A S H E X OT I C S
October 6, 2016
Catch on e v i l s u FM
Witness
Dealers in Superfine, Exotic and Sports Cars 534/550 Church Street, Pietermaritzburg
WHEELS
104 L A T I P A C ays d r u t a S 910 am
Contact Ash 083 786 3377 • Tel: 033 342 4717 / 033 345 1971 Rafik: 083 786 3311 Email: ashgani@telkomsa.net •www.ashcarsales.co.za
EDITOR ALWYN VILJOEN: 082 4589 332 ADVERTISING AVIR THULSIRAM: 084 278 3447
INSIDE: Brian Bassett folds his sixfoot self into the Ford EcoSport… and finds enough leg room everywhere. — PAGE 3 PHOTO: QUICKPIC The latest trends in power trains and vehicle design, as shown at the Paris Motor Show. — PAGE 4 PHOTO: RENAULT Military collectibles are now a thing, after an auction of working World War 2 vehicles saw new world record prices for anything, from this Harley Davidson WLA 750cc to bicycles, Jeeps and tanks. — PAGE 4 Quess who made this car — Peugeot? Nissan/Renault? Perhaps Daihatsu? No, its a SsangYong and a World Car nominee. — PAGE 7
WAS Amarok 2016 Amarok Double Cab Automatic 132kW 2016 Amarok Double Cab 2.0 BiTDI Highline Auto 4Motion Polo Vivo 2016 Polo Vivo 1.6 Comfortline 2016 Polo Vivo 1.4 Conceptline 2016 Polo Vivo Sedan 1.4 Blueline 2016 Polo Vivo 1.4 Conceptline 2016 Polo Vivo Street Polo 2016 Polo GP 1.2 Highline DSG 2016 Polo Sedan 1.4 Comfortline 2016 Polo Sedan 1.5 TDI Comfortline 2016 Polo GP 1.2 Comfortline Golf 2016 Golf SV TDI Comfortline DSG 2016 Golf 7 GTI TSI DSG 2016 Golf 7 TSI Comfortline 2016 Golf 7 TSI R DSG 2016 Golf 7 GTI TSI DSG 2016 Golf 7 1.4 TSI Comfortline Other VW 2016 Jetta TSI Comfortline 2016 Tiguan TSI Trend & Fun 4x2 BlueMotion 2016 Passat TSI R-Line DSG 2016 Passat TSI Highline 2016 Passat TSI Comfortline DSG 2016 Passat TSI R-Line DSG 2016 Move up! 1.0 2016 Cross up! 1.0 2015 Colour up! 1.0 2016 Cross up! 1.0
NOW
SAVE
White Black
3 500 km R509 900 R479 900 R30 000 7 500 km R509 900 R489 000 R20 900
Design P Design P White Design P Black
4 000 4 500 6 000 3 000 5 000
km km km km km
R185 900 R172 900 R172 900 R172 900 R182 900
R175 900 R159 900 R161 900 R159 900 R172 900
R10 000 R13 000 R11 000 R13 000 R10 000
White White Brown Red
5 000 6 000 5 500 6 500
km km km km
R289 900 R235 900 R274 900 R249 900
R274 900 R219 900 R259 900 R235 900
R15 000 R16 000 R15 000 R14 000
White Silver Blue Blue Silver White
6 000 4 000 6 000 5 000 6 000 6 500
km km km km km km
R384 900 R494 900 R359 000 R595 900 R434 900 R309 900
R359 900 R469 900 R339 900 R559 900 R425 900 R289 900
R25 000 R25 000 R19 100 R36 000 R9 000 R20 000
White White Red Brown Silver Blue Red Red White Red
5 000 km 5 000 km 5 000 km 15 000 km 16 000 km 11 500 km 4 000 km 7 500 km 3 000 km 5 000 km
R334 900 R375 900 R569 900 R429 000 R395 000 R469 000 R149 900 R175 900 R188 900 R182 900
R309 900 R349 900 R524 900 R389 000 R379 900 R419 000 R139 900 R167 900 R185 900 R174 900
R25 000 R26 000 R45 000 R40 000 R15 100 R50 000 R10 000 R8 000 R3 000 R8 000
Mastercars Sales Consultants: Laurie - 082 783 8040 • Rajen - 072 228 9834 • Sanjay - 083 639 0989 • Barry - 072 235 4244 • Phumlani - 073 017 1294 *The advised price exclude the 2 year Mastercars Warranty. The Mastercars Warranty is available as an option and is a contract between the customer, an insurer and administrator. This extended Warranty is not available for all Amarok and Light Commercial Vehicle models. Terms & conditions apply. While stocks last.
Visit us on www.baronsvwpmb.co.za and find us on facebook.com/BaronsPietermaritzburg
Voted “Volkswagen Dealer of the Year 2014 & 2015”
Barons Pietermaritzburg
9 Armitage Road, Pietermaritzburg, 3201 • Tel: 033 845 3100
Driver trainer Stanley Dlamini shows Wheels why modern trucks are more complex than singleengined aircraft. More on the scary state of SA’s transport on PAGE 6. PHOTO: ALWYN VILJOEN
The Audi A3 Sportback. Way ahead.
Image depicted is a representation.
Own the Audi A3 Sportback 1.0T FSI now from only R398 500. The Audi A3 combines aesthetics with intuitive functionality. Both the TFSI and TDI models feature Audi drive select, which lets you control the way the car performs at the touch of a button. They are also the only models in their segment to offer quattro permanent all-wheel drive which boosts traction and driving pleasure. Add to this a luxurious interior, impressive infotainment system and a striking exterior that gives it an energetic appearance.
A brief moment. The blink of an eye. Sometimes that is as long as it takes to provoke enthusiasm. One glance at an Audi A3 is enough to sense that this is one of those moments.
Audi Centre Pietermaritzburg 9 Armitage Road, Pietermaritzburg, 3201. Tel: 033 397 8800. www.audipietermaritzburg.co.za
New Vehicle Sales | Nathi Mncube • Cameron Govender • Imdaad Hoosan Pre-owned Vehicle Sales | Mandla Mkhize • Mark van Rijsbergen Anwar Charfaray • Pre-owned Manager: Riaz Mahomed
BP Advertising
PHOTO: NEW ATLAS
Both madeinMaritzburg racing Fords won podiums at the Sun City 450. — PAGE 8 PHOTO: QUICKPIC
2
WitnessWheels MOTORING
October 6, 2016
Renault on clean exhausts
Limited run of Volvo’s quickest car yet Volvo has imported a limited run of the S60 Polestar, the quickets Volvo yet. Only 45 units are on offer for R749 500, whic price includes a fiveyear or 100 000 km warranty and a full maintenance plan. The 270 kW and 470 Nm 2,0lire engine shunts this S60 from zero to 100 km/h in just 4.7 seconds. PHOTO: QUICKPIC
Other carmakers also guilty of cheating European emission tests FOLLOWING the shock findings of a government probe into emissions cheating that has rocked the European car industry, which Wheels published last week, Renault said it would coop erate fully to reestablish trust. France’s Environment minister Se golene Royal launched the probe into emissions cheating in 2015, a year after Volkswagen admitted to fitting 11mil lion cars with software designed to fool emissions tests in offroad conditions. In preliminary findings, published in July, the commission did not rule out that other carmakers were also guilty of using cheating software. The final report, which was issued midSeptember, stated that over four in five 201014 model year cars that met the Euro 5 standard of no more than 180 g/1 000 km nitrogenoxide in laboratory conditions, actually pro duce more than three times this level when driven on the road. Twothirds of new Euro 6 cars (most on sale since 2015) still produce more than three times the 80 g/1 000 km limit when driven on the road. Ironically, VW Group now produces the cleanest Euro 6 cars, followed by Seat, Skoda, Audi, BMW (including Mini) and Mazda. Renault, which includes Dacia, topped the Euro 5 cars with the worst emissions, followed by Land Rover, Hyundai, Opel/Vauxhall (including Chev) and Nissan.
