Yesterday a gatepos tput an end to the rally of Japie van Niekerk when the NAD Ford Fiesta lost a wheel after an encounter with the gatepost on the Secunda Rally, round three of the SA National Rally Championship. This afternoon a gatepost put an end to the rally of the Sasolracing Volkswagen of Henk Lategan after a run-in with a gatepost on stage 9.
The much awaited return to the national rally scene by the popular Hergen Fekken also in a Sasolracing Volkswagen, was abruptly ended when he lost a wheel. It was a disappointing ending to Fekken’s event of which so much was expected.
In the meantime, and in spite of all the drama happening around him, Mark Cronje in the Ford Performance Ford Fiesta, retained the lead of the rally that he took from the start yesterday. His total stage time for the first nine stages, with three to go, was 1:46:14.7. That left him ahead of Giniel de Villiers in a Team Castrol Toyota Yaris by 27.7 seconds.
In spite of the fact that Leeroy Poulter in the second Toyota suffered a variety problems yesterday and started in 7th place this morning, we will once again see what has now become par for the course on national rallies, a Ford winning with a Toyota second.
Gugu Zulu also in a Sasolracing Volkswagen, may score his second podium, as he is currently third 2:00.1 off the pace.
Poulter was in a fighting mood and thanks to winning a number of stages and the demise of Lategan and Fekken, he has worked his way up the leader board, but was still trailing Cronje by 2:44.3 in fourth position overall.
Fifth was Theuns Joubert in a NR4 Toyota Auris +7:14.2, followed by Thilo Himmell in a Sasolracing Volkswagen Polo.
Guy Botterill in a Toyota Etios R2 was leading the S1600 class, followed by Richard Leeke in a Ford Fiesta R2 58.6 further back.
The event, held for the first time in the Secunda area, finishes there this afternoon.