Wheels 2016 04 28

ASH CAR SALES

April 28, 2016

Catch on us live

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

Witness

2014 Mercedes Benz Ml250 Bluetec

WHEELS

Silver/Blk leather, 21000kms, Xenons, Sunroof, Towbar, Bluetooth, C/D changer, Media Interface,Front and rear PDC, SIDE Running Boards, Roof Racks, Intelligent Light System, 19” wheels, Electric Seats, Electric Tailgate, electric side mirrors, Smash and Grab, MFS, Bluetooth, CD changer, Climate control, Balance of M/plan.

Contact ASH on 083 786 3377 (PMBurg) RAFIK 083 786 3311

FM 4 0 1

L A T CAPI ays d r u t a S 9­10 am

R699 995

550 Church Street, Pietermaritzburg 3201 PO Box 8390, Cumberwood 3235

YOUR NAVIGATOR THROUGH THE NEW CAR MAZE TO HELP MAKE THE TRIP FUN AGAIN

INSIDE:

This is one of three little upright vehicles whose desginers aim to change traffic as we know it.

Read about them on PAGE 4.

Paulus Mkhize is the third best driver in the Daimler Group.

Learn why he is also a hero on PAGE 2.

Bicycles don’t come any stranger, or more sensible, than this. All the latest projects on Kickstarter on PAGE 6.

Will Dezzi Gutzeit defend his King of the Hill title at the Simola Hill Climb in Knysna?

Check his plans on PAGE 8.

Pre-owned

The Audi A3 Sedan. New design.

Breathtakingly fascinating.

Visit Audi Centre Pietermaritzburg today for incredible offers on a range of Audi demo models.

Only while stocks last, terms and conditions apply.

Dynamic contours. Taut, muscular areas. Coupé-like lightness. The Audi A3 Saloon sheds a whole new light on the term “Sedan”. Sporty through and through. Elegant and confident. Ready to discover the world anew.

Choose one to suit your needs Model

Vehicle Price

Monthly Instalments

No. of Instalments

Interest Rate Linked/ Variable

Deposit

GFV

Total Cost Incl. Fees and Vat

Ref

Year

Colour

Mileage

Special Price

11380

2009

Audi A3 Sportback 1.8T FSI

Vehicle Description

Grey

120 770

R 139 995

11382

2016

Audi RS3 Sportback S tronic

Red

4 900

R 789 995

11388

2012

Audi A3 1.8T FSI S tronic

White

66 000

R 279 995

11395

2015

Audi S3 Cabriolet S tronic

Red

2 277

R 589 995

11398

2015

Audi A3 1.6 TDI S tronic

Grey

6 400

R 339 995

11399

2015

Audi A4 1.8T S 88kW

Silver

10 000

R 339 995

A3 1.4T FSI SE Manual

R 403 500

R 5 953

48

9.04%

4% (R16 140)

53.91% (R217 526.85)

R 503 249

A3 1.4T FSI SE S tronic

R 420 500

R 6 115

48

9.12%

4% (R16 820)

55.38% (R232 872.90)

R 526 396

11400

2016

Audi A4 1.4T FSI S tronic

Red

10 000

R 539 995

A3 1.8T FSI SE Manual

R 423 000

R 6 154

48

9.13%

4% (R16 920)

55.38% (R234 257.40)

R 529 630

11407

2015

Audi A3 1.4T FSI SE S tronic

Blue

8 000

R 339 995

55.38% (R243 672)

R 551 619

11408

2011

Audi A4 1.8T Ambition multitronic

Grey

41 000

R 209 995

11409

2010

Audi A4 1.8T Ambition B8

Silver

67 000

R 209 995

R 606 323

11410

2015

Audi A4 2.0T FSI Design S tronic

White

6 000

R 499 995

11413

2012

Audi A4 1.8T Attraction B8

White

96 585

R 179 995

11415

2014

Audi A3 1.8T FSI SE S tronic

Silver

24 000

R 349 995

A3 1.8T FSI SE S tronic

R 440 000

R 6 416

48

9.19%

4% (R17 600)

A3 1.8T FSI quattro S tronic

R 484 500

R 7 347

48

9.31%

4% (R19 380)

52.36% (R253 684.20)

9.26%

4% (R18 380)

55.38% (R254 471.10)

A3 2.0 TDI SE S tronic

R 459 500

R 6 716

48

R 576 842

Linked to FNB prime rate, currently 10.75%. Rate is dependent on customer credit scoring. Interest rate is used for illustrative purposes only. Instalment calculated on standard specification, excludes optional extras but includes initiation and monthly administration fee of R57. **Total retail price as above at a Guaranteed Future Value on 20 000kms p.a.

Subject to bank approval. Information subject to change without prior notification. All Finance offers are subject to credit approval from Volkswagen Financial Services. Offers only available through 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 while stocks last.

Audi Centre Pietermaritzburg Nathi Mncube • Sharon Mpulo • Darryl Chetty • Lawrentia Reddy • New Vehicle Sales Manager: Prunella Naidoo Mandla Mkhize • Mark van Rijsbergen • Anwar Charfaray • Pre-owned Manager: Riaz Mahomed

BP Advertising

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

2

WitnessWheels MOTORING

April 28, 2016

Passionate about safety and able to exercise an enormous amount of patience, Nduna Chari, top driver turned driver trainer at Manline in Mkondeni.

PHOTO: SUPPLIED

Patient trucking heroes Well­trained and constantly monitored drivers plead with passenger car drivers to go slower ALWYN VILJOEN MONDAY’S tanker explosion down the Townhill section of the N3 shows again how important patient drivers are.

In the ensuing probe into the cause of the crash that closed the southbound highway for days, it is however impor­ tant to remember the 6 000 truck driv­ ers who safely steer their behemoths down the N3 every day. These are the heroes who literally deliver our economy day and night, which is why Wheels sup­ ports the companies who last week hon­ oured their best drivers and technicians in South Africa — three of whom operate from Pietermaritzburg.

