s e k a r b Hand s n i p r i a H & of rallying ld r o w e h t o t in t h your insig
Issue 178 • 14 April 2011
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MINI WRC Team has officially launched Start Ramp Service Park Parc Ferme
WRC Jordan Rally news, updates and preview Dakar Rally goes electric in 2012 Sasol Rally previewed
“It’s been a process of collaboration and everyone is committed to making the Jordan Rally a success” - Simon Larkin, North One Sport.
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Contributors RallyBuzz, Motorpics, Newspress, Liga Stirna, Kriss Karnitis and Olivia Gauch. All content copyrighted property of HANDBRAKES & HAIRPINS, 2007-11. This publication is fully protected by copyright and nothing may be reprinted in whole or in part without written permission from the editor. While reasonable precautions have been taken to ensure the accuracy of information from sources and given to readers, the editor cannot accept responsibility for any inconvenience or damage that may arise therefrom.
06 08 10 12
MINI WRC Team launched Ken Block launches Dirt 3 videogame Competitors ready for Sasol Rally 2011 Dakar Rally to go electric in 2012
14 Events 12 14
SAORRC Toyota Dealer 400 review SARC Sasol Rally 2011 preview IRC Rally Islas Canarias preview
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Jimmy McRae New route for back in Porsche Wales Rally GB Words: Evan Rothman
Words: Staff Writer
Following on the recent success of Francois Delecour in the Tuthill Porsche Challenge 911 in the Bulldog Historic Challenge Rally, series runners Tuthill Porsche have announced that Jimmy McRae will take to the Pirelli Historic Rally’s stages on 30 April. The 67-year-old Scotsman will replace Andrew Barnes in one of the two JLT Rally Team-backed entries. Barnes has a prior commitment and the JLT team has invited McRae, a five-time British Rally Champion, to deputise. McRae, from Lanarkshire and father to Colin and Alister, has driven on a number of rallies for Tuthill Porsche, the U.K.’s foremost preparation firm of historic Porsche rally cars, and finished second overall on last year’s Karcher Summer Stages Historic Rally in Barbados, winning his class in the process with the Banbury-based operation. “It’s great to have Jimmy back in one of our cars and driving in the Tuthill Porsche Challenge,” said Tuthill Porsche director and Challenge founder Richard Tuthill. “Jimmy has driven for us on plenty of occasions in the past and it goes without saying that he has lots of experience.” McRae, who will be co-driven by Pauline Gullick, said: “Nobody knows historic Porsches better than Tuthill Porsche. The desire is always there to drive. The Kielder Forest is a great place to go rallying and Tuthill Porsche always prepares a good car.” John Lloyd, who finished second on the Tuthill Porsche Challenge opener, the Bulldog Historic Rally, said he was delighted to call on McRae and Gullick’s services. “Pauline has co-driven for me in the past and Jimmy has done a lot of events under the JLT banner, so I’m pleased to welcome them back into the team.” H&H
Wales Rally GB, Britain’s round of the FIA World Rally Championship, will visit a far greater proportion of Wales this November, with an opening stage on the legendary Great Orme set to kick off 2011’s Wales Rally GB. The event will also include central service at Builth Wells and forays to the classic forest stages of North and Mid Wales, culminating on the spectacular Epynt military ranges near Brecon. The Royal Welsh Agricultural Society’s (RWAS) permanent showground in Builth Wells, Powys will be home for the main service area, which will be under cover for the first time in recent years in Rally GB. The RWAS showground will also play host to the Shakedown on Wednesday, 9th November. The event gets underway on Thursday, 10th November in Llandudno, where two stages on the Great Orme Toll road – last used on the Lombard RAC Rally in 1981 – and one at Clocaenog – last used on the Network Q RAC Rally in 1996 – will make up the competitive mileage for the first day. An opening ceremony will take place outside the picturesque castle in Conwy in the early evening, before competitors and their cars return to Llandudno for overnight Parc Ferme. Friday will begin with an early morning start and the three stages in Dyfi Forest – first used on the 1961 Rally of Great Britain – before heading to Dyfnant Forest, south of Lake Vyrnwy and onto the RWAS showground for midday service. The loop will be repeated in the afternoon and competitors and their cars will stay overnight in Cardiff after travelling south from service in Builth Wells. On Saturday, 12th November, the event moves on to the much-loved stages in Hafren, Sweet Lamb and Myherin, before a repeat loop in the afternoon. The day will finish with a special stage in Cardiff Bay. Sunday will bring the 1,850 kilometre event – and the 13-round, 2011 FIA World Rally Championship – to a close. Six stages in total – including the FIA WRC ‘Power Stage’ which will be televised live – will be based around
Event News Breaking News
