March 23, 2017
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KWAZULUNATAL’S BEST READ ON ALL THINGS WHEELED
The Peugeot 3008 SUV (top) has dethroned the 2016 Opel Astra (right) as Europe’s Car of the Year, but South Africa became the 13th country to award the Astra its Car of the Year title. PHOTO: QUICKPIC
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Astra adds to its silverware PSA/Opel sell the two cars journalists like best ALWYN VILJOEN PEUGEOT and Citroën owner PSA and Opel recently made the news with PSA’s agreement to buy Opel/Vauxhall from General Motors for over $2,3 billion (more than R29,2 billion). Now two models from these stables have underlined why this marriage can work — both com panies make cars a cut above the norm. The new Peugeot 3008 SUV was named Europe’s 2017 Car of the Year at the Geneva Motorshow, replacing the Opel Astra, which was last week named South Africa’s car of of the year. The Peugeot 3008 was judged by a panel comprising 58 European motoring journalists. The latest European Car of the Year award joins 20 other prizes on the 3008’s shelf. The Astra was chosen at the Wesbank South African Guild of Motoring Journalists’ 2017 Car of the Year, making South Africa the 13th country where the Opel Astra has been recognised as a Car of the Year since its global
introduction in 2015. The latest accolade, which was announced at an industry ban quet at Kyalami on March 15, comes on the back of a multitude of awards both here and abroad for the 11thgeneration Astra. The most significant of these is the European COTY for 2016, widely considered the most pres tigious prize in motoring. It also picked up the 2015 Best Safety Award and the 2015 Gold en Steering Wheel Award. The Astra’s allround excel lence has not gone unnoticed on the local front either and since its April 2016 launch Opel’s Csegment hatchback has re ceived accolades including being voted Independent Newspapers’ Best of the Best for 2016. Two of its key strengths are ex ceptional efficiency in terms of packaging, aerodynamics, weightreduction and drive trains, but also the way it has democratised technology. It is packed with safety, infotainment and driver aids usually reserved for luxury vehicles.
“The last time Opel won a South African Car of the Year Award was in the 1990s when we won three awards with the Opel Monza 160 GSi (1991), Opel Ka dett 140 (1994) and Opel Astra 160iS (1995),” said Ian Nicholls, president and MD of General Motors SubSaharan Africa. New Astra owners get another prize. As we said in June last year after driving all three engines in the Astra, from the punchy 1litre Enjoy to the 1,6 Turbo, and la menting that the Euro and our import taxes make this fullyim ported hatch relatively expen sive, even the entrylevel Astra still offers a lot more than the competing Polo 1litre TSI Blue Motion or 1,4 TDi Trendline; a Toyota Corolla 1,3 Esteem or a Ford Fiesta 1litre. While these R254 000 com petitors are all excellent cars with their own merits, the Astra adds an extra lure for those whose company allowance covers a new car payment — exclusitivity and now, the 13th Car of the Year award to boot.
Tata signs deal with VW, Skoda Tata Motors has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for a longterm part nership with Volkswagen Group and Skoda, to explore strategic alliance opportunities for joint development of products. The agreement has been signed by Guenter Butschek, CEO & MD
of Tata Motors, Matthias Muel ler, CEO of Volkswagen AG, and Bernhard Maier, CEO of Skoda Auto. Butschek said both the companies can develop solu tions for the Indian and over seas market. Maier said oppor tunities for collaboration will
be defined over the coming months. With definitive agreements in place, the two companies will start joint development work, with Tata Motors plan ning to launch products in the Indian market from 2019. — Wheels Reporter.
