Toyota Gazoo Racing South Africa (TGRSA) left the Algoa National Rally with two fourth places in the NRC2 class. Motoring journalist Mark Jones and navigator Kes Naidoo finished fourth in both Friday’s Round 6 through the Longmore Forest and Saturday’s rain-hit Round 7 around Uitenhage and Despatch. The results lift the Toyota GR Yaris crew to second in the NRC2 class of the 2026 National Rally Championship, with one round of the season remaining.
Longmore Forest stages and night running
Round 6 was run on the fast, natural mountain stages of the Longmore Forest and included a night stage after dark on Friday. The GR Yaris came through unscathed to finish fourth in class. Jones described the event as “real rally, it’s not man-made stuff”. He noted that running wide at Longmore carries serious risk, with a long drop and many trees beside the road. He added that the night stage was tough because the lights only reach so far.
Rain and mud in Uitenhage and Despatch
Saturday’s Round 7 became a battle with the weather rather than the stopwatch. Heavy rain flooded the opening stages so badly that organisers considered calling the round off altogether. Competitors were sent out to assess the Spidersweb stage before a decision was made on whether to continue. By lunchtime only three stages and ten kilometres of competitive running had been completed.
Conditions gradually improved through the afternoon, and Jones and Naidoo’s times on Spidersweb dropped from twelve minutes to six as the stage dried out. The single running of the Vlaktes stage stayed slippery throughout. “I’ve never done mud like that in my life. I’ve never been so grateful for all-wheel drive,” said Jones, who added that the car performed faultlessly.
NRC2 championship standings after Algoa
Jones also credited Naidoo, who has grown into the role over the course of the season. He said Naidoo has worked as a full co-driver rather than simply calling lefts and rights, and that this support was vital across both days.
The double finish means the pair have now completed five of the seven rounds of the 2026 championship. It marks a return to form after retirements at the GR Legends Rally and the Ermelo Rally earlier in the season. Motorsport South Africa has ratified the Algoa results, and the pair now sit second in the NRC2 standings on 95 points. That puts them 37 points behind leader Bruce Swatton (132) and eight clear of third-placed Lynton Swatton (87). Team Manager Leeroy Poulter said it was important for the team to bounce back after its two DNFs.
Toyota GR Yaris heads to Dullstroom finale
TGRSA now turns its attention to the TRAC N4 Rally at Dullstroom on 30 and 31 October, the final round of the 2026 season. Jones said the aim is a solid outing that brings the car home.
Supplied by MotorPress (Karabo Sethusha, Manager: Motorsport TGR, Toyota South Africa)
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