Wheels_11May2017

May 11, 2017

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Pocket rocket SIBONELO MYENI feels planted in a lil’ hatch SIBONELO MYENI RENAULT Mzansi has launched the updated Clio range with the GT Line a worthy value proposi­ tion in my view.

At the launch route in the thin air up in Gauteng, I got to sample the GT Line and it felt sure­foot­ ed in dynamic driving while not being too hard on rough roads.

It has the best combination of comfort vs dynamic driving of the Clio range and maybe — dare I say it — the segment.

The Clio has been a good sales success for Mzansi Renault, mainly due to its avant­garde de­ sign and with the latest update, Renault has made slight but no­ ticeable changes.

The C­shaped LED daytime lights debut in the Clio, with re­ vised grille and front bumper.

The top of the range models

get Pure Vision LED headlights.

New wheels in 16­inch and 17­ inch designs are featured, whilst the GT Line gets unique Titani­ um finish 17­inch wheels.

The rear gets a refreshed bumper and tail­lights.

The GT Line gets the sporty diffuser insert bumper with a sin­ gle chrome tailpipe.

Changes are on the inside LED ambient lighting makes its debut in Clio models, whose in­ teriors already boast all the ergo­ nomic attention to detail Renault is justly famous for.

Higher­grade materials are used everywhere for fit and finish and the new Clio gets revised seat upholstery, door pads and instru­ ment cluster whilst cruise con­ trol is standard as well.

The R&Go application comes standard in the new Clio Authen­

tique.

The rest of the new Clio range come standard with Renault’s MediaNav integrated naviga­ tion/multi­media system with a seven­inch touchscreen display.

Under those hoods The engine range starts off with the 66 kW/135 Nm 1.0 three­cyl­ inder turbo claimed to sprint from 0­100 km/h in 12,2 seconds (top speed 182 km/h) with a claimed 5,5l/100 km.

The top of the range models get the 88 kW/190 Nm 1,2 four­ cylinder turbo motor claimed to sprint from 0­100 km/h in 9,4 seconds (top speed 199 km/ h) with claimed 5,2l/100 km.

Transmission choices range from the five­speed manual in the 1,0 engine, a six­speed manu­ al in the GT Line and a seven­ speed EDC in the 1,2 Expression.

Renault’s fourth­generation Clio, which has seen over 20 000 sales in SA since April 2013, got faster in the latest GT line.

PHOTO: QUICKPIC The Clio range comes stan­ dard with a five­year or 150 000 km mechanical warran­ ty and a six­year anti­corrosion warranty.

Also standard is a three­year or 45 000 km service plan.

Services take place at 15 000 km intervals.

Pricing Retail pricing for the five models starts at R264 900 for the Clio 88 kW Turbo GT­Line and con­ tinues up to R264 900 for the 88 kW Turbo EDC Expression.

Options include a fixed glass roof Dynamique at R8 000, me­ tallic paint at R2 500 and a seven­

inch touchscreen with naviga­ tion and leather steering wheel for R10 000.

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New

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F1-inspired 88kW Turbo Engine Fuel Consumption from only 5.3 l/100 km* On-board 7” Touchscreen Navigation

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So go ahead, book a test drive at your nearest dealer today.

Bidvest McCarthy Renault Pietermaritzburg

9 Armitage Road, Pietermaritzburg. Tel: 033 940 1433 • www.bidvestmccarthyrenault.co.za

2

WitnessWheels MOTORING

May 11, 2017

GT­R is the King of the Hill GT­R wins supercar and modified supercar titles at Simola Hill Climb with sub­40 run ROSSLYN — The Nissan GT­R remains the fastest supercar at the Simola Hill Climb near Knysna over the weekend, as proved by Wilhelm Baard, Reghard Roets and the R35 Nissan GT R. Baard repeated his successful 2011 Si­ mola King of the Hill win by shattering the 40­second barrier on the last shoot­ out­run for a time of 39,892 seconds. It is the first time in the history of the com­ petition that a supercar managed to break this psychological barrier on the mountain road.

“I dedicate this win to all of the Nissan team members who have put so much effort into preparing our R35 GT­R for this competition. What we achieved to­ day is thanks to many months of prepa­ ration and practice,” says Baard.

Baard was a firm favourite to win the 2017 Simola Hill Climb, especially after he recorded a final qualifying time of 40,099 seconds. This was faster than any winning GT­R of previous years and faster than the time with which he won the race in a GT­R in 2011.

