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The Mpumalanga town of Delmas was a hive of activity this past weekend as the South African National Rally Championship (NRC) came around for the ninth and tenth rounds of the 2022 championships.
Delmas hosted the double-header on its challenging dirt roads, but teams and crews revelled at the opportunity to go racing.
The two events did not go without trouble for Toyota Gazoon Racing South Africa (TGRSA). For lead driver Guy Botterill and co-driver Simon Vacy-Lyle, it was a weekend of two tales as their locally-built Toyota Starlet rally car suffered problems on Day 1.
The duo struggled with the car's turbo and had to also deal with faulty sensors. They finished Round 9 in fourth place.
Competing in Class S2000, Mandla Mdakane and co-driver Kes Naidoo had to retire from the event when their Toyota Auris suffered from a raft of problems. An overheating issue put the car into limp mode shortly after the start of the opening stage, and in Stage 3, they first lost third gear and drive altogether.
"It's frustrating for sure, but I'm just banking as much seat time and knowledge as possible to prepare me for when my new Starlet is ready," said Mdakane after retiring from the event.
"Thanks to the team for all their hard work, and Toyota SA for the opportunity. I'm now looking forward to wrapping up in Dullstroom at the final round and putting more mileage under my belt. I remain positive and will be hunting for the front end real soon."
Turning it around
Running on similar stages to the day before, Round 10 kicked with only Botterill and Vacy-Lyle's car in the event. Despite the troubles of Round 9, the Starlet ran without trouble, sealing the victory with the nearest competitors more than 20 seconds adrift.
"The car ran absolutely perfectly today, and we can't be more pleased with the result," said Botterill after Round 10. "Today's win helps a lot in our championship campaign, but there's still one event to go, so there's plenty left to do for us."
The 2022 NRC draws to a close with Rounds 11 and 12 taking place on 18 and 19 November in the area surrounding Dullstroom.
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