The 34th Volkswagen Rally, round 4 of the SA National Rally Championship, sees battle resume between the two title contenders who have dominated the season to date. Twelve stages and 186 racing kilometres through some of the most scenic parts of the Eastern Cape await the expected 30-car entry.
Leeroy Poulter and co-driver Elvéne Coetzee in their factory-entered Toyota Gazoo Racing SA Toyota Yaris S2000 lead the title chase after three back-to-back victories and a perfect score of 48 points to their credit.
This does not tell the whole story, for last time out in Secunda, Poulter and team-mates Giniel de Villiers/Carolyn Swan swapped the lead by the stage in one of the most thrilling rally duels seen in the past couple of seasons. De Villiers and Swan have a trio of runner-up results, leaving the Dakar driver 12 points in arrears.
Looking to the Volkswagen Rally, Poulter has stayed race-sharp by powering to victory in the recent Desert off-road race, so one would expect him to be better prepared than De Villiers, who has been growing grapes in the last seven weeks.
With Wilro Dippenaar missing the VW Rally, the last step of the podium is up for grabs and is likely to be taken by Free State student Ernie van der Walt and Gerhard Snyman in their ex-works Vecto Petroleum Toyota Yaris S2000. Last year, van der Walt rolled at the Scribante racetrack stage on Friday evening, a feat he repeated in stage one of the Sasol Rally in April this year. Given a measured approach, van der Walt is more than capable of a podium place, which would help him to hold onto his 3rd place in the championship standings.
Luke Botha, now teamed with the calm and experienced Barry White, needs to make an impression in his Force Fuel Ford Fiesta S2000. On debut on the Sasol Rally, car preparation failed him but in Secunda, the damage was self inflicted. Botha has shown glimpses of speed, and hopefully White can channel it into a decent result in the Eastern Cape.
Theuns Joubert and Mari van der Walt, driving a class NRC4 older generation Toyota Auris, will be a top contender if reliability goes their way. The Salom Group-supported effort failed to finish last time out, so there is some ground to make up.
In Super 1600, which will become the top class of SA rallying next year, things are far more open. Guy Botterill/Simon Vacy-Lyle (Yato Toyota Etios R2) have cleaned up so far with three straight victories, but the chase is much closer with a raft of challengers lining up to dethrone Botterill/Vacy-Lyle, the defending double champions.
Three different drivers have snatched second place so far this season, the fastest of which is Richard Leeke and Henry Kohne in their P1 Nutrition/ATS Ford Fiesta R2. Their 5th place on the log with 12 points would be more representative and respectable if not for a roll (Sasol Rally) and mechanical problems (Secunda Rally). If they can mount a rally-long, consistent challenge to Botterill, it could propel them up the order and place Botterill under pressure.
Consistency sees Paulus Franken/Pierre Arries (Manitou Volkswagen Polo R2) in second spot thanks to scoring on each of the three rounds held so far. A new engine is expected for the second half of the season, which should see the capable team move up the order on merit.
AC Potgieter/Tommy Du Toit (Lake Umuzi VW Polo R2) claimed the runner-up place on their home event in Secunda last month. Having come this close to a maiden win, a top-drawer performance is expected in the fast stages of the Volkswagen Rally.
Andrew Heine/Lloyd Brady have claimed the final podium place on the last two events. Re-invigorated after failing to finish a full rally at all last year or early this year, Heine has a new lease of life and his Heine Sport VW Polo should fly through the stages. Hailing from Port Elizabeth, Heine will be a force to be reckoned with in front of his home crowd.
Chris Coertse/Robbie Coetzee (Electrothread Toyota Etios R2), now with a well-sorted new car to compete with should put up a solid challenge in through the Eastern Cape stages and claim a top spot on the time sheets.
George Smalberger/Chris Brand (Shield Car Care VW Polo R2) are due a dose of luck and reliability to get their car to the finish, a feat they have managed just once this year.
Ashley Haigh Smith/Niall Burns (React Ford Fiesta R2) should put up a good show. The very fast youngster has been plagued by reliability issues which have seen him slip from the headlines. In an effort to get back up to speed, the pair recently took part in a round of the French Peugeot 208 Cup, but that ended off the road in tricky wet and muddy conditions underfoot.
At least ten Eastern Cape regional rally competitors are expected to compete, including the immaculate Datsun SSS Coupe of Bryan and Keith Heine.
ROUTE
The Volkswagen Rally gets underway with a scrutineering carnival at Tavcor VW on Thursday evening (18h00 – 21h00) where fans can mingle with the teams and collect autographs as the cars are checked for rules and safety compliance.
Starting from the Volkswagen Auto Pavilion in Uitenhage at 13h45, the Volkswagen Rally follows a spectator friendly format, with two stages at Jachtvlakte (SS1 and 3) and Mission Road (SS2). A superspecial stage at the PE Oval and a mixed-surface stage at the new Baywest Mall round out the day’s activities.
Saturday sees the Volkswagen Rally head to its traditional ‘home’ in the Longmore Forest. Starting from Baywest Mall at 06h45, teams head for the famous Culturama stage and “Spekboom Lapa” before tackling three versions of the (in)famous PPC stage in short, medium and long versions.
The penultimate stage is PPC Ultimate, at 43km, the longest of the championship. The final stage is a reverse-direction run over the PE oval superspecial, where the champagne ceremony will take place.