Epynt, centering on the Halfway, Crychan and Monument timed stages. After a final visit to Builth Wells for servicing, the surviving WRC teams and private competitors will head to Cardiff for the ceremonial finish in Cardiff Bay. Andrew Coe, chief executive of Wales Rally GB’s organiser, International Motor Sports Limited, is thrilled with the new route for 2011 – and commented: “It has always been a firm commitment of Wales Rally GB to innovate and bring new thinking to the British round of the FIA World Rally Championship. And, we are doing that this year by visiting a far larger part of Wales, as well as some of the most iconic stages in rallying history. “For 2011, we have tried hard to break the mould and give the event a fresh, re-invigorated approach. There is an extremely strong relationship between us and the Welsh Assembly Government and, as a team, they were supportive of our desire to take the event to the north of Wales.” H&H
R4 IS GO! Words: Staff Writer MML Sports Ltd has confirmed that the official Mitsubishi kit of components to convert Group N Mitsubishi Lancer EvolutionX rally cars into the new international specification, R4, has now been homologated by the FIA. Following confirmation of its successful homologation, MML Sports, charged by Mitsubishi Motor Company and working in partnership with Ralliart Italy, will begin large scale production of the components to satisfy demand for the new breed of rally cars. MML Sports has been working with Ralliart Italy for some time to develop and finalise the specification of the Mitsubishi R4 kit of components and is delighted that the FIA has accepted the components and agreed homologation. Fundamentally, the R4 specification allows a range of lightweight parts to replace what are standard or road-going components on the Group N car. For example, a heated windscreen can be used, eliminating the need for a heater/blower to keep the front screen free from misting in damp conditions. The rear windscreen and door windows can be replaced with Perspex while several of the car’s
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Issue 178 • 14 Apr 2011 • Page 05
original suspension components can also be replaced with fabricated items, reducing weight and allowing for better suspension geometry. MML Sports is anticipating that, comparing like for like, an R4 version of the Lancer Evolution X will weigh in the region of 60kg less than a Group N version. The company also estimates that, based on previous experience and testing, this will equate to a performance advantage in the region of 0.5 sec per kilometre, depending on the stage conditions and the surface. MML Sports Managing Director, John Easton, said: “I am delighted that the R4 components have been successfully homologated. This means that we can now begin large-scale production of the components and I anticipate full kits will be ready for shipping by mid/late April. We already have several customers who have pre-ordered kits and they are keen to reap the benefits that we expect from converting to R4 specification. With these schedules and the relatively fast conversion from GpN to R4, which we would expect to take no more than a couple of days, potentially teams could have R4 EvoXs ready for the third round of the FIA SWRC, Rally d’Italia or the third round of the IRC, in France.” MML Sports is also in the process of building its own R4 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X which will debut soon, at the hands of a well-known driver, to demonstrate the car’s potential. More information MML Sports’ website which is available at: http://www.mml-sports.com. H&H
SPECIAL REPORT: WRC Jordan Rally news update Words: Evan Rothman Last night’s hopes of the boat carrying the WRC trucks and equipment docking were not realised. This time, a storm off the coast of Haifa, Israel was the reason, further delaying the arrival
and transport of the WRC circus to Jordan Rally headquarters. The event’s Day One recce went ahead, albeit with non-recce cars and in standard 4WD vehicles, with organisers pulling out all the stops to enable the event to go ahead. Speaking to www.wrc.com last night, North One Sport event manager Simon Larkin said: “Thanks to the cooperative and open-minded approach of all the stakeholders we have been able to make progress in spite of the logistical challenges.” “This has been a 100 per cent collaborative decision, starting with consultation with the FIA, the teams and rally organisers during the last event,” said Larkin. “We chose this route because it was the only realistic option from a cost and timing perspective. Any other option would have ruled out all but the two manufacturer teams from participating. “We wanted this to be a collective solution so that nobody got left behind. As a sport we have to recognise the needs of all the competitors, not just the ones at the front.” The boat is expected to be unloaded this morning (Wednesday) and all equipment and trucks will then only reach Service Park in Jordan late this afternoon ahead of the rally’s start tomorrow. A meeting at 22h00 last night to decide certain aspects of the event has revealed that the teams and organisers will once again meet at 11h00 today to determine a new schedule for the event. To qualify for FIA’s regulations for WRC events, a route has to complete 66 percent of the standard route set out by the WRC. This means that simply cancelling a leg of the rally will not be allowed for the event, but the organisers and teams are working on creative solutions to work around this problem should it arise. “It’s been a process of collaboration and everyone is committed to making the Jordan Rally a success,” said Larkin. This event has proved to be a demanding event, with its highspeed gravel tests and hard-compacted surface. Sebastien Ogier/Julien Ingrassia (Citroen Total World Rally Team) won the last outing in Portugal and will be
