Found at: http://www.rallystar.co.za/article/articleprint/1602/-1/68/

Bela-Bela a hellova rally!
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Author: Leon Botha

Publishing date: 29.04.2003 12:38

Leon Botha
Run of the event, men of the match, RallyStar choice for the day - Willem van Rensburg and Flip Hattingh
When you drive along a road looking for the start of a Regional rally in a place called Bela-Bela, you expect to see a couple of service vans, some rally cars and a bit of other activity.

When you drive past the actual place because you thought it was the annual show that was on, and you have to turn back, because you realised that you actually saw a huge number of vans, rally cars and people and that that had to be the start of the event, then you know rallying is truly alive and well in South Africa.

I am not bullshitting you when I say that there must have been at least 60 rally cars, double that number of vans and service related cars and then some 120 more would be spectators and enthusiasts.

This feeling of elation and sort of a private victory, and a need to shout, “I told you so!!” immediately brings us to problem number one, which is that future organisers of rallies need to bear in mind that we need huge parking space at the start of a rally. Just imagine what would have happened if the organisers had sufficient sponsorship to be able to advertise this event on radio, in newspapers and simply spread some pamphlets in Bela-Bela?

Problem number two: We sincerely tried to cover at least all the competitors who participated and RallyStar would have liked to get pictures of every competitor who participated. This we promise we will still do, seeing that the competitors do not need any publicity and therefore do not send in any pics of them taken during events.

The intention was good, but when we moved to stage six to go and sit and wait for the cars to pass through, we realised that the last cars at that stage have only completed Stage 1. We simply did not have the time to wait that long, and strategically we missed half here, and half there if we rushed back.

Hey guys, the roads between and even in the stages were great, weren’t they? Long time since I could let fly and do 200 plus with the road going WRX without at least damaging the car. I will tell you one thing the Michelins may not be as good as the Bridgestones on tar, but they sure beat the hell out of the latter on dirt.
Leon Botha
Stealing cotton balls!


Ok, so we were between stages, trying to figure out what the best place would be to have a look and get the required photographs. To cut a long story short, we simply did not have enough time and then had to call it a day.

Why can we not start a rally at two points? Say for instance cars, 1 to 35 starts at stage 1 and cars 36 to the last car starts at for instance stage 4 simultaneously. Everybody the meet at the re-group after four stages and cars 36 onwards then do 1 to 4 and the leaders 5 to for instance 8.

This will surely mean that the rally will take a lot less time, the action will be varied and continuous and the spectators will have more reason to remain in one or two good spots.

Leon Botha
Waiting to be serviced - The Honda of Da Cunha and van Straten
In order to analyse what most of the competitors achieved, we decided to publish the top 25 on every stage. If you completed the stage in the top 25 you will be able to see your, overall, Stage and class positions at that stage. If you were at that stage outside of the top 25 overall your Class position will not show.

So here goes! Rocky Reynecke scared the hell out of a few guys I know by attacking from the word go. To tell you the truth, the young upstarts and one older one, did not worry too much about his time, and the fact that he started behind the expected fastest drivers, did not help their cause.

Jacques Botha made his intentions very clear when he posted 2nd quickest time, but the first signs of gearbox problems were there, when he could not select 1st gear if the car was not stationery.

Jose Ferreira in the Italian Panel Beaters Impreza, posted a surprising 3rd quickest time, while Marius Swart was disappointed with his 4th fastest time.

Leon Botha
Callie vd Merwe and Gideon Trollip taking on the Subaru's
Callie van der Merwe was leading the “normal” cars – not that that bloody Nissan Exa is normal, but at least it is two wheel drive. I was surprised, but also glad to see the, always nice to look at, Ford Escort Cosworth of Colin Wilson and Geoff Tyrer. Geoff was nervous before the event because of a bit of a lay off, but the first stage time indicated that he was on the pace of the Pace Notes, ensuring that Colin got a smooth run.

This time around Cars in Action’s Michele Lupini rounded off the top 25 lying 3rd in class, trying to sort out some of the problems on the car.

POSITIONS AFTER STAGE ONE:

