DUCATI: THE MAD SCRAMBLER IS BACK P6
CARS WANTED
May 7, 2015
Witness
WHEELS
ADVERTISING: AVIR THULSIRAM ON 084 278 3447
Exotic,luxury and supercars WANTED FOR CASH must be low mileage and mint condition, email pics and brief description to ashgani@telkomsa.net
ASH EXOTICS
Dealers in Superfine Exotic and Sports Cars Tel: 033 345 1971, 033 342 4717 Fax: 033 342 2900 - www.ashcarsales.co.za 534/550 Church Street, Pietermaritzburg 3201 • Ash 083 786 3377
… NOW YOU’RE MOTORING
Good buy in the van market With a change in service providers, good aftermarket service is assured WHEN we first reported on the Maxus 16seat midibus in Febru ary last year, we put on record our liking for the product but reserved judgment on the aftermarket ser vice. At that stage, Maxus was one of two new 16seaters trying to impress taxi owners against the BAW, which is assembled in Springs, and the Nissan NV350 Impendulo, which is available on ly in petrol. We ended up recommending the Citroën Relay 15seater with its 20 000 km service intervals as the best buy at that stage. Since then, UD trucks has taken over the sales from what amount ed to indifferent multifranchise car dealers, ensuring that the stur dy Chinese van now has sales staff who respect the needs of commer cialvehicle owners. These needs are quick finance and quicker service, as Wheels found when our test van came complete with a driver from UD Pinetown, who hitched a ride to fetch a V80 for its service from a school in Pietermaritzburg. During the week of testing, we parked the Maxus at several taxi ranks, (alas, we had no permit to
transport passengers) and asked commuters for their opinions. Top of the like list were the very solid grab handle and step, the spacious seats and the automatic lights at night. Top of the dislike list were the lightgrey seat covers (wena, how will you keep this clean, eh?) and the automatic door locks (you mean I have to press that unlock button every time I stop for a pas senger? Aikona!). At night, the Maxus is at its most impressive, with adjustable headlights, automatic interior lights and allblue back lighting on the essential buttons like the elec tric windows and air conditioner. On the road, a rattle on the back doors and squeak on the side door became very irritating very quick ly. These were the only niggles, and the able sound system soon drowned them out, with the radio providing clear FM signal and an aux plugin point for MP3 players. Maxus claims 100yearold British genes for its 2,5 TD V80, and 330 Nm from 1 800 rpm. On the neverending incline that is Fields Hill, it became clear that this power is measured on the fly wheel, not the tar, as the empty
V80 could not keep to a steady 100 km/h against a loaded Mer cedesBenz Sprinter which has similar power specs. But then even a used Sprinter costs substantially more than the R300 k price of a new Maxus 16 seater, which does look a good buy at R299 000. This includes a threeyear or 100 000 km factory warranty and an optional fiveyear or 90 000 km service plan for R13 900. Service intervals are at 15 000 km and as a trucking scribe, I can vouch for UD’s ser vice. In the Japanese trucking sta ble, the Maxus taxi has finally got a home worthy of its genes, and with the price now below R300 k, this Chinese van competes head on with the French Relay for those rare buyers willing to experiment outside the Toyota fold. POWER STAKES Nissan Impendulo 2,5 (108 kW/213 jkNm). BAW 2,5 diesel (100 kW/330 Nm). Toyota Quantum diesel (75 kW/260). Toyota Quantum petrol 111 kW/241 Nm. Maxus V80 2,5 100 kW/330 Nm.
The Maxus 16seater midibus impressed wouldbe commuters with its spacious seats. PHOTO: SUPPLIED
CAPTUR
NO COMPARISON
The interior of the ‘luxury’ Maxus V80 is as comfy as it gets, while the drive of the van lives up to its sturdy stance. PHOTO: SUPPLIED
Antihijacking course for women drivers offered PROGRESSIVE Driving Techniques (PDT) will present an intensive an tihijacking course in Pieterma ritzburg on May 16. Aimed specifically to promote the safety of women drivers in large sport utility or highpowered German vehicles, the course costs R2 500 per person and applies les sons learnt from analysing vehicle hijackings in South Africa. Advanced highspeed tactical driving instructors will also train
the drivers to recognise safe brak ing distances and execute emer gency lane changes in their own vehicles. The course is four hours long, with two sessions presented for 20 people at a time at the Roy Hesketh track in Hayfields, Pieter maritzburg. The first session starts at 8.15 am and the second group starts at 3.15 pm. PDT members are all profes sional driver trainers registered
with the Safety and Security Sec tor Education and Training Au thority (Sasseta), and their cours es are used by police and public sector drivers. Certificate can be sent on com pletion of course, which may be used for discounted premiums at select insurance companies. • Please note that only 40 people can be accommodated and book ing is essential. Contact Michelle at 072 237 6257.