Auctioneer Cameron Lock (left) shows the awardwinning classic motorbikes collection of the late Andy Haupfleitsch’s estate to bikers Jeff Neuhoff (centre) and Luke Longmore. Apart from classic BMW, BSA, Hogs and Yamaha motorbikes, Lock will also auction an MG A Coupe, and an MG Nash Metropolitan as well as a trailerload of Harley Davidson parts, some still in their original packages, on Saturday at Maritzburg Auctioneers. PHOTO: ALWYN VILJOEN
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WitnessWheels MOTORING
March 23, 2017
The future will whine Evees come in all sizes, ALWYN VILJOEN looks at current trends in electric motors ASK anyone who commutes by bus or train — it’s the “last mile” between station and home that feels the longest on foot, espe cially after a hard day at work. This market of people desper ate for something to ride on to make the last mile easier is huge. In South Africa alone, an esti mated 15 million commuters face this mile daily, which explains why so many designers are mak ing portable last mile transport ers. Weird rideons Electric skateboards and gyro scopic bikes are the most popular platforms, and each month sees a new last miler for bush or city use. The latest is Germany’s JayKay, who crammed all of the electronics, electric motors and even the battery underneath a longboard that can do 30 km/h for 12 km, thanks to regenerative braking. They plan to sell from September at €1 549. Among the rideons, Airwheel in South Africa sells a gyroscopic wheel called the X3 for R6 895. The X3 has a top speed of 18 km/h and can carry 120 kg for 90 min utes. The rider stands astride the wheel on two footrests that act as pedal controls. Two lithium batteries, a 130 Watthour or 170 Wh, are available. The smallest rideon comes from Cocoa Motors in Japan, who sell a laptopsized tray pow ered by the sprung front wheels for $1 280. The tiny conveyance steers via two rear castors by leaning and can do 16 km/h for an hour. The lithium battery takes an hour to recharge via USB, providing a range of 12 km. Its 27yearold developer, Ku niako Sato, told BBC he is confi dent that WalkCar is where the future lies, booting bulkier devi ces such as the Segway or Toyo ta’s Winglet. Sato said the WalkCar is de signed for Tokyo’s steep, bumpy sidewalks and is powerful enough to push a person in a wheelchair
The 2016 electric Cezeta Type 506 mimics the original 1950s racing legend. PHOTO: EZETA
Cocoa Motors makes a rather fast tray you can ride on. PHOTO: COCOA MOTORS The Dendrobium electric supercar from Singapore’s Vanda Electrics claims 0100 km/h in 2,6 seconds. PHOTO: VANDA up an incline, and it can handle payloads weighing up to 120 kg. Two wheelers Calfee Design from Santa Cruz in the U.S. last week displayed their bambooframed prototype bicycle at the North American Handmade Bicycle Show in Salt Lake City. With a Bafang motor capable of 1,5 kW powered by a 54 volt/250Wh battery pack, the bamboo bike will be plenty fast.
A dynamo hub in the front wheel generates electricity for the 12volt LED lighting system and in the rear wheel a highly geared SturmeyArcher hub transmission provides the right torque for motorassisted top pedalling at 64 km/h. A seat on a cantilevered suspension en sures a soft ride. If all goes according to plan, the asyetunnamed bamboo ebike could hit the market by the
August at a price somewhere un der $5 000 (about R63 600). If this sounds a lot for a bike with a wooden ride, then sit down for the price of the new CZ from Eastern Europe. Two decades after Czech com pany eská Zbrojovka Strakonice, also known as CZ, stopped build ing the ezeta Type 506, the iconic scooter is back, this time with an electric motor. Handbuilt in limited numbers
by Englishman Neil Eamonn Smith hightech at Prostejov in the Czech Republic, the exclusive modern replicas retain the looks of the original ezeta but power comes from an 11 kW rearwheel hub electric motor that can accel erating from zero to 60 in just 3,2 seconds with a top speed of 120 km/h. This compares to at least a 250 to 300cc scrambler. A fourmap Dynamic Selector allows the rid er to set the motor’s torque out put to full, city, or rain mode, and includes a reverse gear to move the 147 kg scooter into parking bays. The battery pack is made of Panasonic 18650 LiFeYPO4 cells, and comes in two versions. The ezeta 506/01 is fed by a 4kWh/84V pack, while the most potent 506/02 enjoys 6kWh/84 V. The inhouse developed bat tery management system in cludes a 1,8 kW onboard charger that will bring the charge to 80% in two (4 kWh) or three (6 kWh) hours, connected to a standard domestic socket — with a fast charger that can achieve the same result in just 30 minutes. The starting price for the low power 506/01 model is €7 640 (about R104 500) with leased batteries. Three wheels or more For those bemoaning the lack of noise from electric motors, the performance more than make up for the motor’s whine. Typical of the breed of new electric supercars is the Dendro bium by Singapore’s Vanda Elec trics. It has a top speed down from the advertised 400 km/h to 320 km/h, with an estimated 2,6 sec ond jump from zero to 100 km/h for the 1 750 kg car. While Vanda is coy in the de tails, it admits to two inboard electric motors on each axle like Tesla does things, with a single speed gearbox and differential at the front, as well as a multispeed gearbox and differential at the rear.
