SWMC Blue Crane Rally 08
author: Patrick Vermaak
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Pic by Eric Joseph
Jon and Doug Williams S2000 VW Polo 4x4
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For some strange reason winter have decided to stick around a little longer in 2008 and we can once again expect cloudy conditions and 30% chance of late afternoon rain come Saturday 4 October 2008. The Somerset West Motor Club organized Blue Crane Benefit Rally, set to start from the Caledon Casino with temperatures ranging between 10 ºC and 18 ºC with a fresh South Westerly wind as company for the day.
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Pic by Eric Joseph
Andy and Benjamin Haigh-Smith will share A6 Toyota Corolla RXi 1600
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Pic by Eric Joseph
Paul Pfeiffer and Cindi Harding in the Nobili N4 Lancer Evo 6 4x4
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This should however just make matters more interesting as the Western Province Rally Championship have certainly never before gone to the final round with five prospective championship winners! Steven White and Jonathan Bright kept their noses clean throughout the year only to fall foul of incorrect tarmac rims during the CPMCC Swartland Rally and now have to drop a fairly good score in addition to the exclusion. The Gp N2 Mitsubishi Lancer GT1600 loves water and could actually prove a serious threat if there is much rain leading up to this event.
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Pic by Eric Joseph
John Peiser and Brian Hoskins N4 Subaru Impreza GT 4x4
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Late starters in 2008 the Speed Pro Cycling Components Gp N4 Subaru Impreza GT 4x4 Turbo of John Peiser (CPMCC) and Brian Hoskins (WPMC) should pull off their first championship this weekend. Reliability rather than outright pace is what they will be seeking this weekend so do not expect much fireworks from this combination. Another team to suffer from DNF’s early in the year have been the Winning Business Solutions/ Forsdicks S4 BMW E36 325i of the WBMK Teletubbies, Thorsten Pey and Mark Palmer. They have however proven exceptional as the year progressed and though possibly outgunned by more modern machinery they certainly enjoy the support of most to take an upset championship success this weekend.
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Pic by Eric Joseph
Abduraghman Amlay and Yusuf Ganief N3 Toyota Run X RSi 1800
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Pic by Eric Joseph
Thorsten Pey and Mark Palmer S4 BMW 325i
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Duncan English have made an impressive switch from navigator to driver and his exploits in the Gp N3 Toyota Run X RSi 1800 have received close attention from the opposition. The former WP navigators champion have got Rob Williams pointing the way and could well become the first to ever win both the driver and navigators WP Titles! Abduraghman Amlay and Yusuf Ganief have always shown good pace but always lacked reliability, something their new Gp N3 Toyota Run X RSi 1800 seems to have and they too could upset this weekend.
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Pic by Eric Joseph
Rupert van Zyl and Marius Rudolph S3 VW Golf GTi 1800
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Jon Williams and Pierre Arries won the FIA Pirelli Challenge recently in Zambia but will return to regional rallying with their SWMC Cape Town Tourism S2000 VW Polo 4x4 this weekend and must start the event as favourites for overall victory. Keeping them honest at the front of the field will be Paul Pfeiffer and Cindi Harding in their Nobili Gp N4 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 6 Turbo 4x4. The new N14 Subaru munched it’s engine shortly before the Swartland Rally. Paul is blisteringly quick in the Mitsu though!
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Pic by Eric Joseph
Steven White and Jonathan Bright N2 Mitsubishi Lancer GT1600
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With healthy 21 car field set to contest the nine stages of the Blue Crane Rally take note that the event will start from the Caledon Spa Casino Hotel at 09h30 and the first car should return at 16h15. Stage one, Klipfontein, is the shortest of the event at 6.98km with SS4/8 Chavonnes the longest at 15.14km. Special stage distance totals 93.42km to make this the shortest event on the calendar, but do not consider the roads easy though. Total distance of the event 328.84km.
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Pic by Eric Joseph
Kesevan Naidoo and Garth Ritsch S3 Toyota Conquest RSi 1600
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Andy and Benjamin Haigh-Smith will be filling the Team REACT class A6 CPMCC Toyota Corolla RXi 1600 on this occasion and I do believe that he will then officially have run out of son’s to introduce to rallying? The third Team REACT entry will be the class A5 CPMCC Toyota Yaris 1.3 of Ashley Haigh-Smith and Hilton Auffray. Two rolls have seen him learn the hard way to date but with each event experience grows and they are turning in some respectable times. Llewellyn Jones and Craig Gray have been spending lots of money and time on their unique class S5 CPMCC VW Golf TDi and the quiet car have surprised many before.
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Pic by Eric Joseph
Duncan English and Rob Williams N3 Toyota Run X RSi 1800
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Rupert van Zyl and Marius Rudolph have also been finding reliability in the CPMCC S3 Hollandse Motors VW Golf MkII GTi 1800 and will be hoping for a good end of year result. Kesevan Naidoo and Garth Ritsch will certainly be out for the same in the S3 Freightmore Toyota Conquest RSi 1600 with the similar machine of André George and George du Toit capable of surprising more than just a few gates.
Shaun Jones and Billy Thorpe need some kind of reward for “vasbyt” as they persist in getting the class S5 CPMCC VW Golf MkII Synchro 4x4 to deliver in reliability. The event might just be short enough for them to actually finish. Dark horse for this rally must be the CPMCC class A7 BP Ultimate VW Polo entry for the 2008 A5 national drivers champion, André Cleenwerck, and Carl Peskin.
Martin Esterhuyse Snr and Paul van Greunen return in their WBMK class S3 Fetch and Carry Toyota Conquest RSi 1600 and a good result would certainly have them smiling. At this stage no sign of the popular WBMK class S4 Nissan Skuline 2.8 GTX of Gavin Grierson and David Delaney. Stefanie Hugo and Derek Jacobs will team up for the Blue Crane and the Wiel / Select Cars Gp N3 Ford Focus ST1700 should find its way home after a few disappointing outings. Good to se Wiel actually taking an interest in regional rallying again!
Derrick Benjamin and Wesley van Heerden will campaign their CCMCC class S5 VW Polo Classic and Paul Emmanuel and Clint Lingeveldt will return in their class A5 VW Golf Chico 1.4i. Clinton Sassman set to run the class S4 daewoo Cielo 2.0 and another returnee will be Winston Neethling in an ex-works class S5 Nissan Sentra 4x4.
Make a day of it and join us in the Overberg!
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