Greetings to all SAM Members,


NRC: All-out war for championship lead on Sasol Rally 2010

The Sasol Rally 2010 will see an intensified all out war as the top championship contenders look to open up a gap – or make up lost ground - on a very crowded leaderboard as South Africa’s top gravel racers vie for supremacy and the title of Sasol SA Rally Champions while Toyota, Volkswagen and Ford are locked in a mega-budget battle for the Manufacturer’s Championship.

The crown jewel in the eight-round Sasol Rally Championship which features stunning scenery in the Mpumulanga Lowveld as well as the largest live audience of the year watching the largest entry of the year, marks the Sasol Rally as one not to be missed. Round two of the Sasol-backed series saw no less than five different leaders and seven lead changes and if that is a pointer to the pace on the tough Sasol Rally, the thousands of fans are in for a stunning weekend.

The three-car BP Ultimate Volkswagen team has set the pace this season, between them winning 16 of the year’s 23 stages run to date. The current SA Rally Champions, Hergen Fekken and Pierre Arries lead the title race by a slender two points after a storming drive to win the opening encounter in KwaZulu Natal, which they followed up with a fighting 3rd in the Toyota Dealer Rally in late March after an early puncture sent them plummeting to 8th place.

Not to be outdone, Enzo Kuun and Guy Hodgson in a sister BP VW Polo, have easily matched the frenetic pace set by Fekken and taken the most stage wins this season (8); the 2006 champions boast two runner-up positions to lie a menacing 2nd on the leaderboard and the Sasol Rally is the lanky driver’s favourite event. A resurgent Jan Habig and new co-driver Ralph Pitchford, pedaling a 3rd BP Polo have been as quick as their teammates so far this season and led the Toyota Rally after day one only to be sidelined in Saturday’s opening stage, Habig’s first mechanical retirement in 23 rallies!

Tied with Kuun on points is the all-Zimbabwean team of Conrad Rautenbach/Peter Marsh, who took a measured and very popular debut win in the Cape, and gave the Ford Fiesta S2000 its maiden win on African soil. Rautenbach, a former Citroen Junior Team WRC driver, claimed 4th overall in Natal in a rented Prodrive Subaru Impreza before switching to the M-Sport-built Fiesta and leads the new Privateer’s Rally Championship.

Great news for Ford fans is that the Basil Read/bizhub Ford Fiesta S2000 of Charl Wilken/Greg Godrich will return to the series after the car was cruelly destroyed in a fire halfway through Sunday morning in the Tour Natal Rally. Wilken adapted quickly to the left-hand drive Fiesta, setting times inside the top five before disaster struck. The Sasol Rally should see Wilken swiftly up to speed and challenging for stage wins.

The Castrol Toyota team, outgunned in KZN, bounced back on the Toyota Rally, where Johnny Gemmell/Drew Sturrock led the event on two different occasions in the Auris S2000 before a puncture on day two dropped them to 4th. Add in Gemmell’s 1st round non-finish and the 2009 championship runner-up has a mountain to climb to get back on Fekken’s and Kuun’s coat tails. Mark Cronje and Robert Paisley, punishing the second Castrol Toyota Auris at every opportunity, has been unlucky in many ways but lies 4th on the points log after a KZN podium and 6th in Toyota’s home event.

Last year’s Sasol Rally saw Gemmell claim a 4 second victory after a last stage shoot-out with Fekken so expect both Toyotas to be fully in the hunt for a repeat result. The Auris has the speed, as shown by three stage wins for each driver.

The burgeoning S2000 class will feature no less than 17 of the high-tech machines in the Sasol Rally; behind the factory VW and Toyota teams, many crews have their sights firmly set on the privateer’s title.

A pair of privateer Volkswagen Polo teams is separated by just two points: after two excellent top ten results, Mokopane businessman Theuns Joubert and co-driver Carl Peskin (Salom Group Volkswagen Polo) are locked in a close fight with Evan Hutchison/Elvene Coetzee’s similar Motorite VW Polo. Hutchison, a multiple off road champion and the reigning class A7 rally champion is two points behind Joubert so sparks are sure to fly between these two VW teams.

