KUUN STILL LEADS IN THE MOUNTAINS
author: Andries van der Walt
The BP VW Racing crew of Enzo Kuun/Guy Hodgson in a Class S2000 VW Polo was still firmly in the lead after five stages on the Osram Rally being held in the mountains around Barkley East. Kuun was leading his BP VW Racing team mate, Hergen Fekken/Pierre Arries by 19 seconds. Kuun had an accumulated time for the event of 69:43.1. He and Fekken had been locked in battle since the start of the event in Barkley East this morning.
The Ford Focus crew of Conrad Rautenbach/Peter Marsh has managed to dislodged the third BP VW Racing Class S2000 Polo of Jannie Habig/Douglas Judd from third place overall.
Rautenbach is trailing Fekken by 33.0 seconds, with Habig in 4th 42.4 s behind Rautenbach.
It has not been a very good day for the Castrol Toyota Auris entries of Johnny Gemmell/Drew Sturrock and Mark/Cronje/Robert Paisley. Gemmell managed to win stage five but finds himself 5th overall having improved his position from 9th overall after suffering a misfire on the first stage of the day. Cronje hit a rock on stage 1 and is in 9th position overall. The bad luck that struck the Toyota drivers have all but put paid to Toyota Motorsport’s hope of achieving a 100th national rally championship win.
At the start of the rally Kuun and Gemmell were tied in first place on the championship log.
The Osram Rally, the only event on the national calendar to start and finish on the same day, started in Barkley East this morning and will finish there again later this afternoon. The rally consists of 8 special stages some 175 km in length.
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