Wheels_01Sept2016

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September 1, 2016

Witness

WHEELS

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ash buys cars Contact Ash 083 786 3377 • Tel: 033 342 4717 / 033 345 1971 Email: ashgani@telkomsa.net •www.ashcarsales.co.za

EDITOR: ALWYN VILJOEN 082 4589 332 ADVERTISING: AVIR THULSIRAM ON 084 278 3447

INSIDE:

Brian Bassett finds the same values that created this Suzulight in 1958 still underpin the new Suzuki Celerio supermini today. PAGE 4 PHOTO: WIKIPEDIA

Sibonelo Myeni goes bundubashing in new VW Tiquan.

PAGE 4 PHOTO: QUICKPIC

Alfred Ngilo, a driver from Clover in KZN, won this years’ annual Extra Mile Challenge driver competition, and will represent South Africa against UD Quester drivers from around the world in Japan in November.

MORE TRANSPORT NEWS ON PAGE 7.

PHOTO: SUPPLIED

The action­packed fifth round of the SupaDrift was this close at Dezzi’s last weekend, where Jim McFarlane beat Shane Gutzeit in second and Paolo Gouveia in third.

MORE RACING ON PAGE 8.

PHOTO: DARREN ‘SUPAFLY’ TOWNSLEY

Ford’s GT­4 supercar is designed to appeal to blue collar blokes in their 50s who can like to listen to Bruce Springsteen. But not all supercar designs work this well…

PAGE 2 PHOTO: NEWATLAS

The all­wheel­ drive, all­electric, aluminium Boxx scooter from America is billed as the best thing on two wheels since the Honda Hero. MORE BIKE NEWS ON PAGE 6.

PHOTO: BOXX

Add a Spring to your step.

Book your Audi in for a date night service Without further ado, we are excited to announce the introduction of night servicing.

With our incredible special offers available on Audi vehicles this September.

We’re also giving you a chance to win exclusive Audi goodies every Friday in our weekly lucky draw!

Visit Audi Centre Pietermartizburg for more.

Audi Centre Pietermaritzburg

We are now open every Wednesday evening from 18:00 until 20:30 offering Express Servicing & Brake Pad changes only.

So sit back, relax, sip a cup of coffee and make use of our free WiFi while we service your Audi, or opt to be chauffeured to Liberty Midlands Mall to finish off your shopping. Plus, get a free Car Wash voucher (night service only).

You can be assured that you will receive the highest level of care and service from Audi Centre Pietermaritzburg.

By appointment only. Terms and conditions apply.

Nathi Mncube • Cameron Govender • Imdaad Hoosan • New Vehicle Sales Manager: Prunella Naidoo Mandla Mkhize • Mark van Rijsbergen • Anwar Charfaray • Pre-owned Manager: Riaz Mahomed

BP Advertising

9 Armitage Road, Pietermaritzburg, 3201. Tel: 033 397 8800. www.audipietermaritzburg.co.za

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WitnessWheels MOTORING

September 1, 2016

Three dos and one don’t in supercar designs

Sleek: When it comes to cars, beauty lies in the eyes of the steering wheel holder, and none are as sleek as the Infiniti Q80 Inspiration, which made its debut in Paris in 2014, but still turns heads wherever it is shown. PHOTOS: NEWATLAS

Edgy: Unveiled at the Quail Motorsports Gathering at Pebble Beach last week, the Lamborghini Centenario Roadster looks like it’s going faster even while it’s parked. The roadster is one of only 20 and will set you back €2 million (R32 million before import taxes and the Hawks arresting the finance minister).

Curvy: Bred to race, this 2014 McLaren P1 (serial No. 02) has been cruelly caged all its life, with only 926 km on the clock. Still, low mileage and one little old granddad driver helped the price to go up to where the hammer came down on $2 035 000 (over R29 million) at Mecum Auctions last week. PHOTO: MECUM AUCTIONS

Uh­ieeuw: The Bugatti Vision Gran Turismo combines fat curves with blunt edges in the same manner a fat billionaire combines a paunch with a speedo — it works as a sheik magnet, but Monsieur Ettore Bugatti must be spinning in his grave.

Spot this taxi’s driver Singapore allows tests of world’s first driverless taxis to ease congestion ALWYN VILJOEN THE marathon race to deliver self­driving cars continues re­ lentlessly and the latest compa­ ny to elbow its way to the front of the pack is nuTonomy, The 2013 startup company last week made good on its promise, made during tests in April, to follow up with more tests to give the world its first self­driving taxis. nuTonomy is currently test­ ing six robot­taxis in Singapore, giving free rides to the brave and selected few. nuTonomy said in a state­ ment Singapore, an island state with no space to build more roads, is considered an ideal testing ground because it has great infrastructure and drivers who obey traffic rules. nuTono­ my will soon by joined in Singa­ pore by auto supplier Delphi Corporation, which will also launch its autonomous vehicle software in Las Vegas next year.

Uber has similar plans in Pittsburgh, but nuTonomy, a four­year­old startup with 50 staff members in the U.S. and Singapore, can lay claim to beat­ ing Uber’s self­driving taxi tests

Look ma, no han… no driver! The first driverless taxis are on test in Singapore.

PHOTO: NUTONOMY by almost a month. Uber’s tests are, however, expected to be wid­ er than the six nuTonomy robot­ taxis, which only operate in the “one­north” business and resi­ dential district, and only for in­ vited passengers going to specif­ ic locations.

In other cities, meanwhile,

three small robot buses, each able to carry 12 passengers, are being tested.

The ultimate goal, said nu­ Tonomy in a media statement, is to have a fully self­driving taxi fleet in Singapore by 2018, which will help sharply cut the number of cars on Singapore’s congested

roads. Doug Parker, nuTono­ my’s chief operating officer, said autonomous taxis could ulti­ mately reduce the number of cars on Singapore’s roads from 900 000 to 300 000.

Olivia Seow (25), who does work in startup partnerships in one­north and is one of the rid­

ers nuTonomy selected, took a test ride of just less than a mile on Monday. She acknowledged she was nervous when she got into the car, and then surprised as she watched the steering wheel turn by itself.

Seow told Associated Press: “It felt like there was a ghost or something.”

But she quickly grew more comfortable. “The ride was smooth and controlled,” she said, and she was relieved to see that the car recognised even small obstacles like birds and motorcycles parked in the dis­ tance. “I couldn’t see them with my human eye, but the car could, so I knew that I could trust the car,” she added.

Seow said she is excited be­ cause the technology could free up her time during commutes or help her father by driving him around as he grows older.

An Associated Press reporter also took a ride last Wednesday and observed that the safety driver had to step on the brakes once, when a car was obstruct­ ing the test car’s lane and anoth­ er vehicle, which appeared to be parked, suddenly began moving in the oncoming lane.

Nissan and BMW bring power to Cape’s electric cars NISSAN South Africa and BMW Group South Africa have add­ ed momentum to Cape Town’s green revolution with the in­ troduction of their first joint electric vehicle (EV) and plug­ in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) charging stations in the Western Cape.