Hoping for better luck than they had in Caledon, Nicholas Ryan and Geoff Tyrer, (Avis/Gabriel VW Polo), scored a brilliant 6th overall in Natal but suffered shock absorber problems in the Cape, so will be looking to equal or better their coastal result. They are five points behind Hutchison so none of these teams can even pause for breath, let alone afford any minor problem.

A trio of equally matched Toyota Aurises is headed by Japie van Niekerk who is the leading Toyota privateer entry; with co-driver Robin Houghton, the New Africa Developments Auris S2000 pair started the year with a strong 5th overall but finished stone last in the Toyota Rally after losing over half an hour in a stage.

The Pretoria property developer will be hunting down his biggest rival, Hein Lategan/Johan van der Merwe (Pirtek Toyota Auris) who ended 5th last time out after failing to finish the opening event. Lategan and Van Niekerk are both highly capable drivers and very evenly matched, making their rivalry as intense as any other.

The second Pirtek Toyota Auris of Visser du Plessis/Gerhard Snyman was tko’d in Natal but put in a gritty drive over the Caledon stages as he got to grips with the S2000 pace to take a well-deserved 10th overall and should acquit himself well on stages he enjoys.

Team Total’s JP Damseaux/Carolyn Swan are two points behind Van Niekerk and trying very hard to keep their older Toyota RunX in the same game as the Aurises. Sometimes, too hard. Damseaux blotted his copybook on his home rally, rolling his RunX onto its roof and lost almost ½ minute before help arrived. This crew will be out to make amends on the Sasol.

Fellow Team Total Toyota RunX partners Fernando Rueda/Dave Lewkowicz were well up the order but retired in the penultimate stage of the Toyota Rally, after claiming a competent top ten finish on the opening round.

Mohammed Moosa/Grant Martin, running their first year in the top S2000 class, had a dramatic and painful start to the year in KwaZulu Natal. The Team Total Toyota RunX left the road and set fire to the surrounding sugarcane on the first day before crashing heavily on day two. Moosa was lucky to escape with nothing worse than a broken collar bone in his multiple end-over-end roll and missed the Cape Rally. The RunX has been rebuilt so the genial Tzaneen businessman will spend the Sasol Rally rebuilding his confidence.

Rounding out the S2000 entries is the Namibian driver Jaco van Dyk and Hennie Botes. The VW Polo pair put in a convincing performance on their second appearance in the Sasol Championship, taking a strong 9th overall and will be looking for a similar result on the Sasol.

Heading up the two-wheel drive challenge is a bevy of very quick and competitive runners, featuring the former class champions Chris de Wit/Dean Redelinghuys (Automark Toyota RunX), who won the opening round before blowing an engine in the Cape, and Toyota Rally winners, Ettiene Du Toit/Patrick Vermaak in their A&E Motorsport Toyota RunX. Both have 9 class championship points to their credit and will be looking to break the deadlock.

Both Toyota teams need to watch out for the very quick Gavin Cronje/Van Aardt Schoeman Volkswagen Polo. The Le Mans Cup Champion was very quick on the fast Caledon stages which suited his driving style to a tee and only mechanical problems halted his charge at the top of the class timesheets.

Gugu Zulu/Shaun Visser (BP Volkswagen Polo) made a surprise return to the A7 class in the Cape and once up to speed were dealt a bad hand when forced to retire in an open section with electrical problems.

Michael Otto/Tommy du Toit are hoping their Auto Doctor Toyota Corolla’s 8th engine will last the distance and if so, this five way fight will be spectacular. Otto won the Delmas Regional Rally two weeks before the Sasol, so should be in high spirits.

Craig Trott/Robbie Coetzee (Team Total Toyota RunX) lead the class A6 title chase after two second place finishes from two starts, just the type of consistency that wins titles. Trott’s reliability sees him a close second on the new-for-2010 1600cc Championship table.

On sheer pace, Trott was left in the wake of the opening round winners Tjaart Conradie/Tiaan Rabe (Silverton Engineering/Hencom Autobody Toyota Auris) and if not for bad luck in the following rally, should have chalked up two wins. The Auris stopped 200m into the penultimate stage with a failed CV.

