Botterill Leads From Start To Finish
Defending Class S1600 champions – now known as Class R2, South Africa’s premiere rally class for 2017 – Guy Botterill and Simon Vacy-Lyle, recorded a convincing victory in the York Rally, Round 2 of the 2017 South African National Rally Championship. The pair wielded their Toyota Gazoo Racing SA Etios with impunity, and lead the R2 fight from start to finish.
The York Rally, which was formerly known as the Sasol Rally, also served as Round 3 of the FIA’s African Rally Championship (ARC), and as such included cars from African countries such as Kenya and Tanzania. These powerful four-wheel-drive machines have a distinct advantage over the front-wheel-drive Class R2 cars rallied in South Africa, but despite the power and traction deficit, Botterill/Vacy-Lyle became the first crew to win a round of the ARC in a 1600-engined rally car.
“We really had a great event,” said Botterill after completing Stage 14 – a fan-friendly downhill finale, set on the outskirts of Sabie. “Simon was right on the notes throughout the event, the car never missed a beat, and we had a perfectly clean run.”
This year’s York Rally was dominated by Japie van Niekerk and Robin Houghton, driving a superior Class S2000 Ford Fiesta. The crew competed in the Open Class, which is not eligible to score championship points. As such, Botterill/Vacy-Lyle recorded maximum points on Round 2, making it two national victories on the trot.
The event started with the familiar Olifantsgeraamte Stage, near York Timbers’ mill to the north of Sabie. Botterill/Vacy-Lyle immediately set the pace in Class R2, bested only by Van Niekerk/Houghton and the ARC crew of Jaspreet Chatte and navigator Surdeep Panesar (Mitshubishi). They maintained their Class R2 lead throughout the event, eventually winning the event by just over four minutes. Second place went to AC Potgieter and navigator Nico Swartz (Volkswagen), with Jono van Wyk and Scott Howden claiming third in their Ford Fiesta.
“We now have a handy lead in the championship, setting us up perfectly for the rest of the season,” concluded Botterill.
Round three is the Secunda Motor Rally, scheduled for 19 and 20 May, 2017. This year’s National Rally Championship features seven rounds, and the season concludes with the Goldfields Rally in the Freestate town of Welkom, on 20 and 21 October, 2017.
Poulter Puts Gazoo On Qatar Podium
The final stage of the Qatar Cross Country Rally, which concluded in Doha after a total race distance of 1,373km, saw Toyota Gazoo Racing SA’ Leeroy Poulter and navigator Dirk von Zitzewitz end the race in third place overall. This after a strong final stage, which saw the pair open the road, and losing time in the dunes just 10km from the end, narrowly missing out on a second place in the overall standings as a result.
Poulter/Von Zitzewitz showed their class throughout the five-day event, and the race-proved Toyota Hilux never missed a beat. The pair looked set for a second-place finish today, but a small mistake dropped them down to third place – still an excellent achievement, considering it is their first time in the car together, and also Poulter’s first visit to the notoriously tough Qatar Cross Country Rally.
The close stage was a test of 343km, which stage winners Jakub Prygonski and navigator Tom Colsoul (MINI) completed in 3:21:23.00. Nasser Al Attiyah and Mathieu Baumel (Toyota Hilux) were second on the stage, 2:19 behind Prygonski/Colsoul. The Toyota Gazoo Racing SA Hilux followed 1:32 later, with Poulter/Von Zitzewitz claiming third place on Stage 5.
“It was a really good day for us,” said Poulter after finishing his first Qatar Cross Country Rally. “Both Dirk and I learnt a lot, and we are pleased with what we’ve achieved. Obviously I’m disappointed not to have held onto second place in the overall standings, but some camel grass in the dunes caught us out. That’s the nature of the game though, and we’ll learn from the experience.”
In the end it was Al Attiyah/Baumel who placed their Toyota Hilux in first place, winning the event by 7:02 from Prygonski/Colsoul. Poulter/Von Zitzewitz finished just 28 seconds behind them, rounding out the podium.
“For us as a team, the Qatar event could hardly have gone any better,” said Toyota Gazoo Racing SA Team Principal, Glyn Hall, from the podium at Doha. “Leeroy and Dirk both learnt a lot, and we progressed well with the development of our Toyota Hilux. What’s more, we have two of our SA-built cars on the podium, which really proves the cars’ toughness and reliability.”
Race winner Al Attiyah described this year’s event as the race with the toughest navigation in the FIA’s World Cup. He also added that the roads are extremely difficult to read, with many hidden dangers.
The Qatar Cross Country Rally was the fourth round of the FIA’s Cross Country World Cup, and featured five stages in total. Al Attiyah/Baumel are the defending cup holders, having won every round they entered during the 2016 World Cup behind the wheel of their Toyota Hilux.
RESULTS – STAGE 5:
1. Prygonski/Colsoul (MINI) 3:21:23.00
2. Al Attiyah/Baumel (Toyota) +2:19
3. Poulter/Von Zitzewitz (Toyota) +3:51
4. Abu Issa/Panseri (MINI) +4:13
5. Al Qassimi/Al Kendi (Peugeot) +5:37
OVERALL RESULTS:
1. Al Attiyah/Baumel (Toyota) 13:48:09.00
2. Prygonski/Colsoul (MINI) +7:02
3. Poulter/Von Zitzewitz (Toyota) +7:30
4. Al Qassimi/Al Kendi (Peugeot) +14:32
5. Abu Issa/Panseri (MINI) +14:44
Pictures: Quickpic.co.za