Wwheels 20150423

CARS THAT RUN ON FAIRY DUST

­ P4

ASH CAR SALES

April 23, 2015

Dealers in Superfine Exotic and Sports Cars Tel: 033 345 1971, 033 342 4717 Fax: 033 342 2900 - www.ashcarsales.co.za

Witness

WHEELS

2008 MERCEDES-BENZ C200 AMG AVANTGARDE 101 000 km, white/black leather, FSH, s/roof, a/con, p/steering, CD front and rear PDC, F1 style paddle shift, MFS, immaculate condition.

Bank finance available

R199 995

TO AU

Contact Ash on 083 786 3377 (PMBurg) 550 Church Street, Pietermaritzburg 3201 PO Box 8390, Cumberwood 3235

KZN’ BEST READ ON CARS, KARTS, VANS, BAKKIES, TRUCKS, … AND SMART DRIVING GOGGLES

The world’s safest bicycle Roll cage has rider pushed aside, not crushed AS transport writer, my lack of respect for airbags is a matter of public record.

I’ve pointed out airbags do not “deploy”, but explode, using very hot toxic gasses to do so and injuring those who sit too close.

Among my acquaintances, airbags that explod­ ed in low­speed bumper bashings had turned a man blind for months; broken the face of women too small to sit far enough from the steering wheel; and caused second degree burns to a guy’s arms through his leather jacket. Instead of air­ bags, I argue the roll cages, bucket seats and har­ ness seatbelts we use in every race car would cost less and they have — unlike airbags — a proven record of saving lives in high­speed crashes.

ENTER THE ROLL­CAGE BABEL The world’s first bicycle to fit a roll cage and buck­ et seats has therefore caused a big blip on my radar for future transport trends. Built by Crispen Sinclair Technologies and Babel Bikes, it is called the Babel Bike and the company is currently tak­ ing pledges on Indiegogo to start delivering its semi­recumbent pedal machines in May next year.

Semi­recumbent bikes enable a cyclist to push with both the back and the legs to exert more power on the pedals, but every Newton metre of torque is needed, as the non­electric Babel weighs in at a hefty 21 kilograms.

This weight is made up by a custom­made safe­ ty seat, a racing car’s roll cage, seat belts that cross over the cyclist’s chest, steel foot protectors, rear­ view mirrors, a loud car horn, auto­on LED head­ and tail lights as well as indicators, hazard lights and brake lights. Sinclair, the son of 1980s British inventor Sir Clive Sinclair, states on his company’s website the idea for what he calls the world’s safest bike came to him after he “bounced off the side of a turning van”.

He said more than six in 10 cyclists in the UK die because of trucks and buses cutting across the paths of the almost invisible bicycle.

“Overnight I came up with the idea of a safety

V CRISPEN SINCLAIR

‘I came up with the idea after I bounced off a turning van.’ cell for a bicycle. It would be similar to the roll cage that racing cars have … and designed so that you will be pushed away by a turning truck or bus — not crushed by it.

TRUCKS JUST PUSH IT ASIDE Sinclair said their tests of prototypes showed how — for the first time ever — the bicycle won in a test against 38­ton trucks. He said when the truck hit the shell of the Babel Bike, it was simply pushed aside with its test dummy securely trapped inside, “instead of being crushed under­ neath the wheels”.

Sinclair and Babel Bike have teamed up with factories in China and Taiwan with the aim to make a million of their roll cage cycles.

To facilitate payments, the group is offering credit options so that the bikes can be bought with 36 monthly payments. In the UK, the monthly repayments work out less than the bus fare for the average consumer, but the strong pound will yet see inventors pay Sinclair the sin­ cerest form of flattery by imitating his idea with a flood of Babel Bike imitations.

For those who want the original, a pledge on Indiegogo of £1 999 (over R35 900) will get one, while a Babel Bike assisted by a Shimano 250 Watt electric motor with an 80 km range costs over R54 900. Retail prices will be about R63 000 for the electric bike and £3,499 and R45 000 for a leg­powered Babel.

Being recumbent, the Babel Bike enables the cyclist to push the pedals with more power.

PHOTO: YOUTUBE

The world’s safest bicycle does what car­makers should have done long ago, use the proven combination of a deep seat, a roll cage and cross­chest harnesses.

PHOTO: INDIEGOGO

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ALWYN VILJOEN

2

WitnessWheels MOTORING

April 23, 2015

Finnish make it super fast Finland has unveiled one of the world’s most powerful and advanced concept cars C.C. WEISS FINLAND has entered the electric su­ percar arena in a rather big, bold way with the new Toroidion 1MW concept car.

Designed, developed and built en­ tirely in Finland, the Toroidion wrestles the title of world’s most powerful all­ electric supercar away from the Rimac Concept One. At a full megawatt (1,341 hp), it’s one of the most powerful supercars, period.

Besides sheer power, the car show­ cases some interesting technologies with a wide range of potential applica­ tions, from a scalable powertrain to a fast­swap battery system.

Toroidion was founded in 2011 with the mission of designing a fully electric powertrain capable of competing in the world­famous 24 hours of Le Mans en­ durance race, where total driving dis­ tances of more than 4 830 km are the norm.

Those distances are well over 10 times the limitations of even high­range electric cars like the Tesla Model S and Audi R8 e­tron. To get around that in­ herent shortcoming, Toroidion relies on a rapid­swap high­capacity battery that is “as easily replaced in the pit lane as it is in the home garage”.

It doesn’t provide any further details about the battery pack or the swapping system, outside of saying the pack,

along with the car itself, is built to a lightweight standard.

Toroidion developed the electric drive to be scalable in power, meaning that it could theoretically show up in something besides a 1,341­hp track/road megacar that’s sure to run well into the seven­figure price range.

We’re not anticipating an affordable Model 3 competitor, but at least it could slide down to a level attainable by the run­of­the­mill multimillionaire, not just oligarchs and oil barons.

Beyond those very general details, Toroidion is holding back further infor­ mation about the 1MW’s engineering and performance until it tests and tunes the concept car more thoroughly.

So this week’s reveal at Top Marques Monaco is more of a teaser than a full­ on unveiling. A 1,341 hp supercar with a scalable powertrain and swappable battery is, however, a pretty satisfying appetiser.

Unlike in the typical car­teaser cam­ paign, Toroidion has driven the 1MW out of the shadows to give us a complete look at its styling. Frankly, it might have been better off keeping us in suspense until it could really wow us with per­ formance details because the design, unlike the potential of the powertrain, is rather flat.

The 1MW concept looks as though Toroidion mashed elements of a num­ ber of existing car designs, then round­

Not much to look at, the design of Finland’s electric supercar does not begin to hint at the potential of the powertrain.

PHOTO: SUPPLIED ed out all the edges to make it “modern” and called it a day.

