RALLY fans are in for a treat when the second stage of the 2018 National Rally Championship’s fourth round, named the Algoa National Rally, will head to Jachtvlakte near Uitenhage tomorrow at 14:00.
The event has for the past 31 years been known as the Volkswagen Rally and this is the first year that it will be called the Algoa National Rally.
The Young Guns – Richard Leeke Jnr and Henry Köhne – will be reunited for the rally, with the Speedglas Welding Helmet Fiesta duo in action. The event has a special significance for the Young Guns and Leeke in particular: in this event last year he made local rallying history by becoming the youngest ever winner of a national championship rally.
Köhne, who had co-driven Leeke for 30 consecutive events, was forced to sit out the Desert Race at the end of June (the two of them also share a vehicle in the South African Cross Country Series) while recovering from a broken collar-bone sustained in a motorcycling accident.
“I’m glad to be back in a racing seat – it was a strange sensation not being with Richard in the Desert, but he was certainly in good hands with Danie alongside,” said Köhne, making reference to multiple-champion Danie Stassen who deputised for the Botswana race.
The rally comprises 12 stages of approximately 150 kilometres and as has now become a tradition, they take place at Baywest Mall (which is also Rally HQ), Jachtvlakte near Uitenhage, Van Stadens Pass and the famous Longmore State Forest.
“It would be great to go back and repeat what we did a year ago,” acknowledged Leeke, “but our goal is to score as many points as possible and get back into the fray! The car is well-suited to the conditions, though you can never have enough power here, where there are lots of long straights! In that regard, we have something up our sleeve and hopefully we will be competitive in terms of outright grunt.”
- Also see p. 12 for spectator points.
– REPORTER