Production Car circuit racer Leeroy Poulter and the reigning Northern Regions Rally co-driver’s champion Henry Dearlove took their Randburg Raceway/Ferodo Toyota RunX to a maiden win in the Cape in spite of a host of car problems and will be looking for a clean, fast run through the York Timbers forest stages. Conradie and Poulter are tied in 3rd place on the 1600 cc log.

Ashley Haigh Smith and Hilton Auffrey (Team React Toyota Yaris) have raised their game considerably and the learner driver’s license matric scholar leads the class A5 championship after claiming his first ever win, the youngest class victor ever, after a brilliant drive in the Cape to add to his runner-up spot in Natal. Haigh Smith has a 1.2 point lead on the overall 1600cc Championship scoresheet and comes to the Sasol Rally fresh from winning his first ever rally, the Vlakvlei Western Cape regional in his father’s A6 Corolla.

The BP Ultimate Volkswagen CitiGolf of former class champion Andre Cleenwerck and new co-driver Kes Naidoo dominated in Natal and followed that with a retirement after hunting down Haigh Smith, passing him in the penultimate stage, before the VW’s engine said ‘no more’ in the final stage. They have ground to make up on the Sasol Rally.

Morne Janse van Rensburg/Derek Jacobs made a belated start to the season on round two, but took their BP liveried VW CitiGolf to a class runner-up spot and will be looking at emulating Haigh Smith’s pace.

Piet Bakkes/Paul van Wyk (Sasol Komatipoort VW CitiGolf) and Benjamin Pinho/Marco Ferreira (Pro Beat Ford Ka) both have 4 class points and should be looking to outdo each other at every opportunity.

Chad Lambert/Nic Prinsloo (Toyota Yaris) are hoping to open their score after a frustrating start to the season, recording two non-finishes.

In the production car classes, the team to beat should be the local pairing of Joos/Danie Stassen in their Top Gear Motors Subaru Impreza N12. The Nelspruit brothers ran as high as 8th overall a couple of years ago and know the conditions well.

The will face the similar Midas Subaru Impreza of Tjaart Coetzee/Johan Aucamp, who claimed a class podium on the Sasol Rally last year. He failed to finish in Natal and never made it to Cape Town to start round two.

Class N3 will see Abduraghman Amlay/Garth Ritsch (Toyota RunX) take on the similar class N3 RunX of Megan/Oliver Verlaque, which is how they finished the Caledon Rally. Riaan Erasmus/Herman Groenewald should feature strongly in the pair’s first outing of the year, although Erasmus rolled out of the 2009 Sasol Rally.

ROUTE:

Celebrating the launch of Sasol’s new turbo fuels plus product range, the Sasol Rally festivities get underway on Thursday, 22nd April with the Sasol Pitstop in the Sabie town square with scrutineering of the cars. A classic car display, food stalls and arts and crafts displays will add to the Sasol Pitstop atmosphere.

York Timbers is host to the Sasol Rally 2010 gravel stages, starting with four stages around Graskop. Stage 1 will be repeated as stage 3 with one service park operating in Graskop town.

The final gravel stage of the day is a spectator-friendly run over the foot of Long Tom Pass on the outskirts of Sabie.

A dinner break at the York Timbers Sports Ground precedes the traditional Sasol Sabie Town Twister Stage, run through the centre of the picturesque town at 18h00. The teams head to White River for another time-honored stage, dubbed “Sasol White River Run” starting at 20h00.

Saturday’s action gets underway with a quick service at the Nelspruit Showgrounds before tackling the “Sasol Sensational Stage” (07h45) at the ‘spaghetti junction’ in the heart of the Mpumulanga capital city.

A brand new short tarmac stage follows in Kanyamazane (08h23) before heading back to the York Timbers forests for five grueling stages. Stage 10, “Magsleigh Hendriksdal” starting at 09h43 offers the best spectating opportunity of the rally with over a kilometre of viewing available right next to the R37 Long Tom/Nelspruit road. This stage is repeated at 14h40 as stage 15.

Stage 11 (repeated as SS14) offers limited viewing opportunities as does SS13. Clerk of the Course Willie du Plessis suggests spectators catch the action at stage 10, 12 and 15 as they are all in close proximity. He described the limited spectating on stages 11, 13 and 14 as suitable “only for the brave”.

