Known for its wet and muddy conditions, this year's VW Rally, which comprised 13 stages in the Uitenhage, Jeffrey's Bay and Port Elizabeth areas, was characterised by clear sunny skies.
"It was probably the first dry event in years," commented Cronje. "Either way I love this event and both Robin and I are ecstatic with the result."
The pair dominated proceedings from the outset, taking the lead on the second stage and never looking back.
"The only problem we had was a puncture just before the service break on the second day and since we were so close we only lost about five seconds," commented Cronje.
Habig and Paisley had an equally trouble free run to the finish, eventually crossing the line 1min 24 seconds behind the leading pair and over three minutes ahead of third placed Giniel de Villiers and Greg Godrich in the Toyota Yaris.
"We had an incident-free event and once again the reliability and handling of the Fiesta was phenomenal. It never missed a beat," affirmed Habig.
With the Ford crews running such a clean event little preparation will be required ahead of the next event. And with the next round sponsored by Ford, both teams will be eager to secure a strong result. The Gauteng-based Ford Dealer Rally, taking place on 17 August 2013, offers easy accessibility from both Johannesburg and Pretoria.
"It was phenomenal to see the two Fiestas dominating this weekend's rally from start to finish. This takes Ford's winning tally to five on the trot with three of those 1-2 results. The support they enjoyed over the weekend was amazing, making us even more excited about the upcoming Ford Dealer Rally, which will be centred in the heart of Ford country," concluded Ford Racing Manager John Nagel.
Team Ford Racing's efforts would not be possible without the support of its dedicated sponsors: the Ford Dealer Network, Castrol, Ferodo, Portable Shade and OMP.
