ash car sales
May 5, 2016
Catch on us live M
Witness
WHEELS
104 F L A T I P CA ays d r u t a S 910 am
Dealers in Superfine Exotic & Sports Cars
550 ChurCh Street • Pietermaritzburg email: ashgani@telkomsa.net www.ashcarsales.co.za Contact ash: 083 786 3377
We stock Passenger and Performance Vehicles, Supercars and Commercial Vehicles. We’ll sell it to you at the best price. We’ll buy it from you, no amount too big.
YOUR BEST NAVIGATOR THROUGH THE NEW CAR MAZE TO MAKE THE COMMUTE FUN AGAIN
E D I S IN
Pmb’s enduro rider, Bruce May and team riders for Agrisales Peak Yamaha Racing will be pressed hard in the second round of the KwaZuluNatal Regional and Club Championships for juniors and seniors at Dundee tomorrow and Saturday. — Page 8 PHOTO: MEGAN ELS
Sisa Ngebulana (17) from Jo’burg was one of several SA racers who had a SA racers had bruising weekend on oveseas tracks. — Page 8 PHOTO: SUPPLIED
Stand a chance to win a collector’s book of beautiful car art on the East African Safari Rally by KZN artist Mike Norris. — Page 3 PHOTO: MIKE NORRIS
Why you too should powercycle like John Kassner. — Page 6 PHOTO: ALWYN VILJOEN
Pre-owned
The new Audi Q3. Performs best when cornered.
Visit Audi Centre Pietermaritzburg today for incredible offers on a range of Audi demo models. Only while stocks last, terms and conditions apply. Year
Spoil yourself with the perfect accessory this Mother’s Day... The new Audi Q3. Greater performance, more features and a more aggressive design make it an SUV to be reckoned with, under any conditions. The new Audi Q3 range, which includes the legendary quattro, is possibly the most stylish SUV to ever become one with the road. Model
Audi Q3 1.4T FSI 110 kW S tronic
Vehicle Price
Monthly Instalments
No. of Instalments
Interest Rate Linked/ Variable
R 418 688
R 6 499
48
10,75%
Deposit
GFV
10.35% (R47 952)
55.70% (R258 170)
Vehicle Description
11380
2009
Audi A3 Sportback 1.8T FSI
11382
2016
Audi RS3 Sportback S tronic
11388
2012
Audi A3 1.8T FSI S tronic
11395
2015
11398
2015
Colour
Mileage
Special Price
Grey
120 770
R 139 995
Red
4 900
R 799 995
White
66 000
R 259 995
Audi S3 Cabriolet S tronic
Red
2 277
R 569 995
Audi A3 1.6 TDI S tronic
Grey
6 400
R 339 995
Silver
10 000
R 339 995
Red
10 000
R 539 995
11399
2015
Audi A4 1.8T S 88kW
Total Cost Incl. Fees and Vat
11400
2016
Audi A4 1.4T FSI S tronic
11407
2015
Audi A3 1.4T FSI SE S tronic
Blue
8 000
R 339 995
R 570 122
11408
2011
Audi A4 1.8T Ambition multitronic
Grey
41 000
R 209 995
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
11424
2015
Audi A4 2.0 TDI SE multitronic
Silver
33 000
R 349 995
11427
2009
Audi RS6 Quattro tiptronic
Silver
171 358
R 299 995
11428
2013
Audi A3 1.8T FSI SE 3DR
Black
73 000
R 209 995
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
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WitnessWheels INDUSTRY MOTORING
May 5, 2016
Even using google maps while driving is a driving distraction that can quickly turn dangerous. PHOTO: NEW LAUNCHES. COM
AA: distracted driving must be addressed DISTRACTED driving remains a prob lem in South Africa, and will continue to remain so into the future unless drastic action is taken. And that action needs to come from officials, but more important ly, in the form of a change of attitude among drivers. This is according to the Automobile Association (AA), which was commenting on distracted driving fol lowing an event hosted in Johannesburg on April 20. “We brought together a number of journalists to drive in simulators. Once comfortable with the simulators, we test ed them without distractions, and then again with distractions. The results are alarming, and clearly indicate that when distracted, drivers’ reaction times are slower, and they are much more prone to crash,” the AA said. While in the simulators, journalists were sent SMS messages they needed to respond to and were asked to open and close a water bottle. They were also dis tracted by being engaged in simple con versation. “We saw that without distractions, the journalists were able to complete a lap of a racing circuit in fairly good times; times recorded for these laps averaged around
1,41 minutes, with hardly any crashes. However, with the distractions these lap times increased to 2,20 minutes, many of them with crashes or the cars spiralling out of control. Although not entirely sci entific, the results point to the dangers of having your concentration averted from the road, even for a second,” the AA said. But the problem is not purely offenders who disobey regulations, specifically those who use electronic devices, or in deed other devices, when driving. Accord ing to the AA, motorists who use these devices while behind the wheel need to change their attitudes and take responsi bility for their actions. “A driver who is talking on a cellphone, or texting while driving, needs to realise that their actions are not only irresponsi ble but also put the lives of other, law abiding citizens, in jeopardy. They can cause a crash that injures, or worse, kills, other people through their own reckless behaviour. We also want to make these drivers aware that it can happen to them: noone is immune to the dangers of being distracted,” said the AA. Although there are no current local sta tistics on how distracted driving causes
crashes, the AA believes there is sufficient anecdotal evidence to suggest this num ber is large enough to warrant urgent at tention. It said law enforcement against distracted drivers should be high on the agenda of road traffic officials, beyond stopping motorists at on and off ramps who use electronic devices. While there are many different distrac tions that constitute distracted driving, the following are among the most preva lent: • talking on cellphones, or texting while driving, • eating while driving, • putting on a tie or other clothing while driving, or changing clothes when driv ing, • applying makeup while driving, • looking to the back seat to engage pas sengers, especially children, • setting GPS devices while moving, and, • searching for items in various areas of the car while driving “We urge all drivers to obey the laws, and above all, to be sensible when driving. “Remember that if you don’t focus on the road, there is a 100% likelihood that you will not avoid a crash while you are distracted,” the AA said. — Supplied.
