PoloDriver

The final race weekend of the South African 2012 Engen Volkswagen Cup on 27-28 October saw 16 year-old Kelvin van der Linde claim the championship title in his Ferodo Racing Polo Vivo. He also became the youngest racing driver in South Africa to win a national circuit racing title – an impressive feat considering that the young driver has only been competing in the national Volkswagen series for just two seasons.

‘We haven’t had an easy season. We had two retirements in Cape Town,’ said Van der Linde. ‘That affected our spirits, but we had to get back up and perform – which we did this weekend. We were leading the championship so anything was possible and it worked in our favour.’ Van der Linde had a flawless drive at the Kyalami circuit, taking victory in both races in the biggest field of competition in the WesBank Super Series.

Just behind Van der Linde in the championship table is 2011 title holder Devin Robertson, while Jordan Pepper took the final spot on the awards podium. Other accolades announced was The Rookie of the Year title taken by Jordan Pepper, who also won the Most Improved Driver award. Nathan’s Motorsport was presented with the Volkswagen Spirit Award and Big Boss Auto received the Volkswagen Team Award.

The 2012 Engen Volkswagen Cup series has seen grids with as many as 35 cars on the starting line. The final round of the season proved no less popular with 31 Engen Volkswagen Cup Polo Vivo race cars entered for the Kyalami event. For 16 years the Engen Volkswagen Cup has provided national motorsport action in South Africa, with the 2012 season being one of the best to date. The 2013 season is expected to be just as exciting.

RACE RESULTS
Race 1
1 Kelvin van der Linde (31: Ferodo Racing)
2 Kyle Barnes (4: Gold Liberations/Conti Partner)
3 Jordan Pepper (46: PG Glass)

Race 2
1 Kelvin van der Linde (31: Ferodo Racing)
2 Jordan Pepper (46: PG Glass)
3 Kyle Barnes (4: Gold Liberations Conti Partner)

Overall
1 Kelvin van der Linde (31: Ferodo Racing)
2 Jordan Pepper (46: PG Glass)
3 Kyle Barnes (4: Gold Liberations Conti Partner)

For the third consecutive month, the Polo Vivo is the top-selling car in South Africa. The evergreen entry-level best-seller sold 3386 units in September 2012, while the fifth-generation Polo was again in the runner-up position, with 2383 units finding homes. Volkswagen South Africa is the market leader in the country’s passenger car market for the ninth consecutive month, selling 8761 units last month, equating to a 22.2 per cent market share.

The Polo Vivo was launched in March 2010 as an entry-level model for the South African market, replacing the Series 1 Golf-based CitiGolf, and is available as a three or five-door hatchback and four-door booted saloon with 74bhp/84bhp 1.4-litre and 103bhp 1.6-litre petrol engines. Costing from R107,200 for the base-model 1.4 hatchback to R154,700 for the top 1.6 Trendline Sedan, the 2012 Polo Vivo is based on the revised version of the Series 4 Polo (9N3), built from 2005 to 2009. The fifth-generation Polo (6R) is available as both a three and five-door hatchback, in addition to the traditionally-styled four-door Polo Sedan.

The exciting penultimate round of the 2012 Engen Volkswagen Cup has left the championship title fight wide open, with all to play for next month. Going into last weekend’s meeting at Killarney, Kelvin van der Linde and Devin Robertson were separated by 35 points, the four-point lead going to Van der Linde by the end of the two-race round. This was despite Van der Linde suffering from a broken sideshaft which left him stranded on the grid of race one just after the warm-up lap, and out of the competition. Jordan Pepper qualified fastest and took pole position, with Kosie Weyers and Shaun La Reserveé fighting for the lead in lap two. Pepper retook the lead, though, leaving Weyers and La Reserveé battling for the second spot, Weyers claiming it when the chequered flag waved the racers home.

Van der Linde was pole-sitter for race two, with Pepper in second followed by Weyers in third. By the end of the first lap, Weyers had moved into the lead, with Pepper in third behind Van der Linde, and Robertson in fourth. Pepper pushed Weyers hard, but failed to make him slip up, and the pair crossed the line just 0.17 seconds apart. Van der Linde had dropped to 25th, when contact between him and Kyle Barnes saw them both slip down the 30-car field, meaning Van der Linde has it all to do at the season finale in late October. After posting the fastest qualifying time, winning race one, finishing second in race two, setting a new lap record (1:26.464) for the Engen Volkswagen Cup at Killarney and claiming first overall for the day, Jordan Pepper was awarded the title of Driver of the Day in the series.

The 2012 Engen Volkswagen Cup series is similar to the other racing Volkswagen Polo Cup single-series championships run in China, Europe and India. Just as in those official Volkswagen series, the South African one-make format highlights new driving talent. In the Engen series, as many as 35 drivers regularly race in technically identical, 2.0-litre 234bhp Volkswagen Polo Vivo racing cars.

