Timmy and Kevin Hansen arrived in South Africa to race in the FIA World Rallycross Championship and have left a mark of good behind; the rally stars adopted two turtle hatchlings from the Two Oceans Aquarium Foundation.
Cape Town, South Africa (09 October 2023) – International Rally Cross made its triumphant return to South Africa over the weekend, to the delight of motorsport fans but before the racers speed off, they spent some time exploring the Mother City.
The international rally drivers swapped their pedals for paddles before the races, taking on the competitive Dragon Boat Racing teams of Cape Town for some fun in the sun. Once the adrenaline from the boat racing subsided, they took to the tranquil surroundings of the Two Oceans Aquarium. The racers got a behind-the-scenes look at the Two Oceans Aquarium Foundation’s Turtle Rehabilitation Centre.
Susann Hansen, the team manager for Hansen World RX Team (and supermom to boot) for Timmy and Kevin Hansen, shared that the visit to the rehabilitation centre inspired them to adopt two of the hatchlings.
“Talitha (Noble) gave us a fascinating insight into the amazing work done at the turtle rehabilitation centre,”
“Her passion for the project was truly inspiring, and I think we were all quite shocked and saddened to hear some of the statistics she revealed about the effect of pollution in the oceans on the wildlife that inhabit them.
“As a team, we are wholeheartedly committed to the United Nations’ Global Goals, and we believe that motorsport and sustainability do not have to contradict each other – they can in actual fact complement one another and could and indeed should co-exist. We wanted to support the conservation centre by adopting two of the baby turtles, and when we saw that the hatchlings in pools 21 and 71 were still up for adoption, it was clear that it was meant to be.” – Susann Hansen
These are the brother’s racing numbers so it was only fitting that the turtles were also named after their adopted family.
“What a pleasure to spend time with the drivers and team from FIA World Rallycross. They were so interested in the rehab journeys of our sea turtles and moved by the resilience of these magnificent creatures. It was great to chat about how taking action towards conservation is a joint responsibility shared by everyone who lives on this planet and exciting to see how World RX is working on doing just this. The highlight of the afternoon was definitely the team adopting two little loggerhead hatchlings and naming them after Timmy and Kevin” – Talitha Noble, Head of the Turtle Conservation Project.
The aquarium team will keep Timmy and Kevin updated on how their turtle counterparts do and when they are released back into the ocean.
As the FIA World Rallycross came to a close in Cape Town this weekend, Kevin Hansen got to celebrate a second-place podium finish. Timmy wasn’t far behind, coming in fourth on the final race day.
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