In Gauteng, Mercedes­Benz hosted SA’s top drivers and fleet mechanics who recorded the top 10 highest scores in the 2015 FleetBoard Drivers’ League.

FleetBoard is a driver monitoring sys­ tem for all four of the Daimler Group’s truck brands: Mercedes­Benz, Freight­ liner, Western Star and Fuso. In order to be eligible for registration, drivers must cover at least 4 000 km a month and use FleetBoard. Over 19 000 drivers in 18 countries took part in the period from June 1 to October 31, 2015 and, based on their FleetBoard performance analysis, the best overall driver and the best overall team of the nations were an­ nounced last week.

HENDRICKS BEST IN THE WORLD In the worldwide 2015 rankings, Mar­ shall Hendricks (30) from Imperial Fast’n Fresh in Cape Town achieved the highest score of 9,95 out of a possible 10.

Hendrick told Wheels he wanted to drive trucks ever since he watched lorries

Ensuring safer truck driving from Maritzburg, former driver champion and now driver trainer at BK Advanced Training Bert Koning; top driver for Willowton Logistics and third best in SA, Paulus Mkhize; and Cornelius Koekemoer, truck mechanic for second most economical fleet, Andersons Transport.

PHOTO: ALWYN VILJOEN loading fruit at the farm he lived on near Caledon as a boy. He started out on Code 10 trucks, and because he has the atti­ tude fleet managers look for in a profes­ sional driver, he was soon snapped up and offered a learnership to qualify on superlink trucks by Fast’n Fresh.

His colleague Pieter Adriaanse (52) took second position, followed by Paulus Mkhize (59) from Willowton Logistics in Pietermaritzburg.

SA’s top 10 FleetBoard drivers also in­ cluded Moses Nkosi, who drives for Nor­ mandien Farms, based in Pinetown.

Proud manager Richard van der Merwe said, “Moses was not even competing, he was just driving as he always does”.

As is the case with F1 racers, a trucker relies totally on the technical team to en­ sure the vehicle works optimally.

Cornelius Koekemoer is one such me­ chanic who helped the drivers of Ander­ sons Trucking’s depot in Pietermaritz­ burg achieve the second highest score among fleets in the local FleetBoard competition, after Makali and ahead of Plantation (third).

Rowlands Peters, head of FleetBoard South Africa told Wheels FleetBoard was not just a scoring system, but improved a driver’s skills. “When that takes place, we have safer drivers and safer roads.

“Of course, it gives me great pleasure to know that the best driver within the

global FleetBoard Drivers’ League com­ petition is from South Africa,” said Pe­ ters.

MAIN MAN AT MANLINE Driving in the latest MAN trucks for Manline, Nduna Chari’s driving style is rated among the best by MAN’s Tele­ Matics programme, which is very similar to Daimler’s FleetBoard. When Chari joined Manline he was asked to fill a form stating where he saw himself in five years’ time in terms of his career.

“I indicated that I wanted to be a top driver within two years,” said Nduna.

And true to his word, soon after join­ ing Manline he began bagging award aft­

er award. In 2011, he was chosen New Driver of the Year. In 2012, he was placed second as Driver of the Year. In 2013, 2014 and 2015, he came first as Driver of the Year from 140 drivers employed

by Manline.

Last year, Wheels reported on Nduna being chosen by MAN Truck & Bus South Africa to promote the new MAN TGX 26.540 6x4 EfficientLine on its maiden six­week voyage across nine Af­ rican countries, crossing 11 border posts, and covering a total distance of 13 234 kms. Upon his return from this “ONE MAN kann” journey, Nduna was ap­ pointed driver trainer at Manline.

DON’T BE EARLY FOR YOUR DEATH When asked why he is such a good driver, Nduna said he was consistent, which is “part of my culture”.

“I have a passion for my job. In addi­ tion, I exercise a tremendous amount of patience, which is important to ensure the safety of all road users, the vehicle and the goods being transported.”

The cause in the tanker crash on the N3 is yet to be formally announced, but eye­witness Rajesh Singh wrote to say he saw the driver of a white Toyota Tazz try to shoot past the tanker only to slam on the brakes as the Tazz clipped a Bob­ cat in the construction zone.

A retired hazardous chemical trucker who was rated top in Middle East and Africa region, Samuel Makhathini from Edendale, said such impatience is the norm whenever there are delays on any highway, and pleaded with drivers in pas­ senger cars to be patient. “Rather be a little bit late for your appointment than make other people decades early for their deaths,” Makhathini said.

Toy cars that crash off the tablet screen ALWYN VILJOEN REMEMBER the good old days where children played with real toy cars in­ stead of a tablet?

Well, those days are back — sort off.

A company called Pocket Racing has launched a Kickstarted project to mass develop a game for tablets that use toy cars that suck to tablet screens to add an extra dimension to digital racing.

The car is equipped with three lit­ tle pistons that cause it “to jigger and jump” on top of the screen. It also has a built­in light sensor to

monitor its position on the screen and a circuit board that conveys on­ screen action to the car without any lag.

There are also lights that allow the car’s headlights to operate, and that change color as its speed changes.

Small suction cups on the bottom of the car hold the toy in place no mat­ ter what angle the screen is tilted and interchangeable shells let you customize the car to your liking.

Each time the single driver or competing drivers crash, the cars feel it, and depending on the severity of the crash, those little pistons cans even propel the toy car right off the

screen.

The games will be on Apple Store or Google Play by August 16, if the Kickstarter project gets at least $50,000 in pledges by May 19.

Pledging starts at $29 for one car base and one “car shell” that unlocks one game car, plus 5 000 game coins to by weapons, specials skills and car upgrades.

A $49 pledge gets the de luxe edi­ tion, wich adds two car shells to un­ lock three game cars and double the coins.

