Leg five of the Shell V-Power/M+Z Motors National Rally Championship, taking place at Gobabis on Saturday, has drawn more entries than expected – a sign that Namibian motorsport is regaining its strength.
A total of 16 teams have entered, matching last year’s turnout, compared to only 12 vehicles at the recent Grootfontein and Tsumeb rallies.
The organisers believe the surge could be linked to the season’s nearing end, with Swakopmund set to host the sixth and final leg, and competitors eager to collect extra points for the 2025 season.
“We are excited and thankful for the 16 teams that entered for this rally stretching over an open distance of around 180km, of which 102 comprises rally stages,” says Clive Strydom from the Windhoek Motor Club (WMC).
WMC collaborated with Gobabis-based organiser Stefan Labuschagne to make the event possible.
According to Strydom, who also serves as clerk of the course, the 10 stages were designed to be both technical and spectator-friendly.
He urges fans to follow instructions from officials, safety marshals and traffic officers, noting the risks involved in high-speed motorsport.
Meanwhile, Namibia Motorsport Federation (NMSF) secretary general Derek Jacobs commends the strong turnout, calling it a return to the sport’s “glory days”.
He says this could bode well for the final rally in Swakopmund on 14 and 15 November, which traditionally draws large fields.
Weather conditions, however, could prove challenging.
Gobabis has already recorded high temperatures, with dust and gravel roads likely to test the vehicles.
“But the contrary is also not excluded as the rally might also take place in rainy weather, and that again changes the entire dynamics of the cars and surfaces,” Jacobs says.
Local driver Labuschagne and navigator René Botha will compete in their JAC T8 AWD fitted with a 4.0L Ford Falcon straight-six engine – “a Frankenstein of a rally car”, as he describes it.
Other notable entrants include Swakopmund’s Wido Bartsch, now racing a former S2000 Toyota Yaris, and Michel Rust with navigator Channel Taljaard in a Nissan NP300.
The first cars will depart from the Gobabis Motorcycle Club and Showgrounds at 10h00 for 10 stages, with the prize ceremony scheduled for late afternoon.
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