Serge Damseaux, 10 times South African rally champion, has been named as the 2007 South African Guild of Motoring Journalists Motor Sportsman of the Year. Damseaux retired from national championship rallying at the end of the 2007 season after a 24-year rally career that saw him accumulate a record 74 national championship victories, 8 more than the 66 scored by Sarel van der Merwe, and more than twice as many as Jan Hettema (36 wins). The last three of these came in the 2007 eight-round championship – more than any other competitor during the year.
Damseaux was one of six South African motor sportsmen nominated for the prestigious award sponsored by Bridgestone. Other nominees were Wesleigh Orr, A1 Team South Africa’s rookie driver in the 2007/08 A1GP World Cup of Motorsport; Giniel de Villiers, South Africa’s foremost international cross-country rally competitor who led the 2007 Dakar Rally until an engine failure at the halfway mark; Arushen Moodley, the first South African of colour to win the national Superbike title; Hennie Groenewald, last year’s Wesbank V8 Supercars champion; and Hudson Kennaugh, the 2006 Superbike champion, who successfully competed in the British Superbike and Superstock championships in 2007.
This ultimate recognition by the South African Guild of Motoring Journalists comes as Serge Damseaux moves on into retirement to end a winning streak in South African rallying that started in 1985 and spanned 23 years through to 2007 during which time Serge won 40% of all national championship rallies staged. Although primarily a rally competitor, Serge’s career included many highlights in circuit racing as well.
It is in recognition of this exceptional career performance that Serge Damseaux was named as the South African Guild of Motoring Journalists Motor Sportsman of the Year for 2007.
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