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The world’s only free dedicated rally eMagazine - every week! Contents IIssuessue 205205 • 1818 OctoberOctober 20112011 0044 STARTSTART RAMPRAMP 04 Start Ramp - News Shorts EEDITORIALDITORIAL INFORMATIONINFORMATION Editor Evan Rothman 0066 SERVICESERVICE PARKPARK 06 Hirvonen versus the French 08 All to play for at season fi nale 09 Cave impresses in Lancer WRC 10 Molly delighted with Scottish pace Photojournalist Eva Kovkova 11 Pirelli Drivers UK in shoot-out 11 More live WRC coverage in 2012

1122 PARCPARC FERMEFERME 12 SANORRC Human Auto 400 review Contributors Liga Stirna, Patrick Vermaak, 16 SARC MTN Polokwane Rally preview RallyBuzz, Motorpics, Newspress. 18 WRC Rally Spain preview All content copyrighted property of HANDBRAKES & HAIRPINS, 2007-11. This publication is fully protected by copyright and nothing may be reprinted in whole or in part without written permission from the editor. While reasonable precautions have been taken to ensure the accuracy of information from sources and given to readers, the editor cannot accept responsibility for any inconvenience or damage that may arise therefrom.

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Team News Event News Start Ramp Videos Breaking News him and his staff of engineers which during the course of the season. North Sordo machine best suits his style of driving. of the border, after a season-long battle, His comments after the Spanish rally will it was Liam Harkness who triumphed on contemplates intently listened to both all in Service the fi nal round, the Colin McRae Stages Park no doubt. H&H rally. Spanish rally Therefore, Cave will be joined by Craig Parry and Harkness by Tony Words: Evan Rothman Marchbank as they head for one of the key rallies of the WRC season. With successive podium results in IRC fans, place Following the engine failure and Germany and France, MINI WRC subsequent retirement of championship Team’s is walking leader Sebastien Loeb in France, Loeb proudly at Prodrive. The Spaniard your bets now and Ford’s Mikko Hirvonen are now aims to record a third podium in his Words: IRC Media tied for the series lead, with Loeb’s selected team-mate Sebastien Ogier a mere campaign on his home event in Six drivers can win the three points adrift. The title is now a Spain on 20 - 23 October. Intercontinental Rally Challenge three-way fi ght between the two Citroen Sordo was close to claiming title when the all-action series drivers and Hirvonen and while it cannot MINIs fi rst win in the WRC Rallye resumes on the next be won in Spain, it could certainly be de France last month, but keeps his month. lost there. enthusiasm in check: “For Spain it will Bryan Bouffi er, Juho Hänninen, Spain itself is widely regarded be good. We tried to fi nish in the top Jan Kopecký, Freddy Loix, Andreas as one of the most exciting rounds, fi ve in Germany and we fi nished third. Mikkelsen and Thierry Neuville are both when it comes to the level of We will try of course to win in Spain, but still in contention for the prestigious competition and the overall atmosphere. have to say ‘slow down’ because we saw accolade following the penultimate event The Spanish rally fans are incredibly in France how close it can be. For sure of the season in Scotland last weekend. passionate and the party feeling in we can take advantage on the gravel After 11 rounds, Skoda Salou means fans from around Europe during the fi rst day because the road Motorsport driver Kopecký heads the make the pilgrimage for the season’s will be cleaning for me, but we have to standings with 131 points, six ahead last tarmac event. see.” of team-mate Hänninen. Team Peugeot The winners will get to see The factory MINI John Belgium-Luxembourg’s Neuville is third some of the best action, thanks to Cooper Works WRC driver is realistic on 115 with Skoda UK’s Mikkelsen, the their Vital Equipment guide, whose in his predictions for his next rally, winner in Scotland, fourth on 111.5 experience of providing the WRC control understanding that his raly weapon is points. Bouffi er, who represents Peugeot fuel will give unrivalled opportunities. still largely under development. France, is fi fth with 110.5 with BFO- They will also get the chance to see “We need to do some better Skoda Rally Team driver Loix, the only the Peter Solberg World Rally Team in things in the engine and the gearbox, one of the title contenders who did not action, as they join the crew for lunch but the chassis is fantastic for the compete in Scotland, sixth with 103 during the event. confi dence for going maximum attack on points. Commenting, Vital Equipment the stages,” he said. “In the corners the With double points on offer MD Alistair Roberts said: “We have seen feeling of the driving is very good.” H&H in Cyprus and drivers allowed to count an incredible level of competition in the their best seven scores only, the title Junior categories of both the BTRDA and race will be wide open when IRC season the SRC this season and it came down number fi ve concludes in Cyprus from 3 to the penultimate round of the BTRDA - 5 November. H&H and the fi nal round of the SRC before As predicted, we knew who would be joining us in Spain. Novikov moves “Now that has been confi rmed, Words: Evan Rothman I am delighted that Tom, Craig, Liam BTRDA and SRC and Tony will be our guests in Salou at Russian rally ace Evgeny Novikov the end of the month. The rally itself will has confi rmed he will contest a be a very tough fi ght - historically, the Citroën DS3 WRC in the WRC Rally winners in WRC Citroens tend to be stronger on asphalt Spain, moving away from his Ford Words: Staff Writer and the Fords on gravel, so it should be Fiesta RS WRC. a fantastic event to set the scene for M-Sport chief Malcolm Wilson is The winners of the Junior Driver the fi nale. I am obviously very pleased unperturbed by Novikov’s switch, as the category in both the BTRDA and that competitors kindly generated this youngster will contest the fi nal round of Championship series amount of drama for the fi rst Vital the World Rally Championship in Wales, are eagerly anticipating an early Equipment Run to the Sun prize...” H&H United Kingdom in his Ford Fiesta RS morning fl ight to Salou, thanks to WRC. Vital Equipment, the company that Why the change, then? Novikov provides high-performance Carless answers: “I will do Spain with Citroen Racing Fuel to each series. Vital but only Spain, GB we will do with Ford. Equipment launched its Run to the My sponsor wanted to try a Citroen and Sun competition earlier this year, it’s a good opportunity to try a different to offer the winning driver and car. It’s very interesting for me to try their co-driver a four-day trip to the this car, to compare. It’s very good.” penultimate round of the 2011 FIA Novikov has previouslt piloted World Rally Championship and with the French marque’s rally machines, it, a chance to spend time with 2003 most recently in a Citroën CR4 WRC WRC champion, Petter Solberg. for the 2009 WRC season. His switch In the BTRDA series, it was from Ford to Citroën will mean that the Tom Cave, the 19-year-old from Russian will be the only WRC driver to Aberdovey that topped the tables, along compete in the two different rally cars. with a convincing win in the Production This back-to-back test will reveal to Cup, thanks to four class victories click>> read >> enjoy

