Weather, infringements and off-road excursions meant loads of surprises in the two ultimate rallies of the South African National sequence – two day, two rallies and adjustments in the lead right up to the end. The TRAC N4 Dullstroom Rally was an enormous occasion for the Mazda 2 pairing of Chris Coertse and Greg Godrich who emerged total winners on each days.
TRAC N4 Dullstroom Rally weekend
Friday
What ought to have been a straight battle in the mud on the quick particular phases round the trout-rich city of Dullstroom in Mpumalanga, changed into a battle for surival for a lot of of crews contesting the ultimate two rounds of the 2023 South African National Rally Championship.
Clear skies and vibrant sunshine greeted rivals at the begin of the TRACN4 Rally and all eyes had been on the anticipated tussle between the NRC 1 Rally Technic Mazda 2 of Chris Coertse and Greg Godrich and the NRC 2 Just Tools Volkswagen Golf crewed by Benjamin Habig and Barry White – this battle for second total in the sequence with the precise champion having been topped at the earlier occasion.
“It would be nice to claim that second place, but our goal the whole season has been to win the class,” mentioned White.
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It all went unsuitable for them shortly after the begin of first particular stage when the Polo misplaced drive and couldn’t be recovered till all the vehicles had handed, forcing their retirement for the day and leaving the manner open for the Maza duo to forge forward.
However, the large mover of the morning was the Salom Toyota Auris of Theuns Joubert and Schalk van Heerden who stormed by way of the opening stage to win by 10 seconds from Coertse/Godrich with newly-crowned SA Champions JJ Potgieter and Tommy du Toit in the NTT Toyota Delmas Hyundai R4 visibly taking issues simpler than their regular all-out cost.
“I was taking it easier,” mentioned Potgieter, “but we were also battling with a misfire that kept us off the pace.”
Stage 2 was a blinder for Mandla Mdakane and Kes Naidoo of their Toyota Gazoo Racing Starlet and so they howled by way of taking 10 seconds from Joubert/Van Heerden and 14 seconds from the Mazda – simply rward, maybe for a troubled season that noticed the Starlet retire from a number of occasions.
However, the pair made an error throughout the clock-in process at the begin of the stage and had been then penalised by 4 minutes, dropping them to the again of the area and this was compounded at the end of the day when and engine downside meant they may not get the automobile again to the parc ferme.
By the end of Stage 3 Joubert and Van Heerden had prolonged their lead to 17 seconds over the Mazda with Potgieter/Du Toit now slotted into third place forward of Gerald Klopper and Etienne Lourens (GK Racing Toyota Auris) fourth total and the main NRC 2 contender forward of Gustav Potgieter/Armand du Toit (Atlas Oil Ford Fiesta R2).
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Stage 4 noticed a lot o the similar however with Mdakane attempting to eat up as a lot of his deficit as doable and racking up third quickest time over the 12, 6 kilometres of Safcol Highway 2 – this pulling them up to seventh total.
Then, the climate intervened and a sudden, quick rain and lightning storm descended with the vehicles in Stage 5 the place the whole lot modified as the gravel highway changed into an ice-rink, setting off a sequence of occasions began by Gerald Klopper who misplaced a wheel and veered off right into a tree, leaving the automobile in a susceptible place.
With Lourens waving oncoming rivals to decelerate, Gustav Potgieter stopped on the stage (after having been caught in the mud for greater than minute earlier) with out realising George Smallberger/Shaun Visser (Shield Q20 Volkswagen Polo) had closed right up.
“I saw him stopped on the stage and tried to go around but with the mud and the slide we ended up beached on the edge of the road and lost plenty of time trying to get free.” Said Smallberger.
But, it was up entrance the place the actual drama occurred as Theuns Joubert suffered a entrance left tyre puncture and with 10 kilometres of stage left, determined to proceed. The delaminating tyre then dmaged the entrance end of the automobile however they made it to the flying end, dropping 58 seconds in the course of.