Stage Position 1 69 Rocky REYNEKE Andre PHEIFFER SUBARU IMPREZA S5 Stage time 0:06:48 Overall after One 1 Class Position 1
Stage Position 2 75 Jacques BOTHA Greg Gericke SUBARU IMPREZA S5 Stage time 0:06:50 Overall after One 2 Class Position 2
Stage Position 3 74 Jose FERREIRA Mighal DA COSTA SUBARU IMPREZA S5 Stage time 0:06:51 Overall after One 3 Class Position 3
Stage Position 4 65 Marius SWART Greg Godrich SUBARU IMPREZA S5 Stage time 0:06:52 Overall after One 4 Class Position 4
Stage Position 5 207 Callie VAN DER MERWE Gideon TROLLIP NISSAN EXA S4 Stage time 0:06:53 Overall after One 5 Class Position 1
Stage Position 6 72 Colin WILSON Geoff TYRER FORD ESCORT COS S5 Stage time 0:07:00 Overall after One 7 Class Position 5
Stage Position 7 215 Willem J VAN RENSBURG Flip HATTINGH NISSAN SKYLINE S4 Stage time 0:07:00 Overall after One 6 Class Position 2
Stage Position 8 67 Jan DELPORT Amanda PRETORIUS SUBARU IMPREZA S5 Stage time 0:07:05 Overall after One 8 Class Position 6
Stage Position 9 71 Lola VERLAQUE Megan VERLAQUE SUBARU IMPREZA S5 Stage time 0:07:10 Overall after One 9 Class Position 7
Stage Position 10 205 Guillaume JORDAAN Alida JORDAAN FORD ESCORT S2 Stage time 0:07:17 Overall after One 10 Class Position 1
Stage Position 11 82 Charl WILKEN Robin HOUGHTON TOYOTA RUNX Rsi S3 Stage time 0:07:18 Overall after One 11 Class Position 1
Stage Position 12 202 Philip SMIT Cobus BOHMER NISSAN SENTRA 200 S4 Stage time 0:07:19 Overall after One 12 Class Position 3
Stage Position 13 204 Jaco BAKER Richard CLARK TOYOTA CONQUEST R S3 Stage time 0:07:25 Overall after One 14 Class Position 2
Stage Position 14 225 Johann FOURIE Paul VAN DER SCHYFF TOYOTA CONQUEST S4 Stage time 0:07:25 Overall after One 16 Class Position 4
Stage Position 15 206 Hennie LOURENS Danie STRYDOM VOLKSWAGEN GOLF S4 Stage time 0:07:30 Overall after One 17 Class Position 5
Stage Position 16 420 Johannes FERREIRA Stephen VAN DER MERWE NISSAN 4X4 S6Stage time 0:07:30 Overall after One18Class Position1
Stage Position 17 98 Danie VAN HENGEL Paul BOTHMA TOYOTA COROLLA RX S2 Stage time 0:07:31 Overall after One 19 Class Position 2
Stage Position 18 48 Nico NIENABER Marius STEENKAMP TOYOTA TAZZ S3 Stage time 0:07:31 Overall after One 20 Class Position 3
Stage Position 19 227 Erno FEKKEN Danie DRENT TOYOTA CONQUEST S3 Stage time 0:07:32 Overall after One 21 Class Position 4
Stage Position 20 226 Scott HOWDEN Carolyn SWAN VOLKSWAGEN GOLF GTI S3 Stage time 0:07:35 Overall after One 22 Class Position 5
Stage Position 21 264 Willem THERON Christo THERON VOLKSWAGEN CITI GOLF S3Stage time 0:07:36 Overall after One 23 Class Position 6
Stage Position 22 93 Alfred PRETORIUS Juanita PRETORIUS TOYOTA COROLLA RX S2 Stage time 0:07:37 Overall after One 24 Class Position 3
Stage Position 23 212 Eric STORBECK Ronnie WEBSTER VOLKSWAGEN GOLF S3 Stage time 0:07:37 Overall after One 26 Class Position 7
Stage Position 24 217 Ernst BIELFELD Paul KRUGER VOLKSWAGEN GOLF S3 Stage time 0:07:37 Overall after One 27 Class Position 8
Stage Position 25 125 Michele LUPINI Garry Kingsley-Wilkins TOYOTA TAZZ S2 Stage time 0:07:37 Overall after One 25 Class Position 4

Leon Botha
Jacques Botha and Greg Gericke Constant top three times, very unlucky not to finish.
>After a bit of a wake up call Jacques Botha in the Minolta Subaru Impreza won stage two and took over the overall lead from Rocky. Marius Swart posted second fastest time while Rocky came home in 3rd position.

Willem van Rensburg was a lot closer to Callie vd Merwe and this, while Callie was not exactly fooling around. Imagine the “hatred” towards those &%&%//I* all wheel drives in these two cars.

Lola Verlaque, the RallyStar favourite Chick, posted a very respectable 6th overall time in Stage 2, immediately improving her overall position from 9th to 7th.

Jan Delport on his first run in the Nicolas Ryan Subaru – was busy discovering that you do not just get into these cars and win the world championship, you needed to drive them, and drive them well. What can be said is that he did post absolute consistent times and that is a sign that he will be able to drive a Scooby quite well.

Charl Wilken was not having it all his own way in S3 by 47 seconds from Jaco Baker and Richard Clark in their Golf. Guillaume and Alida Jordaan was predictably setting the pace in Class S2 in their spectacular Escort.

In this stage Erno Feken lost about 6 minutes when they had to tie a rear control arm up with a piece of cloth in the stage.

POSITIONS AFTER STAGE TWO:

