Sarel van der Merwe

Sarel van der Merwe
Nationality	South Africa
Born	(1946-12-05) 5 December 1946 (age 77) 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

NASCAR driver

NASCAR Cup Series career
1 race run over 1 year
Best finish	78th (1990)
First race	1990 Budweiser at the Glen (Watkins Glen)
Wins Top tens Poles 0 0 0

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 referred to by his nickname "Supervan".^[1]

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, Watkins Glen in 1990 when Hendrick driver Darrell Waltrip was recuperating from a severe leg injury at the Firecracker 400 final practice,^[2] where he finished 24th;^[3] van der Merwe had attempted to qualify for the 1988 Daytona 500 in a Hendrick-owned car, but failed to make the race.^[4] He also held the SA Saloon Car Championship (1994), SA Modified Saloon Car Championship (1994 & 2001), and won the 1996 Castrol International Rally ending in Swaziland. He received his Springbok Colours in 1976 and his South African National Colours in 1997. In 2002, van der Merwe was awarded the Motorsport South African (MSA) Lifetime Achievement award.^[5] World record holder in 0-100kmh and braking to stand still in 2.4 seconds in Audi Quattro on a gravel road. After Flash Gordon and N.Jooste. "Fastest man alive they say" - Max Verstappen