MBABANE, SWAZILAND : Drama in the closing stages of the
Castrol International Rally which finished at the Royal Swazi Spa 
yesterday saw Sarel van der Merwe and Franz Boshoff snatch victory to 
give Korean automaker Daewoo a dream debut win in South African 
rallying.

With only a few special stages left to go in the 25th running of the 
event turbo problems forced Enzo Kuun and Guy Hodgson in the Hyundai 
Accent to take lateness and penalties while hasty repairs were made to

the car - dropping them from the first place they had held since early

in the event on Thursday.

The Hyundai pairing took over the lead on special stage seven when 
reigning South African Champions Serge Damseaux and Vito Bonafede 
comprehensively rolled their Castrol Toyota Conquest. When the rally 
arrived in Swaziland on Thursday night for the first regroup Kuun had 
a lead of nine minutes over the Autoquip Volkswagen Golf of Terry 
Brand and Martie Olivier. During Friday's special stages Van der Merwe

moved past Brand to put the 2,0-litre Daewoo Cielo into second place.

Starting the final leg of the rally yesterday morning Kuun had a 
seemingly unassailable lead of more than 17 minutes over Van der 
Merwe - then the problems with the turbo unit started and the lead was

slashed as penalty points mounted and two stages from the finish the 
Van der Merwe/Boshoff pairing moved into the lead.

For 11 times South African Rally Champion Sarel van der Merwe it was 
also his 10th Castrol International Rally victory and a dream return 
to rallying for him and Franz Boshoff after three years in retirement.

Terry Brand and Martie Olivier brought the Autoquip Golf home in third

place after having battled for much of the event with an engine 
misfire while former rally driver turned off-road racer Kassie Coetzee

showed he had lost none of his touch, finishing fourth overall with 
Richard Leeke in their turbo-charged Toyota Hilux and winning the 
Videosport Off-Road Challenge that forms part of the Castrol Rally.

Fifth place went to the Volkswagen Golf pairing of Alan Mitrovich and 
Mike Burrows ahead of the off-road Toyota Landcruiser of Apie Reyneke 
and Robin Houghton. In seventh spot were the Team Total crew of Tony 
Ball and Brian Duncan (Volkswagen Golf) ahead of the Team Total Fiat 
Uno driven by Paolo Piazza-Musso and Cindi Harding. Ninth place, 
despite rolling his car in the final stages, went to Hergen Fekken and

Niel Fourie in their Toyota Conquest with Natalian Brian Martin and 
Brian Duncan also in a Toyota Conquest completing the top 10.

ends