Jean-Pierre Damseaux and Andre Vermeulen (Team TOTAL Evolution Toyota RunX) scored their second successive win in the Namibian Motor Sport Federation’s TOTAL Tara Rally on Saturday.

 

In the process, Damseaux equalled the record set by his father Serge of being the only South African driver to have won this popular and tough event twice. For Vermeulen, it was his third success as a co-driver in the last four years.

 

At the end of the three-day 660-km event, the South Africans were 25 minutes ahead of the second-placed Namibian pair of Dick Cornelissen and Cindi Weinrebe (Toyota Corolla). Third were Richard and Marko Himmel (Toyota Corolla), a further eight minutes in arrears.

 

 

 

 

Sisters Lola and Megan Verlaque, who also travelled from South Africa to Namibia for the 40th running of this popular and tough event, were lying a strong second at the end of the second day when they suffered severe suspension damage on their Team TOTAL Evolution Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9 and were forced to retire on the day’s final Super Special stage in Windhoek.

 

The TOTAL Tara Rally started in Windhoek on Thursday night with four special stages and included a total of 28 stages and 318 km of racing distance over the three days. As expected, it proved to be one of the toughest rallies in Southern Africa with rocky, rough terrain combined with Namibian dust and hot sun. Only half of the original 24 starters completed the event in Windhoek.

 

Damseaux and Vermeulen, who is manager of Team TOTAL in South Africa, opened up a useful five-minute lead over locals Cornelissen and Weinrebe after Thursday’s four night stages. Stages one to 11 doubled up as the final round of the Namibian Rally Championship and Cornelissen was declared the champion.

   

Friday was a long day, starting at 07.00 and ending after 13 stages at 2100, by which time the South Africans’ lead was up to 21 minutes. Damseaux kept the pressure on right to the end and after a further 11 stages emerged victorious, like he did last year and like his father did in 1996 and 2000.

 

Among the finishers was South African teenager Ashley Haigh-Smith and Hilton Auffray, who brought their little Toyota Yaris home in a creditable ninth place. In the process, Haigh-Smith became the youngest ever driver to finish the event, which was celebrating its 27th running under the TOTAL sponsorship.

 

-CREDIT: Total South Africa