Renault moved into the spotlight when the Financial Times quoted members of the inquiry team as saying that the report “omitted significant details”, and suspected that the inquiry was too lenient on Renault because of the government’s 20% stake in the carmaker. Royal denied these claims and said last week that additional tests were un der way to try to ensure that manufac turers cannot “game” or rig testing re sults. Renault boss Carlos Ghosn told AFP at the Paris car show that it was “necessary to reestablish trust”. Ghosn said that gaming ran “against the interest of carmakers” and said he hoped the European Automo bile Manufacturers’ Association ACEA would lay down rules as the in dustry needs “undiscutable measure ments”. The report on the widespread emis sions cheating stated excessive nitro genoxide emissions in cities lead to the premature death of 72 000 EU citi zens annually. The team who conduct ed did the probe blames the EU’s lax system of vehicle approval for this le thal air quality and added that fixing it will involve a series of steps, starting with enforcement of defeat device leg islation, including recall of cars. But ul timately “Europe must end its diesel addiction”, states the report. — AFPWR.
Impatience a killer on N3 THE main users of the N3, truck drivers, are braced against the reck less drivers who come out during the holiday season. Miles le Roux, transport engineer at N3 Toll Concession (N3TC), con firmed that impatient drivers contin ue to cause the most motor vehicle crashes on the N3 toll route. He said reckless drivers often commit a number of traffic offences posing a danger to themselves and other persons sharing the road with them. “It is worrying to note how many drivers, especially at peak times such as school holidays, be come impatient in traffic and as a result adopt unsafe driver behaviour, disregard safety and violate traffic laws,” said Le Roux. “The general attitude of South Af rican drivers remains poor. The ma jority of all crashes on the N3 toll
route are due to human behaviour and errors of judgement. Generally, it seems drivers show little respect for themselves, other road users and the law. They seem to be proud of breaking the law and getting away with it,” said Le Roux. The dominant types of crashes on the N3 toll route during the first part of 2016 were: • Vehicles rolling — 23,8% • Leaving the road — 22,0% • Crashing into stationary vehicles — 14,4% “Drivers need to be aware of just how dangerous driving actually is. They are often not skilled enough for the speeds and conditions they en counter on the road. If we truly want to overcome our road safety challenges, drivers will have to take responsibility for their actions and change their behaviour.” — WR.
September a bleak month for SA, U.S. THE recession in the domestic new vehi cle market had accelerated significantly during September, according to the lat est sales numbers reported by the Na tional Association of Automobile Man ufacturers of South Africa (Naamsa). All major segments reflecting double digit or near double digit declines. Only 47 399 vehicles were reported sold, a substantial decline of 7 904 vehicles (or a fall of 14,3%) compared to the 55 303 vehicles sold in September last year. Even exports of new motor vehicles had also reflected a yearonyear decline. Aggregate industry export sales at 32 876 vehicles for September, 2016 re flected, somewhat surprisingly, a decline of 2 278 vehicles or a fall of 6,5% com pared to the 35 154 vehicles exported in September last year. Domestic sales of industry new light commercial vehicles, bakkies and mini buses at 12 879 units during September, 2016 had also turned sharply weaker re flecting a decline of 2 243 units or a fall of 14,8% compared to the 15 122 light commercial vehicles sold during the cor responding month last year. Sales of vehicles in the medium and heavy truck segments of the industry at 783 units and 1 780 units, respectively, had also registered substantial falls and, in the case of medium commercial vehi cles, reflected a decline of 77 units or nine percent and in the case of heavy trucks and buses, a decline of 216 vehicles or a fall of 10,8% compared to the corre sponding month last year. More gloom ahead Naamsa said in a statement dealers ex pected the negative trend to continue over the medium term, given the present difficult economic environment in South Africa. “Domestically, the short to medium term outlook remained unfavourable. Double digit new vehicle price increases, low levels of consumer and business con fidence and relatively high interest rates would continue to pressurise sales of
For more information on Witness Wheels advertising Contact Avir on 033 355 1152 or 084 278 3447 Avir@witness.co.za
A weak rand and lack of credit are hampering car sales at new car dealers as well as on used car lots throughout SA. PHOTO: FILE new motor vehicles, particularly new cars,” said Naamsa. The only ray in a gloomy cloud is the expectation that momentum of new ve hicle exports would improve further over the balance of 2016. For the year and into 2017, new vehicle exports should contribute positively to South Africa’s current account of the balance of payments reinforced by lower vehicle imports on the back of declines in the domestic market. One key economic indicator which provided some basis for optimism was the reassuring recovery in South Africa’s Purchasing Manager’s Index in Septem ber, 2016 which had recorded an im pressive rise of 3,2 points to 49,5 in Sep tember — just below the key benchmark of 50. Other major international Pur chasing Manager’s indices had also reg istered welcome improvement. U.S. also sees less cars sold South Africa is not alone in suffering a recession in car sales. Reuters reports major automakers in the U.S. reported their second straight decline in monthly U.S. sales, after heavy discounting failed to bring demand up to last year’s robust
September sales. Twentyfour economists polled by Thomson Reuters expect September sales of 17,3 million vehicles in the U.S., with estimated declines ranging up to 2,5% — or over 432 000 vehicles on a seasonally adjusted annualised basis. Just this monthly drop in unit sales in the U.S. is almost 10 times more than SA’s total sales in September. As car dealers are doing in South Afri ca, U.S. automakers are trying to attract buyers with discounts, on average at $3 923, or R53 612 per new vehicle sold. Eight analysts polled by Reuters ex pect U.S. sales declines of 2,3% for Gen eral Motors Co., 8,5% for Ford Motor Co. and 1,3% for Fiat Chrysler Automo biles. Six analysts polled by Reuters showed expectations that Toyota Motor Corporation’s U.S. sales would show a 1,1% rise; Honda Motor Co., up 0,9%; and thencombined sibling companies Hyundai Motor Co and Kia Motors Cor poration, a 0,3% increase. Nissan Motor Company, the first to report on Monday, said its September U.S. sales were 127 797 vehicles, up five percent, against expectations of analysts who forecast a 0,4% decline. — WR.
TAXI COUNCIL SHOWS DRIVERS HOW SANTACOKZN is conducting road shows at the two largest taxi ranks in each of the council’s 16 KZN re gions to promote road safety and excellent customer service among taxi drivers. The first road show was held at Port Shepstone and Umzinto yes terday and the shows today move to eThekwini, with stops at the Durban Station and Soldier Way
taxi ranks. SantacoKZN will also be promoting its Best Taxi Driver com petition, which sees passengers vote for drivers by paidfor SMS, as well as driver training programmes that aim to transform the taxi in dustry’s image. The road shows form part of the council’s struggle to rid the industry of unlicensed operators who give all taxi owners a bad name. — WR.