R219 900 COME TEST-DRIVE NOW FROM
McCARTHY RENAULT PIETERMARITZBURG 9 Armitage Road • Tel: 033 341 7600 • www.renaultpmb.co.za
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WitnessWheels MOTORING
May 7, 2015
Ford’s ultimate odyssey 20 contestants from around Africa will navigate through Namibia on a 12day expedition DURBAN on Monday hosts the KZN launch of the third edition of the Ranger Odyssey, seen by thousands of hopeful competi tors who entered the previous editions as the ultimate road trip in southern Africa. The third edition of the annual Ranger Odyssey will see a total of 20 contestants from around Africa navigating through the extremely challenging north western region of Namibia on a 12day expedition that will push each person to the limit. Tracey Delate, general market ing manager, Ford Motor Company of Southern Africa (FMCSA) said while the lifechanging odyssey is an exceptional prize in itself, there’s also the allure of the grand prize which includes the use of an Odysseyspec Ranger for a year, along with R5 000 worth of fuel per month. The first Ranger Odyssey in 2012 had around 700 entries, while last year more than 8 000 people registered for the competition. The 2015 edition will be more competitive, with an individualbased competition with an even stronger focus on pointsscoring special challenges that will ultimately determine the overall winner. De Late said it’s not all about sheer brawn, however, as there’s an equal split between mental and physical tasks, overall endur ance in Namibia’s unforgiving environment will remain key. People who want to partici pate must register online at www.rangerodyssey.com by May 24 for South Africa and neighbouring countries, and May 15 for Angola, Nigeria, Mo zambique and Ivory Coast. The application requires sub mitting a short personal biogra phy, followed up with a “selfie” photograph taken with an Odys seybranded Ranger at any Ford dealership. A selection committee will
Ford invites front and back seat drivers for the ultimate road trip in southern Africa in the 2015 Range Rover Odyssey. PHOTO: QUICPIC then review the applications and narrow the selection down to 40 semifinalists selected from South Africa, Mozambique, An gola, Nigeria and Ivory Coast, who will be chosen to attend a fourday Boot Camp in the Karoo from June 18 to 21. The intensive training and evaluation programme will de termine who is tough enough for
the 12day Namibian adventure. Just 20 finalists will ultimately be chosen for the lifechanging ex pedition which takes place from July 23 to August 3. Throughout the Ranger Odys sey in Namibia, the contestants will be scored each day on a wide variety of aspects, including off road driving skills, communica tion, vehicle and location knowl
edge, as well as physical and men tal endurance. There will also be several special tasks set up along the route to test the likes of vehi cle recovery techniques and navi gation. In a fresh new twist, the com petition now includes two elimi nation stages, where the two low estscoring contestants will leave the group on day four, followed
by another four contestants on day 10. The trip will once again feature a community project which, this year, will benefit the Palmwag community that runs the local 4x4 concession in the region. For those that don’t make it onto the Odyssey, along with families and friends of the Top 20 finalists, there is an added bo
nus with the “Back Seat Driver” competition that runs on the Ranger Odyssey website. The competition runs from April 30 to August 4. For further information, go to www.rangerodyssey.com or fol low @FordSouthAfrica on Twit ter at #RangerOdyssey or on www.facebook.com/FordSouth Africa. — Wheels Reporter.
