Rally fraternity ready for Dullstroom
Experience, talent and skilful driving will prevail at the 2022 TRACN4 National Rally, which starts on November 18 in Dullstroom.
Less than a week before the two-day rally officially begins, all 28 competing teams are ready to show off their skills and are eager to put one another to the ultimate test.
With the top competitors of the 2022 National Rally Championships series in action throughout the weekend, intense racing is expected, especially in the
NRC 1 (AWD/R4) class.
The top teams in this class are sure to go all out to secure top honours. Current class leaders Chris Coertse and Greg Godrich, in their new Rally 2 Kit 1600 Mazda-2, have been outstanding this season and are sure to go full throttle to secure the title. However, it is expected that they will be pushed hard by secondplaced Theuns Joubert and Schalk van Heerden, in their Salom Toyota Yaris; and two-time National Rally champions Guy Botterill and Simon Vacy-Lyle, in their Toyota Starlet.
The Northern Regional Rally Championship also promises to deliver in terms of sideways action, skill and competitiveness, and here Anton Raaths and Mari du Casse lead the pack, driving an R2 Toyota Auris, followed by Stuart Stirling and Robin Knighton in their crowdfavourite VW Kombi Syncro. George Smalberger will start the final rally of the season in third place overall. As for this division’s navigator contest, which pits three contestants against one another, there is tough competition too, with all three equally vying for the accolades.
This is the third consecutive year TRAC has taken the rally to Dullstroom, cementing it as one of the region’s most prominent annual sports events. The local communities are excited and eager to welcome back the rally teams, crews and supporters, saying that it is a privilege for the quaint Mpumalanga village to host the competition again.
The two-day rally, which will also serve as the final leg of the 2022 National Rally Championships, will start from Lakenvlei Heritage Site on Friday and the Oval in Dullstroom on Saturday. It will consist of 13 special stages - six on Friday and seven on Saturday - with most special stages being held on local private forestry roads and the total distance over the two days being 204km.
Motorsport fans can experience the rally from specially set-up spectator points, the location of which can be found in the 2022 TRACN4 Rally programme. Rally enthusiasts unable to attend the event can catch the fast, thrilling action on all the SARallying social media pages and Raceday TV.