MOTORING WitnessWheels
October 6, 2016
Useful, smart and safe THE EcoSport world car was largely designed in Brazil and is now built in factories as far apart as India, Viet nam, Russia and South America. The vehicle has been a best seller from South Africa to Argentina since its first introduction in 2011 and, with the advent of the second genera tion, introduced to South Africa in 2013, the popularity of this, Ford’s fourth world car, has continued to grow. Last month saw 987 units sold in South Africa, despite the car reces sion reported on page 2, and world wide Ford wants to sell two million units over time, which appears en tirely possible. There is nothing new about the concept of a world car. The cost of developing, testing and launching a new model is around R20 billion. In order to make new models af fordable worldwide, a basic vehicle is designed for a market segment and tweaked to meet the needs of the country of sale. Behold the South Af rican Ford EcoSport. Our thanks to Darryl Topper, deal er principal of Barlow World Ford Pi etermaritzburg, for allowing us ac cess to the car, as well as my old friend Nigel Lawson, for allowing me the use of his recentlyacquired Eco Sport to extend my understanding of its handling. Styling There is no way to go with an urban SUV other than up. So the EcoSport is chunky and tall. Ford’s kinetic design language, as used in the Fiesta and Kuga models, works well on the EcoSport. The front end is typically Ford, with smiling grille flanked by fog/ daylight running lights and swept back headlights connected by a small, chromed grille with a centred Ford badge. The roof rails will handle a container for the family luggage while on holiday and the rear, side opening door with its butch external spare wheel, adds to the overall mas culine design of a distinctive vehicle. Interior The EcoSport’s interior is easily ac cessed via wide door openings — no mountaineering skills are necessary. First impressions are of spaciousness and comfort. The vehicles we drove both had leather seats and the easily adjustable, high driving position made navigating traffic easy and con veyed a feeling of command and con trol. The multifunction, tactile, completelyadjustable steering wheel controls functions like Blue tooth connectivity, cruise control and the multispeaker radio, CD, Aux and USB connections. The car is also equipped with Ford’s Sync Driver Connect system, a unique voice command system de veloped with Microsoft. The Eco Sport shares a dash with the Fiesta, so there are a great number of but tons to be mastered. Dials are directly in front of the driver and well lighted at night. The car has electric windows and side mirrors and the aiconditioning is easy to operate and very effective. At the rear the EcoSport comes in to its own. The high roof provides comfortable seating for adults above 1,8 metres and long legs like mine are
easily stowed, making long journeys a pleasure. Shoulder room is also considerable and the generous bod ied will not feel cramped. Because the spare wheel is firmly attached to the back door, Ford man ages to squeeze 375 litres out of the rear luggage space, which triples when the rear seats are lowered. I rather liked the wideopening tail gate, but you need to be careful when parking to ensure that it does not open onto adjacent vehicles or walls. Safety and Security The EcoSport has a Euro NCAP 4star rating and can be regarded as safe. The vehicle is constructed of highstrength Boron steel to add ri gidity and strength to the cabin in the event of an accident. Also on board is the usual ABS with EBD, six front, side and curtain airbags, Hill Launch Assist, Traction Control and rear ISOFIX seat an chors for child seats. There is also rear Park Assist and autoon for headlamps and wipers. Central lock ing and an alarm system complete the portrait of a safe, family car. Performance and Handling The EcoSport’s 1,5 litre, fourcylin der, turbodiesel engine puts out 74 kW/205 Nm, expressed on road via a fivespeed, manual gearbox. With its front Macpherson struts and rear beam suspension, the ride is smooth on conventional road sur faces and in town the car is in its ele ment. Parking is easy and the small diesel engine provides the torque needed to manoeuvre in traffic with ease. The car is both athletic and in volving, with good steering authori ty and balanced grip. The EcoSport is not fast, 0100 km/h coming up in around 14 seconds and a top speed of about 160 km/h, but it is smooth and re warding. Fuel consumption should be around 5,5 l/100 km. On DRoads in the Durban area I was surprised at the vehicle’s stabili ty and responsiveness. The car’s 200 mm ground clearance removes the danger of potholes and ruts and, despite the fact that it has front wheel drive, there appears to be a great deal of grip, even in tight corners. Ford claims a wading depth of 550 mm, which is Land Rover country. The clutch is light enough to be pleasant to operate and gearshifts are a pleasure, while the roar of the little diesel when pushed is delightful. Ford does, however, not sell the EcoSport as an offroader, but as a solid family urban SUV, which will re spond to conventional needs in a ro bust fashion. It is, however a pity that a 4x4 version is unavailable in South Africa. Costs and the Competition The Ford EcoSport 1.5 TDCi Titani um will cost you round R300 000. It comes with a manufacturer’s guarantee and a fouryear/ 60 000 km service plan. There are six models in the range. The entry, 1,5 Ambiente comes in at about R235 000. Remember that these days there are often specials and dis counts. Also look at Honda HRV, Renault Duster, Mazda CX3 and Opel Mokka amongst others.
3
BRIAN BASSETT finds a comfortable fit for both wallet and body in the Ford EcoSport 1.5 TDCi
The Ford EcoSport can load lots and the rear bench has plenty of legroom for even the tallest of today’s teenagers, despite the driver’s seat being pushed all the way back. PHOTO: QUICKPIC
4
WitnessWheels MOTORING TRENDS
October 6, 2016
Yanks not ready for robots Six in 10 Americans don’t think they’ll see roads filled with autonomous cars in their lifetime WITH new vehicle technologies being reported every day, autonomous (or self driving) vehicles are capturing the atten tion of the automotive industry, con sumers, dealers and developers alike. However, new research from Kelley Blue Book reveals that Americans are most comfortable with the vehicles cur rently on the road today, believing that they are significantly safer than models with a higher level of autonomy. This is just one of many interesting findings of the recent 2016 Kelley Blue Book Future Autonomous Vehicle Driv er Study, released on September 30 by Kelley Blue Book in the U.S. The vehicle valuators commissioned the national study to understand current consumer perceptions and misconcep tions of autonomous vehicles overall and by each level of autonomy. The survey found consumers are torn between the need for safety and the de sire for control, with 51% of respondents replying that they prefer to have full con trol of their vehicle, even if it’s not as safe for other drivers, while 49% prefer to have a safer roadway for all, even if that means they have less control over their own vehicle. There are six levels of vehicle autono my identified by the Society of Automo tive Engineers (SAE), from Level 0 (hu manonly control) to Level 5 (no human driver). According to the survey, awareness of the higher levels of vehicle autonomy is limited, with six out of 10 respondents admitting that they know little or noth
Only two in 10 Americans are ready for a future of robot transport like the Olli bus, currently on test in Washington DC and one of several similar buses being tested around the world. PHOTO: MANDEL NGAN/AFP/GETTY IMAGES ing about autonomous vehicles. For half of the survey respondents, the percep tion of safety and personal comfort with autonomous technology diminished as
