4 days ago
Van Wyk and Swartz dominate Algoa National Rally
Jono van Wyk, dubbed the 'Swazi Cowboy', and his navigator, Nico Swartz, pushed their Mazda 2 1.6-litre turbocharged four-wheel drive to its limits to win both rounds three and four of the National Rally Championship hosted by the Algoa Rally Club at the weekend.
Round three took place in and around Kariega and Despatch, with round four playing out in the Longmore Forest.
In Friday's third round action, Benjamin Habig and Barry White pushed hard, winning two of the stages with the 'comeback kids' Nico and Juandre Nienaber taking the final stage win after having rolled their Hyundai i20 during Thursday afternoon's qualifying run.
The Nienaber brothers misjudged a jump on a high-speed section in the Spiders Web area and hit a marker tyre, which resulted in them cartwheeling numerous times, with their new car landing in a mangled mess.
The true spirit of the Algoa Rally Club was soon evident as many of their members jumped in to assist in sourcing parts and lending panel beating equipment and welders to assist the team in rebuilding the badly damaged Hyundai to ensure it was on the start line on Friday morning.
After eight stages in round three, it was Van Wyk and Swartz on the top step of the podium, followed by Habig and White in second, and the Nienaber brothers in third.
In the Algoa Rally Club Championship, the Nienabers took first place, followed by Zambian visitors Seth and Urshlla Gomes in second, with Neels Vosloo and Rikus Fourie in third.
Round four then moved to the Longmore Forest on Saturday with an early start in freezing conditions that didn't keep the spectators away, even when the forecasted midmorning rain arrived to add an exciting dimension to the well-prepared roads throughout the forest.
Habig and White unfortunately damaged a rear CV Joint in the VW Polo, leaving them with drive to only three of the wheels.
The Nienabers chased hard and entertained the crowd with their fearless, high-speed antics but were unable to match the dominance of Van Wyk and Swartz, who won every stage, leading to them taking their third overall win and extending their lead in the championship.
The Nienaber brothers were second, with Habig and White in third.
In the Algoa Rally Club standings, it was the Nienabers who triumphed, with Wade van Zummeren and Henry Adams in second, and Deon Kretzmann and Jason Schreiber third.
The Herald
