Local Algoa Rally Club top contenders Neels Vosloo and navigator Rikus Fourie will once again be pitting their skills against the best rally teams in the country as they take their Hella backed VW Polo to Mpumalanga to compete in the penultimate round of the South African National Rally Championship that will be held in and around the forests of Ermelo on the 27th and 28th of September.

Picture credit: Darryl Kukard
It is a somewhat cautious venture into the unknown for the VoslooR Rally Team as Vosloo has never competed in Ermelo before, with the last rally in the area having taking place in 2018 and it will also end the drought for an all Eastern Cape crew to participate in the Northern leg of the SA championship with them being the first team since 2013.
With just two events in the national series to go, their focus will be keeping their sights on winning the 2-wheel drive championship in South Africa and this will be their biggest motivation to compete in an event so far away from home. With one hand already on the trophy they are strong contenders to take the National title in 2024, with Fourie being the current points leader in the overall National Navigators Championship, whilst Vosloo is third in the overall Drivers Championship.
The dynamic duo are also the current point’s leaders in the Eastern Cape’s Petrefuel Algoa Rally Championship.
With the Ermelo event having being slotted into the rally calendar as a late replacement for the Tzaneen Rally that unfortunately was cancelled due to the risk of forest fires during the very dry spell that they are experiencing in the area at the moment, it leaves the Hella Team with the risky task of competing in two major events within one week, as the 5th October sees the fifth round of the EC Championship taking place in Steytlerville. This is a big task, and the crew will have to play their hand strategically, keeping the car in one piece. It will be the debut of their newly fitted INTRAX suspension system on the Polo, so it will be a good competitive outing to test the new dampers.
Excitement is building around the Steylerville Rally that will be held in the area for the first time with some magnificent dirt roads being prepared with plenty of high speed stages mixed with a host of technical sections.