your insight into the world of rallying http://handbrakeshairpins.wordpress.com Interviews Profi les Service Park Features Technical

Hirvonen versus the French Words: Evan Rothman Hirvonen is unsurprisingly keeping cool under Pictures: WorldRallyPics; Citroën Racing the mounting pressure from his Citroën Total World Rally Team rivals. With the honour of not Mikko Hirvonen leads the World Rally only his name but also that of Finland’s rallying Championship’s Drivers’ Standings with a hopes, M-Sport’s pride and Ford’s interest in the fi ve-point advantage. The Blue Oval driver, sport as an investment and marketing initiative with one less rally win than Citroën’s to carry on his shoulders, the 31-year-old needs multiple World Rally Champion Sebastien to emulate fellow countryman Kimi “Iceman” Loeb, heads into the fi nal two rounds of the Raikkonen’s race-face for the remainder of 2011. season brimming with confi dence after a “I’m not feeling too nervous, I feel strong rally win at the WRC . pretty confi dent and relaxed about the whole That, however, was in 2009. While that situation,” said Hirvonen. “Missing out on the title picture is somewhat similar to the Championship by just one point after 12 rounds and thousands we are witnessing this season – in which the Finn of kilometres around the globe [in 2009] was and Frenchman are tied on 196 points also with heart-breaking. I don’t want to go through that just two rounds remaining – we all remember to again. We have to drive fl at out and if we were whom the 2009 WRC Drivers’ title was awarded. to win in Spain, it would make things look very We don’t, of course, know in whose favour 2011 good going to the fi nal round in Britain.” will end yet… To remind you, Loeb dominated the Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team’s 2009 WRC Rally Spain. Hirvonen fi nished third Issue 205 • 18 October 2011 • Page 07

