The Imperial Toyota Cullinan Rally will stir up the dust on the seasonally dry farm roads around Cullinan and in the Bronkhorstspruit areas today and tomorrow as the cream of South Africa’s rally crews do battle in round five of the SA Rally Championship.
Toyota Imperial Yaris
First car away from the ceremonial podium at the Zonderwater Correctional Services facility at 11h00 this morning will be the Volkswagen Sasolracing Polo of Henk Lategan and Barry White. They will be followed at two-minute intervals by the rest of the eight seeded drivers, all in four-wheel drive S2000 machines, and then by the remainder of the combined S2000 and S1600 (two-wheel drive cars) entry.
Japie van Niekerk and Gerhard Snyman (New Africa Developments Ford Fiesta) will be second crew away, ahead of defending champions Mark Cronje and Robin Houghton (Ford Dealer Team Fiesta), current championship leaders Leeroy Pouter and Elvéne Coetzee (Castrol Team Toyota Yaris), the Dutch/Belgian duo of Hans Weijs Jnr and Bjorn Degandt (Volkswagen Sasolracing Polo), Giniel de Villiers and Greg Godrich (Imperial Toyota Yaris), Gugu Zulu and Carl Perkin (VW Sasolracing Polo), and Hergen Fekken and Carolyn Swan in the second Castrol Team Toyota Yaris.
Heading the S1600 entry off the start ramp will be Chad van Beurden and Nico Swartz (Beurden Construction VW Polo R2), who will be followed by Ashley High-Smith and Damian van Ass (Castrol Ford Fiesta R2), Richard Leeke Jnr and Rikus Fourie (ATS Ford Fiesta R2), Namibian Marko Himmel and Francois Schoonbee (VW Polo R2), Paulus Franken/Henry Kohne (VW Polo R2) and Ernie van der Walt and James Aldridge (Frodo VW Polo R2).
The organisers, the Rally Commission of Motorsport South Africa, with the assistance of experienced officials from the South African Motor Club (SAM) under the direction of Clerk of the Course Willie du Plessis, have created a compact and challenging event that is very spectator friendly with special stages that are easily accessible and not far from rally headquarters based at the Zonderwater Correctional Services facility..
Spectator guides, giving full details of entries and both Friday’s and Saturday’s special stages with distances and maps, are available from rally HQ at the start. Saturday’s action, which is a repeat of Friday’s six special stages, starts from Zonderwater at 08h30 and ends back there at around 13h00. The traditional televised podium and champagne spraying will follow.