Stage Position 1 Jacques BOTHA Greg Gericke SUBARU IMPREZA S5 Stage time 0:18:00 Total time after Two 0:24:50 Overall after Two 1Class Position 1
Stage Position 2 Marius SWART Greg Godrich SUBARU IMPREZA S5 Stage time 0:18:09 Total time after Two 0:25:01Overall after Two 2 Class Position 2
Stage Position 3 Rocky REYNEKE Andre PHEIFFER SUBARU IMPREZA S5 Stage time 0:18:16 Total time after Two 0:25:04 Overall after Two 3 Class Position 3
Stage Position 4 Callie VAN DER MERWE Gideon TROLLIP NISSAN EXA S4 Stage time 0:18:20 Total time after Two 0:25:13 Overall after Two 4 Class Position 1
Stage Position 5 Willem J VAN RENSBURG Flip HATTINGH NISSAN SKYLINE S4 Stage time 0:18:29 Total time after Two 0:25:29 Overall after Two 5 Class Position 2
Stage Position 6 Lola VERLAQUE Megan VERLAQUE SUBARU IMPREZA S5 Stage time 0:18:51 Total time after Two 0:26:01 Overall after Two 7 Class Position 5
Stage Position 7 Jan DELPORT Amanda PRETORIUS SUBARU IMPREZA S5 Stage time 0:18:52 Total time after Two 0:25:57 Overall after Two 6 Class Position 4
Stage Position 8 Johannes FERREIRA Stephen VAN DER MERWE NISSAN 4X4 S6 Stage time 0:18:57 Total time after Two 0:26:27 Overall after Two 10 Class Position 1
Stage Position 9 Charl WILKEN Robin HOUGHTON TOYOTA RUNX Rsi S3 Stage time 0:18:59 Total time after Two 0:26:17 Overall after Two 8 Class Position 1
Stage Position 10 Schalk BURGER Wimpie VAN GREUNEN TOYOTA COROLLA RS S3 Stage time 0:19:01 Total time after Two 0:29:09 Overall after Two 37 Class Position 16
Stage Position 11 Guillaume JORDAAN Alida JORDAAN FORD ESCORT S2 Stage time 0:19:19 Total time after Two 0:26:36 Overall after Two 12 Class Position 1
Stage Position 12 Philip SMIT Cobus BOHMER NISSAN SENTRA 200 S4 Stage time 0:19:20 Total time after Two 0:26:39 Overall after Two 13 Class Position 3
Stage Position 13 Jose FERREIRA Mighal DA COSTA SUBARU IMPREZA S5 Stage time 0:19:27 Total time after Two 0:26:18 Overall after Two 9 Class Position 6
Stage Position 14 Scott HOWDEN Carolyn SWAN VOLKSWAGEN GOLF GTI S3 Stage time 0:19:29 Total time after Two 0:27:04 Overall after Two 15 Class Position 4
Stage Position 15 Colin WILSON Geoff TYRER FORD ESCORT COS S5 Stage time 0:19:30 Total time after Two 0:26:30 Overall after Two 11 Class Position 7
Stage Position 16 Jaco BAKER Richard CLARK TOYOTA CONQUEST R S3 Stage time 0:19:37 Total time after Two 0:27:02 Overall after Two 14 Class Position 3
Stage Position 17 Willem THERON Christo THERON VOLKSWAGEN CITI GOLF S3 Stage time 0:19:39 Total time after Two 0:27:15 Overall after Two 16 Class Position 5
Stage Position 18 Hennie LOURENS Danie STRYDOM VOLKSWAGEN GOLF S4 Stage time 0:19:45 Total time after Two 0:27:15 Overall after Two 17 Class Position 4
Stage Position 19 Chad LAMBERT Henry DEARLOVE (Jnr) NISSAN SENTRA S4 Stage time 0:19:46 Total time after Two 0:27:39 Overall after Two 23 Class Position 5
Stage Position 20 Nico NIENABER Marius STEENKAMP TOYOTA TAZZ S3 Stage time 0:19:48 Total time after Two 0:27:19 Overall after Two 18 Class Position 6
Stage Position 21 Danie VAN HENGEL Paul BOTHMA TOYOTA COROLLA RX S2 Stage time 0:19:49 Total time after Two 0:27:20 Overall after Two 19 Class Position 2
Stage Position 22 Alfred PRETORIUS Juanita PRETORIUS TOYOTA COROLLA RX S2 Stage time 0:19:50 Total time after Two 0:27:27 Overall after Two 20 Class Position 3
Stage Position 23 Michael HOUGHTON Ashley GERICKE TOYOTA CONQUEST S2 Stage time 0:19:52 Total time after Two 0:27:33 Overall after Two 21 Class Position 4
Stage Position 24 Hein VAN DER MERWE Wynand VAN DER MERWE VOLKSWAGEN GOLF GTI S3 Stage time 0:19:53 Total time after Two 0:27:34 Overall after Two 22 Class Position 6
Stage Position 25 Pieter DEARLOVE Derrick DEARLOVE TOYOTA CONQUEST S3 Stage time 0:19:53 Total time after Two 0:27:44 Overall after Two 24 Class Position 7

With increased gearbox problems Jacques could simply not stay with the leaders and Marius Swart gladly accepted a stage win as well as the leader position. This meant that this rally had three leaders in three stages. Callie vd Merwe and Gideon Trollip now really put the pressure on the Subaru’s as we predicted would happen before the rally.
Leon Botha
Marius Swart and Greg Godrich on their way to an excellent win!


The fight in S2 looked set to become interesting when Alfred and Juanita Pretorius won the stage for that class, but the deficit between them and the Jordaan couple, seemed too big. Charl Wilken set quite an impressive pace in S3 and he kept on opening the gap between him and Jaco Baker. Schalk Burger jnr set the 2nd quickest time in class S3 once again, but the loss of about 3 minutes in stage 1 would prove too much to make up.
Leon Botha
Jaco Baker and Richard Clark - finishing just outside the Top 10 but second in class S3


Lola posted a not so impressive 24th quickest time in this stage due to the fact that she actually caught up with another competitor from behind and that dreaded engine management light of the Subaru came on, distracting her attention even further.

Pieter and Derick Dearlove completed the 25th fastest list.