The Sasol Finale, stage 16, takes the cars at full racing speed into the Nelspruit Showgrounds arena for a tight stage in front of packed grandstands. The champagne ceremony takes place shortly afterwards, offering fans the opportunity of sharing in the glory (and heartbreak) that the Sasol Rally has served up over the last 19 very special years.

For more information, log on to [Click here to view link]


WRC: Ford Fiesta S2000 to Tackle Turkey

Two Ford Fiesta S2000s will make their way to Turkey next week for the fourth round of the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC). The event will see Dutchman Dennis Kuipers go head to head with Turkish driver Yağız Avcı for what is expected to be a good battle with local S2000 crews.

The Rally of Turkey will be based in a new location this year, moving from Antalya in the south-west region to Istanbul in the cooler north. This will a unique event in the WRC calendar as the race will start in Europe but over the course of the three day event the route will also cross over into Asia.

The roads of the special stages based on the Asian side of Istanbul will be fast, wide and smooth. The rally organisers have chosen to take advantage of a new FIA regulation for 2010 permitting mixed surface events, so the predominantly gravel route contains almost 50km of asphalt, which will concentrate the minds of drivers unfamiliar with the region.

The WRC round in Jordan last week saw six Ford Fiesta S2000 crews forced to deal with gruelling stages of sandy gravel, temperatures topping 40 degrees and a variety of altitudes. Despite a series of extremely tough stages, Spanish driver Xevi Pons managed to pull clear and was awarded his second victory in the championship so far.

24-year-old Dennis Kuipers from Holland will contest the first event of his eight round-campaign in Turkey next week, and will be partnered with the experienced Belgian co-driver, Fred Miclotte. The young Dutchman is an M-Sport entry and made the transition to the Ford Fiesta S2000 after previously contesting in several European and WRC events in his Ford Focus RS WRC in 2008 and 2009.

Kuipers is hoping that the move to the new Ford Fiesta S2000 will allow him to develop his experience at the top level and allow him to take on a full campaign in 2011. Kuipers will also be taking part in WRC events in Portugal, Bulgaria, Finland, Germany, Japan or Spain, France and Great Britain later this year.

Competing alongside Kuipers will be Yağız Avcı, the reigning Turkish Rally champion. With the home advantage Avci will be flying the flag for Castrol Ford Team Türkiye. The 26-year-old has an excellent track record of rallying in the Turkish Rally Championship, claiming victories on five of the six events that he has taken part in. Avci is the youngest Turkish Rally champion in history and will be tough to beat on his home turf.

The Rally of Turkey will officially begin on Thursday 15 April in the historical Sultanahment Square, right in the heart of the city between the famous Blue Mosque and Haghai Sophia. Rally HQ will be based in Pendik, a coastal district of Istanbul based on the Asian side of the city on the Marmara sea.

The Ford Fiesta S2000s will need to cover 358km of competitive distance over 23 testing stages in Turkey. Day one will consist of a series of nine short stages over 98.43km, but the second day will be more challenging as the team cover 145.82km including the longest stage at 27.17km. The final day comprises of just six stages, but these are some of the longest in the rally so will require the crews’ full attention to concentrate on the potential difficulties of driving on asphalt with gravel tyres.

Dennis Kuipers said:
“I’m really looking forward to Turkey. This is my first event with the Fiesta S2000 so I am very curious to find out how the car feels on the gravel stages. With the Ford Focus WRC, I did a few events on gravel, but the Rally of Turkey next week will be a great challenge. Our goal is mostly to gain experience during the events and get up to speed.”

Yağız Avcı said:
“I will start the season with a new car, new team and a new co-driver. After clinching Turkish Rally Champion title last year, this season our goal is to repeat that but now with Castrol Ford Team Turkey and Ford Fiesta S2000. We did a pre-event test with the Fiesta S2000 and I tried to learn as much as possible about the rally car. I think Fiesta S2000 is very well balanced and great to drive but of course it will take some time for me to adapt completely and find the perfect rhythm. The stages of this year’s Rally of Turkey are completely different from the Antalya stages but I am familiar with a few of the stages from the IRC/ERC Istanbul Rally. We are really looking forward to the event. Rally of Turkey also counts as three separate events for Turkish Rally Championship so we have to collect maximum points from each day. It will be a very good competition as there are many fast drivers, we will try our best to have a good start for 2010 season.”

