The second round of the hugely popular Petrefuel Algoa Rally Championship that comprises of seven rounds moves to the dusty roads of the Wolwefontein and Paardepoort area tomorrow for the running of the EMI Paardepoort Rally that will be run over three stages totaling a race distance of 73.80 kilometers. The rally headquarters and main holding area and service park will be based at the Wolwefontein Hotel which is situated just off the R75 main road to Jansenville and the first car is scheduled to start the rally at 10h05. The rally will finish back at the hotel where the podium celebrations and prize giving will be held.
Making a welcome return for their first start of the season are the Bartle siblings Ross and Roxanne who will be competing in their newly branded Indy Oil Volkswagen Polo2 litre 16 valve. The Bartle’s are both accomplished competitors in karting as well as on-line sim racing with Ross having a regional 125cc Rok karting championship, multiple SA Sim-racing titles as well as two regional rally titles under his belt.
Another significant entry in the rally is the team of National PoloCup driver Jeandre’ Marais and his navigator Tegan Taljaard who will be debuting their recently acquired VW Polo 250 1600. Their new car is the same car that Nick Davidson raced to success over three past seasons of the championship, so with Marais behind the wheel, he and Taljaard should be seen as serious challengers for class honours.
Fresh from their successes at the Cape National Rally where they finished in second place overall are the formidable Hella Team of Neels Vosloo and navigator Rikus Fourie in their VW Polo, who will be wanting to keep the momentum that they built going, as they once again come up against the formidable Stu Davidson & Sons 4-wheel drive Toyota Auris of Nick Davidson and Ashley Bezuidenhout.
East London will be well represented by a host of teams with the Border Towing Teams of Martin, Wade & Jody van Zummeren leading the charge. Martin with navigator Henry Adams will have no doubt sorted out the few niggles that they had with their brutal 4-wheel drive VW Polo 2-litre turbo that hit the circuit for the first time at round one of the championship and Wade and Lloyd Brady return in the ex-Hannes Grobler Nissan Skyline and Jody and James Johnston in their classic Nissan P510 SSS. Oliver de Man alongside Ingrid Jeacocks in their ex-Toyota Factory Team Corolla E70 and Francois Laubscher and Mark Irvine in a VW Polo 250 1-litre turbo round out the contingent of East London cars.
Daniel Pienaar Technical High School will once again field three cars with Winley Martin and teacher Kaylin Kapp in a VW Polo 250 1-litre turbo, pupils Tashne Wait and Wesley Schultz in a VW Golf A1 1400 and teacher Francois Vermaak alongside past pupil Handre van Schalkwyk in a VW Golf A1 1400.
Rounds three and four of the Petrefuel Algoa Rally Club Championship will be incorporated into the National Rally Championship that will take place in the Longmore Forest and Jeffreys Bay area on the 05th & 06th July.