Wheels 18june 2015

GUESS THE CAR TO WIN A RIDE ­ P3

June 18, 2015

Witness

WHEELS

ASH CAR SALES Dealers in Superfine Exotic and Sports Cars Tel: 033 345 1971, 033 342 4717 Fax: 033 342 2900 - www.ashcarsales.co.za

2011 VW GOLF 6 R 2,0 DSG PADDLE SHIFT 55 000 km, black leaqther, 1 owner, FSH, 19" mags, glass sunroof, led xenons, tint, heated seats, MFS, rear PDC. Bank finance available

R359 995

Contact Ash on 083 786 3377 (PMBurg) 550 Church Street, Pietermaritzburg 3201 PO Box 8390, Cumberwood 3235

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

Coega helps make SA’s roads safer ‘Glorified computer game’ doing more to train safe drivers than all other efforts ALWYN VILJOEN AS corporate social investment programmes go, teaching people how to drive by playing a glorified computer game doesn’t sound all that impressive.

But Coega Development Corporation CEO Pepi Silinga’s mission to train safer drivers has done more to promote road safety, in especially the Eastern Cape and KZN, than all the govern­ ment programmes to date.

Bear in mind that South Africa’s official total annual road death toll of 14 000 means on average 38 people die each day — eight in ten because of poor decisions by drivers.

Arrive Alive states South Africa’s road mortality ratio of 28 per 100 000 citizens is the worst in the world, and vehicle crashes are also the largest unnatural killer of children in South Africa.

Striving to make any difference to these grim statistics — however small — is therefore laudable, but Silinga’s challenge to his staff to find a way to train safer drivers is not making just a small difference.

Since the simulator driving programme started in 2011, Coega has provided a free grounding in defensive driving techniques to over 10 300 peo­ ple. As I can testify after trying to safely overtake on simulator, that are 10 300 new drivers who will never be tempted to compete in the stupid driver’s favourite sport on the N2 — overtaking on a blind rise. Each time you try to slip past the slow truck on the simulator, you get taken out in a head­on crash that leaves all students with very clear rules of what is possible and what is not.

Coega’s driving programme manager Alf Settle told me people of all ages who use the free facilities at 15 centres (two of which are in KZN), pass their

K53 driver’s licence tests in half the time.

Thinking myself an old hand at this driving stuff, I sat down in the Chinese simulator full of confi­ dence and started the engine.

“You have already lost 25 points of a 100,” Settle gently pointed out. “You did not close the door, you are not wearing your seatbelt and you started the car in gear,” he added, pointing to the small symbolic door that forms part of the simulator.

At the head office in Coega there are 41 simula­ tors that teach new drivers how to drive as per the K53 defensive driving techniques.

A monotone female voice drily points out each error, and the computer makes you try each phase over and over until you get it right.

Settle said the simulators cost about R80 000 each, which were the cheapest, but best units they could find, and his office is now researching simu­ lators to also train truckers, tractor drivers and forklift operators.

The robust simulators currently used to train the old Code 8 drivers train up to four groups of 40 students for two­hour sessions, most of them interns at Coega.

All the units have manual transmissions, but there are also seven units fitted with automatic gearboxes and accelerator levers to enable drivers with amputated legs to drive.

Most of these learner drivers have never even held a steering wheel and in their excitement to do well, the main item that often requires repairing is keys turned off in the ignition.

There is also no opportunity for corruption as both the simulator learner driver testing as well as training are provided gratis, at all centres, even to members of the community.

“No money changes hands,” Settle said.

Matubatuba makes racing history

KZN Motor Racing made history over the weekend when a legal street car clocked the first quarter­mile run under then seconds.

A estimated crowd of 1 300 fans watched as the Nissan GT­R of Jugen Koopasamy from Durban reached 243,7 km/h and flashed past the Race America timer after just 9,8 seconds. Race organiser Kas Moodley said: “This is the first time for a road legal car to clock a sub­ten in KZN over a quarter

mile.” The races at Mtubatuba is open to all street modified cars and is hosted on the old 121 Battalion Airstrip near St Lucia on the KZN north coast.

The straight is 1,3 km long and 36 metres wide, and races are run under the auspices of World Motor­ sport of SA (Womsa). Shown here is a screengrab of a Mercedes­Benz C63 AMG vs A Nissan GT­R, which raced each other at the Matubatuba strip in 2014. More on www.kznmotorracing.co.za

A student learning to start, change gears and stop a car in ‘the yard’ of Coega’s driver simulator.

PHOTO: SUPPLIED

2

WitnessWheels MOTORING

Tiny caravans at big prices, but for Jetstream ALWYN VILJOEN I WAS recently asked to defend my statement that the bargain of the century in the small trailer market is sold by Pinetown­ based Jetstream.

Since Wheels broke the story almost two years ago in 2013, the company led by Barry Olivier and Brenden Keating has been getting steady orders and more is to come after sister magazine Wegbreek covered this local marvel. Jetstream will sell you a

teardrop trailer that sleeps two with a kitchenette in the nose and flat screen TV and radio on the wall from under R85 000.

Compare this to the recently launched Dream Trailer by the Portland­based American Com­ pany.

Their take on the camper­ boat­trailer is hardly new, as the idea to make a boat do double duty as a camper’s roof has been popular in the U.S. since the 1950s. There is a second flat roof below the roof­boat to keep the

camper dry when the owner is out fishing. What is impressive are the weights. The boat itself can carry 227 kg — that is two guys and a full cool box, with the usual motor mount for a small outboard engine. With the boat in place on the roof the light­ weight camper weighs only 295 kg. But its hefty price makes up for what it saves in the kilo­ grams — the Dream Trailer is listed for $8 900 (R110 650).

This buys you a boat, a double foam mattress, shelves, oars,

oarlocks and curtains, but the fold­out table is optional.

In Germany, designer Daniel Straub will charge you $20 500 (about R250 000) for his am­ phibious teardrop, the Sealan­ der. And for an estimated price of €15 000 (R209 070), Ger­ man materials manufacturer Vohringer will hand­build you their concept bike trailer that doubles as a cosy caravan for two, with a roof that hydraulical­ ly lifts to make space for a motor­ bike and a double bed.

June 18, 2015

Drunk driver sensor ‘Still a lot of work to be done’ on touch­free breathalyser

(Left) The boat does double duty as an aerodynamic roof when en route. (Right) The Sealander is an amphibious caravan with an ambitious price. PHOTOS: GIZMAG

(Left): Vohringer’s bike trailer doubles as a comfortable caravan when the roof is lifted. (Above) Pinetown­based Jetstream still makes the best bargains in small caravans. Read all about it in sister magazine Wegbreek this month.

PHOTOS: ALWYN VIJOEN

‘DRIVE 2 CLIMB 2 SKI K2’ ADVENTURER and extreme sportsman Mike Horn has driven from Switzerland through east­ ern Europe and central Asia to Pakistan, traversing 12 countries and 10 640 kilometres in 15 days — and that’s only to get to the start of the real challenge.

Horn is transporting two mountaineers, Fred Roux and Köbi Reichen, to the mountain K2 in an expedition they called “Drive 2 Climb 2 Ski K2”.

The trio will climb the world’s second­highest mountain — the

8 611­metre K2 — and then plan to be the world’s first mountain­ eers to mainly ski down again.

The aim of the expedition is to draw attention to the most re­ mote regions of the world and the beauty of this planet.

“Normally I do not use vehi­ cles on my adventures. But this time the Mercedes­Benz G­Class … is my perfect, motorised alter ego,” said Horn in his capacity as a Mercedes­Benz Brand Ambas­ sador. Follow the journey online at #DrivenToExplore. — WR.

Mike Horn drove a G­Wagen 10 640 kilometres in 15 days just to get to the start of his real adventure.

PHOTO: QUICKPIC

AMERICA’S National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has shown members of Congress the latest advances it has made in the quest for anti­drunk driv­ ing technology in the car.

Working in partnership with an industry consortium, the NHTSA unveiled a test car de­ signed to help it fine­tune driver interactions with potentially life­ saving anti­drunk driving inno­ vations.

In its efforts to cut down on the roughly 10 000 people killed in American alcohol­related acci­ dents annually, the consortium’s catchily­named Driver Alcohol Detection System for Safety (DADSS) programme has been fine­tuning systems designed to prevent a car from moving off if the driver is over the 0,08 BAC limit that applies in most U.S. states.

