Summarize

The Swazi Cowboy, Jono van Wyk and Nico Swartz and their NRC1 Volkswagen Polo quite literally made champions Benjamin Habig and Barry White cry when they stole victory in the Dunlop shod South African Championship Ingco Ermelo Rally over the weekend. 

Championship leaders Habig and White won five of Friday’s seven stages to command the overnight lead over Paul van Niekerk and Willemjan Human’s third NRC1 Polo. But come Saturday, and it was all change. Habig and White’s car became stuck in third gear and try as they may, the team could not remedy the issue. Benjamin soldiered on to a remarkable second as they left third overnight, van Wyk and Swartz to also pass van Niekerk and Human to take the win.

On a dusty, tough, and demanding route that perfectly suited Dunlop’s specialised Direzza rally tyres, van Niekerk and Human had problems of their own to contend with. Still, they held Chris Coertse and Elzaan van der Schuyff’s Mazda2 off for third. Fifth overall, front wheel drive NRC3 winners, brothers Kent and Justin Rutherford’s Polo put one over all-wheel drive NRC2 frontrunners Lynton Swatton and Tommy Coetzee and Bruce Swatton and Craig Reyneke’s Polos.

NRC3 trio, George Smalberger and Etienne Lourens’ Polo, Rudolf Pretorius and Jack Radford’s Toyota Auris and Anton and Isabel Raaths in another Polo closed off the top ten ahead of Russell Stone and Jonty Brown’s similar car. Behind them, Drian and Yvonne le Grange’s Volkswagen Golf beat the Hennie Mostert and Willem Morgan Nissan Senta to the NRC4 win.

Running alongside the National, Juan de Wet and Gert Nienaber’s NR1 Subaru Impreza beat Johan and Wallie du Bruyn’s NR2 Nissan 350Z and Anton and Isabel Raaths’ NR3 Toyota Auris to Friday’s Regional Rally win, where Hanró and Andre Ehlers Toyota Tazz took NR4. De Wet and Nienaber won again from the de Bruyns on Saturday, with Johan Strauss Jr. and Kemaine Venter’s NR1 Subaru third from the Raaths’ Auris as the Ehlers Tazz took NR4 again.

And finally, Rinus Plomp and Hannes Pienaar won Saturday’s popular Club rally in their Subaru Forester ahead of the de Bruin Nissan 350Z and Strauss Jr. Venter Subaru. The National outcome had little effect on Habig and White’s championship advantage but it certainly brings van Wyk and Swartz into play in a battle for second with Coertse and van der Schuyff. The weather disturbed, Dunlop shod South African Rally Championship now heads to the rescheduled Algoa Rally in Gqeberha 25-26 September.