Garden Route a final rally fling

Two of the season’s three contested championships already have a home. The overall and S2000 titles were clinched by Mark Cronje and Robin Houghton from the Ford Racing camp, while the S2000 Challenge trophy went to Team Total’s JP Damseaux and Hilton Auffray.

Come Saturday afternoon there will be one very happy Super 1600 crew and three not so happy crews as the four-way fight for the two-wheel drive class will go all the way to the wire.

Heading the entry list will be Cronje and Houghton in their S2000 Ford Fiesta with a near dominant record of six victories from seven starts. The odds are on another Ford victory, giving the Blue Oval a clean sweep of the top step of the podium.

Jan Habig/Robert Paisley (Basil Read Ford Fiesta) claimed the other win up for grabs when Cronje/Houghton had a hiccup back in June. With no pressure Cronje should be a fearsome competitor over the weekend’s 12 stage, 182 kilometre route. Should Ford win over the weekend it will be the first time since Audi dominated in 1983 that a single manufacturer won every round of the series.

Castrol Toyota’s Leeroy Poulter/Elvéne Coetzee have taken the fight to the Ford camp on the last two rounds, leading on each occasion until their Toyota Yaris S2000 wilted under the relentless onslaught. They will again go for gold, ably backed by team-mates Johnny Gemmell/Carolyn Swan in the second Castrol Yaris.

Gemmell/Swan almost gave the Yaris its maiden victory – twice – but luck deserted them – twice.

Giniel de Villiers/Greg Godrich (Imperial Toyota Yaris) should continue to rack up the points towards Toyota’s record 21st manufacturer’s championship.

The three car Volkswagen Sasolracing Polo squad started the year on a rough note, but has gradually built up a head of steam to challenge for podium positions.

Former champions Hergen Fekken/Pierre Arries head up the German attack, with the talented Henk Lategan/Barry White crew continuing to punch way above their experience levels.

Enzo Kuun/Douglas Judd have borne the brunt of the team’s bad luck and are due a decent result.

S2000 Challenge:

The class for older specification rally machinery sees the resumption of hostilities between the newly-crowned champions Damseaux/Auffray (Team Total Toyota Auris) and the outgoing champions Gugu Zulu/Carl Peskin (Sasolracing Polo Vivo).

Zulu’s year has been less than satisfactory, while new contenders like Japie van Niekerk/Gerhard Snyman (New Africa Ford Fiesta) have upped the ante in the class. Mohammed Moosa/Andre Vermeulen (Team Total Toyota Auris) are third in the class title chase and could snatch second.

New found reliability has brought Namibian Wilro Dippenaar and Kesevan Naidoo (McCarthy Toyota Auris) into the reckoning, while a good result from Nic van der Westhuizen/Stefan Cilliers (SA Earthworks Toyota Auris) is also overdue.

S1 600:

Driving fast is one thing, finishing a rally is another matter altogether. This lesson still has to be learnt by many of the hungry young racers in the 1600cc two-wheel drive class.

Teaching the lesson is master of the art Craig Trott and co-driver Janine Lourens (Team Total Toyota RunX). The elder statesman leads the title race by 13.5 points from Mathew Vacy-Lyle/Schalk van Heerden (Fragram Toyota RunX).

Clint Weston/Christoff Snyders (Reef Tankers Citroen) and Thilo Himmell/Armand du Toit (Toyota Etios) will have it all to do. To clinch the title Weston and Himmell must win and hope Trott finishes lower than 11th place.

Expect Trott to chug around the route while all hell breaks loose at the head of the field.

Out to spoil everyone’s party will be the likes of Chad van Beurden/Nico Swartz (Beurden Construction Polo Vivo), the find of the year, and the luckless Ashley Haigh Smith/Craig Parry ( Castrol Ford Fiesta R2). Other young chargers with an eye on the podium include Ernie van der Walt/James Aldridge (Ferodo Ford Fiesta R2), Paul Franken/Henry Kohne (ManitouW Polo R2) and Lourens van Rensburg/Jason Plumbly (7 Films Ford Fiesta R2).

Guy Botterill/Simon Vacy Lyle (Yato Tools Toyota RunX) will relish the end of a season from hell, while Chris Coertse/Robbie Coetzee (Electrothread Toyota Etios R2) get quicker by the event. Richard Leeke III/Pierre Jordaan (ATS Ford Fiesta R2) fresh from their maiden podium, Megan Verlaque/Mari van der Walt (VW Polo Vivo) and Danie van der Westhuizen/Tommy Coetzee (SA Earthworks Ford Fiesta R2) will be looking to end the season on a high note.

Route:

The event will start at the Garden Route Mall in George at 11am on Friday and the opening day consists of five gravel special stages with the competitors returning to George for the overnight stop.

Saturday’s restart will be at 7am with the first of the day’s seven stages utilising part of the historic Montagu Pass. The first car is due at the finish in George at 2.10pm.

Spectator guides are available on www.rallyworld.net and from the start.