Before I start to write this preview or rather pre-no-view of the 2016 Goldfields Rally, my only two readers have to understand one thing; I am absolutely in the dark as far as what is going on, on the rally scene.
But that I can assure you will make no difference to my writing about the sport as according to at least one of my many more “secret” readers I have never known anything about rallying and says he or it may have been a she – (the remark was written under a non-de-plume which of course I think in something written by someone who has no idea of fruit or something to that effect) the Rallystar “Crew’s” rally knowledge is a little inferior.
So whatever I say here today and you may read secretly tomorrow or so – is absolute rubbish – much like my perfect predictions made this time last year.
So pay attention – “pappa gaan nou praat!” which mean “who’s your daddy now?”
We will skip the fact – well almost skip it – that Ford is no more in official capacity and Volkswagen is hardly more – but if I recall what I read somewhere, correctly, they will support a number of private teams. The reigning champion, Mark Cronje, who won the championship for Ford last year – will this year be leading the unofficial Volkswagen attack! An attack that may be more successful than the efforts of a three car “works team” last year and that achieved for a couple of years before that.
Toyota – with cars painted impressively pretty, will be the only official “manufacturer entry” for 2016.
Goodness knows – now I have to be careful what I say as I have already not been invited to anything organized by Toyota for quite some time. I have not receive a press release and as true as I sit here, I also lost at least two FaceBook friends in the process and now have only about 2 and half thousand and five hundred and sixty, as out President would say in his delayed manner, friends left to talk to on FaceBook and about 6 times that number on readers when I find time to write nonsense on the Rallystar website.
So I am very careful not to step on a toe, drive over a foot, or say anything negative about anyone or anything anymore.
I now have seen the error of my ways – I am a new man – albeit still the greatest, as my friend Mohammad Ali once said.
Where the hell was I?
Oh yes and to cut a long story short – I have no doubt that 2016 will belong to Toyota and that Leeroy will win the championship, BUT….
If Mark Cronje manages to pull off the surprise, that will not surprise me too much – and he beats the pants off the Toyotas we will have an interesting problem!
He will then have proven, what I said once before – that there was a snake in the Volkswagen grass – or someone somewhere who truly did not really have all the German ducks in a row.
Oh yes – I have to clear this up once and for all, I never ever said that the guys who worked on the cars did not know what they were doing – although rumour had it that, that was what I wrote. All I said that it was sad that Volkswagen got the excuse to withdraw based on their own inability to realise that motorsport management had it slightly wrong.
Cronje has experience in sourcing the best product, but he may – MAY be expected to use what Volkswagen kind-heartedly supply – instead of getting the parts that really work for these cars?
If Mark gets the right stuff I have no doubt that we will have a serious race on our hands and that this championship will run right to the last event of the year. Matter of fact – in many cases in Europe the Skoda is running rings around all-comers – and that should say it all.
So – with the right equipment – Cronje will not be a walkover.
An important factor in my eyes is the fact that both de Villiers and Poulter are fresh from another great – no let me rather rephrase – so that I may get an invite to at least one of Toyota’s launches next year – they are back from another fantastic (and I am serious) performance on the 2016 Dakar.
This experience gives both Giniel and Leeroy that one step up above the rest who did not go through another incredible Dakar-experience. This event has to count for two seasons in a rally car. I will never believe that you can possibly come out of the Dakar a worse driver than you have been, going in.
Giniel has towards the end of last year proven that he can be a serious “sprint rally driver” and he started posting times that I felt he should have happened long ago. He is getting the hang of this thing called – “trust the navigator” and drive the “calls” instead of what you see.
The two-run-recce before rallies also plays a bigger role in Giniel’s life than in most of the other driver’s, as he is one of those drivers who actually can memorise and read the road better than any one around.
So even while I don’t think Giniel will be the quickest Toyota driver around – he will be a serious contender, always there to pick up the benefits of any mistake made by Poulter and then also Cronje. He is simply the most calculated driver I have ever seen- maybe with the exception of Johnny Gemmell.
The Toyotas will be the quickest cars around – I have little doubt about that – and that will be an added factor for Cronje to worry about.
Look – make no mistake – Cronje won three SA Rally championships without real “team” support and he is used to handle the pressure that both Toyota and Volkswagen threw at him on his own, in the past. He does not collapse under pressure and will not this year either – but he will have to drive the Polo a little closer to its limits than he needed to do with the Ford.