Electric car startup Uniti Sweden and Siemens Nordics plan to build up to 50 000 light electric vehicles per year from 2019, selling for R300 000. PHOTO: SIEMENS
CARS ARE CHANGING FASTER A SURVEY of the U.S.’s top transportation experts pre dicts rapid change in trans portation as a result of three major technology rev olutions: shared, electric and automated vehicles. The Institute of Transpor tation Studies at UC Davis (ITSDavis) involved 40 poli cymakers, researchers, and representatives from govern ment, nonprofit organisa tions and the technology and auto industries in its survey. The survey was developed in connection with the launch of ITSDavis’ new Policy Initiative. The 3 Revolutions Policy Initiative addresses the big policy questions related to these new technologies, and the partnerships needed to bring the greatest social and market benefit. Dan Sperling, director of ITSDavis and the new 3 Revolutions Policy Initiative, said the next few years will see more real transforma tive innovations in passen ger transportation than in the past 50 years. When respondents were asked to specify which companies are best posi tioned to capitalise on the revolution in autonomous, shared, and electric vehicles, 67% listed Google, 64% named Tesla and Uber, and 48% chose Lyft and General Motors. — WR.
What goes into electric super cars? WITH reference to Wheels report on “Electrifying supercars”, it’s be come astonishing to see that they can not only reach speeds of 300 km/h, but the acceleration factor is almost unbelievable. Zero to 200 km/h in 7,1 seconds must impose something like 1,5 to 2G on the occupant(s). The questions are, what sort of motor or motors are used, kW, amperages, voltages etc. and what type of drive transfer? Best regards and thanks for an always interesting supplement. WERNER EHLERS Mt Michael WE are glad you enjoy reading Wheels as much as we do compil ing the latest trends in transport. The answers to your questions can fill volumes, but I want to say if you find the technology in fast electric cars fascinating, you may be astounded by what I deem the world’s best new car — the solar powered Stella Lux. Built by Dutch students, this fourseat family saloon has a 15 kWh battery bank that only gets tapped when the car moves faster than 45 km/h, but at slow
city speeds the 5,8 m² solar pan el, which doubles as the Stella Lux’s roof, captures more power than the car uses. This is as close to a perpetual motion machine as physics allows. It’s all in the hub But back to your questions, most electric vehicles (evees) use alter nating current, synchronous brushless electric motors, and they come in all sizes — even fit ting inside the rims of skateboard wheels. While Tesla puts these motors on both axles, the trend is to wards inwheel hub motors, whether to propel bicycles or trucks. To my mind, Protean Electric leads the fray with their 75 kW (100 hp) and 1 000 Nm hub motor that has already been extensively tested. While as strong as a truck en gine, Protean’s hub motor weighs only 34 kg and fits into a 18inch rim. Vector control of the power to each hub ensures pre cise cornering. The first patent for a hub wheel motor dates back to 1884, but what will ensure that modern electric cars will not fade like
those at the turn of the 19th cen tury are cheaper Watthours and sophisticated traction control systems. Amp it up As for Amps and voltage, the “fu el tanks”, or battery packs of modern evees can contain from hundreds to thousands of the same lithiumion batteries we use in toys. These 3,6 volt, 3 000 mAh rechargeable batter ies have now totally replaced the leadacid batteries. Tesla made Panasonic’s bat teries the trusted brand, packing over 6 000 of these tiny batteries into the Tesla cars’ battery banks, each cell connected in series with their own little fuses in modules. Because the battery packs are modular, engineers can pack as many kiloWatts as space allows. The 2015 world solar race built by UKZN students had 20 kg, or close to 500, of these lition cells in its battery pack, to power a tiny 2 kW Mitsuba hub wheel. The Jaguar Ipace packs a re spectable 90 kWh, but the Chi nese BYD bus comes loaded with 324 kWh and daily runs over 300 km in 35 countries.
