Toyota Cape Dealer Rally brings national championship special stage rallying to Western Cape for first time in 2014. Round six of the South African National Rally Championship takes place in the Western Cape on September 1.
The event has been given a fresh look. A short first day covering some 45 kilometres of special stage rallying consists of one gravel stage, two tarmac stages and two night tarmac town stages over a one-kilometre course. Day two’s seven special stages cover 127 kilometres.
The weather could play an important role in the outcome of the event – last year the battle for overall honours was fought in cold and windy conditions on the Friday and wet and slippery conditions on the Saturday after overnight rain that continued throughout much of the morning – but what competitors can count on is the challenge of the traditional tight and twisty gravel roads in the Malmesbury and Moorreesburg areas.
The two-day 529-kilometre rally will begin with the traditional ceremonial start from Imperial Toyota CapeGate in Brackenfell at 14:30 on September 19, with special stage one, some 15 kilometres from Durbanville, starting at 14:35, and will finish back at the Meerendal wine estate west of Durbanville at 14:35 on Saturday, 20.
Stages two and three on Friday will be at the Killarney motor racing circuit at Potsdam from 15:30 – stage three will be a repeat of stage two. Stages four and five at Imperial Toyota CapeGate, starting at 19:00 conclude the day’s activities. Total racing distance for Friday is 47 kilometres.
The Killarney circuit and CapeGate night town stages have been specifically chosen with maximum benefit for spectators, with the fans being given every opportunity to see their favourites close up without having to travel distances between vantage points.
Saturday’s action will begin with the first of the day’s seven stages getting underway at 08:00 at Langgewens, 72 kilometres from the Imperial Toyota CapeGate overnight stop. The first three stages, all on gravel and covering a total distance of 63 kilometres, will be followed by the first of two compulsory service stops at Paddavlei. They will then be repeated as stages nine, 10 and 11, with another service stop before stage 11, the rally then makes the 76-kilometre liaison trip to Meerendal situated on the slopes of the Tygerberg Hills near Durbanville. The day’s final stage will take place at the wine estate, with the first car off at 14:35.
The traditional podium ceremony and champagne spraying will take place at 16:00.
The second day’s six gravel stages are a challenging mixture of technical, tight tests – like Langgewens 1 and 2, at 26 kilometres the longest of the event – and fast stages like Nuwedam 1 and 2 over 25 kilometres each.
Comprehensive spectator guides giving details of the competitors, the championship and the recommended spectator points will be available at Imperial Toyota Cape Gate throughout the week of the event.