The BP Volkswagen rally team will be in action at their home event, the Volkswagen Rally, on Friday and Saturday, July 23 and 24. The event marks the end of a break in the season that has lasted nearly two months.
At this point in the calendar, the BP Volkswagen pair of Enzo Kuun and Guy Hodgson are the championship leaders in their BP Volkswagen Polo S2000. The pair have a slim lead of just four points over their rivals Johnny Gemmell and Drew Sturrock in the Toyota camp.
Third place in the championship is held by Jan Habig and Ralph Pitchford. The pair are on a high after an incredible rally performance at the Rally of South Africa that will be marked as one of the best challenges of recent history. Habig and Pitchford stepped into the breach when both of his teammates fell out of the event.
The pair hoisted the BP Volkswagen rally flag right to the top of the mast and put their foot hard up against the firewall. They were eventually beaten to the finish line by just 0.7 of a second – after finishing day one with a one minute and 48 second deficit to the leaders, Gemmell and Sturrock.
A display of rally skill at this level shows exactly why Habig is amongst the top rally competitors in the country – and is considered an extremely tough adversary under any conditions.
The last event on the calendar saw the defending champions Hergen Fekken and Pierre Arries post a second consecutive DNF (did not finish) for this season. This puts tremendous pressure on them for the rest of the year, starting at the VW Rally which is traditionally a tough nut to crack for the home team.
If, however, there is a team in the national championship capable of turning adversity into advantage then it must be this pair. They have proven time and again that there is no such thing as “too tough” for them to challenge.
The current points standings means that the BP Volkswagen team are in first, third and sixth spot – and they are faced with an event where they claimed all three podium positions in 2009. With their sights firmly on setting the tone for the rest of the championship season and a go ultimate result, there is only one recipe that will be entertained when they tackle the 28th annual Volkswagen Rally.
From the Longmore Forest, through Uitenhage and Port Elizabeth, to final stage at Kings Beach the BP Volkswagen S2000 Polo rally cars will be pushing hard for nothing but the best possible result.
In the A7 class there will be action to watch from Gugu Zulu and his new navigator Cindi Harding. Harding teamed up with Zulu at the Rally of South Africa and immediately produced the goods – winning their class.
It appears that the in-car rally chemistry clicked almost immediately and Zulu and Harding operate with a clear understanding of what is required from each side of the car to produce the required results. The Volkswagen Rally will be an opportunity for these two competitors to again show the field how it is done in their two-wheel drive A7 BP Volkswagen Polo rally car.
The A5 challenge will be tackled by André Cleenwerck and Kesevan Naidoo. The pair survived a trying event at the Rally of South Africa to claim a class win in their BP Volkswagen Citi Golf. This victory brought them to the break-even point, having won two and posted DNF results in two events. The VW Rally is their opportunity to tip the scales in their favour for 2010.07.16
There are 11 rally stages waiting for the BP Volkswagen rally team when they pull off from the Auto Pavilion in Uitenhage on Friday and rally fans can follow the action at every stage over the two day event.
– Credit: Volkswagen of South Africa