The electric tandem car sold by RenaultNissan. PHOTO: NISSAN
TWIZY GOES TO JAPAN The 324 kWh battery pack of a BYD bus shows what the heart of electric vehicles looks like. PHOTO: BYD Facepeeling fast Because torque is almost imme diate on electric motors, all forms of electric transport — even the BYD bus — have facepeeling ac celeration if left uncontrolled. The fastest evee currently is the 168 kg Grimsel electric race car. Built in less than a year by engi neering students at ETH Zurich and Lucerne University of Ap plied Sciences and Arts, it last
year did the zero to 100 km/h run in 1,513 seconds. The Grimsel used four 37 kW hub motors, putting out a com bined 1 700 Nm and 148 kW (an old fashioned 200 hp). This makes the fourseconds run of the allelectric Jaguar Ipace seem slow. But none of these excites me as much as a family car that uses the sun to make more power than it uses. — Alwyn Viljoen.
AFTER testing the waters in Yokohama, Nissan Motor Company is rolling out the Renault Twizy as part of the group’s mobility concept. The Twizy has proven itself in Europe since 2012 and more recently in San Franci so, where an electric scoot er rental company is using 10 Twizy “quads” in its 400 unit fleet. In Yokohama the Twizy can be booked 30 minutes in advance and driven in the city for 15 minutes at about R28, making the little electric car cheaper than a taxi. — WR.
MOTORING WitnessWheels
March 23, 2017
3
MercedesBenz is already taking orders for the Xclass double cab bakkie (left) while Nissan launched the longawaited and much admired allnew Navara in South Africa last week. PHOTO: SUPPLIED
One chassis, two bakkies SIBONELO MYENI compares the Merc XClass concept with its chassis donor, Nissan Navara “IF they keep at least 80% of the X Class Concept on the produc tion model, then Mercedes has a winner here”— that’s my feeling after being stunned by the X Class Concept at Geneva. First things first, don’t listen to anyone who tells you the car you see in these pictures is the actual Mercedes “bakkie” — it’s not, it’s still a concept. Mercedes is using it to gauge market reac tion and possibly to scare the liv ing daylights out of VW’s Ama rok, Ford’s Ranger, Nissan’s Na vara and Toyota’s Hilux. At the Geneva Motorshow, we got to interview the executive
vicepresident of Mercedes Benz, Vans Volker Mornhinweg, to get more info on the produc tion spec XClass. The Mzansi bakkie market is one of the key markets Mercedes Benz considered when looking at the case study to develop the XClass. The target is to grow the Mer cedes commercial line up to com plement Vito and the growth in key markets. Therefore, entering the bakkie segment was obvious ly the way to go. After its international launch later in 2017, Mzansi buyers will get their hands on the XClass
during the first quarter of 2018. The general feedback the de signers have received from peo ple seeing the XClass Concept has been positive, and Mornhin weg assured us that not much will change from the concept to the actual production model. Even though it shares a chassis and body with the Nissan Navara, Mercedes engineers have exten sively reengineered the chassis so it gives the known Mercedes ride, quality fit and finish and re finement attributes. The target for Mercedes is for the XClass to be a oneton pick up that is equally at home for
SUVlike luxury buyers as it is for lifestyle/multiuse buyers. Mercedes brand aficionados should rest assured that the XClass will not disappoint them. The interior layout will al so be of Mercedes design with switchgear and infotainment sys tems taken from the Mercedes parts bin. Three engines will be launched internationally, one petrol and two Turbodiesels. The Nissan Navara 2.3 Twin Turbo diesel will be used as the entry level XClass mill (it produ ces 140 kW/450 Nm in the Nava ra) but Mercedes will modify it to suit the taste of Mercedes buy
New Navara continues comfortable ride “TOUGH & Advanced”, those are the words Nissan Mzansi wants double cab buy ers to have on their minds when evaluating the new Na vara. We attended its local launch to see if the Nissan has what it takes to take on the segment leaders. My first sight of the Navara is of a double cab that will grab attention with its aggressive stance. The orange pearl metallic colour is definitely going to be the signature colour for the Navara and I estimate over 50% of those bought will come in this hue. LED headlights featuring LED daytime lights are stan dard across the range (first in segment) and these sit on ei ther side of a bold V shaped chrome grille prominently showing off the Nissan logo. Fog lights with chrome sur rounds sit below the head light. On the side, buyers get 16inch (SE) or 18inch alloys (LE) and sidemirror mount