Running a Tesla just got cheaper
The fullelectric Tesla S burning rubber — the latest spinoff from Tesla — is a lot greener, in the form of cheaper batteries that will make using solar power more affordable. PHOTO: SUPPLIED ALWYN VIJOEN
Skeletal board with a 40 km/h paddle Hyve has released the Gridboard, a composite skateboard that can be propelled and steered much like a boatman in Venice does a gondola, using a ‘land paddle’ with a electric motor to drive the wheel and propel the Gridboard up to 40 km/h. The paddle has a thumb button throttle built into its handle and can be operated with one or both hands. The skeletal carbon fibre construction saves weight and adds flexibility to the board’s handling characteristics. Hyve is currently offering the Gridboard on Indiegogo for pledge levels starting at €250 for the deck alone and another €139 (R5 066 in total) for the paddle. PHOTO: GIZMAG.COM
CONFIRMING the carefully leaked rumours that had been doing the rounds for months, Ed ison International and Tesla last week launched battery packs that promise to make solar power af fordable. The greeny dream is to use the cheap sunshine to power our lives, but storing that power as electricity has so far been too ex pensive to compete with burning wood or fossil fuels. Enter the Tesla Powerwall
Home Battery — the first batter ies that do not “suck” at being batteries, according to Tesla founder Elon Musk. A sevenkilowatthour version will sell for $3 000, (about R36 200) and a 10kWh version will sell for $3 500 (R42 222) to electricians who will install the wallmounted units. The powerpacks are made with Southern California Edison (SCE), a subsidiary of Edison Energy that provides rooftop so lar systems. Tesla is also testing 100kWh
batteries that will not be wall mounted but assembled into gridstorage arrays ranging from 500 kWh to 10 MWh in capacity. SCE is working with Tesla to show how homes and businesses can turn sunlight into electricity. One such business is Cinemark Holdings, Inc., which installed Tesla batteries at two of their theatres in Southern California. Next up, the industry awaits battery banks where consumers can exchange a discharged bat tery pack with a charged one to continue a journey.
MOTORING WitnessWheels
May 7, 2015
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In a class all of its own BRIAN BASSETT takes a short cut where angels fear to tread in the new Subaru Legacy SUBARU is the Japanese name for a star cluster called the Pleiades, a group of seven stars of which only six are visi ble —hence the sixstarred Subaru badge. The carmaker is the motor division of Fuji Heavy industries, with Toyota owning some 17% of its shares, hence the occasional technology sharing be tween the two brands. The Subaru Legacy has been in pro duction since 1989 and this, the sixth generation of the vehicle, was unveiled at the Chicago Motor Show in 2014. Since 1989, four million Legacies have been produced and the car has acquired a reputation for reliability and allweath er durability with its iconic Boxer engine and permanent fourwheel drive. Styling The Legacy is a midsized car with an aggressive frontend design. A slatted grill housing with a centrally mounted Subaru badge and flanked by two in wardsloping head lamps, is under scored by a horizontal airdam, in turn flanked by two fog lamps. The sculpted side panels lead the eye to the rear shoulders, where enlarged tailpipes hint at the sporty performance at which Subaru aims. The whole effect is finished off by a set of multispoke 18
inch alloy wheels with highperform ance tyres. interior The Legacy’s interior is welldesigned, welcoming and of the best quality. Wide, electrically adjustable front seats with builtin memory and a fully adjustable steering column mean a com fortable ride for the driver and front pas senger, whatever the distance. Space behind the front seats is gener ous and the comfort levels for three rear passengers are high. The interior is ele gant in an understated way. All the luxu ries you can expect for a car that costs over half a bar are within fingertip reach, including a Harmon Kardon sound sys tem and flappy paddles to change the gears. A 6,2inch touch screen at the centre of the dash displays a wide range of infor mation as well as the image from the rearview camera with reverse engaged. This was for me one of the most useful pieces of kit in the large sedan. The boot is gen erous and should you need more space, the rear seats fold down in 60:40 fashion.
Legacy has a fivestar ANCAP safety rat ing. There is the usual ABS with EBD, along with keyless entry, rainsensing wipers, dusksensing headlights and sev en SRS air bags, as well as seatbelts and head restraints for all five passengers. The symmetrical, allwheel drive and Vehicle Dynamics Control add to the overall safety package. While for the chil dren there are Isofix seat anchors and child locks. If the baddies do somehow get into your car, a loud alarm will tell the world about it. Performance and handling At the heart of the Legacy is the Subaru flat 6, 3.6l horizontally opposed 191 kW/235 Nm Boxer petrol engine, which expresses its power on road via a CVT gearbox. Zero to 100 km/h comes up in about seven seconds and top speed, should you fancy a fine, is 240 km/h.