looking to carry that momentum through to the finish of this weekend’s event. Stiffest competition will come from his teammates Sebastien Loeb/Daniel Elena, but the Ford Fiesta RS WRC of Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team’s Mikko Hirvonen/Jarmo Lehtinen and Jari-Matti Latvala/Miika Anttila will be aiming to bring their team the silverware. Petter Solberg/Chris Patterson (Petter Solberg World Rally Team) will most likely be a threat for a podium position, and will be fighting off M-Sport Ford World Rally Team’s Mads Ostberg, Matthew Wilson and Henning Solberg. This the fourth round of the 2011 World Rally Championship makes its third appearance on the calendar and is unique in that the majority of stages are run 400m below sea level. Currently being overshadowed by the drama of the logistical problems faced by the teams, the rally offers much in the way of rally action, excitement and close rallying. H&H
THIS WEEK’S BEST VIDEO << Watch Ken Block and Mikko Hirvonen in action at the recent Dirt 3: Gymkhana Uncovered launch at London’s Battersea Power Station: http://youtu.be/FNCrh7hW_6I At the top of each page, a tabbed section contains video clicks we recommend viewing. In other tabbed sections, we have linked articles posted on our website that will add more perspective and insight into the article it accompanies. Together with the videos, HANDBRAKES & HAIRPINS aims to offer readers a fully-interactive reading experience. Send evanrothman@gmail.com your favourite rallyrelated videos to to be featured in this section. Or, send us a twitter to @Evan_Rothman or a message on Facebook.
Interviews Features
Profiles Technical
MINI officially launches their 2011 WRC Team and Rally Car Words: Evan Rothman Pictures: MINI Motorsport The latest manufacturer and team to join the World Rally Championship was officially launched on Monday to the world’s press. The giant media machine that is BMW has for months, ever since their announcement of their WRC campaign, been churning out news, videos, pictures and spectacular media opportunities. With the iconic MINI badge driving their aims, and with the technological know-how from WRC Championship winners Prodrive, the MINI WRC Team is a welcome sight for rally fans the world over. MINI’s first WRC event for 2011 will be the Rally d’Italia Sardegna (5 - 8 May 2011), but the brand has already claimed their first win in Italy last week with an S2000 version of their rally car. The launch of the WRC team took place at the MINI plant in Oxford, U.K., where
the two drivers Dani Sordo and Kris Meeke revealed their six-event calendar to the assembled journalists, supporters and the industry’s biggest players. This season’s events will be used to gain experience and engineering insight into the MINI WRC Rally Car to makeit a championship contender for the full 2012 season. Drawing on a rich history of rallying success, with Paddy Hopkirk, Timo Makinen and Rauno Aaltonen having won the Rallye Monte Carlo at rhe helm of Mini Coope S machines in 1964, 1965 and 1967, Dani Sordo and Kris Meeke are proud to carry the MINI name back to the world’s rally stages. It was Hopkirk and Aaltonen who stole the initial spotlight at the glittering launch function, that is until the MINI John Cooper Works WRC drove onto the stage in its final World Rally Championship design as seen in the above photographs. “On the one hand, MINI can look back on a unique success story,”
said Ian Robertson, Member of the Board of Management of the BMW AG for Sales and Marketing. “On the other hand, MINI is the epitome of excitement for millions of fans around the world and thrills them with its energy. This is precisely what we are able to authentically represent through our motorsport involvement in the World Rally Championship. Thrilling rally events, ultimate performances by man and machine, and as much success as possible, of course: motorsport is pure emotion – just as MINI is for its fans.” David Richards, Chairman and Chief Executive, Prodrive Group, is also looking forward to the first rally for the new MINI John Cooper Works WRC. He said: “We have been working towards this moment for more than two years and it is truly exciting to be launching the MINI WRC Team and what I believe is the most stunning car in World Rallying, the MINI John Cooper Works WRC. We have an experienced team, a talented driver pairing and, most
