Leeroy Poulter and Elvéne Coetzee could ensure Toyota’s cup runneth over as the 2014 SA Rally Championship pairing enjoy a commanding 32 point advantage on the leaderboard and could clinch the 2016 title on Toyota’s home event.
The Toyota Gazoo Racing SA Yaris S2000 crew has dominated proceedings on the previous 5 rounds, but in SA rallying, crews may only count the six best results from the seven events, and Poulter must drop his worst score, which is 16 points for victory as things stand. This means Toyota Gazoo teammates Giniel de Villiers and Carolyn Swan are in effect only 16 points behind with two rounds remaining.
No entry list has been released and the number of entries are not known.
De Villiers and Swan were forced to retire from the Heidelberg Rally last month with a double puncture and they therefore drop a zero score – their worst result of the year – leaving them in the title chase. 2 years ago, de Villiers won the Toyota Cape Rally, and another victory is a distinct possibility which would ensure the championship goes to the wire at the final round in early November.
The Toyota twins hold the aces: if Poulter wins again, it is game, set and match. If De Villiers wins, the title race goes to round 7. Having said that, both De Villiers and Poulter had massive accidents on this event last year, and neither finished the Cape Rally. Rallying is that unpredictable…
Namibian Wilro Dippenaar and his local co-driver Kesevan Naidoo could be in the pound seats to pick a long-overdue podium given a little luck. The PZN Panelbeaters Ford Fiesta S2000 was forced to retire last time out, leaving the final step on the podium to Theuns Joubert and Mari van der Walt (Salom Group Toyota Auris S2000). Joubert will be looking for another podium as the Super 2000 era winds down.
In the Super 1600 class for 1600cc front-wheel drive cars, the championship was thrown on its head after the inaugural Heidelberg Rally. At least, the positions behind the runaway championship leaders Guy Botterill and Simon Vacy Lyle, who are 5 points away from racing their Yato Tools Toyota Etios R2 to a third consecutive championship. With 4 victories and an unaccustomed second place in Gauteng, after dropped scores, Botterill can cruise through the beautiful Cape stages to bank the points he needs to bag the crown, although that is not their style.
Rocketing into 2nd place in the standings is Richard Leeke and Henry Kohne (P1 Nutrition Ford Fiesta R2) after their maiden victory last time out. With that monkey off their backs, the fast Ford pair is sure to again challenge for victory.
Tied on points with Leeke is AC Potgieter and Tommy Du Toit (Lake Umuzi Volkswagen Polo R2) after a series of strong outings over the last 4 events, which includes two runner-up podium finishes. The Secunda pair will come under severe pressure from the Cape-based Manitou Volkswagen pairing of Paulus Franken and Pierre Arries. The VW crew started the season well, but two poor results on the last two events saw them slump to 4th in the standings, but only 5 points behind Potgieter and Du Toit.
Lurking 4 points further back is Chris Coertse and Greg Godrich, who are getting faster on each outing. Coertse claimed his first ever podium in Heidelberg as he gets to grips and sorts his new Electrothread Toyota Etios R2. Andre Heine/Lloyd Brady (VW Polo R2) claimed two podium results mid-season but a non-finish on the Volkswagen Rally and a non-start on the Heidelberg Rally saw the Port Elizabeth team drop down the overall standings.
A dark horse for victory in the fairest Cape could come from Ashley Haigh Smith and his Irish co-driver Niall Burns. The Ford Fiesta R2 driver is an ace on his home ground, having competed on the roads since he was 15 years old. George Smalberger/Chris Brand (Shield Car Care Volkswagen Polo R2) had their best result of the year last time out and will be looking to build on that performance.
A healthy entry from the Western Cape regional rally championship is expected to come out an play, adding more spectacle and value for fans taking to the road.
ROUTE
Imperial Toyota Cape Gate hosts the rally formalities with documentation and scrutineering from 18h30 to 20h00 on Thursday, 15th September. This is a great chance to see the cars up close, chat to the crews and collect a poster or autograph.
The Toyota Cape Dealer Rally gets underway on Friday, 16th September at 16h00 from McCarthy Toyota Killarney, and heads across the road to Killarney Raceway, which will host 4 stages. The first two stages are 5 lap races run in reverse order at 1 minute intervals, the slowest car first. The first superspecial stage (stage 3) will be run at dusk, with two cars competing against each other and the clock. This will again be run in reverse order, with the slowest cars running first. The final stage, another superspecial, will see the field run in darkness. Entrance to Killarney is R50 per person.
Malmesbury Toyota hosts an early 7am start on Saturday with crews heading towards Cape Town, for the first gravel stages at Bottelnek, about a 20 minute drive for spectators coming from Cape Town. The stage will be run twice, starting at a spectator-friendly quarry area that promises great viewing. The crews will have a service at the start before tackling the stage again.
Thereafter, three gravel stages will run, all in close proximity to Malmesbury. The three stages are all repeated during the day, giving spectators a great chance to camp out at their favourite spot and watch the action. The podium takes place at around 17h00 at the Malmesbury Showgrounds.