Dramatic Dullstroom rally dishes up everything and more
Toyota Gazoo Racing South Africa (TGRSA) closed out the 2026 National Rally National Championship with another solid result from Mark Jones and Kes Naidoo.
The Mpumalanga finale of the TRAC N4 Dullstroom National Rally lived up to its reputation, with the region experiencing an extended dry spell and the roads becoming treacherous due to large rocks and thick dust. Early leaders Johan Strauss and Caro Storm faced stiff competition from young drivers Dawie van der Merwe and Matt Kohler.
The Swatton brothers and a pair of other VW Polo GTIs frequently changed places during the competition. The team aimed to persevere despite the conditions and hoped for improvement on Saturday. However, the rally presented numerous challenges, including a stage where the car hit a dip, jump, and dip combination and suffered significant damage, including loss of power.
Despite this setback, they managed to finish the rally and secure a second-place finish in the 2026 National Rally Championship for the NRC2 drivers' category. The team plans to return in 2027 with a more robust rally-ready vehicle.
Written by urgent.news from The Citizen's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
