Jaco and George Baker (class S3 Toyota Tazz) took the overall honours in the regional championship category at the end of the first day of the Imperial Toyota Cullinan Rally in Gauteng on Friday, beating their nearest rivals by 4 min 8 sec and winning each of the six gravel special stages that made up the event.Run in conjunction with the SA National Rally Championship, the two-day event makes up two separate rounds of the Northern Regions Rally Championship.
Second overnight at rally headquarters at the Zonderwater Correctional Services facility in Cullinan were Natie Booysen and Tommy Coetzee (class S2 Ford Escort), who were also 4 min 8 sec ahead of third-placed George Smalberger and Chris Brand (class S3 VW Polo). Gerrit Klopper and Siegfriedt Schoeman brought their class S4 Renault Clio home in fourth place, 10 13 sec behind the leaders.
Fifth were Pieter Pilusa and James Thomson (class S1 Nissan Sentra), 14 min 51 sec in arrears and 16 min 34 sec ahead of sixth-placed Riaan Roets and Fanie Stander (class S3 Toyota Corolla).
A total of 10 privateer regional championship crews took advantage of the opportunity to compete with the top rallyists in the country at national championship level. Four were unable to complete yesterday’s route. They included Gerald Klopper and Sarel Coetzer (class S2 VW Golf), who completed two of the six stages, Kat du Plessis and JP von Wielligh (class S6 Chev Ranger) and Eddie Simpson and Jeremy du Plessis (class S1 Opel Corsa), who both retired after the first special stage, and Terry Illman and Kevin Clark in a 1970s Mk1 Ford Escort, who encountered problems in the opening stage.
Today’s action features the same six special stages as yesterday, with overnight leaders Baker and Baker starting special stage seven in Zonderwater at 09h00. They will be followed by the remainder of the regional championship field at two-minute intervals. The rally is expected to be finished back at Zonderwater soon after 13h00.