ed LED turning indicator lights. Elegant running boards and roof rails come standard whilst the rear gets a chrome bumper/step. Nissan already has many personalisation items that buyers can use to tailormake their Navara. Nissan targeted an SUVlike interior with a well laid out cabin, quality fit and finish, larger doors for easier ingress and egress, a slanted rear bench for greater comfort and more rear legroom whilst rear passengers get air vents (first in class). The electrically operated rear cab window is also a first. Cruise control, electric windows, climate control, three 12V sockets in cabin, heated leather seats with elec tric adjustment (LE), naviga tion, keyless entry and start (LE), DVD/VCD/CD/USB/ bluetooth touchscreen info tainment system, and a multi function steering wheel are all part of a long list of features.
Powering the range is a 140 kW/450 Nm 2,3 twintur bo diesel that drives all wheels via sixspeed manual or seven speed automatic transmis sion. An electronic rear differ ential lock comes standard whilst through a rotary switch inside the cabin, a driver can switch from two wheel drive to four wheel drive (speeds of up to 100 km/h). A low range option is also offered. Efficiency claims are 6,5l/100 km (manual) and 7,0l/100 km (auto). The Navara’s awardwin ning party piece is its SUV style fivelink coil springs rear suspension, which offers pas senger carlike levels of com fort whilst also offering the ruggedness expected of a dou ble cab. Carrying capacity is claimed at 1 002 kg (SE), 967 kg (LE manual) and 961 kg (LE auto) whilst tow ing capacity is claimed at 3,5 tons braked and 750 kg un braked. Safety is catered for by sev en airbags (two front, two
side, two curtain airbags and one knee airbag), ABS, EBD, traction control, vehicle dy namic control and brake as sist. Security is catered for by a lockable rear tailgate, Datadot, antitheft system and vehicle security alarm. On the new Navara, the Nis san Assured warranty includes a mechanical warranty for six years or 150 000 km and a comprehensive threeyear/ 90 000 km service plan. Black leather seats with heater function are optional on LE grade models, for R13 000. The 4×2 range is destined for local shores towards the end of 2017 and prices most likely to range between R450 000 and R520 000. — Imotoonline.co.za Navara pricing and range 2,3 DDTT 4×4 SE Double Cab manual — R514 900 2,3 DDTT 4×4 LE Double Cab manual — R565 900 2,3 DDT 4×4 LE Double Cab automatic — R597 900
ers. Mercedes’ 3,0litre V6 Tur bodiesel will top the range (190 kW/620 Nm in Merc mod els). No engine details were given for the petrol mill, but one can only hope that Merc uses the 245 kW/480 Nm 3,0litre V6 Turbo in the GLE 400. All X Class models will be all wheel drive with selectable 4×4 offered in entry models and the 4Matic offered on high spec models. Low range will also be of fered. Sadly, there are no plans at all to offer an AMG fettled X63 — sad indeed. The XClass will only come in
double cab configuration with no single or extended cab models ever offered. There will be a rug ged version of the XClass for the serious offroad enthusiast as seen on the XClass Adventurer Concept. All safety technology that Mercedes has pioneered world wide will be offered in the X Class meaning it won’t be an air bag bonanza only but also use re active technology. The XClass to be sold in Mzansi will be built in Spain and there are no plans to do any local production of the model. — imotoonline.co.za
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While sharing the underpinnings and a very comfortable fivelink rear suspension with the Navara (left) the interior of the Merc Xclass shows where the money went. PHOTO: SUPPLIED
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WitnessWheels MOTORING RACING
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March 23, 2017
