different winners, highlighting the close and intense rally action from the 17 S2000 crews all vying for overall honours.
This the fourth round of this national championship takes place in and around the Mpumalanga town of Ermelo for the Rally of South Africa.
With fast yet challenging gravel roads, the Rally of South Africa comprises 13 stages high-speed covering 187,59km of competitive stage distance, while the total event distance is 640,77km. A highlight of this rally is the marathon 58,28km stage, SS3 Jessivale. This test will be run on Friday afternoon, and is sure to be an exciting one for both crews and spectators.
Class S2000:
Leading the points standings at this mid-point of the season are Enzo Kuun and co-driver Guy Hodgson (BP Volkswagen Polo S2000). Mark Cronje and Robert Paisley (Castrol Toyota Auris S2000) have shown impressive pace thus far this season, but have been hampered by mechanical woes. However, they are positioned 16 points adrift of Kuun/Hodgson in second place overall.
Team-mates and reigning Champions Hergen Fekken and Pierre Arries (BP Volkswagen Polo S2000) had a disappointing Sasol Rally last month, retiring with mechanical problems. They are now lying in third place overall in the Championship standings.
Piloting the mighty M-Sport-built Ford Fiesta S2000 to great spectacle in his two previous outings in his new drive is Conrad Rautenbach. With co-driver Peter Marsh sitting beside him, Rautenbach will be the driver to catch on the fast stages in Ermelo. The young Zimbabwean is lying in fourth place in the standings, only two points behind Fekken/Arries in third and only 25 points shy of the Championship leaders.
Rautenbach and Fekken were embroiled in a stage-by-stage slogging match in last month’s rally, with Rautenbach showing an advantage over his factory driver rival.
Not to be underestimated are Jan Habig and Ralph Pitchford (BP Volkswagen Polo S2000). Along with Toyota’s number one driver (who has been blighted by a series of small gremlins thus far in 2010), Johnny Gemmell and Drew Sturrock, will also be chasing after the Rautenbach-Fekken battle.
Seeing their car literally go up in flames in its first event, and seemingly end their season, Charl Wilken and Greg Godrich have replaced their burnt out Ford Fiesta S2000 with a new one for the Rally of South Africa. Having missed all but the first round of the Championship, Wilken and the Basil Read/bizhub Ford Fiesta S2000 rally team will be out to prove to their rivals their pace.
Leading the new-for-2010 Privateers Championship are Evan Hutchison/Elvene Coetzee (Motorite Volkswagen Polo S2000). Close behind them are the Volkswagen Polos of Theuns Joubert/Carl Peskin (Salom Group Volkswagen Polo S2000), Jaco van Dyk/Des de Fortier (Volkswagen Polo S2000).
Class A7:
The fastest two-wheel drive machines make up Class A7. As with the Class S2000, there have been three different winners from the three previous events, and a three-way tie for the class lead will see fierce rallying this weekend.
Gugu Zulu/Shaun Visser (BP Volkswagen Polo A7) led the class by minutes in last month’s rally, and will be looking to capitalise on their pace in Ermelo. However, they will hounded by Ettiene du Toit/Patrick Vermaak (Toyota RunX A7), Michael Otto/Tommy du Toit (Auto Doctor Toyota Corolla A7), as well as Gavin Cronje/Van Aard Schoeman (Seasons in Africa Volkswagen Polo A7) and Chris de Wit/Dean Redelinghuys (Automark Toyota RunX A7).
Class A6:
Blasting his way into the rally arena is circuit racing champion Leeroy Poulter and co-driver Henry Dearlove (Randburg Raceway/Ferodo Toyota RunX A6). In his debut rally season, Poulter is not only finishing our challenging events strongly, but he claimed a remarkable eighth overall finish in the Sasol Rally last month, beating off the more powerful Class A7 machinery to be the first two-wheel drive car home.
The Silverton Engineering/Hencom Autobody-sponsored Toyota Auris A6 of Tjaart Conradie/Tiaan Rabe will be looking to match their rivals this weekend, but will also have to contend with the Team Total Toyota RunX A6 of Craig Trott/Robbie Coetzee.
Class A5:
Dominating Class A5 are Cape Town teenager Ashley Haigh-Smith and co-driver Hilton Auffrey (React Toyota Yaris A5). They have won the Class honours once this season, in Caledon in the Western Cape for the Toyota Dealer Rally – Cape, but will be looking to add another winners’ wreath to his trophy cabinet after Ermelo.
The BP Volkswagen Class A5 entry of Andre Cleenwerck/Kes Naidoo are scheduled to debut the new Volkswagen Polo Vivo rally car this weekend, and this might play into the hands of Haigh-Smith.
Chad Lambert/Nic Prinsloo (Lambert Steel Toyota Yaris A5) are also firm Class favourites to take home the Class honours after their win in last month’s Sasol Rally.
National Championship rookie Morne Janse van Rensburg and Derek Jacobs (GC Diesel/BP Volkswagen CitiGolf A5) have improved steadily this season, and have potential to challenge for the Class win. Will it be in Ermelo?
Class N4:
The once thriving Class N4 is now reduced to only competitor for the Rally of South Africa: the Midas Subaru Impreza STi of Tjaart Coetzee/Pierre Jordaan.
Class N3:
Hotting up as the season progress is Class N3. Last month, Megan Verlaque showed the boys her impressive speed, and will be hoping for a repeat performance this weekend. Co-driven by brother Oliver, the pink-liveried Toyota RunX N3 is the car to beat. Abduraghman Amlay/Garth Ritsch (Toyota RunX N3) will rival the Verlaques, while Zimbabwean Robson Maganezi (Link Africa Ford Fiesta ST) will be hoping to improve his pace here.
