Ford pairing back on victory podium in Bapsfontein
Reigning South African champions Mark Cronje and Robin Houghton (Ford Dealer Fiesta) led the weekend's Pretoria Motor Club Gauteng Rally from start to finish, to record their first win of the season at the RallyStar Academy near Bapsfontein.
BACK ON TRACK. Mark Cronje and Robin Houghton (Ford Dealer Fiesta) en route to winning the weekend’s
PMC Rally around Bapsfontein. Picture: Dave Ledbitter.
The Ford pairing finished 49 seconds ahead of Henk Lategan and Barry White (Sasol Volkswagen Polo).
Hans Weijs/Bjorn Degandt made it two factory VW Sasol Polos on the podium when they brought their car home in third place, a further 17 seconds in arrears.
Castrol Toyota’s Hergen Fekken/ Carolyn Swan snatched fourth place in their works Yaris, 1min 11sec in arrears.
Japie van Niekerk/ Gerhard Snyman were happy with fifth place overall in their privateer New Africa Developments Ford Fiesta.
Sixth and winners of the S2000 Challenge for older specification four-wheel drive cars were Namibian Wilro Dippenaar and Kes Naidoo (PZN Panelbeaters Toyota Auris).
Leeroy Poulter and Elvéne Coetzee (Castrol Team Toyota Yaris) completed the rally in seventh place under half-points Super Rally rules after engine problems prevented them from finishing on Friday.
Also running in the Super Rally category, the Toyota RunX of Piet Bakkes and Shaun Visser finished eighth, leading home Thilo Himmel/ Armand du Toit (VW Polo) and Gugu Zulu/Carl Peskin (Sasol VW Polo).
Guy Botterill/ Simon Vacy-Lyle (Yato Toyota Etios) dominated the S1600 class for two-wheel drive cars.
Second, a distant 2min 8sec in arrears, were Ashley Haigh-Smith/ Damian van Ass (Castrol Ford Fiesta), who were in turn 24 seconds ahead of third-placed Paulus Franken/ Henry Kohne (Manitou VW Polo).
Chris Coertse and 16-year-old Mari van der Walt (Electrothread Toyota Etios) were fourth, followed by Richard Leeke Jnr/ Rikus Fourie (ATS Ford Fiesta R2), Nico Nienaber/ Pierre Jordaan (Toyota RunX), plus Matthew Vacy-Lyle and Schalk van Heerden (Fragram Tools Toyota Etios).
By sharp contrast, defending S1600 champions Clint Weston and Christoff Snyders (Reef Tankers Citroen C2 R2) had to endure their third nightmare rally in a row.
Power steering problems saw them out of contention on Friday and they were eventually forced out after just one stage on Saturday with both batteries dead.
The next round of the championship is the Volkswagen Rally in the Eastern Cape on July 11 and 12.
