Summarize

A dusty, tough and testing route and a rally of attrition with two crews battling all the way to share the days honours. What better way for Dunlop to return as the official tyre supplier to the National Championship at the thrilling season-opening NTT Tzaneen Rally over the weekend?

In a dramatic couple of days, the Swazi Cowboy Jono van Wyk and Nico Swartz took control of proceedings with a hat trick of stage wins on Friday afternoon aboard their NRC 1 Mazda2. Benjamin Habig and Barry White however closed the day with the final stage win as they telegraphed their intentions for Saturday in their NRC 1 VW Polo.

In a rally of attrition, the tough going claimed Mandla Mdakane and Henry Adams NRC 1 Toyota Starlet on stage 3. NRC 2 trio Johan Strauss and Caro Storm’s Subaru Impreza and Anton Raaths and Kes Naidoo’s Mazda Capella both suffered transmission trouble as the Paul van Niekerk and Willemjan Human VW Polo broke its suspension. A similar issue also eliminated George Smalberger and Carolyn Swan’s NRC 3 Polo.

That left NRC 3 crew Magriet Potgieter and Tommy du Toit to a popular overall podium third and the front wheel drive win in their Ford Fiesta R2 ahead of Lynton Swatton and Tommie Coetzee’s NRC 2 Toyota Auris and daughter and mum Andrea Raaths-Duarte  Isabel Raaths fifth in their NRC 4 Toyota Auris. NRC 4 RunX duo Russel Stone and Jonty Brown and class rivals Pieter Palusa and Wesley Rapeulwana’s Sentra, and struggling NRC 3 Gustav Potgieter and Jané Visser’s Ford Fiesta R2 completed the finishers.

Saturday started much as Friday had finished with van Wyk and Swartz leading in the Mazda and Habig and White holding a watching brief over the opening stages in their Polo. But drama struck when the leading Mazda picked up driveshaft problem and then suffered a broken radiator to allow the Volkswagen to take the advantage in the third and fourth tests. From where Habig and White controlled the lead to win from van Wyk and Swarts and leave Tzaneen with the two top crews tied in the championship lead

Strauss and Storm had their Subaru back up and running to take NRC 2 and stand on the third step of Saturday’s podium ahead of the similarly re-armed Mdakane and Adams NRC 1 Gazoo Toyota Starlet. Swatton and Coetzee added fifth on Saturday to their Friday fourth in the NRC 2 Toyota Auris ahead of Juan de Wet and Gert Nienaber’s NRC 2  Subaru. Mum and daughter Andrea and Isabel struggled home tenth in their Auris, the van Niekerk-Human NRC 2 Polo  lost drive on stage 3. NRC 3 trio Smalberger and Swan’s Polo broke its transmission, as did the Potgieter-Visser Fiesta, while the Potgieter-du Toit Ford Fiesta lost a wheel. 

“Dunlop celebrated its arrival as South African National Rallying’s tyre of choice in fine style at the NTT Tzaneen Rally over the weekend,” Dunlop Tyres Marketing Manager Joanne de Freitas wrapped it up. “The weekend had it all from a no-holds barred fight up front that delivered different winners on each day to start the chase with a tie, to the drama, the challenge and the excitement one can only expect from rallying. We cannot wait for round 3 and 4 at the Eastern Province Algoa Rally around Kariga and Gqeberha on 25 and 26 July.”