The DADSS system takes ad­ vantage of a touch­free breatha­ lyser, which can detect alcohol while drivers breathe normally.

The breath sensor could be mounted on the steering column or the driver’s door, and uses an infrared sensor to measure the number of alcohol molecules in a driver’s breath.

The system also uses a touch­ based sensor to measure alcohol under the skin’s surface, provid­ ing another line of defence against drunken drivers hitting

the road. While the system might be in its early stages at the mo­ ment, a study conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety estimates that it could save 7 000 lives every year by pre­ venting drivers over the legal lim­ it from getting onto the roads.

The NHTSA administrator Mark Rosekind welcome the de­ velopment but said there is still a great deal of work to do on the system.

“DADSS has enormous po­ tential to prevent drunk driving in specific populations such as teen drivers and commercial fleets, and making it an option available to vehicle owners would provide a powerful new tool in the battle against drunk driving deaths,” Rosekind said.

— Supplied.

V MARK

ROSEKIND DADSS has enormous potential to prevent drunk driving among teen drivers and commer­ cial fleets.

Cape Town drag racing fans attack police CAPE TOWN — Traffic offi­ cials who tried to intervene at an illegal drag race in Scottsdene on Sunday had to duck as the crowd started pelting officers with rocks and bottles, and smashing the windscreens of some of the patrol vehicles.

Officers arrived at an open field on the corner of Edam and Goede Hoop streets on Sunday, where a crowd of approximately 200 people had gathered, the City of Cape Town said in a statement.

“Just after 16:00, officers cor­ doned off the area and started conducting vehicle inspections.

“When they tried to remove a vehicle that had no valid regis­ tration or licence details dis­ played, the crowd started pelt­ ing officers with rocks and bot­ tles and smashing the windscreens of some of the pa­ trol vehicles.

“Six vehicles were damaged in the process.”

Officers arrested three sus­ pects for public violence and damage to property. Two pro­ testers were taken to hospital after being hit by rocks and one officer was hit by a bottle

thrown at staff members, the statement said.

“The city’s traffic service moved away from the scene and set up roadblocks in the vicinity that resulted in nine arrests for drunk driving — one of the driv­ ers was found to be five times over the legal limit.”

The incident once again illus­ trated a complete disregard for law and order and the growing tendency of people to resort to violence when things don’t go their way, said mayoral commit­ tee member for safety and secu­ rity, JP Smith.

“I have news for them though: it will not deter our staff from doing their jobs and enforcing the law, which is very clear in re­ spect of the infringement that resulted in yesterday’s riot.

“We will continue to im­ pound vehicles that are contra­ vening the provisions of the Na­ tional Road Traffic Act. Smith said the officers would return week after week until the issue was resolved.

City traffic officers also fo­ cused on illegal street racing in Eerste River, Kuils River, Ravens­ mead and Bellville South, as well

as Ottery and Athlone.

The operations yielded 14 ar­ rests for drunk driving and three arrests for reckless and negligent driving.

“One of the drivers was also arrested on a second charge of drug possession after officers found three packets of tik in his possession.

“In addition, officers issued nearly 1 000 fines for various transgressions including speed­ ing, inconsiderate driving, unli­ censed drivers and failure to dis­ play number plates.

“It is ridiculous that we have to devote such significant re­ sources on a weekly basis to ba­ by­sit residents who deliberately set out to break the law — espe­ cially when alternative options are available, like the Street2Strip drag­racing event at Killarney,” Smith said.

“These motorists are a dan­ ger to themselves as well as oth­ er road users, but good sense ap­ pears to be in short supply.

“I don’t know how many more times we have to highlight the dangers of this activity to drive home the message that this type of behaviour is simply

not acceptable.

“We all have to work together in order to create a truly safe city.”

• In Pietermaritzburg an ille­ gal drag race through central Pi­ etermaritzburg on Sunday night ended in severe injuries to seven bystanders when one of the rac­ ing vehicles veered off the road.

A witness to the crash, who would not be named, said after the race had finished, a driver be­ gan doing “donuts” along Vic­ toria Road.

It appeared the car veered on­ to the shoulder when the hand­ brake was pulled up.

ER24 paramedic Paul Knoe­ sen said the car crashed into two parked vehicles and hit seven by­ standers, of whom four, includ­ ing a nine­year­old boy, were critically injured. It is believed the driver and passenger in the vehicle that crashed into the crowd were unharmed in the ac­ cident.

A witness, Andrew McFad­ den, said the scene looked like a drag race that had gone wrong.

“Victoria Road is known for drag races,” he said.

— News24­WR.

MOTORING WitnessWheels

June 18, 2015

3

Lesser spotted city tourer BRIAN BASSETT takes on the city’s rutted byways in the Audi Q5 TDI S Quattro SANDWICHED between the peppy Q3 crossover and the grand Q7, the Audi Q5 is some­ times lost sight of.

It is based on the A4 platform, although somewhat wider and higher and surprisingly shorter, the Q5 is the design brainchild of Christian Winkelman, who completed the basic design work in 2005.

The car’s first model year was 2009 and it continues in produc­ tion in several countries across the world, with a useful range of engines and the usual Audi repu­ tation for quality and durability.

I had not driven the Q5 previ­ ously and I am grateful to Darryl Topper, dealer principal of the Audi Centre in Pietermaritzburg, for allowing me to spend a few enjoyable days with the vehicle.

Styling The Q5 is unpretentious and businesslike; and projects a ro­ bust and distinctive image which is subtle and yet unmistakably Audi, with its single­frame front grill, front fog lights with chrome rings and trapezoidal bumper shape. At the rear the large tail­ light clusters and flat­bottomed tailpipes give the car a decidedly masculine feel.

The lines of the Q5 are exact and its coupé­type roofline, to­ gether with its 20­inch cast alu­ minum five­arm wheels project a powerful image, which is easily visible in any car park.

Interior The interior of the Q5 reflects the superb build quality for which Audi is known.

The car I drove was finished in soft leather and high quality plas­ tics. The controls and their plac­ ing are typically Audi and the dash area is the usual, sensible Audi design, with everything eas­ ily to hand and usable without the driver having to take his at­

ing in the Dargle area, which in­ volved driving at night on both a D­Road and a poorly main­ tained farm road. The Q5 took both in its stride and the xenon headlights made a huge differ­ ence on the way home later that night.

The Q5 is not known as a rock crawler but, having long ago de­ lighted in walking the network of scenic forestry tracks around the city, I decided to follow my youthful trails to the top of a hill above Clarendon.

The track is a particularly bad one, slippery, sandy and badly rutted. I ascended slowly with the superb Quattro system doing an excellent job of pulling the vehi­ cle upwards.

Ten minutes later I reached the top and the Old Howick Road, which left me impressed with both the power and the views over the city.

The Q5’s power derives from a two­litre, turbocharged, four­ cylinder turbo diesel engine that produces 130 kW and 330 Nm, transferred to the road by a sev­ en­speed automatic gearbox.

0­100 km/h comes up in nine sec­ onds and fuel consumption on tar is around 7,5 litres per 100 km.

The Audi Q5 rides on 20­inch wheels.

PHOTO: QUICKPIC tention from the road.

The car has everything you could want in a vehicle, from Bluetooth, to a Bang and Olufsen CD/Aux/Radio system and plugs for your IT toys.

The leather­covered, multi­ function, three­spoke steering wheel which, like the driver’s seat is infinitely adjustable, is a pleas­ ure to handle, as is the gear lever for the tiptronic gearbox. The steering has flappy paddles for those who fancy a sporty shift, but I found that I seldom used them.

A centrally placed screen

punctuates the dashboard and provides a wide range of driving information.

The seats are adjustable both front and back, although two adults at the rear would be more comfortable than three.

The interior ergonomics are impressive and the boot, with rear seats in place, provides am­ ple room for a weekend away for four people. The rear seats easily fold flat and boot space is dou­ bled. I also enjoyed the electronic opening and closing mechanism for the wide rear door, which al­ lows easy loading.

Safety and security The Q5 has a 5­star NCAP rating and so is considered to be about as safe as a car can get. Central locking and an on­board alarm are standard, as are six airbags with ABS, EBD, child seat an­ chors to ISO standards.

A wide range of other active and passive safety systems that can be added to from the exten­ sive options list are available.