POSITIONS AFTER STAGE THREE

Stage Position 1 Marius SWART Greg Godrich SUBARU IMPREZA S5 Stage time 0:08:52 Total Time after Three 0:33:53 Overall after Three 1 Class Position 1
Stage Position 2 Rocky REYNEKE Andre PHEIFFER SUBARU IMPREZA S5 Stage time 0:09:06 Total Time after Three 0:34:10 Overall after Three 3 Class Position 3
Stage Position 3 Callie VAN DER MERWE Gideon TROLLIP NISSAN EXA S4 Stage time 0:09:07 Total Time after Three 0:34:20 Overall after Three 4 Class Position 1
Stage Position 4 Jacques BOTHA Greg Gericke SUBARU IMPREZA S5 Stage time 0:09:11 Total Time after Three 0:34:01 Overall after Three 2 Class Position 2
Stage Position 5 Willem J VAN RENSBURG Flip HATTINGH NISSAN SKYLINE S4 Stage time 0:09:13 Total Time after Three 0:34:42 Overall after Three 5 Class Position 2
Stage Position 6 Jan DELPORT Amanda PRETORIUS S.C.C. E/R SUBARU IMPREZA S5 Stage time 0:09:14 Total Time after Three 0:35:11 Overall after Three 6 Class Position 4
Stage Position 7 Colin WILSON Geoff TYRER FORD ESCORT COS S5 Stage time 0:09:32 Total Time after Three 0:36:02 Overall after Three 8 Class Position 5
Stage Position 8 Charl WILKEN Robin HOUGHTON TOYOTA RUNX Rsi S3 Stage time 0:09:33 Total Time after Three 0:35:50 Overall after Three 7 Class Position 1
Stage Position 9 Schalk BURGER Wimpie VAN GREUNEN TOYOTA COROLLA RS S3 Stage time 0:09:40 Total Time after Three 0:38:49 Overall after Three 25 Class Position 6
Stage Position 10 Philip SMIT Cobus BOHMER NISSAN SENTRA 200 S4 Stage time 0:09:46 Total Time after Three 0:36:25 Overall after Three 10 Class Position 3
Stage Position 11 Jaco BAKER Richard CLARK TOYOTA CONQUEST R S3 Stage time 0:09:49 Total Time after Three 0:36:51 Overall after Three 13 Class Position 1
Stage Position 12 Nico NIENABER Marius STEENKAMP TOYOTA TAZZ S3 Stage time 0:09:49 Total Time after Three 0:37:08 Overall after Three 14 Class Position 2
Stage Position 13 Alfred PRETORIUS Juanita PRETORIUS TOYOTA COROLLA RX S2 Stage time 0:09:52 Total Time after Three 0:37:19 Overall after Three 16 Class Position 2
Stage Position 14 Johan VAN DER MERWE Wimpie STRYDOM VOLKSWAGEN GOLF S3 Stage time 0:09:59 Total Time after Three 0:43:42 Overall after Three 46
Stage Position 15 Guillaume JORDAAN Alida JORDAAN FORD ESCORT S2 Stage time 0:10:00 Total Time after Three 0:36:36 Overall after Three 12 Class Position 1
Stage Position 16 Hennie LOURENS Danie STRYDOM VOLKSWAGEN GOLF S4 Stage time 0:10:01 Total Time after Three 0:37:16 Overall after Three 15 Class Position 4
Stage Position 17 Johann FOURIE Paul VAN DER SCHYFF TOYOTA CONQUEST S4 Stage time 0:10:01 Total Time after Three 0:38:16 Overall after Three 24 Class Position 5
Stage Position 18 Michael HOUGHTON Ashley GERICKE TOYOTA CONQUEST S2 Stage time 0:10:05 Total Time after Three 0:37:38 Overall after Three 19 Class Position 4
Stage Position 19 Johannes FERREIRA Stephen VAN DER MERWE NISSAN 4X4 S6 Stage time 0:10:06 Total Time after Three 0:36:33 Overall after Three 11 Class Position 1
Stage Position 20 Danie VAN HENGEL Paul BOTHMA TOYOTA COROLLA RX S2 Stage time 0:10:07 Total Time after Three 0:37:27 Overall after Three 17 Class Position 3
Stage Position 21 Erno FEKKEN Danie DRENT TOYOTA CONQUEST S3 Stage time 0:10:09 Total Time after Three 0:43:35 Overall after Three 45
Stage Position 22 Ernst BIELFELD Paul KRUGER VOLKSWAGEN GOLF S3 Stage time 0:10:11 Total Time after Three 0:38:10 Overall after Three 23 Class Position 5
Stage Position 23 Chad LAMBERT Henry DEARLOVE (Jnr) NISSAN SENTRA S4 Stage time 0:10:12 Total Time after Three 0:37:51 Overall after Three 20 Class Position 4
Stage Position 24 Lola VERLAQUE Megan VERLAQUE SUBARU IMPREZA S5 Stage time 0:10:14 Total Time after Three 0:36:15 Overall after Three 9 Class Position 6
Stage Position 25 Pieter DEARLOVE Derrick DEARLOVE TOYOTA CONQUEST S3 Stage time 0:10:22 Total Time after Three 0:38:06 Overall after Three 22 Class Position 4

In this stage albeit with its long straight and fast sections, Callie vd Merwe did what everybody battled for a while to achieve, and that was to beat the Subaru’s in a stage. Callie did not only win it, but he beat Marius by four seconds.

This would be the last stage for Jacques as his gearbox problems kept on getting worse. He did very well to stay in 2nd position overall only 17 seconds behind Marius who were flying.

Leon Botha
Rocky stepping carefully over a yump.
By now about 23 competitors threw in the towel, with 42 still going. The Top Ten positions were now settling and the competitors who made it to this point had the benefit of a very long service period during the lunch break.



