They made a cautious start on Friday and were fifth in class at the end of the day after the first five special stages. Their stage times improved as their confidence increased and they managed a second and third fastest time in two of Saturday’s seven stages, moving up two places on Saturday to finish on the podium.
Hutchison, the reigning national off road champion in the special vehicle class (he drives a monster V8-engined BAT Spec 3) impressed the regulars with his sensible approach and steady progress since his first appearance in rallying.
“We’re very pleased to have finished our first rally since deciding to contest the Sasol Rally Championship as well as the Absa Off Road championship this year,” said Hutchison, who is Motorite Racing’s team manager. “I was very disappointed not to have completed the Tour Natal season-opener in March after slipping off the road and getting stuck in the sugar cane. This time I was a little wiser and, forewarned that the Toyota Dealer Rally is traditionally a very fast event, I was extra careful not to leave the road.
“It was a difficult event – very fast. We managed to record some competitive times and I learnt a lot more about driving quickly and neatly on the dirt in a front wheel drive car. What was particularly pleasing was that we recorded our best times on stages that were new to all the competitors.
“Greg and I entered a round of the Northern Regions rally championship after the Tour Natal – to give me more seat time before the Toyota Dealer Rally and also to give Greg and I a chance to work together in the car after he missed the first national to be with his wife for the birth of their first child.
“We had a good outing in the North West Province (they retired with a broken gearbox while lying third overall and first in their class with one stage to go) and the experience proved to be very useful. I’m really enjoying rallying. It’s very different to off road racing, but the two forms of motor sport complement each other well.
“Thanks very much to Schalk Burger Jr for lending us a gearbox for this weekend. I’m feeling a lot more confident now and am looking forward to continuing my education in the Sasol Rally in Mpumalanga next month,” said Hutchison.
Motorite Racing is the motor sport division of Motorite Insurance Administrators, the largest independent mechanical breakdown insurance and full maintenance plan service provider and administrator in South Africa.