Heat shields provide vital UV protection A TEST conducted by the University of KwaZuluNatal confirms that heat or solar shield films dramatically cut the level of cancercausing exposure to ul traviolet rays for drivers. Agrometeorologist Dr Alistair Clulow tested the ability of heat sheets to stop ultraviolet (UV) rays on both the arms and face of drivers. He conducted the tests using two white Polo Classics supplied by Barons, while Autowash supplied the heat shield film. One of the Polos had a heat shield film, also sold as solar film, affixed to the windscreen. The cars were parked facing north at about midday on March 24, and the air temperature was measured just above the dashboard. In his report, Clulow states: “The outside temperature was approximately 33° C. Air temperatures above the dashboards in both vehicles increased rapidly when the windows were closed but the increase in air temperature above the dashboard in the vehicle with the heat shield was consistently lower than that without a heat shield — 8° C difference after 45 minutes. “After an hour, the windows were opened slightly and the vehicle with
Japanese engineers have developed a diesel engine with multiple fuel injectors that doesn’t require cutting waste, thus increasing fuel use and cutting emissions. PHOTO: SUPPLIED
Cool diesel concept Trio of injectors cut the hot air and increase the mileage AARON TURPEN
A thin film of solar sheeting can cut dramatically the level of ultraviolet exposure for drivers. PHOTO: SOLARSHIELDWINDOWTINTING.CO.ZA heat shield showed a faster reduction in air temperature above the dash board, and the interior of the car.” To measure the dangerous UV rays causing skin cancer from consistent sun on the driver’s arms, he used an SU100 Apogee ultraviolet sensor with an open window, behind plain glass and behind plain glass with heat shield, with the sensor angled directly towards the sun. He said the dangerous UV rays, which can cause skin cancer, were re duced by 99,5% with the heat shield. “We can conclude from the results
that a heat shield reduces the air tem perature directly above a dashboard in a vehicle and significantly reduces the UV exposure to the dashboard and oc cupants of the vehicle. We believe this reduction in UV exposure to be particu larly relevant for people spending a great deal of time in a vehicle,” said Clulow. Several companies in South Africa sell solar or heat shields, including So lar Shield Window Tinting, which is the company that sponsored the University of Johannesburg’s solarpowered car in the Sasol Solar Challenge 2014. — WR.
For more information on Witness Wheels advertising Contact Avir on 033 355 1152 or 084 278 3447 Avir@witness.co.za
DIESEL engines are some of the sim plest combustion concepts in use to day, with a design that has not changed much in half a century. But what has changed is the com plexity of the systems that surround the diesel engine block to overcome inherent inefficiencies in emissions. A research team at the New Ace Institute in Japan has developed a new diesel combustion engine con cept using multiple fuel injectors that doesn’t require waste heat re duction. With a brake thermal efficiency of greater than 50%, the new engine could reduce engine manufacture costs. Waste heat recovery (WHR) is commonly used as a method of cap turing the engine’s heat to maintain a temperature in a particulate filter and other emissions’ control sys tems. WHR is relatively expensive, but aids the vehicle’s overall efficiencies in both fuel use and emissions reduc tions. The automotive research team at New Ace sought a way to optimise combustion that overcomes the complex tradeoffs between emis sions, brake thermal efficiency (BTE) and energy losses on conven tional diesel combustion. The team’s engine uses three fuel injectors in a variant of the Sabathe cycle. This limited pressure, dual cy cle controls heat by holding constant
volume and pressure in the cylinder. The modification with this new concept is to control fuel injection to temporarily create an isolation be tween the premixed combustion ar ea and diffusion combustion area of the cylinder, which enables consecu tive heat release. This is accomplished by fitting the cylinder with three injectors. One is mounted vertically at the centre and two more are positioned at an angle on either flank at the pis ton cavity’s circumference. The sideangled sprays are direct ed along the swirl direction of the airflow, improving mixing and pre venting spray interference and im pingement on the cavity wall. This improves air mixing at the centre of the cavity, which creates a more dense combustion point. Shaping of the piston cavity (crown) helps prevent injection in terference between injectors. By controlling injection timing and duration under constant fuel pressure, heat can be controlled at a variety of compression ratios and operating temperatures. The centre injector fires first, fol lowed by the precision timing of the side injectors. Experimental results for the engine concept showed that friction and heat losses were re duced. This produced lower smoke and NOx emissions when compared to conventional diesel combustion. The New ACE Institute plans to further develop this engine concept. — Gizmag.
MOTORING WitnessWheels
May 5, 2016
Car art for the collector ALWYN VILJOEN SAY the words “East Africa Safari Rally” among rally fans and they will go, “Aah, those were the days”. And they really were, for nowhere else today can a car owner take his or her stock standard car, slap on any shape of hat to keep the sweat out of the eyes, and go racing through three countries with a bunch of like mindeds. The Royal East African Automo bile Association (today the AA of East Africa) founded and organised the first race, which is to say the sec retary of the association’s competi tions committee, Eric Cecil, coerced, cajoled and somehow steered the egos of the association’s 1 000 paid up members as best he could to a starting line. They used the holidays declared to mark the coronation of the new Queen of England as a good excuse to stage the first rally in 1953, racing flat out over a distance of over 6 400 km, taking 15 days from Nairo bi, around Lake Victoria and through Uganda and Tanganyika before loop ing back to Kenya. Of the many who entered very few finished, but the format was so popu lar that Cecil arranged a second race in 1954, which some of the old hands see as the first proper race. Speeds then were nowhere as high as in the 1980s rallies, which were dominated by the various evolutions of the Mitsubishi Lancer and their factory teams. In that second rally, Alan Dix and Johhny Larsen pottered around in a VW Beetle — as woefully an under powered car as was ever sold in Africa — but because it was also light enough to lift out of the mud, they went on to win. In those golden years of the rally there were only eight con trol points and competitors had to arrange their own accommodation, sleeping at farms or camping en route. No sponsors were allowed, only saloon cars could race and they were classified only according to their sales price. These unique rules quick ly made the East Africa Safary Rally THE place to establish a model’s rep utation and salesmen still learn how orders for cars that won would soar in the month following the rally. ‘The Flying Sikh’ In a race that often saw 90% of the field retire before the end, Joginder Singh Bnachu, dubbed “The Flying Sikh”, became the East Africa Safari Rally’s living legend, with only three retirements in 22 years. In his races up to 1980, Bnachu re corded three overall wins, 13 top 10 finishes and over 80 class wins, somehow always finding a route through the mud, past the animals and even going slow enough to avoid the speeding fines that saw other competitors retire. But it was his solution to a broken gear selector in his Ford Escort in 1971 that cemented his status. Able to move the Escort only in reverse, he raced backwards for over three kilometres to the support crews, holding the reverse gear in place with a screw driver. More than 70 cars passed him at
3
Win with Wheels!
