JAPIE VAN NIEKERK DEFINITELY NOW AT VOLKSWAGEN
author: Leon Botha
No matter how you look at this but there is a definite hole in the Toyota Rally bag and drivers seem to be popping out right into the Volkswagen and even Peugeot bucket?
We knew that Japie bought Theuns Joubert’s Polo but the fact that he is going to compete in a Polo during 2011 is now a fact.
If all stays as it is, which obviously I doubt, Toyota will be defending their manufacturers title with only four cars consisting of Poulter, Gemmell, Moosa and JP Damseaux. While writing this an idea popped into my head, why don’t they unpack Serge Damseaux and let him loose on the Volkswagen team that now look more and more formidable?
At least – if they then to retain “their” manufacturers award, they can push poor Serge forward and blame him?
Volkswagen will open the score board with Kuun, Fekken, Habig and de Villiers who will be backed by privateers van Niekerk, van Dyk and Ryan. There is obviously a possibility that Evan Hutchison’s car will also be entered which will mean that Volkswagen will be coming to the playing field with no less that eight S2000 cars.
Now that sounds like a manufacturer’s award winning entry?
A few readers asked me what the problem was and why did three top privateers in the forms of Lategan, van Niekerk and du Plessis suddenly jump ship?
Listening to the stories without getting involved with the politics I can safely say that it was not a “Glyn Hall issue” but that the problems for the private teams stemmed somewhat more to the East? It is actually surprising that at least one more S2000 driver did not also look elsewhere, but the limited sponsorship opportunities in South Africa did maybe save Toyota further losses?
Hopefully we will not be going into settle down mood – and the S2000 picture will look as follows:
Ford:
Wilken
Rautenbach
Cronje
Williams
Volkswagen:
Kuun
Fekken
Habig
De Villiers
Van Niekerk
Van Dyk
Ryan
Peugeot:
Unconfirmed
Lategan
Du Plessis
Toyota:
Gemmell
Poulter
Moosa
Damseaux
They will be “supported” by one or maybe two rather inexperienced Namibian drivers in the form of Dames and a youngster Dippenaar?
In the smaller classes Haigh-Smith moved from Toyota to Ford and Megan Verlaque also left for the BP greener shores at Volkswagen!
Young Henk Lategan got a Volkswagen Polo while father Hein still drove a Toyota S2000 ...and so the list goes on.
It may be a brilliant idea for certain people to pop out of “safe mode” and look after privateers rather seriously?
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The Phanthom thays you can have any number ath longht ath it ith thixthy thixth!
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We should have a clear picture soon* and competitors may even hear what their 2011 competition numbers are going to be? The latter at least is not the fault of any manufacturer – but rather the Phantom of the MSA currently feeling around in the dark?
*just to make things clearer - "soon" can be anything from around 16 September the previous year to 25/26 March the next!
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