The three charging stations are located at the Victoria and Alfred (V&A) Waterfront in Cape Town and are supported

by Growthpoint Properties, who manages the complex.

Nissan and BMW last year signed a memorandum of un­ derstanding that will see them jointly install EV charging sta­ tions across the country’s main metropolitan nodes. The planned charging stations will supplement the stations al­ ready available at certain BMW and Nissan dealerships — that can charge both manufactur­

ers’ electric vehicles — and it forms part of the two compa­ nies’ strategy to support the adoption of EVs in South Afri­ ca’s most populous cities.

The joint venture started its operations in Johannesburg with a combined charging hub at the Industrial Development Corporation in Sandton and the Department of Environ­ mental Affairs in Pretoria. It is also installing charging sta­

tions at several of its large metropolitan dealers.

The V&A charging stations use the faster direct current charging method and Type 2 connectors to charge a wide range of current and future EV and PHEVs. The two companies have confirmed that they are work­ ing on charging infrastructure at Brooklyn Mall in Pretoria and they will add a number of

smaller alternating current (AC) charging stations around Pretoria, Johannesburg and Cape Town to expand South Africa’s EV charging network.

“We welcome the opportuni­ ty to partner with another pi­ oneer to establish a wide elec­ tric charging infrastructure and, in doing so, drive the adoption of this eco­friendly technology,” said Mike Whit­ field, MD of Nissan SA. — WR

AMAZON CAR SALES NEXT AMAZON has extended its virtu­ al store­front for selling vehicle parts and accessories with Ama­ zon Vehicles. In a statement, the digital shop said the platform is only a car research destination and platform for the automotive community, for now.

“Our goal is to support cus­ tomers during one of the most important, research­intensive purchases in their lives by helping them make informed decisions every step of the way,” director of automotive at Amazon, Adam Goetsch, said in the statement.

“Amazon Vehicles is a great re­ source for customers who are in­ terested in car information or looking for a broad selection of parts and accessories — all en­ hanced by the ability to tap into the knowledge, opinions, and ex­ periences of other car owners within the Amazon customer community.”

Amazon Vehicles makes it pos­ sible to search for specific vehi­ cles, or to browse and filter re­ sults by things like year, make, model, customer rating, fuel effi­ ciency and towing capacity.

Product listings include specifi­ cations, images and videos of ve­ hicles. As with Amazon product listings, it’s possible to view cus­ tomer reviews, which can include reviewer­uploaded images and videos, and for users to submit their own reviews, images and videos.

Users can also ask questions about vehicles for other commu­ nity members to answer, or pro­ vide answers to questions that other people have asked.

— Wheels Reporter.

OFF THE SHELF ROBOT CARS BY 2019 AUTO tech companies Delphi and Mobileye have teamed up to bring autonomous steering sys­ tems to cars by 2019, with a dem­ onstration set to take place at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas next year.

Wheels last year reported the progress of a driverless Delphi Audi Q5’s road­trip to the same show. Apart from asking the hu­ man driver to take control at a section of roadworks with no boards or lines, the Delphi system drove with no mishaps across the USA. The partners’ CSLP platform will next be demonstrated in combined urban and highway driving at CES in Las Vegas next year and Delphi is confident the systems can be installed in cars during 2019. The automated driving solution will use the al­ ready proven technologies, ran­ ging from Mobileye’s System on a Chip (SoC), which will be used for real­time mapping, to Del­ phi’s full camera, radar and Li­ DAR suite. In addition, teams from both companies will devel­ op the next generation of sensor fusion technology as well as the next generation human­like “driving policy”.

Delphi president and CEO Kevin Clark said the partnership will give customers an increased level of automated capabilities faster and more cost effectively.

“The collective expertise … will accelerate the creation of new ap­ proaches and capabilities that would likely not have been possi­ ble working alone. This is a win­ win for both companies and our customers.” — WR.

MOTORING WitnessWheels

September 1, 2016

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Mazda adds more tech to 3

PHOTO: QUICKPIC

All that is missing from a raft of driver assist technologies in the facelifted Mazda3 is an autonomous driving button, but driver attention alert (DAA) will help monitor fatigue levels MAZDA has introduced the new­ look Mazda3 model range, in­ cluding the Astina Plus model, (shown) all with the latest in ve­ hicle motion control technology available in the Mazda stable.

Top on the list of this tech is G­Vectoring Control (GVC), which is only available on the two­litre models and controls engine torque for improved han­ dling around corners.

The G­Vectoring Control was born of Mazda’s human­centred development philosophy and the novel idea of using the engine to enhance chassis performance. It

is the world’s first control system to vary engine torque in response to steering inputs in order to pro­ vide integrated control of lateral and longitudinal acceleration forces and optimise the vertical load on each wheel for smooth and efficient vehicle motion.

Available as a sedan or a hatch­ back, the new Astina Plus model also has Smart City Brake Sup­ port (SCBS), Adaptive LED Headlights (ALH), Lane Keep Assist (LKA), Lane Departure Warning (LDW), Driver Atten­ tion Alert (DAA) and Blind Spot Monitoring (BSM), which is also

available on the Astina deriva­ tive. All that is missing is the au­ tonomous driving button, but the Astina Plus makes up for it with a driver attention alert, or DAA. As in the systems used by Ford and several trucking brands, DAA is designed to reduce acci­ dents caused by inattentiveness due to driver fatigue.

The system is activated at speeds above 65 km/h and begins to “learn” the driver’s habits, watching inputs and the vehicle’s movements in the early stages before fatigue is a factor.

Later, if the system detects

Journalists drove five Tata Bolt models across South Africa in a challenge to go the furthest on each litre of fuel. The small fleet averaged just over 20 km to a litre.

PHOTO: SUPPLIED

changes in vehicle behaviour that suggests the driver may be losing concentration, it will suggest a rest stop by sounding a chime and displaying a warning on the Multi­Information screen.

Interior enhancements on the new­look Mazda3 range, which is still available in both 1,6 litre and two­litre engines include stan­ dard Bluetooth from entry mod­ el, standard Cruise Control on Individual models and the intro­ duction of Auto Shift Switch, al­ so known as Paddle­shift, on the six­speed automatic transmis­ sion models. To maintain the val­

ues of older Mazda3 models, very little distinguishes the updated Mazda3 nose from the predeces­ sor, there is an updated Mazda badge that sits slightly lower than the current model’s badge, redesigned fog lights, alloy wheels and side skirts.

The back of the hatch received a bit more of a makeover to look sleeker and five new colours are on sale, including “Machine Grey Metallic”, which colour Mazda said in a statement is from the group’s premium colour palette and “expresses the beauty of a machine’s strength and pre­

cision and achieves both high­ contrast shadows and a high­ density finish to give a realistic metallic feel”. A five­year corro­ sion warranty backs this metal under the paint.

A three­year unlimited kilo­ metre factory warranty, roadside assistance, and service plan ac­ company the rust warranty.

Pricing for the six Mazda3 models starts at R258 900 for the 1,6 l Original with manual trans­ mission and goes up to R407 900 for the Mazda3 2.0 Astina Plus with an automatic shifter. — Wheels Reporter.