One lucky reader stands a chance to win a copy of Artist Round the Bend, signed by the author Mike Norris, by answering, what type of car won the second East Africa Rally. Email your answer to alwyn.viljoen@witness.co.za
high speed and back at camp, all but two of the mechanics had left. No matter, they stripped the gearbox, re paired it and The Flying Sikh was off, passing over 100 cars to end the day’s racing in third position. He died in 2013, a happy grandad with 81 sum mers behind him. No race like it Over the years, sponsors were en couraged, classification changed, professional factory racing teams moved in — making the race too ex pensive for amateurs — and popula tions continued to swell, which filled the corners with seemingly suicidal spectators. When some of those spectators started hurling chunks of masonry at passing cars and placing large rocks around bends, it had the same impact on the historic race as local battles had on the Dakar. All came to a halt. Today, the rally is remembered with a biennial “Classic” rally, which has comfortable luxury rooms at night, and there are several endur ance races that retain some elements of the East Africa Safari Rally, like the Ethiopian Highlands Rally, the Mo roccan Rally and the Dakar, now hosted in South America. But no race has the same gungho mix of all driv ers welcome, 100 km/h average speeds over gruelling conditions and a sparsely populated country with scenery unrivalled anywhere else in the world. Magic recaptured in oils Mike Norris, a selftaught Midlands artist who enjoys both the artistic freedom of painting giant murals and the discipline of depicting every bolt precisely right on oil paintings of vin tage tractors and aircraft, has now captured the golden years of this race in a book with 28 prints of the most famous cars in the race. A “Safari nutter”, Norris is unique ly qualified for the job. He grew up in Kenya and was an avid teenage autograph collector at the race, served as a race official for four years and started the East Africa Safari Rally museum with Chris Carl isleKitz in Pietermaritzburg (now hosted in Centurion). He calls his book, Artist Round The Bend, “a museum in a book” and the car art in it alone is well worth the cover price of just over R300, de pending which bookstore you buy from. Norris told Wheels the worst thing that could happen to his book is for people to buy it as an Africana invest ment, although the limited print run will ensure a value increase in a few decades. He would instead prefer his book is to end up in workshop waiting rooms where many readers can dip into it again and again. Apart from the rarity value of the book, digital prints of the original art are also highly collectable, with pri ces starting at R1 300 for A3 print out. These prints will be on sale at the MercedesBenz stand at Cars in the Park on May 15. • More on artsandartists.co.za • Contact the artist at norris.mikeh@gmail.com.
Amateur drivers Alan Dix and navigator Johhny Larson first boosted sales of the VW Beetle in 1954 by winning the second East Africa Safari Rally, a feat repeated in the 10th Safari in 1962 by Tommy Fjastad and Bernhard Schmider, shown here rounding a corner in a 1200 cc Beetle. PHOTO: MIKE NORRIS.
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WitnessWheels MOTORING
May 5, 2016
The electric car race is on Car makers are racing to catch up with Tesla with new focus on developing ‘green’ vehicles ALWYN VILJOEN WHILE the Beijing Auto Show last week unveiled a slew of elec tric cars that shows where Chi na’s traffic is heading, Germany also saw three important devel opments that will take Europe closer to quietly humming roads. In the first development, shareholders at Daimler’s annual meeting angrily demanded to know how the board planned to counter Tesla’s success in Ger many. In the second development, Volkswagen Group’s CEO Matt hias Müller said the company will launch new electric vehicles and focus on carsharing as it seeks to get past its scandal over cheat ing on diesel emissions tests. And the third development was the German government’s announcement of a €1 billion in centive scheme to subsidise the sale of electric cars and boost the number of recharging stations in the country. Daimler aiming for Tesla After shareholders criticised
Daimler for not offering similar popular vehicles as Tesla, chair person of Mercedes parent Daimler, Dieter Zetsche, pointed out that Elon Musk’s company is still losing money, something the shareholders will not tolerate for long. Yet Tesla sold more electric cars in Germany last year than any other brand, selling 1 582 Model S cars in Germany in 2015. That compares with sales of 1 051 BMW i3s, 1 161 allelectric Mer cedes, 676 electric Smarts and 796 electric VW Golfs. And even Elon Musk was sur prised when over 325 000 people put down a $1 000 deposit for its Model 3 sedan with no firm delivery date. Zetsche said Daimler plans to counter Tesla with an allelectric car with a range of up to 500 km. Buy electric with one click The German government plans to subsidise sales of new electric vehicles with €4 000 and plugin hybrids by €3 000, sharing this discount with car makers. The rebate will only be availa
ble on cars costing less than €60 000 and it began on Work er’s Day. Sigmar Gabriel, Economics minister, said the programme is designed to boost the number of electric cars on German roads from 50 000 currently to more than 500 000, although he did not specify a date. Germany has previously announced a goal of one million electric cars on Ger man roads by 2020. Merc is not alone in planning for the green revolution. Green Car reports that BMW plans an extendedrange electric model larger than the current i3, possi bly called i5, Audi will launch an allelectric SUV in 2018, based on the etron quattro concept from the 2015 Frankfurt Motor Show, and Porsche will launch a pro duction version of its Mission E sedan concept, also unveiled last year in Frankfurt, before 2020. But Claudia Kemfert, head of energy, transport, and environ ment at the German Institute for Economic Research, warned that these car makers will have to
Hybrid cars are nothing new. The 1896 Armstrong Phaeton is the oldest known hybrid car that predates the LohnerPorsche by four years and the Toyota Prius by 100 years. Dutch collector Evert Louwman bought the Armstrong for $483 400 at Bonhams in April for display at his museum in The Hague, Netherlands. PHOTO: ROADSCHOLARS move faster. She said the German car mak ers are behind but they have the resources to quickly overtake Tesla, which must still build the factory to build those almost over 325 000 Tesla S models.
No more blowing smoke The VW Group plans to launch over 20 new models in the next four years, most of them hybrid electric vehicles using VW’s Modular Electrification Toolkit, or MEB for short.
“We plan to make electric cars one of Volkswagen’s new hall marks,” Müller said. The group also plans strategic investments in fields with high earning potential, which includes providing mobility as a service to cater for GenZ who don’t want to wait for the bus, but also don’t want to own their own car. Müller said that working through the dieselgate fallout will dominate activities at Volks wagen for the rest of the year. “This will remain our most im portant task until the very last ve hicle has been put in order,” he assured. With the software manipula tion of diesel engines at Volks wagen, rules were broken and ethical boundaries overstepped. “We sincerely regret this. Also because we know that we have disappointed many people — people who have placed their trust in Volkswagen. “We stand by our responsibili ty. And we are doing everything in our power to regain trust,” Müller stressed.
