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.