Ermelo gears up for INGCO Rally

ERMELO – The sound of rally cars will return to Ermelo on Friday and Saturday, August 21 and 22, when the INGCO Ermelo Rally brings Round 5 of the 2026 South African National Rally Championship to the town.

The rally will be centred around Ermelo, with competitors tackling stages on the gravel roads surrounding the town. Ermelo High School will serve as the rally headquarters and service park for both days.

One of the highlights for spectators will be Friday evening’s rally action, with the Erries stage schedule to take place on the school grounds at 18:15.

EVENT PROGRAM

Friday, August 21:

• 12:00 – Ceremonial start at Ermelo High School
• 12:15 – Stage 1, Oubaas
• 12:45 – Stage 2, Wally
• 14:00 – Stage 3, Oubaas 2
• 14:30 – Stage 4, Wally 2
• 15:48 – Stage 5, Durr
• 16:15 – Stage 6, SX
• 18:15 – Stage 7, Erries

Saturday, August 22:

• 08:00 – Ceremonial start at Ermelo High School
• 08:15 – Stage 8, Oubaas Short
• 08:50 – Stage 9, Durr 2
• 10:00 – Stage 10, Durr 3
• 10:38 – Stage 11, Myburgh
• 11:02 – Stage 12, Henriette
• 12:30 – Stage 13, Myburgh 2
• 12:55 – Stage 14, Henriette 2
• 13:25 – Stage 15, SX 2

Championship battle heads to Ermelo

The INGCO Ermelo Rally comes at an important stage of the 2026 championship, with the South African National Rally Championship reaching the halfway point of its early-season campaign.

Benjamin Habig and Barry White arrive in Ermelo having won all three previous rounds of the championship in their Volkswagen Polo. Their run includes a dramatic victory at the GR Legends Rally, where the crew overcame power steering failure and overheating problems before fighting back to win five of the final six stages.

Jono van Wyk and Nico Swartz came within 0.2 seconds of Habig and White at the end of Friday at the Legends Rally, before a wrong-slot on Saturday cost them the opportunity to challenge for victory.

Nico and Juandré Nienaber will also arrive with confidence after finishing third overall at Legends in their Hyundai i20, despite mechanical problems that included an alternator failure, flat battery and fuel pump failure. The brothers also claimed two stage victories.

Chris Coertse and Elzaan van der Schyff will be looking for a stronger result in their Rally Technic Mazda 2 after fuel pressure problems affected their Legends Rally. Their 10th-place finish nevertheless allowed them to retain second place in the championship.

Ermelo’s own Paul van Niekerk and Willemjan Human will return to competition for their home event in a Volkswagen Polo GTI after missing the GR Legends Rally.