The vehicle I drove also had all­round park assist, which was enormously useful in crowded Saturday morning parking areas and hill decent assist which I

British marques put potholes in the cloud JAGUAR Land Rover is develop­ ing the Pothole Alert system, which can identify the location and severity of potholes and similar hazards and then warn other vehicles about them as well.

The company estimates pot­ holes cost British drivers R54 billion a year in damages.

Developed by Jaguar Land Rover’s Advanced Research Centre, Pothole Alert is based on a connected car technology

that monitors the road in real time, identities potholes, and adjusts the suspension in a mat­ ter of milliseconds. It does this by way of the MagneRide high­ performance, semi­active sus­ pension control system, which uses magnetic particles sus­ pended in a damping fluid that changes viscosity in the pres­ ence of a magnetic field.

The group said in a statement it is working to share the pot­ hole listing in the cloud to warn

other vehicles of approaching hazards, so drivers can slow down and avoid damage, or the car can adjust its suspension au­ tomatically. Pothole Alert will be fitted into the Range Rover Evoque research vehicle, which will include an advanced for­ ward­facing stereo digital cam­ era. The latter will scan the road ahead for potholes and predict their severity even before the car reaches them.

Fraunhofer is developing a

similar pothole detection sys­ tem, but it relies on LIDAR and is aimed at road maintenance authorities.

The company is also conduct­ ing research with Coventry City Council on how the anonymous information gathered by cars can be used to report road haz­ ards immediately to the authori­ ties and speed repairs. Eventual­ ly, the company hopes to be able to provide images of the pothole and a GPS location. — WR.

Guess the car for a chance to win a ride For a chance to win a memory stick, guess the make and model of the car shown here.

The winner will be announced in next week’s ‘Wheels’, and participants stand a chance to get invited on test drives and racing rides in the next local rally. Send entries to alwyn.viljoen@ witness.co.za.

(And beware the trickery of your ‘Wheels’ compilers, who also follow the fortunes of our Chinese makers).

PHOTO: SUPPLIED

found useful off road.

Performance and handling In town the Q5 is the ideal family car, with space for everyone, pow­ er to spare and easy parking.

The high ride is safe and enjoya­ ble and the steering direct and re­ sponsive.

On the N3 the sound proofing is impressive and conversation remains easily possible even at high speeds, as you whizz past long lines of trucks grinding their way to Gauteng.

I took the car to supper with friends who live on a smallhold­

Guarantees, costs and the competition The Q5 comes with a one­year manufacturer’s guarantee and a five year, 100 000 km mainte­ nance plan.

There is also a 12­year anti­ corrosion warranty, which you probably won’t need as the car is galvanised.

Costs start at around R560 000 for the Q5 2.0l S Quat­ tro, while the S5 TDI Quattro will set you back about R870 000.

If you are shopping around have a look at BMW X3, Land Rover Discovery Sport, Infinity QX 50 and Volvo XC 60.

Chinese ‘google’ also making self­drive car CHINESE search engine giant Baidu announced it will develop an autonomous drive car during the latter half of this year, Electric Car News cites Chi­ nese media reports that Baidu has been working on driverless cars for the past couple of years, recently partnering with car makers including BMW. The two companies an­ nounced a self­driving research project in April 2014, driving test cars around the complex highways of Beijing and Shang­ hai.

The head of Baidu’s deep learning lab Yu Kai has previous­ ly told the press that the firm does not agree with Google’s view of a completely autono­ mous drive car, looking instead at developing technology de­ signed to assist drivers rather than replace them.

Among various technologies to be employed for the Baidu au­ tonomous drive car, the Internet giant will make use of Baidu Maps (the Chinese variant of

Google Maps) and Baidu Brain, a project undertaken by the company to build the world’s largest and most powerful com­ puter cluster.

Electric Cars Report said Bai­ du Brain was initially aimed at improving image recognition as online search queries shift from being text­based to images.

Several Chinese technology firms, including e­commerce company Alibaba and WeChat messaging app provider Ten­ cent, have announced plans for cars, shaking up the traditional industry in the world’s largest auto market.

Alibaba is planning an “Inter­ net car” that would use technol­ ogy to provide a better driving experience including e­com­ merce, digital entertainment, map and communications servi­ ces.

Tencent also has plans for an Internet­connected car, while Chinese video streaming plat­ form Letv plans an electric vehi­ cle. — WR.

4

WitnessWheels MOTORING

June 18, 2015

Drivers train for this one New Mégane Renault Sport 275 combines everyday driveability with sharp track performance RENAULT offers advanced driv­ er training to the drivers of Ren­ ault Sport vehicles, as well as all Renault owners and even the gen­ eral public.

“With the transfer of racing technology to our production cars there is a need and responsi­ bility to equip drivers with the necessary skills to drive and han­ dle these high performance vehi­ cles,” advises Brian Smith, vice president of marketing and com­ munications at Renault South Africa.

“The Renault advanced driver training programme, a courtesy to all Renault Sport customers, provides a broad and compre­ hensive range of advanced driver training that includes not only the high performance race track and skid pan courses, but also training that assist in the day­to­ day hazards that face drivers on our public roads. We welcome you, to start your journey with us and master the art of safe driv­ ing.”

Smith’s announcement fol­ lows the launch of the New Még­ ane Renault Sport 275 Trophy, the second Mégane Renault Sport (RS) to be introduced to South African shores in 2015.

Following in the footsteps of the Mégane RS 265 LUX 2.0 Tur­ bo which motored into Mzansi in February, it succeeds the Mégane RS 265 Trophy which debuted in SA in May 2012 and takes up the mantle of flagship of the Mégane Renault Sport range.

Smith said the 275 Trophy is an all­round performance car

The New Mégane Renault Sport 275 is equally at home on the Nürburgring Circuit and a suburban driveway.

PHOTO: QUIKCPIC “that combines everyday drivea­ bility with an even sharper track performance”.

“We believe the New Mégane RS 275 is the most accomplished sports hatch currently on the market,” said Smith.

Each Trophy’s door sill guards are uniquely numbered with alu­ minium accents and Recaro

bucket seats that underline its racing heritage.

All the mod cons It is not a stripped down racing hatch, however, electric folding door mirrors have a defrost func­ tion and the electric windows open with one­touch.

Bluetooth connectivity ena­

bles hands­free phonecalls and music streaming from external devices when on the go.

A cruise control and speed lim­ iter does not spell racing, but do ensure a more comfortable and safer drive on highways.

When not forced to adhere to speed limits, Renault’s versatile two litre, 16­valve, four­cylinder

Audi milks 27 km from each litre of diesel THE Royal Automobile Club (RAC) and Audi have set a new Guinness World Records title by driving to 14 countries on a single tank of fuel.

Motoring journalist Andrew Frankel and racing driver Rebecca Jackson drove an Audi A6 ultra 1 158,9 miles almost non­stop for nearly 28 hours from the Nether­ lands to Hungary, passing through Belgium, Luxembourg, France, Switzerland, Lichten­ stein, Austria, Germany, Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Serbia.

The #RecordRoadTrip began in Maastricht at 9.48 am (GMT) on Tuesday June 9 and ended in Hungary at 12.44pm (GMT) on Wednesday, June 10 with the pair averaging 75,9 miles to the gallon from the most efficient A6 ever, with its seven­speed S tronic transmission and 73­litre fuel tank.

The route was painstakingly picked by the RAC, which has more than 100 years’ experience of providing European break­ down cover for members, to avoid the mpg­sapping effects of built­up, congested towns, cities and mountains.

RAC #RecordRoadTrip co­or­ dinator Simon Williams said: “The last few miles of the Guin­ ness World Records title attempt were nail­biting as the A6 ultra’s computer was reading “zero miles” with 16 miles to go to reach Hungary to make it 14 countries.

“Andrew and Rebecca’s

RS 2.0 still produces 360 Nm but power has been boosted in the lower revs.

“Although the power has been boosted, we have reduced the consumption (thanks to stop/ start) to 7,5 l/100 km and CO² emissions of (Euro 5­compliant) 174 g/km,” says David Pomonti, boss of RST’s powertrain.

Cup chassis thrills Around the corners, a limited slip differential (LSD) delivers de­ pendable efficiency regardless of grip conditions or driving style.