overall, behind Loeb’s then teammate saying that Hirvonen needs to capitalize chances for victory in 2012 will be even Spaniard Dani Sordo. Under a different on this present opportunity. more slim due to team orders and the points-scoring system than 2011’s, An added dimension to this increasing speed from their rivals. Hirvonen’s fi ve-point lead was then season’s shenanigans is Ogier’s speed. However, this Championship slashed to just one after 11 gruelling He is sitting pretty in the Drivers’ fi ght is a three-way battle. Loeb will be rounds and thousands of kilometres of Championship, only three points adrift on maximum attack in Spain to leverage competition. Its no secret Loeb went on of Loeb and Hirvonen. This journalist a slender advantage going into Wales to win that season’s prestigious Drivers’ believes that the next two rounds will be Rally GB. title, leaving rally enthusiasts the world the most telling for Hirvonen and Ogier. The focus is fi rmly on the over wondering whether Hirvonen Ogier, winner of fi ve rallies this end goal: “We don’t have any testing (or any other driver, for that matter) season, has broken Loeb’s stranglehold before Spain, but I still feel good about would ever be able to break Loeb’s on sealed-surface events after he it,” Hirvonen. “It’s going to be such a Championship-winning streak. has won the previous two all-asphalt different situation in Spain compared To be realistic, may be rallies. The WRC Rally Spain will see an to France, and I’m very much looking Hirvonen’s fi nal opportunity to be interesting and thrilling battle between forward to having a proper fi ght and crowned WRC Champion with Ford... The the two Citroën works drivers, but the attacking for the title.” ever-improving pace of the factory MINI pressure lies fi rmly on Ogier’s shoulders. Rally Spain, the penultimate John Cooper Works WRC machines of The young Frenchman fi nds himself in round of the season, is based in Salou Dani Sordo and Kris Meeke, Sebastien a precarious predicament: to beat Loeb on 20 - 23 October. The championship Ogier’s unstoppable trajectory to the to the Championship crown will give closes at Rally GB in Builth Wells, Wales, top of the Drivers’ Standings in coming his title more klout, while if he plays a on 10 - 13 November. H&H seasons and the arrival of Volkswagen support role for Loeb in his bid for his to the WRC fold in 2013, it goes without eighth Championship it will mean his Issue 205 • 18 October 2011 • Page 08

All to play for at season fi nale Words: Staff Writer Class S2000 compatriots Mohammed Picture: Motorpics Moosa/Grant Martin (number #9 Team Total Toyota Auris S2000) brought their rally car to the The Challenge: fi nish in eighth place overall, and like Damseaux This year’s South African Rally they posted impressive stage times throughout Championship has produced some of the the previous event’s stages. For this event, closest and most thrilling action in the the Tzaneen-based Moosa is sure to upset the series’ history. Boasting the world’s largest establishment as he aims to race up the leader fi eld of Class S2000 crews and a thriving board to score even more valuable Championship two-wheel drive category to boot, it comes points. as no surprise to rally enthusiasts that Fighting for both the Two Wheel Drive any one of four drivers are in a position to and Class S1600 Championships, reigning Class claim the coveted Drivers’ Championship champions Craig Trott/Robbie Coetzee (number title in next weekend’s season fi nale, the #52 Team Total Toyota RunX S1600) will take Polokwane Rally. to the start of this rally on Saturday 22 October The Polokwane mayor’s offi ce and with the aims of returning home with yet more Limpopo citizens have welcomed the rallying trophies. community with open arms for this event, Stefanie Botha/Angela Shields (number this being province’s fi rst special stage rally in #60 Team Total Toyota RunX S1600), South several years. Taking place on Saturday and Africa’s only all-female rally crew, have displayed Sunday, 22 and 23 October, this event takes impressive potential all season and will look to in 204 high-speed yet demanding competitive convert that speed into Championship points at kilometers over 16 gravel tests. Bushveld farm this upcoming rally. roads making up the majority of the route see that all crews will be entering this unfamiliar The Route: event on an equal footing. As with the Garden The rally will start and fi nish on each of the Route Rally in August that also took in new rally two days of action at the Polokwane Police Club roads, the competition in the Polokwane Rally is opposite the Peter Mokaba Stadium, which will sure to dramatic and thrilling. also serve as event’s headquarters. The rally gets under way on Saturday at 07h00 and The Crews: fi nishes at 18h00 after nine stages and 127km This rally poses the challenges that Team Total’s of competition. Day Two restarts at 07h00 and four-car squad relishes. South Africa’s largest takes in 77.30km and seven stages to conclude privateer rally team competes in two Classes, the at 11h30. premier Class S2000 with two crews in purpose- Rally organisers have set two Service built Toyota Auris S2000s and two Toyota RunX Parks, with Day One’s service area situated at S1600s in Class S1600 for the Two Wheel Drive the Peter Mokaba Stadium. For Day Two, cars Championship. will be serviced on Oerlemans Farm. Jean-Pierre Damseaux/Carolyn Swan (number #10 Team Total Toyota Auris S2000) Follow Team Total: fi nished an impressive fourth overall in last For news and photographs live from the event, month’s rally in the Western Cape. Damseaux visit us on Facebook at thrilled his home fans with his high-speed http://on.fb.me/pBFCpZ and on Twitter at sideways driving skills to fi nish the event as the http://bit.ly/jBLu4j. For more information, please fastest Toyota driver while beating the factory visit http://www.totalmotorsport.co.za. H&H Toyota crews in the event. Issue 205 • 18 October 2011 • Page 09

