THE Shell Cattle Country Rally held in Gobabis this past Saturday, was the stomping ground for the fourth round of the Namibian Rally Championships, which was dominated by Wilro Dippenaar and navigator Riaan van der Westhuizen, who drove their potent Toyota Run-X 4×4 to glory.
Cracking it in time of 1.14.34 seconds, Wilro ‘put foot’ to secure a tight lead on the rally and firm grip on the championship scoreboard. His winning streak nearly did not materialise however, when after lying first in the fourth stage, his Toyota suffered technical problems.
With a broken control arm taking its toll, the team managed to get their car into a service area, where their service crew got them back on track. With time to be made up, they pursued a thrilling and triumphant lead to the end, even with the set-back costing them a five minute penalty.
The lime green VW Polo driven by crack rally team Allen Martin and Berto Mostert put the pressure on from the rear, and tore into the finish just four seconds behind the winners. They were followed to the podium by Roland Himmel and Jaan Erlank driving a Toyota Etios.
The chase was on for fourth spot which was nabbed by Hannes Arangies and Aisha Franz also driving a Toyota, whilst fifth place went to Jan Everson and Fanie Botes in a VW Polo. A total of 15 entries took part in the rally which saw only three vehicles fall out.
A bigger than usual turnout of spectators lined the rally route and streets of Gobabis, to watch Namibia’s best rally teams put their extreme driving skills to the test behind the wheel of a line-up of high tech performance cars. The challenging and scenic rally route comprised a stretch of 200 kilometres, of which 120 kilometres comprised technical special stages.
The Red Line Motor Club stepped up to the game at the last minute to organise the event. What was supposed to be a rally held in Otjiwarongo saw plans change to Gobabis, which turned out to be a so well received, Shell, pledged to support the ‘Shell Cattle Country Rally’ with a further five years rally sponsorship.
The day’s event saw the official start of the rally held at the Spandies Shell Service Station in Gobabis, and end with a prize giving at the Buffalo Inn, where a good time was had by all.
The high tech Toyota Run-X driven by Wilro Dippenaar and navigator Riaan van der Westhuizen thundered into first place, during Saturday’s exciting Shell Cattle Country Rally held in Gobabis. (Photos Carla Havenga)