“Towards the end of the day our set­ up was optimal and we had a fairly new set of tyres that we could fit. I knew that if I ran a clean race up the hill we could shatter that 40­second barrier,” says Baard, who added that the speeds on the final run “scared” him.

Coming a close second was Desmond Gutzeit with his very powerful R32 GT­R. Gutzeit recorded the fastest time in the B2 class shootout for modified sa­ loon cars with four­wheel drive and forced induction.

Each racing class competes against the other for the class win, before the 10 fastest cars across all the classes com­ pete for the King of the Hill (KOTH) title. This year there were separate KOTH races for the standard production supercars and modified supercars.

Coming a close second was Desmond Gutzeit with his very powerful R32 GT­R. PHOTO: SUPPLIED For the class win, Gutzeit raced up the hill in 40,312 seconds, while Baard com­ pleted it in 40,502 seconds. In the King of the Hill shootout, Gutzeit recorded a time of 40,114 seconds, the fastest time

for him on the day and fast enough for the second spot on the modified super­ car podium.

In the class for standard production supercars, Roets completed the shoot­

out on Sunday with a time of 44,766 sec­ onds. This time beat various other su­ percars and his fellow Nissan GT­R racer, Jaki Scheckter, to the top step of the podium. Scheck­

ter ended the day with a shootout time of 45,171 seconds on the 1,9 km hill climb, which earned him the third position.

For Roets the win was particularly sweet after he damaged his GT­R on day one and had to work past midnight to get his car race­ready.

“We managed to find replacement control arms for a GT­R in Port Eliza­ beth and the team drove through to pick them up. The car was back on its wheels just after midnight and we set the wheel alignment ... at 5 am,” said Roets.

Apart from the rear suspension parts, which Roets damaged by running wide of the road on an earlier qualifying round, his GT­R performed without fault.

“With every launch, we managed to gain some time and towards the end of the day we were leading the supercar class.

“Our King of the Hill title certainly makes the sacrifices worthwhile. I push­ ed so hard at the start of the final KOTH shootout that I spun all four wheels, but a second later I managed to regain my composure and finish the run,” said Roets.

For Nissan South Africa, the two 2017 King of the Hill titles are another high­ light in a busy year during which the company launched the MY17 GT­R. “The MY17 model is the most ad­ vanced and powerful GT­R yet. With over 400kW in standard guise, an up­ graded suspension system and a 0­100 km/h time of less than three sec­ onds, it is no surprise that the GT­R is one of South Africa’s most popular su­ percars,” said Xavier Gobille, director for sales, marketing and aftersales at Nissan Group of Africa.

— Supplied.

This certainly isn’t a drab workhorse ALWYN VILJOEN WORKHORSE Group Incorporated, a builder of hybrid bakkie and delivery­ vans in Ohio in the U.S., has revealed the Workhorse 15 — said to be the first electric bakkie designed for the fleet market.

It features a Tesla­style power train with Panasonic lithium­ion batteries be­ tween the axles and BMW’s little “Rex” two­cylinder, 647 cc petrol engine from the i3 up front, to help give the Work­ horse a claimed range of some 644 km.

The group is also making panelvans for UPS and delivery drones, but its W­15 pickup is designed from the ground­up to offer crisp styling, with clean driving and a cabin focused on technology.

In the U.S., the W­15 has competition from other range­extended bakkies, like VIA Motors’ converted Silverado and Wrightspeed’s gas turbine small trucks.

The W­15 offers power to all four wheels, thanks to an electric motor on each axle that provides 343 kW com­ bined power.

The tray of thousands of small Pana­ sonic lithium­ion cells provides an all­

To advertise your company in

The Workhorse 15 is a lightning fast electric bakkie sold with BMW’s tiny two­cylinder Rex engine to help extend its range and a focus on technology in the cab (inset).

PHOTO: NEWATLAS electric range of 129 km and the BMW petrol engine adds another 500 km. Us­ ing the electric motors to crawl in city traffic and the fuel engine to drive on

open roads, Workhorse estimates fuel economy at between 7,4 to 8,4 l/100 km.

What will impress any Nissan Navara and Ford Ranger buyer in SA most is,

Call Avir Thulsiram on 084 278 3447 OR 033 355 1152 email: Avir@witness.co.za

“Our team designed the W­15 not only for exceptional performance, but also the lowest total cost of ownership ...” however, the acceleration.