The designers say the Pocket Rac­ ing will be available in single player mode or against multiple racers.

Playing with real toy cars is back, but with a digital twist that involves tablets, tiny suckers and three wicked little pistons.

PHOTO: KICKSTARTER

MOTORING WitnessWheels

April 28, 2016

3

The fun factor Brian Bassett drives the new BMW 120d M Sport Auto

Styling The 1 Series’ design has matured since its launch in 2004. The first impression of those big kidney grills coming up in the rearview mirror is of an aggressive, powerful nose. In passing, the ribbed side panels leave one with a feeling of athleticism and speed.

The rear window is subtly underlined by a metal rib and punctuated by striking light clusters and a centrally­placed BMW badge, which serves as the tailgate handle. A set of 17­inch, light­alloy dou­ ble­ spoke wheels accentuate the power­ ful nature of the overall design. It comes in three­ and five­door options, of which the five­door is the most practical.

Interior The interior of the 120d with the M Sport Pack is all quality. The sports seats at the front are comfortable and fully ad­ justable. The interior is finished in soft,

elegantly stitched leather and soft plas­ tics are of the best quality.

The central stack has an 8,8­inch screen on top, operated by an i­drive controller on the central console. The screen is big enough to provide informa­ tion on the audio system, as well as for the GPS and BMW Connected Drive, which are both extras which turn the car into a 1 450 kg computer.

What is not big enough is the legroom in the rear, especially with a long­legged or over­bulked driver like me having to push the front seats all the way back. The boot, however, is respectable, able to store 360 litres or 1 200 litres with the rear seats folded down.

Safety and security The 120d has a five­star Euro NCAP rat­ ing, so you know it is about as safe as your driving makes it.

There is a wide range of safety features too long to list here but including six airbags, seatbelts for all and ISOFIX fit­ tings for child seats. The Dynamic Sta­ bility Control and Intelligent Emergen­ cy Call functions are also useful.

Not so useful is the lack of a spare tyre.

But the car has run flat tyres, which al­ lows you to drive to the nearest service station at 80 km/h and have your dam­ aged tyre repaired. However, given the poor condition of South African roads, we recommend that you always carry a full­sized spare in the boot, which will unfortunately take up some luggage space. The Adaptive Headlights and Ap­ proach Control Warning Systems are useful, but optional. There is also central

locking and a built in alarm system.

Performance and handling The 120d is no slouch. The four­cylinder, two­litre, twin turbo, diesel engine pro­ duces 140 kW and 400 Nm. 0­100 km/h comes up in about seven seconds and top speed is around 228 km/h.

Fuel consumption is difficult with so much depending on driving style and terrain, but we achieved around five li­ tres per 100 km, which is very good con­ sidering that 20% of our driving was on rough back roads.

The car expresses its power on road via an eight­speed auto gearbox and ac­ celeration can be quite breathtaking.

In the 120d the steering is precise and provides instant feedback.

This, when combined with the multi­ linked suspension and rear wheel drive chassis, makes for superb handling and the car is great fun to drive.

On the N3 the power comes through and you will have no problem passing long loads — and everybody else for that matter.

On the Midlands D­roads the 120d handles well, but the ride is a little hard at speed to be comfortable.

In town the 120d is easy to drive and its Park Assist System takes some of the agony out of Saturday morning mall parking. It is ideal for delivering and col­ lecting the kids and, if you are into that kind of thing, it is a great little robot racer.

Costs and the competition The 120d, five­door costs about

The targeted buyers will need a trust fund to afford the BMW 120d but it will reward younger drivers.

PHOTO: BMW R420 000.

There are 10 models in the series with the 118i coming in at around R360 000 and the top­of­the­range M135 auto costing R580 000. The cars come with

the BMW five­year/100 000 km, ex­ tendable motor plan.

Also look at the Mercedes A Class, Volvo V40, Audi A3 and Volkswagen Golf among others.

New transport sector code THE Department of Trade and Indus­ try (DTI) invites members of the pub­ lic and other interest parties to make inputs on the Draft Amended Trans­ port Sector Code, which was recently gazetted for a 60­day public commen­ tary period.

The eight sub­sector codes are avi­ ation, bus commuter and coach servi­ ces, forward and clearing, maritime, public sector, road freight, rail and taxi.

DTI Minister Rob Davies said the rail sub­sector codes will be used as an indicator to measure representation of black youth in technical and profes­

sional positions in the rail industry.

“The target is at least 10%, which would increase the number of youth in technical and professional positions in the industry. Furthermore, a target of 35% black ownership has been set by the bus commuter and coach ser­ vices sub­sector code to increase the level of black ownership in the bus and coach sectors,” Davies said.

The closing date for the commen­ tary period is June 8. Interested par­ ties are requested to forward their comments to the following address: transportsectorcode@thedti.gov.za.

— Wheels Reporter.

22310

THE BMW 1 Series is an executive com­ pact designed by Christopher Chapman in 2001 to replace the 3 Series compact.

BMW’s latest brochure shows a group young enough to be students photo­ graphed with the vehicle. Sadly, with the collapse of the rand and consequent price rises for imported German vehi­ cles, the only way South African students will get to own a new 120d is via the gen­ erosity of an affluent daddy — of the sug­ ar or biological type.

Our appreciation goes once again to Anthony Ellis, dealer principal of SMG Pietermaritzburg, for allowing us a few days with the car.

NOW only from R2 499 P/M.

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Mazda2 1.5 Active Manual R198 500

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Double Cab only from R391 000.

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4

WitnessWheels MOTORING

April 28, 2016

Uprights for the future ALWYN VILJOEN looks at three wee cars that could change tomorrow’s traffic problems THERE is a trend among car designers to go smaller.

This is not only in overall size of the vehicle, but also engines, in most cases

going down to small but strong electric motors.

Three new vehicles that underline this trend are Shell’s ultra efficient city car;

China trike builder BSC’s little scooter which is now being tested in Cape Town; and Mahindra’s first electric car for the UK.

