Local rally organiser Dean Redelinghuys was in his element — mud — at the monthly rally test stage hosted by the Natal Recreational Club near Dalton at the weekend.
The champion navigator was reading the pace notes for multiple rally champion Mally Saville (78), who came out to show the laaities how with his Subaru WRX.
Saville managed to set the fastest times when the pair’s headsets functioned, but when it did not, the WRX became a mud plough, showing the importance of having a co-driver who can warn of upcoming corners when driving at speed.
On the other side of the rally spectrum, in the Clubmans Class, Kurt Volmink was the only entrant to finish, using all his drifting and spinning skills to get the “Mighty Matiz” over the finish line.
Redelinhuys said the three teams that entered the Clubman Class represent the real spirit of rallying.
“Brandt van der Merwe and Carina Nielsen; Johannes Horn and Lizann Maritz; and Kurt and his sons, show what it is all about. They drive their cars to the venue, race, and then drive them home again.”
He also thanked the local farmers for allowing the club to plan rallies on their farms, and congratulated Brian and Page Scott for again setting the pace to win the race. In second place in the cars was Paulo Gouveia in his Skyline.
On the quads, Bodo Ortmann rode a blistering pace on his Yamaha YFZ 450, followed by Seelan Reddy on a Yamaha Raptor 700.
The bikers had a torrid time in the mud, with only Glen McDonald managing to finish on his KTM 350.