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importantly of all, a strong partnership with MINI. We are now eagerly looking forward to demonstrating the performance of the car on its debut in Sardinia in just a few weeks.” “The excitement of everyone involved in the comeback of MINI to the rally stage is building with every day we get closer to our maiden rally appearance,” added Dirk Hollweg, Head of MINI Motorsport. “With the MINI WRC Team we not only want to please the loyal fans of the MINI brand, but also aim to address new motorsport enthusiasts. We want to thrill them with fascinating pictures, technical know-how and pure performance. In addition, the special MINI lifestyle is always part of the equation. For us, it’s always about a bit more than just motorsport. I think the rally fans will love it.” David Wilcock, Technical Director of the MINI WRC Team, presented the guests with the most important details of the MINI John Cooper Works WRC and said: “This team launch is really perfectly timed for us. We look back at some extremely demanding and busy months. Now we are entering the crucial phase of our preparation programme for the
first rally. We started the development of the MINI John Cooper Works WRC early. It was important to make sure the ratio between development and actual building of the car was right. Our goal was to maximise every area of performance we could get from the technical regulations. Our first rally appearances will show how well we achieved this. In any case I can say that the partnership between MINI, Prodrive and BMW Motorsport on the engine side is running exceptionally well, everyone is contributing to the project with a lot of enthusiasm.” Having already completed several thousand kilometres of tests behind the wheel of the MINI John Cooper Works WRC, drivers Kris Meeke and Dani Sordo can hardly wait to finally compete in the first rally for the MINI WRC Team. “This launch is the next milestone on the long way to our first rally,” said Meeke following the presentation of the car. “I cannot wait to get the season started. It’s nice for everyone in the team to see the result of their work presented in such a spectacular way. The heritage of MINI in motorsport is fantastic. Now we want to make sure we play our part in adding
some more chapters to the success story.” Sordo is also highly motivated ahead of his sixth season in the World Rally Championship. “It’s about time we get the ball rolling,” said the 2005 Junior World Rally Champion. “The break since my last rally has been long enough, now we want to show how good we are. Everything is new for me this year. Bearing this in mind, the additional time to get accustomed to my new environment has definitely been helpful. Now I’m really looking forward to the new challenge and to fight for strong results with the MINI John Cooper Works WRC.” The MINI John Cooper Works WRC is powered by a 1.6-litre turbo engine also used in MINI production cars, which was developed by BMW Motorsport for use in series complying with FIA S 2000 regulations, including the World Touring Car Championship. As well as being responsible for the works team’s MINI John Cooper Works WRC cars, Prodrive also supplies customer cars to teams lining up in the World Rally Championship. This applies to the WRC and S2000 versions of the new rally MINI. H&H
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Ken Block and Mikko Hirvonen star at Dirt 3 launch Words: Olivia Gauch Pictures: Newspress King of freestyle driving Ken Block was at Battersea Power Station in London for the Dirt 3 – Gymkhana Uncovered event. The award winning and oldest British games developers, Codemasters, release the anticipated Dirt 3 rally game on 24th May 2011 for Xbox 360, Playstation 3 and Games for Windows Live. Players will start as a seasoned professional in the off-road world and the game features more locations,
routes and over 50 rally cars. An addition is the ‘Gymkhana’ section, made famous by the American which involves ‘hooning’ around a specially set up route around various stunts and obstacles. The Monster World Rally Team driver is a YouTube sensation – Gymkhana 2 was 2009’s fourth most viewed viral video and in the game, players can publish their runs to the video-sharing website. As in Dirt 3, Block replicated this part of the game in the real world and under the sweltering sun and the four iconic chimneys at Battersea, he handbrake turned, jumped and drifted
his way around the obstacles in his Gymkhana Ford Focus RS World Rally Car, kicking up dirt and gravel in front of the crowds. Plenty of cameras captured the live driving from every angle, so watch out for the trailer coming soon! More stunts, action and plenty of dirt! H&H
G.B.S Survivors’ Network Southern Africa
Reaching out. Connecting survivors. This support group offers patients and survivors of G.B.S. (Guillain-Barré Syndrome) and C.I.D.P. (Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy) with: • emotional support and informational booklets • hospital/rehab visits to patients (when possible) • online network at http://gbsrsa.wordpress.com Your South African GBS/CIDP Foundation International Chapter is led by: •Evan Rothman •http://gbsrsa.wordpress.com •evanrothman@gmail.com •083 452 6892 GBS/CIDP Foundation International 104 1/2 Forest Avenue The Holly Building Narberth, PA 19072 www.gbs-cidp.org
Issue 178 • 14 Apr 2011 • Page 10
