The Challenge:
An added dose of unpredictability has been measured out for this weekend’s Garden Route Rally as competitors in the 2011 South African Rally Championship take round six of the eight event series.
Based in Knysna at Simola Estate, this event’s ten stages are set between George and Knysna in the Outeniqua forests. The narrow gravel tracks are lined with rocks and tall trees, while the roads snake over undulating hills and through slippery sections that will catch out the unwary.
It is the first time in 17 years that the Garden Route will reverberate with the sound of rally cars. This means that all crews and competitors will be on an equal footing, with no expectations and previous experience of the demands of the event.
The Crews:
A new rally brings with it new challenges. This weekend’s event is set to favour Team Total, South Africa’s largest privateer rally team, as their four crews aim to capitalize on the new route and technical nature of the gravel roads.
Headlining Team Total’s arsenal are the pairings of Jean-Pierre Damseaux/Carolyn Swan and Mohammed Moosa/Grant Martin. Debuted at the previous round of the championship were two Toyota Auris S2000s piloted by these talented crews, with Moosa showcasing his improved performance by claiming his first outright stage victory.
Damseaux and Swan suffered teething problems on their Toyota Auris S2000, but after putting their new steed through its paces in testing they are looking to close the gap to the factory Toyota Auris and Volkswagen Polo S2000s and to battle toe-to-toe with their Ford Fiesta S2000 rivals too in South Africa’s premier rally Class.
Moosa and Martin recorded a strong ninth place overall on last month’s Volkswagen Rally, and their speed in their new rally car was underlined with a string of top ten fastest stage times. That performance has buoyed the pair’s confidence and this weekend’s event will see Moosa aiming to finish within the top ten once more against the 18-car Class S200 field.
The Two-Wheel Drive Championship, previously known as the Junior Championship, sees Craig Trott and Robbie Coetzee (Toyota RunX S1600) top the leader board for Team Total. The twisty, tight and technical roads in the Outeniqua forests suit the driving style and performance of Trott’s Toyota RunX perfectly. After winning the petrol category on the recent Total Economy Run, Trott and Coetzee will be aiming to emulate this in Knysna on Saturday afternoon.
The all-female Team Total crew of Stefanie Botha and Angela Shields (Toyota RunX S1600) highlighted their speed in the Longmore Forest for the Volkswagen Rally, but the pairing were forced to retire from the event on Day Two. They will, however, be aiming to translate their recent turn of speed in the Eastern Cape to points and podium result in the Garden Route Rally.
The Route:
The Garden Route Rally starts from the Garden Route Mall at noon on Friday 26 August and starts with a short special stage adjacent to the Garden Route Mall. Crews will then tackle three forest stages in the Outeniqua Mountains that are followed up by a short Tar stage in Knysna to round out Day One’s rally action.
Saturday dawns at 08h00 from Simola Estate with a gravel stage adjacent to the popular property before repeating Friday’s three forest stages. The event is then completed with a repeat of Saturday’s opening test at 14h30, followed by the prize-giving ceremony at Simola Estate at 15h45.
Follow Team Total:
For news and photographs live from the event, visit us on Facebook at http://on.fb.me/pBFCpZ and on Twitter at http://bit.ly/jBLu4j. For more information, please visit www.totalmotorsport.co.za.
