PREVIEW: VOLKSWAGEN RALLY (20-21 JULY)
The factory entered Castrol Toyota rally team heads into market rival Volkswagen’s back yard for their eponymous rally, round five of the Sasol SA Rally Championship. Leading the overall championship fight, and class S2000 as well as the class A7 title battles is the three-car Castrol Toyota team, preparing for a tough weekend’s rallying across the Eastern Cape seaboard.
Ten times SA driver’s rally championship winner, Serge Damseaux and co-driver Robert Paisley have powered their S2000 Castrol Toyota RunX RSi to a four point advantage at the half way mark of their 2007 campaign with 75 points against their names thanks to a win on the opening round and a pair of second places.
Their closest rivals, Enzo Kuun/Guy Hodgson and Hergen Fekken/Pierre Arries, both in Volkswagens, are respectively four and five points adrift.
“It’s way too early to be thinking about the championship yet”, says Serge of the forthcoming event. “Super 2000 is so close these days, we swap positions by the stage, and it’s getting closer all the time, as can be seen by the times on the Total Rally last month. I need to have more Toyotas between me and the Volkswagens to give us a bit of breathing space. The top of the championship table is very crowded at the moment.”
“Outside factors such as road position, dust and if there is a breeze or not can determine the outcome these days. We lost so much time in dust in the first stage on the Total Rally that it cost us the win. This year is very exciting and one of the best championships I can remember”, says the 72 times rally winner.
“As for the Volkswagen Rally, it’s been pretty good to me in terms of results (10 wins), so I’m looking forward to it. I’m not that keen on the mix of tar and gravel stages in the same event. There’s not a lot you can do to change the car’s set up for tar, change it for gravel, and back again for tar. Set up will be a bit of a compromise”, Serge suggested.
Johnny Gemmell and Peter Marsh have some ground to catch up after retiring from the last two events. The newcomer to the Castrol Toyota squad has a second S2000 RunX RSi, but has already given Toyota their first win and wants to add more to the tally.
“We’ve been very unlucky in the last two rounds”, Johnny explained. “I made a small mistake in Natal and got severely punished for it, while a small problem put us out of the Total Rally. It’s a brilliant car and team, and I’ve had some good results on the VW Rally in the past. I’m looking forward to the challenge and hope we get through it unscathed this time”.
Johnny continued: “The special stage at the Scribante race track will be interesting. Rallying on a racing circuit can be boring, but if we have multiple cars on the track then you can have a really exciting time in the cockpit, racing against direct rivals”.
The Castrol Toyota team has one hand on the class A7 championship trophy courtesy of Mark Cronje, Chris Birkin and their remarkable Castrol Toyota RunX RSi. Four class wins from four starts is their tally to date, giving them 36 points against their nearest rivals’ 14.
“I’m hoping we can test a bit before the time to find a decent tarmac set up for our RunX which will help us go a lot quicker on the tar stages. Our main aim is to wrap up the championship as soon as possible. Then we can concentrate on getting more out of the RunX on the remaining events”, Mark said.
The former track racer, when he learnt there are six tar stages to tackle, said: “Fantastic! I love the fast tar stuff. My first passion was and always will be track racing so I hope we can build up a comfortable lead before we get to the gravel stages”.
The top two-wheel drive rally car in the country will boast a brand new engine for the Eastern Cape event. “I’m looking forward to the power kick again. Whatever happens, we’ll give it hell”, Mark concluded.
The factory Toyota team will be well backed up – even challenged for overall victory – by the 10 car Team Total Toyota squad. Heading the Total line-up is Etienne Lourens and Andre Vermeulen in their S2000 Toyota RunX RSi, first on the road on the Sasol Rally but penalized down the final results sheet. It still haunts the Centurion pairing and they are keen to lay that ghost to rest with the winner’s champagne in their hands.
Jean-Pierre Damseaux and Cobus Vrey are newcomers to the top echelons of rallying this season and have acquitted themselves very well. The S2000 Team Total Toyota RunX RSi duo have three consecutive fourth place results to their credit and continue to learn about top-class rally Toyotas on every outing.
The sole Team Total representative in class A7, Chris de Wit, will miss this event as he is under doctor’s orders to rest.
Class A6 sees three Team Total-backed Toyotas in the fight for the class title. Currently, former class champion and Team Total stalwart Craig Trott and Carolyn Swan are in the lead by 11 points with the newcomer to Toyota, Salie du Toit/Gert van Rensburg fast closing up in their similar Team Total Toyota RunX.
Eugene Lourens/Derek Jacobs are under pressure to keep pace with the newer RunXs, so the 16-year-old Team Total Toyota Conquest pair will be hard pressed to make it onto the podium.
In class A5, Vusi Mabanga/Danie Strydom (Team Total Toyota Tazz) are aiming to repeat their class podium position in their last outing but face a barrage of competition from an expanded 12 car class entry.
In the production car challenge Team Total’s trio of class N3 Toyota RunXs face the giant-killing performances of privateer Kosta Koumantarakis/Barry White’s RunX. Michael Houghton/Hennie Botes have a five-point advantage over Koumantarakis, while Rodney Visagie/Arno Lagrange took their Total RunX to top honours on the Total Rally to draw level on points in 2nd place.
Mohammed Moosa/Henry Dearlove, in the third Team Total Toyota entry, must end their string of three non-finishes to get back on terms with the leaders.
Class N2 sees Capetonian Etienne du Toit/Patrick Vermaak (McCarthy Toyota Corolla) with 27 points, some 21 ahead of their only rival to date. They face a new challenge on the VW Rally from the Mitsubishi of Steve White/Ashley Haigh Smith.
The Volkswagen Rally consists of 16 stages, starting from the manufacturer’s Auto Pavilion in Uitenhage at 11am on Friday, 20 July. The route takes in 4 tar stages around the industrial area before heading to the Longmore Forest. The final stage of the day is a blast through the streets of Jeffrey’s Bay at 19h00, always a favourite with fans. Saturday’s action largely takes place in Longmore Forest, with a fantastic opportunity for spectators to see a unique stage at Port Elizabeth’s new oval racing track. The ever-popular King’s Beach stage completes the event.