Competitors revving up for demanding Sasol Rally 2011 Words: Staff Writer Picture: Evan Rothman The skill of drivers and performance of their vehicles will once again come under the spotlight at the 2011 Sasol Rally where those who have been “born to perform” will cross the finish line first. Rally teams are preparing for the much-anticipated rally, which has become the pinnacle of rallies on the country’s annual motorsport calendar. This is South African petro-chemicals group Sasol’s 20th year as title sponsor of the three-day event, which flagsoff at 10h00 on 14 April in Sabie, Mpumalanga. This year’s rally is the second leg of the eight-round South African National Rally Championship and the second leg of the FIA African Rally Championship. For the first time, the Sasol Rally will feature participants from seven African countries outside of South Africa. More than twelve teams are expected to show their mettle through the timber forests and tar roads in Mpumalanga. Sasol Oil managing director, Alan Cameron, says Sasol is marking this year’s event with the sponsorship of
the Ford Rally team, which is made up of two class S2000 Ford Fiesta rally cars driven by Jon Williams and Mark Cronje, with their respective co-drivers Robin Houghton and Cobus Very. “The Sasol Rally has been an integral part of our lives over the past two decades. It’s a major event for Sasol and we are delighted to be able to share the experience with South Africans in general and the Mpumalanga community in particular. “We’re particularly excited about sponsoring Team Sasol. The new Ford Fiestas embody the technology and innovation that is the hallmark of our fuels and lubricants products, which are truly put to the test during Rally,” says Cameron. The new Team Sasol rally cars will serve as a “real-time laboratory” where Sasol Techno Oil and Sasol Turbo Fuels™ Plus are put to the ultimate test in a very stringent environment. In collaboration with the University of Cape Town, Sasol invests extensively in fuels research and development. This is evident through its state of the art fuels testing facility situated in Muizenberg, Cape Town. The output and knowledge gained from this research plays a significant role in fuelling the Motorsport
industry in South Africa. KaNyamazane will be included as a stage in the Sasol Rally starting at 15:00 on Saturday 16 April in front of the Ncakini Senior Secondary School. Cameron says this is the second consecutive year KaNyamazane has been included in the race. “This was done with the specific aim of ensuring that part of our community, not previously exposed to the sport, get the opportunity to share in the thrill of this event,” he says. Sasol will be actively engaging with the community on rally as a sport this year. A critical element to watching rally live is safety. Sasol will hold sessions with school children in KaNyamazane on the importance of safety when watching rally, as spectators are often located on the course. The Sasol Rally culminates at the Nelspruit Stadium where the prize giving will be held and all finishing teams applauded for their achievements. H&H
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Issue 178 • 14 Apr 2011 • Page 12
Dakar Rally to go electric with “Oscar eO” in 2012 Words: Liga Stirna Pictures: Kriss Karnitis Next year’s Dakar Rally will have something really unique on its entry list: its first electric-powered rally car built in Latvia, the “Oscar eO”, is the first type of this car in the world! This technical challenge was undertaken by the head of the OSC Engineering Centre, Latvian racing driver, inventor and engineer, Andris Dambis. Using the latest technological advances in the electric car field, Andris Dambis has built the electric car specifically for rally marathons such as the Dakar Rally. “Electric cars have been used in different races, but not in the Dakar Rally,” said Andris Dambis. “We will be
first. Goal of “Oscar eO” project is no more and no less than the participating in planet’s most challenging endurance race, the Dakar Rally in 2012. We have decided to participate there, reach the finish and to win.” “It sounds audacious, but we are really aiming at some kind of victory in Class for cars with an alternative type of drive,” states the project sponsor and participant of multiple Dakar Rallies, Māris Saukāns. “Oscar eO” will compete in a special Class introduced several years ago, but still not contested in the Dakar Rally. During his visit to the Dakar Rally organisers, the French company ASO, the Latvian rally team or “Team Latvia” received an enthusiastic reception. Any kind of assistance is promised for the
“Oscar eO” project because organizers of the rally, after discussions with Dambis and Saukāns, quickly realized that this project opens up new engineering and sporting perspectives with an environmental prospective so important for FIA. One of the major components of “Oscar eO”, no doubt, are the batteries. They will be exclusively delivered for this project from the Winston Battery company in China, which is one of the leading electric battery manufacturers in the world, “and better batteries we cannot imagine for my eO,” said Andris Dambis. With two powerful neodymium magnet electric motors with a total capacity of 180kW, “Oscar eO” will be able to develop a speed of 140km/h.
