The Toyota Dealer Rally in Cape Town did not start all that well for one of the favourrites to win the SA National Rally Drivers title. Leeroy Poulter and Elvene Coetzee in a Team Castrol Toyota Yaris lost more than two minutes on the second stage of the day near Killarney when they apparently hit a wall in the pit complex and damaged the suspension of the car.
The rally, the penultimate round of the SA National; Championship, started in Killarney in Cape Town this morning. Altogether 18 cars are entered for the national event out of a field of 38 competitors.
Mark Cronje and Gerhard Snyman in the Ford Performance Ford Fiesta, who started the event level pegging with Poulter on the championbship log with 72 points each, won both the first two stages. In spite of the problem that Poulter has encou7ntered Cronje will have to win the event if he wants to win the championship.
Cronje was leading the rally after two stages with a total time of 13:26,0. Henk Lategan in a Sasolracing Volkswagen Polo has moved into second overall 11.1 s behind Cronje with Giniel de Villiers third +15.6s
Fourth is Hergen Fekken in another Sasolracing Volkswagen Polo, 24.3 s off the lead, followeed by Ernie van der Walt in the Vecto Toyota Yaris +32.5s behind.
Sixth is Gugu Zulu also in a Volksw3agen Polo +32.5, 6th Enzo Kuun in the NAD Ford Fiesta +44.9, Theuns Joubert +1:11.2.
Guy Botterill in a Class S1600 Yaco Toyota Etios R2 is first in the class +1:27.6 behind Cronje.
The cars hgave to do two more tar stages at Cape Gate tonight and the rest of the rally will be held in the Malmesbury area tomorrow morning.