This giffted Coertse a 35 second lead total, cemented by the truth the Clerk-of-the-Course then cancelled the ultimate stage of the day for security causes.
So, Coertse/Godrich took high step of the podium from Joubert/Van Heerden and Potgieter/Du Toit with Mdakane/Naidoo fourth on the highway however excluded due to the engine subject on the manner to the in a single day parc ferme.
Thus, Gustav Potgieter end fourth forward of Lynton Swatton and Tommy Coetzee (RBS Plumbing Toyota RunX).
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Saturday
Overnight the climate cleared and Saturday dawned vibrant and clear with Joubert/Van Heerden following the TRAC N$ catchline for the occasion of ‘going all out’ and so they opened proceedings – a lot of which concerned the earlier day’s phases in reverse – with an eight second benefit over Potgieter/Du Toit and taking 29 seconds from Coertse/Godrich.
Back in the operating, Habig and White ran a conservative fifth quickest on the stage a second behind Gustav Potgieter and 5 forward of the Johan Strauss/Elzaan van der Schyff Agri Online Subaru WRX that was pressured to withdraw earlier than the begin of the Friday even with engine issues.
“It is still not properley sorted,” mentioned Strauss “and there is a throttle problem. If I drive slowly there is some response but if I try to go quickly it does not respond.”
With the Hyundai now cleared of its misfire, JJ Potgieter determined it was time to get shifting and raced by way of the second stage two seconds to the good over Joubert with Coertse sustaining an edge over Habig who headed the NRC 2 class.
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The AR Panelbeaters Ford Escort Cosworth of Anton Raaths and Marie Ducasse had a superb run to notch up fifth place on the highway.
The rally then appeared as if it was settling right into a sample with Joubert/Van Heerden taking the high honours on Stage 3 adopted by Potgieter/Du Toit with Coertse and Habig in shut attendance – Potgieter then upped the tempo to take Stage 4 to arrange the scene for the ultimate phases by decreasing Joubert’s lead to simply 0,1 seconds after the former misplaced time in the stage due to a defective oil temperature sensor brought about the engine to go into limp mode.
Coertse was simply 1min07 sec off the lead at this level.
However, this time it was not the climate to affect issues – Car 0, which has the activity of going by way of the stage forward of the area to verify the marshals are in place, arrowing is right and no spectators are in harmful locations, had a mechanical subject. This is then adopted by Car 00 half an hour earlier than the first competitor enters the stage.
Stage 5, which was additionally being run as Stage 6, had to be cancelled to permit Car 00 to do the work of each lead autos.
This stage, a repeat of Stge 2 from Friday, featured a downhill run to a shallow water splash with a disconcerting bump on the exit and Habig – not having finished the stage the earlier day – got here flying in, uymped, acquired massively sideways, corrected and went up on two wheels.
He landed again on the highway however minus a wheel and carried on to end the stage. However, he transgressed rules by driving on a public highway on three wheels then changing the wheel in the management space of Stage 6, leading to his exclusion.
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Stage 6, Lakenvlei, labored for Coertse who took 1,8 seconds off Joubert with Potgieter third quickest by way of the 27,4 kilometre part simply forward of Habig who would have been third total at that time had it not been for the exclusion he was but to hear about.
The ultimate stage of the occasion and the season, Legends, noticed Coertse once more take the stage win, this time taking 11, 9 seconds off Joubert to end up as total winner for the day and second total in the National standings behind Gustav Potgieter who ended on the third step of the podium for the day and first automobile in the NRC 2 class.
JJ Potgieter completed fourth total, forward of Magriet Potgieter and Rikus Fourie (Ford Fiesta R2) and Bruce Swatton/Adrian du Plessis (RBS Plumbing Toyota Auris S2000).
Published by South African National Rally on Quickpic
For extra information about the 2023 South African National rally and the upcoming 2024 season, comply with our motorsport web page.
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