The Ford with respect to all involved is just that little bit better than any other S2000 around.
My money this year is on Poulter – I believe that he is pound for pound the best driver in the country and that you will only get the championship trophy in your cupboard if you beat him!
I have watched him drive the car over a number of years and I believe that he will be able to keep up with the best in the world. Maybe not in the same class as Ogier and even on a good day close to Latvala and Meeke – but he will do better than a few WRC names hanging around in places where they do not belong!
Why Toyota Kaboom or whatever that new name is do not consider giving him a chance in the newly formed WRC team – could be the same reason suffered by Giniel when he drove in the same team as Carlos Sainz – Giniel had to play second fiddle – even while he proved to be the better driver – because the King sold 400 000 cars against the 30 000 of so of Giniel. A South African Super hero does not even get close to comparing with an old Spanish hero, and that was that.
So this may be the problem and then there are some further rumours involving the SA development and that of the WRC cars…. But that is rumour and you know I do not worry too much about that – if I did I would have written this article from an institution.
Let us look further down the list.
Wilro Dippenaar and Kes Naidoo will campaign a Ford in S2000 as well – this is the ex-Habig championship winning car and Dippenaar should do well if the team manages the preparation of the car professionaly.
Dippenaar has proven in the past that he can be very quick at times – but unfortunately the spurts do not last long enough.
Japie van Niekerk will compete selectively as his business commitments allow – so he will not be a constant factor to worry about. He could, however put a serious spoke in the wheel especially if the championship is a close call towards the end.
There will only be five S2000 cars competing in the Goldfields Rally while there will be three NRC4 cars.
The drivers competing in the NRC4 class are last year’s winner, Theuns Joubert with my favourite navigator Mari van der Walt next to him in the Toyota Auris, while Jose de Gouveia and Armand du Toit will challenge them in a Toyota RunX and Rocky Reynecke and Christo Ackerman will do their level best to keep up in a beautifully prepared Mitsubishi Evo 8.
Ernie van der Walt with navigator Greg Godrich still has a steep hill to climb before he will be able to talk with the frontrunners, but then again – there is absolutely nothing wrong with van der Walt’s development so far and he has kept it together most of the time. Another season and he may just be knocking on some of the reserved doors.
The biggest entry has been received in the S1600 class – there are 8 entries of which 2 are Ford Fiestas, 4 Polos and 2 Toyota Etios’
Paul Franken (Polo) this year obtained the services of one of the top navigators in SA – Pierre Arries and that could become a factor in the S1600 championship. Franken has the potential to do very well, he proved that he developed into a responsible driver and he can easily be the surprise for 2016.
Ashley Haigh-Smith and Niall Burns (Ford) will pray for a reliable and quick car – Ash has all the talent but honestly not the luck he needed along the line, as well.
A very interesting entry is that of Marko Himmel and Nico Swartz in the Ford Fiesta R2 – Marko is quicker than what many people will hand him and this Ford entry may just be the extra “Vooma” we need in this already exciting class.
I hear a bit of a rumour about Thilo, Marko’s brother and if I am correct someone else mentioned here have some bigger rally plans. But lets wait and see or rather wait for them to announce the plans…
Richard Leeke and Henry Kohne has the right car and Leeke developed into a formidable opponent over the past few years – he cannot be ignored any more in any company.
AC Potgieter has also developed steadily and it seems if he is a responsible young man – which is one of the first things you need to develop a reasonable (in South Africa) career.
You need to stay on the road to stay in count – short and sweet. Tommy du Toit next to him can also play an important role this year and if they get the notes right and the cars does its part – here you may also get a potential winner.
I am not too sure where George Smalberger and Louis Venter will fit into this picture – so we will have to wait and see.
What I am sure of however is that the team to beat will once again be that of Guy Botterill and Simon Vacy-Lyle. They have simply been a step ahead of the rest in the S1600 class and it is a great pity that we cannot yet see Botterill in action in the S2000 class
While saying that – I have an idea that this rally will be a high-speed affair with some typical point and squirt stages – except of course the Phakisa track. I tried to look on the “notes” posted of Facebook and although I could not really make out what the route would be like – the straights were obvious.
The reason I say this is that we may not get a true reflection on this rally of things to come or what to expect later on in the championship.