Working on the 0­60 mile per hour, the Workhorse 15 bakkie should do a sub­six second run from 0 to 100 km.

There is a decent one ton pay­ load too, and five seats big enough for Americans. A 7,2­kW socket plugs directly into the bat­ tery pack to power electric tools.

“Our team designed the W­15 not only for exceptional perform­ ance, but also the lowest total cost of ownership, the lowest emissions profile, and with state of the art autonomous controls and telematics,” Workhorse CEO Steve Burns explains. “We have listened to fleet engineers, man­ agers and drivers in order to deliv­ er the best pickup truck for com­

mercial use, from cost of ownership, to functionality, to performance and, above all else, safety and dependability for the driver.”

The W­15 features technologies like lane departure warning, collision avoid­ ance/auto braking, and interior touch­ screen controls with the Workhorse Metron telematics system streamlining fleet tracking and management.

Like most American bakkies — or trucks as they call them over there — the W­15 bakkie is almost six metres long, and two metres wide and has 305 mm of ground clearance.

Workhorse said at the ACT Expo it plans to begin production in late 2018 and already has over 4 500 pre­order let­ ters of intent from commercial vehicle fleets.

MOTORING WitnessWheels

May 11, 2017

Kia dares you to be different New turbo diesel Soul comes packed with goodies and power ALWYN VILJOEN FOLLOWING its unveiling at the Paris Motor Show in September 2016, the Kia Soul is this week at last on sale in South Africa.

While wildly popular in Cape Town’s newer suburbs and always a head­turner at the Ambers in Howick, the Soul has not caputured the soul of most KZNners.

The new model featuring a num­ ber of design updates and a new tur­ bo diesel, entry­level model may just change that.

For make no mistake, this little upright crossover has long estab­ lished itself as a car its owners have no complaints about. The Kia Soul has topped its segment in the annu­ al J.D. Power Initial Quality Survey in the U.S., first reaching the top spot in 2012, and retaining that po­ sition ever since then.

Kia South Africa describes the Soul “as the ultimate anti­establish­ ment crossover, defying traditional classification by offering the space and practicality of an MPV and the quality and features of an SUV, wrapped in the dimensions of a B­segment crossover”.

As owner of the originally fugly Fiat Mutlipla that did all this first — and with a lot more anti­estab­ lishment defiance — I can only say “ja well no fine”. But the Soul does have, well, soul under its skin. A WesBank / SAGMJ Car of the Year semi­finalist in 2015, CAR Magazine also declared it a “Best Buy” in their 2016 Best Buys survey.

“In a market of mundane cross­ overs and smaller SUVs, the Soul has always been able to provide something a little different and

stand out,” says David Sieff, market­ ing director, Kia Motors South Afri­ ca. “As an alternative, the Soul gives consumers a great way to express themselves in a practical and funky way, but with all the features and the quality people expect from Kia.” The new turbodiesel Kia Soul 1.6 Start produces 94 kW and 260 Nm of torque between 1 900 and 2 750 r/min. This engine mates to a six­speed manual transmission, with no automatic option available.

Even at the entry level the Soul features a comprehensive list of standard specification, including a radio with RDS, MP3/Aux/USB jacks, Bluetooth connectivity and six speakers, central locking, an im­ mobiliser, a rear­view camera, elec­ trochromatic rearview mirror, elec­ tric windows front and rear, electric heated side mirrors with integrated indicators, and a leather­wrapped steering wheel.

Safety features include ABS brakes, six airbags, an impact­sens­ ing door unlock function. All mod­ els ship as standard with Kia’s five­ year or unlimited kilometre warran­ ty, a five­year or unlimited kilometre roadside assistance as well as a four­ year or 90 000 km service plan.

Gary Scott, sales director and deputy managing director of Kia Motors South Africa said, “At R329 995 it represents exceptional value, and a quick test drive will more than confirm its virtues.”

In the quirky cars segment, which is pitifully small in SA, the Soul competes with other misfits like the Ford BMax, selling from R325k and the Hyundai Creta, listed from R319k, but it is the most memora­ ble.

Kia has bolstered the quirky Soul’s local line­up with a diesel engine that looks to have the goods, and while the introductory price of R329 995 lasts, this represents comparatively good value in the crossover segment.

