Champions set to win title

The Ford Fiesta S2000 pairing will start the 11 stage, 180 kilometre event as favorites and with a comfortable 39 point lead in their racing suit pockets. But rallying can be an extremely cruel mistress.

Ask Johnny Gemmell and Carolyn Swan who thought they had brought their Castrol Toyota Yaris S2000 home in first place in the Toyota Cape Rally last month – only to find out differently a few hours later. Or ask Leeroy Poulter and Elvéne Coetzee who held a highly defendable 27 second lead with two stages remaining in the same event, before retiring the second Castrol Yaris with terminal engine failure.

Motorsport SA confirmed Cronje’s victory in a Court of Enquiry last week after unraveling various administrative errors in the Cape where Gemmell/Swan were erroneously awarded the first place silverware.

What fans do know is that the Castrol Toyota Yaris S2000 is now a competitive proposition and presents a real challenge for victory after a season of development. Both Toyota crews will be hell-bent on claiming the little car’s first victory – more so after last month’s shenanigans.

The three-car Volkswagen Sasolracing Polo team is there or thereabouts with the pairings of Henk Lategan/Barry White, Hergen Fekken/Pierre Arries and Enzo Kuun/Douglas Judd all winning stages during the season and standing on various steps of the podium – except the top one.

With just two rounds remaining, the Polo crews will be aiming to rectify this situation, which is achievable with four champions and massive raw young talent in the Uitenhage manufacturer’s camp.

Holding second place on the points log are veterans Jan Habig and Robert Paisley in their Basil Read Ford Fiesta S2000. This is thanks to a victory in June and a block of top three results during the year, and they should again be strong podium contenders.

Dakar hero Giniel de Villiers, teamed with Greg Godrich, is fourth on the points ladder in their Imperial Toyota Yaris S2000 and another top-drawer performance can be expected from the desert warrior.

S2000 Challenge

The class for older generation S2000 cars will be headed by Jean-Pierre Damseaux/Hilton Auffray in their Team Total Toyota Auris. Their closest challengers are defending S2000C pair Gugu Zulu/Carl Peskin (VW Sasolracing Polo Vivo).

The spectacularly driven second Team Total Auris of Mohammed Moosa/Andre Vermeulen holds third place ahead of Japie Van Niekerk/Gerhard Snyman (New Africa Ford Fiesta S2000). Van Niekerk switched from VW to Ford mid-season and immediately blitzed everyone.

If the car doesn’t end in a ditch on stage one, as happened in the Cape, they should be virtually untouchable through the Bushveld stages.

The 20-year-old Namibian, Wilro Dippenaar, and Kesevan Naidoo (McCarthy Toyota Auris) will take on rivals Nic van der Westhuizen/Stefan Cilliers (SA Earthworks Toyota Auris). These youngsters know no fear and given reliability and luck, should provide a thrill a minute as they battle to outdo each other.

Stefanie Botha/Willem Hugo (Griffin Mining Toyota RunX) have shone on occasion this season, ending inside the top 10 while rivals Piet Bakkes/Johan Aucamp (Accident Guru Toyota RunX) are newcomers to the class.

Super 1600

There is everything to play for in the S1600 championship where the top three title contenders are separated by a mere 3.5 points.

A full field of 16 two-wheel drive crews will go head to head featuring a blend of youthful exuberance and experienced competitors. Clint Weston/Christoff Snyders (Reef Tankers Citroen C2 R2 Max) lead the title race after finishing second last time out, while triple winners Thilo Himmell/Armand du Toit (Toyota Etios R2) are breathing down their exhaust pipes just 2.5 points in arrears.

Either of these crews could take honours on the day along with veteran Craig Trott and Janine Lourens (Team Total Toyota RunX), who are a further one point adrift after a calculated season to date where finishing is the name of their game.

Matthew Vacy-Lyle/Schalk van Heerden (Fragram Tools Toyota RunX) are in contention, unlike their quick but fragile team mates Guy Botterill/Simon Vacy-Lyle (Yato Tools Toyota RunX). Former circuit racer Chad van Beurden and co-driver Nico Swartz (Beurden Construction VW Polo Vivo) are fifth on the points log, ahead of Cape Town hotshot Ashley Haigh Smith and Welsh co-driver Craig Parry in the Castrol/React Ford Fiesta R2.

Newcomers Andre Heine/Stephen Jones (Toyota Auris) and Chris Coertse/Robbie Coetzee (Electrothread Toyota Etios) are a few points apart. Another new crew in Lourens van Rensburg/Jason Plumbly (7 Films Ford Fiesta R2) surprised with a podium on their last outing, while fellow Ford runners Ernie van der Walt/Grant Martin (Ferodo Fiesta R2) and Richard Leeke III/Pierre Jordaan (ATS Fiesta R2) should slug it out for the honour of highest placed teenager.

Paul Franken/Henry Kohne (Manitou VW Polo R2) will be joined by AC Potgieter/Tommy du Toit in a similar Remax-backed Polo R2, moving up from the Rally Cup Polo they used since mid year. Megan/Oliver Verlaque (VW Polo Vivo) return after missing a few events, while Danie van Rensburg/Tommy Coetzee (SA Earthworks Ford Fiesta R2) will be followed by five class S20 non-homologated regional rally teams.

Route

Teams will face five tight and technical stages south of the Limpopo capital, ending the day with a 2.9 kilometre tarmac stage around the Peter Mokaba Stadium at 5.15pm. Saturday will see crews up early to tackle four stages north of Polokwane, with the finale a repeat of the soccer stadium tarmac stage at 13h30.

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