I think a well-prepared car with a good top speed in the hands of even an average rally driver may just pull off a surprise. Not win – but do better than what would have been the case on a rally like the Sasol and the Volkswagen, although there is nothing wrong with the speeds achieved on the latter.
SUPER RALLY –
Maybe I am too stupid to understand – but the circular that went out still makes no sense to me as it does not stipulate what happens to cars that fall out on the second day!
The rules – and please note that I may be wrong, stipulates that if you want to participate in the Super Rally – then your car has to be scrutineered before you can carry on?
That rule was always like that – so explain to me how anyone can be classified as a finisher when a car cannot be scrutineered in time on day two and even worse while it is lying in a ditch while the owner is back at the hotel watching Villa Rosa on TV, or must the rule be interpreted that only a car that falls out BEFORE the Stewart’s meeting on Day One can qualify to participate on the next day?
If that is the case I am happy – if not they the results will remain a farce.
ENTRIES
What worries me more than anything else is that with the opening rally not having 20 entries – what will the case be if the championship is over and done with – something that may happen easily this year – after the Fourth or let’s say Fifth rally?
How many entries will the championship have on the last rally? What sort of figures do you give a potential sponsor?
What sort of figures do you give a potential sponsor?
Why did the commission not let the last rally count double points or make it a compulsory round to qualify for the championship? They bring in Super Rally rules to try and keep a respectable number of competitors in the
They bring in Super Rally rules to try and keep a respectable number of competitors in the event, or rather in the final scoring, but fail to ensure that the last event will be worthwhile for a sponsor to put up a substantial amount of money.
PUBLICITY
This is an issue I would like to put to bed once and for all.
Too may competitors in rallying, a sport that does not even make a percentage of what goes on in any other major sport disciplines in this country – seem to worry about so-called “bad publicity” or “negative publicity”. They carry on like old women about anything they think may “harm the sport”.
Some competitors seem to be so scared of the truth, they lose sight of the real issue.
Every successful sport’s sponsorship depends on its own popularity.
The number of viewers, spectators, readers, listeners and the amount of publicity it received, believe it or not, determines its value.
If I were to say – “this is the worst sport in the world” – half of the mall number of competitors will faint and then start a mudslinging match against me and Rallystar for saying such a thing even if it was close to the truth. They will attack a website that carried the sport to more people than most other forms of the media put together. More readers until we made it a paid subscription – than many other glossy magazines that receive
They will attack a website that carried their sport to more people than most other forms of the media put together.
We had more readers, until we made it a paid subscription to try and cover my personal costs – than many other glossy magazines that receive royal treatment from the manufacturers.
It is strange that so much credit is given to criticism by us and so little is received for a job well done by especially Andries van der Walt – who has brought you the best quality motorsport news possible and also for a number of years made people very aware of your sport.
I have written more than 7000 articles over a period of 14 years – Andries van der Walt has more sponsor, sport management and organising experience in his pinkie than most of the know-it-all’s who are still wet behind the ears in the sport – and he is criticised for in principle saying that he was disappointed with the entry numbers. Yes, he added the uncalled for “junk status” – but goodness knows no one died!
We still reached in excess of 10 000 people with that article which is a hell of a lot more than what you can say combined – 10 000 plus people who now know about the rally.
Bad publicity my ass – my claim to fame is that I am “controversial” – “Oh Lord, did you hear what Leon now did or said?” has been the opener for so many conversations I wish I had a Rand for each – even at junk status! Still – controversial or not – people know about me in more countries than SA.
What is this holier than thou sport and people who cannot be criticised – if criticism killed anything rugby, cricket, soccer, cycling and for that matter Formula One would have been history long, long ago!
Why are they still hanging in there and why are millions of people still attending the games?
There is bribery, match-fixing, blatant stealing, drugs abuse and even blood transfusions done – Lance Armstrong the super hero for many years then they caught him out and suddenly he turned into a crook!
Wow and the following year only the organiser and his forking assistant entered the Tour de France and their family drove from point to point to enjoy the race?
No sir they had an even better entry and more spectators lining the road to see who explodes from too much of whatever the fashion drug was for that year!
I have entered the world of sponsorship more intensely than ever over the past year – I have looked at every possible angle and managed to work out a system that will generate sponsorships or at least make it easier to obtain.