Tickets to drive at Simola Hillclimb ORGANISERS of the Simola Hillclimb have already received 175 applications from drivers in South Africa, Germany, the UK and the U.S. But with only 144 slots, spec tators can this year be assured that the drivers who are chosen to participate are truly in the mo torsport elite. “Over the last three years the Jaguar Simola Hillclimb has grown to become South Africa’s premier motorsport event. It has won awards, spectator crowds have grown, and there is unprece dented interest from competi tors,” said Lisa Mallett, market ing director of Jaguar Land Rover South Africa and subSahara Af rica. “With its invitational format, it’s impossible to simply buy an entry. With that in mind, we de cided to create an exclusive op portunity for two lucky Jaguar owners to participate and show that they have racing in their blood.” The Jaguar Simola Hillclimb starts on Friday, May 5, with Clas sic Car Friday. This sees 60 driv ers participate in their historic road and race cars, competing for the Classic Conqueror trophy. On May 6 and May 7, the per formance is turned up a few notches with the dramatic King of the Hill event. Up to 84 roadgoing sports cars, supercars and purposebuilt race cars will compete on the 1,9 kmlong Simola Hill road for the King of the Hill trophy. Win two tickets Two lucky Jaguar owners will have an opportunity to win the one thing that money cannot buy: an entry to drive at the 2017 Jaguar Simola Hillclimb. All Jaguar owners with a road going Jaguar from 1986 or later are eligible to enter, for an oppor tunity to win this fantastic prize. Not only will winners be able to drive their cars at the 2017 Jag uar Simola Hillclimb, they will get a complete Jaguar premium experience. This includes flights to Knys na, fivestar accommodation, and passes to the Jaguar VIP area for both the winner and their partner. To prepare them for the task of driving up the challenging Simola Hill road, drivers will re ceive training from Jaguar Expe rience instructors. Additionally, their vehicles will be transported to the Jaguar Si mola Hillclimb where a team of Jaguar technicians will prepare their cars — including fitment of a full set of tyres, courtesy of Continental Tyres South Africa. Spectator tickets for the 2017 Jaguar Simola Hillclimb start at R100 for a day pass and R220 for a pit pass. Tickets can be purchased on www.itickets.co.za. For more in formation, visit www.jaguar simolahillclimb.com. Jaguar owners can enter the owners’ competition at www.jaguar.co.za/experience/si molahillclimb/jaguarsimola hillclimb.html. Do check the terms and condi tions. Interested participants need to own a Jaguar to be eligible to enter. Entries are open right now, and will close on March 24, 2017. Winners will be announced on Monday, March 27.
The 2017 bike fest at Margate will this year host the Shredbettys, who have one aim — to tell more women how to enjoy motorbikes safely. Seen here are some of the Betties who can shred it fine: (back from left) Pamela De Heer (South Coast), Sarah Mingay, Kirsten Mingay(both from PMB), Nicole Salt (Durban), (front from left) Nicola Strauss (Cape Town), Roxanne Baney (Durban), Lanza vd Mescht (Durban) PHOTO: SUPPLIED
Sharing the passion Shredbettys create a platform for women to explore the biking lifestyle THE number of women partici pating in biking activities coun trywide is growing, prompted by organisations such as Durban based bikers, Shredbettys. This dynamic group of wom en will be sharing their passion for all things motorsports at the 2017 South Coast Bike Fest #SCBF2017 taking place on the coastal town of Margate from April 27 to April 30. “Shredbettys started as a small group of women reaching out to fellow riders who experi ence the difficulties of compet ing in, and getting started in, a typically maledominated sport,” explained Nicole Salt of Shredbettys. “We quickly began to receive an overwhelming desire from women around South Africa to have a company that acts as a voice for this market within the
motorsports industry.” By 2013, Shredbettys had es tablished itself as an organisa tion promoting women’s riding and other extreme sports. Shredbettys now has more than 400 members nationwide and is the number one interac tive social media avenue for South African women’s offroad racing. “The riding community is no ticing that there are many female riders and we are seeing more women being picked for teams,” said Salt. “Our successful allwomen riding team is in its third year with support from amazing brands seeing them winning multiple championships in dif ferent disciplines.” The seven Shredbettys team members who compete in endu ro, offroad and MX sports, will