PHOTO: MOTORPRESS

NEW 500 KM WHEELIE RECORD

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With the Jaguar XF you get outstanding handling and the dynamic agility of a sports car, paired with the luxurious comfort and style of a sedan.

And when you consider the new 4 cylinder Ingenium Diesel engine delivering 132kW, and the state-of-the-art infotainment system offering advanced connectivity, it’s plain to see XF compromises nothing to give you everything.

Book your test-drive today.

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The new Guinness World Record for the longest wheelie was last week set at 500 kilometres by Japanese ‘Wheelie King’ Masaru Abe, riding a 125cc Yamaha Jog scooter for over 13 hours on the back wheel, refueling both bike and body on the move. The previous record of 331,02 kilometres was set almost 26 years ago by Yasuyuki Kudo. The world’s fastest wheelie, set last year at an eye­watering 343 km/h, still stands.

PHOTO: SUPPLIED

3

WitnessWheels MOTORING

RACING

4

May 11, 2017

Hunting a Class T victory Tall grass and sharp rocks around Dundee call for a simple race tactic: fewest punctures wins COLIN MILEMAN THE Ford Neil Woolridge Motor­ sport (NWM) Puma Lubricants team are ready and eager to con­ tinue their campaign in the excit­ ing South African Cross Country Series (SACCS) when the second round of the championship gets underway at the Battlefields 400 tomorrow and on Saturday.

Based in the historic Dundee area in KwaZulu­Natal, it will be an epic battle amongst the large field of Class T contenders.

The Pietermaritzburg­based Ford NWM Puma Lubricants squad are aiming to lift their game even further after the opening round in Lichtenburg, which saw Gareth Woolridge and Boyd Dreyer finish a solid second over­ all.

The hunt for their elusive first Class T victory continues, having secured numerous podium finish­ es over the past two seasons. But the young pair from Pietermaritz­ burg have proven their outright pace and consistency and will be challenging for top status in what is effectively their home event in KwaZulu­Natal.

New team­mates and former rally stars Henk Lategan and Barry White showed outstanding adaptability and speed when they earned an impressive third­place finish in their first­ever cross country race.

The Ford Neil Woolridge Motorsport (NWM) Puma Lubricants team (from left) are Henk Lategan, Barry White, Lance Woolridge, team manager Neil Woolridge, Gareth Woolridge, Ward Huxtable, Boyd Dreyer.

PHOTO: COLIN MILEMAN They will be looking to contin­ ue this impressive form while set­ tling in behind the controls of the mighty V8­powered Ford Ranger.

Lance Woolridge is hoping to make amends after his less than ideal return to the series, ending seventh last time out along with co­driver Ward Huxtable after two punctures and a faulty jack cost them precious time.

The experienced duo are previ­

ous race winners, and are intent on scoring maximum points to step up their championship chal­ lenge.

“The team [are] really looking forward to the Battlefields 400, and we are hoping for a good re­ sult for all three crews,” said Neil Woolridge, team principal of NWM. “There are only six races this year, so it’s crucial to make each one count.

“Our NWM Ford Rangers ran perfectly in Lichtenburg, so we ha­ ven’t had to make any significant changes. We have found a bit more power and will be refining the set­up for Henk’s vehicle when we test at the end of this week, so we’re anticipating a good race.”

The Dundee event will be new to most crews, with the series hav­ ing last visited the area in 2011.

Nail­biting riding expected at Battlefields MOTORCYCLE and quad competitors will compete in the SACCS Moto tomorrow while KZN riders will also com­ pete in the invitational race.

The bikers first race along a 20 km time­trial from 7 am to 8 am to determine the start­ ing order for Racing Section 2, starting at 10 am. This race will consist of a 100 km loop that riders will have to com­ plete three times.

Last year, this was quite a challenging event and riders who have upped their fitness levels and who can keep their battle gear together for 320 km, will walk away with the points.

Open class The defending OR1 (Open Class) motorcycle champion, Ross Branch (Brother Leader Tread KTM) has thrown down the gauntlet by winning the opening round and took the lead in the overall champi­ onship. The season also start­ ed well for Tim Young (Sherco Liqui Moly Racing), who is second in class and overall, and motocross ace Tristan Purdon (Bidvest Blu Cru Ya­ maha Racing), who is third.

However, former champi­ ons Kenny Gilbert (Husqvar­ na), Branch’s team­mate, and Louw Schmidt will be the out­ siders as they could not score any points and will come back with a vengeance to change this situation.

