PoloDriver

It was success all round for the Volkswagen Sasolracing team at the Volkswagen Rally on 11-12 July. Not only did the pairing of Hans Weijs Jnr and Björn Degandt claim third on the podium, but Volkswagen Sasolracing won both the Team and Manufacturer’s Award at the event on the Eastern Cape.

Weijs and Degandt drove their Polo S2000 in challenging conditions over 15 stages, crossing the finish line at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium just ahead of their team-mates Gugu Zulu and Carl Peskin.

Weijs and Degandt ended the first day in third place, while Zulu and Peskin were sixth. ‘The Longmore Forest stages were just as good as I expected,’ Weijs reported. ‘We are doing well in the championship and our goal now is not just to finish on the podium – now we want to win.’

With two second-fastest stage times for the pair in the Volkswagen Rally, Zulu and Peskin are picking up the pace in their first S2000 season. ‘The Volkswagen Rally is renowned for being a very testing event, but it rates as one of the best in the country,’ said Zulu.

‘We have some work to do in terms of rhythm inside the car to make it a bit smoother, but the team have provided me with a fantastic car, now we just have to get it all together.’

The rally started well for Henk Lategan and Barry White as they produced the second-quickest time in the opening stage and were among the top five in nine of the 15 stages. Unfortunately hitting one of the many tree stumps in the forest forced them into a ditch and early retirement.

Mike Rowe, Head of Volkswagen Motorsport South Africa, was pleased with his team. ‘Hans and Björn drove well to achieve a podium position. The team is making good progress and now, with a second in the championship with four rounds to go, we are in a strong position for the fight to the end of the season.’

Raimund Baumschlager and his navigator Klaus Wicha joined the team for the Eastern Cape event. Volkswagen received the Manufacturer’s Award for the most points scored, while Weijs and Degandt and Lategan and White received the Team Award.

Other Polo finishers included Chad Van Beurden and Nico Swartz who came home sixth in their Polo S1600, 10th place AC Potgieter and Tommy du Toit (Polo S1600), 11th place Andrew Heine and Robbie Coetzee in another Polo S16000, and Paulus Franken and Henry Kohne who drove the Manitou Group Polo R2 to seventeenth place.

Polos which didn’t complete the event included the cars of Thilo Himmel and Armand Du Toit, and Raimund Baumschlager and Klaus Wicha. The fifth round of the 2014 South African National Rally Championship will see the Volkswagen Sasolracing team head to Gauteng on 15 and 16 July for the Ford Dealer Rally.