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THE WITNESS
JANUARY 23, 2020
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Roadster passion
INDUSTRY BRIEFS
Ten race-ready Roadsters have been loaned out to the Endurance Racing Series
South Korea’s two largest automakers, Hyundai and Kia, announced a €100 million (over R1,6 billion) investment into British-based automotive start-up Arrival, which describes its all-electric vehicles as “devices on wheels”. Like Durban-born Sir Gordon Murray’s iStream design philosophy, the Arrival platforms can be assembled in micro-factories and sold for the same price as fossil fuel bakkies. Avinash Rugoobur, Arrival’s chief strategy officer, said “accelerating electric vehicle adoption is good for people, business and the planet and we are pleased to undertake this mission with our partners Hyundai and Kia”.
German-based motorhome interior specialist Hünerkopf revealed its Sprinter cabriolet at CMT 2020. Built for rich falconers, the van has a retractable panoramic glasshouse and a 4x4 system from Iglhaut Allrad. A bull bar, roof lights, front winch, snorkel and 37-in BFGoodrich Mud Terrain tyres give it serious desert riding muscle. A divider separates the driver from the four luxury seats in the rear, each facing a flat-screen TV. Retailing for €267 000 (over R4,2 million), this Sprinter is not for those who count in units smaller than half a million dollars.
MOTOR racing is all about passion, and Backdraft Racing — based in Prospecton, Durban — has taken this to a new level by lending 10 race-ready Roadsters to new teams for the 2020 SA Endurance Racing Series. That’s right! Ten cars loaned out for the 2020 season, free of charge. Teams from the United Kingdom, one from Sweden and one from Dubai, are adding some international flair to the highly competitive series. Backdraft Racing is headed up by former South African Driver’s Champion and Daytona 24-hour winner Tony Martin. “Everything I have today has come from racing, so this idea is both a way to give something back to the sport I love and to add a new dimension to the SA Endurance Racing series,” said Martin. “It is not a gimmick and the cars are all prepared to within a couple of horsepower of each other and are identical in every other way. “They are extremely competitive, not only against each other, but will be able to challenge other marques involved in the series.” The South African Endurance Racing Series consists of six events at various circuits around the country. All are four-hour races, except for the final at Killarney in Cape Town in December, which will be a marathon seven-hour event. “We have loaned cars to teams capable of competing at this level of racing,” said Martin. “All we are asking in return is that they guarantee they will be ready and present for both the practice and the race at each event in the series.” The Backdraft Roadsters are opentop racers powered by a 300 hp Lexus V8 engine driving the rear wheels through a BMW gearbox and BMW limited slip differential. “They are raw, powerful and purpose-built race cars,” said Martin. “There are no electronic aids such as traction control or anti-lock braking. They are true driver’s cars.” While the competing teams are free to get their own sponsors on board to cover the general running costs, they will not be allowed to make any modifi-
Backdraft Roadsters lined up in the factory at Prospecton — these are hand-built, old-school V8 racers with a limited slip diff and no electronics. cation to the Roadsters beyond basic race-day and handling set-up. Martin said they will have a fully kitted parts transporter at each race with a full range of spares available. Backdraft will have its own “policeman” — Brian Clifton — to assist competitors and to ensure compliance with the rules where necessary. Nothing on the engine, transmission or brakes can be changed, in fact no performance-enhancing modifications will be allowed. Competing in the series are a wide range of marques, including Lamborghini, Ferrari and Porsche alongside sports cars such as Ginetta, Liege, Nash and Juno. In all, Backdraft Racing will have at least 13 cars for the 2020 season, with established pairing Brian Martin and
Trevor Graham continuing to campaign with their easily recognisable red Roadster, while a completely new car is being readied for Martin and Mike McLoughlin. Added to this, Clare Vale will be competing in another Backdraft, albeit not in the production series. McLoughlin holds the outright lap record at Dezzi Raceway in KZN, in his sprint set-up Roadster, having taken that away from Jaki Scheckter, who was driving Greg Parton’s Lamborghini Huracan at the time. Current KZN Sports Car Champion, Duncan dos Reis, will be one of the drivers of the new Roadsters, alongside Damon Parker, while well-known Historic driver Colin Ellison will partner with Peter Jenkins. The UK team consists of Mark Ow-
ens with Italian Jean-Marie Gabbiani as co-driver, while Thomas Kummerling and his son Jacob will be the Swedish entry. Rudi Patior and A.N. Other, Dubai importers, will also be competing. Brothers Gary and Nigel Richardson will form another team, as will Graham and Tania du Toit. Another top KZN driver, Steve Clark, still has to announce his co-driver, as does Cape Town’s Brian Morgan. “The spectacle of these 10 Backdraft Roadsters racing each other and the rest of the field is going to add a whole new dimension to the series this year,” said Martin. “Within the series itself there will be a Roadster class — so if anyone has a Roadster and wants to come and join the fun, they are more than welcome.”