Willing on the N3, eager on dirt BRIAN BASSETT IN 2015 Renault sold 2.1 million vehicles worldwide. The compa ny’s alliance with Nissan has made it the fourth — largest mo tor manufacturer in the world. Some of its most interesting ve hicles, however, come from its purchase of the Romanian Dacia Motor Corporation in 1999 and the Renault Design Studio’s as sociation with that company, which existed throughout the Communist era and produced vehicles for the working classes. The Sandero is marketed un der both the Renault and Dacia Badges and it is interesting to note how the new Sandero has made the transition from a work ing ethic to middle class comfort and enjoyment. In South Africa the new Step way, introduced in 2014, has big boots to fill as it predecessor; the rebadged Dacia made its reputa tion as a rugged, crossover hatch in the Bsegment. We are grateful to the Dealer Principal of McCarthy Renault in Pietermaritzburg, Venesh Sew sunker, for making the Stepway available us for a few days. Styling The Stepway is both elegant and rugged in design, with a noticea bly beefedup suspension from 164 mm to 193 mm. The car also has chunkier 15 inch wheels and roof rails. Ren
ault manufacture a range of ac cessories, from cycle carriers to simple roof boxes, which leave the car’s spacious interior to yourself and your family. You can also purchase side protector strips if you driving in rough country. The front end has a Cliolike elegance with headlight modules linked by a small, black grille car rying a Renault badge. Lower down the two fog/running lamps are connected by a slatted, black grill. There are also skid panels, both front and rear. The side panels are ribbed and the wheel arches trimmed in chrome. At the rear the tailgate, flanked by large welldesigned tail light modules, is easy to oper ate and opens to a height and width which allows easy loading. The bumpers and the electri callyoperated side mirrors are colour coded. The Stepway’s ex terior exhibits an attention to de tail and quality finish, which shows that, though it is from the Dacia stable, it is designed as a Renault with the French flair and chic which that implies. Interior The interior of the Stepway is im pressive. The plastics are hard but the doors shut firmly. Tall adults fit comfortably into the two robustly upholstered, fullyadjustable, front seats, while the rear seats provide ac commodation for three adults. Even the 1,8 metreplus brigade
will find that the rear legroom is adequate. The Sandero Stepway has a practical, almost Minimalist dash, with a threedial module in front of the driver carrying the speedometer, rev counter and a third dial with digital informa tion from the sixfunction on board computer. The central stack carries con trols for the radio/CD/MP3/Aux in audio with Bluetooth telepho ny, which can also be operated from columnmounted controls, as well as for the climate control system and door locks. The boot is substantial and can be doubled in size by folding down the rear seats in 60:40 fashion. Safety and Security The Stepway is designed with families in mind so it has the usu al ABS with EBD, seatbelts for all and ISOFIX fittings for child seats. I particularly liked the Hill Start Assist and the rear parking sensors. The high driving posi tion results in improved visibility and the Brake Assist and Cruise Control with speed limiter comes in useful in all road condi tions. There are also driver and pas senger airbags, side airbags and ESP. Making the Stepway one of the safest cars in its small segment. As usual the car also offers a built
For under R190k, the Stepway copes with any road driven by the average South African family — and fit their luggage to boot. PHOTO: YOUTUBE in alarm and central locking. Performance and Handling The Renault Sandero Stepway has a 0,9litre turbopetrol en gine, delivering 66 kW/135 Nm. Top speed is around 168 km/h and 0100 km/h will take you around 14,6 seconds. Fuel consumption depends very much on driving style and terrain but I managed 6,7 litres per 100 kms with 25% of the driving being done of poor roads. In town the Sandero is ideal with a smooth, pleasant, five speed manual gear change, a tur bo which deals easily with the need to accelerate on urban roads in low gear and a responsive
steering. On the N3 I found the car pep py and willing but the engine is small and if you are going to over take a 60metre truck/trailer you have to plan ahead. The key to the Stepway is the realisation that the gears are an integral part of the car’s driving environment. On bad D Roads and rutted farm roads in the Midlands the car performed well. The damping could be im proved, as successive bumps proved a little choppy, but the car recovered easily and I believe it will cope well with any of the road surfaces encountered by an aver age South African family.
The car is also stable at speed on bad roads and using the gears sensibly I experienced no indica tion of the back breaking away on sandy corners. In all the Sandero Stepway is a safe, pleasant, spacious family car that offers a really good value for money. Costs and the Competition The Stepway sells for just under R190 00 and comes with a five year 150 000km mechanical war ranty, a 6year anti corrosion warranty and a twoyear 30 000km service plan. Also look at Toyota Etios/ Cross, Ford Figo, Honda Brio, VW Polo Vivo Maxx.
Egg on the face
Congratulations
We’d like to blame the printer devil, but truth be told it was our editor’s inability to manup to man flu that had Wheels publish a photo of a BMW 3series instead of this sleek fivedoor 120D, as tested by our car and radio correspondent Brian Bassett. Wheels apologises for the error. PHOTO: TOPGEAR
The winner of the embossed New Hilux peak cap is Heather Egberink, who correctly identified the host of Wheels’ associate radio programme, Nqola, on the community station Capital 104 FM. Thank you to all the readers who entered, 50% of whom were women — the highest known ratio for any title with a transport focus. But that’s what you get when you offer the most impartial information to guide drivers through the newcar maze and make the commute fun again.
Barons Pietermaritzburg: Healing the world one Volkswagen at a time By Pieter from Maritzburg
Bespoke Volkswagen Dealers at Barons Pietermaritzburg work as a team with the Das Auto crew to achieve their goal. By offering the most affordable prices possible on all models, they are helping to heal the world one Volkswagen at a time. Plus they are just super conveniently positioned for anyone living between Durban and Drakensberg.
Pollution and cash flow; they are the bane of our existence. But the Das Auto Engineers at Volkswagen have worked hard over the years to combat our blight. This journey of intensive labour and innovation has culminated in one of the greatest achievements to grace the auto industry since the assembly line: BlueMotion Technology.
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.
Worried about the environment? BlueMotion Technology reduces emissions for your peace of mind, and the sake of all future generations of budding young auto enthusiasts. Worried about your cash flow? BlueMotion Technology reduces fuel consumption too; so you can go the distance in life with less concern for your budget. Furthermore, the
Prime less 3.27%
Exclusive deal.
Polo hatch from R3,199* per month.
Purchase a Golf GTI in the month of May and we will include: - Xenon lights - Panoramic sunroof - 90 000km Maintenance Plan
Model
Vehicle Price
Deposit
Balloon Payment
Total Cost Incl fees & VAT
72
7.23%*
10% 30% (R25,320) (R75,960)
R306,259
R265,000
R3,344*
72
7.25%
10% 30% (R26,500) (R79,500)
R320,279
Polo TSI 81kW Highline DSG R281,000
R3,542*
72
7.27%
10% 30% (R28,100) (R84,300)
R339,291
Polo TSI 81kW Highline
Visit us on www.baronsvw.co.za
Interest Rate Linked / Variable
R3,199*
Polo TSI 70kW BlueMotion R253,200
Exclusive to Barons Pietermaritzburg: Limited to 5 units.
