The South African National Rally Championship fires back into life this weekend, and there's a fresh feel to proceedings as Tshwane plays host to the very first GR Legends Rally at Legends Adventure Farm.
After the Gqeberha round was washed out by devastating floods in the Eastern Cape, the championship has found a new home on the outskirts of the capital, and Toyota Gazoo Racing South Africa isn't just competing—they're rolling out the welcome mat for what promises to be a festival of gravel and grit.
The service park won't be going anywhere all weekend, which means fans are in for a treat. They'll be able to wander through the heart of the action, getting up close to the machines and the men who wrestle them through the dirt. It's exactly the kind of family-friendly, petrol-scented gathering that rally enthusiasts live for.
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Behind the wheel of the Toyota GR Yaris once again will be motoring scribe Mark Jones, with the ever-reliable Kes Naidoo calling the notes from the right-hand seat. This will be just their third outing as a pairing, and Jones is still getting his elbows out on gravel—Sunday's event marks only his second proper crack at the loose stuff, following a promising showing at the Swartland Rally earlier in the season.
"We came away from Swartland with notebooks full of lessons," Jones admitted with a grin before the weekend's action. "With every kilometre, we felt ourselves getting sharper, more dialled in. Rallying is a whole different beast compared to circuit racing—it's unpredictable, it's raw, and it keeps you humble. But we're hungry to put into practice everything we soaked up out there."
The Toyota Gazoo Racing crew hasn't been sitting idle since their last competitive outing. The GR Yaris has been given some loving attention, particularly in the suspension department, as the team continues to fine-tune the car's bespoke rally package. The sequential gearbox and drivetrain have been bulletproof so far, allowing the engineers to focus their energy on sharpening the car's handling and ensuring it can take a pounding over the rough stuff.
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Now, here's where it gets interesting. While the GR Legends Rally is brand new to the calendar, Jones sees that as an opportunity rather than a hurdle.
"It's uncharted territory for everyone, and that's what makes it so exciting," he said, his enthusiasm unmistakable. "Nobody has an advantage—we're all reading the roads for the first time. From the recce footage, the stages look fast, flowing, and beautifully maintained. It's going to be another massive learning curve, but that's exactly what we signed up for. Our game plan is simple: keep growing as a crew, get the car to the finish line, and if we can nab a few championship points while we're at it, we'll take them with a smile."
And those championship points are starting to stack up nicely. The pairing sits comfortably in the NRC2 standings, having put every finish in the bank so far this season. Consistency has been their secret weapon, and they'll be looking to keep that streak alive.
Mother Nature appears to be on their side too. The forecast is serving up picture-perfect rally weather, with clear skies predicted from start to finish. Early risers might need to scrape a bit of frost off the windscreen with temperatures dipping to around 5°C at dawn, but as the day warms up to a pleasant 20°C, the dry conditions should give competitors a consistent, grippy surface to play with.
With Toyota guests and rally faithful expected to descend on Legends Adventure Farm in significant numbers, Toyota Gazoo Racing South Africa is gearing up for a weekend that's as much about celebration as it is about competition. It's a fresh chapter for the national championship, and if the early signs are anything to go by, the GR Legends Rally is going to be one for the books.
Colin Windell for Colin-on-Cars in association with
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