2015 South African Rally Championship

[Bruce D]

The 2015 season starts this weekend with the Tour Natal Rally (27-28 Feb) held in Durban.

Reigning champions Toyota are back with the Yaris S2000 model for champions Leeroy Poulter and Elvene Coetzee. They will be partnered by Giniel de Villiers, who will now be co-driven by Carolyn Swan. Hergen Fekken has been dropped from the squad along with de Villier's co-driver Greg Godrich.

http://i60.tinypic.com/ek5b1d.jpg

Their biggest challenge will come from the Ford Performance team of 2012 & 2013 champions Mark Cronje and Robin Houghton.

http://i59.tinypic.com/104enn6.jpg

Volkswagen Sasolracing have announced their squad of Hans Weijs Jnr and Björn Degandt, Henk Lategan and Barry White and Gugu Zulu and Pierre Arries. They haven't shown us anything yet but there is apparently a new colour scheme for the Polos this year.

http://i57.tinypic.com/f39vgo.jpg

The only other S2000 car will be the private NAD team of Japie van Niekerk, now with Brit Gordon Noble on the notes in their Ford Fiesta. Japie's speed last year suggested that a rally win is not far away.

The full entry list is available here - http://www.rallyworld.net/attachments/article/2325/2015_TOUR_NATAL_RALLY_-_ENTRY_LIST_16_FEb_1.pdf

Full Intinerary is here - http://www.rallyworld.net/attachments/article/2325/2015_Tour_Natal_Rally_-_Itinerary_1.pdf

[vino_93]

It's new to see an official Ford team, didn't it ?

[Bruce D]

My understanding from wording is that Mark is now works team, or works backed. Previously I believe they as well as Jan Habig and a few others at the time were on a money-per-points system, with quite substantial payouts to help, so factory-assisted you could say, but not an official team.

So yes probably the first proper works Ford since 1993.

[MartijnS]

Was this Hans Weijs in the Polo?
Lucky spectators!

https://www.facebook.com/BossiesCommunityJustice/videos/10153264033719445/

[Jarek Z]

Was this Hans Weijs in the Polo?

No, according to the description on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RLGjmmzXgVE) the crash at Sasol Rally South Africa was between Henk Lategan and Japie van Niekerk. I was absolutely shocked when I saw it. This is unbelievable! What was he thinking?!

[MartijnS]

Weijs stops with the championship?

[Zeakiwi]

Can anyone give further details of why Sasol withdrew sponsorship and what this means for the South African Rally Championships future? Will there be offroad only to a high level potentially?

[Grant_RSA]

Sasol only withdrew sponsorship of the Sasol Rally, which is South Africa's round of the FIA African Championships, they have not been series sponsors for a number of years now.

I have not been actively involved in a number of years so do not have all the facts, all I know is is that Rallying is at a major cross roads, there is no longer a class for S2000 as both VW and Toyota have withdrawn.
The decision was made to run only S1600 (R2) Regulations for 2017, it is yet to be determined what kind of fields can be expected, I guess time will tell.

As with the rest of the world the economic times are playing havoc with our sport... the only positive for me is that we have been through tough times in the past and come back strong, we can only hope things improve.

[Barreis]

any news here? SA championship was very strong once...