The 2011 South African Rally Championship has all the ingredients to be the most competitive ever in its 50-year history, with ten teams capable of winning any of the eight round series.
The rally championship will feature three SA rally champions with ten titles between them, one FIA African Rally Champion, a former World Rally Championship competitor, a double Production Car Champion, a former World Production Car Competitor and the strong possibility of a Dakar Rally winner.
Charl Wilken and Greg Godrich – winners of the Gauteng Rally, the last event of the 2010 season – will once again team up for an assault on the SA Rally Championship in the Basil Read bizhub Ford Fiesta S2000. “The car will feature a similar livery to what we ran last season, with Basil Read followed by Konica Minolta’s bizhub brand being the lead sponsors”, says Team Director Flip Wilken.
The 2010 season started slowly for the Ford team but as the season progressed, the Basil Read bizhub Ford Fiesta became a regular front-runner, culminating with the team’s dominant win in the final round of the season.
“After the Gauteng Rally last October, we conducted further testing and I’m satisfied with the results and believe we will carry last year’s season-closing form into the 2011 season”, added Wilken. “Continuity is important in this sport and our team of technicians and engineers remains unchanged. The experience we gained in 2010 can be fully utilized on an often overlooked aspect of preparation”.
The 2010 SA Rally Championship was highly competitive with honours spread between Volkswagen with four victories, Toyota with two and Ford with 2. “The Ford Fiestas were very competitive towards the end of last year, which augers well for the new season”, Wilken stated.
With Volkswagen due to field new cars during the year, upgraded Toyotas and no less than three to four Ford Fiestas in the mix, the ingredients are in place for South African rallying to take its place as one of the most spectacular sporting disciplines in the country.
The first round of the new season gets underway in KwaZulu Natal with the Total Tour Natal Rally on 25 and 26 March.
For more information on the Basil Read/bizhub Ford Fiesta Rally Team log on to www.fordrally.co.za or www.charlwilken.co.za.