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Habig to fly Basil Read colours in 2013

24 January 2013

The start of a new rally championship season is almost like resetting a chess board and this year is no different.

CEO of the Basil Read construction giant, Marius Heyns, has confirmed that Jan Habig will be flying the company's colours once again on his Ford Fiesta S2000 in 2013.

"Jan runs an extremely professional team and Basil Read will continue with the sponsorship for the 2013 rally season," said Heyns. "The exposure we have had throughout the 2012 season has been phenomenal, and our association with the Jan Habig Rally Team has been to our mutual benefit."

"As a team we are excited about the 2013 season, and especially the news that we will rally under the Basil Read banner again in our Ford Fiesta S2000," said Habig.

More exciting news is the fact that all the co-sponsors - Castrol, Ford SA and Babcock - have been confirmed for the 2013 season.

"There is also the possibility of one more sponsor coming on board, and the announcement will be made within the next few days," Habig.

"We finished in a strong fourth overall in the 2012 South African Rally Championship, despite the fact that we were forced to take a zero point score on the Cape Dealer Rally as the date clashed with our participation in the Basil Read Ford in the World Rally Championship event in Wales," Habig said. "This year we are way ahead of schedule when comparing timelines, as the Fiesta was still tied up in customs this time last year, but this year we are well on our way in the preparation of the car, possibly having it ready to test in the next week or two. Valuable experience gained on the Wales Rally of Great Britain as part of the of M-Sport has no doubt benefitted us, and now that we have the time to apply some of this knowledge to our Ford Fiesta S2000, I believe we will see an even better result this year. My team of technicians is now also now more au fait with the requirements of the car, and also know what my expectations are. This in itself has been a huge learning curve for the team."

Habig will be paired with Robbie Paisley, who is confident that the Basil Read Ford Fiesta will be a force to be reckoned with in the 2013 SA Rally Championship.

"Basil Read has also made full use of the rallies to entertain guests in this very unique manner, and will continue to do so during the 2013 season," said the company's CEO Heyns. "Rallying in this country has become more and more competitive, and Jan had top four finishes in every event, taking second in the treacherous PE Volkswagen Rally, and this consistently good performance saw the pairing claim that fourth spot on the championship. The car was always meticulously prepared, and Basil Read is proud of the connection between the company and Jan who has continually ensured that Basil Read gets the best possible exposure on rallies, keeping the public well informed on the Jan Habig Rally web site."

"It will be a tough and exciting season as Toyota has prepared new cars for Leeroy Poulter and Johnny Gemmell, and Volkswagen has improved the performance of its cars," said Habig.

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