M-Sport Managing Director Malcolm Wilson said:
“Although Denis [Kuipers] hasn’t driven the Ford Fiesta S2000 yet and it will be a very different driving experience from the Ford Focus WRC, I imagine that he will settle in well. Competing against the reigning Turkish Rally champion, Yagiz [Avci], will keep the S2000 drivers on their toes – this should be an exciting battle.”

IRC: Meeke excited by Rally Islas Canarias

Defending Intercontinental Rally Challenge champion Kris Meeke says he can't wait to get back behind the wheel of his Peugeot UK 207 Super 2000 on Rally Islas Canarias later this month.

The 30-year-old from Northern Ireland will be among a number of IRC regulars tackling the asphalt event for the first time when it takes place from 29 April-1 May as the fourth round of the IRC.

He said: "I can't wait to get started, particularly because it's going to be a new event for a lot of drivers and we'll all be starting there with a clean sheet of paper."

Rally Islas Canarias appears on the IRC schedule for the first time this season after being called up to replace Rally Principe de Asturias. Meeke added: "It's not an issue for me that it's been scheduled quite late because I'll go anywhere in the world to do my rallying, even at short notice."

Meeke, who is co-driven by Irishman Paul Nagle, is currently equal fourth in the IRC drivers' standings after three events. He will face strong opposition on Rally Islas Canarias from the championship's top three, Juho Hanninen, Guy Wilks and Jan Kopecky, who all drive Skoda Fabia S2000s.


Kris Meeke will resume his IRC title defence on Rally Islas Canarias


Oliveira expands IRC programme

Daniel Oliveira will contest ten rounds of this year's Intercontinental Rally Challenge after adding Rally Islas Canarias to his revised schedule of events.

Brazilian Oliveira, 24, is embarking on his first season in the IRC with Manfred Stohl's Austria-based Stohl Racing concern. After contesting the opening three rounds of the series, Oliveira wasn't planning to compete again until the Geko Ypres Rally in Belgium from 24-26 June under his original eight-round programme.

However, he has now confirmed his entry on Rally Islas Canarias at the end of April and will now only skip the IRC rounds in Sardinia and Czech Republic due to other commitments.

Stohl said: "Daniel did quite okay on the Monte Carlo Rally and I think Rally Islas Canarias will be easier to adapt to because he has very little experience on Tarmac. It's good that he is able to do so many events because, for him, this year is all about gaining experience, not results."

Experienced Spaniard Carlos del Barrio will co-drive Oliveira's Peugeot 207 Super 2000 on Rally Islas Canarias.


Smith gets new Honda for IRC 2WD bid

Colin R Smith has got his hands on the Honda Civic Type R he will use on four rounds of this year's Intercontinental Rally Challenge.

Smith, from Scotland, travelled to Ypres in Belgium, venue of round six of the IRC from June 24-26, to collect the car from previous owner Martijn Braat. He will be one of the favourites to land IRC 2WD Cup honours when he begins his programme on Rally d'Italia-Sardegna in early June.

The Honda Smith and co-driver Craig Chapman will campaign this season runs to the latest Group N specification. They plan to conduct an extensive test schedule in the G+M Mechanical Services-prepared machine over the coming weeks as they adapt to left-hand drive for the first time.

"The step to purchase an international winning car now means we can concentrate on pushing ourselves to the best of our ability in what will be an exciting year ahead in the IRC," said Smith.


Villagra impressed by IRC

Federico Villagra believes the Intercontinental Rally Challenge's first visit to Argentina created a strong impression on the country and says he would love to get the opportunity to take part on more IRC events in the future.

Villagra, an eight-time Argentine rally champion, finished fifth on the IRC-counting Rally Argentina last month, the first time he had competed in the series and the first time he had driven an M-Sport Ford Fiesta S2000 in competition.

"The IRC is a good idea with good television and a good show," said Villagra. "By going with national championships they create a really good competition because you had more than 40 Group N cars competing together.

"At the moment I don't have any plans to do more IRC events but you never know for next year. Also I'd like to get the chance to race the Ford Fiesta again because I really liked it."


