Namibian pair the first crew in the SA National Rally Championship to sample the special stages in the inaugural Secunda Motor Rally
The Namibians Wilro Dippenaar and Kes Naidoo will lead the way when the inaugural Secunda Motor Rally, the third round in the 2015 SA National Rally Championship, commences from the Graceland Casino in Secunda today at 13:00.
The rally, consisting of 12 special stages over an approximate distance of 185km, has a very compact format with the furthest stage only 17km from the service park at the popular Lake Umuzi waterfront complex in the Mpumalanga town.
In line with the pre-determined starting positions that now rotates from event to event, the pair in their North City Panelbeaters Toyota Auris will be the first of 25 national and six regional entrants to sample the first six special stages of the event over 79.42km in Cosmos Country.
Dippenaar and Naidoo will be sweeping the road for the Volkswagen Sasolracing pair Henk Lategan and Barry White (VW Polo), the reigning SA rally champions Leeroy Poulter/Elvene Coetzee (Castrol Team Toyota Yaris) and the current championship leaders, Mark Cronje and Robin Houghton, in their Ford Performance Fiesta.
The expected battle between Poulter and Cronje will be a highlight of the rally, with the Toyota driver seeking a comeback win in Secunda after Cronje was victorious in the two opening rounds of the season in Natal and the Lowveld.
Fifth off the start podium will be Japie van Niekerk (NAD Ford Fiesta) who was declared fit to compete after being injured in an unfortunate accident in the Sasol Rally last month. Van Niekerk will be competing in his spare Fiesta since his preferred rally car was extensively damaged in the accident.
However, due to the late decision to compete his regular navigator, Irishman Gordon Noble, was not available. This means Gerhard Snyman, his long-time friend and erstwhile navigator, will now read him the stage notes in a welcome once-off return to top-line rallying.
The NAD Ford pair will be followed off the start line by a reshuffled Volkswagen Sasolracing crew line-up, consisting of Gugu Zulu and Hilton Auffray, and Hergen Fekken/Pierre Arries. The changes follow the return of Fekken, a former SA rally champion, to the Volkswagen fold to replace the Dutch driver Hans Weijs.
Fekken’s return sees Pierre Arries, the man who navigated him to SA National Championship titles in 2008 and 2009, vacate his seat next to Zulu to rejoin his former team mate, replacing Belgian Bjorn Degandt. Arries’ position will now be filled by Hilton Auffray, who has also been part of the Volkswagen team in the past, navigating for Megan Verlaque in a Polo S1600.
In the S1600 class Richard Leeke Jnr and Rikus Fourie (ATS Ford Fiesta R2) will lead Marko Himmel and Francois Schoonbee (Volkswagen Polo R2), current log leaders Paulus Franken and Henry Kohne (Manitou Group VW Polo R2) and class winners in the Sasol Rally, Chad van Beurden/ Nico Swartz (Beurden Transport VW Polo) off the start line.
They will be followed by Andrew Heine/Robbie Coetzee (VW Polo R2), Ashley Haigh-Smith/Damian van Ass (Castrol Ford Fiesta R2) and the two Toyota entries of Matthew Vacy-Lyle/Schalk Van Heerden (Fragram Etios) and Guy Botterill/Simon Vacy-Lyle Toyota (Yato Tools Etios).
After five stages on the outskirts of Secunda the final test this afternoon will be a short, but spectacular 3.7 km stage next to the lake at the Lake Umuzi complex. This stage will provide spectators with a perfect opportunity to see the cars and service crews in action. The rally will restart from the same venue tomorrow morning at 9h00.