South African Rally cars

[m.lowe]

I am scanning a load of old Rally magazines and found some pics from Roger Swan

http://img405.imageshack.us/img405/6339/sergedamseux1vt1.jpg

[m.lowe]

http://img247.imageshack.us/img247/3130/fordlaser1ya1.jpg
http://img441.imageshack.us/img441/1128/nissansentra1dp9.jpg

[flat04]

What model is the Nissan in the bottom picture?

Andrew

[Robbo]

I would suspect a 200ZX - know that they have been used in rallies

[vic98auto]

Hello

Does anyone have pictures and videos of the audi quattro s1 that use to run by the hands of Geoff Mortimer in 1986, 1987 and 1988?
I`m looking for informations, pictures and videos because in Europe i can`t find anything about SA rally champ.


Vitor


http://www.audis1.no.sapo.pt

[m.lowe]

I have a video with the Audi on, and a pic somewhere
The Nissan is a Sentra I think

[fly_ac]

The Nissan is a Sentra Coupe 1.8i and If I am correct, I think that one was driven by Hannes Grobler.

[Bruce D]

Ah, the 1992 Castrol International Rally! :D Started in Emerlo, SA and went into Swaziland.

The top car is Serge Damseaux / Vito Bonafede and its a Toyota Conquest. All these cars were our "class A" cars, meaning basically what the FIA Group S rules should have been and what World Rally Cars became, take a normal 2wd car and add 4wd to it and any engine from the manufacturer family, provided it was up to 2000cc.

The middle one is Sarel van der Merwe / Franz Boshoff in a Ford Laser. The only left-hand-drive car we had at the time. Probably the most powerful car in the field but it had the least advanced 4wd transmission so it struggled a bit. Still won enough rallies.

The bottom one is a Nissan Sentra Coupe. Being No. 8 it is the Hannes Grobler / Douglas Judd version. A very quick car in its time. So correct for fly ac then. ;)

If memory serves me well, Serge hit trouble in the beginning and Hannes lead most of the event, before Serge overhauled him near the end. Actually I think they had a massive battle for the lead throughout the 3 days cos every time Serge caught up he lost time again with mechanical problems or punctures. I know I have all the stage times and results from this event at my parents place, as I did for most of the rallies around that time (mid 90's).

That was also the first time that international guys were allowed back onto our events following the apartheid era, so thats a pretty significant event. I remember Robbie Head coming out for it in a Ford Sierra Cosworth 4x4.

[BrentJackson]

Sarel drove rallies too? I didn't know that. He got pretty far up in the sportscar world, he drive for the factory Porsche team at Le Mans in 1987 and 1988.

[fly_ac]

Sarel drove rallies too? I didn't know that. He got pretty far up in the sportscar world, he drive for the factory Porsche team at Le Mans in 1987 and 1988.

Sarel van der Merwe is the possibly the most successfull South-African motorsport personality. He dominated South-African motorsport for many years, and hold several records in various forms of motorsport including most Rally Championship Wins.

[LotusElise]

Is he related to Alan van der Merwe?

Love the photos too. Lots of Euro/American cars have interesting SA equivalents which we rarely see here.

[BrentJackson]

^ Lots of old Trans-Am cars from here wound up in SA.

But I'm getting off topic.

Is the SA Rally Championship still going, post-apartheid?

[fly_ac]

Is he related to Alan van der Merwe?

Love the photos too. Lots of Euro/American cars have interesting SA equivalents which we rarely see here.

Not as far as I know, I remember reading that somewhere, at some stage. ;)

[fly_ac]

Is the SA Rally Championship still going, post-apartheid?

Yes, has always been, going I mean. No 4wd's in the top class though, yet very fast and competative.

[BrentJackson]

Yes, has always been, going I mean. No 4wd's in the top class though, yet very fast and competative.

All the top class cars are 2WD? That's gotta be unique in the world. :s hock:

[vic98auto]

Hello again

Can anyone know who`s the driver in this picture?


Anyone as more of this audi ?

