My first rally experience: A day I’ll never forget (PICS)

I had always wanted to experience a rally race after seeing clips on social media showing the incredible skill of rally drivers and the punishment their cars’ suspension takes as they fly down dusty roads.

Thanks to Toyota, I finally got the opportunity to attend the Gazoo Racing Legends Rally. This wasn’t just any rally event for me, though, because my colleague, Mark Jones, whom I have looked up to for much of my career, was competing in the event in a GR Yaris.

I’ve been a petrolhead for most of my life, and it’s a passion I share with Mark. Unlike me, however, he has been behind the wheel of numerous race cars and has written many articles about his racing experiences. To finally see him in action was something I had always wanted to experience.

Jones is more accustomed to racing on circuits. From competing in his own yellow BMW E90 race car to taking part in the GR Cup against journalists from other media houses, he has experienced what many petrolheads only dream of.

This year, however, Mark was taken out of his comfort zone when Toyota gave him the chance to compete in the GR Legends Rally alongside far more experienced rally drivers. I was eager to see how everything worked behind the scenes.

Arrival at GR Legends Rally

We made our way to the meeting point at Soetdoring, near Bronkhorstspruit, on the second day of the event. It was a cold Saturday morning, but as soon as I arrived, I headed straight to the service area to see the setup on Mark’s Yaris.

As soon as he pulled into the service bay, I noticed how quickly Mark began communicating with his team about how the car had performed. I immediately realised how important that communication is between the driver and the mechanics. They only had a limited amount of time to identify and fix any issues before he had to head back out for the next stage.

Rally drivers rely on their teams far more than most people realise. Rallying isn’t a one-man show. Besides the mechanics, Jones also had to place complete trust in his navigator, Kez Naidoo. Rally drivers often approach corners they can’t even see, so they have to trust the voice coming through the intercom, even when every instinct tells them otherwise.

The team had just 15 minutes to prepare the car before Mark headed into the next stage. That was our cue to jump into our own vehicles and make our way to the first spectator point to see the GR Yaris in action.

Preparing for the dust

The Toyota team warned us that things were about to get dusty as the cars approached the corner, but I was armed with my camera and determined to get the best shots possible. While everyone else stood well back, I moved as close as safety allowed in search of the most dramatic photographs.

As the first few cars flew past, one thing became very clear: I would only get one chance to capture the perfect shot of Mark. If I missed it, that was it. The cars blasted past in a matter of seconds, and before you knew it, all that remained was a massive cloud of dust.

Although I was supporting Mark, I thoroughly enjoyed watching all the other competitors as well. The field included Volkswagen Polos, all-wheel-drive Subarus, a rear-wheel-drive Nissan, and several Fords, each producing its own unique sound and driving style.

After photographing the first corner, I emerged from the bushes completely covered in dust, with my sneakers full of blackjacks. But that’s all part of the job when you’re determined to get the best pictures.

We then made our way to the next spectator point, which was several kilometres away on another farm. One thing you quickly learn about attending a rally is that it’s nothing like spending a day at a race circuit. You spend a lot of time driving between stages because the competitors don’t complete laps. Once you’ve seen them at one stage, you have to move to the next if you want to see them again.

The next viewing point required another drive along dusty gravel roads before we reached an open section between two farms. This stage was even dustier than the last, making photography even more challenging. Every car that thundered past left a huge cloud of dust hanging in the air across the fast, flowing section of road.

When we returned to the finish area and the competitors started arriving, I waited patiently for Mark and Kez. But there was no sign of the GR Yaris they had been driving, and I knew something must have gone wrong.

A short while later, the car arrived on the back of a trailer. Mark explained that they had suffered a mechanical failure. My heart sank for him. After racing for two days across multiple stages, to have the car fail on the final stage was heartbreaking. To make matters worse, they had been performing exceptionally well, and had the car held together, they might well have finished on the podium.

It wasn’t the ending Mark had hoped for, but it certainly didn’t take anything away from my experience. I only wish I could have seen even more of the racing. Rallying might not appeal to everyone, but if you’re a true motorsport enthusiast, it’s an unforgettable experience. Seeing so many different cars tackling the same roads in completely different ways was something special, and I can’t wait to experience it all over again.

PICTURE GALLERY: GR Legends Rally