Reigning South African rally champions Mark Cronje and Robin Houghton won round two of the 2013 National Rally Championship. The Sasol Rally, hosted in Mpumalanga, was run in the soggiest of conditions as the heavens opened up on the first day and the rain did not dissipate until the very end of the event.
“What a rally! It rained non-stop and we’ve certainly not had it easy – we’ve worked our butts off and had a few moments when we were right on the edge,” commented Cronje after his 11th win in the premier S2000 category. “This is the longest event on the calendar and it isn’t over until the fat lady sings… you certainly can’t ever get complacent.”
The pair took the win ahead of guest Ford team-mates Matthew Wilson (son of rally legend and M-sport founder Malcolm) and Chris Patterson who held the rally lead overnight. In third place was the Yaris of Leeroy Poulter and Elvene Coetzee, claiming the first podium finish for the little Toyota.
The British pair was quick through the opening day and seemed to enjoy the inclement weather and poor visibility more than the local crews. Cronje and Houghton kept pace with their team-mates and the leading Fords eked out over a minute over the chasing field.
Wilson/Patterson relinquished the lead on day two as their demister played up in the cool conditions, which caused condensation on the inside of their windscreen. Cronje/Houghton seized the chance and ate away the deficit to claim the rally lead. The incessant rain made conditions exceptionally difficult as cars scrabbled for grip in the slushy conditions.
“It was crazy – maybe the first time I’ve really felt scared in a rally car,” Cronje confided. “One minute we were going straight down the road, and the next minute we were heading for the trees. There was just zero traction. It was the right call to cancel stages – I just wish it had been taken earlier.”
Cronje was referring to cancellation of the 13th and 14th stages after organisers deemed them to be too dangerous. Cronje/Houghton’s advantage after 173,1 km of stage distance (reduced from the planned 210,7 km as a result of the cancellations) was one minute and nine seconds ahead of the second Ford Fiesta.
“We’re on a roll now, and want to continue the momentum to the next event, which takes place in Gauteng at the end of May. Though the conditions will be vastly different, what we’ve learnt here in Mpumalanga will certainly enable us to continue our process of improvement.”
Cronje and Houghton’s victory was their second of the season which gives them a 12 point lead in the 2013 championship.
The rally ended at its traditional Nelspruit Showground “stadium” stage. Shortly after the front runners completed their runs the rally organisers saw fit to host the podium ceremony, doing so while the tail-end of the field were still competing.
I feel that this showed a lack of respect for the hard-working, ever-present privateers who, in most cases, fund their own efforts with little or no sponsorship. Fittingly, the assembled race fans ignored the “big wig” of some unknown committee who mumbled through a barely audible presentation ceremony. The crowds whooped and cheered for the sideways action of local heroes in the older rally machines, which frankly, put up as much of a spectacle as the front-running cars.