ROYAL TRUCK AND BUS Authorised Tata Dealer

COME SEE US TODAY

Bolts prove real world frugality FIVE Tata Bolts last week proved the little Indian car’s ex­ cellent fuel economy on a 2 100 km drive from Beit Bridge to Cape Agulhas.

Three of the five cars aver­ aged less than 5 l/100 km, while all five cars used less than 120 li­ tres of fuel for the trip. The car with the lowest fuel consump­ tion needed only 92,4 litres of fuel for the long journey.

The cars were driven by four teams of motoring journalists and one team made up of Tata dealer personnel. The best per­ formance was put up by the pairing of Wynter Murdoch (The Future Group) and Ferdi de Vos (Wheels24/Bakkie and Car). They averaged 4,4 li­ tres/100 km and were rewarded with trophies.

Kyri Michael, CEO of Accor­ dian Investments, the company in the Imperial Auto Group which distributes Tata passen­ ger cars and light commercials locally, said the five cars were stock standard and the drivers

were instructed to keep up with traffic by travelling between 90­ 110 km/h.

“The drivers’ first objective was to achieve the best possible fuel consumption under the cir­ cumstances but the long drive also gave these journalists an ex­ cellent opportunity to evaluate the comfort and driveability of a Tata Bolt on a long and varied route that included all aspects of driving in South Africa.

“I am pleased to say that the drivers were very impressed with these latest newcomers to the range of Tata products we sell in South Africa.”

Michael said it was also inter­ esting to note how road surfa­ ces, wind, temperature and rain made a big impact on each car’s fuel economy.

The “Tata Bolt Challenge” competitors suggested 10 driv­ ing tips to ensure all­round fuel economy on a long trip: • Ensure that your tyre pres­ sures are correct as per the man­ ufacturer’s recommendation.

• Make sure that your vehicle’s wheel alignment is correct.

• A clean polished car pushes through the air better, so make sure you start your journey with a clean car.

• If equipped with an “econo­ my” mode like the Tata Bolt, make sure to select this mode as this will definitely improve your fuel consumption.

• Be gentle with your right foot, with as little throttle input as possible.

• Accelerate slowly and avoid driving in lower gears as much as possible.

• Read the road at all times to ensure that you can carry as much momentum as possible, thus reducing time accelerat­ ing.

• Always ensure that you have all the windows closed to reduce the drag.

• Only use the air conditioner if it’s really necessary.

• Good fuel economy is usually achieved at constant speeds of around a 100 km/h. — WR.

Valid Offer up tO r tembe 30 Sep 6 201

164 Ohrtmann Road, Willowton, Pietermaritzburg 3201

Contact Numbers: Office: 033 387 6420 • Jevon: 060 630 1225 • Nishaad : 079 334 2408

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WitnessWheels MOTORING

September 1, 2016

Keenly priced Tiquan An active bonnet that pops out at the rear protects pedestrians in a collision SIBONELO MYENI and ALWYN VILJOEN VW South Africa has launched the new Tiguan and its targeting SUV segment leadership with ar­ resting looks, technology and most importantly, practicality.

The new Tiguan gets stylish looks with classic VW design DNA so well loved in Mzansi (Golf GTI like).

Tiguan owners will definitely stand out at the car park, espe­ cially with the R18, 000 R­Line design package, available in all models. LED daytime lights come standard in the Trendline with LED headlights standard in the Comfortline.

Trendline also gets 17­inch wheels, cruise control, roof rails, USB/Radio/Bluetooth while the

Comfortline adds Parking Dis­ tance (Front and rear), Climat­ ronic aircon and folding mirrors.

The electric tailgate allows owners to close the tailgate with­ out touching the button if they have the key with them and walks away from the vehicle (helpful if carrying things and can’t reach for the key).

The interior is well laid out with everything within reach with good quality materials.

Occupants are greeted by more space compared to the pre­ vious version with particular fo­ cus on luggage (520 litres).

The Tiguan gets a full digital instrument cluster with a Heads­ up Display and the excellent 10­ speaker/subwoofer DynAudio system offered as an option.

The Tiguan comes in three

PHOTO: QUICKPIC

equipment levels Trendline, Comfortline and Highline.

At launch, the new Tiguan will be offered in two 1.4 TSI engines — 92 kW/200 Nm and 110 kW/ 250 Nm. The 2.0 TDI engines with 81 kW, 105 kW and 130 kW as well as the ranger topping 2.0 TSI with 162kW will be introduced in the last quarter of 2016.

The high­powered engines will be offered with 4MOTION drive system as standard.

The 92kW engine comes with a six­speed manual while the DSG transmission comes stan­ dard in the 110kW engine.

The lighter new Tiguan (MQB platform) aids agility.

Efficiency is aided by Cylinder de­activation (from a four cylin­ der to two cylinders under light

engine load) and Stop/Start tech­ nology (both engines claim 6.1l/100km).

Safety has been enhanced with a multitude of airbags, ABS, ESP, an active bonnet for pedestrian safety being amongst the fea­ tures fitted as standard on all models. Adaptive Cruise control is also offered as an option.

The active bonnet — a first for any Volkswagen — reduces the risk of injury to pedestrians and cyclists. When contact is made with the bumper, a sensor strip triggers a pyrotechnic actuator that lifts the rear edge of the bon­ net by around 50 mm within 22 milliseconds. This increases the distance between the hard engine components and the rela­ tively flexible bonnet.In turn, it reduces the risk of serious head

injuries, said Volkswagen.

Pricing and the competition The Tiquan competes in the fiercely contested medium sport utility vehicle arena and thanks to platform sharing, VW could just about keep the prices as low as it can go against the Euro — for now.

The new Tiguan is the first Volkswagen SUV to use to the now familiar MQB, or Modularer Querbaukasten (Modular Trans­ verse Matrix) platform. This means it benefits from VW’s lat­ est technology and shares much of its underpinnings with other models, such as the Golf and Pas­ sat. A raft of equipment backs its premium price against a wide range of capable SUVs, from the likes of Mahindra’s XUV500

Suzuki’s unknown supermini is practical and good value BRIAN BASSETT SUZUKI does not advertise much nationally in South Africa and this leads to some confusion about the brand and its individu­ al models.

In a snap telephonic poll amongst eight friends, all knew the brand but only one could name a model, namely the Swift.

No one had heard of the Celer­ io, although one thought it might have something to do with the Honda Brio.

What no one could under­ stand was why I was excited to drive this little car, because of its reputation for space, sound packaging and unusual not­quite automatic gearbox. It is also a sign of ambition and imagina­ tion from Japan’s supermini and 4x4 specialists.

We thank Des­Marie Victor, new car sales manager at Honda Fury, PMB, for lending us the car for a few days for review.

Styling Celerio means Celestial River and it is an easy name to remem­ ber. Despite the romantic name the Celerio is not extrovert, but a quite conventional­looking hatch, obviously designed to pro­ vide as much interior space as possible.

The car projects an air of quali­ ty with a prominent front grille and centrally­placed Suzuki badge and, beneath the built­in bumper a further black grille is flanked by fog lights.

At the sides there are sculpted styling features, while a high roof leads to a wide, convenient tail­ gate and large tail lights.

