It’s been a good weekend for South African motorsport youngsters abroad it wasn’t just Kelvin van der Linde scooping up silverware.
Henk Lategan, the youngest member of VWSA’s rally squad, and co-driver Barry White contested the Veszprem Rally in Hungary on Sunday and walked away with third place. This is their second international event this year. At the Rally Adriatico in Italy the pair finished sixth.
They drove a Skoda Fabia S2000 to a podium position ahead of several WRC entrants. In the tough event the pair claimed a stage victory, finished second in two others and claimed fourth in three more to achieve their podium result. By the end of the 10 stages that comprised the event, they were just 30,6 seconds behind the leaders.
“Henk and Barry are showcasing South Africa’s rally talent to the rest of the world,” says Mike Rowe, head of Volkswagen Motorsport. “The pair have completed two events, with two very good results to show for it. Considering these are the first two international rallies in which they have ever competed, their performance is nothing short of phenomenal, especially with a podium finish.”
Lategan and White have little to time to celebrate success in Hungary as their return to South Africa will see them immediately go into competition in the Volkswagen Rally in the Eastern Cape. The pair are one of three Volkswagen Sasolracing Polo S2000 entries in the event which takes place on Friday and Saturday (19 and 20 July).
Image: Morne Condon
