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Sarel van der Merwe
Nationality	South Africa
Born	(1946-12-05) 5 December 1946 (age 78) Port Elizabeth, South Africa
Retired	2002
Championship titles
1975, 1977-1985, 1988 1994 1994, 2001	South African Rally Drivers Championship South African Saloon Car Championship South African Modified Saloon Car Championship
Awards
1976 1997 2002	Springbok Colours South African National Colours MSA Lifetime Achievement Award

Sarel Daniel van der Merwe (born 5 December 1946) is a former rally and racing driver, who was a multiple South African Rally Drivers Champion. He is sometimes referred to by his nickname "Supervan".

Van der Merwe won the South African Rally Drivers Championship a record eleven times in 1975, from 1977 to 1985 and in 1988. Van der Merwe's IMSA career included time at Hendrick Motorsports during the Corvette GTP era, which also led to one NASCAR Winston Cup start for the team. This would be at Watkins Glen in 1990 when Hendrick driver Darrell Waltrip was recuperating from a severe leg injury at the Firecracker 400 final practice. Van der Merwe finished 24th by the end of the race. Van der Merwe attempted to qualify for the 1988 Daytona 500 in a Hendrick-owned car, but failed to make the race. He also held the SA Saloon Car Championship in 1994, SA Modified Saloon Car Championship (1994 & 2001), and won the 1996 Castrol International Rally. He was awarded the Motorsport South Africa (MSA) Lifetime Achievement award in 2002.

Racing career

Van der Merwe began his racing career in 1967 racing saloon cars. His international career took off in 1983 in the IMSA series in the United States, with his most notable win in the 1984 24 Hours of Daytona race driving for Kreepy Krauly Racing, an all-South African team in a March 83G-Porsche. He shared the win with Graham Duxbury and Tony Martin. Van der Merwe did well in the 1984 24 Hours of Le Mans where he finished 3rd on debut. In the 1986 Le Mans race, Sarel pulled in a lap early, and Jo Gartner took over. A lap later the suspension broke and the car veered off the Mulsanne Straight in the middle of the night and Gartner was killed.

His father Sarel Sr. also had a history of racing and won an award from the Auto Union company in Germany. Van der Merwe then moved up the ranks to sport a works team Ford Escort Mk II BDA. After leaving Ford because of a disagreement , Van der Merwe had a short stint in several Datsun cars and would later race with Audi and Volkswagen. .His co-driver and navigator was Franz Boshoff.

He retired from competitive motor racing in November 2002 after Round 12 of the Vodacom Power Tour.

Other activities

Van der Merwe also worked as a correspondent for South African motor publications in the 1970s.

Racing record

Complete WRC results

24 Hours of Le Mans results

Year	Team	Co-drivers	Car	Class	Laps	Pos.	Class pos.
1984	Skoal Bandit Porsche Team John Fitzpatrick Racing	David Hobbs Philippe Streiff	Porsche 956	C1	351	3rd	3rd
1985	Porsche Kremer Racing	George Fouché Mario Hytten	Porsche 956B	C1	361	5th	5th
1986	Porsche Kremer Racing	Jo Gartner Kunimitsu Takahashi	Porsche 962C	C1	169	DNF	DNF
1987	Joest Racing	David Hobbs Chip Robinson	Porsche 962C	C1	4	DNF	DNF
		Stanley Dickens Hurley Haywood Frank Jelinski	Porsche 962C	C1	7	DNF	DNF
1988	Porsche AG	Vern Schuppan Bob Wollek	Porsche 962C	C1	192	DNF	DNF
1989	Brun Motorsport From-A Racing	Harald Grohs Akihiko Nakaya	Porsche 962C	C1	78	DNF	DNF
1990	Porsche Kremer Racing	Hideki Okada Kunimitsu Takahashi	Porsche 962CK6	C1	279	24th	21st

NASCAR

(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)

Winston Cup Series

References

1. McGeorge, Lee (30 July 2009). "Supervan and Wyndham on track at Killarney". Motoring.co.za. Motoring & Independent Online. Retrieved 1 September 2009.
2. Rhodes, Beth (2 August 1990). "Waltrip's Sub: van der Merwe - Road-Racing Star to Debut in Budweiser at the Glen". Orlando Sentinel. Orlando, FL. p. C6. Archived from the original on 11 April 2013. Retrieved 27 March 2013.
3. Sarel van der Merwe - NASCAR Sprint Cup Results. Racing-Reference. USA Today Sports Media Group. Retrieved 2013-03-27
4. "Allison, Waltrip Easily Win 125-Mile Races at Daytona". The State. Columbia, SC. 12 February 1988. Retrieved 27 March 2013.
5. "MSA Handbook 2007" (PDF). MOTORSPORT SOUTH AFRICA. Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 October 2008. Retrieved 22 October 2008.
6. ^ Haler, Justin, ed. (July 1979). "Editor's Log". SA Motor. 17 (7). Randburg, South Africa: SA Motor (Pty) Ltd: 7.
7. "Sarel van der Merwe". HISTORIC RACING. Retrieved 22 October 2008.
8. "Sarel van der Merwe – 1988 NASCAR Winston Cup Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved 18 April 2023.
9. "Sarel van der Merwe – 1990 NASCAR Winston Cup Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved 18 April 2023.

External links

• Sarel van der Merwe driver statistics at Racing-Reference

• 1946 births
• Living people
• Sportspeople from Gqeberha
• South African rally drivers
• South African racing drivers
• 24 Hours of Le Mans drivers
• 24 Hours of Daytona drivers
• World Sportscar Championship drivers
• 24H Series drivers
• Audi Sport drivers
• Team Joest drivers
• Porsche Motorsports drivers
• Hendrick Motorsports drivers