Considering the company’s number­ one mission is developing electric pow­ ertrain technology, not so much an en­ tire car, we’ll bet that’s more or less how

it went down.

The 1MW flashes a profile that looks very C5 Corvette and leaves something to be desired, but it’s just an initial proof­of­concept, so hopefully it evolves into a more attractive sports

coupé design worthy of what promises to be cutting edge electric powertrain technology.

We look forward to seeing how To­ roidion’s story unfolds.

— Gizmag,com.

There is no more cheap and cheerful Mazda 323 from this brand, instead, there is this very, very good little hatch from Japan’s premier car maker.

PHOTO: QUICKPIC

Mazda2: panther among pigeons ALWYN VILJOEN CAR magazine recently voted the Mazda CX5 the Most Underrated Product in the Special Car Award category in its Top 12 Best Buys Awards.

My colleagues at Car had not yet driven the new Mazda2, but if they had, this award could as easily have gone to this new wunderkind, which has just won Car Of The Year in Japan, where the competition for the annual COTY is tougher than anywhere else on the planet.

I have recently spent a lot of time in the Mazda2, helping to deliver same to magazines in the fairest Cape, and testing it back in KZN. At the launch of Mazda’s very impressive Skyactiv engine technology, David Hughes, MD Mazda Southern Africa challenged the doubters to see if the natural aspiration made any difference to the performance at Highveld altitude, where most engines need a turbo to make up the power­ loss from low air pressure. (I was one of those doubters, but am no longer).

Hughes would like people to remember two things about Mazda. The first is that the brand is again sold and serviced under its own banner in South Africa, and not through Ford.

The second is thatthere are no more cheap and cheerful Mazda 323s. Instead, Mazda is now a pre­ mium brand that is pitching against the German brands.

The new cross­etched lines of the “Kodo – Soul of Motion” design certainly puts Mazda in the top

class. I obscured the logo of the Mazda3 with my hand and challenged a fellow car nut to guess the make. “It starts with an M … I hinted.

“With those lines it looks like a Maserati,” was his guess.

Which may explain why the Mazda2 also recent­ ly received the Good Design Award’s Good Design Gold Award from Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry Minister’s Award, sponsored by the Japan Institute of Design Promotion.

So it has the the looks, but will the goods under the hood keep you warm at night? The short an­ swer is yes. The sweet­revving little 1,5 makes 82 kW at 6 000 rpm and 145 Nm at 4 000 rpm, with a long stroke for more torque in city traffic.

But this little mill will make you smile when you get close to 20 km a litre, as I did in the six­speed automatic.

The Mazda2 Auto 1,5 I had on test sells for R222 800, (the manual is R11 400 less) and came with 16­inch alloy wheels; a seven­inch full colour touch screen display; Bluetooth that I could pair in 12 seconds, a multi­function commander con­ trol next to the hand brake, an audio system with: six speakers, auto headlamps, and those little fin­ ishing touches that proclaim “premier league”, viz red stitchings on the soft­touch panels and chrome exhaust extensions.

Bearing in mind the competition, I caught a lift to Durban in an Audi A1 to fetch the Mazda2, and must say the Germans better look out. With the Mazda2 there is now a panther among the pigeons.

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187 990

R

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Tel: 033 392 4444

www.mazdapietermaritzburg.co.za

MOTORING WitnessWheels

April 23, 2015

3

A city car for all seasons BRIAN BASSETT spends a weekend with the KIA Picanto 1.2 L EX Auto MOTORING journalists like to typecast cars as far as buyers go and I am no exception.

Among small cars the three­door models get allocated to students and pensioners without grandchildren, while the five­door models are as­ signed to pensioners who apparently spend most of their time carting their grandkids around.

In the real world things are somewhat different.

Over 89% of South African students at tertiary learning institutions are poor and much more con­ cerned about taxi fares than spending R120K plus on a car. Pensioners these days are faced with the problem of job mobility, so that fewer of us each year have grandchildren who live down the road.

Instead, they live in Johannesburg, Bombay or New York. In fact, quite a few of my friends have had to buy larger cars in order to drive to their children in far flung parts of South Africa and so avoid pay­ ing R300 a day for a hire vehicle when they get there.

The fact is that the Kia Picanto is not made for a particular market segment, but fits all bud­ gets. As proof of this I have seen Picantos deliver­ ing parcels in the centre of Paris, in use in driving schools as far apart as London and Durban and as customer courtesy cars by businesses.

And I last week fitted three retired Americans

— all Rotarians — into the Picanto EX, which I had on loan from Kia Pietermaritzburg thanks to Peter Hylton, the dealer principal. These pensioners had never seen a Kia before and were as impressed with the fact that they all easily fitted into the “smahl carrh” as with the air conditioning.

For those pensioners who do need to transport grandchildren, ditto students from wealthy families, the Picanto is great for them too.

It is a well­designed, well­built, well­priced town car, which has remained top of its segment since it was introduced in 2004 because of its versatility.

Styling The 2014 Picanto is an impressive package with a faceted exterior, which attracts attention and — dare one say this of a small inexpensive car — it is distinctive even in the company of much more expensive vehicles.

The front is typically Kia, with its tiger­nosed grill and flared headlamp modules which lead your eye to the side character lines and the shoulder emphasis created by the rear lights. The sophisti­ cated effect is finished off on the 1,2L EX Auto model which I drove by 15­inch alloy wheels.

These make the Picanto look as good driving off as when parked.

The Picanto is suitable even for champagne tastes on beer budgets, with space for four bulky pensioners, or two dudes and their surfboards.

PHOTO: SUPPLIED The interior offers a remarkable amount of com­ fort and space for a small car. The front seats are fully adjustable and ergonomically excellent giving a pleasant ride which makes the Picanto a town car with long distance potential. With a little judi­ cious re­positioning of the front seats, the rear easily accommodated two chunky Americans. The seats are robustly covered in patterned, washable cloth and the plastic finishes are of durable quality.

Performance and handling The Kia EX 1.2 L Auto has a four­cylinder, 16 valve DOHC engine delivering 65 kW and 120 Nm. This power is expressed on road via a four­speed automatic gearbox with three settings to cope with differing terrain needs.

Fuel consumption is a miserly 5,5l per 100 km.

Zero to 100 comes up in about 14 seconds and top speed, at which the car is remarkably stable,

is around 150 km/h. The Picanto EX is an ideal town car and is easy to drive and a pleasure to park. On the N3 the car was eager, entertaining and held the road well. On the notorious Midlands D roads the Picanto was stable, although the ride was somewhat hard. In all, the Picanto EX is an excellent package and for me remains the top pur­ chase in its class.

Costs and the competition The entry model three­cylinder 1.0 L Picanto LX will cost you R137 000, while the 1.2 L EX Auto top of the range model described above will set you back about R160 000. The car has a 100 000 km or five­year warranty with unlimited roadside as­ sistance and an optional service plan. This is a very competitive area of the market and a little brows­ ing never hurts. Also look at the Chev Spark, Hyun­ dai i10 and the Suzuki Alto, to name but a few.

