The faster pastor

When Ballito resident and CRC church pastor Hanno Ehlers is not standing behind his pulpit, chances are you will find him behind the wheel of his rally car.
Together with fellow church member Kevin Cunningham, who is his navigator and mechanic, Ehlers has been involved in rally racing for the better part of a year.
“I have always been a petrol head and I have always had the dream to do something. The first time I got onto the (rally) stage and put my foot down on the peddle, I knew this was it.”
The pair have a special racing relationship. Cunningham fixes and houses the car at his workshop, Kev’s Auto Clinic, saving on repair costs that would otherwise make the hobby unviable. Ehlers is known favourably by friends and his congregation as, “the faster pastor”, a nickname coined by his racing partner.
“When Hanno asked me if I’d like to get involved on a permanent basis, I did not even have to think about it,” said Cunningham.
“We need each other to make this work, we’re very lucky,” said Ehlers.
There is inevitably damage to the car after every event.
“We do quite a bit of air-time,” said Ehlers, chuckling, referring to ramping the car off the ground.  “Last rally we did a lot of airtime, I thought it was just a little hump.”
The two are part of the Natal Motorcycle and Car Club which is responsible for the KZN Regional Rally Championship.
For more information on the sport go to www.kznrally.co.za.