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It’s not much, but this time the task is not to compete with the big and rich manufacturers and private teams. “Temporarily, for about 45 seconds, the “Oscar eO” engines will be able to develop a capacity for up to 315kW. This is necessary to, for example, deal with ultra-high dunes, in the Atacama Desert region in Chile,” says Andris Dambis. With a fully charged battery in the difficult conditions of the Dakar Rally, “Oscar eO” will be able to make 150kilometres, but on easy sections - at least 300km. As the special stages in the Dakar Rally are usually several times longer, the car will be equipped with additional generators and powered by a small petrol engine. “Without this engine we can’t go otherwise we have to take another battery pack with us, but the entire car literally is already stuffed with them. We will also sit on the batteries, as part of them will be located just below
the cockpit,” explains the engineer. “Therefore, we chose the Nissan engine to produce the necessary electric power.” The petrol engine in “Oscar eO” will be equipped with a 200-litre fuel tank. “But the drive will be 100% electric,” says the creator of “Oscar eO”. “The gasoline engine won’t even be placed in the front of car, but in the back and will be connected only to an electric generator.” To test this new electric car in three month’s time, the test car will be built and based on a Nissan Navara pickup. As an added power source in the “Oscar eO”, shock absorbers will be designed by the project’s partner Donerre Amortisseur company in France. The company was established in 1994 by Pierre de Frenne after 20 years in race car suspension development. The company continues to work on a variety
of innovations and they currently own approximately 10 patents that provide a demonstrable appreciation in many motor sport disciplines. By joining “Oscar eO” project, Donerre Amortisseur wants to offer an effective solution for electricity generation using a damper oscillating motion with a view to obtaining alternative sources of energy for the charging of the batteries. The Dakar Rally 2012 will take place from 1 - 15 January in Argentina, Chile and, for the first time, in Peru. Participants will take in more than 9,000km along a very challenging route. The Latvian rally team plans to start with “Oscar eO”, “Oscar O3”support cars and technical assistance trucks. H&H
Event Reports Results
Tough weekend for off-road racers at Toyota Dealer 400 Words: Staff Writer Pictures: Motorpics Production Vehicle Category: Maiden win for Regent Racing Team Regent Racing Nissan Navara crew Mike Whitehouse and Mathew Carlson scored a stunning maiden victory on a dramatic Toyota Dealer 400 this past weekend. Bookmakers would have offered generous odds for a Whitehouse/Carlson victory, but a crew that has built up a reputation for reliability and consistency drove with their heads to simply grind the opposition into the Mpumalanga mud. Recent good rains in the area turned much of the course into a slippery slide with a couple of river crossings and mud holes wreaking havoc. Whitehouse and Carlson eventually finished a mammoth 22min ahead of Thomas Rundle/Juan Mohr (Barden Nissan Navara). There was also a first podium for reigning South African champions
Chris Visser/Japie Badenhorst in their second appearance for the Ford Racing Ranger factory team. Visser/Badenhorst produced a typically stubborn performance to finish well in areas behind the Barden entry. “We are ecstatic,” said Whitehouse afterwards. “We managed to run at a good pace throughout the race and avoided the troubles and pitfalls that hit other crews. When we realised we had a sniff at winning, we took the decision to simply keep it steady and not do anything stupid.” The treacherous conditions forced the organisers to alter the route after the second of the three loops that made up the race. This cut out a particularly problematic river crossing, and cars were regrouped before starting at one-minute intervals. The Team Castrol Toyota pair of Duncan Vos/Rob Howie led for much of the event before a late wrong slot cost them time. The pairing then rolled out
of contention 30km from the finish, with the same fate befalling Free State crew Pieter Ruthven/Rudi Britz in the Ruwacon Racing Toyota Hilux. Earlier Anthony Taylor/Chris Birkin, in the second Castrol Toyota Hilux, ran into the back of a Special Vehicle competitor, and radiator damage forced them to retire on the first of three loops that made up the race. There were only eight Production Vehicle finishers. Gutsy performances saw Dewald van Breda/ Johan de Klerk (Potch Plastics Toyota Hilux D4D), Gary Bertholdt/Andre Vermeulen (Atlas Copco Toyota Hilux) and Terence Marsh/George Smalberger, in the second Regent Racing Navara, finish fourth, fifth and sixth respectively in the premier SP Class. The final finishers also saw less fancied crews score maiden national victories. Brothers Sarel and Jack Oosthuizen (Land Rover), were the only finishers in Class D. And, in their first outing at National level Dirk Putter/Koos
Issue 178 • 14 Apr 2011 • Page 15
Klaasens (Toyota Hilux), were the only finishers in Class E. Special Vehicle Category: Sullwalds storm to victory Reigning South African champions Kallie and Quintin Sullwald won a war of attrition to score their first Special Vehicle Category victory this weekend. The father and son team, in the Elegant Fuel BAT, finished around 09min ahead of the husband-and-wife team of Marius and Jolinda Fourie (PHB BAT) who produced a superb result to finish second overall and first in Class P. It was a first podium and maiden Class P victory for the Fourie’s who are in their first full season of National competition. Herman and Wichard Sullwald (Sullwald Racing SVR) took the final podium position after what turned out to be a long day at the office for all the crews. The Sullwald’s suffered gearbox problems throughout the race, and finished the final 120km loop with the car stuck in third gear. “That was a tough race in tough conditions,” said Kallie Sullwald at the finish. “When we hit a tree on the final loop I thought we had crashed out of the race, but the car was not the slightest bit damaged. It was also a nightmare event for co-drivers, but Quintin was at the top of his game and never made a wrong call throughout the race.”