Handling in town is precise and the high driving position and rearview cam era make parking easy. On the N3, the power comes through and driving at speed is pleasurable, with the AWD sys tem providing absolute stability. District roads in the Midlands provided no chal lenge at all and even wet farm roads yielded to the power and allwheel grip of this remarkable vehicle. Over the long weekend, Alwyn Vil joen, Witness Wheels editor, suggested we take a short cut so that I could see how capable the Legacy’s allwheeldrive system is on rough dirt roads. The “short cut” was the type of road I would normally use to evaluate a 4x4 vehicle, not a sophisticated, comfortable saloon. This is not offroad, this is noneroad, I exclaimed, but the Legacy climbed slowly and purposefully up the inclines
without missing a beat or scraping. I was enormously impressed and left with the conviction that this is indeed a car for Africa, at home on both conven tional roads and the roughest terrain. Fuel consumption for the combined cycle, including our mountaineering ex pedition, was around 12 l/100 km. Costs and guarantees There is only one Legacy model availa ble; the 3,6 RS Premium, which will cost about R530 000, which includes a three year or 100 000 km warranty and three year or 75 000 km maintenance plan. With its ability to traverse dirt tracks or hairpin corners with equal aplomb, as well as all the luxuries on offer, there is no direct competitor for the Legacy from any other saloon in SA that won’t cost about R100 k more. This saloon really is in a class of its own.
Safety and security Subaru are big on safety and the
Writer Brian Bassett behind the wheel of the Subaru Legacy, which uses symmetrical, allwheel drive and Vehicle Dynamics Control to remain as unruffled on dirt as it does around fast corners. Tune to Capital 104fm on Saturday between 9 to 10 am, when Bassett hosts the driving show Inqola Yami for more on this vehicle, as well as a chance to win prizes. PHOTO: ALWYN VILJOEN
Slump in vehicle sales creates a buyers’ paradise APRIL saw 12 Jaguar FTypes and 10 Ferarris sold to driving enthusiasts who can afford to pay more than a million rand for a car. On the other end of the scale, bud get buyers bought 517 Datsun Go hatchbacks during April, proving that most people could not care less about airbags and NCAP ratings, as long as the price is right. Aggregate new vehicle sales for the fool’s month stood at 44 503 units — 1 513 units down from the April last year. An estimated eight in 10 cars were sold by dealer sales, only 6,3% went to government, 4,2% to industry cor porate fleets and 2,3% of the cars were sold to rental companies. The drop in sales means it is a buy ers’ market, with intense competi tion resulting in many incentive packages and discounts. The bakkie, vans and light truck sector saw a decline of 774 units com pared to the 12 851 light commercial vehicles sold during the correspond ing month last year. Sales of medium
and heavy trucks also registered de clines. Medium commercial vehicle sales at 777 units and heavy commer cial vehicle sales at 1 465 units, re flected a fall of 38 units or 4,7% in the case of medium commercials, and a decline of 107 vehicles or a fall of 6,8% in the case of heavy trucks and buses — compared to the corre sponding month last year. The only ray of light for local man ufacturers is that vehicle exports had continued to contribute positively to South Africa’s current account of the balance of payments. Industry new vehicle exports at 23 615 units during April, 2015 had again registered exceptionally strong growth compared to the correspond ing month last year rising by 6 813 vehicles or 40,5% relative to the 16 802 export sales in April, 2014. Vehicle exports for 2015 were on tar get to improve by around 25% in vol ume terms to a record export num ber of about 325 000. — Naamsa.
