February 6, 2020
THE WITNESS
|
WHEELS
www.witness.co.za
Car racing in a fix
WHEELED EVENTS
While Motorsport SA tries to get more starters, racers say relax the rules, share the money ALWYN VILJOEN WHILE bike racing and karting are burgeoning on all fronts, the car racing scene has seen what Motorsport SA (MSA) yesterday described as “a significant drop off in competitor numbers”. Organisers and competitors have different views on what is to blame. In his first circular of the year, MSA sporting services manager Vic Maharaj said the state of the local economy is taking its toll on motorsport at all levels, particularly at national championship level. “This has unfortunately led to a significant drop off in competitor numbers and the MSA board of directors has therefore taken the following decision in an attempt to safeguard national championship racing. “The decision in short, is that the MSA will declare national champions at season’s end where events had an average of six starters across the season. “Although this decision only relates to national championship racing, MSA encouraged its regional committees to adopt the policy.” Tony Ball, race car builder in Gillitts, a veteran clerk of the course, spoke for many racers when he said the MSA has only itself to blame for over- complicating local racing and growing too big to sustain itself from local licence fees. In an open letter, Ball said “droves of volunteers, organisers and officials have left racing because MSA failed to acknowledge and appreciate their efforts and continually introduced more and more regulations”.
“Many competitors have left the sport because, like businesses countrywide that have closed, they have weighed up the fun of competing against the stress of too many rules and regulations and decided that the effort is not worth it. “Instead of looking at ways to make motorsport more affordable, MSA — just like Eskom in the public domain — raises fees directly or demands more compliance with more rules and the result is obvious,” Ball wrote. He noted the racers mostly left to join a rival motorsport controlling body — World of Motorsport ZA (Womza). MSA challenged Womza’s existence in court but lost their case, and Womza now runs various events with big fields across SA. Ball said the situation now sees “rich racers” registering with the MSA to get FIA/FIM accredition, and “poor racers” joining Womza. “The sad reality is that neither group can be sustainable on their own and the sport is suffering. “As a competitor and organiser of some 48 years I am endeavouring to engage MSA on its financial situation as they appear to have large reserves and the mandate of their MOI [Memorandum of Incorporation] is to promote and unify motorsport in a nonprofit manner, and not build up huge financial reserves at the expense of competitors and officials. “I really hope that some clever minds can pool their ideas and bring motorsport back to its rightful place,” said Ball. • alwyn.viljoen@witness.co.za
ISUZU Motors South Africa last week announced it is in talks with UD trucks to study the feasibility of collborating on the medium and heavy truck front in southern Africa. Meanwhile, Isuzu Motors has started supplying knocked down (KD) Isuzu D-MAX pick-up kits for assembly purposes to its Isuzu manufacturing facility in Kenya. This is the first intra-continental
regional trade exchange of its kind for Isuzu on the continent and is aligned to its strategy for its South African vehicle assembly plant to serve as a hub for growing its overall volumes in Sub-Saharan Africa. Isuzu Motors Limited, majority shareholder of Isuzu East Africa, regards the opportunities in Africa, based on infrastructural investment, to be significant. There are currently
Tomorrow and Saturday • South African Cross Country MotoX at Maseru, Lesotho. • SA National Enduro at Maseru, Lesotho February 29 • Spinning at Mason’s Mill • Mpumalanga 400 in the Dullstroom and Belfast areas on February 28 and 29.
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KZN Spinfest at Mason’s Mill Drifters and spinners will converge on the old bus depot at Mason’s Mill in Msunduzi on February 29 to race against the clock to complete a series of challenges past various obstacles, ranging from high speed reverse parking into a narrow slot to making donuts around the MC, which will be Maritzburg’s drifting team captain Kurt Volmink. The driver’s crew also have to entertain the crowd with death-defying stunts. At last year’s Youth Day event, Team Bad Company (pictured) stunned all with their defiance of the laws of physics. At one stage three members of the crew, including the driver, exited the BMW while it was making donuts, with one member nimbly running across the moving vehicle’s hood and roof before all piled back in through the windows of the moving vehicle. Volmink told Witness Wheels local teams have practised hard and fine-tuned their cars for the event. Tickets will be sold at the gate, adults pay R70, children under 12 pay R30. Patrons are again encouraged to pack their braais and bring gazebos for the day’s fun. PHOTO: ANDRE KARRIM/THRILL SEEKERS
Isuzu exporting bakkie kits to Kenya 33 Isuzu dealers in Sub-Saharan Africa. The East African operation previously focused only on truck and bus assembly operations while fully importing light commercial vehicles from South Africa. Isuzu is a leading brand in the East African markets, with a commanding 44,5% share of the Kenyan new vehicle market in 2019. Isuzu Motors South Africa CEO and
Managing Director Michael Sacke said Isuzu’s market strength in East Africa can be contributed to the vehicles’ overall performance, reliability and customer satisfaction. The vehicle kits, which are exported from the Port of Ngqura, provide additional volume at the port while ensuring job retention at the South African plant. Volumes have been projected at 1 300 vehicles per year,
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