- Season-closing TRAC N4 Dullstroom National Rally this weekend.
- Mark Jones and Kes Naidoo second in NRC2.
- 12 stages totalling 166.30km over two days.
- Reworked GR Yaris makes competitive debut.
- Crews must finish both days to score.
Motoring journalist Mark Jones and navigator Kes Naidoo head into the final round of the 2026 National Rally Championship aiming for a podium, as TOYOTA GAZOO Racing South Africa (TGRSA) closes its campaign at the TRAC N4 Dullstroom National Rally in Mpumalanga. The event runs over two full days and 12 competitive stages totalling 166.30km, within a wider route of 488.66km.
Dullstroom rally route and format
Friday’s seven stages are held in the SAFCOL Belfast Plantation forests. Crews leave a ceremonial start at the Dullstroom Oval at 10:00 and reach Parc Fermé that evening. Saturday moves to the S&N Timbers plantation for five more stages, with the rally ending at Parc Fermé by 14:30.
Points are only awarded to crews that finish both days, which makes consistency the priority at the finale.
Changes to the Toyota GR Yaris
The rally marks the competitive debut of a reworked GR Yaris. It now wears wider wheel arch flares and a bigger rear wing, similar in style to those used internationally, while work on the software continues to refine how power is delivered. A new intercooler spray kit, triggered by temperature rather than running continuously, has also been fitted.
“It’s all aimed at making the car more consistent over two long days,” said Jones. Guests from Toyota’s broader GAZOO Racing network, including Toyota USA, are expected at the event to see the new-specification car in action.
NRC2 standings and weather outlook
Jones and Naidoo sit second in NRC2, behind class leaders Bruce Swatton and Craig Reyneke in a Volkswagen Polo. Lynton Swatton and Tommy Coetzee, also in a Polo, are third. Johan Strauss and Caro Storm (Subaru Impreza) and Dawie van der Merwe and Matt Kohler (Volkswagen Polo), winners of a National Rally round earlier this season, complete the class within a 40-car overall entry.
Friday is forecast to be cool and unsettled, with a high of around 24°C, a low near 12°C and a chance of light rain through the Belfast stages. Saturday should be warmer and largely dry, with a high near 28°C. Dense plantation forest lines most of the route, and conditions under the canopy can differ from the open-road picture.
Toyota crew targets for the finale
“If we can finish on the podium here, third would be a brilliant way to end the year,” said Jones, adding that the plan is to get the car and both crew members home in one piece. The rally gets under way on Friday at 10:00 from the Dullstroom Oval and concludes on Saturday by 14:30.
Supplied by MotorPress (Riaan Esterhuysen, Senior Manager: PR & Corporate Communication, Toyota South Africa)
This story is based on aggregated news, press release(s) or other sources and was prepared with the help of AI tools, which can make mistakes. Prices, specifications, general information and availability may change, so confirm the details with the manufacturer, other news sources or a dealer.
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