Wheels 5 May 2106

ash car sales

May 5, 2016

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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 email: 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

2

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.

4

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

Barons

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.

New Sales Consultants

John Brown • Merglin Rama • Menzi Ngubane • Bahle Bhengu Erica Neff • Keshnee Pillay

Sales Enquiries: 033 940 1445

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Polo Vivo 2013 Polo Vivo Sedan 1.4 2015 Polo Vivo GP 1.4 Trendline 5 Door 2015 Polo Vivo GP 1.4 Trendline 5 Door 2015 Polo Vivo GP 1.6 Comfortline 2016 Polo Vivo Sedan GP 1.6 Comfortline Polo 2015 Polo GP 1.2 TSI Highline 2015 Polo GP 1.2 TSI Comfortline 2015 Polo GP 1.4 TDI Trendline 2016 Cross Polo 1.2 TSI Highline Golf 2015 Golf 7 R TSI DSG 2015 Golf 7 TSI Trendline 2015 Golf SV TSI 2016 Golf 7 GTI DSG up!

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6

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.

8

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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