While the final result failed to reflect the progress made over the weekend, the team took plenty of positives from another valuable step in the car's development.
Jones and Naidoo showing some pace at the GR Legends Rally. Picture: Stefan Van Niekerk
Our third outing in the TGRSA GR Yaris rally car, at the GR Legends Rally, held at Soetdoring just outside Bronkhorstspruit, proved to be our toughest yet.
The plan was the same as it has been the entire year so far. Gain valuable rally experience and bring the car home in one piece. And so far, this plan has worked. Until now that is.
Not the ideal start
Our preparations were disrupted during Thursday’s shakedown when only a few corners into our first run, we ran into gear linkage problems. This was followed by the linkage breaking completely, leaving us stuck in first gear and having to nurse the car back to the service park.
With some help from the guys at Godrich Toyota Bronkhorstspruit, the linkage was repaired and we were ready to go back out. But we had run out of time, and the official shakedown event had closed.
Thankfully, a local farmer allowed us access to his farm, and we were able to run the car and get it ready for the start of the rally on Friday morning.
Solid first day
Friday’s opening five stages were demanding. A mix of every kind of dirt road you can find. From fast hard gravel to soft sand and rocks. But we managed to keep it together and find extra time at every stage.
By the overnight stop, we were running 10th overall and fourth in NRC2. A position we were more than happy with, considering there were a full nine stages of racing to come the next day.
Ever improving
Saturday was even tougher than the day before. The stages were longer and more complicated. And conditions were worse for this rookie driver who gets to experience most of this for the first time.
The dust was thick and visibility hectically compromised, but we managed to progress in terms of stage times. But times were not our goal. Developing man and machine were.
We had moved up into seventh overall and third in class and were on for a podium finish. And we had successfully completed 12 of the 13 stages of the GR Legends Rally.
Just like that it’s over
But one thing motorsport can do is break your heart. We were having a clean run in the 13th and final stage when our rally ended abruptly.
While negotiating a tight hairpin after a fast section, I made a mistake and shifted down one gear too many and buzzed the engine of our TGRSA GR Yaris. This over-rev activated the engine’s protective systems. And we couldn’t get the car restarted.
So, with the finish line figuratively in sight, our rally was over. We went home without a single point to show for all our and the team’s hard work.
It was a bitter pill to swallow. We had worked our way into third in class. The car was running faultlessly. And one small mistake was enough to end our rally. But that’s part of the challenge of national rallying. We will learn from it and come back stronger.
Ermelo Rally next
The 2026 South African National Rally Championship now moves to the Ermelo Rally in Mpumalanga, where Round 5 of the season will take place on 21 and 22 August. TGRSA will be aiming to convert the promise shown at the GR Legends Rally into another strong finish as development of the Toyota GR Yaris Rally programme continues.