Rio Strictly for hipsters, BMW’s virtual­reality eye wear creates a different version of the company’s heads­up display in the driver’s peripheral vision.

PHOTO: SUPPLIED

Come test drive our range. We are open this Saturday

Sportage

Soul

BMW: connecting via eye wear EMILY PRICE MINI USA has released its Augmented Vision, which is smart glasses that project information in front of you relevant to your drive. Information appears in your field of vision, but in such a way that it doesn’t obstruct your view of the road.

BMW showed off a working prototype of the glasses earlier this month at the Shanghai Auto Show. “Mini Augmented Vision gives an insight into how intelligent connectivity between a Mini car and eye wear into which relevant content is projected, might work in the future,” said Dr Jörg Preibinger, project­manager of Mini Augmented Vision, BMW Group research and technology.

“Working with several Qualcomm companies, we have created an interlinked system and aug­ mented reality eye wear with a characteristic Mini design that revolutionises the experience both in and outside the vehicle.”

A little different than the augmented reality Microsoft is offering with its upcoming HoloL­ ens, in their current form the glasses have the abil­ ity to perform quite a few of the same functions you might expect from a conventional heads­up display in your vehicle.

You can view directions to your destination, your speed and how it compares to the current speed limit, and see how much longer you have left before you arrive.

The glasses are capable of highlighting points of interest along your ride, such as a great place to stop for dinner, and can let you know when you receive a text message.

When you do, built­in audio functionality will read the message back to you, so you don’t have to take your eyes off the road.

Things get really interesting with the eye wear when it comes time to park. The glasses can direct your attention to an open space and display imag­ es from the side mirror, so you can see exactly how close you are to the curb when you’re trying to squeeze into that parking spot.

An X­Ray View also allows you to see other ob­ jects that might have otherwise been concealed by parts of your car.

The company is staying tight­lipped on how exactly this is supposed to happen, but we should find out more before long.

“Mini Augmented Vision offers a compelling example of what’s possible today, and what we can expect in the future,” said Jay Wright, vice president, Qualcomm Connected Experiences, Inc. We could see a whole lot more functionality come to connected eye wear before its released to the public.

There isn’t any exact pricing or release infor­ mation yet for the Mini eye wear, so consider this little more than a tease at the moment.

— Gizmag.com.

K2700/K2500

Picanto

Sorento Cerato

PIETERMARITZBURG

310 Hoosen Haffejee (Berg) Street.

Tel: 033 345 3692 • Shan: 082 457 4253

4

WitnessWheels MOTORING

April 23, 2015

A manual is coming soon New Polo GTI aimed at enthusiastic drivers VOLKSWAGEN has introduced the new Polo GTI, which at 141 kW, offers nine more kilo­Watts than its predeces­ sor.

The 1,8 TSI engine achieves this pow­ er from 5 400 rpm to 6 200 rpm with the seven­speed DSG transmission.

The DSG delivers a maximum torque of 250 Nm between 1 250 rpm and 5 300 rpm.

From the second half of this year, the new Polo GTI will also be offered with a manual transmission which has slightly different power bands, but at launch, only the seven­speed DSG transmission will be available. With both transmission variants, the new Po­ lo GTI accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 6,7 seconds. Yet Volkswagen claims consumption figures of 5,6 l/100 km

with the seven­speed DSG, and six litres with the six­speed manual transmis­ sion.

The new Polo GTI comes with op­ tional LED headlights as well as LED daytime running lights. The Polo GTI’s sporty appeal is further enhanced by the new 17­inch “Parabolicca” alloy wheels with GTI styling. At the rear, the GTI roof spoiler, tail­light clusters in “dark red”, the black­grained diffuser and the chrome dual exhaust tailpipes all add to the sporty theme.

The Polo GTI’s radio system is all new, with a colour touch screen that ac­ cess functions such as Bluetooth con­ nectivity for cellphone. The screen re­ acts with a proximity sensor to show the menu details when a hand ap­ proaches the screen.

The system also has a CD player, USB port, MP3 functionality, aux­ iliary and SD­card input for external audio source, and six loudspeakers.

Another first is electronically adjust­ able dampers in the Polo GTI. These form the core technology basis of the new, optional Sport Select suspension, which for the GTI is always available in conjunction with the optional Sport Performance Kit (sportier tuning cov­ ering a wide range of parameters, all at the push of a button). This can be adapted for use on the racetrack.

The Polo GTI stops with a fade resist­ ant 16­inch brake system with Automat­

The 2015 Polo GTI. PHOTO: QUICKPIC ic Post­Collision Braking System stan­ dard.

After a collision, it automatically brakes the vehicle to avoid secondary collisions or reduce their severity.

The Automatic Post­Collision Brak­ ing System is triggered when a primary collision has been detected. It assures controlled handling of the car by the driver, even in case of automatic brak­ ing. The driver can override the Auto­ matic Post­Collision Braking System at any time, for example by noticeably ac­

celerating. The Automatic Post­Colli­ sion Braking System is also deactivated if the driver initiates hard braking with greater deceleration than the system de­ celeration. The new Polo GTI comes standard with a three­year/45 000 km Service Plan, three­year/120 000 km warranty and a 12­year anti­corrosion warranty.

Service interval is 15 000 km.

— WR. Retail Price 1.8 TSI 141 kW GTI DSG R326 400.

Green cars that run on fairy dust and make water and electricity TOYOTA made the dreams of 15 chil­ dren come true at the Dream Car Art Contest award ceremony held in the To­ yota Museum in Johannesburg.

Full of smiles and talent, the children were treated like royalty at the Toyota head office.

The Toyota Dream Car Art Contest is a platform for Toyota to engage with children in South Africa and around the world through a national and an inter­ national contest.

“This year we celebrate the ninth year of the competition. For the past three years, the competition has truly be­ come a favourite among children in South Africa and around the world. We are proud of the reach of this competi­ tion and the talent that we have discov­ ered in the process.

“South African children are so talent­ ed and this competition allows them to not only showcase their talents but challenge their imaginations,” said Glenn Crompton, vice president of marketing at Toyota South Africa Mo­ tors.

The contest is held once a year, with Toyota affiliates around the world con­ ducting a national competition in three age categories namely: under eight years old, eight to 11 years old and 12 to 15 years old. The top five contestants win prizes on a national level and the

Priyanka Govender, winner of the eight to 11­years­old category with her drawing of a “saviour car” that will provide water and electricity to those who need it everyday. With her are Calvyn Hamman, senior vice president of sales and marketing at Toyota South Africa Motors and Glenn Crompton, vice president of marketing.

