The new discipline, named the Vivo GT Cup, will officially form part of the 2020 South African Rally Championship and will be contested over six rounds during the year. The Vivo GT Cup was established to provide current and future rallyists with the opportunity to compete at a national level but without incurring the high costs associated with national rallying.
To achieve this, Franken Motorsport, in conjunction with Volkswagen Motorsport have developed a semi-standard rally car, based on the bestselling Volkswagen Polo Vivo. The car is equipped with a one-litre turbo petrol engine coupled to a close-ratio gearbox that drives the front wheels.
The vehicle is also kitted with all the necessary safety equipment to turn it into a fully-fledged rally car. Over more than 2 500 test kilometres, the recipe proved to be extremely reliable, with Capetonian rallyist Paulus Franken campaigning a Vivo GT in a number of this year’s rallies.
“The formula of having identical cars compete in a Cup format is successful all over the world,” commented Kobus Roos on behalf of the Vivo GT Cup. “Looking at the success of the local Falken Polo Cup circuit racing series, we hope to replicate that in rallying with the new Vivo GT Cup,” he added.
The cost barrier to enter rallying can be high, but the organisers of the Vivo GT Cup are confident costs will remain very competitive, especially considering it will be a full national class in 2020. The team from Franken Motorsport was the driving force for the project and will receive assistance from Volkswagen Motorsport which will be responsible for manufacturing the cars in Uitenhage.
“We will also provide a full preparation service and have parts available at each of the six rounds of the 2020 National Rally Championship, so a competitor could literally arrive and drive.” For more information, call Kobus Roos on 082-905-9172.
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