The ugly duckling of the three — BSC’s electric tuktuk — nevertheless al­ so has the longest proven track record.

• alwyn.viljoen@witness.co.za

THIS IS NO E2O TAXI MAHINDRA last week launched the e2o in two trim levels for English commuters. The entry­level e2o City is priced at £12 995 (R269 608) while the higher­spec TechX version retails at £15 995 (R331 849).

These are high prices from Mahin­ dra, leading many to ask how Mahin­ dra hopes to succeed where many have failed before, as English drivers traditionally feel like South Africans when it comes to electric cars. Better on the golf course, and all that, old chap. The answer is two­fold. First, sales of evees have doubled year on year, with UK transport minister An­ drew Jones telling the media he ex­ pects the sales to continue growing, as the British government has now made £600 million available to dis­ count sales until 2020 for over 30 sustainable vehicle sellers in the UK. The second reason is that the Ma­ hindra e2o is less a vehicle and more a a touchscreen infotainment centre with a seat, reversing camera and steering wheel.

At the core of the e2o is a collec­ tion of connected features that were developed to make the car both eas­ ier and more enjoyable to drive and maintain, including on­board sensors normally associated with trucking tele­ metrics. Speaking about the e2o’s ar­ rival on British roads, Anand Mahindra, chairperson of Mahindra Group, said the e2o marks a true milestone for the Mahindra Group in the UK. He said the average commuter will pay less than R210 a month to drive the e2o, with the fuel savings helping to pay for the initial outlay.

“Sustainability is at the heart of Mahindra’s business practices and with the introduction of the e2o to the UK market, we are offering a product that perfectly encapsulates our corporate philosophy.”

London Mayor Boris John­ son MP congratulated Ma­ hindra and said he looked forward to seeing e2os on London’s streets.

In China, this fully electric e­Rickshaw from BSC daily carries half a ton for 150 km at 35 km/h, and it is now being tested on Cape Town’s hills by a local importer.

PHOTO: SUPPLIED

UGLY DUCKLING IS ALSO THE TOUGHEST AS a leader in rickshaw, or e­tricycle field, BSC has promoted the develop­ ment of environment­friendly trans­ portation and clean energy in China, and also occupied main market in electric power­drive tricycle.

The trike is available in a wide range, from passenger carriers of dif­ ferent configurations to half­ton carri­ ers, including water tankers and tip­ pers. They are exported to more than

16 countries, including one unit being tested in Cape Town by cigarette maker Hennie Roos.

Roos told Wheels that if all tests work out, he aims to sell the closed passenger unit for about R75 000, mostly to factories and game parks where the quiet operation and zero emissions will be advantages. Roos said the running cost is about 20 cents per kilometre, com­

pared to the average of over R2 for most internal combustion engines to­ day. It charges from a 240 Volt wall socket using a port similar to the ones used for charging cellphones. The battery can be charged up to 80% in two hours, while a full charge takes seven hours. A 48 Volt DC motor makes 350 Watts to drive the loaded scooter to a top speed of 35 km/h, with a range 150 km per charge.

Small, but still able to fit Gordon Murray’s six­ foot frame (left), with engine wizard Osamu Goto (centre) or Shell’s Robert Mainwaring on the back bench.

PHOTO: SUPPLIED

Mahindra’s e2o electric car is about as far away from South Africa’s E20 taxi as it is possible to get.

PHOTO: SUPPLIED

SHELL SELLS CITY CARS WHILE Shell expects people will still be making petrol and diesel cars well into the 2070s, the Dutch petroleum giant is preparing for a leaner future.

The group last week released a concept of what it described as the ultra efficient city car.

Designed by Durban­born Gordon Murray and powered by a 0,66­litre three­cylinder petrol engine adopted from the previous generation Europe­ an­market Smart Fortwo, ex­Honda F1 engine wizard Osamu Goto’s Geo Technology has minimised friction and maximised efficiency of the engine.

“There are quite a lot of impressive low­carbon and zero­carbon vehicles coming onto the market,” said Shell’s Robert Mainwaring, “but a Tesla or a BMW i8 can cost £100 000. Our project sets out to show that efficien­ cy is affordable, especially when it in­ volves a very light car made using a low­cost manufacturing process.

“We believe we’ve demonstrated that the best lubricants can interact with car and engine to deliver really good efficiency,” he added. “It’s very unusual for car designers, engine de­ signers and lubrication technicians to work with the degree of intimacy they’ve had in this project. The result has been very encouraging.”

One of the intimacies was the iS­ tream production process that Murray had designed to dramatically reduce the energy requirements of car manu­ facturing. One of the things iStream dispenses with is the outside­in de­ sign, as the designer’s focus definitely streams from the driver out. Hence the ergonomic upright design, which reminds of Murray’s sensible T25 city car, which he designed in 2010. Yama­ ha and British firm TVR are to date the only companies using iStream.

Shell said in a statement it had al­ so created a motor oil specifi­ cally for the car’s small engine.

To access the Shell car, the entire cab flips forward, giving access to two pas­ senger seats, mounted tandem style inside the roll cage around which the car is constructed.

Shell said recycled car­ bon fibre was used for the concept car to reducing weight and cut assembly costs to only 25% of a steel panel car, while some components were also 3D­ printed as the cheapest, fastest way to create once­ off parts.

Audi shares electric drivetrains test results AUDI shared the wealth of experience gained during 1,4 million km of test­ ing electric drivetrains as part of the company’s Electric Mobility Showcase.

Audi provided 80 Audi A1 e­tron prototypes and 40 production models of the Audi A3 Sportback e­tron for the four­year support program, which was conducted by the German gov­ ernment and the automotive industry.

The company revealed the results from the tests for both of its models at a conference in Leipzig last week.