Cave impresses in Lancer WRC Words: Jim Blackstock Communications Despite this, Cave put in a strong Picture: Jim Blackstock Communications performance, once again demonstrating how easy it is to drive the Lancer WRC quickly out of Last weekend saw the MML Sports the box. He took the scratch time on three of the Mitsubishi Lancer Wolrd Rally Car return eight stages and was only out of the top three to mainland British rally stages for the once throughout the one-day event. fi rst time in six years. Teenage driver Tom By the end of the rally, he claimed Cave took the car to second overall on second place overall, 09sec behind the eventual the Cambrian Rally, the fi nale of the 2011 winner. He was also the fi rst WRCar past the BTRDA Rally series. post, ahead of a further four WRCs that made up Cave had already clinched the the entry fi eld. Production Cup category of the series and was MML Sports Managing Director John looking to climb higher into the Gold Star driver Easton said: “It was fantastic to see the standings and selected the MML Sports Lancer Mitsubishi Lancer WRC back on the British WRC as his weapon of choice. A short pre-event gravel stages after such a long absence. It’s also test showed great promise, with the 19 year-old encouraging that it and Tom managed to beat settling in to the car very quickly. the fi eld of other world cars, demonstrating that However, come the start of the rally, the the Lancer is still very competitive at this level. team diagnosed a fault with the clutch unit and “Of course, it’s frustrating that we had immediately swapped it, a process that takes problems that cost Tom some time but he dealt just two minutes. But it soon became clear that with them in a very mature way and put in some the problem was a failing bearing within the fantastic stage times. I’m very pleased with the gearbox, which meant that the clutch would not way the team dealt with the issues and hope disengage and the car had to be started in gear that we might see the Lancer out on the British to get moving. stages again.” H&H Issue 205 • 18 October 2011 • Page 10

Molly delighted with Scottish pace Words: Liz Swanton and the confi dence we’ve gained, into Rally GB.” Picture: McKlein Images The fi nal round of this year’s world rally championship is also the fi nal round of Australian rally driver Molly Taylor is the WRC Academy, the one-make junior driver pleased with her pace after last weekend’s development series Molly has been contesting Rally of Scotland, having set some of the all year. But she is not prepared to leave the fastest times in her class. Scottish event as her only preparation in the While the 23-year-old Sydneysider and lead-up to this crucial event. British co-driver Seb Marshall did not fi nish the “Rally Spain is on this weekend and if event, courtesy of a broken control arm bolt, all goes to plan, I want to do the reconnaissance they were in a close battle for fi rst in their class. over there for some more experience. Then, the “I am really happy with what we week before Rally GB, I have another meeting achieved in this event,” Molly says. of the FIA Women & Motor Sport Commission “Obviously we’re disappointed not to in Paris. I’m going to go to Europe a few days fi nish, but the idea was to drive as fast as we before the meeting and do some more training at could, get some more miles under our belts and Vittorio Caneva’s rally school in Italy.” battle with the top guys in our class, and we did Molly spent two days with Caneva in the all of that. lead-up to the WRC round In France. He is well “The conditions were very tricky – known in European rallying circles, having fi ne- rough, slippery, defi nitely not easy – but it was tuned the skills of Kris Meeke, Guy Wilks and the most fun I’ve had in conditions like that, and Xavier Pons. Wilks was one of the competitors it was great preparation for the last Academy in Scotland last weekend, along with other round in Wales next month [Rally GB, November well-known international drivers such as Alister 10-13].” McRae, Toni Gardemeister, Toshi Arai and Fumio Molly and Seb were second in class and Nutahara. 21st outright, when the control arm bolt snapped They were among 40 entrants who lined 18km into a 25km stage, the fi nal forest stage up for the three-day gravel contest, which was of the event. As a result, the drive shaft pulled the penultimate round of the hotly contested out and they lost all drive, which they discovered 11-event Intercontinental Rally Challenge when they turned into a corner and couldn’t series. Featuring some of the fastest and most drive out. spectacular roads on the IRC calendar, Rally of “But we did what we wanted to do. Our Scotland started at Stirling Castle and fi nished at goal was to increase our pace against the other Scone Palace, where the kings of Scotland were Fiesta drivers, and we were right up there. We crowned in centuries past. were in second, but the gap to fi rst was very Molly and Seb drove a Ford Fiesta R2 in close. However the main thing is that we were the Scottish event, identical to the model that all on the pace – now we have to take that speed, the WRC Academy competitors use. H&H Issue 205 • 18 October 2011 • Page 11