The car is easy to enter or exit for passengers of all ages. The re­ sult is a fairly attractive, well­

The Celerio has all the supermini hallmarks — good head room and athletic handling.

PHOTO: SUZUKI built, unpretentious car with some on­road presence.

Interior Most Suzuki dashboards look alike. Hard, black, durable plas­ tic, which has been well put to­ gether.

Everything is where you would expect it to be. The analogue gau­ ges are right in front of the driver for safety. The air conditioning and audio controls are on the cen­ tral stack, while the audio and Blu­ etooth controls are repeated on the typical three­spoke Suzuki steering wheel.

The electric side mirrors and windows have their controls con­ veniently ledged into the driver’s door. The seats are robustly cov­ ered in a patterned material and the driver’s seat is height adjusta­ ble. The steering can also be height adjusted.

The interior has excellent headroom and more space than

expected. Even at the rear it was possible to accommodate two adults in relative comfort for in­ termediate­range journeys.

The three rear seatbelts do ap­ pear a bit too optimistic, as the two chunky adults I put into the vehicle had no daylight between them. The boot space of 235 li­ tres is class leading and, with the rear seats folded down in 60/40 fashion this rises to 707 litres.

Safety and security The Celerio, unlike some of the competition, has ABS. In South African driving con­ ditions I find it difficult to under­ stand why some brands continue to offer their lower­spec models without this safety feature.

The Celerio has driver and passenger airbags, seatbelts for all; child­proof rear door locks, a high­mounted stop lamp, as well as a security alarm and im­ mobiliser.

Performance and handling The Celerio is a town car and in town the ride is firm but not harsh. Usually one finds that small town cars do certain things well at the expense of others, but the Celerio offers a wide range of talents. The three­cylinder, 998cc petrol engine puts out 50 kW/90 Nm and even when driven hard the car managed 5,5l/100 km, which is very good.

The Celerio is not particularly powerful and 0­100 km/h takes about 18 seconds.

Top speed is around 155 km/h.

The car appears composed and secure and in heavy, wild traffic such as you have on a Friday aft­ ernoon in PMB, the car is supple and quite athletic.

In fact it has an unexpected amount of dynamic ability backed by good body control on the Midlands back roads.

The steering is responsive and

the car is a respectable partner on the N3.

Shifting gears The unique and interesting Auto Gear Shift needs to be expe­ rienced to be appreciated and there are those who will not like it, but I personally thought that it represents a effective method of avoiding the considerable cost and maintenance of a full auto box, while providing its conve­ nience.

The box is essentially a five­ speed manual transmission cou­ pled to a hydraulic unit that con­ trols its operation. The unit sits above the transmission and obvi­ ates the need for a manual clutch.

There is no cog for park so you have to use the handbrake.

Gearshifts are noticeable, es­ pecially up­shifts, as the unit strives to keep up with the accel­ erator position.

While the system works well, it is not for enthusiastic driving, but for comfort in traffic. I per­ sonally would use the manual for freeway driving. The point, how­ ever, is that, because of the al­ most­manual nature of the gear­ box Suzuki is able to offer great value, low maintenance and bril­ liant fuel consumption.

Costs and the competition The entry model comes in at around R128 000 and the GL Auto will cost you about R155 000. The car has a 3­star Euro NCAP rating and comes with a five­year or 200 000 km guarantee and five­year or 90 000 km service plan.

This is a crowded market sec­ tor so look at amongst others the Ford Figo, Datsun GO, Honda Brio, Hyundai I10, Kia Picanto, Toyota Aygo, Tata Bolt and Volkswagen Polo Vivo.

2,2Tdi (selling from R278k); and Renault’s well­priced Duster 1,5dCi 4WD (for R297k); to Mazda’s CX­5 2,0 (from R350k) Mitsubishi’s ASX 2,0 (from R330k); Toyta’s RAV4 2,0 (from R355k); Ford’s Kuga 1,5T (from R367k); Hyundai’s Tuscon 2,0 and the Kia Sportage 2.0 (both from R370k); and Honda’s CR­V 2.0 (from R388k).

A five­year or 90 000 km ser­ vice plan and three­year or 120 000 km warranty are stan­ dard. Service intervals are 15 000 km.

Prices 1.4 TSI 92kW Trendline Manual ­ R378 000 1.4 TSI 92kW Comfortline Manual ­ R419 000 1.4 TSI 110kW Comfortline DSG ­ R457 680.

PROGRAM CAN PLAY ‘CAR TETRIS’ NEW car stacking software has been developed at the University of Warwick by Trans­Rak International for the Warwick Manufacturing Group.

The software plays in­ stant tetris with car shapes to find the optimal place­ ment of cars in a shipping container.

Up to now, this form of car tetris was played by ex­ perienced humans, who typ­ ically fitted two cars per container, but the new pro­ gramme can fit up to four cars of different makes and models using the racking hardware developed at TRI. Much like the floors in a giant roll­on­roll­off (RoRo) boat, the R­Rak hardware can be raised or lowered to adjust to an SUV or sports­ car’s profile, It consists of an adjustable steel frame that allows the front and rear of the top vehicle to be incrementally raised or lowered as needed, so that the bottom vehicle can fit snugly beneath it.

Program designer Piero Filippin said the new soft­ ware allows specific vehicles to be selected from a com­ prehensive list, meaning a quicker view can be gained in relation to vehicle config­ uration before the contain­ ers are loaded onto ships or trains.

“This has helped save considerable time, resource and money,” said Filippin.

— Wheels Reporter.

MOTORING WitnessWheels

September 1, 2016

5

Ford hits the sweet spot with autoshift Autobox in the 2.2 engine takes the Ranger range to 36 models ALWYN VILJOEN IF Ford still made the Bantam, the oval badge would have been able to boast the widest bakkie range in South Africa. As things stand, Ford can lay claim to the widest range of big bakkies, thanks to adding an au­ tobox to the 2.2 engine, adding nine models to now sell a bewildering range of three dozen Rangers.

Now, before you think only city slickers drive bakkies with automatic transmission, consider that all mod­ ern super link trucks now have auto shifters. And if it is the most effective and efficient solution for heavy com­ mercial vehicles, it will also work for light commercial vehicles — what we call bakkies.

Wheels really rates the 2.2 engine as the sweet spot in the 36­bakkie line­up, and the autoshifter will save wear and tear on both the drivetrain and the driver’s left knee.

Tracey Delate, general marketing manager for Ford sub­Saharan Africa Region, said the six­speed automatic transmission on the 2.2 Duratorq TDCi models is the first in a single cab bakkie in SA and offers unrivalled driving convenience in the economi­ cal 2.2 TDCi models.

The Ranger 2.2 TDCi Auto models are available across all three body styles, including Single Cab, Super Cab and Double Cab. Customers can also select between three different specification levels: XL, mid­range XLS and high­spec XLT. The reason why Ford’s latest­gen­ eration 2,2­litre, four­cylinder Dura­ torq TDCi engine hits our sweet spot, is its good fuel economy backed by more than enough power — 118 kW and 385 Nm. This allows you to overtake, carry a ton and tow 3,5 tons of braked­trailer weight, or climb rocks and dunes.