the level of autonomy increased. When survey respondents were asked to make a choice between the different levels, Level 4 autonomy hits the “sweet
MercedesBenz readies for electric future THE inventor of the motorcar, Mer cedesBenz has detailed its plans for electric cars at the Paris Motor show. Member of the board of management of Daimler AG with responsibility for MercedesBenz cars sales, Ola Källenius, said electric drives are the future, which is why Daimler is investing massively in a new brand, EQ, which stands for elec tric intelligence, as well as a batteryelec tric fleet and in battery technology — including as an energy store for private and industrial use. MercedesBenz al ready offers a suitable charging infra structure for electric cars, including a wallbox as a fastcharging station for the home, the free app “Charge&Pay” for convenient recharging at public charg ing stations, as well as — for homeown ers and businesses — stationary energy storage units for the power generated by photovoltaic or solar systems. Mer cedes Benz Cars aims to have over 10 all electric vehicles in its portfolio and is in vesting €1 billion in its global battery production network, half of which will go into a second battery factory at the site in Kamenz, Saxony. The concept vehicle “Generation EQ”, which celebrates its world premiere in Paris, provides a concrete preview of a completely new generation of vehicles from Mercedes Benz while showcasing the benefits for customers from the close linking of all four CASE pillars. At the same time, the concept vehicle repre
A curved future The Renault Trezor is a concept electric car that turned the most heads at the recent Paris Motor Show. Renault said the 260 kW, 380 Nm grand tourer can go from 0 to 100 km/h in four seconds thanks to its Formula E based powertrain, and will shape future Renaults. PHOTO: RENAULT
Daimler sees a future of electric vehicles and is investing massively in a new brand, EQ, which stands for electric intelligence. PHOTO: QUICKPIC sents the starting signal for the new EQ brand, under which Mercedes Benz is bringing together all its electricmobili ty activities. The vehicle comes with ex tensive infotainment features, an induc tive charging capability, which requires no cable, and automated driving func tions. The electric drive system has a range of up to 500 kilometres. Källenius said the electric cars un veiled at the Paris Motor Show demon strate that attractive and highperform ing electric cars will soon dominate the streetscape. The cars use two electric motors on the front and rear axles, which produce a total output of up to 300 kW,
depending on configuration. In combi nation with the intelligent operating strategy from MercedesBenz, the “Generation EQ” has a range of up to 500 kilometres. The allnew control and display concept for “Generation EQ” dispenses with traditional switches, ex cept for the electric seat adjustment typ ical of Mercedes. In the driveroriented cockpit, the fo cus is on simple, touchbased control. The digital user experience differenti ates the “Generation EQ” from the fa miliar control logic of today’s vehicles, while giving a peek into the future of user interaction at MercedesBenz. — WR.
spot” by providing all the benefits of full vehicle autonomy without stripping away the option of driver control. This is not surprising, considering
80% of respondents believe that people should always have the option to drive themselves, and 64% prefer to be in control of their vehicles. In fact, most consumers (62%) do not think they will live to see a world where all vehicles are fully autonomous. If vehicles at all levels of autonomy were available by 2020, 59% of consum ers would be likely to purchase a Level 3 or higher autonomous vehicle that is capable of driving itself for extended pe riods of time. Not surprisingly, the study found that most young Americans, the socalled Gen Z between 12 and 15 years old, say they are ready to get on board and believe they will see fully autonomous vehicles in their lifetime. More importantly, six in 10 of their parents, the 25 to 34yearold Millenni als who have actual purchasing power today, report they would feel safe in a robot car. Nine in 10 of their grandparents, the 51 to 64yearold Baby Boomers are not, however, keen on letting the robot take the steering wheel out of their hands. The majority of the 2 200 Americans surveyed, (63%) believe that roadways would be safer if autonomous vehicles were standard; however, 37% think that roadways are safer with vehicles operat ed by people. In addition, 60% of respondents would share their vehicle information for more efficient roadways, while 40% prefer to keep their travels private. — Wheels Reporter.
Volvo robot cars by 2021 VOLVO plans to sell a selfdriving vehicle to consumers in five years. Speaking at the Global Mobility Lead ership Forum in Detroit last week, Volvo CEO Hakan Samuelsson told AP the car will have a steering wheel but consumers can pay $10 000 (R137 000) extra for a full autopilot system that will let them relax while the car drives itself. Samuelsson said Volvo is already making early versions of the vehicles. They will be tested in Sweden next year and in London and China in 2018. Both Ford and Volvo have announced plans to create carsharing fleets, but Volvo’s consumerfocused strategy differs from those of Ford, which plans a selfdriving car in five years that will not have a steer ing wheel, fuel or brake pedals. Earlier this year, Ford, Volvo, Google,
Volvo plans to have robot cars on the road in the next five years. PHOTO: VOLVO Uber and Lyft had launched the SelfDriv ing Coalition for Safer Streets initiative, which aims to shape laws to govern self driving cars in the U.S. — WR.
The FCV Plus concept car shows where Toyota sees transport going, becoming part transport, part electric generators PHOTO: TOYOTA
CARS THAT HELP TO POWER HOMES TOYOTA’s FCV Plus is designed to double as a clean energy source and to operate as part of the “electric powergenerating infrastructure”, helping to protect the en vironment and provide a measure of en ergy security in the process. Unveiled at the recent Paris Motor Show, Toyota said the FCV Plus is a car and a mobile power source, able to be used as a “stable source of electric pow er” for the home, to feed back into the grid or to charge other cars. Apart from generating electricity us ing its stored hydrogen, the FCV Plus can
use hydrogen from an external source to generate electricity for a purpose other than driving, and without the danger of running the fuel tank dry. It’s also possi ble to remove the fuel cell stack, which is positioned between the front wheels, and use it independently of the car as a portable generator. Unlike other car builders, the world’s biggest car seller does not see a future in electric cars and has committed itself to fuel cell vehicles. It plans to build 30 000 fuel cell vehicles next year, but said the FCV Plus is still a decade or more in the future. — WR.
MOTORING WitnessWheels
October 6, 2016
5
War wheels an investment Collectors spent over R57,3 million on 80yearold military vehicles at DDay sale in France This Jeep is the most expensive ever sold, fetching over R1,5 million.
This 105 mm calibre Chrysler M4 Sherman sold for R4,5 million at a DDay sale by auction house Artcurial in Paris last week.
The American Cushman M53A scooter was designed to be parachuted behind enemy lines. This one fetched over R2,2 million, a new world record.
The General Motors amphibious, all wheeldrive, dual axle DUKW, known the world over as a “duck”, pioneered the tyre pressure modification system still used in modern military vehicles and rallyraid race offroad vehicles.