be on hand at #SCBF2017 to showcase various skills to inter ested participants and answer any questions women have about riding. They will also discuss a num ber of lifestyle topics around bike riding such as fitness, nutrition, safety gear, bike care and mainte nance as well as the riding clinic. There will be an introduction to motorsports and women of all ages will be given a chance to ride a bike in a safe environment. Women are also welcome to bring their own bikes and get some pointers from the experi enced riders. In attendance will be Elize Olivier, one of four women to complete the gruelling enduro Roof of Africa competition. Rac ers, Keri Packham and Cindy Saunders, will talk about how they got into the competitive
biking world while MX champi on and allround hellcat, Rox anne Baney, will show off her speed on one wheel, performing impressive whips. Local riders and competitors in the KwaZuluNatal hare scrambles, Pamela de Heer as well as Paige and Amber Pretori us, will also share their experien ces. “This is a really great platform for women to get a glimpse into the biking lifestyle,” said Salt. “Female riders are a growing market and the South Coast Bike Fest is a great way for organisa tions catering to this market to connect.” The Shredbettys’ demos will run on April 27 and April 28 at the Margate Fishing Pier from 1 pm to 2 pm. The Shredbettys’ Learn to Ride sessions will take place at the same venue on both
days from 5 pm to 6 pm. In addition to the Shredbet tys, #SCBF2017 has organised a number of highenergy extreme sports including the Gravity Clash Action Sports’ Show where daring bikers — including Nick de Wit and Brian Capper — will put on a mesmerising per formance. The Powasol EnduroX Series will welcome South Africa’s top enduro, motocross, trials and fun riders with big names show ing off serious skill. Tickets to the #fuelyourfun Carling Main Beach Stage cost R130 per day or R200 for the cocktail bar day pass. • All bikes are welcome at the South Coast Bike Fest and entry to the fourday event is free pro vided preregistration is complet ed online at www.quicket.co.za.
PMB’s cross country racers welcome Puma as sponsor FORD Performance and Neil Woolridge Motorsport (NWM) are proud to welcome Puma Lu bricants as a cosponsor for the team’s 2017 South African Cross Country Series campaign. The first leg of the campaign is next weekend from Friday to Saturday at Lichtenburg in the North West before the racers come to Dundee in midMay. The new Ford Performance Puma Lubricants partnership will see the NWMrun squad fielding three Class T Ford Ran gers for this season in what is widely regarded as one of the world’s most competitive do mestic cross country champi onships. “Cross country racing is the toughest proving ground for the Built Ford Tough Ran
CV Joint speCialists
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ger, and is the cornerstone of our motorsport programme in South Africa with the Ford Per formance brand,” said Neale Hill, director of marketing, sales and service at Ford Motor Com pany of Southern Africa. “We are delighted to welcome Puma Lubricants to the team. “This fantastic partnership with Ford Performance and Pu ma Lubricants will allow Neil Woolridge Motorsport to up the ante even further in its efforts to secure the fiercely competitive Class T Production Vehicle championship this year, and we
Neil Woolridge with one of the 30 Ford race vehicles built by Neil Woolridge Motorsport (NWM) since 2000. PHOTO: SUPPLIED wish them every success.” Neil Woolridge Motorsport (NWM) has enjoyed a long and
proud association with Ford, having built 30 Ford race vehi cles since 2000.
Based in Pietermaritzburg, NWM is the global manufactur er and supplier of the FIA Class T1specification Ranger cross country vehicle programme, which was developed in collabo ration with Ford Performance in the United States. The team has produced 16 ve hicles to date as part of this pro gramme, which competes local ly and internationally. Puma Energy operates across 49 countries and five conti nents, and has put over two dec ades of knowledge and expertise into its lubricant offer. — WR,
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