NATIONAL NEWS - Rally fans can look forward to an exciting Volkswagen Rally on Friday the 17th and Saturday the 18th of July, in Port Elizabeth and the surrounding areas.
The 2015 event features 12 stages of competition, with the layout of the event designed to keep the action as close to the fans as possible. We have the low-down for you here.
For motorsport fans wanting to get involved as early as possible, the scrutineering function on Thursday evening before the rally presents the perfect opportunity.
The venue is Tavcor Volkswagen on the William Moffett Expressway. Scrutineering has been revamped for 2015 and will allow fans to see the cars, meet the drivers and navigators, get posters signed and also enter a competition.
A wheel-changing competition is being organised for rally fans attending the scrutineering event – the winners of which will be treated to a VIP VW Rally experience at the Volkswagen Rally.
“The VW Rally is going to be more challenging and also much more spectator-friendly,” said Joe Fourie, route organiser of the event. “There is less driving around for the rally fans and there’s also spectating on every single stage of the event. A great deal of work has gone into making this rally the most accessible event yet,” he said.
Auto Pavilion at Volkswagen, Uitenhage is the start of the Volkswagen Rally at midday, as usual – with free entry for rally fans who can spend time exploring the interactive layout and also get to know the teams. From there the action moves to stage one - the Motherwell stage at 12:24 with stage two at Jachtvlakte. starting at 13:15.
Stage three sees the teams head to Mission Road at 14:03 and rally fans can watch this stage at Port Elizabeth’s Oval Track Raceway (PEOTR). Stage four sees a return to Jachtvlakte starting at 15:34 and Stage five is another repeat, this time the Motherwell stage which starts at 16:30.
The final stage for Friday is at Aldo Scribante Raceway, where Volkswagen Rally competitors will face a challenging tar and gravel stage starting around sunset (17:30).
“As sponsors, we’ve worked closely with the Volkswagen Rally organisers to ensure this event is easily accessible to the general public – not just hardcore fans, but for anyone who enjoys action and cars,” said Mike Rowe, Volkswagen's Motorsport Manager. “Less driving, plenty of spectating options at the stages and stages run more than once. All of these combine to make it as easy for spectators as possible,” he explained.
