It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of one of the bigger role players in rallies over many, many years. Billy Bright is not with us anymore and I for one will sincerely miss him. His unexpected calls – that stopped about a year ago, his straightforward manner in calling a spade […]
Author: Leon Botha
Zenvo Fetes 10th Anniversary With TS1 GT Hypercar
The Geneva Motor Show is fast approaching. And so is the 10th anniversary for Danish supercar brand Zenvo. If everything aligns, perhaps we’ll get a glimpse of the brand’s eagerly anticipated hypercar the TS1 GT. While it already made an appearance at 2016’s Geneva Motor Show, here’s hoping lightning strikes twice in the same spot. […]
RALLYING – IT IS A “MIND GAME” – Rallystar – the Pro’s next step…
RALLYSTAR – THE RALLY PRO’S NEXT STEP IT IS A “MIND GAME” (mostly) So many people believe if you are a reasonably good driver and you can make a handbrake turn, then you are a racing – or goodness forbid a rally driver. The ability to drive a car obviously forms the biggest part of […]
Closest World Rally Championship battle in a generation comes to tense finish.
The closest FIA World Rally Championship battle in a generation comes to a compelling conclusion in Australia this weekend when three drivers face the ultimate title shootout. Sébastien Ogier, chasing a sixth consecutive crown in his farewell drive for the M-Sport Ford team, has erased a 23-point deficit in two rallies to head longtime leader […]
RALLYSTAR – whats wrong with you people?
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 […]
TV COVERAGE OF THE RALLYSTAR NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP RALLY
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 […]
THE RALLYSTAR RALLY – A FRESH BREEZE
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 […]
A PIECE OF PASSION ….WRITTEN BY REGHARD ROETS
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 by Leon Botha
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 DAKAR 2018 – AS EXPECTED, PREDICTED AND GUESSED BY LEON BOTHA
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 […]
That thing called the past
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 […]
A-TEAM “I like it when ….
“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 […]
“LOOK WHAT THEY’VE DONE TO OUR SPORT MA”
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
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
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 […]
TIME IN OR TIME OUT!
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 […]
Audi teams offered extra incentive to participate in GT Asia
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 […]
THE WORLD’S BIGGEST TV SHOW HAS JUST BEGUN
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, […]
TARA – BUURLAND SE DINGE
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 […]
OGIER SIGNS WITH M-SPORT
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 […]
MATRIEK AFSKEID EN SO AAN…
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-, OR TALENTED RACING DRIVER
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 […]
THE SUPER77 SERIES
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 […]
ALL FOR 7 AND SUPER77 FOR ALL…
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 RALLY OF 2016
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 […]
IT IS TIME – TIME TO START THE RALLY ENGINES FOR 2016
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 […]
DA KAR ……DA TEETH…
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 […]
SOME EXCEPTIONAL PEOPLE JUST HAVE IT…..
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 […]
PROLOGUE – DAKAR
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 […]
THE 2016 DAKAR RALLY as seen by Leon Botha
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 […]
FEW FRIENDS PLENTY OF THE OTHER
“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 […]
NAVIGATION PART 3 EVERY ONE AN EXPERT
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 […]
MARTIN JOUBERT
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 […]
POLOKWANE RALLY AND ONE OR TWO OTHER MATTERS
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 […]
HOW BAD IS BAD REALLY?
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 […]
RALLY – GARAGE SALE
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 […]
AND ANOTHER SNAKE EGG BUSY HATCHING
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 […]
NAVIGATION – THE START OF A NEW ERA
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 […]
NAVIGATION – DEVELOPMENT THROUGH THE YEARS
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 […]
THE CAPE – DAY TWO KICKS IN
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 […]