After a successful debut season in Class N1, the Volkswagen Citi Golf Chico looks set to be one of the main contenders in Class A5. Boasting a better power to weight ratio, the N1 Citi Golfs of Marthinus Briers and Schalk Burger jr. took class honours in virtually every rally they entered last year.
Piloted by no less than five factory and Sasol-supported crews under the Sasol Volkswagen “Junior Team” banner, the Class A5 VW Chico will make its first appearance at the VolkswagenSure Tour Natal on March 8th.
Leading the Citi Golf charge will be Kobus Roos and Brendan Nunan, who campaigned in Class A7 last year in Sasol Volkswagen colours. They are expected to curtail the dominance enjoyed by Rodney Visagie and Carolyn Swann, who were without any real competition last year.
Joining the Roos/Nunan combination will be the ever-improving Marthinus Briers. He is due to reveal a surprise navigator at the rally as old partner Dolf Coetzee is driving this season. The Port Elizabethan showed a lot of promise last year winning the class championship on Briers’ maiden season, and is this year expected to be among the top contenders in this new class.
Briers has given up his Engen Volkswagen Cup commitments to concentrate solely on winning the class championship. He won the one-make series two times, the last being in 2000.
Nkosinathi Nzimande and Amon Moyiwa of KwaZulu Natal, who campaigned in Class S20 last year, also took delivery of their Citi Golf. The pair, who only started rallying last year, are regarded as among the brightest prospects in the country. <
Their car was used for the Class A5 development, and its performances in testing convinced Volkswagen Racing to launch an assault on the class.
The surprise inclusion in the Volkswagen Citi Golf pack is Wesbank V8 driver Gugulethu Zulu. He will be partnered by the experienced Dave McGregor and will also make his debut at the VolkswagenSure Natal Rally. While he is not expected to perform any heroics on his first outing, having maestro Sarel van der Merwe mentoring him is without a doubt a bonus.
According to Johan Smit, Volkswagen Racing Special Vehicles manager whose team developed the new car, says the Citi Golf’s standard make-up lends itself to conversion into a rally or race car. “Luckily we did not have to involve ourselves in any rocket science. In standard form, the car has a sporty gearbox, a road-hugging suspension and an engine that has the potential to make a lot of power, which we were able to utilise to the allowed maximum. We don’t know as yet if it will be all-conquering, but we certainly hope so as it is capable of making an average driver look very good,” said a confident Smit.
The Chicos will appear in white livery.
More drivers are expected to turn up in a Citi Golf in the different classes this season.
Sasol Volkswagen Citi Golf “Junior Team” driver/navigator line-up:
Kobus Roos/Brendan Nunan
Nkosinathi Nzimande/Fani Fani Moyiwa
Marthinus Briers/TBA
Gugulethu Zulu/Dave McGregor