In the course of the research and studying of almost every possible angle – one thing stood out – if you do not offer the sponsor’s “customer” value for money – real excitement and if you cannot build the sponsor’s brand, enhance retail business and a few more things – do not expect to get anything from anyone.
Stop being touchy about everything – spend that energy on thinking how to enhance the sport – how to build up spectator numbers – unlike the previous master blasters did when they took the rally away from Rallystar – the only rally venue with increasing spectator numbers every year!
Brilliant strategy!
We ( forgive me for including me in the equation) will have to find ways and means to draw people to the events, big time – and we will have to get websites like – yes Rallystar – to report on everything we do!
Instead of being clever on FaceBook and tell us how much you have done for the sport – rather tell us about your team – say who the hell you are going to beat – become a rally personality instead of an old maid!
Just as ana example: Last year I dared say that a certain youngster had enough potential to beat the best – and goodness knows instead of looking at the interest the articles generated, the close family of the person I “predicted” would be beaten – still do not greet me, even unfriended me on FB – something that honestly does not keep me from sleeping at least two hours per night, but reflects what the problem is with our sport.
You, the new champions, don’t want to hear about the “good old days” – but let me tell you one thing for free, I got more publicity in my personal capacity before and after events in newspapers than what your whole event gets these days. I simply don’t keep on posting that shit on my FB page like so many other “idols” who refuse to accept that they had their innings.
Years back in 1973 Sarel van der Merwe actually wanted to know one day how much I paid reporters to write about me? I told him …….
Come on guys get a life – there are 4 500 000 (yes million) soccer players in this country – 900 functional soccer clubs, while rugby trails a bit on 651 146 registered players from 1526 clubs.
There are about 60 rally drivers and 59 navigators in the same place…. and believe me the politics in this little circle equals if not beat many much greater events.
The only thing you can do to get the money from the sponsors is to be better – much better than the rival Sponsorship Seekers – and therefore instead of spending money on grand things – make sure that you let the people know that you, the potential or real champion – world champion for that matter – is going to rally and even more important don’t rally where no one can see you!
Just as a going away present for the time being – explain this to me. At Rallystar between 8 and 10 000 spectators came to see what you guys did over two days during a national championship event – then one or two of the important people did not like the rumours, the dust or the jumps or the first stage – and what happens – the sport pulls its roots and go to play in Bobbejaanspoortvlei where the marshals equal the number of spectators!
Instead of wondering “how people can pay to read the rabble” or whatever on Rallystar – contribute a few Rand to help me cover the costs of running the website – pay for a few friends to read about YOU if you send us some news – even let them read that Andries or I said you cannot drive!
Prove us wrong and tell the world how stupid we are!
Stop this nonsense thinking you are too important to be criticised – stop the dream thinking that you deserve a place in the sun – GO OUT THERE AND PROVE THAT YOU ACTUALLY DO DESERVE EVERY CENT PUT INTO THIS SPORT.
Drive like you have never driven before – become a hero – it is nice and yes I can tell you a lot about that too!
The future of the sport is in your hands – it does not depend on any one of us. We can simply report on what we see – or do you prefer for sponsors and fans to find out for themselves that we are not as great as some
We can simply report on what we see – or do you prefer for sponsors and fans to find out for themselves that we are not as great as some believe we are.
We need to get the sport out in the open – fix the problems by using the available experience and for Pete’s sake when you see that someone knows the sport and are able to warn against things that will go wrong – use that person rather than accuse him or her of the deadly sin of daring to tell the truth about the sport.
Our power lies in one thing and one thing only – ENTERTAINMENT of the highest possible quality – Ken Block got that right and a few others followed suit. That is where we would like to be. Have we a Ken Block in South Africa? Do yourself a favour and go out there – ask people who the current Rally Champion is and listen to what they say!
Have we a Ken Block in South Africa? Do yourself a favour and go out there – ask people who the current Rally Champion is and listen to what they say!
They would have known if we gave everyone a reason to read all about it!
American WWE wrestling or whatever it is called is a total farce in the eyes of many, but it is a multi Billion Rand spectacle and very, very successful! Why? Becasue they have mastered the art of entertainment , rather than worry about what people say!
Good luck to all of you for this weekend – I truly hope the people of Welkom will grab the opportunity to establish this as an annual event by rolling up in their numbers – to watch the best motorsport action by some of the very best drivers we can offer.
Leon Botha