Sometimes it is good – or shall I rather say, “necessary” to have a problem. As our regular readers will know – we did not do any updates on the Rallystar website for a number of frustrating days. There was a glitch that those who know how battled to sort out and we could not publish […]
MOTORSPORT IS YOUR PASSION, OR SO YOU CLAIM I would like to extend this request to those of you who truly carry the interest of rallying at heart – tune in to the TV broadcast of the RALLYSTAR NATIONAL RALLY on Ignition TV this weekend. You will note that there are many broadcast times, but […]
There are a few things in life one should not say to most youngsters – at my age – a youngster is anyone under 50! The most common saying that could lead to social tragedy is, “when we were young!” or “in our days” or even worse – “the days when men were men” They […]
INTRO BY LEON BOTHA In the world of motorsport you do not easily find much more than criticism, no matter on what level you participate or think your wisdom fits in. After reading this piece written from Reghard Roets’ heart – from the same room in which he stores his love for motorsport and people, […]
2018 DAKAR PART TWO This is one event where you do not dare say that a specific person will or even worse “can not” win. I gave it a good thought during this week and asked myself the question – “what would you do, if you spent in the region of R4m (excluding the vehicle […]
The toughest rally adventure in the world. An adventure so many people dream about and never do – simply because they do not really aspire to anything more than watching a Sevens Rugby game. There is one program on TV that made me think of many things, even in my life – and goodness knows […]
NOTE: This article has been written in 2014 August 12 – some news will therefore be a bit outdated. NOSTALGIA… When I saw this specific picture of the One-Man-Band again for the first time in 31 years, I think, I could not help but smile. I love thinking back over the years, doing my best […]
“I like it when a plan comes together” the famous phrase used by “Hannibal Smith” in the A-team series. I can repeat these words today after speaking to one of the organisers of the Secunda Rally that will take place 19-20 May 2017. A thousand and twenty seven seven-hundred and one hundred as our beloved […]
When life gets to stock-take time – that is the time when you wonder what you have achieved – then your passion, your achievements and failures, all tend to hit your mind’s screen at the same time. As life goes by, following twisty roads through imaginary (or is it) plantations, maxing crests and power […]
KLIPDALE RALLY Fresh from a win in Gauteng Jacques and I were quite confident that we had a chance to pull off two wins in two weekends. Confident but rally-wise, not absolutely sure. Unlike on the Hall Speed Rally we sported brand new helmets and goodness knows that was a relief as during the first […]
2017 HALLSPEED RALLY I have been looking forward to this “come-back” for a long time, despite making a promise many years ago, not ever, never, ever to navigate for Jacques – that’s my son, again, after he almost wiped us both out during a Sasol Rally. Late last year Jacques acquired one of the most potent […]
The time all of us in the sport or shall I say because of the sport, feared, has arrived for the Rallystar website. But first things first. As all our readers know, Andries van der Walt has been Editor of the Rallystar website for many years, to be honest, the way time flies, I am […]
Competitors in the one-make Audi R8 LMS Cup have been given some additional incentive to extend their 2017 competition schedules. Motorsport Asia Limited – the promoter of the GT Asia Series – will offer travel support including freight to and from the Series’ blue ribbon event in September. The program has attracted entries from within […]
2017 DAKAR RALLY Stage 8 After I wrote my Dakar report before the start of the event I decided rather not to publish it – for the simple reason that I did not predict the outcome in an acceptable, South African way. There was no reason for my predictions other than being based on experience, […]
Voor ons afskop met die storie van alle stories of dan ten minste vir die maand, wil ek net noem dat oupa altyd gesê enige storie behalwe Bybelstories en die van Bloedrivier – hou net ‘n week. So – ek sê by voorbaat jammer vir die gedraaiery met hierdie storie – maar eers wou ek […]
The announcement we have all been waiting for, has been made! Four-time WRC champion Sebastien Ogier will team up with M-Sport Ford for the 2017 edition of the championship. Anyone who believed that Ogier would battle to find a drive for 2017, must have been watching some other sport than rallying for the […]
Dalk ‘n finale vaarwel? Ek is tans (vir ‘n ruk al) besig om ‘n boek te skryf met die titel: “I killed my child!” Dit klink natuurlik soos iets wat elke skoolvakansie in die verbeelding van baie ouers afspeel, maar hierdie titel is ongelukkig in baie gevalle die reine waarheid. Dit gaan oor jongmense wat […]
INVITATION TO RALLY / OFF-ROAD AND RACING DRIVERS This is an invitation to talented, experienced and well-known drivers to contact us if you are interested in driving one of the intended seven Super 77 Class A cars during the seven events we plan to organise for the 2017 Super77 series. We are currently busy negotiating […]
A DESCRIPTION OF THE SERIES PLEASE READ THIS ARTICLE TO THE END TO UNDERSTAND THE IMPORTANCE OF WHAT WE ARE BUSY DOING. We considered waiting for the SponsorshipSeekers website to go live before releasing this article, so that you can register as a SUPER77 SUPPORTER but due to the number of enquiries already – I […]
BOOM!! AWESOME NEWS! All for 7 and SUPER77 FOR ALL! Watch this space carefully on MONDAY 12TH September 2016 for more info on the best thing that is going to happen to rallying in a very long time. Motorsport personalities, cars that make real power, well-known names… Affordable, dynamite action, cut budgets and a […]