The LSD is combined with an independent steering­axis layout allowing the driver to reap the full benefits of the extra traction for more reassuring handling and in­ creased stability on braking.

New Mégane RS 275 Trophy’s build structure features front MacPherson­type suspension with pressed aluminium lower wishbone, rear torsion­beam ax­ le and an anti­roll bar (24,2mm diameter).

With Akrapovi , a Slovenian company renowned for its work with motorcycles and perform­ ance cars, a special titanium ex­ haust system (with carbon tail­ pipe trim) was fitted as standard giving the New Mégane RS 275 Trophy a deeper, more penetrat­ ing sound signature, guaranteed to thrill engine aficionados.

As is the case across Renault’s entire product range, the New Mégane Renault Sport 275 Tro­ phy 2.0 Turbo comes with Ren­ ault’s industry­leading 5­year/150 000 km mechanical warranty plan.

Six­year anti­corrosion war­ ranty and 5­year/90 000 km ser­ vice plans also apply.

Service intervals are at 10 000km.

Pricing New Mégane Renault Sport 275 2.0 Turbo Trophy R449 900

NEW COMPANIES IN VW GROUP GERMANY’s Handelsblatt quot­ ed sources in the VW Group on plans to transform VW into four separate holding companies.

One unit would be in charge of Volkswagen, Skoda and Seat, and led by former BMW execu­ tive Herbert Diess.

Audi together with its own subsidiaries Lamborghini, Duca­ ti and design house Italdesign Giugiaro would form another unit, while Porsche together

with ultra­luxury brands Bugatti and Bentley would form a third unit. The fourth and final unit would be made up of commer­ cial vehicles brands VW Com­ mercial Vehicles, Scania and MAN, according to the report.

The reorganisation is said to be VW Group CEO Martin Win­ terkorn’s master plan for the company, which is on track to become the number one auto­ maker in terms of volume. — WR.

Journalist Andrew Frankel and race driver Rebecca Jackson set a new cross­border world record with one tank of fuel in an Audi A6.

PHOTO: RAC achievement in driving the A6 ul­ tra 1 158,9 miles and setting a new Guinness World Records title for the RAC and Audi is phenome­ nal. We were very keen to use a standard executive class produc­ tion car, the like of which is regu­ larly driven through Europe by British holidaymakers every summer, to set a record that will be tough to beat.

“The car was not modified in any way as it comes with fuel­effi­ cient, low rolling resistance tyres as standard. This really shows how far it’s possible to drive in

a modern vehicle and that the price of fuel — albeit cheaper on the continent — should not put anyone off exploring Europe by car.”

Jon Zammett, head of Audi UK public relations, said a real­world economy of almost 3,6 l/100 km can be had from the latest engine technology. “The Audi A6 TDI ultra has proven the range capa­ bility of one of the world’s most advanced executive cars.”

Frankel and Jackson faced nu­ merous challenges in their 28­ hour driving adventure including

diversions for both heavy traffic due to an accident and a closed tunnel which led to an unplanned mountain detour.

Frankel said he spent 25 hours, focused on maintaining an aver­ age speed of around 50 mph.

Jackson added it was a very dif­ ferent long­distance driving challenge to what she’ll be doing next year when she competes in the 24 Hours of Le Mans 2016.

RAC’s new patrol ambassador of the year, Ben Wilson from Manchester, followed the record­ attempt car. — Supplied.

Soul EV rakes in another award The prestigious Prix Auto Environnement in France award the electric Kia Soul its ‘Alternative Energy City Car’ prize. Established in 2005, the Prix Auto Environnement MAAF 2015 rewards innovation and technology that promotes sustainable mobility, with a jury composed of journalists from automotive and environmental sectors.

The Soul EV has been rewarded with a number of top global honours, including ‘Car of the Year’ in Norway; ‘Best Eco­Friendly Vehicle’ in in the US; and ‘2015 Canadian Green Car Award’.

PHOTO: QUICKPIC

Volkswagen: For the be-all-you-can-be-dad

By Pieter from Maritzburg So I’m sure that, like me, as a father you really appreciate the fact that every year on Fathers’ Day your kids pull what’s left of their pocket money together to get you your favourite magazine or a pair of those Best Dad socks. As much as we appreciate it, let’s face it… we bought ourselves those socks (Does this inadvertently make us self-proclaiming Best Dads?).

With each Volkswagen Das Auto engineered to provide quality and reliability while promoting fuel efficiency through a unique innovation called BlueMotion Technology, this is one purchase that will really help me be the be-all-I-can-be dad; so I can wear the socks proudly when I drive my kids safely and economically to school and back.

If we are going to treat ourselves for Fathers’ Day anyway, I say we do it properly. I for one will be heading to the Volkswagen Dealership with the best sales, and most convenient aftersales, service for anyone living between Durban and the Drakensburg, and that’s Barons PMB. As The Bespoke Volkswagen Dealers I know they will tailor a deal on a new Volkswagen to suit my budget and needs.

Barons VW Pietermaritzburg can be found at 9 Armitage Road. They are committed to bringing you quality cars and excellent service at the best possible prices ALL year round! To start hunting for your dream vehicle, visit www.baronsvwpmb.co.za. And to book a test drive or service call (033) 845 3100. Open Monday – Friday 8am – 5pm, and Saturdays 8am – 1pm.

Your choice of a hatch or sedan for an extra R10 p.m

Low on fuel, high on power.

3 year / 120 000k

Buy a Polo Vivo 55kW Conceptline and we will upgrade you to a Polo Vivo 63kW Trendline.

Polo TSI 81kW Highline from R2,999* per month

The Polo Vivo 63kW Trendline additional features include: 14% more power Height adjustable driver’s seat Front electric windows Bluetooth Radio Colour coded door handles and mirrors

R144,900

R2,223*

Polo Vivo 63kW Trendline

R159,600

R2,233*

72

9.75%*

0%

R50,715

R210,774

72

7.64%*

0%

R55,860

R216,665

Polo Vivo Sedan 55kW Conceptline

R151,000

R2,313*

72

9.75%*

0%

R52,850

R219,411

Polo Vivo Sedan 63kW Trendline

R165,600

R2,323*

72

7.73%*

0%

R57,960

R225,235

Model

Polo TSI 81kW Highline

-

5.1l/100km 6 speed manual Hill-hold assist Electronic Stability Programme (ESP)

Interest Rate Monthly No. of Vehicle Price Instalments Linked / Instalments Variable

R244,300

R2,999*

72

8.14%*

Deposit

Balloon Payment

10% 36% (R24,430) (R87,948)

Visit us on www.baronsvwpmb.co.za An optional cost of R900 incl VAT will be charged for metallic paint. Note: *Linked to FNB prime rate, currently 9.25%. Note: Offers calculated on the Polo TSI 81kW Highline in standard specifications. Instalment includes delivery, initiation and monthly administration fee of R57. Subject to bank approval. Information subject to change without prior notification. All finance offers are subject to credit approval from Volkswagen Financial Services.

Volkswagen Financial Services South Africa Proprietary Limited trading as Volkswagen Financial Services an Authorised Financial Services and Credit Provider. NCRCP6635. Terms and Conditions apply. All the above is subject to price increase and valid until 27 June 2015.

• • • • •

Polo Vivo

Mileage certified • Full Service history • 7-day exchange plan • Vehicle Customization • 24 Hr roadside assistance •

e&oe

Visit us on www.baronsvwpmb.co.za An optional cost of R900 incl VAT will be charged for metallic paint. Note: *Linked to FNB prime rate, currently 9.25%. Note: Offers calculated on the Polo Vivo 55kW Conceptline hatch or sedan and Polo Vivo 63kW Trendline hatch or sedan models in standard specifications. Installment excludes optional extras and delivery fee, but includes monthly administration fee of R57. Subject to bank approval. Information subject to change without prior notification. All finance offers are subject to credit approval from Volkswagen Financial Services. Volkswagen Financial Services South Africa Proprietary Limited trading as Volkswagen Financial Services an Authorised Financial Services and Credit Provider. NCRCP6635. Terms and Conditions apply. All the above is subject to price increase and valid until 27 June 2015.

