The Hot Seat · Mark Jones's Column · July
From hero to zero!
A strong two-day drive through the farmlands of Bronkhorstspruit came apart in a single split-second at the GR Legends Rally — this is what it feels like from the driver's seat.
Hero: two hard days in Bronkhorstspruit
So, what happened that I went from hero to zero out in the farmlands of Bronkhorstspruit? It's quite simple, really.
The hero part saw me and Kes Naidoo, my co-driver, navigate a tough day one of the rally that included five stages of racing. And an even tougher day two that offered up another 13 stages of fast dirt and suffocating dust.
We were in the last stage of the rally. We knew we just had to finish to take a solid haul of points and for everybody to go home happy. Me, very much at the top of that list.
Zero: one mistake, race over
But then I made a mistake. Just one. A split-second lapse in concentration. And that was it. We were out of the rally. Weekend over.
Going into a tight hairpin corner, I mis-shifted and buzzed the engine on our little GR Yaris pocket-rocket under braking. This over-rev activated the engine's protective systems, and try as we may, we couldn't get the car fired up again.
The pressure you can't pretend away
Being right in the middle of the ultra-competitive and high-paced world of national rally is no easy thing. Flying the flag for the country's number one motor manufacturer, Toyota, is even more daunting.
I have a co-driver sitting next to me who wants to go home to his family. I have workshop guys who put in many hours after dark and on weekends making sure I have a good car under me.
In the heat of the moment, there is a lot going on in that hot and noisy rally car. The pressure is there. You can't pretend it doesn't exist, or that it isn't going to affect you. Because it does.
This is not an excuse. It's the reality of being a mere mortal in the competitive nature of motorsport. Mistakes will happen, and have happened, to the best drivers in the world.
“It’s now all about how we bounce back at Ermelo — that’s what will define the rest of my season.”
Mark Jones · Swartland Rally, Round 2, 2026 SANRC
