It is time for the final rally in the 2006 Sasol National Championship series, where the men will be sorted from the boys, champions be crowned and tears of joy and sorrow be wiped away.
Toyota South Africa saw this fine opportunity to once again become a serious player in the event sponsorship arena, when they decided to sponsor the Pretoria Motor Club’s primary event.
This year, or rather more specific, next weekend on the 20th and 21st of October 2006 the Toyota Tzaneen Rally will take place as the major South African sporting event of the weekend! For the first time in many years it need not stand back for the Currie Cup final, and all the motorsport and more specific lovers of the most exciting and adventurous form of the sport, will be able to follow the incredibly quick and powerful cars through the forests of Tzaneen, without having to worry about the rugby score.
There are many extremely exciting “spectator points” where motorsport fans will be able to experience the reason why millions of people in Europe have made rallying the biggest spectator spectacle in many countries.
The S2000 class, although Enzo Kuun has already clinched the championship will especially be more like the Battle of the Bush, than a sporting event.
Serge Damseaux who is close to the end of his career may even call it a day after this event and this may be the last time you will be able to see him behind the steering wheel of a Toyota driven in anger! Outgoing 2005 champion Jan Habig, will not take the loss of his championship lightly and he will be going all out in the BP Polo to prove that it was not his fault that he did not defend his title successfully. Etienne Lourens will want to protect his third position on the championship ladder but will also want to win this rally overall again as he did a few years ago, driving a much less powerful A7 Toyota.
Then there is also the matter of the seeding list! After his brilliant performance in the Cape, Serge Damseaux is once again on top of the South African Driver seeding list with a “handicap” of 1.011 against second placed Enzo Kuun’s 1.015. Habig is 3rd best according to the latest seeding list, while wild card Hergen Fekken who has been knocking on the overall victory door the whole year has improved his “A7” seeding to 1.017.
Team Total’s Etienne Lourens is slightly off the mark due to the fact that he refused to give up in rallies where he experienced problems. His perseverance meant that he slid down the seeding list while trying to get through stages, sometimes on almost idle speed!
In Class A7 Charl Wilken driving one of the Team Castrol Toyota RunX’s will not be able to relax for a moment if he wants to go home from Tzaneen as the new Class A7 champion. The young and talented Jon Williams will be there all the way from Cape Town to try and grab the A7 championship in his maiden Class A7 year! The two teams are only 2 points apart and whoever finishes first will be the new champion or there may even be a draw – which as you know after this Saturday is like pretending to be happy when you receive socks for Xmas!
In the 2006 Production car class Nicolas Ryan should take the title back to the Subaru camp while second place in this category will go to either the Sasol Mitsubishi Evo 8 driver, Johnny Gemmel or to Total’s Fernando Rueda in the latest Evo 9. There are also only two points difference between these two drivers, but while on form Gemmel should not have serious problems defending second place he is not know to be easily satisfied with second best and impossible as it may seem, he will probably be going for an overall win to get to the consistent but not as quick Nicolas Ryan in one go! It needs to be added that Gemmel is good, but a fete like this would be classified very close to a miracle as Ryan can be consistently fast on a good day.
A production class championship will mean a lot to Subaru and will slot in nicely with their increasing sales.
In Class N3 Chris de Wit once again built a handsome lead and he will probably take to Class honours in 2006, but this is one of the classes where “small” things like that do not matter. It is worth a trip from Cape Town to Tzaneen to come and watch the war between some of the most talented young drivers in our country.
Local ace Mohammed Moosa grew up in the Tzaneen bushes – although his parents managed to tame him and turn him into a very successful businessman, he tends to forget his upbringing behind the steering of his N3 Total Toyota! “Mo” as he is affectionately known must be seen as the find of the 2006 season, but his light is slightly dimmed the moment his rivals in the form of super quick Claudio Piazza-Musso and unpredictable Kobus Roos comes onto the stage! Man, oh man, if you add the speed and style of class championship leader Chris de Wit to this pot you have what real rally lovers will kill for! This private little war causes headaches for drivers in higher classes and much more powerful cars, and to place the proverbial cherry on top, Piazza-Musso can still win the championship if de Wit misses a beat!
In A5 both Gugu Zulu and Etienne Malherbe can still reel in defending champion Michael Houghton, but Houghton will not easily let go after his hard work to make up points this year. Zulu however is getting quicker all the time, while Malherbe can produce serious speed when he gets going.
The A6 title fight will be between Craig Trott who had to work very hard in his Total Toyota this year to stay ahead of the fully sponsored Castrol Toyota driven by Mark Cronje. The latter is also a works Off-road driver for the same team.
In N2 Mike Nathan can still catch KwaZulu driver Kosta Koumantarakis according to the latest MSA points standings and given half a chance Nathan will do just that.
ROUTE NOTES
The South African rally competitors have had the pleasure to drive both the Osram and Subaru Rallies earlier this year on the new Route Note system, and will now have the opportunity to enter the Tzaneen plantations also armed with Route Notes.