The 25th Sasol Rally will without a doubt be the rally of the year. From an organiser’s point of view I have always envied the Sasol for the area – the panoramic scenery – the roads and of course the options to use. Pretoria Motor Club organised an almost similar rally with Total as sponsor […]
Before I start to write this preview or rather pre-no-view of the 2016 Goldfields Rally, my only two readers have to understand one thing; I am absolutely in the dark as far as what is going on, on the rally scene. But that I can assure you will make no difference to my writing about […]
Anyone who have really driven a car in anger -I don’t mean the “uncle” or “cousin” who entered three classic runs and though he did rallying – I am talking driving like your life truly did depend on it, while adrenaline cut off all blood supply to your brain. Real honest to goodness – so […]
WHEN YOU HAS IT, YOU HAS IT, they say. I often find it amusing when I listen to some of the “specialists” talk about drivers. Who is best and who will beat anything on wheels. Normally there is a “old” before the name of the world champ to be that never was. Normally these wise […]
Dakar 2106 – prologue After just 11 kms of around 8560km done and dusted, a number of things went right and some went wrong on this year’s Dakar already. About halfway through the very first stage car 300 veered off the road and struck spectators, four of whom were injured. Giniel during pre-rally testing The […]
One question that came up during my long and as so many people who have no idea what it is and was all about, like to say, “controversial motorsport career” a few people asked me if I would not have liked to do the Dakar Rally. Without exception and as the years went by, with […]
“Veni, vidi” and saw my ass or in plain English I arrived, I saw and failed miserably. Not many things in life are easy, what should be straight forward, easy to find – like the start or beginning of something, often is a huge problem. Few people will doubt that I have walked many miles […]
PART 3 EVERY ONE AN EXPERT When I started out making the notes, the problem was that I got the training but everyone else but me, became experts – which is not unusual for South Africans at all – we are used to being world champions in every possible thing – until someone […]
It is with deep regret that we have to announce that yet another one of the true men of motorsport, Martin Joubert, a man who played a role with a select group to establish a strong base for especially rallying in South Africa, passed away early on Sunday the 18th October 2015. Martin Joubert was […]
Even though I believe that F1 has become so controlled that any reasonable driver will be able to drive an F1 and do reasonably well, you will be forgiven for shouting, “that is absolutely bull”. I agree and have to admit that if ever I fit into that cockpit without a serious anxiety attack, I […]
The yet to be officially confirmed announcement by Volkswagen of their “withdrawal from all motorsport” in official capacity in South Africa this week, sent shock waves through the sport and for a moment or three all seemed lost. The question however is, “How bad is bad really” Let us assume that sanity and good marketing […]
It is time for every warm-hearted, blue-blooded, true-till-death-do-us-part rally enthusiast, to put everything you possess up for sale – we are going rallying. No jokes – the time is here – what I warned about a few times over the past three years has come home to hatch. When I recently read a piece written […]
Some of those fortunate or unfortunate enough to have passed the 50 year mark will remember that we have sung about the wonderful country we live in, the one we (albeit an almost whites only thing) were willing to die for. Please note: The last remark was a tongue in the cheek remark – before […]
Part 2 THE START OF A NEW ERA As mentioned in the previous delivery, secret notes and practising of stages by certain drivers and teams, made things on the rally scene very unfair and another even more important aspect was that navigators did not really form part of the team – let me rather […]
This is a series I will write for the subscribers to the Rallystar website – it will cover the development and progress (in most cases) of the art of navigating over the past 12 or so years up to the end of 2014 when a new system was introduced in South Africa and my involvement […]
We did not know it then, but Saturday morning when the new day kicked in it would become the day South Africa as a rugby nation, was going to make rugby history by losing its opening game in the World rugby cup to the men from the land of the rising sun and a few […]
An analysis of the doings and drivings on day One of the Brave Hearts down there in the Cape – by Leon Botha Mark Cronje with new navigator Gerhard Snyman predictably opened up the Toyota sponsored Cape Rally with a win in his Ford Fiesta beating Leeroy Poulter by a solid 6,2s Perfect start for […]
WHO WILL WIN AND WHO IS BEST? This coming weekend Cape rally enthusiasts will enjoy the penultimate rally of the 2015 season and to make it more interesting this and the last rally of the year will decide the championship. The two drivers competing for honours are Toyota’s Leeroy Poulter – pound for pound the […]
I forgot the name of the reality show – if I remember correctly most of it was made in Spain – where people actually died or were badly injured in cases got away with whatever they did. This was a show about rally accidents, bull fights going north, people doing very silly things and so on. […]
TO WEIGH OR NOT TO WEIGH Many moons, suns and years ago I visited “old man” Giovanni Piazza-Musso and watched him drill small holes in the bonnet hinges of a rally car to reduce the weight of the car. I asked him if it would not be easier if he himself had one plate of […]