JJ Potgieter and Tommy du Toit stormed to a runaway win in Friday's round 3 of the National Rally Championship in their four-wheel drive Hyundai i20 in perfect weather conditions, ending their run of six non-finishes in previous rallies through the Longmore Forest outside Jeffreys Bay.
It also puts the pair in a commanding position in the 2023 National Rally Championship with a hat-trick of wins so far.
Main rivals, Jono van Wyk and Nico Swartz, retired their Gazoo Toyota Starlet during stage 2 when the engine dropped a valve, forcing them to call it a day along with local heroes Nick Davidson and Ashley Bezuidenhout after their Toyota Auris S2000 overheated.
The Mazda 2 1600 of Chris Coerstse and Greg Godrich developed an intermittent misfire early on in the rally but they managed to bring it home in second place just ahead of a hard-charging Benjamin Habig and Barry White in the giant slaying one-litre VW polo GTI.
In the regional classes, it was the reigning Western Province Rally champions who grabbed a dominant win in their impressive four-wheel drive Subaru Impreza, from Johan Viljoen and Riaan van Huysteen in a VW Polo 250 two litre in second. Third place went to Juan and Tarryn van Rooyen in their Innova-sponsored VW Polo 250 1600.
Round 4 of the rally championship on Saturday saw a storming comeback drive from Jono van Wyk and Nico Swartz after the Gazoo Toyota Team worked until 3am on Saturday fitting a new motor. They went on to blitz the rest of the field to take the overall win.
An equally impressive performance from Mandla Mdakane and Kes Naidoo secured them the second spot on the podium, giving the Gazoo Toyota Team their first one-two finish in many a year.
Mdakane who swapped his usual GTC circuit racing seat for a rally seat, certainly made the crowd take note of his impressive pace in only his third rally ever. Another consistent performance from the Mazda 2 of Chris Coertse and Greg Godrich saw them finish in third place overall.
Round 4 of the regional rally championship certainly proved to be a rally of attrition with many competitors retiring with mechanical issues, but it was a stunning performance from Jody van Zummeren and James Johnson in a Classic Datsun 510 coupé that triumphed over Juan and Tarryn van Rooyen in second and a brilliant show of consistency from Deon Kretzman and Jason Schrieber in their Toyota Etios in third.
Juan and Tarryn van Rooyen were not only the winners of the Tissot watches sponsored by Gabriels Jewellers at Fountain Malls for their combined performance from both rounds of the Rallies, they also claimed the Algoa Rally Clubs King of the Longmore for setting the fastest stage times in the forest.
The next round of the National Rally Championship moves to Mpumalanga and will be held in the forests around Tzaneen on August 25 and 26.
Overall class results
Round 3
National Rally Championship 2 (2-wheel drive): 1 Benjamin Habig and Barry White VW Polo 250 1litre GTI; 2 Gerald Klopper and Johan Aucamp Toyota Etios; 3 Gustav Potgieter and Tommy Coetzee Ford Fiesta
National Rally Championship 1 (4-wheel drive): 1 JJ Potgieter and Tommy du Toit Hyundai i20; 2 Chris Coerstse and Greg Godrich Mazda 1600; 3 Mandla Mdakane and Kes Naidoo Toyota Starlet
Algoa Rally Club Championship ARC5: 1 Riekus Schmidt and Marco Griesel VW Polo A13 1400; 2 Gary Heine and Demi Kretzman VW Polo 250 1400; 3 Ulrich Roberts & Wesley Schultz VW Golf A1 1400
Algoa Rally Club Championship ARC4: 1 Juan and Tarryn van Rooyen VW Polo 250 1600; 2 Deon Kretzman and Jason Schrieber Toyota Etios 1600; 3 Jeandre Marais and Tegan Taljaard Toyota Conquest 1600