APPROVED PRE-OWNED
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WitnessWheels MOTORING
Tech bells at Chevrolet The ChevroletFNR is loaded with a range of intelligent technologies usually seen only in science fiction movies. They include sensors and roofmounted radar that can map out the environment to enable driverless operation, Chevy Intelligent Assistant and iris recognition start. The ChevroletFNR can also serve as a ‘personal assistant’ to map out the best route to the driver’s preferred destination. In selfdriving mode, the vehicle’s front seats can swivel 180° to face the rear seats, creating a more intimate setting. The driver can switch to manual mode through the gesture control feature. The Bolt EV concept had its global premiere at January’s Detroit Auto Show. It is a gamechanging electric vehicle that signals Chevrolet’s commitment to bringing electrification to today’s consumer with unexpected functionality, technology and crossover proportions. It features Chevrolet’s classic dualcockpit styling, while uniquely integrating userfriendly technology to offer a worryfree, delightful driving experience. Lightweight materials — including aluminum, magnesium, carbon fibre and woven mesh — add to the design while keeping down the kerb weight to give the Bolt a maximum range of 320 km. Drivers will be able to select operating modes designed around preferred driving styles such as daily commuting and spirited weekend cruising, for uncompromising electric driving. The modes adjust accelerator pedal mapping, vehicle ride height and suspension tuning. The Chevrolet Bolt EV concept is also designed to support DC fast charging. The model’s technological intuitiveness can be accessed via a smartphone with the concept Bolt EV Connect app. This is designed to allow a smartphone to perform as the key fob, allow ridesharing management, and incorporate the concept automatic parkandretrieval technology to enable the Bolt EV concept to park itself. PHOTO: SUPPLIED
As close as it gets Technology entrepreneur Steven D. Domenikos is raising funds on Indiegogo for his Smartrim, a sensor that magnetically fits inside a car’s wheel arch to warn if the pavement is getting too close to the rim. Domenikos states his device uses an internal temperature sensor to compensate for the speed of sound in air of different temperature and calibration parameters, to gauge the distance between the car and the kerb. An AA battery will power his sensor for 1 000 parking cycles and he wants $345 (R4 161) for the sensors and app. PHOTO: SMARTRIM
May 7, 2015
Wings of change at Carplane ‘As good as a trainer plane and a compact car’ DAVID SZONDY The Braunschweigbased company Carplane hopes to square the circle with a twinfuselage roadable mono plane that made its first public appearance in prototype form at the recent Aero show in Fried richshafen, Germany. Small planes operating from local airports can greatly speed up business travel, but it often isn’t practical because of the problem of getting to and from remote airfields, which aren’t noted for being booming mar kets for taxi services or hire car agencies. A flying car could fill this gap, but there’s a catch; cars make poor aircraft, and aircraft make poor cars. This is a problem that has plagued what Carplane puts at the over 2 000 flying car pro jects of the past century. Developed with money from the EU and the German state of Lower Saxony, Carplane says it is aiming to have its vehicle certi fied both as a light aircraft (in the very light aircraft VLA category) and as a passenger car, without any exemptions in either catego ry. Its creators also claim that it will fly at least as well as a trainer plane and drives as well as a com pact car. Like a number of flying car de signs, the Carplane has retracta ble wings and tail section. It’s not even the first twinfuselage flying car design we’ve seen. But where the Carplane does stand out is where is tucks its wings. Instead of below, above, to the sides, or behind the car, the wings are stowed between the two hulls. This means they don’t have to be folded or retracted, which allows them to be lighter and stronger without making the car too tall or too long. They are also protected from the wind while
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Developed with money from the EU and the German state of Lower Saxony, Carplane says it is aiming to have its vehicle certified both as a light aircraft and as a passenger car, without any exemptions in either category. Its creators also claim that it will fly at least as well as a trainer plane and drives as well as a compact car.
driving, preventing lift or slaloming without obstructing vision, as has been the case with some alternative arrangements. In the current prototype, the wings are stowed manually, but the company says it has designed a mechanism to do this automat ically in production models, provided the vehicle is granted a weight exemption to accommo date the extra mechanics. The twinfuselage design also allows the Carplane to have four nonretractable 15inch wheels with block tyres from a Smart car. These provide for a takeoff run of only 85 m because the wheels are under power, which means that the Carplane can operate from short grass airstrips. In ad dition, the hull arrangement al lows the Carplane to fit in a stan dard garage. Its empty weight of
498 kg is about the same as a twoseat compact car. The twinfuselage arrange ment does have an obvious downside, as it separates the driver and passenger. However, Carplane says that this isn’t really a big deal, as the vehicle is aimed at the business market, where the driver and pas senger are usually separated as a matter of course. The Carplane’s foldable push prop is powered by a 151 bhp PC850 engine that gives the vehicle an estimated range of 833 km, a service ceiling of 4 570 m, and a cruising speed of 200 km/h. On the ground, it can do 176 km/h and is compliant with Euro5 emission controls. Carplane says that it hopes to have the currently unfinished prototype completed by July. — Gizmag.com.
