Botterill races his best race yet in VW rally

Guy and Simon can like to go faster.

WHILE the factory-sponsored S2000 cars battled it out in front of the cameras in the weekend’s Volkswagen Rally in the Eastern Cape, young Durbanite driver Guy Botterill and navigator Simon Vacy-Lyle had their own ding-dong battle to win the S1600 class.

This class is for front-wheel drive cars with engines up to 1 600 cc, and Botterill’s has now won the race four times from four starts.

The weekend’s win may have been his best race yet. Despite a suspension problem that cost the pair some time right at the end of day one and an 18-second deficit start on the second day, Botterill again drove his Yato-sponsored Toyota Etios R2 to the top step of the podium.

Leeroy Poulter And Elvene Coetzee came second in the S2000 class,
 behind Mark Cronje and navigator Robin Houghton
and  Hans Weijs Jnr and Björn Degandt third.

They had to chase the dust of Chad van Beurden and Nico Swartz in a Volkswagen Polo most of the way. By the penultimate stage Botterill was still 18 seconds behind Van Beurden, but with just a short tarmac stage to follow, the Durbanite went into the final gravel stage with all guns blazing.

The result was one of the most impressive stage wins in the history of Class S1600, as Botterill took 26,3 seconds from Van Beurden to win the race. He also finished a highly credible fifth in the overall standings.

Their latest victory places Botterill and Vacy-Lyle comfortably in the lead of the Class S1600 championship, with his nearest competitor more than 40 points behind.