PoloDriver

This weekend sees the first round of the 2013 South African National Rally Championship, and the newly-formed Volkswagen Sasolracing team is eager to head to KwaZulu-Natal for the 610km Total Rally and get the season of to a good start. The two-day event will see seven stages on day one for the teams to complete, while a further nine will be tackled on the second day. Volkswagen Sasolracing has a trio of Polo S2000s lined up ready for the off, while a Polo Vivo S2000 will contest the S2000 Challenge in the more than capable hands of reigning champions Gugu Zulu and Carl Peskin.

Drivers for the Polo S2000 6Rs include the stalwart Volkswagen pairings of Enzo Kuun and Guy Hodgson, and former championship winners Hergen Fekken and Pierre Arries. Henk Lategan (a mere 18 years old!) and Barry White (a navigator since 1993) are newcomers to the team, fresh from the S2000 Challenge category last year. ‘We have a highly skilled and experienced group of people in the Volkswagen SasolRacing rally team,’ said Mike Rowe, Head of Volkswagen Motorsport. ‘I am confident that the Volkswagen SasolRacing team will continue to be a dominant force on the South African rally scene – and will be the standard to which every other 2013 team will aspire.’

As the rallying season kicks into full swing, Volkswagen Motorsport has another reason to be cheerful, following last month’s second place at the Rallye Monte Carlo. It was announced last week that Volkswagen and Sasol have joined forces to contest the South African National Rally Championship. The two companies call it ‘one of the most formidable collaborations in the national rally championship’. Volkswagen South Africa’s previous rallying sponsor was BP. The 2013 South African National Rally Championship kicks off on 8-9 March at KwaZulu-Natal.

Volkswagen Sasolracing will field three Polo S2000 entries, as well as an S2000 Challenge car in the eight-round year-long championship. All cars will feature a new livery to reflect the new partnership. Stalwart Volkswagen Polo S2000 driver pairings Enzo Kuun and Guy Hodgson, and Hergen Fekken and Pierre Arries will be joined by Henk Lategan and Barry White. Gugu Zulu and Carl Peskin will continue with the Polo Vivo, and will put the new S2000 Challenge car through its paces – a series which they won last year. As far as we’re aware, the technical make up of the 260bhp, four-wheel drive 6R Polo S2000s remain the same.

‘Our partnership with Sasol heralds the dawn of the new era of Volkswagen’s involvement in motorsport in South Africa. In Sasol, we have a partner that is very passionate about motorsport just as we are at Volkswagen,’ said David Powels, Managing Director of Volkswagen Group South Africa. ‘Volkswagen Group is now fully involved in the world of rallying, and Volkswagen South Africa has benefitted from the involvement. We have forged strong relationships with our German colleagues over the past 12 months, and are confident that this relationship will serve our team well in the 2013 rally championship in South Africa’.

‘Sasol Oil’s and Volkswagen’s partnership will make for an exciting season,’ said Alan Cameron, Managing Director of Sasol Oil. ‘The partnership is a strong strategic fit, leveraging the two leading companies’ respective product innovation and technical superiority capabilities. This association will be beneficial for both companies and for the fans who will witness exhilarating performance. It will also create an experiential platform for our wide range of customers to engage and connect with the Sasol brand through our products.’