This system has been used for more than 12 years in Europe but due to various problems in the past, so called “notes” were kept away from the South Africa teams placing young drivers at a huge disadvantage against more experienced crews.
The technical nature of the Tzaneen forests means that navigators will have to make more than 7700 calls during the two days and drivers will have to remember the calls in the sequence they come.
The Route Notes did bring down the seeding of most drivers who did not experience problems during the two mentioned events, and it is expected that Tzaneen will be the real test.
The incredible number of calls will however become a nightmare for teams who lose their place – and if the competitors decide to continue with the system for 2007 good navigators will become worth their weight in gold.
Almost every dip, bump, corner and rock in the route has been described and teams who are able to apply this precious information best, will gain a huge advantage. One has to look at the top combinations such as Serge Damseaux and Robert Paisley – who were unbeatable in the Cape, running like the proverbial Toyota train though the stages dictating the pace, while during the Osram rally in the Free State Jan Habig and Douglas Judd set an incredible pace through the stages in their BP Polo.
In the smaller classes Claudio Piazza-Musso and Greg Gericke seems to be getting it right, while Mohammed Moosa and Henry Dearlove are also not doing badly in the lesser classes.
The Toyota Tzaneen Rally will however be the first real test and as we write this article the teams are studying the four hour long DVD comparing it with the 185 pages of intense Notes preparing to tackle what is arguably the toughest rally in South Africa.
RAIN
It is currently dry in the Tzaneen area, but according to the weather bureau there is 30% chance of thunder storms from Wednesday to Saturday, with the best chance (60%) of rain on Thursday. The question is; what will it mean if it rains?
Light rain on any day this week, up to Thursday will be “acceptable” but any heavy rain on Thursday, Friday or Saturday will simply cause havoc. The roads in this area are slippery at best, but spit in a corner and you are likely to take pictures for the latest Havoc film. The roads in the plantations take up to a week to dry out, but the problem is that this does not happen consistently.
The biggest challenge facing drivers is that the shadowy parts, normally in corners, may be soaking wet while the straights where these cars accelerate like rockets are dry. When the unsuspecting driver touch the brakes to slow down for the corner he is greeted with that feared feeling that the car is actually accelerating, rather than braking. The fact that trees do not show any fear by jumping out of the road does not help!
If you have not booked your place in the Tzaneen area for Friday and Saturday yet, you may only be able to find accommodation in Pietersburg which is only 80 kms from the action anyway.
Don’t miss this opportunity to see the best rally action South Africa can offer!
For more information please visit the www.rallystar.co.za website where news will be posted every day. You can also register to receive results of the rally by sending your information to [email protected] Subject: Please update me on the Toyota Tzaneen Rally, with your name and cell number.
The first stage of the rally starts at around 11h15 on the Modjadji Road about 14kms from Tzaneen.
Spectator guide included below for your convenience.
Directions to the Spectator Viewpoints
Day 1 – Friday 20 October 2006
STAGE 1 BIRDS First car due: 11h12
Exit Tzaneen on the R71/Gravelotte road, past the Tzaneen Show Grounds. After +- 1 km, turn left towards Deerpark. After +- 5 kms, turn left (no sign post). Proceed for +- 2,5 kms until “T” junction. At “T” junction, turn right towards Modjadji and proceed along road for +- 4,6 kms until gravel road on RIGHT next to sign Eagles Nest. Park on either side of gravel road. Spectator Viewpoint is 100 metres up the hill at sharp hairpin corner.
STAGE 2 TRIANGLE First car due: 11h27
Follow the directions to the Spectator Viewpoint of Stage 1 until 4,6 kms (at sign Eagles Nest). At this point, proceed straight on towards Modjadji for another +- 4 kms until Kilo post 11. Park along edge of road. Spectator Viewpoint is along far LHS of tar road.
STAGE 3 GREY MIST
No spectating on this stage.
STAGE 4 MINESHAFT First car due: 14h37
Return to Tzaneen on the R36 Duivelskloof road. Ignore the off ramp to R528/Polokwane and R71/Tzaneen and proceed along the R36/Lydenburg road. At the 3 way stop, proceed straight on. At the 4 way stop with Sasol Garage on the right and Ben Vorster School on the left, turn right into Circle Drive. After another +- 1,3 km, at the multiple intersection, turn right onto Claude Wheatley road (exercise caution at this junction). After 500 metres, crossroads, proceed straight on and exit Tzaneen on the D589 towards Agatha past Flora Park. Keep on this road for +- 2,8 kms, turn right through gateposts and proceed along gravel track. After +- 1 km and just after Shooting Range on LHS, turn left through gate posts (ignore gravel track on Right just after gate posts); proceed for further 450 metres until junction. Spectator Viewpoint is at this junction. Cars travel down the “mineshaft” and turn 90 degree left.
