Allan Martin and Maretha Olivier in their Skoda R5 took the top position at a tough and demanding Tsumeb Rally this weekend. They were followed closely by Marko Himmel and his co-driver, Francois Schoonbee driving the legendary Toyota Etios on a rally course on Saturday.  

Himmel and Schoonbee were hot on the heels of the Skoda during the nine stages that made up the popular rally. Himmel aimed to follow in the footsteps of his father, Richard Himmel, a well-known Namibian rally driver with multiple titles under his belt. 

In the CR1 Class of this weekend’s Tsumeb Rally the top finishers were Ekko Eisenberg and Horazio Rietz in their V8 JAC T8 bakkie who overcame challenges and tough obstacles at every stage. The JAC ballie was being chased by SJ Schoeman and Chane Havenga in their Toyota Hilux. 

The much awaited third leg 3 of the Namibian Rally series this weekend in Tsumeb attracted 12 entries, consisting of drivers, navigators and pit crews. Derek Jacobs from the Namibia Motorsport Federation (NMSF) described the rally, with headline sponsors Shell V-Power and M&Z Motors, as a crowd pleaser due to multiple view points and welcomed the excellent route with good quality field comprised of veterans who were out to prove a point. 

The Rally kicked off early Saturday morning at the Minen Hotel in the heart of Tsumeb where curious crowds gathered sporadically. With the competing vehicles in a holding area, the drivers and co-drivers became increasing agitated as nerves started to tingle. 

At exactly 10am the modified rally vehicles started the first stage through which they would navigate the gravel roads around the garden town of Tsumeb.  

“This rally had a lot of spectators last year and again this year we saw spectators set up at strategic points along the popular stages. There are some good places to watch the rally, including along the tar roads and at the entrance of the oval track towards the end of the stage,” said Jacobs. 

The last rally in the NMSF’s calendar took place in June as Namibia’s most iconic motorsport event, the Tara Rally, the oldest known rally in Africa and perhaps the toughest rally on the continent. That rally kicked off tonight at Windhoek’s Tony Rust track and attracted 17 entries to set the stage for an adrenaline-filled event. 

In terms of rally rules, different classes of vehicles ensure a level playing field. These classes consist of the S and CR classes that indicate sedan or challenge (bakkie) classes. The S1 class allows cars with an engine capacity of up to 1600cc, S2 are sedans with an engine capacity of 1601 to 2000cc engines, S3 class is cars with engines with 2001 to 3000cc, while S4 is fitted with 3l engines and above. Additional factors also determine the class category, such as if a vehicle uses a turbo or a rotary engine. The CR class consists only of two classes, namely the CR 1 and 2. CR1 and CR2 refer to 2×4 and 4×4 vehicles, respectively. 

A rally racing team consists of a driver and a navigator, typically accompanied by a technical and service crew who ensure the vehicles can be repaired and serviced when the team arrives at a designated service park. Rally motorsport involves racing on public or closed roads with a variety of rules designed for safety, fair competition, and vehicle eligibility. Key aspects include driver and co-driver roles, vehicle requirements, safety regulations, and navigating special stages.