MyPE

Community Business Directory, Event Listings, News and Views from Gqeberha, Nelson Mandela Bay

Diamonds and Dust for Round Five of Rally Championship

By

Gugu Zulu
The ‘fastest brother in Africa’, Gugu Zulu, poses with young fans before the start of the VW Rally in Uitenhage on 13 July 2014.

The middle of August will see the Volkswagen Sasolracing team contest round five of the South African National Rally Championship. The team heads to Cullinan for the Imperial Toyota Cullinan Rally on Friday and Saturday, 15 and 16 August – and 12 stages of rally action.

Hans Weijs Jnr and Björn Degandt have produced three podium finishes in the first four rallies of this season, with the Sasol Rally slowing their performance only slightly. Thanks to these results the pair currently hold second place overall in the championship.

The Cullinan event provides an opportunity for Weijs and Degandt to produce a third consecutive podium result for the team.

“Hans and Björn are putting on a strong performance this season,” says Mike Rowe, head of Volkswagen Motorsport. “They are leading the charge for Volkswagen Sasolracing and are in a good position for the remaining rounds of the season.”

Henk Lategan and Barry White enter the Cullinan event fifth on the overall standings – five points shy of fourth spot and 5.5 points off of third place. A good showing can see the pair putting pressure on the opposition as they fight for a spot amongst the top three in the points.

For the pair the Cullinan event will not be a sprint to grab as many points as possible, but rather the start of a campaign for the rest of the season to make a strong overall finish for the season. Lategan and White performed well at this event last year, claiming second place overall, which makes them confident of another good result here.

Gugu Zulu and Carl Peskin find themselves just outside of the top five after the first half of the national rally season. In sixth place overall, they will be aiming for a spot amongst the top five by the last event.

“The national rally season is far from over,” says Rowe. “The Volkswagen Sasolracing team holds a strategic position heading into the second half of the season and we are aiming to build on the results already achieved. Our goal for the remainder of 2014 is to appear on the podium at every event.”

The following two tabs change content below.
My Twitter profileMy Facebook profileMy Google+ profileMy LinkedIn profileMy Flickr profileMy Pinterest profile

Alan Straton

Chief Cook, Bottle Washer and Broom Mechanic at MyPE
Passionate about Port Elizabeth and definitely NOT packing for Perth. Alan's ethos is epitomised in the words of Nelson Mandela; "I have fought against white domination and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the idea of a democratic and free society. If need be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die." See more articles by Alan.