MIKE HANLON PARIS auction house Artcurial last week held its DDay sale, where the entire con tents of the Normandy Tank Museum went under the hammer. The museum was situated just a short walk from the Normandy beaches where the offensive team of 156 000 Allied sol diers was pitted against a wellprepared defence of 50 000 German troops, with both sides having the greatest array of firepower ever assembled to that time. The auction was a truly extraordinary event, fetching €3 714 675 (over R57,3 million), which was much more than the top estimates of all the lots combined and which may show that mil itary collectibles is a new investment portfolio. Not surprisingly, tanks filled the top six most expensive lots sold, with three motorcycles setting world record prices too. The prize lot at the DDay sale was the Sherman M4A4 tank, which fetched €364 000 (R5,6 million). Powered by a 500 hp V8 Ford engine, the Sherman M4A4 was capable of 10 times the first
tank’s speed (40 km/h for 193 km) and sported a 75 mm M3 L/40 cannon on the turret (90 rounds on board), and a secondary 50 mm Browning machine gun (300 rounds) for close combat. Numerous other world price records were broken and the perspective of the military collectibles market was slightly shaken at the values achieved. War on two wheels Contrary to all the postwar propaganda movies, bicycles and horse drawn carts moved far more soldiers during WW2 than tanks, motorbikes and Jeeps. As the inevitability of an invasion of Europe became clear, the British and American governments asked many mo torcycle manufacturers to produce light weight bicycles and motorcycles capable of being airdropped into the battle space. Among the bicycles, America’s Co lumbia company quickly made a name for its reliability to move Marines, a rep utation it capitalised on after the war. The U.S. Marines also used the Cush man M53A scooter, which was specifi
Germany’s Bayerische Motoren Werke, (BMW) made the best motorbikes during WW2, and this R75 with its sidecar fetched a new world record price at over R2,6 million.
cally built to be delivered by glider or parachute behind enemy lines. The Art curial sale set a world record price for the Cushman M53A of €142 600 (over R2,2 million) against a presale estimate of €20 000. The most common of the airborne motorcycles became the Royal Enfield Flying Flea. This ultralightweight 125 cc twostroke was capable of 55 km per litre, and had a top speed of 72 km/h. Over 7 000 of the motorbikes were manufac tured, then fitted into tubular steel cra dles capable of withstanding a parachute landing. Remarkable for its simplicity and in genuity was the 500 cc M20 single fold ing motorbike built by Birmingham Small Arms, or BSA, which company built the motorcycle of choice of the British military. BSA’s solution for para troopers was a lowcost, lightweight folding bicycle which the commando could carry, jump and land with, and be immediately mobile. Around 70 000 units were produced during the war. Germany’s BMW, however, proved to be the best motorcycle on the battlefield
America’s Columbia bicycle company was quick to capitalise on its reputation for making durable bikes that transported Marines during WW2.
and, like Volkswagen, became a global brand using the sound design and un stoppability of its wartime product as the foundation. A BMW R75 and sidecar set a new world price record for the mod el at €169 000 (over R2,6 million) and is now one of the top 100 most expensive motorcycles sold at auction. Despite being an inferior machine in service compared to the German parallel twin BMWs, the Harley Davidson brand name went global over the 14 months following DDay and in a world where a Japanese, then Korean, then Chinese manufacturer can copy anything, Har leyDavidson’s brand values still cannot be replicated. The HarleyDavidson WLA 750 cc be came the new world record holder for the model at the DDay sale, selling for €66 960 (R1,03 million). General purpose vehicles The Willys Jeep became the Allies’ me chanical horse. Formally known as the U.S. Army Truck, 1/4 ton, 4x4, the Jeep was the most recognisable of a new breed of vehicle developed to go over
land. It’s another military technology that evolved into a global brand name. Essentially the prototype for the four wheel drive utility vehicles we know to day, 350 000 were manufactured during World War 2. What we know now as Volkswagen (People’s Car) got its start in 1934 when Ferdinand Porsche was asked to develop an affordable car for the German people. Commercialised in 1937, Porsche had al ready been asked to develop a 950 kg military vehicle based on “the beetle” that would transport four people and their equipment and the Type 82 was created. Nicknamed the Kübelwagen (“tub car”), and only 2WD, it was light enough to go places heavier 4WD mod els could not, and earned a fine reputa tion in the field, with 55 000 Type 82s in service. The lessons learned in wartime about the already exceptional Porsche design enabled Volkswagen to build a brand around reliability and affordability which is today one of the largest auto mobile manufacturers in the world. — New Atlas.
Volkswagen learned a lot in the field with the Kübelwagen. This model sold for €68 200 (over R1 million) at the DDay sale. PHOTOS: NEW ATLAS
6
WitnessWheels TRANSPORT MOTORING
October 6, 2016
The scary state of transport To defuse our trucking time bomb, industry leaders start with the nut that holds the steering wheel TO help promote safer roads in SA, Mer cedesBenz South Africa (MBSA) has opened its driver training facility at Zwartkops in Pretoria to all commercial vehicle drivers during October, which is Transport Month 2016. Drivers of any type of truck, bus or van are welcome to apply to be trained free of charge but FleetBoard driver training manager Megenthran Naidoo told Wheels there is space left for about 20 drivers to take part in the twoday training sessions. Naidoo said that well over 200 drivers will be trained to drive defensively free of charge during the six day work weeks of Transport Month. Naeem Hassim, head of Fuso Trucks Southern Africa, said MBSA will be us ing the group’s FleetBoard Professional Driver Training programme to measure the drivers’ progress. “A welltrained and healthy driver is a safer driver. By producing safer drivers through or train ing, we are fitting in perfectly with the Transport Month’s theme of ‘Together we move South Africa forward’,” said
Hassim. Scary skorokoros The launch was attended by Patrick “pullnopunches” O’Leary, editor of Fleetwatch magazine and founder of the Brake and Tyre Watch programme, which has in the past five years randomly checked 679 trucks on SA’s highways. O’Leary said 68% of all the trucks that were randomly pulled off the road in SA were unsafe to drive, never mind being unroadworthy. A more shocking statistic, said O’ Leary, is that nine in 10 drivers should not be driving because of their health, eyesight or attitude, and almost half of the drivers tested (43%) had profession al driver permits that had long expired. O’Leary said the sorry state of SA’s transport is rooted in the fact that any body can become a truck operator in SA. He said the majority of trucks on the road are owned by medium or small fleet operators “where anything goes”, from untrained drivers with fake licenses to
The heroes who are working hard behind the scenes to help make SA’s truck drivers safer (from left): paramedic Phillip Hull, Aspen fleet MD Sujen Padayatchi, vice president of MBSA group affairs Mayur Bhana, Fleetwatch editor and founder of Brake and Tyre Watch Patrick O’Leary, and Aspen driver trainer Charles Rauch. PHOTO: ALWYN VILJOEN trucks with no brakes, all of which add up to the type of crash that left 23 people dead at the bottom of Fields Hill. “These operators don’t even know or care about their obligations as listed in section 45 of the National Road Traffic Act,” O’Leary said. Medical ID for drivers Director of the Road Safety Foundation and founder of Community Medical Services, paramedic Phillip Hull, said he estimates SA’s real annual road death toll to be closer to 25 000 than the official 15 000. Hull has been working at crash scenes on Van Reenen’s Pass for 34 years and confirmed that inexperienced young drivers, often from Swaziland or Zimb abwe, try to slow their loaded rigs while going down the notorious pass by using the foot brake instead of the engine brake or retarder, with the result that the brakes become so hot that the truck is set alight. Hull is working on ways for paramed
ics to identify victims’ medical needs at crash scenes. Hull said all too often, the bodies of drivers who have died on the road lie unidentified at morgues for months. Tertius Wessels, MD of the Corridor Empowerment Project, said the initia tive, which has enjoyed MBSA support since its inception, has saved 6 000 lives of HIVpositive drivers and spouses who are taking ARVs. He said the project, which now has 22 wellness centres and 10 mobile units throughout SA, is work ing on a cloudbased app on which fleet operators can store drivers’ details. Better food on the cards Hull said the salt and sugarrich diets, linked to the sedentary lifestyles of long distance drivers in SA, is a lethal health mix, and suggusted driver training should include telling drivers that they will contract type two diabetics if they maintain a diet of pap and vleis, washed down with a litre of Coke on top of no exercise.
