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| Brian and Page Scott had another faultless rally to place second. Check out more photos of the day here by Gilbert. |
Organiser Dean Redelinghuis reminded all the racers that the single- stage sprint is all about having fun, and thanked the farmers around Dalton for not just allowing KZN’s gearheads space to test their skills on their farm roads, but for grading the tracks before the event.
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| Dean Redelinghuys with a box of fermented grapes presented by gearheads grateful for the opportunities he makes to race. |
While the club’s racing is informal with no national points to win, the entry list read like a who’s who of racing in KZN, with several former national champions preferring the clubs’s no-nonsense and above all, affordable, racing format.
The day was a family affair with lots of banter between the gazebos, but once out on the track, racing was fierce, with the marshalls at the flying finish relishing the dices that the quads, bikes and cars were having among themselves.
The Gouveias were chased hard by second-placed Brian and Paige Scott, but the fastest times for the day went to the fearless Grant Ballington on his bike, who made light of the many jumps down long stretches.
Redelinghuys said he was, however, most impressed by the growth in the Clubman class for “normal” cars on standard tyres, which saw four entries, including the “Mighty Matiz” navigated by this humble scribe.
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| Kurt Volmink making the most of the Mighty Matiz with Alwyn Viljoen trying not to get lost. |
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| Paolo Gouveia and navigator Urish Sookraj shows how it should be done. |
Several racers shared rides, with Paulo Gouveia admitting he is now getting a bit old after getting all tail happy on a dam wall after son Paolo and navigator Urish Sookraj beat Gouveia senior’s times by over a minute in their shared Skyline.
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| The point where navigator Johann Pienaar was — loudly and firmly — instructing driver Paulo Gouveia: ‘The OTHER left!’. |
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| Grant Ballington made light of the jumps to set the fastest times. |
Four racers did not finish, with Wesley Snyman and Byrand Terhorst gamely poking fun at themselves after using a firmly parked farming implement to stop a slide through the first corner.
First time racer, St Charles matric pupil James Laynes, entered a Peugeot 206 in the Clubmans class for standard cars, with mom Natalie as navigator.
Despite having to retire after an unfortunate meeting between sump and rock, he said the bug has bitten deep and he will be back for the next rally.
Second-place winner in the Clubman class and Maritzburg drifting legend, Kurt Volmink, said what he appreciates most of the local rallies — apart from the effort that goes into placing all the arrows pointing the way — is that he could take the cousins out on the stage to navigate and build memories for life.
“I don’t think there is anywhere else in the world where one can experience a proper rally for a R350 entry fee and even win a trophy,” Volmink said.
Redelinghuys said entries for the monthly rally have grown five fold and the field for the next event will have to be capped on a first-paid, first-entered basis to keep things manageable.
Enthusiastic drivers can e-mail the club at nrc.kzn@gmail.com to request entry forms.
