PoloDriver

The Ford Dealer Rally which took place over 16-17 August saw the Manitou group Polo R2 take it’s first podium placing. Paul Franken and Henry Kohne kicked off the second half of the South African National Rally Championship in a higher gear. Heading into the event, knowing that they have the equipment and pace to be competitive, they looked forward to putting their bad luck behind them and score a good result. Preparing for the event, the Manitou team knew that day one was going to be tough and that they first had to survive it before they could think of a final result.

Franken and Kohne had a clean run through day one and found themselves second in class with a near 10 seconds separating the class top five on Friday afternoon. They knew that it would be difficult to keep their position through out the rest of the event, but were nonetheless up for the challenge.

The second day of the event presented many changes, and the Manitou duo were in a fierce battle with rivals for third position, which eventually became the battle for second place. With the duel heading right up to the final stage, pushing really hard for the top position, their luck paid off, and the team were presented with their first national stage win on the final stage of the event. Franken and Kohne finished the event in third place, 0.8 seconds adrift of second. Franken and Kohne are supported by Manitou Group, Volkswagen Motorsport South Africa, SASOL, and F3Racing.