The first of the current Endurance Series was a six-hour race held at the Phakisa Freeway near Welkom in the Free State on February 23, 2013. The events grew in stature and size over time as their popularity increased and in 2017, National Championship status was granted by Motorsport South Africa. The first South African National Endurance Racing Champion was crowned together with an Index of Performance National Champion. Ironically, this honour fell to Zimbabwean Darren Winterboer. He managed to pull off both championships with solid performances throughout the year. For 2020, the season opener is a fourhour race at Aldo Scribante near Port Elizabeth on March 21. — SAGMJ
eCanter heralds big changes in power generation by SA’s brewers UAE company Zarooq Motors, which folded in 2018, has been resurrected by its former operations manager Bruno Laffite, who started his own company to built Zarooq’s ‘street-legal Dakar racer’ under a new name — the Lafitte G-Tec X-Road. Only 30 will be built, all with with cup holders, leather seats and rear-wheel drive. Pricing starts at $465 000 (over R6,6 million) for the fossil fuel model and $545 000 for the all-electric version.
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SAB and AB InBev’s Renewable Energy has unveiled the first imported electric truck in South African shores. The eCanter, is designed and manufactured by Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corporation (MFTBC), part of the Daimler Group’s global commercial vehicles business. Boasting zero emissions, the 7,5 ton FUSO eCanter will literally help deliver the green goals of the two brewers, which will be using onsite solar facilities to generate power from the end of January. The companies said in a statement solar power at its seven South African breweries will partially power each facility and represents seven percent of the business’s electricity requirements. This installation will allow for all electricity consumed for the production of its global brand, Budweiser, at its Rosslyn Brewery north of Pretoria, to be sourced from renewable energy. AB InBev’s said its global renewable energy commitment is to generate half of its electricity with renewable energy sources by 2020 and all of it by 2025. “We’ve achieved our 50% target in key markets across the globe ahead of schedule and we are well on track to achieve our 100% ambition with good progress being made in Africa,” said Taryn Rosekilly, VP Sustainability, SAB
and AB InBev Africa. The eCanter will also be powered by the solar power. Its battery capacity of 82.8 kWh and a distance range of
100-120 km has been proven in several countries, including Germany, Japan, Portugal. Ziyad Gaba, head of Fuso Trucks
Southern Africa, said the truck builder’s aim has always been to come up with progressive, but simplified solutions that meet customers’ evolving
needs for efficiency and sustainability. “As original equipment manufacturers, we all have a role to play in providing environmentally friendly and sustainable solutions for all who keep our world moving. It is for this reason that we as Fuso Trucks are honoured to form part of this game-changing event and for the opportunity to showcase the eCanter, our revolutionary response to the public’s need for a zero-emission truck amongst other benefits,” said Gaba. SAB and AB InBev Africa are in the process of working on a Pan African Renewable Energy tender, which would seek to source an equivalent of 440 megawatts (MW) of solar capacity in order to meet our 2025 target in Africa. In line with the above, SAB plans to migrate one of its South African facilities to 100% renewable energy supply by the end of the year, using a wind and solar energy mix, energy banking and a “wheeling agreement” with Eskom for the transmission of electricity outside the grid. The brewers plan to provide access to clean and affordable energy to around 80 000 people at a significantly lower cost than current solutions. This process will be delivered and managed through a blockchain solution. — WR.
Faster just crashes harder POLICE have appealed to the public to help identify the driver who filmed him- or herself doing 308 km/h on the N1 highway in Gauteng last week. Meanwhile, Maanda Tshifularo, head of Dialdirect Insurance, has warned of the dire consequences of losing control of your car at high speed. “Speeding impairs your ability to avoid obstacles and drastically reduces the time you have available to react to a dangerous situation. “One vehicle making a move that the driver didn’t anticipate, one piece of debris on the road, or one failure like a tyre blowout, and this could end up as much more than just a wrecked car,” said Tshifularo. Popular UK motoring series Fifth
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Gear published a video of a car crash at 193 km/h — a speed easily attainable by even mid-range modern vehicles — that shows the devastating effect on the vehicle involved. Even at lower speeds, the threats are very real. According to the World Health Organisation, the likelihood of death in a crash with an 80 km/h impact speed is 20 times higher than that in a crash with a 30 km/h impact speed. It’s the old force = speed x mass equation. The faster you drive, the greater the impact will be when you hit something, whether it be another car, a tree, a barrier or a wall. In essence, you need to slow down if you want to reduce your chances of being fatally injured. “If you have an insatiable need for speed, rather find your outlet at track days, on karting circuits and even simulators, than on the road. “Once the damage has been done — a person has been injured, disabled or even killed — you’ll realise that the thrill isn’t worth it, but by then it’ll be too late”, Tshifularo said. — SAGMJ.
Toyota joins race to make human-carrying drones Toyota has become the latest vehicle-builder to join the race to the skies, following in Mercedes, Geely, VW and Hyundai’s vapour trails. Toyota last week said it a statement it is investing over R5,7 billion ‘in a new flight path for mobility’ through in collaboration with Joby Aviation (Joby), an aerospace company Santa Cruz, California. Joby has quietly been developing all-electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft for the past decade, aiming to ‘enable fast, quiet and affordable air transportation services’. Toyota said the collaboration reflects its recognition of the long-term potential of urban air mobility to meet the evolving needs of society.