Pirelli Drivers UK in shoot-out

Words: www.rallybrc.co.uk Picture: Jakob Ebrey Photography More live coverage of WRC in David Bogie and Jonny Greer 2012 after successful trial have been confi rmed as the fi nal nominees in the 2011 Dulux Trade Words: www.wrc.com aged 31–40 (23.1 percent). Ninety- MSA British Rally Championship’s Pictures: WorldRallyPics seven percent of viewers were car Pirelli Star Driver competition. owners, with most driving Fords (16.5 They take the two four-wheel-drive The World Rally Championship’s percent) followed by Citroens (14.2 places for their performances on trial of live internet streaming from percent) and then Opels (12.1 percent). gravel and asphalt respectively. Rallye de France Alsace earlier this The pilot project also proved They join the six two-wheel- month proved such a hit with fans a big hit with WRC team bosses. “It’s drive nominations, who were awarded and teams that it could pave the way been fantastic and the quality has their places on each of the British Rally for similar coverage of some or all of been superb,” said Ford team principal Championship’s six rounds and sees a the WRC’s 13 rounds in 2012. Malcolm Wilson. “For a fi rst attempt it’s potential of eight drivers set to contest Fourteen hours of live action, been very good and will take rallying to the end of season shootout. captured by two helicopters and onboard a different level.” David Richards, who Whilst each of the nominees cameras, plus service park footage and oversees the factory MINI team, added: has already proved their pace on the interviews, was available to view free “When it’s properly up and running it will stages, the fi nal selection process will of charge on a media player on the be a great product for the future. If it’s be tough, as the level of competition championship’s offi cial website, wrc.com, an indication of what’s to come then it’s between the drivers will be as fi erce as part of a pilot project to investigate superb.” in the fi nal as it was in the rallies future digital opportunities for the FIA- After a technical review and themselves. governed series. an analysis of feedback from wrc.com The Pirelli Star Driver shootout The exercise was also the fi rst users and industry stakeholders, North will take place during the week of 14th test of a new partnership between WRC One Sport CEO Simon Long said he November, with the winner announced promoter North One Sport and end-to- hoped to offer more live coverage in at the Dulux Trade MSA British Rally end streaming specialists, Streamworks. the future. “The aim of the trial was to Championship awards night on Saturday Despite the enormous determine the technical feasibility of live 19th November. technical challenge of capturing live WRC streaming and to gauge demand footage from cars as they sped through from fans. The results in both areas are The nominations for the 2011 Pirelli Star the mountainous Alsace region the extremely encouraging. The challenge Driver shootout are: experiment ran largely without a hitch, now is to provide more live coverage • Gravel 4WD: David Bogie with tens of thousands of WRC fans from next year.” • Asphalt 4WD: Jonny Greer logging on to watch the action. Elsewhere on the internet the • Rally Yorkshire: Peter Taylor A survey of wrc.com users WRC continues to gain ground with wrc. • Todds Leap Rally NI: Tommy Doyle who viewed the streaming found that com monthly page views averaging • Jim Clark Rally: Marty McCormack 82.5 percent wanted to watch live stage 10.26 million for the period January-June • Pirelli Rally: Jukka Korhonen coverage on the internet. The results 2011 compared to 6.98 million in the • Bulldog Rally North Wales: Mark also underlined the sport’s worldwide same period last year. Meanwhile on 29 Donnelly appeal with online viewers from 66 September the number of fans on the • Rallye Sunseeker: Siim Plangi different countries. The most popular offi cial WRC Facebook page reached half were Finland (23.8 percent), France a million. Pirelli Star Drivers roll of honour: (20.8 percent), Spain (17.1 percent), “The internet gives us an • 2011: Elfyn Evans (Wales) Germany (10.2 percent), Poland (7.0 unparalleled opportunity to broaden the • 2010: Keith Cronin (Ireland) percent) and United Kingdom (6.91 reach of the WRC beyond our existing • 2009: Adam Gould (England) percent). broadcast audience and to provide fans • 2008:Darren Gass (Northern Ireland) Eighty-nine percent of viewers with more content and more variety,” were aged 40 or under, with 38.4 added Long. “The trial was a vital stage For more information on the Dulux Trade percent aged between 22 and 30. The in our development plans for the next 12 MSA British Rally Championship visit next largest age group was 14–21 year months.” H&H http://www.rallybrc.co.uk. H&H olds (27.4 percent) followed by those Event Reports Parc Ferme Results

