MOTORSPORTS enthusiasts, rally drivers and navigators have caught the vibe

and are counting the days to the 2013 staging of the TOTAL Rally which takes

place in the area around the old Durban drive-in, close to the Moses Mabhida

Stadium on March 8 and 9.

The rally promises to be a highlight on the motorsport calendar this year.

Among the competitors will be Dakar heavyweight Giniel de Villiers who will

be taking on the leading teams in motorsport, including Team TOTAL.  The old

Drive-in area will be a buzz of activities with two special tar stages

taking place – one on the Friday night and on the Saturday afternoon to add

excitement for downtown Durban spectators.  The best of all is that the

TOTAL Rally promises to provide entertainment for the whole family and

entrance is free.

Besides the adrenalin thrills, TOTAL is also running a competition in

conjunction with the rally where customers can win great prizes, including

TOTAL Quartz Engine Oil for a year, one of five Garmin GPS’s, an amazing

weekend experience with the Leopard Conservation Project as well as 5-litre

TOTAL Quartz packs. 

There will be 16 special stages covering 172kms of rallying that will mainly

take place in and around KwaZulu Natal’s famous cane fields near Scottburgh

on the South Coast in this 55th holding of this rally.  TOTAL, one of South

Africa’s leading fuel retailers is the sponsor of this event for the fifth

time.

On day one, participants will compete in 7 stages – a total of 70kms of

racing and 240kms of open section on public roads.  Day two will consist of

9 stages, which entails a total of 102kms of racing and 230kms of open

section. 

There are some changes to Team TOTAL’S six member team for this year’s TOTAL

Rally and the national rally season.  Teaming up together for the first time

in a major national championship are navigator Hilton Auffray for top driver

JP Damseaux as well as navigator Janine Lourens for driver Craig Trott.

Partnering again this year are navigator Andre Vermeulen and driver Mohammed

Moosa.

It is expected that around 30 driver teams will take part in this year’s

event.

“We are looking forward to a great TOTAL Rally again this year.  Apart from

some fantastic rally driving, there will be other attractions for spectators

including food stalls, a vintage car display and a motorbike show,” said

Nadia Vosloo, Brand and Dealer Communications Manager at TOTAL.

For more information on the TOTAL Rally and the competition, visit

www.total.co.za or visit one of the service stations in and around Durban.