The Fourie’s have made a huge impression since moving up from the regional ranks, and never put a wheel wrong. They were a whopping 02hr 26min ahead of the next Class P car and reported clean run with a lone puncture their only hiccup. Only 13 finishers were among the Special Vehicle brigade. The high attrition rate produced a few surprises with Boela Botes/Johan Pretorius (Botes Vervoer BAT) and Jacques Wheeler/Siegfried Rousseau (Orangeworks BAT) completing the first five cars. Perseverance also paid off for KwaZuluNatal pair Clint Gibson and Gary Campbell who brought the Gibson Racing SVR into sixth place in their first outing of the season. They were followed by former SA champion Evan Hutchison and Danie Stassen (Motorite Revo 4×4), and brothers David and Gary White (Ruwacon Racing BAT) who both scored their first points of the season. The top ten were completed by two Class P entries in the hands of rookie Richard Fuller/Geoff Minnitt (Atlas Copco BAT) and Nick Goslar/Joe Lima in the Men’s Health International Zarco. Among the high profile retirements were the Donaldson Prologue pacesetters Mark Corbett/ Rudi Balzer (Century Racing CR4) and Adenco 400 winners Colin Matthews/Alan
Smith (Century Racing CR3). Corbett/ Balzer retired with windscreen wiper failure that made visibility impossible, while Matthews/Smith lost a wheel in an altercation with a hidden rock. Nick and Ryan Harper also fell by the wayside to be joined by Naeem Moosajee/Rayhaan Bodhanya in the Maxxis Tyres Porter. The race also took its toll on Class B runners with no classified finishers in the category. The next event on the Absa calendar is the Atlas Copco 400 in Dundee on 20 - 21 May. H&H OVERALL CLASSIFICATION Production Vehicles Category 01) M. Whitehouse/M. Carlson Nissan Navarra SP - 06hr 37m 41s 02) T. Rundle/J. Mohr Nissan Navarra SP + 21m 23s 03) C. Visser/J. Badenhorst Ford Ranger SP + 47m 28s 04) D. Van Breda/J. De Klerk Toyota Hilux SP + 01hr 29m 07s 05) G. Bertholdt/A. Vermeulen Toyota Hilux SP + 01hr 32m 17s OVERALL CLASSIFICATION Special Vehicles Category 01) K-H. Sullwald/Q. Sullwald BAT Spec 4 - 06hr 28m 48s 02) M. Fourie/J. Fourie BAT Spec 0 + 09m 45s 03) H. Sullwald/W. Sullwald SVR + 17m 02s 04) B. Botes/J. Pretorius BAT Spec 2 + 30m 08s 05) J. Wheeler/S. Rosseau BAT Spec 4 + 37m 17s
Issue 178 • 14 Apr 2011 • Page 16
Ready, set and go: Sasol Rally 2011 Words: Staff Writer Pictures: Evan Rothman Judging by the results of the Total Tour Natal Rally on 25 - 26 March, the South African rally championship could see a changing of the guard in 2011. Although it might be a little early to write off the more experienced and older competitors after just one round of the eightevent series, youth prevailed in what was a sizzling season-opener on the South Coast of KwaZuluNatal. Zimbabwean privateer Conrad Rautenbach (G-Fuel Ford Fiesta S2000) heads the overall Championship as well as the premier S2000 Class with 25 points after upstaging the factory teams in the Total Tour Natal Rally to score his second victory in South Africa since joining the Championship last year. The 26-year-old’s previous win was in Round Two of the 2010 series in the Toyota Dealer Rally in the Western Cape. The next three places in the Championship points standings are filled by three of the four factory Volkswagen drivers, who between them have won the last six Championships. Veteran Jan Habig, six times a champion, is second with 21 points after coming so close in KwaZulu-Natal to winning the opening round in his BP VW Polo. Third is reining champion Enzo Kuun, who also won the title in 2006, with 19 points. Hergen Fekken, champion in 2008 and 2009, is fourth with 17 points in another two-litre four-wheel drive BP VW Polo. Privateer Jean-Pierre Damseaux (Team Total Toyota RunX) is fifth with 16 points after a solid if
unspectacular outing in KwaZulu-Natal. Former circuit racing superstar and Dakar Rally winner Giniel de Villiers scored a useful 13 points in his rally debut in the fourth factory VW and currently lies 10th. A lot is expected of him and he is unlikely to let his supporters down. Notably out of the top 10 at this early stage of the season are the two factory Castrol Toyota Auris S2000 drivers, Johnny Gemmell and Leeroy Poulter, and Charl Wilken (Basil Read/Bizhub Ford Fiesta S2000). Both Toyota drivers experienced problems in KwaZulu-Natal. Gemmell is 12th with 11 points while Poulter, in his first full season of S2000 after winning the S1600 class last year, is yet to score after accident damage put him out of the opening round. Wilken suffered electrical problems on the Ford on the Friday, but recovered from 24th overnight to 11th at the finish, winning a stage and signalling that he too will be a force to be reckoned with this season. Other prominent drivers who failed to score in KZN, but who will undoubtedly make their mark on the Championship this year are Mark Cronje (Sasol Ford Fiesta S2000) and Hein Lategan (Pirtek Peugeot 207 S2000). Cronje made a sensational debut in the new Ford with co-driver Robin Houghton, winning all five of the first day’s stages on the Total Tour Natal Rally and leading after the first four stages on Saturday before accident damage ruled him out. Lategan did not make it past the first stage after an engine problem caused by a faulty alternator on the brand new Peugeot. Leading the new Super 1600