PHOTO: QUICKPIC top three are subsequently entered into the international competition which is judged in Japan with Akio Toyoda, pres­ ident and CEO of Toyota Motor Cor­ poration, as the head of the judging jury.

Over the past three years, three South African children have been finalists in the international competition held in

Japan.

This year, entry forms were sent to over 200 schools around South Africa as well as all Toyota dealerships with the mandate to mobilise their commu­ nities to enter the competition.

Over 9 000 entries were received, all well designed, intricate and imagina­

tive. Similar to previous years, the 10­ to 12­year­old category illustrated that their imaginations are very active and there are no limits.

The 13­ to 15­year­old category shows maturity not only in their designs but also in the advanced technology used for efficiency and overall for a better

South Africa.

The team of judges for the national competition included Toyota South Af­ rica’s creative desktop publishing team and the final decision was made by Tiaan van den Heever, from the adver­ tising agency Draft FCB. The three winners are equally talent­ ed but all have very different cars. Elan­ dri du Toit won the under eight catego­ ry with her Fairyota, a car that runs on fairy dust and does not disturb nature.

Her Fairyota also turns hate into love.

Priyanka Govender won the eight­ to 11­year­old category with a saviour car which provides water and electricity to those who need it every day.

The winner for the 12­ to 15­year­old category is Steffan Brundyn.

He designed an Intelligent City Commuter Pod (ICCP). The ICCP is a compact, runs on an electric engine and has two driving modes namely City and Travelling modes.

“I would like to congratulate all the winners of the competition and wish them good luck for the international competition. We hope that the compe­ tition will reach more children in the future and continue to grow every year,” said Crompton.

For a full list of winners and to view their artwork, visit www.toyota.co.za.

— Supplied.

Suzuki’s compact sedan

The 1,4 Ciaz, Suzuki’s first compact sedan in SA, looks set to bring joy at the fuel pumps.

PHOTO: SUPPLIED

SUZUKI has launched the Ciaz — the company’s first compact sedan — in South Africa.

Aimed at customers seeking a larger sedan than the Swift DZire, but who still want the good fuel economy, the Ciaz comes in two specification levels — GL and GLX. Both models have comprehensive instrumentation, a digital multifunc­ tion trip computer, electric windows front and rear, and electrically adjusta­ ble exterior mirrors with integrated turn indicators. Also on the list are re­ mote central locking, a multifunction steering wheel, automatic climate­con­ trol air­conditioning with rear vents, and a six­speaker audio system with CD player and integrated Bluetooth.

Powering the new Suzuki Ciaz is the latest, updated version of Suzuki’s prov­

en K14B four­cylinder engine. Featuring 16 valves, multipoint fuel injection and variable valve timing, the 1 373 cc unit makes 70 kW at 6 000 rpm and 130 Nm at 4 000 rpm.

The engine delivers its output to the front wheels via a five­speed manual gearbox, with a four­speed automatic transmission optional on the GLX model.

The GL rides on 185/65 R15 tyres, while the alloys on the GLX are wrapped with 195/55 R16 rubber.

Prices include a three­ year/100 000 km warranty, and a three­ year/60 000 km service plan. Services are at 15 000 km intervals.

Prices 1,4 GL: R179 900 1,4 GLX: R199 900 1.4 GLX auto: R214 900.

Go Volkswagen. Go Barons Pietermaritzburg.

By Pieter from Maritzburg Volkswagen Dealers.” Yup, at Barons Pietermaritzburg, every day is Everyday People’s Day. So go along and celebrate yourself with an affordable deal on a brand new Volkswagen.

Conveniently nestled between Durban and the Drakensberg, Barons Pietermaritzburg is home to the quality and reliability of Das Auto Engineering and the fuel efficiency and economy of BlueMotion Technology – the two uniquely Volkswagen innovations that make it the best every day car for everyday people.

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.

Yes, you can find Volkswagen dealers elsewhere, but none as committed to, or as passionate about, Volkswagen and making it attainable for the everyday people of Natal, through tailored deals that suit their budget and needs. In fact, everyday folk like to call them “The Bespoke

It’s not just a car. It’s a Golf.

Adventure calls.

m warranty 3 Year / 120 000k vice plan ser m 0k 00 90 / ar 5 ye

m warranty 3 Year / 120 000k intenance plan ma m 0k 00 60 / r 5 yea

Tiguan TSI 4x2 Trend & Fun for R299,990* incl. VAT

Golf TSI 90kW Comfortline from R3,420* per month.

The Golf TSI 90kW Comfortline standard features include: 90kW @ 5000rpm Electronic Park Brake with Auto-hold 6 speed manual Air conditioner Electronic Stability Programme (ESP) 16” Toronto alloy wheels Interest Rate Monthly No. of Vehicle Price Instalments Linked / Instalments Variable

Model

Golf TSI 90kW Comfortline

R306,200

R3,420*

72

6.51%*

Deposit

Balloon Payment

The Tiguan TSI 4x2 Trend & Fun standard features include: -

Total Cost Incl fees & VAT

10% 37% (R30,620) (R113,294)

-

BlueMotion Technology 90kW @ 5 000rpm 6-speed manual Brake Assist system

Anti-Spin Regulation (ASR) 16” Portland alloy wheels Anti-roll bar front and rear Electronic engine immobiliser

R359,507 Visit us on www.baronsvwpmb.co.za

Visit us on www.baronsvwpmb.co.za

2011 2011 2012 2013 2015 Polo

2011 2013 2013 2013 2014 2014 2014 2015 2015 Golf

2011 2011 2015 2015 Amarok

2012 2015

Other VW

2009 2012 2014 2014 2014 2014 2015 2015

Other

2008 2012 2012

• • • • •

Not just tough, smart.

80-point mechanical check 2-year / unlimited km warranty* Vehicle History Integrity Check Balance of VW Automation Plan Professional Vehicle Reconditioning

Polo Vivo Sedan 1.4 Trendline Polo Vivo 1.4 Polo Vivo Sedan 1.6 Polo Vivo Sedan 1.4 Trendline Tiptronic Polo Vivo GP 1.6 Comfortline 5 Door

White White Silver Silver White

R121 900 R114 900 R131 900 R132 900 R159 900

31 000 79 500 37 000 44 000 1 000

km km km km km

Polo 1.6 Comfortline Polo 1.4 Trendline 5 Door Polo 1.4 GTI DSG Polo 1.4 Comfortline Polo GTI DSG Polo 1.4 Trendline Polo Sedan 1.6 Comfortline Polo 1.2 TSI Highline Polo 1.2 TSI Trendline

Red White White Red Silver Silver White Red White

R149 900 R152 900 R235 000 R169 000 R279 900 R152 900 R184 900 R239 000 R185 900

62 000 25 000 33 000 58 000 9 500 16 000 21 000 3 000 900

km km km km km km km km km

Golf 6 GTI 2.0 TSI Golf GTI DSG 2.0 TSI Golf 7 2.0 TDI Highline DSG Golf 7 1.4 TSI Comfortline DSG

