All set for Shell V-Power Gobabis RallyFifteen teams are expected to take part in the third Shell V-Power Gobabis Rally this weekend.
The event starts on Friday at 17:15 and ends on Saturday at around 15:52 at Omateko Lodge in Gobabis.
The rally, which represents the third round of the 2016 Namibian Rally Championship (NRC), will be presented by the Redline Motor Club (RMC) under the auspices of the Namibia Motors Sport Federation (NMSF).
The first car will start from the Shell Gobabis Diensstasie in Church Street, taking the teams on 14 special stages covering a distance of 127km.
According to a statement issued by RMC, spectators can look forward to a high-octane rally as day one will see four stages - all spectator-friendly - in and around the town.
The first day will end around 19:14 when the cars will be serviced and kept overnight at Omateko Lodge.
Day two will see much longer distances covering a little more than 106km of special stages, with the single longest stage of 20.11km.
The 2014 and 2015 Gobabis Rally champion Wilro Dippenaar and his navigator, Riaan van der Westhuizen, will defend the title again this year and entered a 2009 Toyota Auris Class S3 for the rally.
Other drivers to look out for are Allan Martin/Melvin Gous (VW Polo S2000); Jannie/George Coetzee (VW Polo); Pieter Greeff/Steven Robinson (2003 Toyota Corolla 1600); Roland Himmel/Juan Erlank (car entry to be announced), and the only female entrant, Welmie Kuhn/ST Kuhn (2006 Toyota RunX).
Kuhn was an official last year, but the rally bug bit her, and this year she will take centre stage behind the steering wheel of her Toyota RunX.
The pre-race activities like vehicle scrutinising and drivers’ briefings will take place as from 14:00 on Friday at Omateko Lodge, where the rally teams will do their last preparations before the race later that afternoon. -Nampa
FRANCOIS LOTTERING