The Team Castrol Toyota Yaris driver, Leeroy Poulter, has ended the first day of the Polokwane Rally with an overnight lead of 30 seconds over his team-mate, Hergen Fekken in a similar car. Poulter has led the rally since the start this morning and never looked as if he would be troubled.
Things were made easier for the Toyota driver when most of the fancied drivers fell out as early as the first stage. Mark Cronje, Ford Fiesta, was an early casualy, while Lategan, Sasolracing Volkswagen Polowith Japie van Niekerk also calling it a day in his NAD Ford Fiesta.
By stage four Toyota occupied the first three positions on the log with Giniel de Villiers in his Imperial Toyoya Yaris in third. But on the next stage he also had to call it a day as result of suspension problems that seemed to be the main cause for retirements today.
Wilro Dippenaar, in a S2000 Challenge Toyota Auris then took up station in third, but a 30 second penalty for lateness allowed first Weijs and then Gugu Zulu, both in Sasol Racing Volkswagen Polo’s to move into third. At the end of ther day Zulu was third followed by Weijs in fourth.
Dippenaar had dropped back to fifth overall, followed by the leading S1600 entry of Guy Botterill in a Toyota Etios R2.
The event will continue tomnorrow with five more stages before the finish in Polokwanen around 14:00.
The rally is the sevent round of the South African Rally Championship.
Top five and end of day one:
Poulter 53:47.6
Fekken +30.0
Zulu +30.3
Weijs +31.1
Dippenaar+1:54.7.