THE Volkswagen Sasolracing team completed a demanding Volkswagen Rally in the Eastern Cape on Saturday, finishing on the podium with Hans Weijs Jnr and Björn Degandt in their Volkswagen Sasolracing Polo S2000.
In addition to the podium result, Volkswagen also received the Manufacturer’s Award for the most points scored, while Hans Weijs and Björn Degandt and Henk Lategan and Barry White received the Team Award for the rally as well.
Weijs and Degandt crossed the finish line at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium for third place overall, just ahead of their teammates, Gugu Zulu and Carl Peskin in fourth after the 15 stages.
“The Longmore Forest stages were just as good as I expected,” says Weijs. “We are doing well in the championship and our goal now is not just to finish on the podium, now we want to win.”
While Degandt and Weijs kept it steady on the Volkswagen Rally, ending the first day in third place and then maintaining that position through the eight stages of day two, Zulu and Peskin went from sixth at the end of day one to finish in fourth by the end of the final stage.
“The Volkswagen Rally is renowned for being a very testing event, it rates as one of the best events in the country,” says Zulu. “We have some work to do in terms of rhythm inside the car to make it a bit smoother, but the team have provided me with a fantastic car, now we just have to get it all together.”
With two second-fastest stage times for the pair in the Volkswagen Rally, Zulu and Peskin are picking up the pace in their first S2000 season. For Henk Lategan and Barry White the weekend started well, producing the second-quickest time in the opening stage and amongst the top five in nine of the 15 stages. Unfortunately hitting one of the many tree stumps in the forest forced them into a ditch and early retirement.
“Hans and Björn drove well to achieve a podium position,” says Mike Rowe, head of Volkswagen Motorsport. “The team is making good progress and now, with a second in the championship with four rounds to go, we are in a strong position for the fight to the end of the season.”
The Volkswagen Sasolracing team heads to round five of the season on 15 and 16 July in Gauteng.