Controversy clouds Cape rally event
South African rallying should visit the Western Cape more often. That was the main concensus of opinion after the weekend's Toyota Cape Dealer Rally which ended in Brackenfell near Cape Town on Saturday afternoon.
POPULAR: Winners Mark Cronje/Robin Houghton drift their Ford Fiesta S2000 throuigh a farmyard near Brackenville.
Picture: Dave Ledbitter.
Brilliant roads, a huge dice for the lead plus varied weather conditions and it was a great rally. Sadly, there was also controversy, which made the overall results provisional.
On the road the rally was won by Mark Cronje and Robin Houghton (Ford Dealer Fiesta) just 1,8 seconds ahead of Johnny Gemmell and Carolyn Swan (Castrol Toyota Yaris).
Third, nearly four minutes behind the winners, were Hergen Fekken and Pierre Arries (Sasolracing VW Polo). Fourth, nearly another five minutes in arrears and winners of the S2000 Challenge, were Jean-Pierre Damseaux/Hilton Auffray in a Team Total Toyota Auris.
Gugu Zulu/Carl Peskin were fifth in their Sasolracing Polo ahead of the Imperial Toyota Yaris of Giniel de Villiers/Greg Godrich, Leeroy Poulter/Elvéne Coetzee, in the second Castrol Toyota Yaris, and Henk Lategan/Barry White (VW Sasolracing Polo).
Making up the top 10 was the first of the S1600 two-wheel drive cars of Thilo Himmel/Armand du Toit (Toyota Etios R2) and Clint Weston/Christoff Snyders (Reef Tankers Citroen).
The results remain provisional subject to a protest, lodged by Toyota, against a decision to rescind a 10-second penalty imposed on Ford’s Cronje and Houghton for a Friday jump start.
Gemmell beat Cronje to the line by seven seconds only for the penalty to be waived with Cronje the winner by less than two seconds.
Now the matter will go before a motorsport court – a sad ending for a brilliant rally.
