Ford to sponsor national championship rally
Ford Motor Company of Southern Africa will sponsor round five of this year's South African Rally championship.
BACKERS: Ford will sponsor the Gauteng Rally later this month. Picture: Dave Ledbitter.
The Ford Dealer Rally will take place on August 16 and 17, with Ford’s Silverton assembly plant serving as the base for the event. Proceedings will get underway on the Friday and the event will move to the Cullinan area the next day.
“With easy access from Johannesburg and Pretoria this event should be one of the highlights of the 2013 calendar,” said Ford Racing manager John Nagel. “There will be interaction with some of the local schools plus a stage at the Mamelodi Plaza ensuring maximum community participation.”
Ford has been involved in South African championship racing since 2000, when the first cross country vehicle made its debut. Since then the manufacturer’s participation has grown from strength to strength with Ford now the only manufacturer participating in all three major national championship disciplines – cross country, circuit racing and rallying.
“Ford’s decision to sponsor the Ford Dealer Rally is an important development for the National Rally Commission and for the sport in general,” said Richard Leeke, chairman of the National Rally Commission.