80-point mechanical check 2-year / unlimited km warranty* Vehicle History Integrity Check Balance of VW Automation Plan Professional Vehicle Reconditioning

2013 2014 2014 2014 2014 2015 2015 2015

Polo Vivo GP 1.4 Trendline Polo Vivo Sedan 1.4 Trendline Polo Vivo GT 1.6 Polo Vivo Sedan 1.4 Blueline Polo Vivo 1.4 Trendline 5 Door Polo Vivo GP 1.6 Comfortline 5 Door Polo Vivo Maxx 1.6 Polo Vivo 1.4 Trendline 5 Door

Red Silver White Silver Silver White Silver Beige

R 142 900 R 129 900 R 139 900 R 129 900 R 132 900 R 159 900 R 159 900 R 139 900

3 000 35 000 42 000 11 000 27 000 1 000 6 500 8 000

km km km km km km km km

2013 2014 2014 2014 2014 2015 2015

Polo 1.6 Comfortline Polo Sedan 1.6 Comfortline Polo GTI DSG Polo 1.4 Trendline 5 Door Polo 1.2 GP Trendline Polo 1.2 TSI Highline Polo 1.2 TSI Trendline

Red White Silver Silver White Red White

R 149 900 R 184 900 R 169 900 R 149 900 R 159 900 R 239 000 R 185 900

62 000 21 000 20 000 24 000 24 000 3 000 1 500

km km km km km km km

2012 2013 2014 2015

Golf 6 1.4 Comfortline Golf 7 1.4 TSI Comfortline Golf 7 GTI 2.0 TSI Golf 7 1.4 TSI Comfortline DSG

Silver Silver White Silver

R 184 900 R 229 000 R 369 900 R 295 000

60 000 61 000 38 000 6 000

km km km km

2011 2011 2011

Amarok Double Cab 4x2 120kW Amarok Double Cab 4x2 120kW Amarok Double Cab 4x2 120kW

White White Grey

R 259 000 R 299 900 R 259 000

115 000 km 56 000 km 111 000 km

2011 2011 2011 2012 2014 2014 2015 2015 2015

Touran 1.4 TSI Highline Jetta 1.4 TSI Comfortline Touareg 3.0 TDI V6 Tiguan 2.0 TDI Passat 1.8 TSI Comfortline DSG Touareg 3.0 TDI BlueMotion Tiptronic Volkwagen CC 1.8 TSI DSG Move up! 1.0 Scirocco R 188kW DSG

White Blue White Grey White Grey Grey Silver Grey

R 199 900 R 139 900 R 425 000 R 219 900 R 279 900 R 699 000 R 374 900 R 146 900 R 449 000

75 000 88 000 82 500 105 000 15 000 13 800 7 000 2 000 6 000

km km km km km km km km km

2010 2012 2015 2015

Mazda 3 1.6 Toyota Hilux 3.0 D4D 4x4 Automatic Nissan NP200 Suzuki Swift 1.2 GL

Blue White White Silver

R 109 900 R 299 000 R 149 900 R 117 900

62 000 124 000 1 500 4 000

km km km km

Polo

Golf

Amarok

Other VW

Other

Barons

Pietermaritzburg

9 Armitage Road, Pietermaritzburg, 3201 • Tel: 033 845 3100

Maintenance Plan

Tiguan TSI 90kW Trend & Fun for R299,990 vs Tiguan 2.0 TDI 81kW Trend & Fun for R319,900 The Tiguan TSI 90kW Trend & Fun and Tiguan 2.0 TDI 81kW Trend & Fun standard features include: -

6-speed manual Electronic Stability Programme (ESP) Front, side and curtain Airbags Electronic Park Brake with Auto-hold

-

High-Beam Control “Light Assist” Cruise Control Start-Stop with Brake Energy Recuperation 16” Portland alloy wheels

Offer exclusive to Barons Pietermartizburg.

Visit us on www.baronsvwpmb.co.za

e&oe

Visit us on www.baronsvwpmb.co.za and find us on facebook.com/BaronsPietermaritzburg

R303,858

Adventure calls.

5 year / 60 000km

*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.

Mastercars Sales Consultants After hours: Laurie: 082 783 8040 • Rajen: 072 228 9834 Sanjay: 083 639 0989 • Barry: 072 235 4244 • Phumlani: 073 017 1294

Total Cost Incl fees & VAT

An optional cost of R900 incl VAT will be charged for metallic paint. Note: *Linked to FNB prime rate, currently 9.25%. Note: Offers calculated on the Tiguan TSI 90kW Trend & Fun and Tiguan 2.0 TDI 81kW Trend & Fun models in standard specifications. Price excludes any optional extras. Subject to bank approval. Information subject to change without prior notification. All finance offers are subject to credit approval from Volkswagen Financial Services. Volkswagen Financial Services South Africa Proprietary Limited trading as Volkswagen Financial Services an Authorised Financial Services and Credit Provider.

NCRCP6635. Terms and Conditions apply. All the above is subject to price increase and valid until 27 June 2015.

New Sales Consultants

Alison Wiltshire – Sales Manager 082 783 8855 • John Brown – 082 645 4396 Merglin Rama – 083 382 4589 • Menzi Ngubane – 073 534 8545 Bahle Bhengu – 082 337 5825 • Erica Neff – 082 858 7749 Thando Gumede – 078 969 8072 • Keshnee Pillay – 073 372 1452

BP Advertising

Polo Vivo 55kW Conceptline

Balloon Total Cost Incl Payment fees & VAT

81kW @ 5,000 r/min 175Nm @ 1,500 r/min 0-100km/h in 9.3 seconds Top speed of 196km

e&oe

Deposit

-

e&oe

Vehicle Price

The Polo TSI 81kW Highline standard features include:

Interest Rate Linked / Variable

Monthly No. of Instalments Instalments

Model

m warranty

WitnessWheels MOTORING

BIKING

6

June 18, 2015

Fastest Mann yet DAVE FALL selects the best races from the world’s mecca for motorcyclists DOUGLAS (Isle of Mann) — The 2015 Isle of Man Motorcycle TT races from May 30 to June 12 were as memorable as any down the years and the fastest yet — though some races were shorten­ ed and even postponed for hours on end due to bad weather.

This year, the races saw one rider suffer a fatal crash during practice. French rider Franck Pet­ ricola’s fatal fall takes the total fa­ talities in the Manns races to 141 since 1907, making the isle a darn sight safer than the N1 on a daily basis.

During the races, James Ha­ milton crashed and was rushed to hospital. His condition was de­ scribed as serious but not consid­ ered life threatening.

BMW also confirmed that rid­ er William Dunlop was ruled out of the rest of 2015’s Isle of Man TT races following a crash at Lau­ rel Bank during the Superstock qualifying session.

Superbike Race Between the sidecar and veteran races, the one dice everyone comes to watch is the superbike boys. Bruce Anstey got the 2015 Isle of Man TT Races up and run­ ning in superb style when he swept to a hugely popular victory in the RST Superbike race (210,87 km/h).

The Kiwi overhauled early race leader Ian Hutchinson at the be­ ginning of the fifth lap and took his 10th TT win — and first in the Superbike class — by 10,9 sec­ onds with James Hillier taking third after Michael Dunlop crashed out on the final lap.

After a three­minute delay, the race got underway and Hutchin­ son, who led at Glen Helen by just 0,2 s from Anstey with Hillier in third just half a second further back. However, one of the pre­ race favourites Guy Martin was already out having stopped at Ballagarey.

nal podium place, his first TT po­ dium finish, after getting the bet­ ter of Hillier in a thrilling final lap.

Hutchinson wasn’t to be de­ nied his second win of the week and he increased his lead all the way round the 61 km circuit to eventually cross the line 17,2 s clear for his tenth TT victory.

Dunlop had to settle for sec­ ond, but the battle for third went all the way to the chequered flag and it was Johnston who grabbed it from Hillier by just 0,270 s aft­ er a stunning final lap of 209,36 km/h.

John McGuinness won the 2015 Isle of Man TT at an average speed of 213 km/h.

PHOTO: SOULSTEER.COM Meanwhile, Dunlop’s final lap charge ended at the Nook when he crashed out after tangling with a slower rider and so Hillier took third, his first ever Super­ bike TT podium. John McGuin­ ness, William Dunlop and Mich­ ael Rutter completed the top six, but the incident at the Nook brought the red flag out and no other riders completed the full race distance.

Supersport Race Ian Hutchinson took a fairytale victory in the opening Monster Energy Supersport race when he came home 7,7s clear of New Zea­ land’s Anstey, reversing the result of Sunday’s RST Superbike race, with Gary Johnson in third.

