BOTTERILL AND VACY-LYLE SURVIVE CHALLENGING SASOL RALLY

BOTTERILL AND VACY-LYLE SURVIVE CHALLENGING SASOL RALLY: "

In a sport that demands knowledge and punishes inexperience, Race Prep’s young Super 1600 pair of Guy Botterill and Simon Vacy-Lyle survived 200km of slippery mountain roads to claim a 4th in class and clock up their first championship points of the season.

The former Shelby Can-Am racer faced a wide range of new conditions including mud, slippery hard surfaces, water and mist. In their 2nd rally, the Yato Tools/Liqui Moly Toyota RunX pair did well to finish after suffering a failed relay in stage two, which cost the pair 5 minutes stranded on the side of the road. Additional service lateness added more time lost and put the talented pair out of contention for a class win.

Consistency and a cool head gave Botterill and Vacy-Lyle some quality seat time and gain further experience of the sport. Another problem to overcome was a tendency for the RunX to cut out over the jumps – and there are a lot of jumps on the sasol Rally.

“After losing all that time at the start of the rally, there was no point pushing too hard or over-driving in those conditions, so we decided to settle for a steady drive. I drove as fast as I felt comfortable. My favourite stage was 13 where we set our best time,” said Botterill.

“Scary,” was Vacy-Lyle’s description of his first Sasol Rally. “The mountains were quite intimidating and in places the roads were incredibly rough. It was both awesome and daunting. Guy was pretty committed in the faster corners – it was a thrilling ride.”

Stage two was a bad one for the Race Prep team. Besides Botterill’s problems, Ian Young and Henry Dearlove, competing in the Super 1400 class, ended their rally halfway through the stage when a fanbelt came off and the Associated Alterations Toyota Yaris’ engine overheated.

“It was disappointing to end so early”, said the young former karter. “Henry was excellent in the car and really helped me push a lot harder. I was much quicker per kilometer than I was in Natal. Every time I drive the car I’m feeling better about it. I can’t wait for the next rally,” said Young Jr.

“We sorted the in-car communication in the first stage. We didn’t have much time to prepare for the shakedown so we were a bit tentative in the first stage. I felt comfortable with Ian’s driving so I think the other guys in the class will have to look out for the Yaris later in the season,” said Dearlove.

Team boss Rod Hering commented: “The issues we had need to be investigated. The engine temperature went through the roof. I’m happy that Ian and Henry are getting on well. We managed to talk Guy through his problem and they could drive out. It’s not a rally we will remember with any fondness.”

Issued on behalf of Race Prep Motorsport Solutions

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