Bloemfontein rumbles with racers Words: South African Off-Road Commission Reigning South African champions Chris Pictures: Motorpics Visser and Japie Badenhorst scored their second win of the season in the Team Ford Ranger TDCi Production Vehicle Category: and, in the process, revived hopes of back-to- The Team Ford factory team dominated the back championships. Provisional results saw Production Vehicle category on the Human Visser/Badenhorst come in nearly 02min ahead Auto 400, penultimate round of the Absa of former South African champion Alfi e Cox and Off Road Championship, which ended this German co-driver Jurgen Schroder in the SP past weekend. Laser Nissan Navara. Issue 205 • 18 October 2011 • Page 13

Ford’s cup was fi lled to in the Atlas Copco Toyota Hilux. The top along the way, but that is how it goes in overfl owing when teenager Lance eight was completed by reigning Class E motor racing.” Woolridge and Ward Huxtable brought champions Deon Venter and Ian Palmer Ironically it was Hermann the second Team Ford Ranger home in the 4x4 Mega World Toyota Hilux. and Wichard who suffered a spate of in third place. It was a second podium punctures on the recent 4x4 Mega fi nish in a row for the Pietermaritzburg Venter/Palmer took Class D by a wide World 400 at Carnival City. At the time it crew. margin from the Horn brothers, Johan appeared the punctures had scuppered Visser/Badenhorst were a little and Werner, in the Malalane Toyota their championship hopes. nervous on the second of the two loops Land Cruiser. Third were championship A steady run took Johan van that made up the race. The Ford Ranger leaders Jack and Sarel Oosthuizen who Staden and James Rossouw (Atlas Copco picked up an overheating problem and maintained their 100 percent fi nish BAT) into fourth place ahead of another the reigning South African champions record in a Land Rover. father and son combination in Nick and had to nurse the car home. Ryan Harper in the Motorite BAT. They “It was a diffi cult race,” said The Class E honours went the way of came in ahead of Brett Parker and VZ Visser. “The overheating was a problem, Dirk Putter and Koos Claassens after van Zyl who continued their run of good but on a really tough route Japie had to a dominant performance in the Sizwe form in the Sizanani Jimco. work overtime to keep us on the right Toyota Hilux. They had wads of time to Seventh went to Richard Fuller, course. spare over Diederik Hattingh and Buks in another Atlas Copco BAT, who fi nished “In the end it all worked out Cilliers in the Transcor Toyota Hilux and the race on his own after co-driver nicely for the team, and Lance and local crew Gerald le Roux and Walter Geoff Minnitt hurt his back when the Ward also did a great job under diffi cult Hickley in the Ruwacon Racing Toyota pair hit a ditch at speed. The stewards circumstances.” Hilux. of the meeting later compensated Fuller While Visser/Badenhorst for time lost while Minnitt was treated revived their championship hopes, a Special Vehicle Category: by paramedics before being taken to dramatic race saw other championship The husband and wife team of Marius hospital for x-rays. hopefuls miss out on strengthening their and Jolinda Fourie scored their maiden That moved Fuller ahead of title hopes. Thomas Rundle/Juan Mohr national series victory when they won Botswana driver Keith du Toit who linked (Barden Tyres Services Nissan Navara) the Special Vehicle category. The win up with Bloemfontein based co-driver went home without a point after gearbox also saw the Fouries become the fi fth Vivian Maclachlan in the White Star BAT. failure, but still lead the championship. Class P crew – and the third this season They came home eighth on a fl at tyre Terence Marsh/George – to win an Absa national event overall. with Kallie and Quintin Sullwald trailing Smalberger (Regent Racing Nissan Provisional results saw the husband and in behind them. Navara) and Duncan Vos/Rob Howie wife, in the PHB BAT, fi nish 58sec ahead The stewards decision also (Team Castrol Toyota Hilux) also went of the father and son pair of Hermann saw Fuller move ahead of championship home empty handed. Marsh and and Wichard Sullwald in the Sullwald leaders Archie Rutherford and Mike Smalberger retired after hitting a ditch Racing SVR. Lawrenson in the Regent Racing Jimco. at speed, while Vos/Howie went out with The Sullwalds started 11th They lost time early in the race with a engine failure 6km from the fi nish. among the Special Vehicles and 27th on throttle problem and, added the Fourie With Anthony Taylor/Chris the road after a disappointing Donaldson win, Class P will also be settled at the Birkin, in the second Team Castrol Prologue which decided grid positions, fi nal event. Toyota Hilux, also among the non- and scythed their way through the The Makenete brothers, Keith fi nishers it was not a happy event for the fi eld to take the Class A laurels. The and Andrew, were the only Class B factory squad. Toyota will run two cars in Phalaborwa based crew had just over fi nishers in a Zarco. With the father and the 2012 Dakar Rally and used this race a minute in hand over Evan Hutchison daughter pair of Coetzee and Sandra to test certain components. and Danie Stassen, in the Motorite Revo, Labuscagne (Raysonics Zarco) among Also among those who failed who took the last podium place. the non fi nishers, the win strengthens to see out the distance were 4x4 Mega “It feels great to have won a the Makenete’s title hopes. H&H World 400 winners Pikkie Labuschagne/ national event, but we had to work hard Rikus Erasmus in the Ruwacon Racing for it,” said a delighted Marius. “It was a Toyota Hilux. They were in a menacing tough and tricky route, but Jolinda did a position when power steering failure on great job of keeping us on course. the second loop saw them reduced to “We got caught up in the action spectators. among the Production Vehicles and the There was better news for Mike dust was also a problem.” Whitehouse/Mathew Carlson (Regent Hutchison/Stassen and Racing Nissan Navara) and veterans Hermann and Wichard were thrown Jannie Visser and Joks le Roux in the a championship lifelines when series International Toyota Hilux. leaders Kallie and Quintin Sullwald, in A gutsy performance after the Elegant Fuel BAT, suffered a spate Overall Classifi cation: Special Vehicle Category a nightmare Donaldson Prologue of punctures on the second of the two 01) C. Visser/J. Badenhorst which determined grid positions, loops that made up the race. After lying Ford Ranger SP - 05h 46m 48s saw Whitehouse and Carlson salvage second at the end of the fi rst loop, the 02) A. Cox/J. Schroder Nissan Navara SP - 05h 48m 43s precious points with tenth place overall. Sullwalds gradually slipped down the 03) L. Woolridge/W. Huxtable Visser/Le Roux had a trouble-free run order to fi nish ninth overall and seventh Ford Ranger SP - 05h 50m 40s and fi fth place behind Hugo and Jaap de in Class A. 04) H. de Bruyn/H. de Bruyn Toyota Hilux SP - 05h 59m 34s Bruyn (Micaren Exel Toyota Hilux) keeps Unoffi cial scoring now sees 05) J. Visser/J. le Roux them in the championship mix. Kallie and Quintin Sullwald holding a Toyota Hilux SP - 06h 05m 29s Unoffi cial scoring sees the top 16 point lead over the Motorite crew Production Vehicle Category six crews now separated by only 15,5 and a 16,5 point lead over Herman 01) H. Sullwald/H. Sullwald points with one event remaining. It is and Wichard Sullwald with one event SVR Class A - 05h 48m 50s going to be a pressure cooker fi nale. remaining. With 25 points for a win it is 02) E. Hutchison/D. Stassen Revo 4x4 Class A - 05h 53m 02s There were also good results going to be a pressure situation for all 03) J. van Staden/J. Rossouw for Christiaan du Plooy/Henk Janse three teams. BAT Spec 5 Class A - 05h 54m 05s van Vuuren (RFS BMW X3) and Gary “We had nothing to lose 04) N. Harper/R. Harper BAT Spec 4 Class A - 05h 55m 04s Bertholdt/Andre Vermeulen who were and threw caution to the wind,” said 05) S. Parker/B. Parker another crew to stage a good comeback Hermann Sullwald. “We had a little luck Jimco Class A - 05h 58m 39s Issue 205 • 18 October 2011 • Page 14 Issue 205 • 18 October 2011 • Page 15 Issue 205 • 18 October 2011 • Page 16