POSITION AFTER STAGE 4

Stage Position 1 Callie VAN DER MERWE Gideon TROLLIP NISSAN EXA S4 Stage time 0:11:51 Total Time after Four 0:46:11 Overall after Four 3 Class Position 1
Stage Position 2 Marius SWART Greg Godrich SUBARU IMPREZA S5 Stage time 0:11:55 Total Time after Four 0:45:48 Overall after Four 1 Class Position 1
Stage Position 3 Jacques BOTHA Greg Gericke SUBARU IMPREZA S5 Stage time 0:12:04 Total Time after Four 0:46:05 Overall after Four 2 Class Position 2
Stage Position 4 Rocky REYNEKE Andre PHEIFFER SUBARU IMPREZA S5 Stage time 0:12:05 Total Time after Four 0:46:15 Overall after Four 4 Class Position 3
Stage Position 5 Colin WILSON Geoff TYRER FORD ESCORT COS S5 Stage time 0:12:05 Total Time after Four 0:48:07 Overall after Four 7 Class Position 5
Stage Position 6 Willem J VAN RENSBURG Flip HATTINGH NISSAN SKYLINE S4 Stage time 0:12:07 Total Time after Four 0:46:49 Overall after Four 5 Class Position 2
Stage Position 7 Jan DELPORT Amanda PRETORIUS SUBARU IMPREZA S5 Stage time 0:12:12 Total Time after Four 0:47:23 Overall after Four 6 Class Position 4
Stage Position 8 Charl WILKEN Robin HOUGHTON TOYOTA RUNX Rsi S3 Stage time 0:12:20 Total Time after Four 0:48:10 Overall after Four 8 Class Position 1
Stage Position 9 Philip SMIT Cobus BOHMER NISSAN SENTRA 200 S4 Stage time 0:12:28 Total Time after Four 0:48:53 Overall after Four 9 Class Position 3
Stage Position 10 Guillaume JORDAAN Alida JORDAAN FORD ESCORT S2 Stage time 0:12:38 Total Time after Four 0:49:14 Overall after Four 11 Class Position 1
Stage Position 11 Jaco BAKER Richard CLARK TOYOTA CONQUEST R S3 Stage time 0:12:39 Total Time after Four 0:49:30 Overall after Four 12 Class Position 2
Stage Position 12 Hennie LOURENS Danie STRYDOM VOLKSWAGEN GOLF S4 Stage time 0:12:39 Total Time after Four 0:49:55 Overall after Four 15 Class Position 4
Stage Position 13 Scott HOWDEN Carolyn SWAN VOLKSWAGEN GOLF GTI S3 Stage time 0:12:39 Total Time after Four 0:50:15 Overall after Four 16 Class Position 4
Stage Position 14 Nico NIENABER Marius STEENKAMP TOYOTA TAZZ S3 Stage time 0:12:42 Total Time after Four 0:49:50 Overall after Four 13 Class Position 3
Stage Position 15 Johan VAN DER MERWE Wimpie STRYDOM VOLKSWAGEN GOLF S3 Stage time 0:12:44 Total Time after Four 0:56:26 Overall after Four 38
Stage Position 16 Lola VERLAQUE Megan VERLAQUE SUBARU IMPREZA S5 Stage time 0:12:47 Total Time after Four 0:49:02 Overall after Four 10 Class Position 6
Stage Position 17 Schalk BURGER Wimpie VAN GREUNEN TOYOTA COROLLA RS S3 Stage time 0:12:53 Total Time after Four 0:51:42 Overall after Four 23 Class Position 6
Stage Position 18 Erno FEKKEN Danie DRENT TOYOTA CONQUEST S3 Stage time 0:12:53 Total Time after Four 0:56:28 Overall after Four 39
Stage Position 19 Danie VAN HENGEL Paul BOTHMA TOYOTA COROLLA RX S2 Stage time 0:12:59 Total Time after Four 0:50:26 Overall after Four 18 Class Position 3
Stage Position 20 Alfred PRETORIUS Juanita PRETORIUS TOYOTA COROLLA RX S2 Stage time 0:13:00 Total Time after Four 0:50:19 Overall after Four 17 Class Position 2
Stage Position 21 Michael HOUGHTON Ashley GERICKE TOYOTA CONQUEST S2 Stage time 0:13:03 Total Time after Four 0:50:41 Overall after Four 19 Class Position 4
Stage Position 22 Johann FOURIE Paul VAN DER SCHYFF TOYOTA CONQUEST S4 Stage time 0:13:09 Total Time after Four 0:51:25 Overall after Four 21 Class Position 6
Stage Position 23 Nicolas JUDE Fanie VAN DYK VOLKSWAGEN GOLF S3 Stage time 0:13:13 Total Time after Four 0:52:55 Overall after Four 29
Stage Position 24 Chad LAMBERT Henry DEARLOVE (Jnr) NISSAN SENTRA S4 Stage time 0:13:15 Total Time after Four 0:51:06 Overall after Four 20 Class Position 5
Stage Position 25 Ernie BOSHOFF Manfred HERTZ TOYOTA COROLLA 1.6 S3 Stage time 0:13:16 Total Time after Four 0:52:11 Overall after Four 25 Class Position 8

With Jacques and Greg Gericke standing next to the road, the way was paved for Marius to have his win? Not on your life! Callie was putting pressure on him all the time, and relentlessly posted times almost on par with the Subaru. In this specific stage Marius managed to beat him by a mere 2 seconds and any mistake on his side, would wipe out the 25 second overall lead.

Callie on the other hand could not afford to blink twice on a straight as Rocky did not take this onslaught lying down. He was only 7 seconds behind the flying Nissan.
Leon Botha
The Pretorius Family! Alfred and Juanita in action


Heartbreaking non finishes at this late stage were that of :



