With the 2013 South African Rally Championship fast approaching, two of the sport’s giants, VW and Sasol, have announced a partnership that they hope will see the team in a good position to challenge for top honours this season.
David Powels, Managing Director of Volkswagen Group South Africa, had the following to say on this development;
“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. Volkswagen Group is now fully involved in the world of rallying and recently we finished second in our debut World Rally Championship in Monte Carlo. Volkswagen South Africa has benefitted from the Group’s involvement in rallying and we have also forged strong relationships with German colleagues over the past 12 months. We are confident that this relationship will serve our team well in the 2013 rally championship in South Africa.”
This season, the factory team will enter three S2000 Polos and one S2000 Challenge Polo in the championship, both of which will boast updated livery that reflects the new partnership between Volkswagen and Sasol. The driver and co-driver line-up consists of stalwarts Enzo Kuun and Guy Hodgson as well as Hergen Fekken and Pierre Arries. They will be joined by 18-year old Henk Lategan and Barry White, while Gugu Zulu and Carl Peskin will campaign in the S2000 Challenge category.
“Sasol and Volkswagen’s partnership will make for an exciting season. 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, ” says Alan Cameron, Managing Director of Sasol Oil.
The first round of the South African Rally Championship takes place in KwaZulu-Natal on 8-9 March.
