You win some, you lose some, you wreck some.
— Dale Ernhardt Sr.
The South African National Rally Championship is a series of rallying events that has taken place each year since 1960. It was won eleven times by Sarel van der Merwe in the 1970s and 1980s and ten times by Serge Damseaux from 1989 to 2004. Toyota and Volkswagen vehicles have won the title of champion car in most years since 1998.
Now in its 61st consecutive year, the sport has been kept alive by privateers since 2017 with the decline of sponsorships and non-investment of manufacturers due to the world-wide economic slowdown.
The South African Rally Championship has seen the exciting development of the new Africa Rally 1 (AR 1) category car, competing in the NRC 1 class. A normal Aspirated 1600 Turbo, AWD car. The newcomers to this class are the Hyundai i 20, Mazda 2 and Toyota Starlet. These cars compete with the S2000 and old group N cars (Subaru’s). A very exciting class to watch on every event.
The South African Rally Championship has seen the exciting development of the new Africa Rally 1 (AR 1) category car, competing in the NRC 1 class. A normal Aspirated 1600 Turbo, AWD car. The newcomers to this class are the Hyundai i 20, Mazda 2 and Toyota Starlet. These cars compete with the S2000 and old group N cars (Subaru’s). A very exciting class to watch on every event.
The NRC 1 class took over from the 1600 R2 homologated cars as the official Championship class of the SA Championship.
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