Reigning South African National Rally Champions Benjamin Habig and Barry White have extended their perfect start to the season, clinching their fourth consecutive victory at a dramatic GR Legends Rally that had everything from dust clouds to mechanical drama.
The Volkswagen Polo NRC1 crew emerged victorious after a pulsating 13-stage battle with closest rivals Jono van Wyk and Nico Swartz, who pushed them all the way in their identical Rally Technic-prepared Polo.
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Nico and Juandre Nienaber completed the podium in their Hyundai i20 NRC1, fighting back from a catalogue of setbacks including alternator failure, a flat battery, and fuel pump problems to claim the final step.
The event, hastily relocated to farmlands outside Bronkhorstspruit following the postponement of the Algoa Rally, was characterised by high-speed sections and the thick dust that would ultimately prove decisive.
Friday's opening exchanges saw Habig dominate the first four stages, but Van Wyk kept the pressure on, ending the day a mere two-tenths of a second adrift after the defending champion stalled in a sharp corner when his own dust obscured his vision.
Saturday dawned with Habig facing an unexpected challenge when a loose rear belly plate turned his Polo into a handful. The drag caused by the trailing plate cost the KwaZulu-Natal driver significant straight-line speed, with his machine down 70km/h on rivals while fighting erratic handling and power steering failure.
"That belly plate was ploughing the fields for the next planting season," Habig quipped at the Soetdoring finish. "On the corners, it would lift the rear end and make the car a real handful - the power steering failure only made things worse."
Service crews worked miracles, repairing the damage at the first opportunity, but the respite proved short-lived when the Polo began overheating. Habig was forced to nurse the car through to the next service, where technicians finally restored the machine to full health. The champion responded with five stage wins from the remaining six to haul himself back into contention.
Van Wyk looked set for victory until stage 11, when he wrong-slotted after being blinded in his own dust. The 43-second error proved catastrophic.
"I turned left instead of right in my own dust," a rueful Van Wyk admitted. "That mistake cost us the win."
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Fourth overall and first in NRC3 went to George Smalberger and Etienne Lourens in their Shield Racing Volkswagen Polo, overcoming a bent steering arm after striking a rock to finish 39 seconds clear of NRC2 winners Bruce Swatton and Craig Reyneke, who claimed a commendable fifth overall.
Rudolf Pretorius and Jack Radford secured sixth overall and second in NRC3 in their VW Polo, comfortably ahead of Zambian visitors Mayur Patel and Colin Gander in their Subaru Impreza STi. The Zambians survived a major scare on Friday's final stage when their Impreza launched into the air after a high-speed dip, landing heavily on its nose. Despite front-end damage, they limped through the remainder of the event.
Lynton Swatton and Tommy Coetzee took eighth overall and the final NRC2 podium spot in their VW Polo, while the Cape pairing of Ismaeel Davids and Yusuf Ganief finished ninth in their Toyota GR Yaris after a troubled run that saw consistent top-four stage times undermined by technical issues.
Chris Coertse and Elzaan van der Schyff rounded out the top ten in their Rally Technic Mazda2 NRC1. The former national champion had been in podium contention with top-three stage times until fuel pressure problems and lateness penalties, as his team fought to resolve the fault, dropped them down the order.
Mark Jones and Kes Naidoo were forced out of their Toyota Gazoo Racing GR Yaris on the final stage with technical issues, while Kent and Justin Rutherford retired their Shield Racing VW Polo on stage ten with a suspected driveshaft failure. Anton and Isabel Raaths also called it a day in their Toyota RunX after brake problems.
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The event also hosted rounds two and three of the Northern Regions Rally Championship. Friday's rally-within-a-rally was won by Juan de Wet and Gert Nienaber in their Subaru Impreza STi, ahead of Johan de Bruin and Wallie de Bruyn in their Nissan 350Z, with Michael Mullany and Lehlohonolo Letuka taking third in their Subaru Forester.
Saturday's Northern Regions contest saw the de Bruins go one better, claiming victory by eight seconds from Johan Strauss Jr and Kemaine Venter in their Subaru Impreza, with Ashley and Les McKenzie taking a strong third in their Ford Escort Mk1.
The GR Legends Club Rally, contested over four stages, was won by Pretorius and Radford in the VW Polo, ahead of the McKenzies and the father-son pairing of Schalk van Heerden Junior and Senior in their Datsun 1600 SSS.
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