Dr Sujen Padayatchi, MD of Aspen Lo gistics and one of the MBSA’s key cus tomers, told Wheels that his company is testing justaddwater meal packs that will go a long way to provide three bal anced meals and snacks for drivers in a day. Padayatchi, who qualified as a medi cal doctor in England before returning to run the fleet business founded by his father, Radha Padayatchi, said the aim is to provide the meals, snacks and two litres of lowsugar energy drink for about R15 per item, or R75 in total. “We are still testing the dehydrated packs with our drivers, but already other fleets are asking for it,” he said. MBSA driver trainer Stanley Dlamini said the sooner fleet operators and driv ers realise road safety starts in the cab, the sooner SA’s roads will become safer. Where to book To book for MBSA’s complementary driver training, please contact Megenthran Nai doo by sending an email to megenth ran.naidoo@daimler.com or by phoning 012 677 1744. Terms and conditions apply.
New Oz camouflage system can instantly change a vehicle’s colour AT the Land Forces conference in Ade laide, Australia, earlier this month, a de velopment in military tech was present ed that brings autocamouflaging tanks a step closer to reality. To find out more about the technolo gy behind the idea, we asked Peter Mur phy from the University of South Austra lia (UniSA), to explain what goes into making a colourchanging military tank. He answered as follows. “The concept of colourchanging tanks, able to change their camouflage pattern in real time in the battlefield to adapt to changing surroundings, is one of the holy grails of modern military de ception. “Even in the modern theatre of war, preventing initial detection by the hu man eye is the primary goal in deceiving the enemy. “The limitation of present camou flage technology is that it is generally a static system that has been painted onto the structure it is protecting. “Such camouflage patterns come in a variety of forms to typically suit either woodland, desert or snowbased envi ronments. Adaptive camouflage would have the capability to work across all of these environments, much like a chame leon or octopus is able to change colour to suit the surroundings it is in. “A group of researchers from the Uni versity of South Australia’s Future In dustries Institute has been working in partnership with scientists from Austra lia’s Defence Science and Technology Group [DST Group] on developing adaptive camouflage using materials known as conducting polymers. “These materials are effectively plas tics that conduct electricity. “By applying a very thin coating of these materials to a surface and sur rounding them with an electrolyte, it is
A researcher shows the various tank colours that can be achieved with an electrical current. PHOTO: AUSTRALIAN ARMY CULTANA TRAINING FACILITY, DEFENCE SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY GROUP possible to make them change colour when a voltage is applied to them. By using conducting polymers with varying chemical structures, different colour changes can be achieved. “The conducting polymers and elec trolyte are housed in a transparent sand wichlike structure (the electrochromic cell) that is sealed around the edges. The faces of the cell can be made out of vari ous materials ranging from glass to poly carbonate or even Pet (polyethylene ter ephthalate), which is the material previ ously used to make overhead transparency sheets.
“Key to making this technology work in the real world is to ensure that the electrochromic cells are robust and lightweight. It is not unreasonable to ex pect the electrochromic cells to function in a temperature range from 40 degrees Celsius to 80 degrees Celsius, which is the requirement for parts produced for the automotive industry. The electro chromic cells also need to be able to sur vive shock, abrasion damage and be sta ble in UV light. “The current research at UniSA is fo cused on developing lightweight flexible electrochromic cells up to 20x20 cm.
These cells are able to be fixed to the outside of a tank (using strong double sided adhesive) and are wired together and connected to a battery for power supply. “In a fully functioning system, you would use cameras that would automati cally sense the surroundings/back ground and then adjust the electrochro mic camouflage cells to suit. “The colour change could occur over a time frame ranging from a few seconds to several tens of seconds. The rate of colour change can be adjusted to the lev el required. That is, it can be increased
or decreased according to the speed of the vehicle. A total colour change can be achieved in as little as one second if re quired. “Using this technology, the colour change pattern is determined by the coating process used to fabricate the cells. It is highly likely that a robotic spraycoating process would be used to produce the electrochromic cells at a commercial level. Such a process is ame nable to producing both block colour patterns and also complex patterned cells. In reality, the ability to produce complex patterns is likely to be most use ful, as it would allow a degree of com plexity to the patterns that would aid with the deception process. “Our most recent prototype cells in deed focus on producing complex pat terns, with changes in colour and colour intensity within a cell. “To date, we have only tested small arrays of the cells (such as those shown in the photo) and have recently complet ed transitioning the technology from glass to polycarbonate cells — halving the weight of the system. “The next stage of the project will see the technology evolve to fully flexible cells able to be bent over an edge or cor ner as you would find on vehicles. — New Atlas.
V
PETER MURPHY Professor at UniSA
A total colour change can be achieved in as little as one second if required.
MOTORING WitnessWheels
October 6, 2016
7
World Car nominees Half a dozen Korean models listed for global top vehicle and design awards ORGANISERS of the annual World Car Awards have released the nominations for the best cars. The nominations were based on Prime Research’s 2016 media report. Now entering its 13th year, the annual awards were inaugurated in 2003 to re flect realities in the global marketplace, as well as to recognise and reward auto motive excellence on an international scale. The awards are intended to com plement, not compete, with existing na tional and regional Car of the Year pro grammes. The cars on the lists are tested by 73 international motoring reporters who will vote for their favourites in a secret ballot in January. A slew of crossovers appear in the list, with the Audi Q2, Mazda CX9, Toyota CHR and Volkswagen Tiguan all look ing good, but the real surprises come from the Korean stables, with the Ssang Yong Tivoli and Kia Sportage compet ing against the usual names, while the Hyundai Elantra sets new benchmarks for sedans. In the Urban Car category, the Suzuki has two affordable models which will make their way to SA and the new Toyota Prius Prime has addressed all the issues green petrolheads had with this first hy brid car. But on paper, it looks like the new Chevrolet Bolt will nevertheless
CAR OF 2016 NOMINEES
With the new Nissan GTR shining in its absence among the World Car 2016 nominees, our money is on the Audi R8 to claim an overall win. PHOTO: QUICKPIC trump the venerable Prius and even the Telsa X in terms of affordable, eco friendly driving. In the notable absence of the latest iteration of the Nissan GTR
on the lists, our money at Wheels has to be on the Audi R8, which deserves a win as the first affordable supercar that is equally comfortable on the school run
as it is around the track. The jurors’ evaluations of the World Car of 2016 nominees can be seen on www.wcoty.com.
All systems go for longest test drive record attempt AFTER announcing its intention to set a new record for the World’s Longest Test Drive at the end of August 2016, Kia’s recordsetting attempt has seen over 30 000 motoring enthusiasts reg ister on www.kiaworldrecord.co.za to be part of history. Now, thanks to the overwhelming in terest in the allnew Kia Sportage and its journey throughout South Africa, Kia Motors has officially partnered with RecordSetter, an innovative and fast growing recordholding company in the U.S., as an officiator for the World’s Longest Test Drive. The test drive will see a fleet of all new Kia Sportages ferrying hundreds of motoring enthusiasts across the coun try as they play a part in not only making the 3 000odd kilometre relay adven ture happen, but also in setting an offi cial, globally recognised RecordSetter
RECALLS BY BMW AND HUSQVARNA DETROIT — BMW is recalling 4 000 SUVs in the U.S. and Canada to fix a new and potentially deadly prob lem with Takata airbag inflators. Meanwhile Husqvarna Motorcy cles announced a recall of certain frame numbers of TC, FC, TX, TE and FE models sold this year to check and, if necessary, replace the hand brake cylinder at dealers. BMW said in government docu ments that the driver’s front infla tor can separate from a plate, shooting out metal and other de bris. The companies traced the problem to incorrect welding at a Takata factory in Mexico. It’s differ ent from the problem that touched off the largest auto recall in U.S. history. In those vehicles, the am monium nitrate used to inflate the airbags can degrade over time and blow the inflators apart, spewing shrapnel. The recall covers certain BMW X3 and X4 SUVs from the 2015 model year, and X5s from 2014 and 2015. — APWR.