Polo win in Polokwane for Volkswagen? Words: Staff Writer (Castrol Toyota Auris) is fourth, 23 points behind Pictures: Evan Rothman Rautenbach. Both Rautenbach and Cronje have The inaugural MTN Polokwane Rally takes won three events, while Kuun with one second place in Limpopo Province this weekend and three third places and Gemmell with three and brings down the curtain on one of seconds and a third, have yet to win this year. the closest-fought South African rally In the co-drivers’ championship, the championships in many years. situation is slightly different as Rautenbach’s After seven rounds four drivers and French co-driver Nicolas Klinger is not eligible to three co-drivers, all competing in the top S2000 score points because he doesn’t compete with a class for four-wheel drive two-litre cars, have a South African licence. Defending champion Guy mathematical chance of winning their respective Hodgson, who reads the route notes for Kuun, championships. With a maximum of 25 points at leads with 124 points from Cronje’s co-driver stake for a win and competitors having to drop Robin Houghton (119 points) and Gemmell’s their worst score of the season, there are several Scottish team-mate Drew Sturrock (96 points). permutations for the fi nal outcome. All the championship contenders will be Zimbabwe’s Conrad Rautenbach (Green aiming for nothing less than maximum points Fuel Ford Fiesta) leads the drivers’ championship this weekend and leaving nothing to chance. with a total of 125 points from the seven events They will have to be on top of their game, run so far, without deducting his worst score because there are at least four other rivals and enjoys a nine point lead over Mark Cronje capable of winning the fi nal rally. (Sasol Ford Fiesta) and defending champion Enzo Leeroy Poulter and Elvene Coetzee Kuun (BP Volkswagen Polo). Johnny Gemmell (Castrol Toyota Auris) already have a win under Issue 205 • 18 October 2011 • Page 17

