SUBARU DOES IT – FIRST TIME OUT
Subaru has won the manufacturers award in the Hitachi Tour Natal.
The predictions that Subaru with their virtually unsupported “team” of privateers could win the manufacturers award during 2003 has taken one step toward the truth.
The Sasol Volkswagen and Team Total Toyota’s took a severe beating when JP Damseaux (Total Toyota), Etienne Lourens (Total Toyota), Enzo Kuun (Sasol Volkswagen), Tjaart van der Walt (Sasol Volkswagen), Hergen Fekken (Sasol Volkswagen), Dean Sanders (Total Toyota), Rodney Visagie (Total Toyota) all retired somewhere for many different reasons during the Hitachi Tour Natal Rally.
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Leon Botha
Jannie Habig/Douglas Judd winning the Hitachi Tour Natal in fine style.
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The only consolation for Sasol Volkswagen, and Total Toyota is that at least Habig is leading the event and Craig Trott and Gerhard Snyman should finish in fifth position.
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Leon Botha
Serge Damseaux/Robert Paisley - still sorting out the teething problems
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Serge Damseaux was lying in second position with only one stage to go, and then came the Subaru’s. In third position were Schalk Burger and Vito Bonafide in their Impreza STi, followed by Nicolas Ryan in the Subaru GT in an excellent fourth position. Another excellent finish was posted by Rocky Reynecke who came home in sixth position. The 3rd, 4th and 6th positions should be good enough to take the manufacturers award home for this rally.
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Leon Botha
Schalk Burger and Vito Bonafide - probably winning assisting to win the manufacturers award for Subaru
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Teething problems caused the Pretoria Subaru STi driven by Leon Botha and Johan Sieling to fall out in stage four, but we will tell you the whole story later on.
Steve Mearns and Llewelyn Fourie were injured in an accident while they were actually cruising out of a stage after retiring. They once again made the mistake of “thinking” that the rally was over for them, which causes lack of concentration and usually injuries. Steve is still in hospital and we will report on this when we have more info.
The top five positions with only one stage to go were:
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Jan Habig/Douglas Judd Sasol Volkswagen Golf GTi
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Serge Damseaux/Robert Paisley Castrol Toyota RunX
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Schalk Burger/Vitio Banafide Subaru Impreza STi
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Nicolas Ryan/Brian Carrihill Subaru Impreza GT
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Craigh Trott/Gerhard Snyman Team Total Toyota
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Rocky Reynecke/ Andre Pfeifer Subaru Impreza GT
Results are absolutely unofficial and only to give you some idea of the situation.
Detailed results will be posted later on Sunday 9th March 2003
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