Auris wins Rally of SA by a head

In one of the tightest finishes in many years Johnny Gemmell and Drew Sturrock in a Toyota Auris crossed the line just 0.7seconds ahead of the Volkswagen S2000 Polo of Jan Habig and Ralph Pitchford to end two hard punishing days of the Rally of South Africa in Ermelo.

It was an exciting finish and no-one was certain who the victors were until the podium at the finish.  The VW pair was nearly two minutes off the leaders at the end of the first day and gradually pulled back the deficit.

To get an indication of just how tough this event was on the competitors the bulk of the stage wins appear among the competitors on the DNF (did not finish) list.

The next event is the Volkswagen Rally on July 23 and 24.

Results
1. Toyota Castrol Team, Johnny Gemmell/Drew Sturrock, Toyota Auris
2. BP Volkswagen Racing, Jan Habig/Ralph Pitchford, Volkswagen Polo
3. Team Total, JP Damseaux/Carolyn Swan, Toyota RunX

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