With the premier S2000 category driver and co-driver championships already decided pride, and a little more, will be at stake on the Bela-Bela Motor Rally – the final round in this year’s South African National Rally Championship – in the Limpopo town on November 21 and 22.
The Team Castrol Toyota Yaris pair of Leeroy Poulter and Elvéne Coetzee put the championship issues in the four-wheel drive category to rest when they won the Polokwane Motor Rally to shut out the rest of the challengers. While the main championship issues are out of the way, there are some tight title issues further down the pecking order that are loaded with interest, and what is a new event on the rally calendar is certain to provide for some interesting competition.
With the pressure of chasing down a championship a thing of the past, Poulter and Coetzee will be able to let their hair down and go out and enjoy themselves. The pair will be chasing their fifth win of the season, and that alone is enough to make them the team to beat.
Dutch driver Hans Weijs, who will be reunited with regular co-driver in Belgian Bjorn Degandt in the Sasolracing VW Polo, is second in the driver title race and lead Hergen Fekken, in the second Team Castrol Toyota Yaris, by just five points. With Dutch based Degandt missing the last event because of a family illness Carolyn Swan, who sits alongside Fekken, is second in the co-driver stakes with a 13 point lead over reigning champion Robin Houghton who shares the Ford Dealer Team Fiesta with Mark Cronje.
Cronje also has a 13 point deficit to make up on Fekken, and the Ford pair will be desperately keen to end what has been a disappointing season on a high note. Fekken/Swan are winless so far this season but the prospect of a Team Castrol Toyota one/two in both the driver and co-driver championships provides them with plenty of incentive.
Two wins midway through the season rekindled hopes of back to back titles for Cronje/Houghton. That was about as far as it got and the Bela-Bela outing provides the opportunity for the Ford pair to show the sort of domination that took them to last year’s championship.
Dakar Rally legend Giniel de Villiers and Greg Godrich, in the Imperial Toyota Yaris, are the only other team to have won this season. Godrich missed the last event via a dose of malaria, but the pair will want to stay ahead of Sasolracing VW Polo pair Gugu Zulu and Carl Peskin in what will be a cameo worth watching.
De Villiers leads Zulu by a solitary point among the drivers while Peskin, courtesy of Godrich’s illness, moved up a notch in the co-driver championship and now leads the Imperial Toyota man by six points. Also in the mix will be talented youngster Henk Lategan (Sasolracing VW Polo) who trails Zulu by 1.5 points in the driver championship with Namibian Wilro Dippenaar (PZN Panelbeaters Toyota Auris) a further 11 points in arrears.
Gerhard Snyman, who co-drives for Japie van Niekerk in the New Africa Developments Ford Fiesta, trails Godrich by two points and is half a point clear of Barry White who shares the Sasolracing VW entry with young Lategan. White missed the opening event of the season, but the tight points situation lower down the championship standings is bound to produce some interesting rallying.
According to clerk of the course Willie du Plessis the route is tight, and that should also add to the spectacle. With the rally a new one on the national calendar, crews will be venturing into unknown territory and that adds a little spice to the situation.
A specific effort has been made by the organisers to create a compact event that makes it as easy as possible for spectators to watch stages and visit the Dunlop Service Park without having to travel great distances. The total stage distance for the two days is 176 kilometres and the open sections linking the stages add up to just 98 kilometres.
In addition a lunchtime service break of 90 minutes in Bela-Bela on Saturday will allow spectators and fans the opportunity to get close to the cars, the drivers and navigators.
Rally headquarters will be at the Forever Resort and the Dunlop Service Park is situated across the road at the old caravan park. A ceremonial start at the Bela Mall on Friday, November 21 will be followed by four special stages and, after an overnight halt, the final six special stages will start at 09:00 the following day.
The event is expect to finish at about 15:00 on Saturday with the traditional TV podium ceremony and champagne spraying set for 16:00.