With the Audi A1 e­tron, a proto­ type electric car with range extender, users quickly got over their range anxiety and learned to trust in the technology, with the result that they were able to make extensive use of the car’s all­electric range.

By the end of the trial, 87% of the distances traveled by the partici­ pants were being covered using elec­ tric power alone.

In the second phase of the Electric Mobility Showcase program, the trial participants in the 40 Audi A3 Sport­ back e­tron cars used all­electric mode for 70% of the distances trav­ eled. Though the compact models with their plug­in hybrid technology are also well suited to long journeys, the test drivers usually covered less than 50 km a day. As a result, they stayed within the vehicles’ electric range.

In fact, around half of all routine trial trips made by the users were shorter than 10 km.

One participant, who had a partic­

ularly fuel­efficient driving style, refu­ eled only once during a five­month period, despite covering 7 700 km in his Audi trial car.

Audi pointed out the degree of satisfaction owners get from the ev­ ees depended greatly on how conve­ niently they had been able to charge their vehicles.

Most users want to see a wide­ spread infrastructure and generally greater promotion of electric mobility by the political bodies.

Audi is now working with partners to develop a Europe­wide network of public rapid­charging stations thqt use direct current and is also ex­ panding its range of e­tron models, which can be charged from house­ hold’s alternating currents. — WR.

During a four­year test of electric cars, one driver went 7 700 km on one tank of fuel in his hybrid Audi A1 e­tron.

PHOTO: SUPPLIED

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

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WitnessWheels MOTORING

INNOVATION

6

April 28, 2016

The surprisingly practical halfbike Halbrad is a simpler commuter bicycle that looks perfect for the smallest city apartments CC WEISS WHY spend time folding your bike in half when you can just jump on half a bike and ride? A unique last mile solu­ tion, the German­designed Halbrad (that’s “Halfbike” in English) packs the two wheels, pedals and handlebars of a bicycle on a re­engineered rear triangle.

This halfbike actually looks more like a third of a bike, and it pedals the streets and carries and stores easily thanks to those compact dimensions.

We’ve become fairly numb to odd­ looking creations of the bicycle (and tri­ cycle, quadricycle, unicycle) variety, but even we had to do a double­take when we first saw the Halbrad.

It looks like designer Felix Kruschardt literally sawed off the rear triangle of a regular bike, welded a second seat tube with handlebars behind the first seat tube, and secured a small wheel at the bottom. It’s a more literal interpretation of the halfbike than others, like the Half­ bike and Halfbike II. Clearly aimed at the ever­growing personal urban mobility market, the Halbrad is a simpler commuter bicycle that looks perfect for the smallest city apartments and tiny houses.

To ride the super­compact bike, you sit on the saddle, grab hold of the handle­ bars that run below the saddle, and pedal

Like a rolling rear triangle, the German­designed halfbike can cross soft and hard surfaces with ease and carries easily onto taxis or buses.

PHOTO: SUPPLIED away — it’s not unlike the tiny Burke 8.

It looks more similar to riding a unicycle

than a bike, but the Halbrad website says that it only takes minutes to learn. The

bike features a two­speed drivetrain and a coaster brake. It has a 35­inch (90 cm)

turning radius and can stand by balan­ cing the front wheel and pedal.

At 99 cm high by 79 cm long and just under 20 lb (listed at 9 kg), the Halbrad is designed to be easy to pick up and car­ ry — perfect for taking on a train or in­ side an office. Its compact size also makes it easier to store than a full­sized bike. It’s not quite as light as the lightest folding bikes we’ve covered, such as the (5,5 kg A­Bike, 6,5 kg Hummingbird or 8,5 kg Ultra X, but it’s definitely lighter than the average folder.

It’s also a lot simpler since you just get off, grab it and start walking – in a pretty seamless motion if you get as good as Kruschardt himself.

Kruschardt and his team are busy rais­ ing money on German crowdfunding site Startnext and touring German bike shows like last month’s Berliner Fahrrad­ schau and this month’s upcoming Spezi­ alradmesse.

A numbered prototype is on offer at the €1 250 (around R20 000) pledge level — so while we’re talking half a bike, we’re not talking half the price tag. But if your lifestyle only has room for a tiny bicycle, the Halbrad looks worth check­ ing out.

There are also a number of lower pledge levels and rewards for those that might want to support the project but not go all in on a Halbrad. — Gizmag.

Flat­packed wood bikes THE French designers of the five styles of flat­packed wooden bikes says on Kickstarter the essence of the Wheel’nWood project is the new owners’ ability to tailor these frames even further.

“Our wooden frames are an origi­ nal design. They are sold as kits and can be assembled in less than 20 minutes. All you need to do is to choose your standard sized equipment (wheels, fork and ped­ als) to make it unique and to your liking. That’s tailoring!”

The frames are designed designed and and manufactured manufactured in in France France to to ensure ensure quality quality control control and and guarantee guarantee that that the the wood wood used used comes comes only only from from re­ re­ sponsibly sponsibly managed for­ ests. The makers say their flat­packed bikes are as durable and weigh as much as conventional bicy­ cles and all frames comply with current bi­ cycle standards.

“The wooden frame has been finished with water­repellent varnish and was de­ signed for 26­inch wheels. The sad­ dle is adjustable and tools are pro­ vided. The steel steering column

and bottom bracket come in stan­ dard sizes in order to offer you the widest possible range of options.

Where the flat­packed bikes differ is in the beauty of the optional ex­ tras, like steam­bend wooden fend­ ers and lights turned in Jura wood and equipped with powerful LEDs for optimum night vision.”

The flat­pack frame is now on offer for €320 (about R5 173). Pro­ duction is scheduled to start next week, with delivery of the first frames by July.

• alwyn.viljoen @witness.co.za

British and Chinese designers think the eFoldi is a cool enough idea to win top medals, so who are we to judge its inherent nerdiness?