Drivers have the option of allow­ ing the gearbox to do the shifting on its own in fully Automatic mode, switching to Sport mode for im­ proved responsiveness and down­ shifts, or selecting manual gearshifts for ultimate control.

Of the new 2.2 TDCi Auto models, five are two­wheel drive and four are equipped with Ford’s intelligent four­ wheel drive system with Torque on Demand that allows drivers to tackle even the most extreme conditions

V TRACEY DELATE, talking

about the six­speed automatic transmission on the 2.2 Duratorq TDCi models

“This is sure to make the Ford Ranger more popular than ever amongst private and commercial customers alike.” with confidence. The 4x4 drivetrain employs an electronically controlled transfer case with shift­on­the­fly functionality controlled via a dial on the centre console. This allows 4x2 and 4x4 high­range modes to be en­ gaged while on the move.

Selecting 4L engages low­range gearing, giving the new Ranger ex­ ceptional torque and control for de­ manding off­road terrain. A rear dif­ ferential lock is also provided, ensur­ ing additional traction.

The Electronic Stability Program, which is standard on all but the en­ try­level Base models, delivers a high level of active driving safety. The sys­ tem incorporates Traction Control, Hill Launch Assist, Trailer Sway Control, Adaptive Load Control, Roll­over Mitigation, as well as Hill Descent Control on the 4x4 models.

The autobox still require service intervals of 20 000 km, but drivers who use their bakkies in dusty, hot and slow routes — city traffic jams included — are well advised to look after their oil more often than this.

A five­year or 100 000 km service plan is included in the purchase price on XL, XLS XLT and Wildtrak mod­ els, but is optional on the entry level offerings to allow fleet buyers to get the most bang for their budget. All models are also sold with a four­ year/120 000 km comprehensive warranty, three­year/unlimited kilo­ metres roadside assistance and five­ year/unlimited corrosion warranty.

RANGER 2.2 AUTO PRICES: 2.2 TDCi XL 4x2 Auto ......................................................................................R311 900 2.2 TDCi XLS Single Cab 4x4 Auto ..........................................................R426 900 2.2 TDCi XL Super Cab 4x2 Auto ..............................................................R357 900 2.2 TDCi XLS Super Cab 4x2 Auto .............................................................R411 900 2.2 TDCi XLS Super Cab 4x4 Auto ...........................................................R472 900 2.2 TDCi XL Double Cab 4x2 Auto ...........................................................R384 900 2.2 TDCi XL Double Cab 4x4 Auto ...........................................................R426 900 2.2 TDCi XLS Double Cab 4x4 Auto ..........................................................R517 900 2.2 TDCi XLT Double Cab 4x2 Auto .........................................................R482 900

With 36 Rangers to choose from, Wheels deems the 2,2 automatic single cab at some R312k the most bang for the fleet buyers’ budgets.

PHOTO: QUICKPIC

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6

WitnessWheels TRANSPORT MOTORING

September 1, 2016

Mercedes pitches in MBSA to provide complimentary truck driver training as part of Transport Month SOUTH Africa’s Department of Transport will once again embark on its annual Transport Month cam­ paign, starting on October 1.

The initiative is used to raise aware­ ness of the importance of transport to the local economy, including the pro­ vision of a safe and more affordable, accessible and reliable transport sys­ tem in the country and also encourage participation from civil society and business.

In addition, October is also used to showcase the progress achieved in var­ ious transport programmes and pro­ jects.

To support the objectives of Trans­ port Month, Mercedes­Benz South Africa (MBSA) will be providing com­ plimentary truck driver training for clients of its Daimler Trucks and Buses and brands from other original equip­ ment manufacturers.

“South Africa’s road death toll is ranked as one of the highest in the world, and unfortunately, commercial vehicles are part of the problem. As MBSA, represented by all our brands

Hino trucks and buses now enjoy a lucky 13% market share in SA. PHOTO: QUICKPIC

Mercedes­Benz is offering complimentary truck driver training for any brand during October.

PHOTO: QUICKPIC — which include Mercedes­Benz Trucks, Buses and Vans; Fuso Trucks; Freightliner Trucks and Western Star — we are playing a critical part by of­ fering complimentary driver training,” said Rowlands Peters, the head of FleetBoard South Africa, a division of Daimler Trucks & Buses, MBSA, which is undertaking the campaign.

“As FleetBoard, our motto is: ‘Trained. Tested. Trusted.’ And that is

exactly the calibre of drivers we aim to produce by offering complimentary driver training. A well­trained, tested and trusted driver is a safer one and that has a direct and positive impact on road safety. As we embark on this mission, one of the most important tools we have is FleetBoard, which is Daimler’s driver and vehicle telematics management system. This means that we’ve been able gather a great amount

of data on trends in the local trucking sector and this allows us to train driv­ ers to be amongst the best and safest in the world,” added Peters.

To book for MBSA’s complimenta­ ry driver training, contact Megenthran Naidoo by sending an e­mail to me­ genthran.naidoo@daimler.com or by calling 012 677 1744. Terms and con­ ditions apply.

— Wheels Reporter.

‘Iron Knight’ sets new speed record with special tyres GOODYEAR and Volvo have set a new speed record for trucks.

Riding on special racing tyres, the 4,5­ton “Iron Knight” Volvo truck achieved an average speed of 169,09 km/h in a time of 21,29 seconds over a kilometre from a standing start.

The 2 400 horsepower Iron Knight also beat the record for the 500­metre distance, at 131,29 km/h in 13,71 seconds from a standing start. If that is not im­ pressive enough, during the record runs the Iron Knight reached a top speed of 276 km/h.

The technology for the unique truck tyres produced by Goodyear for the new world speed record truck is based on the experience gained in truck racing.

The casings for the record truck tyres are standard latest generation Good­ year truck tyre carcasses, as used every day on European roads. The new world speed records achieved on the tyres demonstrate the technology leadership of Goodyear in the transport industry.

“With so much power and torque, ensuring that 4,5 tons of truck sticks to the track at speeds of up to nearly 280 km/h is a real challenge for the tyr­ es,” said Laurent Colantonio, director Tyre Technology Commercial of Good­ year Europe, Middle East and Africa.

“The ability to develop tyres to break world speed records proves our prowess in using advanced technology and inno­ vation to produce exceptional tyres.

This is true for the Iron Knight’s tyres and also for our standard truck tyres that offer highest levels of performance to our customers and help them to re­ duce their total cost of ownership.”

The 315/70R22.5 Goodyear Iron

The fastest lorry the business, the Volvo Iron Knight doing 276 km/h on very special Goodyear tyres.

PHOTO: QUICKPIC Knight steer tyres are based on Good­ year Truck Racing tyres, as used by all trucks in the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) European Truck Racing Championship.

The 495/45R22.5 drive tyres are capable of withstanding the incredible torque that the Iron Knight develops. Both tyres are

built on standard Goodyear truck tyre carcasses with specially developed tread compounds and tread patterns.

The world record tyres carry specific Goodyear “The Iron Knight” sidewall decorations.