It was Hutchinson’s ninth TT win and completed his comeback from the career threatening leg injuries he suffered at the end of 2010, the year he won all five solo races.

The riders enjoyed perfect conditions for the 6.30 pm start and it was Johnson who led at Glen Helen on the opening lap by just over two seconds from team­mate Dean Harrison. He in turn was only half a second ahead of Hutchinson, who was almost dead level with James Hillier. An­ stey and Lee Johnston filled out the remaining top six places.

• South African rider Hudson Kennaugh was placed 34th in this race, riding a Triumph, managed a time of 1:18:16,302. His average

speed was 185,10 km/h, achieving a bronze medal for his troubles.

Superstock Race Hutchinson won his second race of the week at the 2015 Isle of Man TT races when he took the RL360 Superstock race, obliter­ ating Dunlop’s race record by 32 seconds.

In a stunning race the top four — Hutchinson, Dunlop, John­ ston and Hillier were all inside the old mark.

Hutchinson’s Kawasaki rider took control at the half race dis­ tance point and the “Bingley Bul­ let” eventually ran home victor by just under 20 seconds from early leader Dunlop.

Johnston nipped in for the fi­

Zero Electric Bike Race The electric bikes are getting fast­ er every year, with McGuinness braking his own SES TT Zero record the electric bike race.

His team­mate Bruce Anstey again following him home, as he did last year. Anstey was also in­ side McGuinness’s old lap record for the electric bike class.

At the front of the field McGuinness was being made to work for the race win by Anstey with the gap closing to less than three seconds, but the Morecam­ be Missile (he’s from the main­ land port town of Morecambe pretty much due east of the is­ land) held on to win with a new lap record of 190,84 km/h (18:58,743). Anstey followed a split second later, (19:02.785) with Johnston taking third for Victory/Parker Racing with 20:16,881.

Guy Martin (20:37,987), Rob­ ert Wilson (21:15,256) completed the top five, with Michael Swee­ ney (30:56,695) taking the uni­ versity honours for Nottingham.

• Should you fancy taking a trip over the Island, be sure to diarise the dates from May 28 to June 10 2016 for next year’s IOM TT. The only way to get there is by ferry — you can fly, but it’s no­ where near as much fun.

Honda announces massive sale on all bikes and parts CAYENNE Honda Kyalami will stage a massive sale from July 1 to August 29.

“I am pleased to say that Hon­ da South Africa have joined us in this promotion. It’s always hard work convincing manufacturers to discount their products to as­ sist in growing the industry, but as always we knew we could count on Honda SA to come to the party,” said Craig Langton Sales Director of Cayenne Honda Kyalami.

Honda South Africa’s Barend Fouché said that they were thrilled at the opportunity to give back to the Honda Community and allow the opportunity for more motorcyclists to benefit from the special Honda Carnival discounts.

The largest percentage savings will be in the 500 cc to 750 cc segment, with discounts of up to R20 000 a bike, said Langton.

On some Honda units the dis­ counts will be almost R70 000

below the normal retail price “Over and above this all of these motorcycles qualify for FlexiFin, which means 0% de­ posit and the lowest instalments imaginable.

“We will be announcing all the Honda Carnival prices at the end of the month, but to give buyers some idea on the crazy pricing the Honda CBR 1000 SP Marc Marquez Moto GP Replica was R 189 900, the new Carnival sale price will be fixed at R169 900.”

said Langton. Asked how they got to offer these prices Craig Langton said “Both Honda SA and Honda Kyalami had to cut our normal margins with some help from the factory, plus we had some committed funds from our shopping festival that we will be using, we have also added some loss leaders at our cost.”

Meanwhile, the Cayenne Shopping Festival that started on May 20 has already seen over 300 motorcycles sold. — Supplied.

Honda’s CBR500 will be sold at discount prises during Cayenne’s Carnival.

PHOTO: SUPPLIED

There is nothing faster over the standing mile than this turbine bike.

PHOTO: MADMAXWORLD

TURBINE BIKE SETS THREE NEW WORLD RECORDS AS of May 17, Madmax’s tur­ bine streetfighter holds three world records and one British national record: • World’s fastest Turbine Motorcycle – one mile (one way): 233,7 mph (376,1 km/h) • World’s fastest Streetfight­ er – one mile (one way): 231,6 mph (372,7 km/h) • World’s fastest flying quar­ ter mile for Turbine Motorcy­ cle: 3,91 sec • Britain’s fastest Naked Mo­ torcycle (Official ACU two way average): 225,6 mph (363,1 km/h) It all started after MadMax World (then Maxicor) amia­ bly parted ways with MTT in Lousiania, U.S., who were then working developing the world’s fastest turbo bike.

Budgets intervened, but the guys at Maxicor decided it would be a shame to waste all that knowledge.

They formed the Madmax Race Team and decided “to throw everything at the project and see what we could achieve without the con­ straints of budget and part­ ners, as a one­of bike”.

That one­off bike is now of­ ficially confirmed as the world’s fastest turbine bike over a standing mile, under certified timing conditions (ACU, BRC, UKTA).

It makes 404 kW with a torque of at least 610 Nm at maximum revs. While devel­ oping their world record breaker, the team decided a “street fighter” version would look superb, allowing the turbine and engineering to be far more on show for those that appreciated the tech side.

Mad Max Racing state on their website they have no de­ sire to build a production ver­ sion of this bike, but may be tempted to build one “for those [with] sufficient mon­ ey and expertise in handling such a bike”. — WR.

Four tips for budding motorbike riders DOCTORS have a medical term to describe new bikers.

They call them “organ donors”.

Which is why Imperial Auto’s Lebo Mavuso has five tips for anyone aiming to escape the traffic jams and high fuel prices.

Atgatt This acronym means ‘All The Gear, All The Time’ which is what every motorcyclist should be wearing whenever they ride SA’s roads.

Whether it’s on the open road or quick trip to visit a friend, always wear protective gear.

Protective gear includes hel­ met, decent leather jacket with shoulder, elbow and back protec­ tion, and riding pants equipped with hip and knee protection.

Your boots should extend be­ yond the ankle providing full pro­ tection.

Wearing protective gear can make the difference between moderate scrapes and bruises and becoming another road­death statistic.

Go back to school If you’ve been driving a car for

years (or not at all, if a motorbike is your first vehicle) and you’re wondering how hard it is to ride a motorcycle thinking, “It’s just a bicycle with an engine, isn’t it?”

— think again.

Different physics come into play when you’re riding a bike and even more skills are needed if you’re going to be riding off­road.

Join a local motorcycling club and ask for advice on who to speak to for lessons to improve your riding skills.

Punch in your weight

If you’re buying a motorcycle for the first time aim for one with an engine capacity of less than 500cc.

It’s important to build your con­ fidence on a less intimidating bike.

Focus on honing your skills in traf­ fic and in varying weather.

It’s important to learn basic maintenance and repairs.

Even if you outgrow it, there will always be new riders queuing to take it off your hands.

Pick your style Cruiser, sport, tourer, scooter ...

there are many types of motorcy­ cle available so research different styles before you choose.

Following rule No.3, make sure you take various types for a test ride — if you’re not licensed yet, ask the dealer to meet you some­ where where it is possible to ride the bike off the public roads — to familiarise yourself with the seat­ ing position, power, handling and overall performance.

Think different. Think bike If you’re used to driving a car, re­ member that there’s a lot more

to motorcycling than learning to ride a bike.

A motorcycle has less contact with the road than a car so it is more vulnerable in wet or sandy conditions.

Bumps and potholes that would otherwise be a minor incon­ venience on four wheels are likely to be significant on two.

Strong wind are also a chal­ lenge — if you’re out in windy con­ ditions, move to the side of the lane from which the wind is blow­ ing to avoid being pushed into par­ allel traffic by a gust.

TRANSPORT MOTORING WitnessWheels

June 18, 2015

7

Vital Fleet chills with Serco bodies SERCO has delivered 70 refriger­ ated trucks to Vital Fleet, part of Vital Distribution Solutions, a large logistics company operat­ ing throughout Southern Africa.

Debi Dabner, fleet manager at Vital Fleet, said the new trucks brought to more than 100 the number of units her company had bought from Serco over the past two or three years, boosting Vital’s fleet to in excess of 500.