PHOTO: SUPPLIED

Just unfold it and ride ALWYN VILJOEN

French company Wheel’nWood’s Classique bike, that comes flat­ packed for about R5 173, without the beautifuly turned wooden lights or mudgards.

PHOTO: SUPPLIED

THIS week’s weirdest use of wheels goes to the eFoldi, designed by an en­ gineering dad­and­daughter team.

As it name implies, the eFoldi folds to transform into a low wheelchair or a wheeled suitcase that fits into the over­ head compartment.

A pledge of R14 341 will get you one eFoldi with battery and motor a current Kickstarter special, although the makers, Sumi Wang and her father Jianmin Wang, warn the first pledges will be used to set up the first production run, with

For more information on Witness Wheels advertising Contact Avir on 033 355 1152 or 084 278 3447 Avir@witness.co.za

shipping scheduled for October.

Then the recommended retail price for the above offer will go up to £1 599, or almost R32 800.

Sumi is the MD of SunTech UK, the company behind the eFoldi, and said she worked as an engineer in China, Den­ mark and the UK for some 30 years.

“The folding genius comes from my father, Jianmin Wang, who has been chief engineer for Chinese Acrobat Troupe for over 30 years and has experi­ ence finding creative engineering and design solutions to all kinds of prob­ lems,” she stated on Kickstarter.

“The eFoldi started like most good ideas — as a solution to a problem: my dad broke his leg …

He started sketching up eFoldi when lying in hospital. As soon as he got home, he limped himself into the shed and there cobbled together the first ever eFoldi ‘pro­ totype’!”

The eFoldi has in the four years since won the prestigious “Brit­ ish Invention Of The Year 2016” at The Gadget Show Live on March 31, 2016, as well as the gold medal at the Invention Competi­ tion in Beijing, China in 2015.

So uncool its hip: dad­and­daughter engineers Jianmin and Sumi Wang aim for the top speed of 20 km/h on their eFoldi.

PHOTO: SUPPLIED

MOTORING WitnessWheels

April 28, 2016

7

Sharing the bounty Bakers signs deal for most trucks yet ALWYN VILJOEN SINCE small beginnings over 35 years ago, founder Abu­Baker Tayob has seen his company grow into Bakers SA Limit­ ed. Last week, the broadly smiling patri­ arch was one of three generations who mark the handover of the biggest con­ signment of trucks yet for the company.

As is the norm of this devout Ayob family, the ceremony opened with a sup­ plication to God Almighty to grant the company “barakah”, so that the staff could continue sharing the bounty with their family, community and area.

Garden City Commercials’ Dave Walker said his relationship with Bakers goes back 26 years, and recalled how, in the BC days (for Before Computers), the founder Abu­Baker would be at work at 4 am, single­handedly dispatching driv­ ers and loads across South Africa, a job that now requires 20 people.

“He has diesel in his veins and is a legend in the true sense of the word. It was incredible and amazing to watch him issue orders. He worked without any of today’s technology, and yet knew ev­ ery hour where every driver was — and I could always pop into the operations room for a smoke,” recalled Walker.

He thanked chief executive Abdul Tay­ ob and finance executive Naseem Ama­ jee for being tough but fair negotiators in what is the first “full­house” cents­ per­kilometre maintenance deal for Gar­ den City Commercials.

Kobus van Zyl, executive director of Daimler Trucks and Buses in southern Africa, recalled the contract was a tough one to draw up and thanked Clinton Sav­ age and his team for the many hours they put into the spreadsheets both on the dealer side and the financial services side. “We love these negotiations, de­ spite the blood, sweat and tears, and

Worrying state of fleet management in SA THE largely uncharted world of fleet management in South Africa is mapped out a little clearer with the release of the first benchmarking re­ search into how well local fleets are managed.

The research, conducted by fleet consulting firm Mobilitas in collabo­ ration with Standard Bank Fleet Management, paints a worrying pic­ ture of the state of fleet management in South Africa. More than a third did not have a fleet management pol­ icy, let alone one that is fully imple­ mented and reviewed regularly.

On the other hand the research provides, perhaps for the first time, a clear yardstick with which fleets can measure their management stan­ dards against their South African peers.

One of the most striking facts to emerge from the research is just how real the dangers are of the present levels of South African fleet manage­ ment. The research was conducted in a relatively small but broadly rep­ resentative sample of 61 fleets, totall­ ing just over 21 000 vehicles. Yet among them, they reported no fewer than seven deaths over the preceding 12 months, 12 serious injuries and 469 accidents.

Half of the fleets surveyed were not aware of the international standard for road traffic safety management and more than two thirds have never conducted road safety awareness training for their drivers.

The research report provides fasci­ nating insights into the nature of fleet managers in South Africa, hint­ ing at possible underlying causes of much of the problems of the local in­ dustry.

The research strongly suggests that fleet management in SA is most­ ly a part­time activity. Only three percent of the respondents had fleet management as their only focus.

Three­quarters of them devoted less than half of their time to fleet­man­ agement duties. Most of these part­ time fleet managers have as their main duties accounting, human re­ sources management and office ad­ ministration functions.

When asked what their main pre­ occupations were when it came to their fleet management duties, most respondents said keeping down cost and preventing fraud.

In contrast to this narrow focus,

the report argues that international­ ly “there has been a shift away from purely managing vehicle operating costs towards a more holistic ap­ proach to managing vehicle fleets in a sustainable way”.

The social, environmental and economic impact, not only produc­ tivity and profitability, has become the international norm for measur­ ing excellence in business, and no less so for the fleet activities of compa­ nies.

For this reason, Mobilitas has de­ veloped a multi­faceted yardstick to measure fleet management excel­ lence that shines a light onto every dark corner of fleet management, ex­ posing mostly dusty, outdated fleet policy documents, or no policy at all.

Excellence in fleet management, the researchers propose, has at least four pillars: managing the risks fac­ ing the fleet, managing the people who operate the fleet, managing the impact of the fleet on the environ­ ment and managing the administra­ tive systems of the fleet.