The SsangYong Tivoli Air shows Korea’s designers now totally get Eurocentric design. PHOTO: SSANGYONG
Over 30 000 motoring enthusiasts have registered to be part of the World’s Longest Test Drive record attempt with Kia. PHOTO: KIA World Record. To this end, RecordSetter will be joining Kia Motors South Africa on the marathon journey across South Africa
to document the drive and to ensure that a world first has been achieved. The RecordSetter world record data base hosts over 40 000 records from
more than 95 countries, with record holders including Jimmy Fallon, Shaq uille O’Neal and Tony Hawk. The orga nisation has been described by the New Yorker as “the Guinness Book of Records as Wikipedia is to the Encyclo paedia Britannica”. David Sieff, marketing director for Kia Motors SA said RecordSetters’ ap proach to world records made an excel lent fit to the innovative launch cam paign for the allnew Kia Sportage. The World’s Longest Test Drive starts in Durban on October 14, 2016 and ends at Cape Point on October 20 2016. The allnew Kia Sportage official ly makes its South African debut on Oc tober 21, 2016. Registrations closed at midnight on September 30 and partici pants were notified yesterday. Find more on Kiaworldrecord.co.za — Wheels Reporter.
Daimler, RenaultNissan alliance deepens THE strategic partnership between the RenaultNissan Alliance and Daimler AG is maturing as it enters its seventh year in 2016, the companies’ leaders said last week in their annual media up date during the Paris International Mo tor Show. When the DaimlerAlliance partner ship was launched in April 2010, the scope of the original collaboration was limited to three projects, primarily in Europe. Since then, the combined port folio shared between the partners is
growing in all fields (products, engines and crosssupplying) in Europe, Asia and the Americas. Major milestones of the past year in clude the allnew smart and the Renault Twingo electric vehicles that were built on a common platform by Daimler and the Alliance. Nissan and Daimler also broke ground on the new Aguascalientes plant in Mexico in 2015, which will pro duce Nissan’s nextgeneration premi um compact Infiniti models as well as
MercedesBenz hatches, starting in 2018. Next month will see Mercedes Benz provide further insights into the new Merc bakkie, based on Nissan’s new Navara, which is designed to be sold in Europe, Australia, South Africa and Latin America. The Nissan Decherd plant in Ten nessee, U.S. is also being expanded to meet local demand as well as export more engines to MercedesBenz plant in East London, as well as machined components to Germany. — Reuters..
Students still acting like they can’t die A SURVEY of university students in England show many drive while using their mobile phones, most break the speed limit, and a significant number also drink and drive. The survey, which was commis sioned by Ford, shows that worldwide, car crashes are the leading cause of death among young people, and in Europe, young people are almost twice as likely to be killed on roads com pared with the average person. Of those surveyed, 43% admitted
sending texts, 38% swipe through apps, and 36% take calls. Also, 60% speed and 13% drink drive. By com parison, of those who left school at 18, 45% admitted speeding, nine per cent drink driving, and 41% using their mobile phones while driving. The findings of the survey of 2 313 young people, who either study at university or left school at 18, were published as students across Europe prepare for Freshers’ Week, when new undergraduates traditionally begin a
heady round of partying to mark the start of their university life. Overall, 30% of university students admitted they had been in an acci dent, compared with 25% of those who left school at 18. Of those sur veyed, 48% said they would be tempted to drive a car overloaded with friends, 75% would be tempted to drive after little or no sleep, and 28% would be tempted to get into a car driven by someone they knew had been drinking. — Newspress.
Audi A5/S5 Coupé Audi Q2 Audi Q5 Buick LaCrosse Buick Envision Chevrolet Cruze Chrysler Pacifica Fiat/Abarth 124 Spyder Honda Civic Hyundai Elantra Hyundai Genesis G80 Infiniti Q60 Jaguar FPace Kia Cadenza Kia Rio Kia Sportage Mazda CX9 SEAT Ateca Skoda Kodiaq SsangYong Tivoli Air/XLV Subaru Impreza Toyota CHR Volkswagen Tiguan
World Urban Car 2017 BMW i3 (94 Ah) Citroën C3 Citroën EMehari Ford KA+ Smart Brabus Range Smart Cabriolet Suzuki Baleno Suzuki Ignis
Suzuki’s Ignis is a supermini with serious attitude. PHOTO: SUZUKI
World Luxury and Performance Car Audi R8 Spyder BMW 5 Series Bentley Bentayga Cadillac CT6 Cadillac XT5 Honda/Acura NSX Hyundai Genesis G90 Lexus LC500 Lincoln Continental MercedesBenz EClass MercedesAMG Roadster Porsche Boxster Cayman Range Rover Evoque Convertible Volvo S90/V90
The Toyota Prius Prime may do for hybrids what Optimus did for the Transformers. PHOTO: TOYOTA
World Green Car 2017 Audi Q7 etron 3.0 TDI quattro BMW 740e iPerformance Chevrolet Bolt Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid Honda Clarity FuelCell Car Hyundai Ioniq Kia Niro Hybrid MercedesBenz GLC 350 e (PlugIn Hybrid) Tesla Model X Toyota RAV4 Toyota Prius Prime
8
WitnessWheels MOTORING RACING
October 6, 2016
Rangers fly at Sun City 450 Toyota Gazoo stay unbeaten as Neil Woolridge Motorsport keep Class T title hopes alive CHARMAINE FORTUNE A SECOND win this season for Anthony Taylor and Denis Murphy with Chris Visser and Ward Huxtable keeping alive their Class T title hopes were the main highlights to emerge from the Produc tion Vehicle brigade on the Sun City 450, the penultimate round of the Do naldson Cross Country Motor Racing Championship last weekend. Former champions Taylor and Mur phy made sure the Toyota Gazoo Racing SA squad kept their unbeaten record over two seasons, with a comfortable win over teammates Zimbabwean Con rad Rautenbach and Rob Howie. Rauten bach was standing in for South African champion Leeroy Poulter, who recently underwent surgery to remove an anoma lous growth from the right side of his brain, with the two Toyota Hilux’s run ning in the FIA Class. Third place went to former champion Visser and Huxtable in the Neil Wool ridge Motorsport/Ford Performance Ranger, with the pair emerging un scathed from the Last Chance Saloon by winning Class T. A tremendous performance ensured Visser/Huxtable would take the Class T title all the way to the wire. Taylor and Murphy had nearly 12 min utes to spare on Rautenbach and Howie and led throughout the race. The per formance of the day, however, belonged to Visser and Huxtable, who took full ad vantage of a dreadful weekend for Jason Venter/Vince van Allemann (4x4 Mega World Toyota Hilux), who led the Class T championship going into the Sun City race. Venter/Van Allemann were plagued by all sort of problems. The pair eventually limped home in 14th place after a week end to forget with Venter’s father, Deon, and Jaco van Aardt the last of the finish ers in 15th place in a new car. Visser and Huxtable were a little for tunate when they picked up a puncture on the first of the two 152kilometre loops that made up the race, and the jack malfunctioned. The pair were rescued by
SA’s Dakar contender being tested by Giniel de Villiers Dirk von Zitzewitz. PHOTO: QUICPIC
NORTH WEST TEST RUN FOR DAKAR HILUX
