As the 2011 South African Rally Championship reaches the season mid-point, Team Sasol is looking to make a dramatic improvement to their early season form, which has seen the newly created privateer pairings of Mark Cronje/Robin Houghton and Jon Williams/Cobus Vrey field a pair of very competitive Ford Fiesta S2000s.
Mark and Robin won stages from the very start of the season but results have not quite lived up to expectations. That is about to change thanks to a number of intensive test sessions and a new specification Ford motor which improves low-down torque.
“I have finally got to the bottom of the car’s handling and jumping abilities. My confidence has gone up a gear and a half”, Mark laughed. “I am fortunate that I have the resources to go testing and we’ve clocked up a couple of hundred kilometers. The Fiesta is a very technical piece of kit and we’re learning all the time. The new engine improves the car’s low-down grunt which helps climb out of corners and getting back up to speed”.
“No one has any experience of the first day’s stages. I saw some off road races there but I don’t know which roads they will use. I’m confident for day 2 as we have driven those roads quite a bit in rallies past and during testing. We have made a significant step forward and I’m looking forward to seeing the time and effort pay off”, said Mark.
Mark is 12th in the championship table on 29 points, while Robin is 11th on the co-driver’s log. Jon and Cobus are 7th on both tables respectively.
Jon’s learning curve remains steep, needing to learn the car before understanding what can be changed and what effect it will have of the car. “I learnt a lot of little things on the last rally and managed to win a stage, which I was chuffed with. The engineer told me I was trying too hard and as soon as I relaxed, the times came to me”.
“I’ve made no secret of wanting a podium sooner rather than later. Day one of the Gauteng Rally will be new to everyone, which levels the playing field and allows the younger generation the opportunity to shine. How well we go will be down to how well we prepare.
“I’m excited and looking forward to the Gauteng Rally. Last time I ran the stages, I was 3rd overall. I hope history can repeat itself”, Jon concluded.
The Toyota Dealer Gauteng Rally starts from the Carnival City Toyota Dealer in Brakpan at noon on Friday, 10th June. A short gravel stage in the casino grounds precedes three stages and a short tar stage at night. Saturday’s action gets underway at 8am and comprises 6 stages and the Rallystar SuperSpecial stage in Bapsfontein.