The third Total Tour Natal Rally marks the official start of the 2011 South African Rally Championship and takes place in the Amanzimtoti and Scottburgh areas of the KwaZulu-Natal South Coast on March 25 and 26.
The Total-sponsored round of the national championship has been a highpoint of every season for many years and this year sees Total South Africa backing the opening round of the eight-round championship for the third year in succession.
“We’re delighted to be sponsoring the opening round of the new season in the 55th year of our company’s involvement as a sponsor, supporter and beneficiary to the growth and development of this popular sport in South Africa,” said Total South Africa brand and communications manager Nadia Vosloo. “2011 also marks the 16th year of Team Total and once again we will field the biggest privateer rally team in the championship.”
Organised by the Natal Motorcycle and Car Club, the Total Tour Natal will comprise 14 special stages over a total distance of some 161 km over the two days. It will start at 13.30 on Friday (March 25) from the Arbour Crossing Shopping Centre in Amanzimtoti, 30 km south of Durban. The first day will consist of four short South Coast gravel stages followed buy a tarmac stage in the Arbour Crossing Shopping Centre car park.
The action gets underway again at 06.00 on Saturday with four gravel stages on the South Coast, all of which will be repeated before the day ends with a second run through the Arbour Crossing tarmac stage. The rally is expected to finish at around 16.00 and the podium ceremony and prize-giving will take place at 17.30.
Chairman of the organising committee and Clerk of the Course Richard Vaughan promises a testing event for the opening round of what promises to be an exciting season. “This is the 53rd Tour Natal Rally and, together with Total, we have stepped up the standards of promotion, professionalism and safety to bring the event closer to World Rally Championship standards.”
Heading the entries in the premier S2000 class are the factory BP Volkswagen Polos of defending champions Enzo Kuun and Guy Hodgson (who also won in 2006), 2008 and 2009 champions Hergen Fekken and Pierre Arries, 2005 and 2007 champions Jan Habig and new co-driver Robert Paisley, who is also a former champion, and new members of the team Giniel de Villiers and Ralph Pitchford. De Villiers, a former South African off road champion and winner of the 2009 Dakar Rally in a Volkswagen Race Touareg, is making his rally debut, while Pitchford returns for a second year after navigating for Habig last year.
The Castrol Toyota factory team will again be their fiercest competition and will be looking to regain the championship they last won in 2004 with the now retired Serge Damseaux.
Carrying Toyota’s hopes are Jonny Gemmell and Scotsman Drew Sturrock (Auris) and Leeroy Poulter and new navigator Elvene Coetzee (Auris). Also in Toyotas are Team Total privateers Jean-Pierre Damseaux and Carolyn Swan (RunX) and Mohammed Moosa and Grant Martin (RunX). Strong competition for the Privateers’ Championship will also come from four Ford Fiestas and two Peugeot 207s together with several privateer VW Polos.
Charl Wilken and Greg Godrich, winners of the final round of the 2010 championship, are back in their Basil Read/Bizhub Ford Fiesta and will be doing battle for top Ford honours with Zimbabwe’s Conrad Rautenbach and Peter Marsh, the new pairing of former Toyota factory rallyists Mark Cronje and Robin Houghton and Jon Williams and Cobus Vrey.
Making their debut appearance in the championship will be the Pirtek Peugeots of Hein Lategan/Johan van der Merwe and Visser du Plessis/Gerhard Snyman. Nicholas Ryan and Geoff Tyrer will be in an RCF VW Polo as will the New Africa Developments pairing of Japie van Niekerk and Dave Lewkowicz.
This year sees the phasing out of classes A7 and N3 as a result of rising costs and falling entries, while the popular class A6 will become Super 1600 and incorporate N3 entries for 2011 only.
Class A6 promises to be a closely-fought battle ground with former champion Craig Trott (Team Total Toyota RunX), back with co-driver Robbie Coetzee, reigning class A7 champion Gugu Zulu and co-driver Carl Peskin (BP Volkswagen Polo) and Ashley Haigh Smith/Hilton Auffray (React Ford Fiesta) likely to be strong contenders.
Also worth keeping an eye on will be Tjaart Conradie/Kes Naidoo (Silverton Engineering Toyota Auris), Guy Botterill/Pierre Jordaan (Yato Tools Toyota RunX) and the new all-woman team of Stefanie Hugo and Angela Shields in a Team Total Toyota RunX. Adding considerable interest to the class is the possibility of three Citroen C2s making their South African debut.
Class A5, now called Super 1400, will feature another all-woman pairing of Megan Verlaque and Lirene du Plessis in a BP Volkswagen Polo Vivo as well as Henk Lategan/Barry White in a similar car backed by Pirtek and Ian Young/Herman Groenewald in a Toyota Yaris.
– Credit: Total of South Africa.