The Algoa Rally Club wrapped up their season on Friday, 28 October and Saturday, 29 October, when rounds 6 and 7 of the 2022 championship took place in the Jeffreys Bay and Longmore Forest areas. The rallies, sponsored by Fountains Mall and The Sports Car Club of South Africa, proved to be a hit and were well supported with enthusiastic crowds following the action deep into the Longmore Forest. Round 6 on Friday was a night Rally that had the cars setting off from Fountains Mall late on Friday afternoon for the first stage near Humansdorp before moving into the forest. Heavy overnight rain ensured that the crews had to be extra cautious as they not only had to contend with racing in the dark but also in very slippery conditions.
Nick Davidson and Ashley Bezuidenhout in a VW Polo 250 had a mathematical chance of winning the 2022 championship after recovering from a bad start to the season and came out with guns blazing, only to be eclipsed by Neels Vosloo and Rikus Fourie (VW Polo 250) who finished just a second ahead of them in the overall timed stages. Bollie van Rooyen and navigator Scott Woods, also in a VW Polo 250, continued their consistent run coming home in third place, just three minutes behind the leading duo.
Conditions for round 7 on Saturday were the exact opposite of those the night before, as the cars took to the same stages as round 6, but this time in broad daylight. Extreme heat ensured that the roads dried out quickly, and the excited spectators were treated to fast-paced action through the daunting forest stages.
It was once again Vosloo and Fourie that set the pace up front, with Davidson and Bezuidenhout pushing to the limit, claiming the opening stage by three seconds, but then losing to Vosloo and Fourie by 33 seconds in the second stage. Unfortunately, the Davidson car was struck by engine trouble in stage three and took no further part in the rally. This allowed Vosloo and Fourie to cruise to a comfortable victory, followed home by Van Rooyen and Woods in second, with Etienne Malherbe and Henry Adams in a Classic Datsun SSS claiming a well-deserved third place.
Oliver de Man and Ingrid Jeacocks, in their Toyota Conquest, proved once again that consistency is key when it comes to winning a championship, capping off their season by being crowned Algoa Rally Club Champions for 2022.
The overall championship standings are as follows:
- Oliver de Man and Ingrid Jeacocks –Toyota Conquest
- Neels Vosloo and Rikus Fourie – VW Polo 250
- Clint Koekemoer and Francois Anker – VW Polo
Class winners
S1 class
- Devilliers Wessells and Martin Kleingeld – VW Golf A1
- Sonika Rautenbach and Brandon van de Walt – Toyota Yaris
- Riane’ Rautenbach and Mark Irvine – VW Polo
S2 Class
- Jeandre Marais and Rikus Fourie – Toyota Conquest
- Neels Vosloo and Ashley Bezuidenhout – VW Polo 250
- Nick Davidson and Ottie Marais – VW Polo 250
S3 Class
- Oliver de Man and Ingrid Jeacocks – Toyota Conquest
- Herman Bernhardt and JP Smit – Ford Escort
- Fritz Myburg and Elmarie Myburg – Toyota Yaris
S5 Class
- Clint Koekemoer and Francois Anker – VW Polo
- Deon Kretzmann and Kevin Futcher – VW Polo
- Keith Coleman (Navigator)