their belts, in the Sasol Rally in April. brother and sister Christoff and Celeste Alterations Toyota Yaris. Former champions and BP Volkswagen Snyders (S1600 Sabertek VW Polo), who The rally will start and fi nish on team-mates Hergen Fekken/Pierre Arries have 128 points, and former champion each of the two days at the Polokwane and Jan Habig/Robert Paisley have not Craig Trott and Robbie Coetzee (Team Police Club opposite the Peter Mokaba had the best of seasons and would like Total Toyota RunX), who are 10 points Stadium, which will also serve as rally nothing better than to fi nish with a in arrears. Both have been consistent headquarters and the media centre. The victory. podium fi nishers with the Snyders fi rst car will be fl agged away at 07h00 Charl Wilken and Greg Godrich winners on three occasions. on Saturday and the day’s action will (Basil Read/bizhub Ford Fiesta) have They can expect stiff be over nine stages covering a total come close, fi nishing second twice, but competition from Guy Botterill/Schalk distance of 127km. The fi rst car is due to two non-fi nishes have dashed their van Heerden (S1600 Yato Tools Toyota fi nish at around 16h00. championship chances. RunX), and Tjaart Conradie/Kes Naidoo Sunday’s restart will be at Others to watch in the strong (S1600 Silverton Engineering Toyota 06h00 and the shorter fi nal day will 19-car S2000 entry are Nicholas Auris). Haigh Smith and Aldridge, fi nish at around 11h00 after seven Ryan/Armand du Toit (GrandMark recuperating from an accident while stages covering 77.30km. H&H International VW Polo), Jon Williams/ competing in the Junior WRC event Cobus Vrey (Sasol Ford Fiesta), Jean- in France will not be competing this Pierre Damseaux/Carolyn Swan (Total weekend. Toyota Auris), Mohammed Moosa/Grant Megan Verlaque/Hilton Auffray Martin (Team Total Toyota Auris), Giniel (BP VW Polo) and Henk Lategan/Barry de Villiers and Ralph Pitchford (BP VW White (Q8 Oils VW Polo) are the main Polo) and Hein Lategan/Johan van der contenders for victory in the S1400 Merwe (Pirtek Peugeot 207). Class. Verlaque leads with 11 points, two The Two Wheel Drive ahead of Lategan. Ian Young and Henry Championship for the S1600 and S1400 Dearlove will be hoping for their fi rst Classes is a two-horse race between fi nish of the season in their Associated Issue 205 • 18 October 2011 • Page 16

Sordo, Ogier or Loeb to win in Spain? Words: FIA Rally Australia in September, all 16 crews Pictures: MINI WRC Team will nevertheless be fi ghting for PWRC event honours. In the FIA Super 2000 World Rally The penultimate round of the FIA World Championship, however, this fi nal round will Rally Championship presents another decide the title. Three drivers – Juho Hänninen, fresh challenge as the fi ght for the 2011 Ott Tänak and Martin Prokop – sit in the World title heads towards a thrilling top three positions on the leaderboard and, conclusion. With Sébastien Loeb and Mikko assuming all three reach the fi nish, they all need Hirvonen tied on points at the head of the maximum points to have any chance of securing leaderboard, and Sébastien Ogier sitting the Championship title. just three points adrift, the outcome of The 2011 route has four new stages the mixed surface Rally de España will – the all-gravel Pesells stage (SS1/SS4), and be critical for all three Championship Punta de les Torres (SS9/SS12), which is run contenders. totally on asphalt. Les Garrigues (SS3/SS6) Friday’s opening day of competition is runs on both gravel and asphalt and has a new totally mixed, with one of the three different 12.52 kilometre section of gravel, while Riba-roja stages running on gravel and the other two d’Ebre (SS8/SS11) has 6.54 kilometres of gravel, posing a more unusual challenge with a run in the reverse direction when used as SS2/ combination of both gravel and asphalt. The SS5. H&H fi nal stage of the day runs in darkness and fi nal service has been extended to 1 hour 15 minutes Event Essentials: to enable the teams to modify the cars from Total distance: 1,589.90km gravel to asphalt specifi cation. Saturday and Stage distance: 406.52km Sunday the crews return to the more familiar all- Number of stages: 18 asphalt stages. The event is also the penultimate round of the FIA Production Car World Rally Championship and, while the title was provisionally won by Hayden Paddon at