take part in a local motor rally event.
The Jialing Rally counts as the season finale of the 2011 Zimbabwean Rally Championship season and local motor rallying ace Conrad Rautenbach will be participating in today’s race driving a Green Fuel-sponsored bakkie powered by 100 percent ethanol. The Jialing Rally, formerly TT Rally, marks the introduction of a new class of cars – the bakkie – which is meant to broaden the participation into the sport by allowing a more standard type of vehicle.

With 15 entries into this new category of rally vehicles so far, motor rallying fans are in for an action-filled pre-holiday weekend.
And Rautenbach, who will be competing in his second local motor rally event this year after taking part in the Toyota Zimbabwe Challenge Rally in March, was yesterday looking forward to driving an ethanol-powered bakkie.
“This is bound to be spectator friendly and easier to watch with full bar and catering. I reckon it’s a nice way to spend the day with the family,” Rautenbach said.

Rautenbach broke new ground this year in March when he successfully lifted the 2011 Toyota Zimbabwe Challenge Rally trophy driving his Ford Fiesta S2000 on a blend of 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent petrol.
He finished the rest of his campaign in the 2011 African Rally Championship using this blend ratio and maintained pole position in the log standings, scoring amazing victories.

Ethanol use in motor sport is increasing worldwide, showing a clear commitment to the environment, attracting new audiences and creating safer for drivers and teams.
International rallying brands such as Indy car and NASCAR have taken up rallying on varying blends of ethanol as a way of demonstrating the need to go “green”.
A local fuel company, Green Fuel, yesterday said it was proud to the involved in motorsports with their new generation high quality biofuel. Locally produced from sugarcane, Green Fuel ethanol is a clean burning fuel which reduces gas emissions by over 60 percent and is suitable for all petrol vehicles.

Blending ethanol with petrol also enhances the fuel quality which allows better engine performance. And it will be interesting to see how Rautenbach performs in his ethanol-powered bakkie in today’s Jialing Rally which has also attracted most of the country’s top motor rally drivers including Craig Green who is currently leading in the national championship drivers’ leaderboard.

Green, a likeable character, will today be gunning for his third victory of the year after winning the Norton Rally at Norton in February and last month’s Westgate Rally in Harare. A win today will see Green regaining the national title that he lost to Shaun Whyte last year.
The veteran driver, who will be having Clint Ashdown as his navigator, is heavily tipped to win the Jialing Rally and his task has been made easier after his local arch-rival

Jamie Whyte that he will not be taking part in today’s event at Donnybrook.
Two-time African motor rally champion Whyte told The Herald on Tuesday that he has decided to let his young brother Shaun use his Subaru Impreza in today’s race.
Shaun Whyte, last year’s national champion, confirmed yesterday that he will be driving Jamie’s Subaru Impreza N10 in the race where he will be joined by the latter’s son

Rowan. Rowan Whyte will be driving a red Subaru N8 well known as “The Pig” and he will be having Craig Archenoul as his navigator while Dave Milner will be Shaun’s co-pilot.

Today’s race will also see the ever-cheerful Big “Bigs” Chitima competing in his “new” Subaru Impreza. There will also be the husband and wife team of Jess and Sasha Watson who will be making a welcome return to local motor rallying. Veteran driver Richard “Mahobho” Robinson, Sherwin Evans and top local female competitor

Laureen Marufu are also expected to be in the starting line-up at today’s Jialing Rally, which dusts off at 9:30am. A local motor cycling company, TT Motorcycles, sponsors the Jialing Rally whose prize-giving ceremony will be held tonight at Sables Motorsport Club in the Eastlea area of Harare.

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