[Grant_RSA]

Hi all,

That pic looks like Sarel van der Merwe and Frans Boshoff difficult to say, but its either him or Geoff Mortimer, from memory they were the only 2 drivers to drive the Audi's in this country,

As for the premier category in South Africa, you will see on other topics on this forum, we were the pioneers of the S2000 category, Homologating the Toyota and VW , this year we will run 9 S2000's in the top class and a number of N4 cars including Evo 9, and the latest Subaru's

On any national Championship event we get between 50 and 70 cars for the event, and our Northern Regions championships gets up to 50 entries. ie rallying in SA is strong and Healthy.

[fly_ac]

Hi all,

That pic looks like Sarel van der Merwe and Frans Boshoff difficult to say, but its either him or Geoff Mortimer, from memory they were the only 2 drivers to drive the Audi's in this country,

I suspect it was Sarel and Frans in that one.

[Bruce D]

If its 1988 then its Sarel vd Merwe driving. Geoff drove the car during 1987 while Sarel was away doing sportscar stuff. Frans Boshoff navigated for both drivers. Johan Everste also drove the short-wheel base non-winged Quattro Sport during 1988. VW also had a Passat driven by Nic de Waal which was basically a Quattro A1 (original Quattro) running gear in a Passat body.

And Serge Damseaux recently overtook Sarel's record for most SA rally wins, but Sarel still holds the record for most championships (11), and probably the most variety of cars used to win championships (Ford, Toyota, Audi)

[vic98auto]

could this be the one?
It`s in Vw museam, in SA.
I don`t know any more details about it.

[Grant_RSA]

there is apparently a museum at the VW factory in Uitenhage , i have not seen it myself!! i do intend going to have a look when i take part in the Volkswagen rally later on in the year.

I remember very well seeing the Quattro many years ago, nothing could give one gooseflesh more than hearing that monster in the Sabie forests in the middle of the night, it was something very special!!!

[Bruce D]

Yeah there is a S1 Quattro in that museum apparently, although I haven't seen it myself, but my father has. The pic is the right car, but the wrong colour scheme for SA, so not sure where that one cames from. Looks a like a early Pikes Peak colour scheme, although I don't know, just guessing.

[MFG Motorsport]

Ah, the 1992 Castrol International Rally! :D Started in Emerlo, SA and went into Swaziland.

The top car is Serge Damseaux / Vito Bonafede and its a Toyota Conquest. All these cars were our "class A" cars, meaning basically what the FIA Group S rules should have been and what World Rally Cars became, take a normal 2wd car and add 4wd to it and any engine from the manufacturer family, provided it was up to 2000cc.

The middle one is Sarel van der Merwe / Franz Boshoff in a Ford Laser. The only left-hand-drive car we had at the time. Probably the most powerful car in the field but it had the least advanced 4wd transmission so it struggled a bit. Still won enough rallies.

The bottom one is a Nissan Sentra Coupe. Being No. 8 it is the Hannes Grobler / Douglas Judd version. A very quick car in its time. So correct for fly ac then. ;)

If memory serves me well, Serge hit trouble in the beginning and Hannes lead most of the event, before Serge overhauled him near the end. Actually I think they had a massive battle for the lead throughout the 3 days cos every time Serge caught up he lost time again with mechanical problems or punctures. I know I have all the stage times and results from this event at my parents place, as I did for most of the rallies around that time (mid 90's).

That was also the first time that international guys were allowed back onto our events following the apartheid era, so thats a pretty significant event. I remember Robbie Head coming out for it in a Ford Sierra Cosworth 4x4.

Thouht it might be interesting to you, but Serge's Ex Conquest is actually owned by someone Namibia. It's been completely restored over several years and is very close to completion where it will be reumited with Serge for a final time and then go into storage. As for the Lasers, both of them are in Namibia, one still running with a seriously quick cosworth motor and the othe, unfortunately, just a shell. There are quite a few historical South African Rally cars that made their whey to Namibia and still exsist. Some competeing, some just heaps of scrap

[Bruce D]

Interesting, someone on Facebook was asking where all the old 4wd cars had gone the other day.