Q&A session with Team Lunetic as they gear up for upcoming rally in Ermelo
The upcoming ARRO Rallies will give her some experience and build her confidence. Larine is a 'petrol head' like the rest of the family.
Q: How did you get into rally driving?
A: After years of spectating we decided that we also want to race and bought a car. We began building up our race car and eventually fell in love with the sport. We are a family rally team called “Team Lunetic”. We have been rallying since 2016 and competed in the National Rally Championship of South Africa.
I was the navigator during the 2016 to 2018 seasons. Our driver who is also my daughter, Luné Snyman, has taken some family time and will not be racing this season. Larine Strydom, our youngest daughter, has taken over the hot seat to navigate for the team.
She is only 13 years old, but already a good navigator. The upcoming ARRO Rallies will give her some experience and build her confidence. Larine is a ‘petrol head’ like the rest of the family.
Q: When was your first race?
A: In 2016 our first rally was the NRC Heidelberg Rally. Pity we only competed in one race that year. We were happy to finish the rally with the car in one piece.
Q: What is your best memory and achievement in rally racing?
A: In 2017 we won the Open Class of South Africa with Luné as the driver and I as navigator. It was a big achievement for us. In 2018 we again competed, but had a few snags with the car which had us ending up in third overall, but we were still happy and had lots of fun.
Q: Since you started, what would you say have you most improved on?
A: Rallying is driving flat out from corner to corner with the car feeling out of control most of the time. With experience, you begin to pick up on how to drive and race against time.
Q: Tell us about your car?
A: We drive a 1995 Toyota Conquest rally car, that has been rebuild to rally specifications. The car is fitted with a 1600cc 20valve engine and low ratio limited-slip gearbox. We use these old cars that are light and cheap to maintain. The car is fitted with Proflex rally coil-overs.
Q: How do you usually prepare for a rally?
A: Before rallies, competitors are given the chance do a “recce” during which you can drive the stages with a normal car to explore the route. During the “recce” we make notes of everything that can slow you down, but also where you can go flat out. We observe all the cautions that have been marked on the route, to make sure we pass them safely and with caution, but with the maximum speed we can achieve.
Q: Do you get nervous before a race?
A: Yes, but after the first stage the nerves settle and then it is just you, your navigator, the car and dust.
Q: When you’re not rallying, how do you like to unwind?
A: Our family spend a lot of time together. I build and maintain our rally car and spend a lot of time in my workshop.
Q: What is the importance of a navigator?
A: If you look at this closer, the navigator is actually the driver of the car. The constant and accurate descriptions about turns, degrees of turns, distances between turns, cautions, jumps, all this determines the pace of the car and the driver is blindly following the navigator’s instructions.
Q: How should the relationship between a driver and a navigator be?
A: There should always be a good understanding and trust between driver and navigator. Everything does not always go according to plan in the various stages. We are human, we all make mistakes. It is important to have fun along the way and not to forget good sportsmanship.
Q: What is your aim for the upcoming rally in Ermelo?
A: Larine will be the youngest navigator ever to compete nationally in a rally. Our aim is to get her to settle in with some experience and finish the event. On the repeat of the stages we will push for stage times and hopefully father and daughter will make a strong team for the future and to compete on the next level.
