The two front running Team Castrol Toyota Yaris cars of Leeroy Poulter and Hergen Fekken are still leading the Imperial Toyota Rally around Cullinan. After the first five stages Poulter was leading Fekken by 14.6 seconds. Fekken won stage three, but on the very next stage Poulter returned the compliment.
On stage five Fekken lost a bit of time to Poulter when he finished the stage in only 4th place. Poulter scored his third stage win on stage 5. Hans Weijs in the Sasolracing Volkswagen Polo finished stage five in second position and is currently third overall and starting to put pressure on Fekken. He is trailing Fekken by six seconds.
Japie van Niekerk in die NAD Ford Fiesta has also made a move up the leader board and is in 4th overall 25.1 seconds behind Poulter, while Henk Lategan in die Sasolracin Volkswagen Polo is maintaining his 5th position, but he is trailing the leading car by 46.8 seconds.
Mark Cronje in the Ford Dealer Ford Fiesta has moved up three places from 9th to 6th overall, but he is still a hefty 1:29.8 seconds off the pace and seems to be battling to get the difference to the leader down at a fast enough pace. With one stage to go today and six more tomorrow he has 81 stage kilometres left to get to the top of the leader board.
Tomorrow’s stages will be the same as those that were run today.
Wilro Dippenaar in the S2000 Challenge Toyota Auris is lying 7th overall +1:43.8,
Gugu Zulu in a Sasolracing Volkswagen Polo is in 8th overall +2:18.7 after it was reported from the fiel;d that he had struggled with a sideshaft in stage 2. Thilo Himmel in a Sasolracing Volkswagen Polo is occupying 9th overall +2:49.0.
Although much was expected from Giniel de Villiers in the Imperial Toyota Yaris, he seems to be struggling and finds himself 10th +2:55.2.
Class S1600 is still being led by Chad van Beurden in a Volkswagen Polo. He and Guy Botterill in a Toyota Etios R2 are involved in a battle for first in the class, but van Beurden has a lead of 14.3 seconds over Botterill.
The final stage of the day has just started before the cars overnight at the Zonderwater Correctional Facility. The first stage of day two starts tomorrow morning at 09:00.