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IN THE HOT SEAT:
HANDBRAKES & HAIRPINS
Story: Evan Rothman
Pictures: Motorpics
In full-attack mode this car eats up
the gravel kilometres with a voracity
I’ve never experienced before. One
of South Africa’s most exciting rally
drivers is Mohammed Moosa, a
driver for the Team Total Evolution
Toyota RunX S2000
“We’re over
210km/h at
the moment”
outfi t, and is in his
fi rst season in the
top-fl ight Class
S2000. He’s shown
his speed and
aggression in this
the most cutthroat of Classes, and I
was fortunate to experience fi rsthand
his driving skills in his rally
machine.
Ahead of last month’s fi fth
round of the South African Rally
Championship, the Volkswagen Rally
held in Port Elizabeth in the Eastern
Cape, I attended the Shakedown Stage
for the event at the Port Elizabeth Oval
Track, which played host to two stages
(with a majority of the Shakedown Stage
part of the speed test for the event).
With a few runs already under
his belt, and his car set up to his liking
for this challenging event, I strapped
myself tightly into the co-driver’s seat
for what was to be a thrilling and
unforgettable drive. A few seconds
short of two minutes, and our drive
was over but these two minutes I, as a
rally enthusiast, will forever treasure.
For Mohammed it was a test and more
valuable seat time, and I fortunate to be
able to glimpse a snatch into the worlds
of the rally driver and co-driver.
The dusty stage starts with
a long straight on a fl at section. A
countdown from ten starts and my
excitement increases with that of the
revs climbing. Quickly spinning through
the gears, the car was soon bouncing
on its rev limiter
in sixth gear;
Mohammed was
cool, collected
and nonchalantly
chatting with me
even at this speed,
as if for a drive to buy milk at the corner
shop.
As we barrelled down the long
straight, I was told rather cavalierly that
a fi rst-gear left hand corner awaited us.
Expecting to hit the brakes and begin to
scrub off speed, and seeing the straight
coming to an end ahead, Mohammed’s
right boot was still fi rmly planted on
the accelerator pedal and it didn’t look
like shifting to the brake pedal any time
soon.
“We’re over 210km/h at the
moment: fast!” was Mohammed’s
comment, as if reading my thoughts.
Seeing the tree trunks lining
the road clearly, the dirt berm and
the bushes beyond, I turned my
attention away from the horizon and
to Mohammed to watch as he worked
the car’s levers and steering wheel to
set it up for the turn in. Hitting the
brakes hard, with the car’s nose diving