Just to show that he still has some fight in him, Mark Cronje in the Ford Dealer Ford Fiesta won the last stage of the day on the Imperial Cullinan Rally. “SS6 is done, and we recorded the fastest time. We’re now 6th overall after 77km of action. We eat, sleep, repeat it tomorrow.” But in spite of winning the stage, he only managed to reduce his difference to the leader by some six seconds.
He still has 1:23.9 left to make up on tomorrow’s six stages with the same 77.75 stage kilometres as today. It is going to be an interesting day tomorrow.
Poulter finished the stage in his Team Castrol Toyota Yaris in 3rd on the road, but still leads the rally by 15.0 seconds from his Toyota teammate, Hergen Fekken, who is being pushed by a resurgent Hans Weijs in his Sasolracing Volkswagen Polo. Weijs is third +20.4 seconds.
Japie van Niekerk in the NAD Ford Fiesta had a good day today and finished the day’s proceedings 25.5 seconds off the pace. The young Henk Lategan in a Sasolacing Volkswagen Polo ended the day in 5th, a position he had held all day. He is 51.1seconds behind Poulter. Cronje comes in in 6th overall after dropping down to 9th after the first stage due to a broken gearbox that had to be replaced 1:23.9 off the pace. He incurred a penalty of 1:10.0 as a result of the gearbox change.
Namibian Wilro Dippenaar competing in the S2000 Challenge class in a Toyota Auris is up next i 7th overall +2:03.3, followed by Gugu Zulu also in a Sasolracing Volkswagen Polo 2:31.4 behind Poulter. Zulu apparently had a sideshaft problem early in the day that gave him some problems.
Another Namibian, Theo Himmel in a Sasolracing Volkswagen Polo is 9th +3:36.9 followed by Giniel de Villiers in an Imperial Toyota +4:01.3. It has been a disappointing day for a very unhappy looking de Villiers who also had drive problems earlier on the rally.
In Class S1600 the fight between Chad van Beurden in a Volkswagen Polo and Guy Botterill, in a Toyota Etios R2, continues unabated, but van Beurden is clinging to his lead which is now 11.1.
The first of the last six stages tomorrow starts at 09:00 and is expected to be as dusty as today.
It can be expected that Poulter will do everything in his power not to give up his lead to Fekken as another win will increase his NRC points . On the other hand one wonders whether team orders will come into play so that Toyota can have a 1-2 on the event and Poulter be allowed to win to keep his position at the top of the points ladder.
The wild card in the event is the young Belgian, Hans Weijs, in a Sasol;racing Volkswagen Polo, who is lying third and making his presence felt.
It is going to be an interesting day tomorrow and we will only know what happened as the sond says “as time goes by”.