The record run was carried out at a closed­off test track in northern Swe­

den. The Iron Knight was driven by Boi­ je Ovebrink, who has more than 30 years’ experience of both car and truck racing and has previously broken five speed records. At the time of publica­ tion, the records are being reviewed by the FIA, the international motor sport association. — WR.

Changes for the Hino 500­Series A NUMBER of running changes are tak­ ing place in the Hino 500­Series range between August and the end of the year.

Two of the changes are regulatory and involve the fitment of a speed limiter and anti­skid brakes (ABS) while there are related product changes relating to the engines.

The speed limiters will permit a maxi­ mum speed of 80 km/h for all trucks with a GVM exceeding nine tons and all Hino 500­Series trucks will comply. The speed limiters will only be fitted in pro­ duction from November, but the ABS is already being installed on the assembly line in Prospecton.

Common rail fuel injection has to be installed on the J08E engine to permit the fitment of the speed limiter, which means emission compliance moves from Euro 2 to Euro 3, with improved power output. For example, the engine fitted to the 1017 model currently puts out 121 kW and 496 Nm, but these figures increase to 129 kW and 500 Nm in the renamed 1018 model. The installation in the 1324 tipper and freight carrier mod­ els is rated currently at 170 kW and 710 Nm and moves up to 184 kW and 739 Nm in the renamed 1326 models.

Changes to the engine — Euro 2 to Euro 3 — and the fitment of a speed lim­ iter to the 1322 four­wheel drive model will only take place in March 2017. ABS is not required for this model.

At the same time a single wheel rear axle will be introduced, which improves off road handling capabilities and makes for more efficient operation in sandy conditions. The single wheel fitment will also have a benefit in terms of im­ proved fuel consumption.

These benefits are all part of Hino’s growth plans in SA. Vice president Ernie Trautmann recently told the media Hino is having a good year in terms of sales when one considers the tough economic climate and highly competitive market.

“Hino’s overall market share is currently standing at 13,5% of the total truck and bus market compared to our target for the year of 14,6% …” — WR.

Ever wondered what that taxi driver was thinking?

THE day starts in the thick silence that is 3 am.

The heat from the engine under the seat, which will be baking later today, is welcome.

The passengers don’t speak and most sleep after sending the fare to the front and passing the change to the back. Turn up Ukhozi. Aah, Maskandi, the bass weaving the voi­ ces together like sticky drips of gold­ en syrup.

In the dark, deft left fingers have long learned to feel out the exact coins between smoothly changing gears, the right hand steering into a

WHEEL NUT with Alwyn Viljoen

gap in the flow, eyes darting.

Five hours later, having run the route the usual seven times, each shuffling queue quickly swallowed by the Siyayas at the rank, the yawning office crowd start pouring onto the roads, looking miserable in their cars.

Why do they sit in the same

queue at the same time every day?

There is the impatient one, already edging forward. But the mother in front of him is scolding her child in the back seat for throwing stuff, ob­ livious of the now green traffic light.

The hooters are not oblivious.

Most of the single drivers just stare dully at their windscreens, lis­ tening to the inanities of the pop stations in their empty cars. Win tickets to this, fake gasps, the Kar­ dashians did that. Don’t these DJs know — or care — there is a regime change happening here at home?

The gogo pipes up, reminding

again she wants to be dropped at the corner, close to her job, her ar­ thritis hot in this cold, making the long walk from the rank pure torture.

There is no space to pull off on the corner and the hooters start again as the gogo slowly inches her­ self out of the door.

One swears as he revs past, his red face almost purple, his little girl’s eyes big.

A pantsula appears, gently helps the gogo down and then hops into her seat as she says thank you.

Five cars pass to line up behind the 10 ahead. They line the block

from robot to robot. Just 16 people, taking up a whole city block. In the taxi, also 16 people, but everyone squeezed tight into four metres.

If red face did the sums, he would realise each taxi removes an entire queue of cars in front of him, like that copier company, saving him time, saving him money. But a guy like that probably can’t count. Maybe his little girl can help him.

Left fingers automatically select the right coins for the pantsula’s ten bob. Eish, it’s too cold out there, he says, half price on this hot engine is a bargain.

MOTORING BIKING WitnessWheels

September 1, 2016

7

The Land Rover of scooters ‘All­wheel drive, aluminium boxes and high ground clearance’ … sounds like remade Defender, but it’s a go­most­places moped.

ALWYN VILJOEN THE future of transport will offer a personalised unit to fit any ego, and Boxx Coporation, the mak­ ers of the two­wheel drive Boxx electric scooter, said they are ready to deliver the most prag­ matic way to get to point B. Witness Motoring reported on the Portland­based team of engi­ neers modular scooter in 2012, and they say their design is now as efficient, effective and stable as two­wheeled transport can get with current technology.

It contains no fluids or chains, which together with its short length means the Boxx easily and cleanly stays in­doors, but this is not for modern city roads only.

Build like an old Land Rover from aluminium, the Boxx won’t rust at sea level. Its makers say it also makes short work of pot­ holes while a 16 cm ground clear­ ance makes it good for rural areas too, where the high torque from three motors will even enable it to pull a small trailer.

To celebrate these achieve­ ments, Boxx will stick a number on each Boxx being built from now to year end before delivering it as one of a Signature Series.

Measuring up at just one me­ tre long, the Boxx can do up to 97 km, using the 111 Newton me­ tres generate of a three­phase brushless motor.

This is more torque than most 1,2 petrol engines make, but ex­

perience with fully electric scoot­ ers suggests this speed will come down to a crawl up KZN’s hills.

Not so, claims Boxx on its web­ site, where it says the Boxx can carry up to 136 kg “up any street hill under that payload”, includ­ ing hills with a 20% grading.

Depending on the number of batteries, Boxx said the three models of Boxx scooters can ride on a level road for 32 km up to to 86 km, riding constantly at top speed.

The batteries are installed at floor level, giving it a low centre of gravity, while a proprietary surface sensor and braking sys­ tem ensures safe handling.

Boxx said despite the scooter measuring only a metre long, it

has at least a third more packing space than the average scooter, with the nose opening up to swal­ low handbags or the seat lifting to take an open­face helmet.

As for ordering one, Wheels suggest you rather buy a used car with one of those small petrol en­ gines on OLX, for it may be cheaper than a new Boxx.

The pricing starts at a little over R43 000 for the base, rear­ wheel­drive model and jumps to over R71 600 for the all­wheel­ drive Boxx M. Note this, prices do not in­ clude any of the options, like a heated seat, which does makes the asking price for a metre­long moped rather high, even for one this unique.

Not even a little black number can make the rather pricey Boxx electric scooter look stylish, but the modular aluminium boxes and all­wheel­drive system may yet go on to become as iconic as the Land Drover Defender.

PHOTO: SUPPLIED

Auctioned bike prices downright depressing

Econorun in Free State

MIKE HANLON

DRIES VAN DER WALT

WHILE Monterey Car Week’s raft of auctions are primarily about cars, there’s always a smattering of top­class motor­ cycles going to auction.