Vital, which also has extensive warehousing capabilities, trans­ ports a variety of goods for cus­ tomers — big and small — in South Africa and neighbouring countries.

Company headquarters are in Johannesburg with branches in Durban, Pietermaritzburg, Nam­ ibia and Botswana.

Dabner said the latest vehicle bodies from Serco meant Vital now offered an improved trans­ port solution for cold chain goods, from being in the compa­ ny’s cold storage warehouses, on to refrigerated trucks and straight to the customers’ facili­ ties.

She said more business was in the pipeline for Serco. “We chose Serco to be our preferred supplier because we get excellent service from them and no comebacks with the trucks we ordered from them.

“They are very customer­ori­ entated and committed, catering for our every need,” said Dabner.

“Vital is all about customer service. Our aim is to be among the top five distributing and warehousing companies in South Africa.”

Managing director of Serco, Clinton Holcroft, said his com­ pany was very proud to be associ­ ated with Vital Distribution.

“They are a relatively new cus­ tomer of ours, but have become very significant over a short space of time.

“Serco was able to build vehi­ cles according to Vital’s specs, providing several special build re­ quirements and internal fittings.

The trucks were produced at our factories in Durban, Cape Town and Johannesburg ensuring specifications and delivery com­ mitments were all met.

“It is vital for us to build quali­ ty vehicles and deliver on time to ensure the success of our clients,” added Holcroft. — Supplied.

IVECO’S TOUGH NEW 682 MADE FOR AFRICA IVECO has launched its new 682 heavy duty truck range, featuring product improvements specifical­ ly designed for conditions in southern Africa.

The truck comes with 4x2 or 6x4 axles with either a hub or sin­ gle reduction on the rear axle.

This choice enables the new 682 to match the market demand for strong traction, high speed, heavy loads and low fuel con­ sumption. Iveco Cursor 9 or Cur­ sor 13 engines drive the truck, with power sent to the road either through a nine or a 12­speed man­ aual gearbox.

— Wheels Reporter.

Going the extra mile for safety Ebrahim Joosab (left), operations director of Colt Transport, Christian Coolsaet, MD of Volvo Trucks SA and Muhammad Arshad Joosab, fleet manager at Colt Transport, which company last week took ownership of eight new Volvo trucks that were fully imported from Sweden with Europe’s latest safety technologies on board. Marketing and operations manager Ebrahim Joosab said the 32­year­ old family business opted to go the fully­imported route because the full safety pack on the Volvos now working at Colt Transport is not yet available from the local assembly plant in KZN. Joosab said the deal cost Colt Transport some R20 million, but it formed part of the company’s commitment to promote road safety. ‘One cannot put a price on safety of road users,’ said Joosab. To this end all drivers also received driver training on the new rigs and are constantly monitored and mentored on the road with Volvo’s DynaFleet to ensure they deliver loads as cost­effectively as possible. Joosab said Colt Transport drivers were part of the family business, which was started in 1983 by the husband and wife team formed by his parents, using just an old Mercedes­Benz truck. Today Colt has more than 60 trucks that haul freight mainly along the N3 between Durban and Johannesburg. The company also maintains a modern warehouse with undercover loading facilities and container docking facilities at Mkondeni.

PHOTO: SUPPLIED

Special on hydrostatic front­wheel drive MAN has launched a web­spe­ cial on the trucking company’s unique front­wheel drive trucks last week.

Called HydroDrive, the sys­ tem drives the front axles using a hydrostatic motor on each wheel.

MAN said it was the first “to bridge a gap in the market for those customers who drive largely on roads, but in some sit­ uations require additional trac­ tion from the front axle without having to purchase an all­wheel drive truck” when it launched the system 10 years ago.

These customers include refuse collectors, construction vehicles, fire service vehicles and fuel tankers.

A hydraulic pump drive the hydrostatic motors with pres­ sure of up to 420 bar. The drive can be engaged by simply turn­ ing a rotary switch, both while driving and under load — the driver can thus master gradients safely without having to stop.

The additional traction is also

Trainers for taxi drivers The type of slippery and narrow work areas in which MAN’s HydroDrive drives the front wheels to best effect.

PHOTO: QUICKPIC

available in reverse and when coasting. This increases the brake output of the continuous braking systems and significant­ ly improves the vehicle’s ma­ noeuvrability on slippery surfa­

ces and therefore driving safety, be it for 4x4 or 8x6 drivetrains.

The system also scores well on two main benefits for body manufacturers involved, for ex­ ample, with setting up tipper

bodies on the HydroDrive chas­ sis. No components protrude beyond the upper edge of the frame and a large selection of power take­offs are available.

— Wheels Reporter.

The KZN Taxi and Commuter Corporation (KZNTCC) is busy qualifying 32 facilitators to train taxi drivers in KZN. KZNTCC chair Boy Zondi said the trainers are generally ex­teachers or ex­principals who are well qualified to do this training.

“They also all have some connection to the taxi industry as operators or members of association executive com­ mittees,” said Zondi.

“The taxi industry in KZN believes that it has the capaci­ ty to conduct its own training and we are going to be doing this through the KZNTCC,” he said. The training is funded us­ ing R385 000 that was award­ ed to the KZNTCC to qualify 100 learners with 22 credits at the Transport Education and Training Authority (Teta).

— Wheels Reporter.

Paying drivers per hour limits the crashes LARRY KAHANER published an editorial in the LA Times on why it makes sense to pay truck drivers by the mile, instead of the hour.

He has however found only one carrier in the U.S. that pays by the hour — Dupré Logistics

in Lafayette, Louisiana. Started as a tank truck hauler in 1980, the company now employs 1 200 drivers. About 15 years ago, the company realised that even though it was governing drivers’ hours, the drivers often tired and therefore accident

prone. “We were compliant, and we were legal, but we weren’t safe,” Reggie Dupré, the compa­ ny’s chief executive, told Kaha­ ner.

To keep drivers alert, the company moved to a schedule that would allow them shorter

stints on the road. And to save drivers from losing income be­ cause of the new scheme, the company decided to pay by the hour instead of by the mile.

Dupré reports that the com­ pany’s crash rate has since plum­ meted. Dupré also says the com­

pany also attracted experienced, reliable drivers and unlike the rest of the U.S. there is no short­ age of drivers. The company’s driver turnover hovers around 17% in an industry where more than 90% is common.

— LA Times.

8

WitnessWheels MOTORING

June 18, 2015

Le Mans twice as nice for Porsche Volkswagen driver Gugu Zulu and new navigator Hilton Auffrey will be chasing points at Bela Bela tomorrow to improve on their third place overall.

PHOTO: QUICKPIC

It’s make or break rally at Bela­Bela TOMORROW’S short, tight and tricky Be­ la­Bela Motor Rally in Limpopo will be the make or break for many leading teams’ championship aspirations.

Like last year, the rally will be held in a relatively compact arena to benefit the spectators.

The organisers, the Rally Commission of Motorsport South Africa, said virtually ev­ ery stage is just 10 km away from the central rally headquarters and service area. The to­ tal stage distance for the two days is 178 km and the open sections linking the stages add up to just 55 km.

Four stages will be run tomorrow, with a ceremonial start from the Bela Mall in Mark Street at noon. Racing continues on Saturday after an overnight stop at Bela­ Bela, with the rally finishing at around 2.30 pm at the Forever Resort in Bela­Bela.

One of the event liaison sections on Fri­ day will run through the Bela­Bela Ext 8 Township. The Rotary Club of Warmbaths has also thrown its weight behind the event and will again turn the Dunlop Service Park into a Rotary International Fan Park for the weekend.

Given the short and compact nature of the event, reigning champions Leeroy Poul­ ter and Elvéne Coetzee (Castrol Team To­ yota Yaris) will have their work cut out for them if they want to stay in the hunt for this year’s championship.

With Mark Cronjé and Robin Houghton (Ford Performance Fiesta) victorious in three events on the trot, the Toyota pair need to win in the Waterberg to keep their championship chances alive.

The same applies for third­placed Gugu Zulu, now with Hilton Auffray in the navi­ gator’s seat, in his Volkswagen Sasolracing Polo. Besides keeping his championship hopes alive, Zulu needs a good result if he wants to keep Giniel de Villiers/Carolyn Swan (Castrol Team Toyota Yaris) behind him. A good result will also be crucial in the hotly contested S1600 class.

