Castrol Toyota 1-2 win at Osram Rally 2009

Final
results:

1. S2000 - Johnny Gemmell/Peter
   Marsh - Castrol Toyota Auris - 1:31:47
2. S2000 - Mark Cronje/Robert
   Paisley - Castrol Toyota Auris - 1:32:25
3. S2000 - Enzo Kuun/Guy
   Hodgson - BP Ultimate Volkswagen Polo - 1:32:43
4. N4 - Charl Wilken/Greg
   Godrich - Sasol/Konica Minolta Subaru Impreza - 1:34:06
5. S2000 - Jan Habig/Douglas
   Judd - BP Ultimate Volkswagen Polo - 1:34:15
6. S2000 - Japie van
   Niekerk/Robin Houghton - New Africa Developments Toyota RunX - 1:34:26
7. S2000 - Hergen Fekken/Pierre
   Arries - BP Ultimate Volkswagen Polo - 1:34:27
8. S2000 - JP Damseaux/Andre
   Vermeulen - Team Total Toyota RunX - 1:36:06
9. S2000 - Theuns
   Joubert/Hennie Botes - Salom Volkswagen Polo - 1:38:20
10. S2000 - Fernando Rueda/Cobus
    Vrey - Team Total Toyota RunX - 1:39:10

Johnny Gemmell and Peter Marsh stormed back into championship contention by winning the Osram Rally, round 6 of the 2009 Sasol South African Rally Championship. Completing a perfect day at the office for the factory Castrol Toyota squad, Mark Cronje and Robert Paisley finished a strong 2nd overall, giving the class S2000 Toyota Auris its first 1 - 2 finish since making its debut on this event exactly one year ago.

Gemmell, lagging 14 points behind log leaders Hergen Fekken/Pierre Arries going into the Osram Rally, has closed the gap to just three points with two rounds of the series remaining. This was Gemmell and Marsh’s third victory of the season and the toughest, in spite of a winning margin of 38 seconds.

Run through the Witteberg around Lady Grey and the southern Drakensberg near Barkly East, the roads are super-fast and extremely challenging, where mere seconds mark the difference between victory and an also-ran. Gemmell's winning margin demonstrated the Castrol Auris' domination of the event, with the title challenger taking the lead in stage two and never looking back, setting four fastest times on the seven stage event.

"It was a near perfect day for us. We had a huge moment in the first stage when I was blinded by the low sun. I hit a jump which I never saw and landed on the Auris' nose. Luckily, damage was only cosmetic and not mechanical. The Auris was perfect all day and never missed a beat".

The result was poetic justice for Gemmell after his chance of victory on the 2008 Osram Rally was thwarted by a stone jamming in the brakes, a freak happening which cost him a certain victory.

"I'm glad we could finish what we started last year", he laughed.

Mark Cronje and Robert Paisley did exactly what the team asked of them, riding shotgun for Gemmell and putting himself ahead of the chasing
trio of BP Volkswagen Polos. Cronje was crowned King of the Mountain, a special award for the fastest crew over the notorious
Joubert's Pass, a 45km long ribbon of road high in the snow-capped Witteberg mountains.

"That's a treacherous piece of road" is how Cronje described his first experience of the legendary stage. 'We had a bit of a moment in there so settled on what I thought was a comfortable pace as was quite surprised to have been quickest".

The second Castrol Auris pair had another big moment in stage two as well as a puncture 8km from the end, costing the early leaders 12 seconds.

"Stage two set the tone of the rally and I had last year's event in the back of my mind all the time (a reference to crashing while leading in 2008). I backed off after that and found a good rhythm. It was a clean, textbook rally for us. The car's in one piece".

Japie van Niekerk and Robin Houghton brought their S2000 New Africa Developments Toyota RunX home 5th overall, beating the current SA Rally
Champions Hergen Fekken and Pierre Arries by a single second.

"That's what the team asked us to do and that's what we achieved", said a delighted Van
Niekerk.

Jean Pierre Damseaux/Andre Vermeulen brought their S2000 Team Total Toyota RunX home 8th overall after spending their day running first on
the road and sweeping the loose grit off the surface, but were happy to record their second finish of the year in what has been a character-building season. Fernando Rueda/Cobus Vrey, driving a similar
S2000 Total RunX rounded out the top 10 after a steady drive.

Toyota took the Manufacturer's Award as they build towards their 19th Manufacturer's Championship title.

The next 2009 Sasol Rally Championship event is the BP Ultimate Rally in the Western Cape on 18 and 19 September.

Get more info of this race on Rallyworld.net ( http://bit.ly/Osram2009 )

Images: dvj@toyota-media