With Mid­America auctions — America’s largest motorcycle auction house — recently be­ coming part of Mecum, many of Mecum’s lots featured legend­ ary motorcycles.

Several of the major auction houses also included motorcycle lots in their catalogs, too. Auc­ tion sell­through rates were down on the car side of things, with spectacular exceptions for very special offerings, but all the motorcycle results were down­ right depressing, with many spectacular motorcycles being sold for well below estimate and many more not even attracting bids of half their estimate.

Gooding & Company sold one of the original 400 batch of the Ducati 750 SS for a world­ record price, but there were no other motorcycle highlights in the entire five days of auctions.

JOHANNESBURG — Entries are now open for the 36th edition of this popular RFS (Retirement Fund Solutions) Bike Econorun.

With the fuel consumption of a variety of bikes tested under controlled conditions, the Eco­ norun is a solid indication of how well the various bikes in the local market do. The results are very important to the industry and al­ so extremely valuable to the buy­ ing public, who are looking to shave as much off their fuel bills as possible.

Estimated to sell for between $90 000 (R1,2 million) and $110 000, this 1929 BMW R63 attracted a highest bid of just $67 000 and is still available. The R63 is very rare, as it was produced in low volume and was the first 750cc overhead valve motorcycle BMW produced.

In the company’s centenary year, it was an even more inexplicable result.

PHOTO: MECUM AUCTIONS This is both good and bad news for the enthusiast because some of the better motorcycles

are clearly still available for sale and the next big round of motor­ cycle auctions isn’t until January

in Las Vegas, so that knocking you hear, might be opportunity.

— NewAtlas.

Going south this year The route for this year’s event breaks with tradition — after having been held in Mpumalanga for many years, this year’s route will take competitors from Brak­ pan, on the East Rand, to the Black Mountain Hotel on the outskirts of Thaba ’Nchu in the southern Free State. The Run will start at the Engen Carnival City service station in Brakpan.

The first leg will be a 600 km run to the overnight stop at event

headquarters at the Black Moun­ tain Hotel. Day 2 will consist of a circular route back to the hotel for the finish and prize giving.

With the event headquarters located in the heart of the Maria Mokba Game Reserve and over­ looking the Groothoek Dam, the participants will be treated to spectacular scenery.

Francois Jordaan, the Econo­ run’s clerk of the course, says: “We are in the process of dotting i’s and crossing the t’s where the route is concerned.

“It is a complete change from previous years but will be as big a challenge as ever, and fuel con­ sumption figures will be earned the hard way. The change to the finish venue was made because we felt it would be closer to home base for many would be competi­ tors.”

Regulations and entry forms are available on the website and entries will be accepted on a first come first served basis. The event caters for all types of roadworthy motorcycles — including pillions — that can travel a minimum of 350 km on a full tank of fuel.

Harley pays up on polluting tuners

Calling riders to support MS­bikers Charity riders Stephan Lourens, Justus Visagie and Johann Nothnagel invite all bikers to join them on a leg of a 4 000­km ride in support of people with multiple sclerosis (MS). The trio arrive in Durban from Clarens tomorrow and depart for Ugie on Saturday. Contact them on Facebook.com/UnchainingMS PHOTO: QUICKPIC

WASHINGTON — It is not just Volkswagen that is in trouble for polluting the air in the U.S. Harley­Davidson has settled the case brought by U.S. authori­ ties, who the motorcycle giant accused the company of making and selling illegal devices that in­ creased air pollution from its bikes.

But while Volkswagen reached a $14,7 billion (R213,6 billion) settlement, Harley Davidson got off light with only $15 million.

The iconic American manu­ facturer of large and loud motor­ cycles, agreed to buy back and cease selling so­called “super tuners”, which improved per­ formance, but increased hydro­ carbon and nitrogen oxide emis­ sions.

Selling prohibited devices The company has produced and

sold about 340 000 of the devi­ ces, which are prohibited under the U.S. Clean Air Act, the Justice Department said.

The announcement comes as the German automaker Volks­ wagen faces continuing legal woes after admitting that it had installed emissions cheating de­ vices on 11 million diesel­pow­ ered automobiles worldwide. In 2015 Harley­Davidson sold about 265 000 motorcycles worldwide and 168 000 in the U.S. Assistant Attorney General John Cruden, head of the Justice Department’s environment and natural resources division, said that other manufacturers should consider themselves warned.

“Anyone else who manufac­ tures, sells or installs these types of illegal products should take heed of Harley­Davidson’s cor­ rective actions and immediately

stop violating the law.”

The settlement involves both the Justice Department and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Under its terms, Harley will pay a $12 million civil penalty and devote another $3 million to a project to replace conventional woodstoves with cleaner­burn­ ing stoves in local communities, according to the statement.

— AFP­Wheels24.

‘Super tuners’ improved performance, but increased hydrocarbon and nitrogen oxide emissions.

WitnessWheels MOTORING RACING

8

September 1, 2016

SA’s Perel: ‘We got the win!’

Attacking driving sees Ferrari grab headlines on second day of racing SOUTH Africa’s David Perel drove the Kessel Ferrari he shared with U.S. team­ mate Stephen Earl to a dramatic maiden Blancpain GTAM victory in the second race of the series’ Hungarian Sprint race weekend in Budapest on Sunday.

Perel and Earl took third place in Sat­ urday’s opening race but Perel’s attack­ ing drive to victory on Sunday grabbed the Hungaroring headlines.

“We got the win!” a delighted Perel beamed after a forceful drive to victory as he passed the similar Rino Mastronar­ di and Claudio Sdanewitsch AF Corse Ferrari after setting the fastest first sec­

tor of any car in the race.

“I got into a little trouble for my pass on the leader, but we kept the win and I’ll take it for sure!”

Perel’s return to the Blancpain series started with a difficult qualifying ses­ sion. “It was a bit of a disaster,” the Cape­ tonian said.

“I never managed one lap where I wasn’t blocked by another car, but that’s just the nature of this track, so be it.”

The first race went much better as Per­ el handed the car over to Earl after mak­ ing good progress through the field, be­ fore succumbing to a track limits penal­

American Stephen Earl (left) and South Africa’s David Perel drove the Kessel Ferrari to a maiden victory in Hungary.

PHOTO: MOTOR­ SPORT MEDIA ty, which dropped the duo to third, but it was still Perel’s first Blancpain podium.

“A podium is a podium — I’ll take it

with both hands,” Perel said.

“We were leading until the pit stop.

Unfortunately, we incurred a drive­

through penalty for exceeding track lim­ its, which killed any chance of a win, but I was into the top 20 before the stop.

“It was great racing with the pros and battling with the winner of the Spa 24.”

Sunday’s main race was a great one for Perel, who took his first win in the series following a difficult start to the season. “We won €10 000 for the team today [Sunday],” he said. “We owe it to the team because of all our drive­ through penalties!

“I really love the Blancpain GT Sprint race format,” Perel said. “Our pace is there but our race craft needs some work. I need to specially thank Ronnie Kessel, Giacomo Piccini and Alan Mac­ Donald for all they have done to get me here. Here’s to them and to many more days like this!” — Motorsport Media.