With Matthew Vacy­Lyle/Schalk van Heerden (Fragram Toyota Etios), Paulus Franken/Henry Kohne (Manitou Group VW Polo R2) and Guy Botterill/Simon Va­ cy­Lyle (Yato Tools Toyota Etios) separat­ ed by only three points, a good performance in the Waterberg will be advantageous go­ ing into the second part of the season.

Richard Leeke, chairperson of the Rally Commission of Motorsport South Africa, again thanked the farmers for allowing the use of their private roads, both to access the special stages and for the special stages.

Where to see more NRC footage is being uploaded on an ongo­ ing basis and eventually all the rallies of the last few seasons will be available to view on­ line. The S2000 footage for the Secunda Mo­ tor Rally is being uploaded and should be available to view within the next couple of days. Follow the link: www.youtube.com/ channel/UCT6MqAt1IyiBZAaKKRmJz7g/ feed

Audi record of 13 wins broken by rookie team led by an F1 driver LE MANS — Porsche ended Audi’s winning run at the Le Mans 24 Hours race last Sunday with a one­two finish and Formula One driver Nico Hulken­ berg triumphant at his first attempt.

The German, driving the number 19 works Porsche he shared with New Zealand’s Earl Bamber and Briton Nick Tandy, took the chequered flag for the marque’s first win at the Sarthe circuit since 1998.

The number 17 Porsche of Austra­ lian Mark Webber, New Zealand’s Brendon Hartley and Germany’s Ti­ mo Bernhard finished second.

Audi’s defending champions André Lotterer, Benoit Treluyer and Marcel Faessler completed the podium places in the 83rd edition of the endurance race watched by a crowd of around 250 000 spectators.

The race saw 56 entries, with 27 cars retiring during the 24 hours of high speed racing, and the Corvette from the U.S. withdrawn before the start.

Dream outcome for rookie team None of the punters had predicted the one­two Porsche outcome and some were even holding out odds for Nis­ san’s revolutionary GT­R LM. Nissan returned to the Le Mans aft­ er a 16­year absence, hoping to rewrite the textbooks with a front­engine, front­wheeled drive car, but the Nis­ mos were 20 seconds off the pace leav­ ing it to Toyota to take the ninth spot in the LMP1 race.

But it was the least experienced of the three Porsche works crews, with Hulkenberg completely unfamiliar with Le Mans until testing two weeks ago, who took the laurels.

Audi had also won 13 of the last 15 editions, but Porsche, who returned with a full factory effort last year, had looked dangerous from the moment they swept the top three grid places in qualifying. It was Porsche’s 17th Le Mans triumph, extending their own record. “It’s amazing to come here, first attempt. Super happy … we wrote history today,” said Hulkenberg (27).

He is the first active F1 driver to win since Britain’s Johnny Herbert in 1991 and is racing in Austria this weekend.

Safety car periods The three safety cars used in the long race came out four times during the race, making their first appearance after the first hour when a three­car collision dumped oil on the track at the first chicane.

There was a much longer safety car period at the end of the third hour, when Frenchman Loic Duval spun and hit the barriers in the number eight Audi at the Indianapolis corner. The fourth time was around the 17­hour mark, when an Aston Martin crashed heavily. — Reuters­Motoring Editor.

CV JOINT SPECIALISTS

for CV joints, ball joints, tie rod ends, wheel bearings.

339 GREYLING STREET Pmb. 033 342 9174/75 SELLING ANYTHING

UNDER R500?

Advertise it for FREE at www.olx.co.za

Porsche 919 Hybrid number 19 drivers (from left) Nick Tandy of Britain, Earl Bamber of New Zealand and Nico Hulkenberg of Germany celebrate after winning the Le Mans 24­hour sportscar race with 395 laps.

PHOTO: REUTERS

Nissan GT­R LM Nismo number 22, which Germany’s Michael Krumm shared with Harry Tincknell of Britain and Alex Buncombe of Britain.

This Nismo retired after 242 laps.

PHOTO: REUTERS Top 10 results 1. Hulkenberg/Tandy/Bamber GER Por­ sche 919 Hybrid, 395 laps LMP1 2. Webber/Hartley/Bernhard GER Por­ sche 919 Hybrid 394 laps LMP1 3. Lotterer/Fassler/Treluyer GER Audi Sport Team Joest R18 e­tron 393 laps LMP1 4. Duval/di Grassi/Jarvis GER Audi Sport Team Joest R18 e­tron 392 laps LMP1 5. Jani/Lieb/Dumas GER Porsche 919 Hybrid391 laps LMP1 6. Wurz/Conway/Sarrazin JPN Toyota Gazoo TS040 Hybrid 387 laps LMP1 7. Albuquerque/Bonanomi/Rast GER Audi Sport Team Joest R18 e­tron 387 laps LMP1 8. Davidson/Buemi/Nakajima JPN Toyota Gazoo TS040 Hybrid 386 laps LMP1 9. Howson/Lapierre/Bradley HKG KCMG Oreca 05­Nissan 368 laps LMP2

10. Turvey/Evans/Dolan GBR Jota Gib­ son­Nissan 368 laps LMP2 Then came 11. Rusinov/Canal/Bird RUS G­Drive Li­ gier­Nissan 368 laps LMP2 12. Yacaman/Derani/Gonzalez RUS G­Drive Ligier­Nissan 354 laps LMP2 13. Chandhok/Berthon/Patterson IRL Murphy Oreca 03R­Nissan 340 laps LMP2 14. Mediani/Minassian/Markozov RUS SMP BR01­Nissan 339 laps LMP2 15. Brown/van Overbeek/Fogarty USA ESM Ligier­Honda 337 laps LMP2 16. Ibanez/Perret/Bellarosa SMR Iban­ ez Oreca 03R­Nissan 337 laps LMP2 17. Imperatori/Abt/Kraihamer SUI Re­ bellion R­ONE AER 336 laps LMP1 18. Tung/Cheng/Roussel GER Pegasus Morgan­Nissan 334 laps LMP2 19. Shaytar/Bertolini/BasovRUS SMP Ferrari 458 Italia 332 laps GTE Amateur

20. Rigon/Calado/BerettaITA AF Corse Ferrari 458 Italia332 laps GTE Pro 21. Dempsey/Long/SeefriedGER Demp­ sey­Proton Porsche 911 RSR 331 laps GTE Amateur 22. Gavin/Milner/TaylorUSA Corvette Racing C7.R 292 laps GTE Pro 23. Heidfeld/Prost/Beche SUI Rebellion R­ONE AER 330 laps LMP1 24. Sweedler/Bell/SegalUSA Scuderia Corsa Ferrari 458 Italia 330 laps GTE Amateur 25. Bruni/Vilander/FisichellaITA AF Corse Ferrari 458 Italia 330 laps GTE Pro 26. Aguas/Perrodo/CollardITA AF Corse Ferrari 458 Italia 330 laps GTE Am 27. Sorensen/Thiim/NygaardGBR As­ ton Martin Racing Vantage GTE 330 laps GTE Pro 28. Sharp/Dalziel/Heinemeier­Hans­ son USA ESM Ligier­Honda 329 laps LMP2 29. Nicolet/Merlin/Maris FRA OAK Ligi­ er­Nissan 328 laps LMP2 30. Lietz/Christensen/BergmeisterGER Porsche Team Manthay 911 RSR 327 laps GTE Pro 31. Mann/Gianmaria/CressoniITA AF Corse Ferrari 458 Itali 326 laps GTE Am 32. Krohn/Jonsson/Barbosa USA Krohn Ligier­Judd 323 laps LMP2 33. Aleshin/Ladygin/Ladygin RUS SMP BR01­Nissan 322 laps LMP2 34. MacDowall/Stanaway/ReesGBR Aston Martin Racing Vantage GTE 320 laps GTE Pro 35. Chen/Vannelet/ParisyTWN Team AAI Porsche 911 GT3 RSR 320 laps GTE Amateur 36. al Faisal/Giermaziak/AvenattiGBR JMW Ferrari 458 Italia 320 laps GTE Am 37. Maassen/Chen/KapadiaTWN Team AAI Porsche 911 GT3 RSR 316 laps GTE Amateur.

For more information on Witness Wheels advertising Contact Avir on 084 278 3447 or Avir@witness.co.za