by Geoff Mayes Reigning British Junior champion Conrad Rautenbach dominated his class and finished fifth overall on the Pirelli International Rally on Saturday, the opening round in the 2007 Tesco 99 Octane MSA British Rally Championship.
Rautenbach, co-driven by David Senior, overcame engine problems on Friday night to set a string of top times throughout Saturday as they guided their Jardine Lloyd Thompson-backed Citroen C2 S1600 to the class R3 win.
The 22-year-old overcame the traction deficit of only having two wheel drive by setting a string of top six times with his PH Sport-run C2.
“We had coil pack problems on Friday night but once the PH Sport boys had sorted that out David and I had a really good run with no dramas or problems,” he reflected. “Kielder is always tricky but I really enjoyed myself this weekend.”
The young Zimbabwean now flies back to Africa to prepare for the fourth round of the FIA African Rally Championship, the Mountain Gorilla Rally in Rwanda. After two wins on the trot Rautenbach leads the ARC as it nears the half way point.