Gareth Woolridge and Boyd Dreyer on their way to winning second place in Class T at the Sun City 450 last weekend. PHOTO: QUICKPIC teammates Gareth Woolridge and Boyd Dreyer, who lent them their jack. Team principal Neil Woolridge said other than the punctures on the first loop and the time lost with the failed jack on Visser’s car, it was a faultless weekend. “The guys drove well and both cars performed perfectly. Finally luck seems to have been on our side for a change. This means we’re right in it for the championship, and it’s going down to the wire at the final race. “The team has worked really hard over the past couple months, and all credit goes to them for this win after the low of the fire at our workshop, finding and preparing a car for Chris, completely re building Gareth’s car almost from scratch, and the high of our NWMbuilt Rangers finishing first and second in Brazil. It’s been a crazy period, but it’s fantastic to still be fighting for the cham pionship.” He can be especially proud of his
young drivers Woolridge/Dreyer, who again impressed with a mature perform ance to round off the top five and earn their third podium in the Tclass this season. The ever steady Johan van Staden and Mike Lawrenson in the RedLined Nis san Navara. Less than a minute separated the two with Van Staden and Lawrenson revelling in a “proper cross country” route. There was also a fine performance from Class S championship leaders Otto Graven and Bobby Brewis in the Graven Motorsport Toyota Hilux. The Kimber leybased crew finish sixth overall and increased their lead in the championship for cars under four litres with solid axle rear suspension. “We had a lot of fun and never had to get out of the car,” said Graven. Hennie de Klerk and Adriaan Roets, in their first outing in the Treasury One VW Amarok, were hampered by two flats and fought a duel with Terence
Marsh and Justin Hume (RedLined Nis san Navara) throughout the second loop. Marsh and celebrity navigator Hume, the marketing director for Sam sung, who suffered from a bout of mo tion sickness, were eighth overall and third in the FIA Class. The top 10 were rounded out by Johan and Werner Horn (Malalane Toyota Hilux) and the second Class S crew in Heinie Strumpher and Henri Hugo in the 4x4 Mega World To yota Hilux. For the Horn brothers, who started from the back of the field, it was a far better day than in the qualifying race when they had three punctures and only two spare wheels. The final event on the Donaldson cal endar will be the Atlas Copco 450 on the West Rand on October 28 and 29. The race will run in conjunction with the final rounds of the Northern Regions Cross Country Championship and the SA Cross Country Motorcycle and Quad Championships.
TOYOTA Gazoo Racing SA’s Giniel de Villiers and navigator Dirk von Zitzewitz were also in action in the Sun City 450 — albeit in an unoffi cial capacity to test the new Toyo ta Hilux Evo during the event, though they weren’t able to score points or assist their teammates in any way. “The goal with the To yota Hilux Evo was really for us to assess the new vehicle’s suspen sion in a realworld environment, and to do so over the course of a 450 kmlong race,” said team prin cipal Glyn Hall. “Usually we get to test new vehi cles over much shorter distances, and to be able to cover this dis tance so early in the new Toyota Hilux Evo’s life is invaluable. As such Giniel and Dirk did a fantastic job, and we have a lot of new data to analyse, thanks to their dedica tion this weekend.” The pair may field the Toyota Hi lux Evo again at the final round of the 2016 Donaldson CrossCountry championship, which takes place at the end of October in the Gaut eng town of Glen Harvie. — WR.
Petit Le Mans puts Simpson third in U.S. Aberdein ready for the Gulf SOUTH Africa’s U.S. IMSA PC star Stephen Simpson ended his year on a high in spite of some challenges at the series Petit Le Mans finale at Road At lanta in Georgia. Simpson, sharing with regular team mate RussoCanadian Misha Goikh berg and U.S. driver Chris Miller, drove the JDC Miller Motorsports HiTide Red Line Oreca Chevrolet to third in the WeatherTech Prototype Challenge race to wrap up third in the overall 2016 WeatherTech Prototype Challenge championship. “It was good to finish the season with a podium at Petit Le Mans,” Stephen admitted. “We had a good car right out of the box in first practice on Thursday and ended the session second, but after that we experienced oil pressure issues that hindered us for the remainder of the weekend. That also meant that we had very little track time and quite honestly, we did not expect that we would last very long in the race, but the old girl pulled through in the end. “My teammates did a great job and JDC Miller Motorsports were excep tional in adjusting our race strategy to make the most of our situation and get the car to the end — I was in the car for a long threehour stint to finish the race. Overall it was a shame we weren’t able to fight for the win, but under the circumstances a third place finish is a good end to our season. “It was a good year too,” Simpson
SA driver Stephen Simpson ended third overall in the WeatherTech Prototype Challenge championship in the U.S. PHOTO: MOTORSPORT MEDIA concluded. “We finished third in the Prototype Challenge drivers champi onship and won twice and now JDC Miller Motorsports embarks on a new challenge with our new Oreca in the top IMSA Prototype class.” Simpson and his teammates won the seasonopening Rolex Daytona 24 Hour in the PC class and he and regular teammate Goikhberg won again in Long Beach. JDC Miller are due to con firm their driver lineup for their 2017 campaign with their new Oreca 07 LMP2 racer. — Motorsport Media.
‘… quite honestly, we did not expect that we would last very long in the race, but the old girl pulled through in the end.’
SOUTH Africa’s German ADAC Formu la 4 rookie Jonathan Aberdein ended his German ADAC Formula 4 rookie season on a positive note with a strong sixth in the second heat, which put a positive spin on an otherwise trying weekend at the Hockenheim finale. The balance for Jonathan’s Hocken heim weekend was difficult to say the least, after a turbocharger problem ru ined his qualifying to see him start 21st after showing good pace in free practice. Aberdein nonetheless fought back up to 15th in race one before contact with an other car resulted in rear suspension damage, which caused him to drop back to finish 23rd. His qualifying issues also affected the final race grid, where he started 23rd be fore making his way up the field, only to be struck from behind and suffer a puncture. Jonathan pitted to change a tyre and rejoined to end 27th. He ended up 14th in the overall championship standings and a handy sixth in the Rook ie rankings. “My rookie year has been a very good one,” Aberdein said. “We have made good progress, learned so much and built a strong foundation for my single seater career. “Now I can’t wait for the UAE winter series and for what we have planned for next year — watch this space for news on that in the next few months.” Jonathan now heads to the Gulf for the Formula 4 UAE championships over
Jonathan Aberdein, SA’s rooky racer in the German ADAC Formula 4 series has proven his mettle. PHOTO: MOTORSPORT MEDIA 18 races and six rounds starting at the Yas Marina Grand Prix circuit in Abu Dhabi October 2829 and ending back there in March 2017. — Motorsport Media.
CV Joint speCialists
for CV joints, ball joints, tie rod ends, wheel bearings.
341 GReYlinG stReet Pmb. 033 342 9174/75