Algoa Rally Club Championship ARC3: 1 Johan Viljoen and Riaan van Huysteen VW Polo 250 2litre; 2 Jody van Zummeren and James Johnson Datsun 510 Coupe 2 litre; 3 Etienne Malherbe and Patrick Vermaak Datsun SSS 2 litre
Algoa Rally Club Championship ARC1: 1 Owen Jones and Ashley Bredekamp Subaru Impreza 4wd
Algoa Rally Club Championship Clubmans: 1 Etienne Malherbe and Patrick Vermaak Datsun SSS 2 litre; 2 Eddie Banks and Morris Brown BMW E36 2 litre; 3 Ulrich Roberts and Wesley Schultz VW Golf A1 1400
Round 4
National Rally Championship 2 (2-wheel drive): 1 Benjamin Habig and Barry White VW Polo 250 1litre GTI; 2 Gustav Potgieter and Tommy Coetzee Ford Fiesta; 3 George Smalberger and Robbie Coetzee VW Polo 250 1litre GTI
National Rally Championship 1 (4-wheel drive)/Overall: 1 Jono van Wyk and Nico Swartz Gazoo Toyota Starlet; 2 Mandla Mdakane and Kes Naidoo Gazoo Toyota Starlet; 3 Chris Coerstse and Greg Godrich Mazda 1600
Algoa Rally Club Championship ARC5: 1 Riekus Schmidt and Marco Griesel VW Polo A13 1400; 2 Ulrich Roberts and Wesley Schultz VW Golf A1 1400; 3 De Villiers Wessells and Francois Anker VW Polo 250 1400
Algoa Rally Club Championship ARC4: 1 Juan and Tarryn van Rooyen VW Polo 250 1600; 2 Deon Kretzman and Jason Schrieber Toyota Etios 1600; 3 Francois Loubscher and Mark Irvine Toyota Conquest 1600
Algoa Rally Club Championship ARC3: 1 Jody van Zummeren and James Johnson Datsun 510 Coupe 2 litre; 2 Oliver de Man and Craig Step Toyota Corolla 2 litre; 3 Eddie Banks and Morris Brown BMW E36 2 litre
Algoa Rally Club Championship Clubmans: 1 Francois Loubscher & Mark Irvine Toyota Conquest 1600; 2 Eddie Banks and Morris Brown BMW E36 2 litre; 3 Ulrich Roberts and Wesley Schultz VW Golf A1 1400
HeraldLIVE
Mixed fortunes in Algoa National Rally
Image: MARISHA VILJOEN
JJ Potgieter and Tommy du Toit stormed to a runaway win in Friday's round 3 of the National Rally Championship in their four-wheel drive Hyundai i20 in perfect weather conditions, ending their run of six non-finishes in previous rallies through the Longmore Forest outside Jeffreys Bay.
It also puts the pair in a commanding position in the 2023 National Rally Championship with a hat-trick of wins so far.
Main rivals, Jono van Wyk and Nico Swartz, retired their Gazoo Toyota Starlet during stage 2 when the engine dropped a valve, forcing them to call it a day along with local heroes Nick Davidson and Ashley Bezuidenhout after their Toyota Auris S2000 overheated.
The Mazda 2 1600 of Chris Coerstse and Greg Godrich developed an intermittent misfire early on in the rally but they managed to bring it home in second place just ahead of a hard-charging Benjamin Habig and Barry White in the giant slaying one-litre VW polo GTI.
In the regional classes, it was the reigning Western Province Rally champions who grabbed a dominant win in their impressive four-wheel drive Subaru Impreza, from Johan Viljoen and Riaan van Huysteen in a VW Polo 250 two litre in second. Third place went to Juan and Tarryn van Rooyen in their Innova-sponsored VW Polo 250 1600.
Round 4 of the rally championship on Saturday saw a storming comeback drive from Jono van Wyk and Nico Swartz after the Gazoo Toyota Team worked until 3am on Saturday fitting a new motor. They went on to blitz the rest of the field to take the overall win.
An equally impressive performance from Mandla Mdakane and Kes Naidoo secured them the second spot on the podium, giving the Gazoo Toyota Team their first one-two finish in many a year.
Mdakane who swapped his usual GTC circuit racing seat for a rally seat, certainly made the crowd take note of his impressive pace in only his third rally ever. Another consistent performance from the Mazda 2 of Chris Coertse and Greg Godrich saw them finish in third place overall.
