TOYOTA GAZOO Racing South Africa (TGRSA) emerged from a demanding weekend at the TGRSA Ermelo Rally—Rounds 5 and 6 of the 2025 South African National Rally Championship—with valuable data, encouraging pace, and a third-place result on Saturday’s final leg.
With regular driver Mandla Mdakane sitting out the event, Team Manager Guy Botterill stepped back into the driver’s seat of the Toyota Starlet, partnered by longtime co-driver Simon Vacy-Lyle. The duo set out with a clear goal: assess the development of the car in race conditions and fine-tune its setup ahead of the season’s final stretch.
Friday’s opening leg started strongly, with Botterill and Vacy-Lyle finishing the day in second place overall. However, a two-minute penalty due to a time card technicality dropped them down the order to fifth in the official results.
Saturday’s leg brought further improvement, with the crew finishing third overall after a solid day on the stages. A series of setup changes paid dividends, and the team reported consistent gains in pace throughout the day.
“Day Two was particularly satisfying,” said Botterill after the rally. “We made a lot of changes to the car and kept getting quicker. We picked up several second-fastest stage times and really improved the Starlet’s setup. It was a tough weekend—very hot, hard on the cars, and a real test for everyone. But the crew did a fantastic job and we brought it home both days. There’s a lot to be positive about.”
The team now turns its focus to the NRC Fouriesburg Rally, which is scheduled to take place on 26 and 27 September 2025.
Published: Karabo Sethusha
MSA Publishes media releases from a host of different sources on our website as a service to the sport. It is not practically possible to vet/approve every release that is published. Some news items and articles are written by correspondents and do not necessarily represent MSA’s views.