THE POSITION AFTER STAGE FIVE

Stage Position 1 Marius SWART Greg Godrich SUBARU IMPREZA S5 Stage time 0:08:08 Total Time after Five 0:53:56 Overall after Five 1 Class Position 1
Stage Position 2 Callie VAN DER MERWE Gideon TROLLIP NISSAN EXA S4 Stage time 0:08:10 Total Time after Five 0:54:21 Overall after Five 2 Class Position 1
Stage Position 3 Rocky REYNEKE Andre PHEIFFER SUBARU IMPREZA S5 Stage time 0:08:13 Total Time after Five 0:54:28 Overall after Five 3 Class Position 2
Stage Position 4 Willem J VAN RENSBURG Flip HATTINGH NISSAN SKYLINE S4 Stage time 0:08:15 Total Time after Five 0:55:04 Overall after Five 4 Class Position 2
Stage Position 5 Colin WILSON Geoff TYRER FORD ESCORT COS S5 Stage time 0:08:19 Total Time after Five 0:56:26 Overall after Five 6 Class Position 4
Stage Position 6 Jan DELPORT Amanda PRETORIUS SUBARU IMPREZA S5 Stage time 0:08:22 Total Time after Five 0:55:45 Overall after Five 5 Class Position 3
Stage Position 7 Charl WILKEN Robin HOUGHTON TOYOTA RUNX Rsi S3 Stage time 0:08:31 Total Time after Five 0:56:41 Overall after Five 7 Class Position 1
Stage Position 8 Guillaume JORDAAN Alida JORDAAN FORD ESCORT S2 Stage time 0:08:36 Total Time after Five 0:57:50 Overall after Five 10 Class Position 1
Stage Position 9 Eddie SIMPSON Marco LOTTERING OPEL CORSA 1.4 S1 Stage time 0:08:39 Total Time after Five 1:04:41 Overall after Five 29
Stage Position 10 Hennie LOURENS Danie STRYDOM VOLKSWAGEN GOLF S4 Stage time 0:08:41 Total Time after Five 0:58:36 Overall after Five 12 Class Position 4
Stage Position 11 Lola VERLAQUE Megan VERLAQUE SUBARU IMPREZA S5 Stage time 0:08:42 Total Time after Five 0:57:44 Overall after Five 9 Class Position 5
Stage Position 12 Nico NIENABER (Jnr) Gert Nienaber TOYOTA TAZZ S2 Stage time 0:08:43 Total Time after Five 1:01:53 Overall after Five 24 Class Position 5
Stage Position 13 Philip SMIT Cobus BOHMER NISSAN SENTRA 200 S4 Stage time 0:08:44 Total Time after Five 0:57:37 Overall after Five 8 Class Position 3
Stage Position 14 Jaco BAKER Richard CLARK TOYOTA CONQUEST R S3 Stage time 0:08:44 Total Time after Five 0:58:14 Overall after Five 11 Class Position 2
Stage Position 15 Scott HOWDEN Carolyn SWAN VOLKSWAGEN GOLF GTI S3 Stage time 0:08:45 Total Time after Five 0:59:00 Overall after Five 15 Class Position 3
Stage Position 16 Michael HOUGHTON Ashley GERICKE TOYOTA CONQUEST S2 Stage time 0:08:49 Total Time after Five 0:59:30 Overall after Five 17 Class Position 3
Stage Position 17 Alfred PRETORIUS Juanita PRETORIUS TOYOTA COROLLA RX S2 Stage time 0:08:50 Total Time after Five 0:59:09 Overall after Five 16 Class Position 2
Stage Position 18 Nico NIENABER Marius STEENKAMP TOYOTA TAZZ S3 Stage time 0:08:54 Total Timel after Five 0:58:44 Overall after Five 13 Class Position 3
Stage Position 19 Johannes FERREIRA Stephen VAN DER MERWE NISSAN 4X4 S6 Stage time 0:08:55 Total Timel after Five 0:58:49 Overall after Five 14 Class Position 1
Stage Position 20 Schalk BURGER Wimpie VAN GREUNEN TOYOTA COROLLA RS S3 Stage time 0:08:59 Total Timel after Five 1:00:41 Overall after Five 20 Class Position 4
Stage Position 21 Erno FEKKEN Danie DRENT TOYOTA CONQUEST S3 Stage time 0:08:59 Total Timel after Five 1:05:27 Overall after Five 32
Stage Position 22 Chad LAMBERT Henry DEARLOVE (Jnr) NISSAN SENTRA S4 Stage time 0:09:09 Total Timel after Five 1:00:15 Overall after Five 19 Class Position 5
Stage Position 23 Nicolas JUDE Fanie VAN DYK VOLKSWAGEN GOLF S3 Stage time 0:09:14 Total Timel after Five 1:02:09 Overall after Five 25 Class Position 7
Stage Position 24 Johann FOURIE Paul VAN DER SCHYFF TOYOTA CONQUEST S4 Stage time 0:09:16 Total Timel after Five 1:00:41 Overall after Five 21 Class Position 5
Stage Position 25 Ernie BOSHOFF Manfred HERTZ TOYOTA COROLLA 1.6 S3 Stage time 0:09:16 Total Timel after Five 1:01:27 Overall after Five 22 Class Position 5


STAGE 6 AND FINAL POSTIONS

All that was left now was to take it home. Marius almost made a serious hash of things when he hit a cable drum so hard it actually moved a metre or so. He then hit a second one, but still managed to bring the Subaru home.



