PoloDriver

The BP Volkswagen rally team saw a tough and demanding two days of competition on the Rally South Africa event in Kwa-Zulu Natal on 17-18 August. By the end of the eight fast stages, the multi-car crew was fighting for for the finish in Durban. Top-ranked Volkswagen Polo S2000 was the car of Enzo Kuun and Guy Hodgson, who placed fourth overall, producing some of their most spectacular 2012 season moments.

After the first day, the pair was third in the leadership table, ahead of teammates Hans Weijs Jnr and Björn Degandt. Bad luck befell Weijs and Degandt, though, with a technical problem at the start of day two preventing them from continuing the event. This left the door open for Kuun and Hodgson, who raced to the finish line with unfaltering commitment and a fourth place. ‘It was a strong weekend in the car, we worked hard,’ said Kuun. ‘The BP Volkswagen Polo S2000 is capable and we did reasonably well. We just need to add more speed to the performance now.’

Fellow Polo S2000 drivers Hergen Fekken and Pierre Arries suffered a mechanical problem on the first day, and while this allowed them to compete, it incurred them additional time. Rallying hard to rectify the deficit saw them claim victory on stage eight, a full 1.2 seconds ahead of their nearest rivals.

The Polo Vivo pairing of Gugu Zulu and Carl Peskin has been campaigning very hard in the S2000 Challenge class during 2012, and the Rally South Africa was no exception. Crossing the line after the ninth stage, the duo discovered they had posted many of the fastest stage times for their category and were 15th overall and second in their class. Two places behind Zulu and Peskin on the overall finishing list was Megan Verlaque and Hilton Auffray in their Polo Vivo S1600. Verlaque and Auffray rallied hard on day two to make up for their slower times from day one and the pair finished sixth overall in their class.