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BP VOLKSWAGEN RALLY TEAM READY FOR 2008 CHALLENGE
THE BP Volkswagen rally team will roar into action in Kwa-Zulu
Natal for the season opener of the national rally season. The
2008 rally year gets underway with the Hitachi Power Tools Tour
Natal, an event taking place on Friday and Saturday, March 7 and
8.
This event sees the official start of the Sasol SA National
Rally Championship and eight rounds of nailbiting rally action –
with the BP Volkswagen team committed to campaigning at the
sharp end of the field. There can be no doubt that the front of
the field is the place to find the green and blue livery of the
BP Ultimate-sponsored cars as the team is again fielding the
S2000 champion, just as it has been since the inception of the
S2000 class three years ago.
So far the team has won on the national rally scene every year –
a hat trick. It therefore makes perfect sense to ensure yet
another national championship title.
The 2008 season will make this a particularly interesting season
for the BP Volkswagen team as the battle begins to discover just
who the next champion will be. The team has no less than three
candidates for the S2000 class. At the top of the list is
current S2000 champion Jan Habig, along with his navigator,
Douglas Judd. They claimed the first and the most recent title
in this class, and will be hungry to show they are prepared to
win another title – by first winning the opening round of this
season.
Second on the list of potential candidates is Enzo Kuun and his
navigator, Guy Hodgson. Kuun and Hodgson won their title in
2006. For Kuun this was a particularly momentous win as he has
been trying to win his first title for several years with
success remaining just out of his grasp. Since that first title
win Kuun has been encouraging the flood gates to open and
winning at the Hitachi Power Tools Tour Natal will be the first
step to making that happen.
Hergen Fekken and navigator Pierre Arries are third on the list
of possible championship winners. This duo has fought long and
hard to get themselves comfortable in the S2000 class. They were
rewarded last season with victory in Kwa-Zulu Natal – and if
they have successfully accomplished something once, there is no
reason they cannot do it twice.
While there will be a great deal of focus on the S2000 class at
this event – and this year – attention must be paid to the A7
class as well. Here Gugu Zulu and Carl Peskin will campaign
their BP Volkswagen Polo for their first full season. Zulu and
Peskin claimed the class A5 title last year in a BP Volkswagen
Citi Golf and, with two events left in the year, moved up to a
new class and new car.
Already they have shown promise and will certainly be making
things very difficult for the more seasoned campaigners. Of all
the descriptions that can be used to accurately sum up Gugu Zulu
as a competitor, one that will definitely not fit is “lacks
ambition”. It can be guaranteed that Zulu and Peskin will be
setting out to claim the A7 title in their first year.
The final of five entries for the BP Volkswagen team is that of
André Cleenwerck and Des de Fortier. This national rally pair
contest class A5 in a BP Volkswagen Citi Golf. Last season they
found themselves firmly in the shadow of Zulu and Peskin, this
season the field is theirs to dominate how they please.
On several occasions it looked as though Cleenwerck and De
Fortier would pose a real threat to their teammates chances of
success for a national title. They harried Zulu and Peskin on a
number of events but it didn’t quite seem to work out for them
though. With a fresh season ahead, they will be eager to again
grab the opportunity for a championship challenge and the
Hitachi Power Tools Tour Natal provides an excellent springboard
for just such a campaign.
Rally fans can catch their favourite BP Volkswagen rally
competitors in action from midday on Friday (7 March) where the
rally starts from Ridge Road in Umhlanga before heading north to
Stanger for four stages. On Saturday the action moves to the
South Coast with a central service point at Scottburgh Golf
Club. The first stage of the day will begin at 09:00 with the
final stage at 13:50.
Ends
PLEASE NOTE: The attached images of the BP Volkswagen team are
from the 2007 season. Images for this season will only be
available after the Hitachi Power Tools Tour Natal has been
completed.
to download the related attachments, click on the
links below
BP VOLKSWAGEN RALLY TEAM READY FOR 2008 CHALLENGE (doc)
Supervisor - Sponsorships & Events Marketing
Chairperson - Engen Volkswagen Cup Association
P O Box 3047
Uitenhage
6231
South Africa
VWSA – B Plant
Motorsport Department
Kelvin Street
Uitenhage
South Africa
Tel: +27 41 996 6443
Fax: +27 86 511 9844
Mobile: +27 84 800 0208
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