information supplied by: Peter Burroughes Communications 24 August 2012
Confident RFS Racing team ready for 4x4 Mega World 400

Buoyed by their maiden national off road championship victory in the Sun City 400 five weeks ago, Pretoria-based Retirement Fund Solutions Racing team’s Christiaan du Plooy and Henk Janse van Vuuren (class SP RFS BMW X3) travel to Carnival City near Boksburg in confident mood for the 4x4 Mega World 400 on August 31 and September 1.

The sixth round of the eight-event Absa Off Road Car Championship will also see the final appearance in this event of veteran off roaders Hannes Grobler and Hennie ter Stege in the second V8-engined RFS BMW X3. Both have indicated that they will retire at the end of the season, Grobler after 36 years in motor sport and with four SA off road titles and two SA rally titles to his credit. Ter Stege won an off road title with Grobler in 2006.

Du Plooy, 25, and Van Vuuren, 27, represent the future of national championship off road racing and, with their convincing win in round five following a fine third place in the 1 000-kilometre Toyota Desert Race in June, have shown they are more than ready to step into the shoes of their illustrious team-mates. With three rounds of the championship remaining, they are fourth in the points standings, half a point behind former champions Chris Visser and Japie Badenhorst (Ford Ranger) and 38 behind leaders Duncan Vos and Rob Howie (Toyota Hilux).

The secret to their success at Sun City was their strong showing in the all-important Donaldson prologue, a short time trial run on the first day of each two-day off road race that determines the start order for Saturday’s. They won the prologue and were able to dictate the race from the front.

“Winning our first prologue was important,” admitted Du Plooy, who runs his own archery business in Pretoria. “Although you find yourself opening up the route for the rest of the field on Saturday, it means you don’t have to worry as much about the dust as those behind you and there’s less overtaking, which can be very hazardous with all the rocks and trees and dongas that we encounter in an off road race.”

With their first win under their belts, the two Pretoria youngsters will face next weekend’s challenge with renewed confidence and finishing well in Friday’s prologue will be a top priority.

Grobler and ter Stege, with many wins to their names including three in the RFS BMW, will be among their biggest rivals. “I’m very proud of Christiaan's and Henk’s achievements and pleased that they will spearhead the team’s efforts in 2013,” he said. “But Hennie and I want a few more wins before we hang up our gloves. We won’t be going quietly,” he added with his trademark ear-to-ear smile.

They also have a score to settle after an electrical malfunction forced them out of their farewell appearance on the Sun City 400. Grobler, 57, is managing director of a 4x4 Mega World franchise in Pretoria and would like nothing better than to win the 4x4 Mega World 400.

Race headquarters, the start/finish and the designated service park will all be located at Carnival City. The Donaldson prologue will start at 12.30 on Friday, August 31 and the race at 08.30 on Saturday, September 1.

Retirement Fund Solutions
Retirement Fund Solutions offers its clients a fresh, new approach to service delivery in the financial services industry. With experience spanning more than a decade, it offers a flexible solution that is focused on meeting its clients’ individual needs. Its dynamic vision relates not only to its flexible range of benefit products, but also to the personal involvement of its administration staff and employee benefit consultants, and the innovative systems that are in place to ensure service delivery that is second to none.

Since its establishment in 1997, Retirement Fund Solutions has established itself as a leader in the employee benefits field. It has earned itself the reputation of building proud, strong and stable relations with its clients and currently provides financial solutions to more than 80 000 fund members. Its knowledge of the financial services industry and the expertise of its administrators and consultants place it ahead of its competition.

Ends

Issued on behalf of Retirement Fund Solutions Racing Team by Peter Burroughes Communications, telephone 082 899 0101.

RFS-renspan vol vertroue vir 4x4 Mega World 400-veldren

Die Pretoriase Retirement Fund Solutions-renspan se jong jaers, Christiaan du Plooy en Henk Janse van Vuuren (Klas SP-RFS BMW X3), is nog vuur en vlam ná hul eerste nasionale kampioenskapsoorwinning in die Sun City 400-veldren vyf weke gelede, en gaan met groot vertroue na die 4x4 Mega World 400-veldren die naweek van 31 Augustus en 1 September by Carnival City naby Boksburg.

Dié byeenkoms, die sesde ronde van die Suid-Afrikaanse Absa-veldrenkampioenskap, sal ook die laaste verskyning hier van die veteraanjaers Hannes Grobler en Hennie ter Stege in die tweede V8-aangedrewe RFS BMW X3 wees. Hulle het vroeër vanjaar reeds gesê hulle gaan aan die einde van die 2012-seisoen uittree – Grobler ná 36 jaar in motorsport en met vier Suid-Afrikaanse veldrenkampioenskappe en twee SA-tydrenkampioenskappe agter die rug, en Ter Stege wat in 2006 sy nasionale veldrenkampioenskapstitel saam met Grobler gewen het.