250cc battle In the OR2 (250cc) champi­ onship a couple of former champions can throw a span­ ner in the works. Jaycee Nie­ naber (Super Moose KTM) and Louwrens Mahoney

Pierre van Heerden (Honda) will be aiming to move from his second spot on the log to first.

PHOTO: SACCMOTO.CO.ZA (Brother Leader Tread KTM) are fourth and sixth respec­ tively and will be chasing third­placed Brett Swanepoel (Pepson Plastics Husqvarna).

Interesting results can also be expected as Cameron Becker (KTM Centurion Liqui Moly Racing), who is fifth, would like to get back onto the podi­ um.

Hungry 200 cc riders An injury during the King of the Hill Enduro in Romania re­ sulted in an operation for OR3 (200 cc) leader, Kyle Flanagan (Bidvest Blu Cru Yamaha Rac­ ing), but he will be ready for the battle at Dundee. He will be chased by runner­up Wil­ helm Schönfeldt (BCR Arrow Yamaha Racing), who is hun­ gry for the title after missing out on the chase last year when he was prevented from competing in the last event owing to a broken leg. Third­ placed Jarryd Coetzee (Broth­

er Leader Tread KTM) also has his aim on the title after finishing as the runner­up in 2015. Various seasoned riders in this class will make for nail­ biting racing.

Seniors A fourth consecutive Senior Class Championship might be on the cards for Juan “Bol­ lie” van Rooyen (Brother Leader Tread KTM), who opened his 2017 scorecard with a victory, but not if cur­ rent runner­up, Bruce Viljoen (Doorzone Bikers Warehouse Husqvarna) or third­placed Wynand Kleynhans (Sherco Liqui Moly Racing) can help it.

Masters The action in the Master Class championship is also set to hot up as the current champi­ on, Wayne Farmer (Doorzone Bikers Warehouse Husqvar­ na) will come out guns blazing to chase the former champion

and class leader, Pieter Holl (KTM). Third­placed Faan van Deventer (KZN) would like to fly the KZN flag high and fourth­placed Justin Broughton (Sherco Liqui Mo­ ly Racing) will aim to move on­ to the podium.

Schools It was a narrow victory for Faan’s son, Stefan (Bidvest Blu Cru Yamaha Racing), the de­ fending high school champi­ on, at the opening round and some tough competition can be expected in this class.

Juan­Pierre de Villiers (KTM) and Maarten van Ja­ arsveld (Husqvarna) are sec­ ond and third respectively and the only other high school rid­ ers with points, but outsiders can cause the current podium to change.

Quad racers Consistency plays an impor­ tant role in the quad category standings where former Sen­ ior Class champion, Russell Ferreira (Yamaha) currently leads overall as well as the Open Quad Class champion­ ship.

He will feel the pressure from other regular finishers like Johan Oosthuizen (VANS Racing Division Yamaha) and Pierre van Heerden (Honda) as well as former high school class champion Keenan Ham­ mon (Yamaha). — WR.

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“We’ve had a lot of rain in KwaZu­ lu­Natal recently so the teams will probably have to contend with lots of long grass,” Woolridge said. “The organisers have indi­ cated that the route won’t be as rough as Lichtenburg, but the Battlefields area has some tricky sections with rocks and dongas that the teams will need to watch out for.”

As witnessed at the season­

opener, the finishing order is led by the teams with the fewest punctures, and this is sure to be a recurring theme throughout the season. “We used the Pirelli race tyres for the first time in Lichten­ burg, and although they are a lot better than the standard 4x4 tyres used last year, they’re not as ro­ bust as the full FIA­spec tyres we had previously,” Woolridge said.

“As a result, it’s a balancing act between setting a fast pace while looking after the tyres and not taking chances.”

The short Friday qualifying sprint to determine starting posi­ tions for the main race covers just 45 km, with the action on Satur­ day comprising two laps of 160 km each separated by a com­ pulsory 20­minute service.

The start/finish, race headquar­ ters and service park are located at the Battlefields Country Lodge and Sports Resort on the outskirts of Dundee, with free access for spectators to these areas and all viewing points along the route.

FOLLOW THE CARS Fans can follow the action live on the RallySafe app for Apple and Android devices. The app can be downloaded free of charge from the relevant app store, and enables enthusiasts to track the cars on a detailed map, download split times and access results.

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