The researchers have developed a scoring system measuring all of these factors, enabling them to rate the overall excellence of a fleet’s manage­ ment, or to benchmark the average level of fleet management in a specif­ ic industry or country.

The scale they use ranges from In­ nocent (for those fleets that score less than 10%), Aware (up to 30%), Developmental (up to 50%), Com­ petent (up to 60%), Effective (up to 80%), and Excellent (up to 100%).

While they have found rare exam­ ples of local fleets that operate in the Excellent range, the researchers say the average South African fleet oper­ ates squarely in the Developmental range, no matter what specific facet of fleet management is measured.

The South African industry average score for vehicle management and driver management stands at 35%, and comes in only marginally higher for environmental and road traffic safety management at 38% each.

In order to arrive at a score, the model measures aspects such as the awareness of the fleet manager of in­ ternational standards, the existence of policies in the company based on such standards, how often the poli­ cies are updated and communicated and the rigour with which the poli­ cies are implemented. — Supplied.

Drivers for Bakers SA Ltd wait to start moving the 101 new Actros truck­tractors, after Mercedes­Benz last week handed over the vehicles in the biggest deal yet for the Pietermaritzburg­based transport company.

PHOTO: ALWYN VILJOEN sometimes capital letters too,” he said.

Abdul gave the universal greeting of peace and thanked all the Bakers’ clients for attending the hand­over ceremony.

“It is an historic moment, taking de­ livery of our biggest fleet yet. We are real­ ly humbled to achieve this milestone and all praise to God Almighty for making this unique deal possible,” Tayob said.

He explained the historic cent­per­kilo­ metre deal to maintain the fleet using Garden City’s expertise was more cost­ effective than equipping Baker’s facili­ ties and depots across SA. And Abdul was only half joking when reminded all the guests that Bakers SA Ltd was always open to talk business, even during the handover.

Former SA top driver and Bakers driv­ er trainer Ismail Khan said just getting and removing the 101 new Actros truck­ tractors between Pietermaritzburg and the Shongweni Equestrian Centre was a huge logistical operation. Bakers driv­ ers moved the trucks in tranches stretch­ ing over three days to avoid putting un­ due pressure on the N3.

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8

WitnessWheels MOTORING RACING

Titanic duel for King of the Hill Gutzeit’s mighty 1 400 hp GT­R eyes second Simola Hillclimb win in a row KNYSNA — “Bigger and better” may be an overused marketing catchphrase, but it’s a perfectly apt description of the adrenaline­charged, heart­racing scene that is set to unfold when the King of the Hill explodes into action at the 2016 Jaguar Simola Hillclimb on May 7­8.

The line­up for the seventh edition of SA’s premier motorsport event, ac­ knowledged as one of Knysna’s top award­winning attractions, is indeed more spectacular and competitive than ever. Featuring no less than four past winners, along with an astonishing array of cars either purpose­built to take on the daunting 1,9 km Simola Hill or mak­ ing their highly anticipated debut, there really is nothing better for motoring en­ thusiasts and competitors alike.

As the reigning King of the Hill, Des Gutzeit has no intention of having the title wrestled out of his hands, and could indeed become the very first double­ winner at this year’s event. He boldly an­ nounced from the top step of the podi­ um last year that he would coming back to break the 40­second barrier in his

highly modified 1993 Nissan Skyline R32 GT­R — and the wise money will be on him doing exactly that. “My GT­R is go­ ing to be stronger than last year, as we’ve done some work to lighten it and make it handle a bit better,” Gutzeit said in his typically casual manner.

“We ran about 1 400 hp last year, and hopefully the engine will produce a bit more now, but horsepower isn’t every­ thing for the hillclimb. You need a car that handles properly and it has to be driven well.”

Having established a new lap record of 40,148 sec on his final run for the King of the Hill Top 10 Shootout in 2015, Gut­ zeit certainly knows what it takes to win.

From a standing start, he charged through the course at an average speed of over 170 km/h, and reached a top speed on the main uphill straight of 250 km/h — eye­watering numbers in­ deed! Yet he is more confident than ever of establishing a new lap record.

“Going under 40 sec is definitely pos­ sible, and I certainly won’t be the only one aiming to break the current record,”

The wise money is backing King of the Knysna Hill, KZN’s Dezzi Gutzeit, to keep his title in his highly modified 1993 Nissan Skyline R32 GT­R. PHOTO: FILE Gutzeit says.

“Franco Scribante will be extremely fast in his new Chevron B26, and he’s a very good driver, but I reckon that there will be at least 10 competitors that could win King of the Hill this year.”

Two of Gutzeit Senior’s rivals may well come from the home front, with sons Jade and Shane potentially among the front­runners too. Jade won the event in 2012 and was one of the fastest

Dundee to host battle of a different kind CHARMAINE FORTUNE DUNDEE’S battlefields will next week­ end host a clash of a different kind when bikers and quad riders descend on the area for the Sacc Battlefields National Motorcycle and Quad Race next week­ end.

The race is a first for the scenic rural area and promises a financial bonanza for the town’s businesses as a support crew comes with each racer in round two of the National Motorcycle and Quad Cross Country Championship comes on May 6 and 7.

And they all need feeding and acco­ modation.

The Sacc Battlefield Race is also a se­ lected event where a round of the KZN regional and club championships will be run in conjunction with the national race and around 180 competitors will converge on Dundee and surrounding areas. Motorcycle and quad competi­ tors last competed in this area at na­ tional level in 2014 when they raced in the Vryheid area, about 70 kilometres from Dundee with the type of racing terrain being popular with riders.

Hotels, motels, lodges, guest houses and bed and breakfast establishments are major beneficiaries as teams, family members, media and cross country en­ thusiasts snap up available accommo­ dation.

Filling stations, restaurants, take­ away outlets, entertainment facilities and small business entrepreneurs also benefit from team spending power.