Stage Position 1 Marius SWART Greg Godrich SUBARU IMPREZA S5 Stage time 0:05:26 Total Timel after Six 0:59:22 Overall after Six 1
Stage Position 2 Rocky REYNEKE Andre PHEIFFER SUBARU IMPREZA S5 Stage time 0:05:32 Total Timel after Six 1:00:00 Overall after Six 3
Stage Position 3 Callie VAN DER MERWE Gideon TROLLIP NISSAN EXA S4 Stage time 0:05:35 Total Timel after Six 0:59:56 Overall after Six 2
Stage Position 4 Jan DELPORT Amanda PRETORIUS SUBARU IMPREZA S5 Stage time 0:05:43 Total Timel after Six 1:01:28 Overall after Six 5
Stage Position 5 Colin WILSON Geoff TYRER FORD ESCORT COS S5 Stage time 0:05:44 Total Timel after Six 1:02:10 Overall after Six 6
Stage Position 6 Willem J VAN RENSBURG Flip HATTINGH NISSAN SKYLINE S4 Stage time 0:05:45 Total Timel after Six 1:00:49 Overall after Six 4
Stage Position 7 Charl WILKEN Robin HOUGHTON TOYOTA RUNX Rsi S3 Stage time 0:05:45 Total Timel after Six 1:02:26 Overall after Six 7
Stage Position 8 Schalk BURGER Wimpie VAN GREUNEN TOYOTA COROLLA RS S3 Stage time 0:05:49 Total Timel after Six 1:06:30 Overall after Six 20
Stage Position 9 Lola VERLAQUE Megan VERLAQUE SUBARU IMPREZA S5 Stage time 0:05:50 Total Timel after Six 1:03:34 Overall after Six 9
Stage Position 10 Philip SMIT Cobus BOHMER NISSAN SENTRA 200 S4 Stage time 0:05:53 Total Timel after Six 1:03:30 Overall after Six 8
Stage Position 11 Guillaume JORDAAN Alida JORDAAN FORD ESCORT S2 Stage time 0:05:58 Total Timel after Six 1:03:48 Overall after Six 10
Stage Position 12 Jaco BAKER Richard CLARK TOYOTA CONQUEST R S3 Stage time 0:05:58 Total Timel after Six 1:04:12 Overall after Six 11
Stage Position 13 Scott HOWDEN Carolyn SWAN VOLKSWAGEN GOLF GTI S3 Stage time 0:06:00 Total Timel after Six 1:05:00 Overall after Six 15
Stage Position 14 Michael HOUGHTON Ashley GERICKE TOYOTA CONQUEST S2 Stage time 0:06:01 Total Timel after Six 1:05:31 Overall after Six 17
Stage Position 15 Johannes FERREIRA Stephen VAN DER MERWE NISSAN 4X4 S6 Stage time 0:06:02 Total Timel after Six 1:04:51 Overall after Six 14
Stage Position 16 Erno FEKKEN Danie DRENT TOYOTA CONQUEST S3 Stage time 0:06:02 Total Timel after Six 1:11:29 Overall after Six 29
Stage Position 17 Hennie LOURENS Danie STRYDOM VOLKSWAGEN GOLF S4 Stage time 0:06:04 Total Timel after Six 1:04:40 Overall after Six 12
Stage Position 18 Alfred PRETORIUS Juanita PRETORIUS TOYOTA COROLLA RX S2 Stage time 0:06:04 Total Timel after Six 1:05:13 Overall after Six 16
Stage Position 19 Nico NIENABER Marius STEENKAMP TOYOTA TAZZ S3 Stage time 0:06:05 Total Timel after Six 1:04:49 Overall after Six 13
Stage Position 20 Johann FOURIE Paul VAN DER SCHYFF TOYOTA CONQUEST S4 Stage time 0:06:05 Total Timel after Six 1:06:46 Overall after Six 21
Stage Position 21 Danie VAN HENGEL Paul BOTHMA TOYOTA COROLLA RX S2 Stage time 0:06:07 Total Timel after Six 1:06:03 Overall after Six 18
Stage Position 22 Chad LAMBERT Henry DEARLOVE (Jnr) NISSAN SENTRA S4 Stage time 0:06:07 Total Timel after Six 1:06:22 Overall after Six 19
Stage Position 23 Hein VAN DER MERWE Wynand VAN DER MERWE VOLKSWAGEN GOLF GTI S3 Stage time 0:06:10 Total Timel after Six 1:08:49 Overall after Six 27
Stage Position 24 Nicolas JUDE Fanie VAN DYK VOLKSWAGEN GOLF S3 Stage time 0:06:15 Total Timel after Six 1:08:24 Overall after Six 25
Stage Position 25 Ernie BOSHOFF Manfred HERTZ TOYOTA COROLLA 1.6 S3 Stage time 0:06:19 Total Timel after Six 1:07:46 Overall after Six 22