Monthly No. of Instalments Instalments
Visit us on www.baronsvw.co.za An optional cost of R950 incl. VAT will be charged for metallic paint. Note: Linked to FNB prime rate, currently 10.5%. Offers calculated on the Polo hatch models in standard specification. Interest rate is used for illustrative purposes only. Instalment excludes optional extras, licensing and registration, but includes delivery and bank initiation fee of R1140. Offers may not be used in conjunction with any other specials service or offering. 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 until 28 May 2016 or while stocks last.
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An optional cost of R950 incl. VAT will be charged for metallic paint. Note: Linked to FNB prime rate, currently 10.5%. Offers calculated on the Golf GTI models in standard specification. Includes manual, DSG and DSG Performance Pack. Interest rate is used for illustrative purposes only. Excludes optional extras, delivery, licensing and registration. Offers may not be used in conjunction with any other specials service or offering. 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 until 28 May 2016 or while stocks last.
Polo Vivo from R2,168* p.m.
R 132 900 R 144 900 R 144 900 R 159 900 R 162 900
45 000 29 500 30 000 15 000 8 900
km km km km km
Silver Grey White White
R 225 000 R 209 900 R 199 900 R 249 900
8 000 18 000 9 000 6 000
km km km km
White White Gold Silver
R 549 000 3 500 km R 249 900 35 000 km R 264 900 14 000 km R 434 900 100 km
Blue
R 159 900 5 100
km
Silver Silver White White Grey Black
R 229 900 R 274 900 R 569 900 R 339 900 R 375 000 R 519 900
km km km km km km
White Blue
R 189 900 65 000 km R 148 900 90 000 km
75 000 12 000 72 000 3 500 3 000 4 500
*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: Laurie - 082 783 8040 • Rajen - 072 228 9834 • Sanjay - 083 639 0989 Barry - 072 235 4244 • Phumlani - 073 017 1294 Visit us on www.baronsvwpmb.co.za and find us on facebook.com/BaronsPietermaritzburg
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Pietermaritzburg
9 Armitage Road, Pietermaritzburg, 3201 • Tel: 033 845 3100
Purchase a Polo Vivo 77kW Comfortline from R2,168* Monthly No. of Instalments Instalments
Interest Rate Linked / Variable
Balloon Payment
Total Cost Incl fees & VAT
Model
Vehicle Price
Polo Vivo 77kW Comfortline
R189,800
R2,168*
72
8.78%*
10% 50% (R18,980) (R94,900)
R250,978
Polo Vivo 77kW Maxx
R199,900
R2,200*
72
8.80%
10% 50% (R19,990) (R99,950)
R264,080
Deposit
Visit us on www.baronsvw.co.za An optional cost of R950 incl. VAT will be charged for metallic paint. Note: Linked to FNB prime rate, currently 10.5%. Offers calculated on the Polo Vivo hatch models in standard specification. Interest rate is used for illustrative purposes only. Instalment excludes optional extras, licensing and registration, but includes delivery and bank initiation fee of R1140. Offers may not be used in conjunction with any other specials service or offering. 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 until 28 May 2016 or while stocks last.
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WitnessWheels MOTORING BIKES
Towards a singleseater future
May 5, 2016
The brush cutter bike At 75, the Clarendon resident still rides everywhere ALWYN VILJOEN
A new take on the pennyfarthing, the KerVelo is a recumbent bicycle that will soon be a tricycle if its Norwegian inventor Marc le Borgne has his way. He designed the bike to be pedalled without any chain using an 18speed Pinion gear hub transmission that he fitted into a custom hub on the frontwheel axle. Why make it a trike? Because the front wheel rubs against the outside knee of the rider in low speed turns. He has no prices on the KerVelo yet. PHOTOS: SUPPLIED
Terracraft said it is ready to take bespoke orders for its selftilting SuperTrike. Prices will start around an eyewatering R860 439 ($60 000) before import taxes, and scale upwards depending on what engine a customer wants (the prototype uses a 1 500 cc Honda Goldwing engine), and what level of components the buyer’s use case demands. The trike uses an intelligent CoPilot computer system that keeps the cabin perfectly level over any road surfaces while leaning the trike into corners at up to 30 degrees.
JOHN Kassner, coowner of the Jays B ’n B in Clarendon, is convinced that all drivers who spend hours sitting in slowmoving traffic have a death wish — to die of ill health. A selfconfessed fitness nut, Kassner (75) is not against cars. In fact, he still enjoys surprising the young racers be tween traffic lights in his 22yearold Honda Ballade. But the former Johan nesburg driver has no patience with traf fic jams and even less with Sleepy Hol low’s famously inattentive drivers. “You can actually see people nodding off at traffic lights!” he said, adding that he still believes his mother’s injunction that there are only two types of people: the quick and the dead. Kassner retired as a geologist at 52 and has spent the past decade cycling every where, including Kashmir after he was inspired by Blonde on a Bike, written by Bridget Gonzalez, now coordinator of the Wessa/WWF EcoSchools Pro gramme in Howick. He said her cycling adventures in the Midlands, Norway, Europe, India, Far East, Tibet and South America led him to search for a bolton bicycle engine that could assist him up the Himalayan mountains. His research led him to order a kit from Golden Eagle Bike Engines, a U.S. company that claims to “design the most dependable and economical al ternative transportation in the world”. Because no one sells twostroke oil high up in the Andes or Himalayas, he opted for a fourstroke Subaru Robin, a singlecylinder 34 cc engine typically used on brush cutters. The bolton system worked beautiful ly to add power to his legs. During his preparations for the Himalayan tour, Kassner recalled doing 150 km on a day’s unplanned “fun ride” out to Dargle and back. He was 69 at that stage. But the airline ensured that his plans to cycle the Himalayas in 2010 followed those laid by mice and men. After first sending the bicycles to the wrong coun try, airline security staff then also re moved the tiny engine from his bike lug gage as a “fire risk”, leaving Kassner to cycle up the highest mountains he has ever been on using only the leg muscles God gave him. “It was nine days of beau tiful scenery and killer altitude, it just murdered me. They had to lift me out of there,” Kassner recalled. Back home and reunited with his bolt on kit, he sets an example for all unfit
KZN’s most ardent cyclist and fitness nut John Kassner, recommends assisted cycling for better health and a fun commute. PHOTO: ALWYN VILJOEN pensioners. He usually bikes the six kilo metres to Hilton, averaging 20 km/h up the steep Taunton Road. “I disconnect [the engine] on the flats and ride, so it does not cut the exercise — you still have to push it with all you got, but you do go three times faster.” In this way he easily does 65 km a day and encourages anyone to get an assisted bicycle. “We all need to do a hell of a lot more exercise. You have a death wish sitting in that car. Apart from everything else, [assisted cycling] is huge fun, more fun than a motorbike.” He said there are many bolton en gines to choose from pending budget and inclination, but advised people to start with a strong 24 to 26inch frame, with 27 gears and good brakes.