Round 4 of the regional rally championship certainly proved to be a rally of attrition with many competitors retiring with mechanical issues, but it was a stunning performance from Jody van Zummeren and James Johnson in a Classic Datsun 510 coupé that triumphed over Juan and Tarryn van Rooyen in second and a brilliant show of consistency from Deon Kretzman and Jason Schrieber in their Toyota Etios in third.
Juan and Tarryn van Rooyen were not only the winners of the Tissot watches sponsored by Gabriels Jewellers at Fountain Malls for their combined performance from both rounds of the Rallies, they also claimed the Algoa Rally Clubs King of the Longmore for setting the fastest stage times in the forest.
The next round of the National Rally Championship moves to Mpumalanga and will be held in the forests around Tzaneen on August 25 and 26.
Overall class results
Round 3
National Rally Championship 2 (2-wheel drive): 1 Benjamin Habig and Barry White VW Polo 250 1litre GTI; 2 Gerald Klopper and Johan Aucamp Toyota Etios; 3 Gustav Potgieter and Tommy Coetzee Ford Fiesta
National Rally Championship 1 (4-wheel drive): 1 JJ Potgieter and Tommy du Toit Hyundai i20; 2 Chris Coerstse and Greg Godrich Mazda 1600; 3 Mandla Mdakane and Kes Naidoo Toyota Starlet
Algoa Rally Club Championship ARC5: 1 Riekus Schmidt and Marco Griesel VW Polo A13 1400; 2 Gary Heine and Demi Kretzman VW Polo 250 1400; 3 Ulrich Roberts & Wesley Schultz VW Golf A1 1400
Algoa Rally Club Championship ARC4: 1 Juan and Tarryn van Rooyen VW Polo 250 1600; 2 Deon Kretzman and Jason Schrieber Toyota Etios 1600; 3 Jeandre Marais and Tegan Taljaard Toyota Conquest 1600
Algoa Rally Club Championship ARC3: 1 Johan Viljoen and Riaan van Huysteen VW Polo 250 2litre; 2 Jody van Zummeren and James Johnson Datsun 510 Coupe 2 litre; 3 Etienne Malherbe and Patrick Vermaak Datsun SSS 2 litre
Algoa Rally Club Championship ARC1: 1 Owen Jones and Ashley Bredekamp Subaru Impreza 4wd
Algoa Rally Club Championship Clubmans: 1 Etienne Malherbe and Patrick Vermaak Datsun SSS 2 litre; 2 Eddie Banks and Morris Brown BMW E36 2 litre; 3 Ulrich Roberts and Wesley Schultz VW Golf A1 1400
Round 4
National Rally Championship 2 (2-wheel drive): 1 Benjamin Habig and Barry White VW Polo 250 1litre GTI; 2 Gustav Potgieter and Tommy Coetzee Ford Fiesta; 3 George Smalberger and Robbie Coetzee VW Polo 250 1litre GTI
National Rally Championship 1 (4-wheel drive)/Overall: 1 Jono van Wyk and Nico Swartz Gazoo Toyota Starlet; 2 Mandla Mdakane and Kes Naidoo Gazoo Toyota Starlet; 3 Chris Coerstse and Greg Godrich Mazda 1600
Algoa Rally Club Championship ARC5: 1 Riekus Schmidt and Marco Griesel VW Polo A13 1400; 2 Ulrich Roberts and Wesley Schultz VW Golf A1 1400; 3 De Villiers Wessells and Francois Anker VW Polo 250 1400
Algoa Rally Club Championship ARC4: 1 Juan and Tarryn van Rooyen VW Polo 250 1600; 2 Deon Kretzman and Jason Schrieber Toyota Etios 1600; 3 Francois Loubscher and Mark Irvine Toyota Conquest 1600
Algoa Rally Club Championship ARC3: 1 Jody van Zummeren and James Johnson Datsun 510 Coupe 2 litre; 2 Oliver de Man and Craig Step Toyota Corolla 2 litre; 3 Eddie Banks and Morris Brown BMW E36 2 litre
Algoa Rally Club Championship Clubmans: 1 Francois Loubscher & Mark Irvine Toyota Conquest 1600; 2 Eddie Banks and Morris Brown BMW E36 2 litre; 3 Ulrich Roberts and Wesley Schultz VW Golf A1 1400
HeraldLIVE
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