Grey White White Silver

R259 900 R259 000 R319 900 R319 900

90 000 66 000 23 000 3 500

km km km km

Amarok Single Cab 2.0 BiTDI Amarok Double Cab Automatic 132kW

Silver Grey

R199 000 R459 000

120 000 km 1 500 km

VW Citi Sport 1.4i Jetta 2.0 TDI Passat 2.0 TDI DSG VW Transporter Single Cab TDI Kombi 2.0 TDI 21st Century Beetle 1.2 TSI Crafter 23 Seater Bus Touareg 3.0 TDI BlueMotion Tiptronic

White White White White Silver White White White

R69 000 R199 900 R329 900 R234 900 R359 000 R239 900 R549 000 R839 000

106 000 km 81 000 km 15 000 km 7 000 km 22 000 km 8 000 km

Opel Corsa Lite Sport BMW 328i Sportline Hyundai i20 1.4

Grey White White

R59 900 R31 000 R119 000

94 000 km 299 000km 31 000 km

2 000

Amarok Double Cab BiTDI Highline Automatic from R5,389* per month Model

km

Barons Pietermaritzburg 9 Armitage Road, Pietermaritzburg, 3201 • Tel: 033 845 3100

e&oe

Visit us on www.baronsvwpmb.co.za and find us on facebook.com/BaronsPietermaritzburg

Deposit

Balloon Payment

Total Cost Incl fees & VAT

Amarok Double Cab 2.0 BiTDI Highline Automatic 4x2

R472,200

R5,519*

72

9.75%*

18% 35% (R84,996) (R165,270)

R562,645

Amarok Double Cab 2.0 BiTDI Highline 4Motion® Automatic

R523,200

R6,099*

72

9.75%*

18% 35% (R94,176) (R183,120)

R622,230

Visit us on www.baronsvwpmb.co.za

*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 After hours: Laurie: 082 783 8040 • Rajen: 072 228 9834 Sanjay: 083 639 0989 • Barry: 072 235 4244 • Phumlani: 073 017 1294

Interest Rate Monthly No. of Vehicle Price Instalments Linked / Instalments Variable

An optional cost of R1600 incl VAT will be charged for metallic paint. Note: *Linked to FNB prime rate, currently 9.25%. Note: Offers calculated on the Amarok Double Cab 2.0 BiTDI Highline Automatic 4x2 and Amarok Double Cab 2.0 BiTDI Highline 4Motion® Automatic models in standard specifications.

Excludes optional extras. Instalment includes delivery, initiation and monthly administration fee of R57.

Subject to bank approval. Information subject to change without prior notification. All finance offers are subject to credit approval from Volkswagen Financial Services. 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 30 April 2015.

New Sales Consultants

Alison Wiltshire – Sales Manager 082 783 8855 • John Brown – 082 645 4396 Merglin Rama – 083 382 4589 • Menzi Ngubane – 073 534 8545 Bahle Bhengu – 082 337 5825 • Erica Neff – 082 858 7749 Thando Gumede – 078 969 8072 • Keshnee Pillay – 073 372 1452

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Mileage certified Full Service history 7-day exchange plan Vehicle Customization 24 Hr roadside assistance

An optional cost of R2150 incl VAT will be charged for metallic paint. Note: *Linked to FNB prime rate, currently 9.25%. Note: Offers calculated on the Tiguan TSI 4x2 Trend & Fun in standard specifications. Excludes optional extras. Price excludes delivery, bank initiation, monthly administration fee of R57, licensing and registration. Subject to bank approval. Information subject to change without prior notification. All finance offers are subject to credit approval from Volkswagen Financial Services. 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 30 April 2015.

e&oe

• • • • •

e&oe

An optional cost of R900 incl VAT will be charged for metallic paint. Note: *Linked to FNB prime rate, currently 9.25%. Note: Offers calculated on the Golf TSI 90kW Comfortline in standard specifications. Excludes optional extras.

Instalment includes delivery, initiation and monthly administration fee of R57. Subject to bank approval. Information subject to change without prior notification. All finance offers are subject to credit approval from Volkswagen Financial Services. 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 30 April 2015.

6

WitnessWheels MOTORING

The EBR SX1190 may soon be on sale in SA.

Cayenne brings ‘great news for EBR fans’ THE Cayenne Group said its waiting to hear from the Hero/EBR bike builders to sell the word’s biggest motorbikmarque in South Africa.

“We understand that this will be excit­ ing news for the EBR brand and possibly other models and brands,” said Craig Langton, sales director and co­owner of the Cayenne Group.

“Inside information tells us that there will soon be great news for the EBR brand so watch this space … the Hero operation is the biggest in the world, when it comes to manufacturing and sales and we know how this group operates, they are really something else when it comes to expan­ sion, they are real hot shot out of the box operators, so we expect good news for all

EBR fans in the very near future, we will be making an announcement as soon as we have any news.” said Langton.

Both these brands are world renowned for stunning the industry on develop­ ment, design, technology, manufacturing and sales success, so whatever they do will be great news for Cayenne and their cus­ tomers. — Supplied.

Mooi River will level the field

April 23, 2015

PHOTO: SUP­ PLIED

HAND­CRAFTED BIKING

Best 6 of the year’s 7 events will count towards standings ELZA THIART­BOTES THE Mooi River National Off­road on Saturday promises to level the playing field for all riders competing in the third round of the season in the Midlands Meander.

The 2015 Totpak National Off­road Championship will be the first national bike event at Mooi River since 2000.

Hence the Mooi River National Off­ road, organised by the experienced Natal Off­road Motor Club (NORMC), will present all the riders with a new challenge at a stage where the championship is reaching the halfway mark, with only four events remaining after the KZN race.

The riders are now accustomed to the new structure, where a 60 km time­trial early on race day determines the starting order for the second racing section that starts at 10.30 am.

This new structure demands precise preparation from the competitors, while the results can be influenced by their level of fitness as well as the service they receive from their crews in the pits.

Strategically, the best six of the year’s seven events will count towards the cham­ pionship standings. This means that a rid­ er can “throw away” a race that he could not finish.

The OR3 (200cc) Championship in the motorcycle category had everyone talking as it produced spectacular racing as the biggest class in the series. It might be en­ duro rider Brett Swanepoel’s (Proudly Bidvest Yamaha) first national off­road season, but he has showed that he is not afraid of speed and leads the class after two consecutive victories.

Team­mates at Brother Leader Tread KTM, Jarryd Coetzee and Jonathan van Wyk are also capable of podium results.

In the Open champs, a victory each for Botswana’s Ross Branch (Brother Leader Tread KTM) and Michael Pentecost (Kar­ go Racing Yamaha) and another set of great results, put them at the front of the OR1 class, while consistent results put Jo­ nathan Webster (Yamaha) third.

