NEW SPIN IN FIERCE BATTLE FOR RALLY HONOURS
Top sides set to take part in national event which kicks off in Uitenhage
MOTORSPORT enthusiasts will be treated to an action-packed, two-day national championship showdown when the 35th Volkswagen Rally takes place at venues around the metro and surrounds this weekend.
The VW Rally, which starts at the People’s Pavilion, Uitenhage, at 2.40pm tomorrow, forms part of the national calendar and will be hosting a variety of entrants from across the country.
Leading the charging pack will be the R2 cars ahead of the Classic Class, a new spin to this year’s formula in rallying.
The Open and S1 classes will also be contested.
The only front-wheel-drive car in the classic class for this event will be the VW Golf 2 of Hubi von Moltke and Terry Illman.
Organiser Rikus Fourie said: “Competitors can expect the racing to be fierce in the R2 class [a near-production-based 1 600cc front-wheel-drive rally car] with no real standout contender to call out in this event.”
SA rally champions and points leaders Guy Botterill and Simon Vacy Lyle are hoping their Toyota Gazoo Racing Etios will see them through to winning this section.
Richard Leeke and Henry Köhne in their ATS Ford Fiesta have been pushing hard on the stages for wins but have yet to stand on the top step of the podium this year.
They are in joint second on the championship log with Chris Coertse and Greg Godrich, who made a shocking debut with their Mazda 2.
The Bay’s Neels Vosloo, who races in the S2 class with a Toyota Yaris, will be chasing a podium finish.
“We want to have a look at the course on Friday and see if our technical team can bring a quick time when we ride into the forest,” Vosloo said.
“We are hoping wet conditions [will give] a level playing field.
“Rain will definitely give our two-litre car an edge through the forest.”
Ettiene Malherbe and co-driver Robbie Coetzee will be one up on their rivals in the S2 class as they are the only crew that have taken part in the national competition previously.
Hoping to bring more heat to the national field will be 20 entries from the Algoa Rally Club, who will be comparing stage times with the national crews.
“The Eastern Cape is one of the healthiest regions in regional rallying and they keep the sport growing,” Fourie said.
“Regional rallying is the ideal platform for any aspiring rally driver or navigator, because this is where they will start their future rally career,” he said.
Organisers have made the routes and stages easily accessible for spectators.
The first stage will start at the People’s Pavilion at 2.40pm.
With a viewpoint at the Jagvlakte dam area, spectators can set up camp and watch the field as they wait for the repeat stage, starting at 4.25pm.
The night stage will start at 6pm at Baywest Mall.
Saturday, the last day of the event, will have an exciting Culturama stage at the MTO Longmore Plantation from 8.15am, followed by the PPC stage at 10am.
The final stage will be back at Baywest, starting at 3.20pm.
For more information visit www.sarallying.co.za