The skill of drivers and performance of their vehicles will once again come under the spotlight at the 2011 Sasol Rally where those who have been "born to perform" will cross the finish line first.

 
Rally teams are preparing for the much anticipated rally, which has become the pinnacle of rallies on the country's annual motorsport calendar. This is South African petro-chemicals group Sasol's 20th year as title sponsor of the three-day event, which flags-off at 10:00 on 14 April in Sabie, Mpumalanga.
 
This year's rally is the third leg of the eight-round South African National Rally Championship and the second leg of the FIA African Rally Championship. For the first time, the Sasol Rally will feature participants from seven African countries outside of South Africa. More than twelve teams are expected to show their mettle through the timber forests and tar roads in Mpumalanga.
 
Sasol Oil managing director, Alan Cameron, says Sasol is marking this year's event with the sponsorship of the Ford Rally team, which is made up of two class S2000 Ford Fiesta rally cars driven by Jon Williams and Mark Cronje, with their respective co-drivers Robin Houghton and Cobus Very.
 
"The Sasol Rally has been an integral part of our lives over the past two decades. It's a major event for Sasol and we are delighted to be able to share the experience with South Africans in general and the Mpumalanga community in particular.
 
"We're particularly excited about sponsoring Team Sasol. The new Ford Fiestas embody the technology and innovation that is the hallmark of our fuels and lubricants products, which are truly put to the test during Rally," says Cameron.
 
The new Team Sasol rally cars will serve as a "real-time laboratory" where Sasol Techno Oil and Sasol Turbo Fuels™ Plus are put to the ultimate test in a very stringent environment. In collaboration with the University of Cape Town, Sasol invests extensively in fuels research and development. This is evident through its state of the art fuels testing facility situated in Muizenberg, Cape Town. The output and knowledge gained from this research plays a significant role in fuelling the Motorsport industry in South Africa.
 
KaNyamazane will be included as a stage in the Sasol Rally starting at 15:00 on Saturday 16 April in front of the Ncakini Senior Secondary School. Cameron says this is the second consecutive year KaNyamazane has been included in the race. "This was done with the specific aim of ensuring that part of our community, not previously exposed to the sport, get the opportunity to share in the thrill of this event," he says.
 
Sasol will be actively engaging with the community on rally as a sport this year. A critical element to watching rally live is safety. Sasol will hold sessions with school children in KaNyamazane on the importance of safety when watching rally, as spectators are often located on the course.
 
The Sasol Rally culminates at the Nelspruit Stadium where the prize giving will be held and all finishing teams applauded for their achievements.
 
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