STAGE 5 ROOIKOPPIES First car due: 15h35
Exit Tzaneen on the R36/Duivelskloof road, after +- 4,6 kms turn left on the R71 towards Polokwane (no road sign at this junction). After +- 6,5 kms, turn right onto gravel road into the tea plantation opposite sign Commonwealth Plantations. Proceed along gravel road for 240 metres until “Y” junction (just after bridge). Park here and proceed on foot up the gravel track (the track is too narrow for vehicles) for 230 metres until junction. Cars come down the plantation track, over the narrow canal bridge, into 90-degree left and proceed along the canal road.
Day 2 – Saturday 21 October 2006
STAGE 6 SHOW GROUNDS 1 First car due: 08h02
Exit Tzaneen on the R71/Gravelotte road from the 4 way stop towards Gravelotte for +- 600 metres until Tzaneen Show Grounds. Turn left into the entrance. Turn left downhill onto the Golf range. Spectator cars will NOT be allowed into the actual show grounds.
STAGE 7 ELDAM First car due: 08h19
Exit Tzaneen on the R71/Gravelotte road, past the Tzaneen Show Grounds. After +- 1 km, turn left towards Deerpark. After +- 5 kms, turn left (no sign post). Proceed for +- 2,5 kms until “T” junction. At “T” junction, turn left towards Politsi and proceed towards bridge. Spectator Viewpoint is at the bridge as the cars pass under the bridge.
OR
Exit Tzaneen on the R36/Duivelskloof road. After +- 8 kms, turn right towards Modjadji; proceed for +- 8,2 kms until bridge
STAGE 8 MINESHAFT First car due: 09h33
Return to Tzaneen on the R36 Duivelskloof road. Ignore the off ramp to R528/Polokwane and R71/Tzaneen and proceed along the R36/Lydenburg road. At the 3 way stop, proceed straight on. At the 4 way stop with Sasol Garage on the right and Ben Vorster School on the left, turn right into Circle Drive. After another +- 1,3 km, at the multiple intersection, turn right onto Claude Wheatley road (exercise caution at this junction). After 500 metres, crossroads proceed straight on and exit Tzaneen on the D589 towards Agatha past Flora Park. Keep on this road for +- 2,8 kms, turn right through gateposts and proceed along gravel track. After +- 1 km and just after Shooting Range on LHS, turn left through gate posts (ignore gravel track on RIGHT just after gate posts); proceed for further 450 metres until junction. Spectator Viewpoint is at this junction.
Cars travel down the “mineshaft” and turn 90 degree left.
STAGE 9 FOREST HILL
No spectating on this stage.
STAGE 10 ELDORADO First car due: 11h05
Exit Tzaneen on the R71/Gravelotte road, past the Tzaneen Show Grounds. After +- 1 km, turn left towards Deerpark. After +- 5 kms, turn left (no sign post). Proceed for +- 2,5 kms until “T” junction. At “T” junction, turn left towards Politsi and proceed towards bridge. Spectator Viewpoint is at the bridge. The cars come from the East side of the bridge, turn left just before the bridge and up to the flying finish just inside the plantation.
OR
Exit Tzaneen on the R36/Duivelskloof road. After +- 8 kms, turn right towards Modjadji; proceed for +- 8,2 kms until bridge
STAGE 11 NEW KEET First car due: 12h01
Spectator Viewpoint “A”
Exit Tzaneen on the R36/Duivelskloof road for +- 8 kms. At crossroads, turn left towards Politsi. A further 50 metres along road, turn hairpin left onto gravel track. Spectator Viewpoint is from the railway line down the far slope. At the request of the respective landowners, Komatiland Forests and Northern Timbers, do NOT walk into their plantations.
Spectator Viewpoint “B”
Exit Tzaneen on the R36/Duivelskloof road for +- 7 kms. Turn right next to sign JDM Keet (the Service Park is on your RIGHT). Proceed along road for +-400 metres until firebreak. Spectator Viewpoint is at the firebreak. Excellent viewing of the cars coming towards the firebreak and through a 90-degree right turn. The cars then travel along the edge of the plantation next to the tar road up to the flying finish.
STAGE 12 DAM First car due: 13h08
Exit Tzaneen on the R71/Gravelotte road, past the Tzaneen Show Grounds. After +- 1 km, turn left towards Deerpark. After +- 5 kms, turn left (no sign post). Proceed for +- 2,5 kms until “T” junction. At “T” junction, turn left towards Politsi and proceed towards bridge. Spectator Viewpoint is at the bridge as the cars pass under the bridge.
OR
Exit Tzaneen on the R36/Duivelskloof road. After +- 8 kms, turn right towards Modjadji; proceed for +- 8,2 kms until bridge.
STAGE 13 AGATHA
No spectating on this stage.
STAGE 14 SHOW GROUNDS 2 First car due: 15h19
Exit Tzaneen on the R71/Gravelotte road from the 4 way stop towards Gravelotte for +- 600 metres until Tzaneen Show Grounds. Turn left into the entrance. Turn left downhill onto the Golf range. Spectator cars will NOT be allowed into the actual show grounds.
