Young Guns replaces member ahead of Desert Race
Henry Köhne has been replaced by the skilled and experienced Danie Stassen, who was drafted in to navigate for Richard Leeke in the Toyota 1000 Desert Race ...
Rally-driver Richard Leeke, a Young Guns team member, has partnered with a new co-driver for his Speedglas Welding Helmets BMW X3 following Henry Köhne’s motorcycling accident ahead of the Desert Race.
Richard’s sidelined partner is recovering from a broken collarbone. “Henry’s accident was really unfortunate, but the good news is that he’ll be okay and the likelihood is that he’ll miss only the one cross-country event and one rally,” explained Richard. “Clearly, in this instance, the co-driver wasn’t looking where he was going…”
Henry has been replaced by the skilled and experienced Danie Stassen, who was drafted in to navigate for Richard in the Toyota 1000 Desert Race, the longest event of the South African Cross Country Series, which takes place in Botswana from June 22 to 24.
According to a Roadworx communication, Danie is a multiple champion in the special vehicles class, and with nine consecutive Desert Races starts, was the obvious choice.
He has an impressive record and first co-drove (in a rally car) in 2002, moving to off-road in 2009 and later teaming up with Evan Hutchinson to take the first of his three championships in 2012. He’s renowned for having a cool head and patience, and with three wins in the desert, he’s in the perfect position to add value.
“I’m really excited to team up with Richard in the Speedglas BMW, he’s a young guy who is obviously highly motivated,” said the 34-year-old, whose day job is running a Subaru dealership in Nelspruit.
“I’ve done a lot of time in Specials, so I’m looking forward to the relatively dust-free environment of the X3, not to mention being much warmer on freezing June mornings,” explained Danie.
Richard added: “I’ve no doubt there’s a lot to learn from Danie, so I’m going to be all ears – his record as a co-driver speaks for itself.”
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