Tough Bokkeveld sees titles go down to the wire CHARMAINE FORTUNE THE Koue Bokkeveld 400, the fifth round of the 2016 SA National Cross Country Championship for Motorcy­ cles and Quads, proved to be a testing event with some interesting results aft­ er two days and about 480 kilometres of racing.

With only one race remaining in the national series, the championships are now on a knife’s edge and many titles will go down to the wire.

The Koue Bokkeveld received good rains before the event, but dust still played a role last Saturday. The terrain was quite rocky with some sandy sec­ tions and was described by competi­ tors as “harsh on the body and the bike”.

In the motorcycle category, Brett Swanepoel (Proudly Bidvest Yamaha) walked away with the overall laurels as well as his third victory this year in the OR3 (200cc) class.

Cape rider Calvin Wiltshire (Droomers Yamaha) finished second in OR3 with the championship leader, Dartagnan Lobjoit (Yamaha), third.

On the 250cc, Louw Schmidt (Brother Leader Tread KTM) won an extremely close battle in the OR2 cate­ gory, with only a minute and a half sep­ arating him from Cameron Becker (KTM Centurion Liqui Moly Racing).

Brendon Fourie (Sherco SA Racing) rounded off the podium.

The Open (OR1) class also saw lots of action, as defending champion Ken­ ny Gilbert (Kargo Racing Husqvarna) claimed his first class win this season.

It was, however, almost not going to happen as a tyre problem 20 kilome­ tres from the finish not only resulted

in him having to nurse his bike home, but he also crashed. He beat Ross Branch (Brother Leader Tread KTM) by a mere 32 seconds and this nail­bit­ ing championship will only be settled at the final event. Montagu rider Altus de Wet (BCR Arrow Yamaha Racing) took the final step on the podium.

In the senior class, defending cham­ pion Juan “Bollie” van Rooyen (Broth­ er Leader Tread KTM), beat class lead­ er Wynand Kleynhans (Yamaha) by just under two minutes. Bruce May (Agrisales Peak Yamaha) followed in third place.

In the High School class, Stefan van Deventer (Alfie Cox Junior KTM Rac­ ing) claimed his third consecutive vic­ tory, followed by Adriano Catalano (D&H Engineering Works Yamaha) and Maarten van Jaarsveld (Doorzone Bikers Warehouse Husqvarna) on the podium.

There was also a hat­trick for the Master class winner, Pieter Holl (KTM), but a runner­up result keeps Wayne Farmer (Doorzone Bikers Warehouse Husqvarna) in the champi­ onship lead. The Cape’s Martin Lour­ ens (Droomers Yamaha) rounded off the podium after a tough event.

Among the quad competitors, only five riders in the Open Quad class could finish, with Hannes Saaijman (Yamaha) claiming his first victory this year despite suffering from flat tyr­ es, with the Cape rider Jean­Claude Vlok (Yamaha) second and Johan Oosthuizen (Vans Racing Division Ya­ maha) in third place.

The final round of the SA National Cross Country Championship will take place on October 28 and Octo­ ber 29 in Gauteng.

The Koue Bokkeveld experienced good rains before last weekend’s bike and quad racing, which kept the dust, and the riders, down.

PHOTO: ZOON CRONJE

Loan rangers: Chris Visser and navigator Ward Huxtable in their borrowed Ranger.

PHOTO: SUPPLIED

Poulter and Howie remain unbeaten CHARMAINE FORTUNE MALALANE — Toyota Gazoo Racing SA pair Leeroy Poulter and Rob Howie kept their unbeaten record this season when they romped to victory at the Nko­ mazi 450, round five of the Donaldson Cross Country Motor Racing Champi­ onship, last weekend.

In a Toyota Hilux running in the FIA class, Poulter and Howie had over 14 minutes to spare on local heroes Jo­ han and Werner Horn.

In their best result of the season the Horn brothers, much to the delight of the local fans, brought the Malalane To­ yota Hilux home in second place to win Class T for vehicles over four litres with solid axle rear suspension.

Third place went to Johan van Staden and Mike Lawrenson in a Red­Lined Nis­ san Navara. There was a three­minute gap between the Horns and Van Staden/ Lawrenson.

The most significant retirement came when Anthony Taylor and Denis Mur­ phy were forced to throw in the towel.

The former champions ran into power­ steering problems in the second of the Toyota Gazoo Racing SA entries.

The race, backed by Malalane Toyota and RCL Foods, and run in warm spring conditions drew spectators in their droves. And, despite a 10 minute penalty for failing to stop at a road crossing, pre­ race favourites Poulter and Howie did not disappoint their supporters, with the Toyota Gazoo Racing SA team un­ beaten since the start of the 2015 season.

Fourth place and third in Class T went to Gareth Woolridge and Boyd Dreyer in the Neil Woolridge Motorsport/Ford Performance Ranger. It was their first outing since the Ranger was severely damaged in a fire at the NWM workshop in Pietermaritzburg.

The puncture­riddled race also saw Class T championship leaders Jason Venter and Vince van Allemann (4x4 Mega World Toyota Hilux) and the Gary Bertholdt and Philip Herselman (Atlas Copco) finish ahead of Chris Visser and Ward Huxtable in a second NWM/Ford Performance Ranger. With only two rounds of the championship left, the NWM/Ford Performance pair now face an uphill task in Class T. Team principal Neil Woolridge said it was a good weekend overall, especially for Gareth Woolridge and Dreyer after missing the last race. They got a solid third, which is great to see after the hard work everyone put in.

“The team thought I was mad three weeks ago when I said that we should rebuild Gareth’s car after the fire, and have it at Malalane.

“But they all pulled together and worked exceptionally hard to get the car ready for this event. It was literally fin­ ished on [the] Wednesday before the race and loaded on the truck that even­ ing. We had no problems at all with the vehicle during the entire race, which is a fantastic result for what is effectively a brand new car. The team has really done us all proud,” said Woolridge.

Gareth Woolridge said: “We had a re­

ally good first lap and we were running second on lap two, so I was really opti­ mistic and excited about that. But with the tyres taking a beating I didn’t want to risk dropping off the podium so I played it safe and finished third. I had one puncture in roughly the same place as the cars in front of us, so we all landed up replacing tyres together, which was actually quite funny.

“The terrain was rough and hard, and there was simply no margin for error when going even slightly off the track.

Once the soil had been dug away by all the cars after qualifying and the first loop, it left an abrasive rock surface that just chewed up the tyres.

“Other than the punctures, it was a good race and the car was brilliant, run­ ning faultlessly throughout the race.”

The pair of “loan rangers”, Chris Viss­ er and Ward Huxtable in their borrowed T8 Ranger, perhaps showed too much respect for the tyres during the first loop and lost time with a bent jack point, but after putting foot on the second loop they ironically had only one puncture de­ spite going faster, said Visser.

• The next leg of the national champion­ ship cross country race is the CV Joint Sun City speCialists 450 at Pi­ for CV joints, ball joints, lanesberg tie rod ends, wheel bearings. on Sep­ tember 30 341 GReYlinG stReet and Octo­ Pmb. 033 342 9174/75 ber 1.