RACE RESULTS
Race 1
1 Jordan Pepper (31: PG Glass)
2 Kosie Weyers (2: Engen Xtreme)
3 Shaun la Réservée (14: Alpine Motors/Compendium Insurance)

Race 2
1 Kosie Weyers (2: Engen Xtreme)
2 Jordan Pepper (31: PG Glass)
3 Devin Robertson (1: Big Boss Auto/Sparco)

Overall standings
1 Jordan Pepper (31: PG Glass)
2 Kosie Weyers (2: Engen Xtreme)
3 Shaun la Réservée (14: Alpine Motors/Compendium Insurance)

Volkswagen Group South Africa recorded its highest vehicle sales in 2012 last month, maintaining its leadership position in the country’s new passenger car sales chart. Total sales of 9135 units recorded the company’s best monthly sales in 2012 and highest ever sales in August since 2007. The Polo Vivo was once again key to this success, with the Series 4-based Polo entry-level model selling 3714 units, its best monthly figure since its launch in March 2010. It was also the best-selling car on the South African market. The fifth-generation Polo 6R wasn’t too far behind, taking 2355 unit sales, putting it in second place overall.

The Polo Vivo was launched in March 2010 as an entry-level model for the South African market, replacing the Series 1 Golf-based CitiGolf, and is available as a three or five-door hatchback and four-door booted saloon with 74bhp/84bhp 1.4-litre and 103bhp 1.6-litre petrol engines. Costing from R107,200 for the base-model 1.4 hatchback to R154,700 for the top 1.6 Trendline Sedan, the 2012 Polo Vivo is based on the revised version of the Series 4 Polo (9N3), built from 2005 to 2009. The fifth-generation Polo (6R) is available as both a three and five-door hatchback, in addition to the traditionally-styled four-door Polo Sedan.

Volkswagen South Africa has today announced price realignments for its wide and varied range of cars. Of course, we’re only concerned with the new costs for the Polo and Polo Vivo models, and the modest rises are detailed below. The Polo Vivo was launched in March 2010 as an entry-level model for the South African market, replacing the Series 1 Golf-based CitiGolf, and is available as a three or five-door hatchback and four-door booted saloon with 74bhp/84bhp 1.4-litre and 103bhp 1.6-litre petrol engines. The Polo Vivo is based on the revised version of the Series 4 Polo (9N3), built from 2005 to 2009. The fifth-generation Polo (6R) has been available as both a three and five-door hatchback since 2009, in addition to the traditionally styled four-door Polo Sedan. The rugged CrossPolo arrived in 2010.

2013 VOLKSWAGEN POLO VIVO PRICES
Hatchback (model: kW rating/CO2, g/km/retail price)
1.4 three-door: 55/147/107,200
1.4 five-door: 55/147/119,500
1.4 five-door Zest: 55/147/123,500
1.4 five-door BlueLine: 55/128/125,100
1.4 five-door Trendline: 63/147/131,300
1.4 five-door Trendline auto: 63/156/145,200
1.6 five-door: 77/157/140,600
1.6 five-door Trendline: 77/157/148,800
1.6 three-door GT: 77/157/153,900

Sedan (model: kW rating/CO2, g/km/retail price)
1.4 four-door: 55/147/125,400
1.4 four-door Trendline: 63/147/137,200
1.4 four-door Trendline auto: 63/156/151,100
1.6 four-door: 77/157/146,500
1.6 four-door Trendline: 77/157/154,700

2013 VOLKSWAGEN POLO PRICES
Hatchback (model: kW rating/CO2, g/km/retail price)
1.4 five-door Trendline: 63/144/155,400
1.4 five-door Comfortline: 63/144/178,700
1.6 five-door Trendline: 77/153/174,400
1.6 five-door Comfortline: 77/153/197,600
1.6 five-door Comfortline auto: 77/157/211,600
1.6 five-door Comfortline TDI: 77/120/221,700
1.2 five-door BlueMotion TDI: 55/89/185,300
1.4 five-door GTI DSG: 132/139/272,200

Sedan (model: kW rating/CO2, g/km/retail price)
1.4 four-door Trendline: 63/139/164,200
1.4 four-door Comfortline: 63/139/178,800
1.6 four-door Trendline: 77/143/184,000
1.6 four-door Comfortline: 77/153/197,000
1.6 four-door Comfortline auto: 77/154/211,000
1.6 four-door Comfortline TDI: 77/120/220,200

CrossPolo Hatchback (model: kW rating/CO2, g/km/retail price)
1.6 five-door: 77/154/212,200
1.6 five-door TDI: 77/120/236,300

Visit www.volkswagen.co.za for the latest information and updates on the award-winning Polo Vivo, Polo and CrossPolo ranges.