Heidelberg, Gauteng - The South African Rally Championship will head into unfamiliar territory this weekend as crews descend on the eastern end of the Suikerbosrand Nature Reserve for the Heidelberg Rally, a venue that hasn’t hosted a national rally in more than 20 years.
It’s expected to be another all-Toyota affair, as the two works Yaris entries have finished in one-two positions at every rally this year. Leeroy Poulter and navigator Elvene Coetzee have won all four rounds so far this season, and their Yaris team-mates Giniel de Villiers and navigator Carolyn Swan have placed second on all occasions.
The race for third could be interesting though. The safe money is on Ernie van der Walt and Gerhard Snyman in a privately entered S2000 Toyota Yaris, but Class S1600 points leaders Guy Botterill and Simon Vacy-Lyle managed third overall last time out in a much less powerful, front-wheel drive Toyota Etios.
The only non-Toyota to have scored a podium in 2016 was the Ford Fiesta S2000 of Wilro Dippenaar and Kesevan Naidoo at the first rally of the season, but with Van der Walt’s Yaris acquiring the same trick suspension as the works team in the lead up to this race, it’ll take a strange turn of events for S2000 class Toyotas to not lock out the fifth round.
The Heidelberg Rally will be based at the Heidelberg Mall, where the service park, scrutineering, parc ferme and start/finish line will be set up. The rally will start at 4pm on Friday and will resume early on Saturday morning.
Star Motoring