The costs of fitness A Golden Eagle 38cc 4 Stroke Motorised Bicycle Engine Kit now costs $529 (about R7 600), including free shipping and a oneyear warranty. Ecotrax Bike Builders. a webbased company, has a 66 cc engine kit for R2 800 on special offer. For comparison, Gary Peacock, a 4x4 vehicle builder in Pietermaritzburg, will fit a reliable 48 cc Chinese bicycle engine and fuel tank to a customer’s bicycle frame for R2 950, or an 80 cc for R3 950. Contact Peacock at 060 995 6249. • Find more on cycling adventures in the Midlands area and all around the world on www.spanafricanadventures. co.za/ • alwyn.viljoen@witness.co.za
Elio aimed at crashtest wall
When the Wheels team predict our children will be riding in rollcaged vehicles with unique cladding, we have something like this trike by American electrical engineer Don Davis in mind. You know you want it just by looking at it, but Davis said he will only make this DiamondBack to order after a deposit has been paid on the final amount of just over R430 000. Power in this model comes from a 1 300 cc Suzuki Hayabusa engine, the pneumatic leaning system automatically keeps the trike level and a Formula 1style racing seat with a fivepoint harness keeps the rider safe. The roof, by the way, is also selfraising to facilitate getting in and out.
After Wheels pointed out how the hype surrounding the Elio trike is starting to sound a lot like the bluster that came (and went) with the South African Joule electric car, the American team announced a week ago that the final stage of engineering has been completed and crash testing is next. Then only will building of the trikes already ordered by 52 601 Americans, begin. The Elio is the dream of Paul Elio, who according to the website, ‘saw Americans struggling with an economy that was taking too much and giving back too little’, and decided the world needs a ‘threewheeled masterpiece of automotive brilliance that bears his name’. Since 2013, Elio has been promising to sell the trike for $6 800 (R98 408), which will be the cheapest trike on the market, if the company delivers on the hype. PHOTO: ELIO
MOTORING WitnessWheels TRANSPORT
May 5, 2016
7
Man shows tough solutions for mines and quarries at Bauma 2016
With six axles all pulling together and a gross permitted weight of 33 tonnes, the Man TGS is a relatively affordable tipper to operate in quarries. PHOTO: QUICKPIC
MAN will be showing the tough 6x6 TGS chassis from its World Wide product family in markets outside Europe at the Bauma Ex po for 2016. The vehicles are optimised to meet quarrying and mining re quirements, including extra large 24 R 20.5 tyres on the rear axle for extreme conditions. The MAN TGS dumper truck, de signed for a gross permitted weight of 33 tonnes, is therefore ideal as an alternative to special ist vehicles such as the articulat ed dumper, which is significantly more expensive to purchase. The trucks have been designed by the Munichbased commer cial vehicle to cope with slippery
road surfaces as well as climatic extremes, ranging from icy to high humidity. The MAN TGS 40.540 6x6 BBS from the TGS WorldWide series is available for the toughest of transportation tasks. The combination of the threeaxle towing vehicle with 540 hp en gine, MAN TipMatic automated gearbox with converterclutch unit (WSK), leafsprung planet ary axle and additional radiators for engine, gearbox, WSK and transfer case is ideal for gross train weights of up to 250 tonnes at maximum traction. In icy weather, the heat reten tion function of the coolant, which remains active in neutral,
has proven itself in Arctic climat ic regions and in frosty winters. It ensures the operational capa bility of the vehicle in tempera tures of up to minus 40°C. Air intake as well as exhaust tailpipe are raised for rough oper ating conditions. A tough steel bumper is provided and tyre for mats 325/95 R24 and 14.00 R20 can be selected. Heavy duty equipment ex works is a tradition at MAN. Components such as twostage trailer hydraulics, front register coupling, heavyduty trailer cou pling at normal and low mount ing positions, sliding device for fifthwheel coupling and support plate for swan neck can of course
also be supplied by MAN with this towing machine. The variant range includes left and righthand drive vehicles and is available in emission catego ries Euro 4 and Euro 5. The Euro 5 exhaust classifica tion is increasingly gaining in im portance in markets outside Eu rope. MAN is therefore introduc ing common rail engines from the D20 and D26 series for the first time to the TGS Worldwide series in this exhaust classifica tion. These come from the D20 engine series with 320, 360, 400, and 440 hp. The D26 covers the 480 hp and 540 hp versions. All the engines are 6 cylinder inline engines. — Supplied.
Hino moves Storah Farms Ixopo mixed transporter increases fleet of Japanese truck tractors to a round dozen HINO trucks are proving so suc cessful in a mixed transport oper ation in KwaZuluNatal that the operator, Evan Storah, of Storah Farming near Ixopo, has in creased the number of Hino trucks in his fleet from one to 12 over the past four years. The operation, which involves Hino 700Series 2845 truck tractors in hauling trailers carry ing livestock and wood chips and 700series 2845 freight carriers and trailers transporting loads of wooden logs, is particularly de manding in view of the fact that a great deal of the transport takes place over rough or unmade roads in forests and farms. Evan Storah says the major at tributes of the Hino trucks which make them ideal for his operation are reliability, durability, good fu el economy, ease of maintenance and the overall low running costs. “Hino has kept the basic de sign of its trucks fairly simple, making them wellsuited for tough offroad use, while also be ing easy to service,” explained Storah. “Hino also has a wide network of dealers and we enjoy a particu larly good relationship with our local dealership, Hino Pieterma ritzburg, which is headed up by Piet van Romburgh. We know we can call on Piet and his team at any time for assistance.” Evan Storah was a manager on his father’s farm, near Creighton, when he took over the parttime running of the farm’s vehicle fleet. When he bought the first
Evan and Handri Storah, of Storah Farming in KwaZuluNatal, flanked by Piet van Romburgh (left), General Manager of Hino Pietermaritzburg, and Alec Harris (right), Commercial Vehicle Sales Consultant at Hino Pietermaritzburg. PHOTO: QUICKPIC Hino, a used 700Series in 2012 there were only five trucks in the fleet. Now there are 15 with 12 of them Hinos and Evan is involved full time in running the transport operation. In fact the farm itself is leased out these days. The first Hino in the fleet, a 700Series 57450 model, was bought as a used truck from Hino Pietermaritzburg. It is still oper ating in the fleet with more than 800 000km on the odometer and having required little in the way of repairs over the years. For
instance brake linings were re placed only at 700 000km. This first unit performed so well that since its introduction to the Sto rah Farming fleet Hino is the only brand of truck that Evan has bought and he plans to eventual ly change the whole fleet to Hino. There are currently four 700 Series 2845 trucktractors pull ing livestock trailers and a bulk woodchip trailer together with eight extended chassis rigid 2845’s with drawbar trailers car rying wooden logs and operating
at a GCM of 38 tons. Most of the wood is transported on round trips of about 80km to Chep SA for making into pallets. The Storah Farming fleet cur rently moves 5 000 tons of pine and 3 500 tons of gum annually, together with 60 tons of wood chips a day. The volume trailer carries 32 tons or 96m3 of wood chips on 400km round trips to and from a pulping plant. Live stock is moved to and from many parts of the country. Weightech systems are used to
ensure maximum legal loads and the best productivity. Sophisti cated equipment from Tracker monitors driver behaviour as well as keeping track of the trucks themselves. Much of the regular mainte nance is carried out weekly on the company’s premises on a 20 000 km cycle, with any re pairs necessary being carried out by Hino Pietermaritzburg. There are 18 drivers on the staff, all having accommodation at the depot. Alec Harris, a com
mercial vehicle sales consultant at Hino Pietermaritzburg is re sponsible for driver training. Harris is also the link between this growing Hino fleet and the dealership. The Storah Farming operation remains very much a family busi ness, with Evan’s wife, Handri, re sponsible for administration and finance, while the longest run ning transport contract is with Evan’s father, Chris, for deliver ing bulk milk to his cheese factory in Creighton. — Supplied.
