The young South African rally competitor, Henk Lategan is being thrown in at the deep at the start of the 2015 rally season. Lategan and his navigator, Barry White, has been entered in the Monte Carlo Rally, the opening round of the 2015 World Rally Championship. The event has attracted 96 entries of which 18 are WRC cars.
Skoda Fabia S2000
It is the first time in some 40 years that a South African rally crew will once again compete in this auspicious event. The last time was in 1975. South Africans were regulars on the event in the early sixties and seventies as the winners of the Total International Rally were sponsored to compete. Political developments in Mocambique put an end to the Total finishing there and also put an end to South African Crews competing in the Monte.
Lategan who has been a regular competitor in European rallies in the last two years will have his first taste of a WRC rally in his Baumchlager prepared Skoda Fabia S2000. In South Africa Lategan is a works driver for Volkswagen in the South African Rally Championship.
According to information at Rallystar’s disposal,Lategan may do some more rallies in Europe like he has done in the past year. His plans forthe South African Rally Championship has not been announced yet.
Defending champion Sebastien Ogier heads the seeded list, issued by rally organisers, with his Volkswagen Motorsport team-mate Jari-Matti Latvala second. Andreas Mikkelsen will drive a third Polo R under the Motorsport II banner.
Kris Meeke and his guest team-mate, nine-time world champion Sebastien Loeb, are the two nominated drivers for the Citroen Total Abu Dhabi Team, while Mads Ostberg will drive a third DS3 WRC for the French squad.
Also listed in DS3 World Rally Cars are Sébastien Chardonnet, who campaigned an R5-spec Citroen last year, and Yurii Protasov, who has switched from Ford Fiesta power in 2014.
Thierry Neuville and Dani Sordo are the two registered drivers of the Hyundai Motorsport squad.
The M-Sport World Rally Team will run Fiesta RS cars for points nominated drivers Ott Tanak and Elfyn Evans, and another for asphalt ace Bryan Bouffier – an early leader at last year’s Monte. There are also Fiesta RS World Rally Cars for Henning Solberg, Robert Kubica, Martin Prokop and Lorenzo Bertelli who will make his World Rally Car debut in the series for his FWRT team.
The WRC2 category has attracted 11 entries, including French rising stars Stephan Lefebvre and Quentin Giordano, both of whom will drive R5-spec Citroen DS3 cars. Ireland’s Craig Breen will begin his WRC2 campaign at the wheel of a Peugeot 208 R5.
There are also 11 entries in the opening round of the JWRC competition, including 2014 season frontrunners Quentin Gilbert and Christian Reidemann.
There’s a fabulous fight in prospect in the FIA’s new RGT class too, with WRC ace Francois Delecour going up against racing legends Marc Duez and Romain Dumas in Porsche 911 cars.
The rally, which this year commemorates its 83rd running, gets underway from Place du Casino in Monte-Carlo on Thursday 22 January.