Sasol-sponsored teams taking part in the Western Cape’s second national championship rally include defending production car champion Johnny Gemmell and stand-in co-driver Peter Marsh in their class N4 Sasol Mitsubishi Lancer, the Sasol Toyota rally team of Kobus Roos/Niel Fourie and Claudio Piazza-Musso/Greg Gericke in their class N3 RunX’s competing in class N3, and veteran pairing Barry Grobbelaar/Mike Burrows in their class A7 Sasol Volkswagen Golf.
Piazza-Musso and Gericke are third in class N3 after their first class win of the year in last month’s Osram Rally in the Free State, where they edged out rivals Mohammed Moosa and Henry Dearlove (Toyota RunX) by a mere six seconds after a race-long duel on the dirt roads in the Dewetsdorp area near Bloemfontein.
With one race remaining (the PMC’S Tzaneen Rally in October), Piazza-Musso and Gericke have 22 points and are just one point behind Moosa/Dearlove and 14 points behind championship leaders Chris de Wet/Patrick Yende (Toyota RunX).
With former champion Rodney Visagie on 20 points, a four-way battle for class honours can be expected this weekend.
There are a total of 18 points at stake in the last two events, so the Sasol Toyota pair has a mathematical chance of taking the title. A win on the Subaru Cape Rally on Saturday is essential, while De Witt and Yende only have to score four points to put the championship beyond reach.
Roos and Fourie, after their retirement from the Osram event, are no longer in championship contention – they are fifth in class N3 with 16 points – and will be doing their best to help their Sasol Toyota team-mates by finishing in front of De Witt and Moosa in the Western Cape this weekend.
Gemmell and regular co-driver Snyman are currently third in the overall production car championship, six points behind Visser du Plessis/Dave Lewkowicz and 28 behind Nicholas Ryan following their non-finish in the recent Osram Rally.
Snyman hurt his neck when the Sasol-backed Mitsubishi went off the road while the pair were comfortably leading the production car category in the Free State event and has been advised by his doctor not to compete this weekend. His place will be taken by Zimbabwean Marsh.
In the class N4 championship, Ryan leads Gemmell by nine points (31 to 22) with Du Plessis just a single point behind, so a three-way battle can be expected in the Moorreesburg, Darling and Riebeek West areas, where this weekend’s event is taking place.
The fourth Sasol-backed team of Barry Grobbelaar and Mike Burrows in their Volkswagen Golf dropped to fifth in class A7 for modified cars, 28 points behind leaders Jean-Pierre Damseaux and Cobus Vrey after missing the Osram Rally due to illness in Grobbelaar’s family.
Burrows is unable to compete this weekend because of work commitments and Grobbelaar will be accompanied by multiple former class N3 champion navigator Carolyn Swan.
The Subaru Cape Rally is organised by the Cape Peninsula Motorcycle and Car Club and will take competitors through six special stages in the Riebeek Wes and Potsdam areas (three of the stages will be held at the Western Province Motor Club’s Killarney circuit) on Friday, followed by another five stages in the Darling and Moorreesburg areas with the final stage at Killarney.
All you need to know about the Sasol SA Rally Championship can be obtained at www.sasolracing.co.za.