A tight battle has already heated up in OR2 (250cc) where Jaycee Nienaber (D&H Engineering Works Yamaha) leads Nicholas Pienaar (Ridgeway Racing

Michael Pentecost from Durban is currently second in the Open Class (OR1) motorocycle championship and will aim for another good result in front in Mooi River on Saturday.

PHOTO: KEITH FULLER Husqvarna), who won in Swaziland, by only one point. There is a small gap to the rest of the field with Nienaber’s team­ mate Roan Lindsay in third place and aim­ ing for another podium result. The 2014 Silver Class Challenge winner, Shaun Mostert (KTM), is close on his heels. In the quad category, most of the action is happening in the Q1 Class, where defend­ ing champion Brian Baragwanath (Proud­ ly Bidvest Yamaha) and Stefan Swanepoel (Yamaha) are separated by two points fol­ lowed by Jaco Moller (Extreme ATV Tzan­ een Yamaha) in third place.

At the end of the season only one na­ tional champion will emerge as the Q1 and Q2 classes will be combined. Q2 is, howev­ er, struggling with numbers while the class leader, Justin Robert (Sign Wonder Racing Honda), is out of action after inju­ ries sustained in Swaziland. Gideon Ja­ cobs (Honda) has started each race well, but mechanical issues have resulted in him having not scored any points to date.

After two victories in the Senior Quad Class Championship, it looks like Stuart Freeman (Yamaha) is ruling this class with Paul dos Santos (Factory Racing Suz­ uki) in second.

In the motorcycle category, the battle is on between the three riders who fin­ ished on the podium in the same positions after both previous events — the defend­ ing champion, Bollie van Rooyen (Brother Leader Tread KTM), claimed two victo­ ries with former champion Wayne Farmer (Roost KTM EC Security KTM) second and Kobus Jonck (Bert Smith Racing KTM) third.

In the Master Class Championships for riders older than 46, some interesting bat­ tles are brewing.

On two wheels, former champion Mar­ tin Poole (Yamaha) has taken the lead and will be chased by the winner of the first event, Ian Venter (KTM Centurion Liqui Moly Racing) and Wade Miller (KTM), who are both only two points behind, while motocross racer Geoff Den (Suzuki) is third.

On the quads, two podium positions have put former Master Class Champion Milton Thesen (Thesens Generators Ya­ maha) in the lead, but a victory in Swazi­ land puts Tony dos Santos only two points behind. George Michaelides is third but George Geldenhuys (Abacus DIVISIONS Can­Am) can still upset the quad­cart aft­ er his second place in Swaziland.

In the High School Championships, current motorcycle champion Eduan Bes­ ter (KTM Centurion Liqui Moly Racing) and Brendon Fourie (Kawasaki) are con­ tinuing their battle from last year, with Bester leading Fourie by two points. Dean Lindsay (D&H Engineering Works Yama­ ha) is third.

There has been a change in the Com­ bined Ladies Class Championship where scholar Wilmari Moller (Extreme ATV Tzaneen Honda) took the lead (she is also leading the Ladies Quad Class) ahead of Jade Schutte (Yamaha) who is second in the Ladies Quad Class. The defending champion, Liezel Barnard (Barnard Vervoer Can­Am), will have to chase these girls from her third place.

The Mooi River National Off­road starts at 7.30 am from the Mooi River Polo Crosse Club just off the R103 on the road to Estcourt. (GPS: S29° 09’ 10.01” E30° 01’ 24.83”) More on www.dirtracing.co.za or on Twitter @DirtRacingSA.

Kyle Shorey Shade Tree Fabrications showed this EVO Custom Speedmetal at the Handbuilt Motorcycle Show, held in Austin, Texas, during the MotoGP weekend.

PHOTOS: VICKI SMITH/GIZMAG.COM

Monocoque Honda.

Hazan Motorworks Supercharged Harley.

For more information on Witness Wheels advertising Contact Avir on 084 278 3447 or Avir@witness.co.za

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MOTORING WitnessWheels

April 23, 2015

7

Twizy Cargo ambulance Renault’s ingenious solution to ensure no one has to wait to receive life­saving treatment THERE are parts of some cities where the roads are so narrow and congested that deliveries using even the most compact conventional vans are now impossible. Renault’s ingenious solution is the Twizy Cargo, a “final miles” or “fast response” vehicle based on the company’s two­seater urban runabout and developed by Renault Tech and Renault Sport Technologies.

M&L ambulance services have taken the facto­ ry converted Twizy Cargo and provided a rapid response vehicle that looks the part and does the job. With ambulance livery, blue lights and siren and enough space in the back for life­saving equip­ ment this vehicle will soon be in use up and down a busy coastal town’s beachfront ensuring nobody has to wait to receive life­saving treatment.

Because it is less than 2,4 metres long and only 1,19 metres wide it will squeeze through gaps that are too narrow for other vehicles, and it can be parked end­on in the tiniest of kerbside gaps so that deliveries can be completed without bringing an entire street to a standstill. Yet it has a lockable 180­litre boot and a payload of 75 kg, making it ideal as a call­out vehicle for anything from work­ place food deliveries to emergency medical care — and all without producing a single gram of CO2 at the tailpipe thanks to its electric drive system.

To make this possible, the factory in Valladolid removes the rear seat to create a cargo deck and modifies the cut­out at the rear with a lockable door which opens to 90°. Business operators can reclaim the VAT on the purchase price and battery rental, which starts at £30 (R540) a month.

The Twizy Cargo is covered by a three­year powertrain warranty and two years on the rest of the vehicle. It is powered by the same 12,7 kW (17 hp) electric motor which drives the two­seater

Range Rover double cab

Renault’s Twizy Cargo has been converted into a rapid response vehicle that can take two paramedics through standing traffic to the scene of a crash.

PHOTO: SUPPLIED.

THE NUMBERS Body and chassis: Twizy Cargo Powertrain: Electric motor Power and torque: 12,7 kW (17 hp), 57 Nm Economy and CO2 emissions: Nil Conversion: Factory model On sale: Now Price of display model: £6 242 (R113 000) plus VAT (after Plug­In Vehicle Grant). version, and offers the same range of up to 100 km on a full charge — easily enough for a full day’s use with urban delivery companies.

— Electric Cars Report.

Startech, the division at German car tuners Brabus that works on all cars not from Daimler, has turned this Range Rover into a bakkie. It was displayed at last week’s Shanghai Auto Show and garnered almost as much interest among the Chinese as it would in Polokwane or Saudi Arabia. Brabus said it made 100 new components from aluminium, steel and carbon fibre to create the bakkie, although the load bin is more suited to carry falcon cages than golf bags. The Ranger Rover bakkie rides on 23­inch wheels. The company said the wheels feature an unusual design with dimensionally offset cross­spokes that extend all the way to the outer edge of the wheel flange and are fitted with high­performance tyres of size 305/30 R 23.

