The BP Volkswagen Rally Team is celebrating a hat-trick in the National Rally Championship. Jan Habig and Douglas Judd claimed the first title in 2005 with teammates Enzo Kuun and Guy Hodgson winning in 2006. Jan Habig and Douglas Judd did it again in 2007!
BP is the fuel sponsor and ESTEQ is sponsoring the BP Volkswagen Rally Team with NX design and Teamcenter collaboration software. The result is the ultimate fuel, the ultimate design software, and the ultimate car!
The BP Volkswagen Rally Team has both rally cars and racers in two major classes. Three Volkswagen Polos driven by Hergen Fekken (navigator Pierre Arries), Enzo Kuun (navigator. Guy Hodgson), and Jan Habig (navigator Douglas Judd) dominate the S2000 class, whilst Gugu Zulu (navigator Carl Peskin ) and Andre Cleenwerck (navigator Des de Fortier) clean up the field with the Volkswagen City Golf in the A5 Class . After only 6 of the 8 rallies, Gugu Zulu claimed the A5 Championship for 2007. He won 5 of the 6 rallies at this stage and became the first black rally champion in South Africa!
Teamwork is necessary
“It is only due to the dedication and commitment of each of the members of the BP Volkswagen team that this win was possible,” says André van der Watt, Volkswagen motorsport manager. “The 2007 season demanded remarkable effort of every single member of the team. A title win and second place in the championship is just reward. ” The second place in the championship referred to by Van der Watt is that of Hergen Fekken and Pierre Arries in the S2000 for 2007.
“Motorsport is often perceived as an individual sport,” Habig said during the final rally. “This couldn’t be further from the truth, its takes a whole team, working together to make victory possible.”
So what is these Volkswagen winning machines all about?
Strength and speed are the key differentiators when it comes to mastering tough and harsh rally terrain. Rally cars need to be optimized for speed, yet able to handle the unbelievable stresses and loads associated with rally racing, from tearing around hairpin bends to going completely airborne to being almost submersed in water.
Speed is always a necessity
In a fast paced industry where evolution and innovation are essential to stay ahead, a software solution which facilitates efficient, results driven design and innovation is a natural requirement. Each year the BP Volkswagen Rally Team find themselves in a race against time to design and develop vehicles which will win in the next national rally season. The technical challenges associated with building faster, better performing, and safer cars, which keep in line with any changes to the SA Motorsport authorities’ stringent regulations are immense. UGS NX (High End Computer Aided Design) and UGS Teamcenter have given Volkswagen the design power, accuracy and collaboration capabilities which allow them tackle these challenges, succeed and save time whilst doing it. With integrated features like Finite Element Analysis (FEA) Volkswagen racing are able to test and modify specific components before they are manufactured.
Most of the design of the VW rally car is presently being done digitally and only occasionally will Volkswagen revert to the old way of physically making something fit. The benefits of this approach are obvious; The BP Volkswagen Rally Team have been championship winners for three years running.