Du Plooy, 25, en Van Vuuren, 27, verteenwoordig die toekoms van nasionale veldrenkampioenskapsdeelname en het met hul oortuigende oorwinning in die vyfde ronde ná hul netjiese derde plek in die Toyota 1000-Woestynren wat in Junie in Botswana beslis is, gewys hulle is slaggereed om in die spore van hul roemryke spanmaats te volg. Hulle is met nog drie rondes voor die einde van die kampioenskap in die vierde plek op die punteleer – ’n halwe punt agter die voormalige kampioene Chris Visser en Japie Badenhorst (Ford Ranger), en 38 agter die voorlopers, Duncan Vos en Rob Howie (Toyota Hilux).

Die geheim agter hul sukses in die Sun City-byeenkoms was hul sterk vertoning in die uiters belangrike Donaldson-voorren, ’n kort sneltrajek wat op die eerste dag van elke tweedaagse veldrenbyeenkoms gebruik word om die wegspringposisies vir Saterdag se hoofren te bepaal. Hulle het die voorren gewen en kon die pas van voor af aangee en die ren só oorheers.

“Dit was baie belangrik om ons eerste voorren te wen,” het Du Plooy, wat sy eie boogskiet-onderneming in Pretoria bestuur, erken. “Hoewel jy jouself in ’n posisie vind waar jy die Saterdag die roete vir die res van die renveld oopjaag, beteken dit jy hoef jou nie so erg as die jaers agter jou oor stof te bekommer nie, en jy hoef minder voertuie verby te steek, wat weens rotste en bome en slote wat ’n mens op ’n veldren teëkom, baie gevaarlik kan wees.”

Die twee jong Pretoriase jaers sal hierdie naweek se uitdaging ná hul eerste oorwinning met nuwe vertroue aandurf, en dit sal hoog op hul lys wees om goed in Vrydag se voorren te vaar.

Grobler en Ter Stege, wat al talle oorwinnings agter die rug het, waaronder drie in die RFS-BMW, sal van hul grootste teenstanders wees. “Ek is baie trots op Christiaan en Henk se sukses en baie in my skik dat hulle die span in 2013 sal aanvoer,” het Grobler gesê. “Maar ek en Hennie sal graag nog ’n paar keer eerste wil wees voordat ons ons renklere permanent wegpak. Ons gaan nie stert tussen die bene aftree nie!” het hy met sy kenmerkende glimlag van oor tot oor gesê.

Grobler-hulle het ook nog ’n sakie om reg te stel nadat ’n elektriese fout hulle uit hul laaste Sun City-byeenkoms gedwing het. Grobler, 57, is besturende direkteur van ’n 4x4 Mega World-agentskap in Pretoria en sou niks anders wou gehad het as om die 4x4 Mega World 400-veldren te wen nie.

Die renhoofkwartier, wegspring en eindpunt sowel as die aangewese dienspunt sal by Carnival City wees. Die Donaldson-voorren begin Vrydag 31 Augustus om 12:30 en die hoofren Saterdag 1 September om 8:30.

Retirement Fund Solutions
Retirement Fund Solutions bied sy kliënte ’n vars, nuwe benadering tot dienslewering in die finansiëledienste-bedryf. Die maatskappy, wat al langer as ’n dekade in hierdie bedryf is, bied ’n buigsame oplossing wat daarop gefokus is om in hul kliënte se behoeftes te voorsien. RFS se dinamiese visie hou nie net verband met sy buigsame reeks voordeel-produkte nie, maar ook die persoonlike betrokkenheid van sy administrasiepersoneel- en werknemervoordeel-konsultante, en die innoverende stelsels wat ingespan word om ongeëwenaarde dienslewering te verseker.

Retirement Fund Solutions het hom sedert sy ontstaan in 1997 as leier op die gebied van werknemervoordele gevestig. RFS het die reputasie verwerf dat hy trotse, sterk en bestendige verhoudings met sy kliënte bou en voorsien op die oomblik finansiële oplossings aan oor die 80 000 fondslede. Die maatskappy se kennis van die finansiëledienste-bedryf en die vaardigheid van sy administrateurs en konsultante plaas hom kop en skouers bo sy mededingers.

Nog inligting is beskikbaar by www.rfsolutions.co.za.

Einde

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