Rallying comes to Gauteng

Featuring 14 stages covering 160 kilometres of high speed gravel racing the event will mark the second half of the 2013 South African Rally Championship. Thus far the series has been dominated by Ford Fiestas with four victories from four starts.

Reigning champions Mark Cronje/Robin Houghton (Ford Racing Fiesta S2000) have three victories and lead the championship from veterans Jan Habig/Robert Paisley (Basil Read Fiesta S2000) who scored the other win.

Third on the points log is the Castrol Toyota Yaris of Johnny Gemmell/Carolyn Swan, marginally ahead of Giniel de Villiers/Greg Godrich in their Imperial Toyota-backed Yaris. Leeroy Poulter/Elvéne Coetzee complete the Castrol Toyota attack and, given a clear run, any of the three teams could take a win.

The prodigiously talented 20-year-old Henk Lategan and co-driver Barry White will lead the trio of Sasol Volkswagen Polos. They will be backed by former champions Hergen Fekken/Pierre Arries and Enzo Kuun/Douglas Judd in identical Sasol Polo S2000 models with the team desperate to take its first win of the season.

LEADERS: Jean Pierre Damseaux/Hilton Auffray (Team Total Toyota Auris) currently lead the S2000 Challenge series. Pictures: Dave Ledbitter

Super 2000 Challenge

The class for older specification S2000 machinery is a closely fought affair with JP Damseaux/Hilton Auffray (Team Total Toyota Auris) leading the title chase by just three points from defending champions Gugu Zulu/Carl Peskin in their Sasol VW Polo Vivo. Mohammed Moosa/Andre Vermeulen (Team Total Toyota Auris) are third on the log, ahead of the 20-year-old Namibian driver Wilro Dippenaar and co-driver Kesevan Naidoo in the McCarthy Toyota Auris.

Japie van Niekerk/Gerhard Snyman could have set a cat among the pigeons in their 2010 New Africa Developments Ford Fiesta and win the category this weekend.

Nic van der Westhuizen/Stefan Cilliers (SA Earthworks Toyota Auris) claimed their maiden class podium on the Volkswagen Rally last month and, knowing the Cullinan area well, should be a threat. Stefanie Botha/Willem Hugo (Griffin Mining Toyota RunX) and Piet Bakkes/Johan Aucamp (Accident Guru Toyota RunX) round out the S2000C class.

Super 1600

The two-wheel drive class is a hot-bed of emerging talent.

Former circuit racing champion Clint Weston and Christoff Snyders (Reef Tankers Citroen C2R2 Max) enjoy a narrow championship lead over 19-year-old Namibian Thilo Himmell and Armand du Toit (Toyota Etios) plus veteran champion Craig Trott and Janine Lourens (Team Total Toyota RunX).

Fourth and fast gaining a reputation for consistency are Matthew Vacy Lyle/Schalk van Heerden (Fragram Tools Toyota RunX) who are well ahead of the sister Yato Tools RunX of Guy Botterill/Simon Vacy Lyle.

Former circuit racer Chad van Beurden will have Nico Swartz in the left hand seat of his Beurden Construction VW Polo. The youngster has proven very rapid on dirt roads and he could surprise this weekend.

Megan/Oliver Verlaque (VW Polo Vivo) continue to gather points on each round, while Ashley Haigh Smith/Craig Parry (Castrol Toyota Ford Fiesta R2) should be in the fight for the class win given a clean run. Other Fiesta R2 entries include Richard Leeke III/Pierre Jordaan (ATS Motorsport Fiesta) and Ernie van der Walt/James Aldridge (Ferodo Fiesta R2) who made an impressive rally debut in the Eastern Cape last month.

Danie van der Westhuizen/Tommy Coetzee (SA Earthworks Fiesta) continue to enjoy themselves while Cape driver Lourens van Rensburg and Jason Plumbly (7 Films Fiesta) made a competent debut last month and continue to learn the ropes.

An interesting entry is the Volkswagen Polo of AC Potgieter/Tommy du Toit. This car is near standard and the prototype for the recently launched Volkswagen Polo Rally Cup championship launched last month ahead of the 2014 season.

RACERS: Former circuit racing champion Clinton Weston/Christoff Snyders will lead the S1600 two-wheel drive class. Picture: Dave Ledbitter.

Route

The Ford Dealer Rally will get underway at 11am from the Zonderwater Correctional Facility outside Cullinan. The highly compact route is all within 25km of rally headquarters with six stages on day one, including a short 1.4km stage at Mamelodi Plaza to end the day’s action.

Day two starts at 8am from Zonderwater with an eight stage schedule, mostly repeated from day one. The event will finish just after 1pm with fans invited to attend the podium ceremony.

Spectator guides are available on www.rallyworld.net and also at the start.