‘The hi­tech forging technology used for the production of these wheels is just as special and sophisticated. It achieves extremely high strength despite the enormous weight savings over a cast wheel of identical size,’ said Startech.

PHOTO: SUPPLIED

Speed not a factor in roadkill SURVEYS of wild animals killed by vehicle traffic (roadkill) have produced strong data and several recommendations. This is according to Bridge­ stone, which sponsored the Endangered Wildlife Trust’s (EWT) recent investigations into the is­ sue of roadkill in the Pilanesberg National Park.

The surveys, conducted by the EWT between October 21 and November 23, 2014, consisted of on­site investigation of roadkill as well as ques­ tionnaires completed by 302 visitors to the park.

Of the 120 roadkill observed by the roadkill re­ search team, 62 were amphibians, 27 were reptiles, 20 were birds, 10 were mammals and one was not identifiable.

Vehicle numbers were monitored by the use of traffic­counting devices. However, the roadkill research team soon discovered that elephants had taken a liking to the devices and damaged them.

Drawing on previous research which has shown that elephants dislike the smell of chilli pepper, the team then applied a daily coating of chilli pep­ per and oil onto the counters. The traffic­count­ ing devices were then protected from further damage.

One of the most interesting aspects of the project was the role of speed in contributing to roadkill. “More than 95% of respondents to the questionnaire believed that speed is the sole cause of roadkill. Our aim was to investigate this issue in more detail,” said the EWT’s Wildlife and Roads Project executant Wendy Collinson.

Compliance with park speed limits was found to be high, with 72% of the 6 981 vehicles moni­ tored driving at or below the speed limits. In order to investigate the role of speed in determining rates of roadkill, the research team placed fake animals on the road and observed the behaviour of 201 drivers. “Of these drivers, almost 70% were considered not to be looking at the road, but rather scanning the bush for wildlife,” said

Collinson.

“This suggests that many roadkills in national parks happen because of the expectation that ani­ mals are to be found in the habitat alongside the road, rather than on the road itself,” she said.

The team did not find a significant relationship between the number of fake animals hit and the speed at which the vehicles were travelling, with 71,5% of drivers driving over the animals when assessed to be driving less than 20 km/h, 62,1% when driving between 20 km/h and 40 km/h, and 74,2% driving more than 60 km/h.

“From our survey, it seems that the observation level of the driver, rather than the speed of the vehicle, is the key factor in preventing roadkills,” Collinson said. “One of our recommendations from the latest roadkill survey is that a driver­ awareness campaign be launched in parks to make drivers more aware of animals on the roads them­ selves,” Collinson said.

Collinson also said that she is concerned about the low awareness levels of roadkills among park visitors. “Of the 284 respondents who had visited a park previously, only 2,8% had noticed roadkill, with 6,3% noticing a roadkill on their current visit,” she said.

Bridgestone public relations manager Desirée van Niekerk, said the results of the latest roadkill survey proved fascinating. “Bridgestone has been involved with the roadkill project for three years now and we applaud Wendy and her team’s con­ tribution to both road safety and wildlife protec­ tion,” she said.

“We hope these latest findings will be used to improve the quality of the experience of park visi­ tors and safeguard the animals in these protected areas,” she said.

The next stage of the project will start soon in Addo Elephant National Park. More informa­ tion: www.bridgestone.co.za and www.ewt.org.za

Hino SA still customers’ favourite UD prices will cause a stir UD trucks have announced prices for the Quester range of trucks, which UD launched a month ago to dealers, clients and media in Limpopo province. It seems the reason the company took so long to finalise the prices was to ensure the 13 models of the tough, made­for­Africa range, all powered by Volvo engines, will take the market by storm. The top of the range CGE 370 8x4 tipper pictured here sells from R1,09 million (ex VAT), while the entry level GKE370 4x2 chassis cab sells from R880 000 (ex VAT).

PHOTO: ALWYN VILJOEN

HINO South Africa stayed on top in the latest Scott Byers Comparative Customer Satisfaction Monitor (CCSM) for the first quarter of 2015.

Hino retained the top position on the com­ bined score from the last quarter of 2014 with 96,29%. UD Trucks and Volvo tied for runner­up position on 94,10%, with Scania taking a very close third place on 94,07%.

Important for Hino SA was the fact that the company showed improvement in all categories of the research — sales, service and parts — as well as in the combined score.

“We are very proud of our achievements in the first quarter of 2015, with the major contributing factor being that our factory near Durban is now running at planned capacity, while in the first quarter of last year Hino sales were hampered by stock shortages as we ramped up output at our relocated truck plant,” said Ernie Trautmann, the vice president of Hino SA. “The strong sales performance, backed by an excellent showing in the CCSM gives us a solid foundation on which to build as we continue into 2015.” — Wheels Reporter.

8

WitnessWheels MOTORING

April 23, 2015

Disaster averted in rally Ford drivers dominate Mpumalanga racing both on the podium and on social media NELSPRUIT — The Ford Performance rally team of Mark Cronje and Robin Houghton claimed their second win in a row on this weekend’s punishing Sasol Rally which ended in Nelspruit on Sat­ urday.

The rally nearly ended in disaster, with swift reactions by Ford Fiesta rally driver Japie van Niekerk averting a crash into the fans lining the streets of Nel­ spruit on Saturday morning.

As is evident from video footage which has already gone viral on social media, VW Henk Lategan driver spun his Volkswagen and then inexplicably restarted — racing straight into the on­ coming Van Niekerk, who was arriving on the scene at 120 km/h­plus in his New Africa Developments Ford Fiesta.

“I had nowhere to go, I just knew I had to avoid going into the crowd,” said a shaken Van Niekerk. “I don’t know what Lategan was thinking — it was an act of gross negligence and a horrific accident was narrowly averted. At the point of impact, there was very little of substance to protect spectators and I just tried to steer the car through a gap which was shrinking fast.”

The Ford hit the Volkswagen, before continuing straight on three wheels, narrowly missing the spectators stand­ ing less than a metre away.

“I’ve hurt my neck a bit and my navi­ gator Gordon Noble has a bruised ankle but I’m just relieved that there weren’t any bystanders involved — it was an un­ believably lucky escape. Unfortunately, however, the damage to my car is exten­ sive and I estimate that it could exceed a million rand.”

At the front of the race, Cronje and Houghton continued their winning

just keeping the car on the road,” Cronje said. “It’s a bit of a lottery, and to be honest there were times when we weren’t really in control.”

According to Houghton, it was a tough day because of the long stages without service. “We’re comfortable with our pace and not taking any chan­ ces. There have been a few incidents out there and we just want to bring it home.”

Saturday morning started off with the spectacular tarmac Super Special in Nelspruit, but it was cancelled follow­ ing a head­on crash caused by Lategan.

