Just when it seemed as if it will be a repeat of the same old story that we have seen so many times in the past, disaster struck the Team Castrol Toyota Yaris of Leeroy Poulter/Elvene Coetzee. The bonnet of their car flew open and broke the front windscreen on stage 3 costing them one minute of lost time.
They were, as usual, running second to Mark Cronje/Robin Houghton in the Ford Performance Ford Fiesta at the time, but after the bonnet incident dropped down to 8th overall 1:03.0 behind Cronje.. But is was not all sad news for Toyota as Giniel de Villiers/Carolyn Swan in the second Team Castrol Toyota Yaris slotted into second place traling Cronje by 19.8 seconds.
In third overall was Henk Lategan/Barry White in the Sasolracing Volkswagen Polo 25.4 off the lead with Japie van Niekerk/Gerhard Snyman in Japie’s spare NAD Ford Fiesta breathing down his neck on 25:7.
Making his much applauded return to the rally scene, Hergen Fekken/Pierre Arries was fifth in a Sasolracing Volkswagen Polo, 33.3 seconds behind the leader.
Thilo Himmel/Armand du Toit in a Sasolracing Volkswagen was 6th +34./7, followed in 8th by Poulter and in ninth position by Wilro Dippenaar/Kes Naidoo +1:49.9.
Dippenaar started first on the road this morning in his NR4 Toyota Auris.
Guy Botterill/Simon Vacy Lyle in a Toyota Etios R2 was leading the S1600 class. Second was Chad van Beurden/Nico Swartz in a Ford Fiesta R2.
The competitors will complete six stages today.