Class with 12 points after the opening round is young Ashley Haigh Smith (React Ford Fiesta R2 S1600), one of the future stars of South African rallying, ahead of the experienced Tjaart Conradie (Silverton Engineering Toyota Auris S1600) with ten points and Christoff Snyders (VW Polo S1600) with eight points. Megan Verlaque leads the Super 1400 Class in a BP VW Polo with three points (full class points were not awarded due to only three starters in the class) after an impressive debut in a factory car. No points were awarded in Class A7, where the only two entries, Gugu Zulu/Carl Peskin (BP VW Polo A7) and Rocky Reyneke/Christo Ackerman (VW Polo A7) both failed to complete the rally. With Rautenbach’s French co-driver not eligible for points, the overall co-drivers’ championship is led by Habig’s co-driver Robert Paisley (25 points) from Kuun’s co-driver Guy Hodgson (21 points) and Fekken’s co-driver Pierre Arries (19 points). Damseaux’s co-driver, Carolyn Swan, is fourth with 17 points. Haigh Smith’s co-driver Hilton Auffray leads the S1600 Class standings with 12 points from Conradie’s co-driver Kes Naidoo (10 points). Verlaque’s codriver, Lirene du Plessis, leads the S1400 Class with three points. The next round of the championship is the Sasol Rally in Mpumalanga this weekend. It is also a round of the African Rally Championship and the event seems some 25 Class S2000 entries. H&H
Issue 178 • 14 Apr 2011 • Page 17
Gran Canaria to showcase IRC rallying at its best once more Words: Staff Writer Picture: IRC Media The waiting is over. Less than three months since Rallye MonteCarlo hosted the thrilling start to Intercontinental Rally Challenge (IRC) season five, the all-action series resumes with Rally Islas Canarias El Corte Ingles this weekend. Based on the island of Gran Canaria, the third largest of the seven Canary Islands, the asphalt contest joined the IRC for the first time in 2010 and proved a hit with drivers and fans alike. For its second appearance in the Eurosport-backed competition, event organisers have made a number of alterations to the competitive route with new stages, a return to the Gran Karting track in the south of the island for the first time since 2001, plus two tests run at night. Including stages after dark has resulted in a more compact itinerary with the competitive action contained within a 24-hour period. This intensity will place a huge onus on driver fitness levels and car preparation and reliability, particularly as the island’s stages are renowned for their demanding nature. Although some of the new stages for 2011 are more tight and twisty, the fast and undulating roads that characterise the bulk of the
route mean drivers will experience significant g-forces. At the same time they are often exerting tremendous strain on their cars as significant time can be gained braking as late as possible and accelerating out of the corners as early as possible. With the stages frequently climbing and descending, drivers have to pay close attention to the speed they carry and the line they take for each corner to ensure optimum momentum is maintained at all times. That also makes precise car set-up and pacenote accuracy vital. Ambient temperatures are high thanks to the Canary Islands being 100km off the coast of Morocco with a peak of 23˚C expected. And with drivers not due to return to the overnight halt in Las Palmas until the early hours of Saturday morning prior to the restart at 07h30, there is little opportunity for rest and recuperation. One of the other notable features of the stages is the abrasive surface, which is partly constructed from a volcanic laver. It means grip levels are high and in the event of rain will remain constant, although tyre wear can be at a premium as a result. However, because there is little opportunity to take ‘cuts’ through corners, the road surface remains relatively clean and consistent and the risk of punctures is
also reduced. Following a ceremonial start at the service park in Las Palmas on Thursday evening, crews will tackle eight stages on Friday starting with the 1.50km blast at the Gran Karting track and including the Santa Lucia stage, which at 24.57km is the longest of the rally. The day’s action draws to a close with two night stages run to the south west of the service park. The first gets underway at 22h16 with the second following at 22h49. Saturday consists of two stages, each run twice with the first driver due to start the 23.42km San Mateo stage at 08h35 before arriving at the final service control in Las Palmas at 13h57. Event: Rally Islas Canarias El Corte Ingles Base: Las Palmas Starts: Las Palmas, Thursday 14 April Finishes: Las Palmas, Saturday 16 April Entries received: 35 IRC appearances: One (2010) 2010 winners: Jan Kopecky (CZE)/Petr Stary (CZE) Skoda Fabia S2000 Surface: Asphalt Number of stages: 12 Special stage distance: 190.59 kilometres Liaison distance: 477.69 kilometres Total distance: 668.28 kilometres H&H