Robust PEbuilt tipper trucks prove a popular choice for FAW dealer in Tanzania
The bestselling FAW trucks in Tanzania are these FAW 6x4 tippers, assembled in PE using a local body constructor. PHOTO: SUPPLIED
A LOCAL FAW plant is nearing the 100 mark in local exports aft er the PE plant built 90 units for export into Africa. Earlier this year, another 10 FAW J5 tippers units left the local Coegabased production plant for Tanzania. A growing number of Africa truck dealers who traditionally placed their orders on FAW Chi na continue to move their orders to originate out of South Africa owing to the shorter lead time for delivery, the high levels of quality from the South African plant, and the reduced cost of sourcing FAW vehicles on the same conti nent. Cheng Zhang, Marketing and Strategy Manager, and spokes person for FAW Vehicle Manu
facturers SA, explains: “There are many advantages of sourcing FAW products from our South African base — the most impor tant being timetomarket in the Africa countries, and of course for the SADC and AU, the added advantage which comes from the import/export duty agreements,” he adds. From the cost point of view, the African buyer can save vehicle import duty between 25% and 40%. Another advantage im porting through FAW locally is that customers can get their vehi cles within 30 days of order; much sooner than from China, which normally requires three months between order place ment and delivery. FAW SA says it plans to sup
port sales in almost all the right hand drive African countries. “However, our plan is to assem ble the lefthand drive vehicles to supply to the African Union countries in future, where they too can get duty advantages”. The Tanzania dealer noted that their best sellers are the FAW 6x4 truck tractor and FAW 6x4 15m3 tippers. The FAW J5 6X4 tipper has proven to be a stalwart product for Africa road conditions. FAW vehicles can cope easily with the region’s dust and dirt challenges, as well as rough roads and slippery conditions. With its high payload capacity it provides good return on invest ment for most any operation, such as mining, long haul or log
ging. The quality levels coming from the local plant ensure that the solid chassis and frame con tinue to give transport owners the ease of driveability they have come to expect from FAW trucks. Another advantage of the run ning FAW trucks is that they are easy to maintain and service, with excellent accessibility to spare parts if needed. For aftersales support, FAW SA is already supplying parts to those African dealers who im port SAspec models. Some deal ers who import local spec models from FAW, still source their parts stock from China directly, be cause the purchase process is fa miliar to them and uptime in not affected. — Supplied.
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WitnessWheels MOTORING RACING
May 5, 2016
All eyes on KZN riders Defending champions will have to open throttles wide to stay ahead at Dundee
SA racers bruised abroad
CHARMAINE FORTUNE DUNDEE hosts the second round of the 2016 SA Cross Country Motorcycle and Quad Championship tomorrow and on Saturday. Competitors will not be shar ing the race venue with the Do naldson Cross Country vehicles in this SACC Battlefields Race, instead they will rub shoulders with the local fans, as the event is also the second round of the KwaZuluNatal Regional and Club Championships for juniors and seniors. Many eyes will be on local KZN competitors who took an early lead in the championships and they might feel the pressure to perform in front of their ‘home’ crowd. Michael Pentecost (from Dur ban) and his Proudly Bidvest Ya maha teammate, Brett Swane poel (from Ballito) are leading the OR1 (Open) and OR3 (200cc) Championships in the motorcycle category. They will be chased by Brother Leader Tread KTM teammates, Ross Branch (OR1) and Jarryd Coetzee (OR3) while the defend ing OR1 champion, Kenny Gil bert (Kargo Racing Husqvarna), who is from Pietermaritzburg, will aim to move up from his third place in OR1. OR3 is packed with young tal ent like the current High School Champion, Eduan Bester (KTM Centurion Liqui Moly Racing) currently fifth, but eager to show what he is capable of. Darren Macleod (D&H Engi neering Works Yamaha) is third, but not safe from the hunting pack behind him. In OR2 (250cc), the 2015 run nerup Jaycee Nienaber (D&H Engineering Works Yamaha) leads a class where anything can happen. The defending champi on, Louw Schmidt (Brother Leader Tread KTM) had a bad start to the season and will hope for a podium position to better his current 11th place while the runnerup at the Vryburg Race, Alastair Drennan (KTM) will be out of action due to an injury. This means that Hein Jnr van Niekerk (Doorzone Bikers Ware house Husqvarna) can better his third place, but he is not too far ahead of Cameron Becker (KTM
Johannesburg’s Sisa Ngebulana (17) had a tough race alongside fellow South African Eugene Deneyssen in the British Formula 3 weekend at Rockingham. PHOTO: SUPPLIED
Defending OR1 champion, Kenny Gilbert from Pmb (left) with fellow Kargo Racing Husqvarna riders (from left) Kyle Erasmus, Nick van den Berg and Matt Green. PHOTO: TWITTER Centurion Liqui Moly Racing) and Brendon Fourie (Sherco Rac ing SA) while Paddock rider, Kyle Flanagan (Sherco Racing SA) will hope for his first points on the score board. The Pietermaritzburg enduro rider, Bruce May (Agrisales Peak Yamaha Racing) might feel com fortable at this ‘close’ race and will aim for another podium po sition in the Senior Class where he trails Wynand Kleynhans (Ya maha) who is second and new comer, Warrick van Schalkwyk (Yamaha) who leads the class, but they will all have to watch out for the defending champion, Juan van Rooyen (Brother Leader Tread KTM) who is 10th in the class after a problematic start, but he is sure to go for glory at Dundee. Matatiele youngster Stefan van Deventer (Alfie Cox Junior KTM Racing) is the current Jun ior National Champion and one of a handful of young riders who moved up from the Junior Na
tional Championship. He is third in the High School Champion ship and will hope to overtake André Basson (Yamaha) in sec ond place and chase Adriano Catalano (D&H Engineering Works Yamaha) who leads the championship. Another ‘local’ KZN rider, Denzil Torlage (Proudly Bidvest Yamaha) might be a multiple SA National Enduro Champion, but he has a fight on his hands in the Master Class Championship where he is sixth after the first round. This class is being led by two more multiple offroad champs, Wayne Farmer (Doorzone Bikers Warehouse Husqvarna) and Pi eter Holl (KTM) while the de fending champion, Ian Venter (KTM Centurion Liqui Moly Racing) is just one point behind. Taye Perry (KTM) is a favour ite in the Ladies Class while the battle between the younger rid ers and the more experienced competitors in the 125cc Class,
