Ballito rally driver Benjamin Habig won his second consecutive National Rally Championship title last weekend with a round to spare.

Habig and navigator Barry White entered the two-round VW Algoa Rally on Friday with a healthy lead in the championship standings, but did not rest on their laurels.

The duo won every stage in Round 6, which took them through long, sweeping sections of the Longmore Forest in the Eastern Cape.

“Our main objective was to maximise our points without taking unnecessary risks, ensuring the car was in perfect condition for Saturday,” said White.

Teams woke up to cold, muddy conditions for Saturday’s Round 7, which saw several stages cancelled. Habig and White managed to win two of the six stages that went ahead, while Jono van Wyk and Nico Swart won the other four to claim Round 7 overall.

“A great round of applause to Rikus Fourie and his team at the Algoa Rally Club,” said Habig.

“They were faced with more challenges than anyone realises. After the devastating floods in May, it took a massive effort to repair roads, bridges and infrastructure in the area. The roads were in superb rallying condition.”

Despite finishing second in the round, Habig and White did enough to secure the championship title.

“We are obviously elated to have clinched the National Rally Championship for the second consecutive year,” said Habig, who now has four more titles to go to match his father Jan, who won six between 1997 and 2007.

Find full results at nrcsa.co.za/results.