Ballito’s Benjamin Habig overcame gearbox trouble to finish second at the Ingco Ermelo Rally and extend his overall championship lead.

Alongside navigator Barry White, Habig opened the two-day event in Mpumalanga with blistering early pace last Friday. The duo won the first three stages, as well as stages six and seven, to hold a comfortable overnight lead.

During the first stage of day two on Saturday, however, Habig and White found themselves stuck in third gear with a full day of racing still ahead. A 30-minute service on their Volkswagen Polo NRC1 was not enough to fix the issue.

“It was a matter of ‘it is what it is’, and we decided to rally the remaining 70-odd kilometres in third. Either it was going to pay off, or we would have to retire,” said Habig.

“Our biggest fear was that the clutch was going to give up on us, but it held its own until the very last stage. We managed to still post the second or third fastest times on the stages, which kept us in the points.”

Second-placed Paul van Niekerk took over the lead before power-steering trouble struck, opening the door for Jono van Wyk, who won the final six stages to claim the overall rally victory. Habig and White finished second to extend their lead in the South African National Rally Championship standings, having won the first four events.

“Rallying is all about fighting the fight on the stages and then celebrating together at the end,” said Habig.

“It was a great weekend. The organisers and sponsors put on an incredible event. We will see you at the Algoa Rally on September 24 and 25, which is one of my favourite events.”

Find the full standings at nrcsa.co.za.