Federico Villagra wants to return to the IRC in the future


KCB Safari Rally report - 2010 ARC Round 2
Whyte extends lead with Safari Rally success

Zimbabweans Jamie Whyte and Phil Archenoul extended their lead in the FIA African
Rally Championship with a dominant win on the very muddy and mechanically demanding
KCB Kenyan Safari Rally.

Whyte and Archenoul, the defending African Rally Champions, were in control from the
word go, overcoming the horrendously wet and muddy conditions on Saturday to forge a
healthy lead over their nearest rival, Jas Mangat, from Tanzania.

There was some cause for concern when Whyte damaged the rear suspension on his
Subaru Impreza N10 but Mangat was destined to retire two stages from the end,
allowing a recovering Giancarlo Davite, the runner up in Tanzania a month before, to
take second position, a fine reward after loosing over ten minutes stuck in mud on
Saturday!

An ecstatic Jamie Whyte; for the second year in a row we’ve suffered suspension
problems so near the finish but at least we’ve collected maximum ARC points! The
road conditions on Saturday were the worst I have ever seen but it certainly makes
the Safari one of the toughest events I know!

The KCB Safari Rally, which also counted towards the Kenyan National Championship,
was won for the second time by local man Lee Rose in a Mitsubishi Evo 9, who ended
the three day event a staggering seven minutes ahead of Alistair Cavenagh, who
recovered well from a time consuming off road excursion on day two.

1. Lee Rose/Pier Daykins (Mitsubishi Evo 9) 142.01 mins
2. Alastair Cavenagh/Gavin Laurence (Mitsubishi Evo 9) 149.14
3. Jamie Whyte/Philip Archenoul(Subaru Impreza 149.29
4. Baldev Chager/Raju Sehmi (Subaru N12) 151.31,
5. Peter Horsey/Moses Matovu (Mitsubishi Lancer EVO9) 158.54
6. Ghalib Hajee/Surinder Sudle (Subaru Impreza) 170.44
7 Asad Khan/Salim Khan (Subaru Impreza) 175.29
8. Azar Anwar / Juluis Ngigi (Mitsubishi Evo8) 175.36
9. Susheel Shah/ Andy Nagi (Mitsubishi Evo 9) 177.05
10. Anthony Nielson/ Michael Ogwapit (Mitsubishi Evo 9) 178.42
11. Olivier Costa/Andrew Doig (Subaru Impreza N11)180.52
12. G Davite/S Vindevogel(Subaru Impreza 182.18
13. Ben Muchemi/Robert Kaugi (Subaru) 184.33
14. Alex Horsey/Frank Gitau (Mitsubishi Evo 9) 187.32
15. Dethise Alaine/Masafiri F(Subaru Impreza) 189.22
16. Sandeep Jandu/Gurdeep Mehangra (Subaru N10) 191.05
17. Pheneas Kimathi/Norris Ongalo (Subaru Impreza N10) 201.17
18. Randeep Lochab/Ravi Soni (Subaru Impreza) 202.18
18. Yogesh Patel/Keith Henrie (Subaru Impreza) 214.18
20. Amit Pandya/Sandy Ghir (Subaru Impreza) 218.50
21. Randip Lochab/Ravi Soni (Subaru Impreza) 258.28

ARC DRIVERS CHAMPIONSHIP 2010 - After Kenya Round 2
1. James WHYTE (Zimbabwe) 78 points
2. Giancarlo DAVITE (Rwanda) 53 points
3. Fitides CHRISTAKIS (Rwanda) 21 points
4. Alain DETHISE (Burundi) 21 points
5. Jas MANGAT (Uganda) 5 points

ARC NAVIGATORS CHAMPIONSHIP 2010 - After Kenya Round 2

1. Phil ARCHENOUL (Zimbabwe) 78 points
2. Sylvia VINDEVOGEL (Rwanda) 47 points
3. Moses MATOVU (Tanzania) 30 points
4. Guy DEKELVER (Rwanda) 21 points
5. Fabrice MASAFIRI (Burundi) 16 points
6. Olivier MEGANCK (Uganda) 3 points

MANUFACTURERS 2010 - After Kenya Round 2
1. Subaru 78 points
2. Mitsubishi 18 points