Future rally fans: Grade One pupils from Umthombopholile Primary School with Robin Hough (left) and Mark Cronje. The pupils learnt about cars before being hosted by the Ford Performance team during the Sasol Rally over the weekend.

PHOTOS: QUICKPIC form from the season­opening Tour Natal Rally by totally dominating the rally, winning 13 of the event’s 15 special stages.

The pair stretchd their gap on the second­placed Poulter/Coetzee by a sig­ nificant margin when the Toyota lost four­wheel drive at the end of the rally.

At the chequered flag Cronje/ Houghton were a comfortable three minutes, 38 seconds ahead of the crip­ pled Toyota Yaris of Leeroy Poulter and

Elvine Coetzee, with the Sasolracing Volkswagen Polo of Gugu Zulu and Pierre Arries clocking an unexpected third place at 3:29.3 adrift, to the elation of both the Volkswagen racing team and the event sponsors.

It was a tough rally for both Cronje and Houghton, though, from a personal perspective. Robin lost his younger brother, Michael, a few weeks ago from a heart attack; while Mark and his wife Kirsten celebrated the birth of twins last

week — and they emotionally dedicated the win to Michael from the top step of the podium, and had his racing num­ ber (43) on the car.

The Sasol Rally’s famous forest stages were wet and muddy, with the extreme­ ly slippery surface resulting in the de­ mise of several teams. Mist descended over the Lowveld during the afternoon, which hampered visibility.

“It was really tricky in the slippery forest stages, so we were focusing on

SOCIAL INITIATIVE A group of 23 Grade 1 pupils from Um­ thombopholile Primary School visited the Ford Performance team during the Sasol Rally on Saturday.

They watched one of the stages, visited Cronje and Houghton during the last service break of the event, took a tour of the Ford service area and each re­ ceived a snack pack for lunch.

Cronje signed flags and posters and showed them his car, while the technical team gave them a tour of the service truck — to show them how a vehicle fits inside. For a week before the race they learnt about cars and road safety at school, including crossing roads and basic road signs.

The loved every minute of it and left exhausted but star­struck. Meghan Bai­ occhi, a teacher at Umthombopholile Primary School, was thrilled with the outing.

“Everyone in the team went out of their way to make the kids feel wel­ come,” said Meghan. “One or two are already budding racing drivers”.

— Supplied.

Young karters aim to give KZN’s world champ Morgado a tough race STUART JOHNSTON SIX karters from KZN will contend for podium places at the opening round of the 2015 SA Rotax Max Challenge kart­ ing championship at the Killarney cir­ cuit in Cape Town on Saturday.

The Rotax series is going from strength to strength in 2015, and all eyes will be on defending DD2 champion Bradley Liebenberg from Lonehill in Gauteng, to see if his dominance last season continues this season in the first of the four­round national champion­ ship that includes the top four classes in SA karting.

And adding interest will be the per­ formance of the new Rotax Evo engines homologated for 2015, which have shown, after intensive pre­season test­ ing, to be even more driver friendly than the previous specification, ultra­relia­ ble 125 cc water­cooled engines used in the Rotax series for the past 15 years.

The DD2 events in Cape Town will see the DD2 Masters category run in the same race as the DD2 races, thus swell­ ing the field to an expected 30 runners.

The Masters category for drivers 32 years and older will be particularly interesting, as multiple SA and World DD2 Masters champ Cris Morgado from Durban is likely to see his position of dominance challenged by a number of younger karters who move into the

Close racing is expected when SA’s top carters descend on the Killarney circuit in Cape Town on Saturday for round one of the 2015 SARMC karting championship.

PHOTO: MOTOPRESS.CO.ZA category this season. Notable among these is Nicholas Verheul from Gaut­ eng, who has been a regular challenger for top honours in DD2 for a number of seasons. KZN’s Jono Pieterse returns after a layoff and is also expected to mix it with John van Wyk and Maroan Selmi at the sharp end.

Vying for top overall DD2 honours at the front of the field along with Lieb­

enberg will be Cape drivers Jonathan Aberdein, Chad Maciver and Kyle Mitchel (Gauteng), Luca Canderle and Benjamin Habig from KZN and Preto­ ria’s Eugene Britz, and any one of these could take the honours.

At the other end of the karting age scale, the Maxterino 60 class for pre­ teens has received an entry of some 20 karts. Cape Town has a strong contin­

gent of Maxterino flyers and Aidan Strydom, Charl Visser and Joseph Oelz will face an up­country challenge from the likes of Kwanda Makoena, who won at Zwartkops two weeks ago in a region­ al event, and Aquil Alibhai.

Junior Max, for drivers aged 12 to 16 is another category that is expected to draw a full field of up to 20 karts, a grati­ fying state of affairs for the South Afri­

can Rotax series, which has produced a dozen home­grown world karting champions over the past 15 years.

Drivers to watch in this very competi­ tive field include Delon Thompson, Cameron O’Connor, Joshua Diaz and Daniel Duminy from KZN. They will race Cape Town home­turf defenders Delano Fowler, Dino Stermin and Gior­ dano Lupini.

In the Senior Max category, look for the “first lady” of karting, Fabienne Lanz, to be right at the front of the field, challenging Cape stalwarts Eugene De­ nyssen, Henry Bam, Chadley Swartz and Jonathan Aberdein. Aberdein, son of Wesbank Audi Quattro racing star Chris Aberdien, who set Killarney’s main circuit on fire with stirring saloon car performances in the nineties, is also entered in the Rotax DD2 class and has set record­breaking times in both class­ es. The winners of the various Rotax categories will win a berth to the inter­ national Rotax grand finals karting championship, the biggest karting event in the world, where drivers from some 60 countries will compete for glo­ ry. This year, the grand finals will be held in the Algarve, Portugal, in early No­ vember.

• The second round of the SARMC series will next move to KZN. For more informa­ tion, visit www.kart.co.za, or contact Jen­ nifer Verheul at 082 294 7485.

CV JOINT SPECIALISTS

Motor show at Dezzi’s THE first GAS magazine show will be hosted at Dezzi’s Raceway at the end of May. Organiser Vis Naidoo is aiming the event at exhibitors and motor brands to showcase their cars, products and services for not only

motorsport, but also lifestyle elements. This includes water sports, fishing, a master chef cookout, a food court, live entertainment, a strongman challenge, an outdoor automo­ tive cinema experience, a kids’ action zone,

fireworks by the lake and gaming, to give the event a holistic feel and create an environ­ ment of family fun and adventure to experi­ ence over the two days.

The event, running from May 30 to May 31,

starts at 9 am each day and runs until 7 pm.

Tickets can be bought from groupon.co.za with an current early bird 30% discount at R84 per ticket. For more details, go to gasun­ derground2@gmail.com — WR.

for CV joints, ball joints, tie rod ends, wheel bearings.

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