FINAL RESULTS OF ALL FINISHERS

Class S5 Driver Marius SWART Navigator Greg Godrich Car SUBARU Club SAHRA Total Time 0:59:22 Total Stage Time 0:59:22
Class S4 Driver Callie VAN DER MERWE Navigator Gideon TROLLIP Car NISSAN Club S.C.C. E/R Total Time 0:59:56 Total Stage Time 0:59:56
Class S5 Driver Rocky REYNEKE Navigator Andre PHEIFFER Car SUBARU Club H.M.C. Total Time 1:00:00 Total Stage Time 1:00:00
Class S4 Driver Willem J VAN RENSBURG Navigator Flip HATTINGH Car NISSAN Club P.M.C. Total Time 1:00:49 Total Stage Time 1:00:49
Class S5 Driver Jan DELPORT Navigator Amanda PRETORIUS Car SUBARU Club S.C.C. E/R Total Time 1:01:28 Total Stage Time 1:01:28
Class S5 Driver Colin WILSON Navigator Geoff TYRER Car FORD Club Rallyesport Total Time 1:02:10 Total Stage Time 1:02:10
Class S3 Driver Charl WILKEN Navigator Robin HOUGHTON Car TOYOTA Club P.M.C. Total Time 1:02:26 Total Stage Time 1:02:26
Class S4 Driver Philip SMIT Navigator Cobus BOHMER Car NISSAN Club P.M.C. Total Time 1:03:30 Total Stage Time 1:03:30
Class S5 Driver Lola VERLAQUE Navigator Megan VERLAQUE Car SUBARU Club S.C.C. ER / P.M Total Time 1:03:34 Total Stage Time 1:03:34
Class S2 Driver Guillaume JORDAAN Navigator Alida JORDAAN Car FORD Club S.C.C. E/R Total Time 1:03:48 Total Stage Time 1:03:48
Class S3 Driver Jaco BAKER Navigator Richard CLARK Car TOYOTA Club P.M.C. Total Time 1:04:12 Total Stage Time 1:04:12
Class S4 Driver Hennie LOURENS Navigator Danie STRYDOM Car VOLKSWAGEN Club H.M.C. Total Time 1:04:40 Total Stage Time 1:04:40
Class S3 Driver Nico NIENABER Navigator Marius STEENKAMP Car TOYOTA Club H.M.C. Total Time 1:04:59 Total Stage Time 1:04:49
Class S3 Driver Scott HOWDEN Navigator Carolyn SWAN Car VOLKSWAGEN Club S.C.C. E/R Total Time 1:05:00 Total Stage Time 1:05:00
Class S2 Driver Alfred PRETORIUS Navigator Juanita PRETORIUS Car TOYOTA Club H.M.C. Total Time 1:05:13 Total Stage Time 1:05:13
Class S2 Driver Michael HOUGHTON Navigator Ashley GERICKE Car TOYOTA Club P.M.C. Total Time 1:05:31 Total Stage Time 1:05:31
Class S6 Driver Johannes FERREIRA Navigator Stephen VAN DER MERWE Car NISSAN Club H.M.C. Total Time 1:05:31 Total Stage Time 1:04:51
Class S2 Driver Danie VAN HENGEL Navigator Paul BOTHMA Car TOYOTA Club S.C.C. E/R Total Time 1:06:03 Total Stage Time 1:06:03
Class S4 Driver Chad LAMBERT Navigator Henry DEARLOVE (Jnr) Car NISSAN Club S.C.C. Pta Total Time 1:06:22 Total Stage Time 1:06:22
Class S4 Driver Johann FOURIE Navigator Paul VAN DER SCHYFF Car TOYOTA Club S.A.M. Total Time 1:06:51 Total Stage Time 1:06:46
Class S3 Driver Ernie BOSHOFF Navigator Manfred HERTZ Car TOYOTA Club Rallyesport Total Time 1:07:46 Total Stage Time 1:07:46
Class S2 Driver Nico NIENABER (Jnr) Navigator Gert Nienaber Car TOYOTA Club H.M.C. Total Time 1:08:16 Total Stage Time 1:08:16
Class S3 Driver Pieter DEARLOVE Navigator Derrick DEARLOVE Car TOYOTA Club S.C.C. Pta Total Time 1:08:22 Total Stage Time 1:08:22
Class S3 Driver Nicolas JUDE Navigator Fanie VAN DYK Car VOLKSWAGEN Club S.C.C. E/R Total Time 1:08:24 Total Stage Time 1:08:24
Class S4 Driver John OGDEN Navigator Steven OGDEN Car NISSAN Club P.M.C. Total Time 1:08:37 Total Stage Time 1:08:37
Class S3 Driver Hein VAN DER MERWE Navigator Wynand VAN DER MERWE Car VOLKSWAGEN Club P.M.C. Total Time 1:08:49 Total Stage Time 1:08:49
Class S1 Driver Schalk VAN HEERDEN (jnr) Navigator Schalk VAN HEERDEN (Snr) Car DATSUN Club P.M.C. Total Time 1:09:10 Total Stage Time 1:09:10
Class S2 Driver P.N. DA CUNHA Navigator Willie VAN STRATEN Car HONDA Club S.A.M. Total Time 1:12:03 Total Stage Time 1:12:03
Class S3 Driver Etienne MALHERBE Navigator Hennie BOTES Car DATSUN Club SAHRA Total Time 1:12:13 Total Stage Time 1:12:13
Class S3 Driver Erno FEKKEN Navigator Danie DRENT Car TOYOTA Club S.A.M. Total Time 1:12:54 Total Stage Time 1:11:29
Class S1 Driver Salie DU TOIT Navigator Armand DU TOIT Car OPEL Club H.M.C. Total Time 1:13:03 Total Stage Time 1:13:03
Class S4 Driver Joos STASSEN Navigator Danie STASSEN Car NISSAN Club H.M.C. Total Time 1:13:21 Total Stage Time 1:13:21
Class S4 Driver Herman DU PLESSIS Navigator Pierre JORDAAN Car FORD Club S.C.C. Pta Total Time 1:13:53 Total Stage Time 1:13:53
Class S6 Driver Jurie DU PLESSIS Navigator Andre DU PLESSIS Car NISSAN Club KOEPEC Total Time 1:15:11 Total Stage Time 1:14:41
Class S2 Driver Stephanus STEENKAMP Navigator Adrianus PLOMP Car TOYOTA Club S.C.C. Pta Total Time 1:15:15 Total Stage Time 1:15:15
Class S3 Driver Jose VASCQUES Navigator Marlon TALBOT Car DATSUN Club Rallyesport Total Time 1:16:08 Total Stage Time 1:15:53
Class S1 Driver Eddie SIMPSON Navigator Marco LOTTERING Car OPEL Club P.M.C. Total Time 1:17:01 Total Stage Time 1:11:31
Class S3 Driver Michael OTTO Navigator Hannes DE BEER Car TOYOTA Club H.M.C. Total Time 1:20:23 Total Stage Time 1:19:58
Class S3 Driver Colin COOPER Navigator Bianca COOPER Car TRIUMPH Club SAHRA Total Time 1:21:27 Total Stage Time 1:20:27
Class S2 Driver Sean HEWITT Navigator Gavin HEWITT Car TOYOTA Club SAHRA Total Time 1:21:30 Total Stage Time 1:21:30
Class S1 Driver Flippie VENTER Navigator Des DE FORTIER Car LEYLAND Club S.C.C. Pta Total Time 1:25:06 Total Stage Time 1:25:06
Class S3 Driver Llewellyn EDWARDS Navigator Andy ADENDORFF Car TOYOTA Club Rallyesport Total Time 1:25:22 Total Stage Time 1:25:22

Leon Botha
Jan Delport and Amanda Pretorius in their first outing with a Subaru finished in an excellent 5th overall position.

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