Japie van Niekerk and Gerhard Snyman, reigning Total Tara Rally champions, will head to Namibia in a fortnight to defend their crown. Their New Africa Developments Ford Fiesta S2000 will be first down the start ramp in Rehoboth on November 27, kicking off the 46th running of what is always a varied and multi-faceted three-day event.
Roughly twice as long as a South African national championship, the 2014 Tara is about 650 kilometres in length, of which around 250km is competitive driving, split into 25 special stages. The event will also end Van Niekerk and Snyman’s 2014 rally campaign, as they will be forced to sit out the final round of the South African championship, the Bela-Bela rally on November 21 and 22, due to business commitments.
“We’re saddened to have to miss the South African finale but we’re very excited to be going back to Namibia to end off our year, and our objective will be to take back to back wins,” said Van Niekerk, whose father is from Namibia, and thus feels a special affinity for the country. “But it is a very long and tough event, and you really need to pace yourself. It also includes night stages, some tarmac racing, and also a totally new section near Rehoboth, 90 kilometres South of Windhoek.”
Adding depth to the NAD attack on Nam is a second Ford Fiesta – to be driven by Enzo Kuun (who won the event in 1998), assisted by experienced co-driver Christoff Snyders. Kuun, a double South African national rally champion, deputised for Van Niekerk on the recent Cape Toyota Dealer Rally recently, driving to a fine second place with Snyman alongside.
“This is the perfect way to end the year: our Namibian hosts are extremely welcoming and if last year’s prizegiving was anything to go by, they also know how to party afterwards,” says Van Niekerk. “Of course, the rallying side of it is serious business, and a high level of concentration is required over an extended period of time, so it will definitely be business as usual when we’re out on the stages.”