Bela Bela, Limpopo - The 2014 South African Rally Championship will come to a close with the all-new Bela-Bela Rally in Limpopo this Friday and Saturday.
Appropriately, in what has been an absorbing potboiler of a championship, spread over eight rounds and six provinces, the 10-special stage event will be centred on the historic town of Bela-Bela (“the pot that boils” in the local language, Tswana), formerly known as Warmbaths, whose name is derived from the geothermic hot springs around which the town is built.
Starting at 1pm on Friday from the Bela Mall in Mark Street, it will be a spectator-friendly event centred around the Forever Resort.
BATTLE FOR SECOND
The title has already been wrapped up by Toyota’s Leeroy Poulter and his navigator Elvéne Coetzee, so the attention is shifting to the battle for second place. In the running for runner-up position are Toyota’s Herken Fekken and Carolyn Swan, and Volkswagen’s Dutch driver Hans Weijs Junior and his navigator Björn Degandt.
Defending champions Mark Cronje and Robin Houghton in a Ford Fiesta, would also love to finish off a troubled season with a win.
By their standards, their 2014 campaign has been indifferent and the 2012 and 2013 champions can so far only look back on two victories this season in a year which has been a real test of character.
When things go well, the Fiesta S2000 has been the fastest car over just about any given stage.
Star Motoring