“There are further spin­offs in that competitors and enthusiasts are ex­

Jacques ‘Boesman’ Struwig in action during the Red Cherry 400 in 2007, shows what the fans can expect when racers in the National Motorcycle and Quad Cross Country Championship arrive in Dundee next weekend.

PHOTO: QUICKPIC posed to tourist attractions and the op­ portunities that regions offer as holiday destinations,” said Sanora CEO Sieg­ fried Rousseau.

In this respect coal rich Dundee, set in the Biggarsberg Mountains, offers huge potential. The area is steeped in South African history and Dundee is the central point to the Blood River and Isandlwana battlefields and Rorkes Drift, while numerous other places of historical interest are in Dundee or within easy reach of the town.

Spectators will also be treated to spectacular race action from the influx

of national championship riders from all over South Africa and Botswana who travel to compete in these events.

Race headquarters, the start/finish and the designated service point for the Sacc Battlefields Race will be at the apt­ ly named Battlefields Country Lodge and Sports Resort approximately six kilometres from Dundee.

The Time Trial, for quads and mo­ torcycles to determine grid positions for the race, will start at 12 pm and 2 pm respectively on Friday, May 6.

The main race of 300 km will start at 7 am on Saturday, May 7.

competitors last year, but suffered me­ chanical problems with his Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9 that was completed just before the hillclimb. With the matter of car selection still in the balance, they both could be at the sharp end of the field.

2014 winner Franco Scribante has made his intentions clear. “I’ve entered the Chevron B26 for King of the Hill, and my aim is to win,” he stated.

April 28, 2016 “This year we’re definitely going to break the 40 sec barrier. It’s going to be really hot at the top, especially with all these Nissan GT­Rs competing with over 1 400 hp.”

The 1972 Chevron B26 monocoque sports car was produced as a successor to the B19 with which Scribante domi­ nated the 2014 event. This car was com­ pletely rebuilt in the UK to Scribante’s specifications for hillclimbs and endur­ ance racing.

In its current form, it is powered by a radical 2,9­litre engine, which is basi­ cally two Suzuki Hayabusa motorcycle engines mated together to form a V8.

“It produces about 450 hp, and the car weighs just 580 kg, so the power­to­ weight ratio is very impressive,” Scriban­ te added. “It’s amazing how advanced the technology was for the time, despite how primitive it looks. The chassis and handling of the B26 are as good as any­ thing you’ll find today, and it feels like a 250 Superkart,” he said.

And Scribante knows what he’s talk­ ing about, having led the first hour­and­ a­half of the Welkom 6­Hour endurance race with this car on its first outing in February.

And, as they say in the classics, “that’s not all, folks!” While this epic clash be­ tween these mighty men and their re­ markable machines unfolds, spectators will also be treated to the spine­tingling sights and sounds of the first­ever For­ mula One car to compete at the 2016 Jaguar Simola Hillclimb. The burning question is, could it trounce them all?

Entered and driven by Andre Bezuid­ enhout, this 1989 Dallara F189 has true F1 pedigree, having finished third at the 1989 Canadian Grand Prix with Andrea de Cesaris behind the wheel, as part of the BMS Scuderia Italia team.

Bezuidenhout has certainly proven its potential on the track, and holds the lap record of 58,839 sec at Zwartkops Race­ way, set in March 2008.

“I know the car very well, but I’ve nev­ er raced it on the road and I’ve never been to the Jaguar Simola Hillclimb, so all of this will be completely new to me,” Bezuidenhout says. “The key will be get­ ting the suspension setup right to cope with the bumpy surface, but I’m really looking forward to the race.”

For more information on the event, visit www.jaguarsimolahillclimb.co.za Press service provided by Continental Tyre SA. — Supplied.

SA rider in quest for Dakar AFTER an impressive 10th place in the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge in April, South African motorbike rider David Thomas is preparing to tackle the dunes and rugged terrain of Morocco in the Merzouga Rally — all in a quest to partic­ ipate in next year’s Dakar Rally.

“I am working towards my dream of competing in and finishing the Dakar Rally in 2017,” said the 39­year­old Thomas from the HT Husqvarna Rally Team after completing the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge — a qualifier race for the Dakar Rally — on April 7. His 10th place also made him the top finisher of the HT Husqvarna Rally Team.

Thomas, who competes with spon­ sorship of Hyundai, among others, will line up with fellow motorbike riders at the starting line of the Merzouga Rally in Morocco, on May 21. Before them will lie a prologue and five days of racing in a desert challenge that is also referred to as “Dakar’s Little Brother”, spanning over some of the legendary Dakar stages that formed part of the race when it was still held in Africa.

In order to qualify for the Dakar, Thomas will have to tackle the “Pro” route in the Merzouga Rally which is plotted for experienced bike riders who wish to compete against other experi­ enced competitors, and who plan to take part in the Dakar.

The cherry on the cake for bike com­ petitors who finish the complete “Pro” route in the Atlas Mountains and the north of the Sahara Desert over almost a week, is that they will automatically pass the July selections for the Dakar 2017 — and that is what Thomas is aim­ ing at.

David Thomas is preparing to tackle the dunes and rugged terrain of Morocco in the Merzouga Rally.

PHOTO: QUICKPIC Thomas has been a competitor on two wheels — with or without and en­ gine — since he was born and raised in Hout Bay, Cape Town. He started BMX cycling from the age of eight and was eventually crowned as South Africa’s Downhill Champion.

He has also represented SA twice at the World Mountain Bike Champion­ ships in France and Canada, completed the Cape Epic Race in 2009, as well as seven Cape Argus Cycle Tours. On a mo­ torbike he has been Western Province Enduro champion nine CV Joint times, and speCialists a four­ for CV joints, ball joints, times fin­ tie rod ends, wheel bearings. isher of Roof of 341 GReYlinG stReet Africa. — Pmb. 033 342 9174/75 Supplied.