will continue at Dundee where the experienced Izak Mans (Droomers Yamaha) leads the scholar, Michael Glöckle (D&H Engineering Works Yamaha). On four wheels The Open Quad Championship will be wide open as the defend ing champion, Brian Baragwa nath (Proudly Bidvest Yamaha), who is third in the standings, will be competing in the Donaldson Cross Country Championship in a CRT vehicle at Vredefort while Stefan Swanepoel (Yamaha), who is currently second, has an nounced his retirement from the sport. André Park (Yamaha) cur rently leads the standings and will hope to have an open road to his first title. It might not be that easy as the Kokstad rider, JohnJohn Ayl ward (Yamaha) will make a comeback at this event in his back yard after not racing for two years and would like to start with the same results he finished with
– podium results. With Baragwa nath and Swanepoel not compet ing, riders like Russell Ferreira (Yamaha), who is fourth and fifth placed Johan Oosthuizen (VANS Racing Division Yamaha) will aim to move onto the podium with more good results. In the Master Class Champi onship, it looks like the current champ, George Twigge (Yama ha) is on his way to a hat trick of titles if the rest of the riders do not find a way to stop him. Megan Stander (Suzuki) leads the High School Championship after winning at Vryburg. All the action will take place from the Battlefields Country Lodge and Sports Resort on the outskirts of Dundee where the Start/Finish and central service point will be. There will be a vari ety of refreshments from various food stalls at the resort during the weekend. Spectators can fol low the racing on both days from various good vantage points on the loops.
Gutzeit brings northsouth drifting fight home to Dezzi’s MIKEY SKELTON The North vs. South battle continued in Cape Town last week for round two of the Su padrift National Drift series. An impressive field of 38 cars had setup in the pit area of the oval section at Killarney Raceway and as drivers and teams show cased their drift ready creations. Sadly, through a combina tion of bad luck and breakages the field was reduced to a mere 35 drifters for qualifying. And a strange qualifying it was, there were only 18 drivers that posted scores while many drivers were caught out by the iniaition speed and long sweeping line and that pesky front clip. This resulted in a bevy of double zero scores and by the time the smoke had cleared the Top 16 had
Dominators from the North: Winners of round two in the Supadrift National Drift at Killarney Raceway in Cape Town, with KZN’s Shane Gutzeit first, Jim McFarlane second and Zanil Satar third. PHOTO: DARREN TOWNSLEY been decided and the judges and fans were very happy to see some new faces in the mix.
Mohammed Yusuf and Fah eem Salie ran a silver cup final and it would be Yusuf who would take the win after Sal
ie’s car cut out mid run. The Top 16 started with a bit of controversy after Jacque Lemmer took the win over Shane Green, the decision would be overturned when Lemmer, in true sportsman ship, offered to rerun because he had made contact with Green that could not be seen by the judges. Green would take the win but would go on to lose to Mozambiquan, Zanil Satar who seemed as if he had something to prove on the day. Jason Gorman would even tually go on to take driver of the day for his impressive driving skills but would lose out in tandems to the other Jason. Jason Webb seemed to be struggling with his ma chine and would bow out against Zein Hussein in the fi nal eight.
Although the southern boys put on a brilliant fight, the north would simply rise up and overpower them…..with V8’s. Jim McFarlane drove like a man possessed and bull dozed his way through his pairings and would eventually meet Shane Gudzeit in the fi nal. After an incident during Fri day practice Shane’s Nissan Silvia S15 was rendered un driveable and Shane tempora rily inherited his father, Dez Gutzeit’s, V8 powered Skyline. The sheer power would propel Shane all the way to victory in a nail biting final run that would see Jim McFarlane take a well deserved 2nd and Zanil Satar see off Zein Hussein for 3rd. The next Supadrift Series is at the Gutzeit’s home track — Dezzi Raceway.
SEVERAL South African driv ers flew the flag in fine style in races across the world over the weekend, although lady luck seemed to be elsewhere for most in a tough few days’ of racing. Jordan Pepper and Kelvin van der Linde were both mighty in ADAC German Masters at the Sachsenring, while young Jonathan Aber dein shone in the Formula 3 race there, Stephen Simpson fought hard in the Californian IMSA PC race and British For mula 3 rookie Eugene Denyss en found himself on a steep learning curve. But it was perhaps Jonat han Aberdein who made the biggest impression with a pole position and eighth and a tenth places in his best step forward in his rookie German Formula 4 season. He ended tenth in the first race to snatch pole in the reverse grid final, but he was tagged by the sec ondplaced car while leading and dropped down the field to end 8th. Kelvin van der Linde and Jordan Pepper both drove well beyond what their results suggest in the ADAC GT Mas ters — both were compro mised by an errant Safety Car in the first heat but the second race saw van der Linde up to fourth in his Audi and Pepper sixth for Bentley before each handed their cars to their co drivers, only for the Audi to suffer a pit lane penalty and the Bentley to crash out. Stephen Simpson mean while found himself immersed in a Laguna Seca dogfight that saw the tail of his Oreca Chevy ripped off in the closing stages of his race to fifth as he clawed onto his IMSA PC champion ship lead. Eugene Deneyssen had a difficult British Formula 3 weekend at Rockingham with a pair of tough races before crashing out of the final, while the 17yearold Sisa Ngebu lana also endured a trying meeting. Elsewhere, SA bike hero Cam Petersen flew the flag in style with his first MotoAmer ica Supersport race for Suzuki in the second heat of the New Jersey US meeting. — MCmedia.
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