oRS from Kazakhstan still the best selfsteering 4x4 ALWYN VILJOEN SPECIALIST transport producer oRS is now taking orders for the 2015 selfsteering 4x4 models — all of which comply with the most stringent environmental stan dards. oRS proudly traces its history to Kazakhstan and makes no apolo gies that its dated manufacturing processes — like those of many former USSR nations — use a ball andsocket system to transfer power to the four independently articulated struts, instead of a more modern metal clutch plate. The ballandsocket system does have the advantage that it allows an experienced controller to minutely vary the locomotive power to each strut, and it is a source of pride among such con
trollers to turn their units through 180 degrees at full speed using just the two rear struts. For less experienced owners, four forward speeds and a reverse gear are preset and automatically engaged with either verbal com mands or physical input. The lat est oRS system can “learn” up to 12 commands, including steering. Most new owners, however, steer with the standard interac tive feedback loop that can dou ble as the accelerator input. Accelerated to the third or fourth speed settings, the unique suspension ensures that all four struts are in the air four over 50% of the duration of the forward mo tion. This ensures a ride that own ers say feel exactly like “bursts of floating”, punctuated by a pleas antly rhythmic percussion of the
struts striking the road surface. In its third speed setting, the 2015 model can maintain speeds between 1627 km/h even over rough terrain while remaining ex tremely light on fuel. The proven power plant turns most plant ma terials into kinetic energy with urea, methane and saltpeter the main byproducts through three exhaust systems. The single chamber power unit can make up to 10 kW, (about 14 horsepower) depending on the fuel used, with traction provided by the four struts to ensure forward motion in up to 1 500 mm of mud or snow. oRS has a proud history of recy cling and the units’ pellets of spent fuel are used around the world by mushroom growers as well as a slow heat source by tradi tional cooks, especially in Mongo
lia. Japanese truck maker UD is currently also using the urea to turn toxic diesel gases into nitro gen and water, while develop ments on trapping the methane using party balloons is being in vestigated. In keeping with the movement towards designing smaller vehi cles to alleviate traffic congestion, only one seat is provided, but vari ous aftermarket companies make multiseat units that hook up to the main power unit to convey from pupils to loads. Real leather and invisible stitching are standard, as is a cel lulardriven repair process, which has been proven to be more natu ral than the nanopaint technolo gies used by Nissan and Mer cedesBenz to repair scratches. For hardcore adventurers keen
on testing the renowned river crossing abilities of the oRS units, the main attraction will, however, be the Tresses™, placed at the rear and steering areas. The Tresses™ are made from real horse hair and can be twined for extra grip. As with all oRS prod ucts, the unit is fully selfsteering and can find its way to the desti nation set as “home” thanks to the Stratified Biological Live Entry (STABLE) system. Because each unit has to be programmed to its owner, oRS en courages individual sales meet ings. (The use of apples instead of android devices during these meetings are encouraged.) The waiting list is currently three years with prices on applica tion at the local dealers. • alwyn.viljoen@witness.co.za
This tongueincheek piece serves to remind Wheels readers the humble “oRS” still sets the standard to which all sustainable self steering vehicles aspire. And, yes, UD trucks really has developed a process that uses horse pee to separate toxic diesel fumes into nitrogen and water. PHOTO: WISEGEEK.ORG
After sales service is where it’s at and where it’s at is Barons Pietermaritzburg. By Pieter from Maritzburg When you buy a new vehicle you need to think beyond the purchase. As well as offering the best possible deal, the right dealership for you should be renowned for their after sales service and conveniently situated enough to provide you with that service whenever you need it. At the end of the day it’s not just the owning but the running of your vehicle that truly matters.
But most importantly: For anyone living between Durban and the Drakensberg, no dealership is as conveniently situated to provide continued after sales service as Barons Pietermaritzburg – The Bespoke Volkswagen Dealers. After sales service is where it’s at, and where it’s at is Barons Pietermaritzburg.
Thanks to Das Auto Engineering and BlueMotion Technology, Volkswagen offers quality, reliability, fuel-efficiency and economy, no matter where you get it from. With that said, Barons has the knowledge and strength to offer you the best possible deal on the Volkswagen that best suits your budget and needs.
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.
Live confident. Drive confident.
New Polo GTI. Ultimate Performance = Ultimate Confidence.
m service plan 3 year / 45 000k
Polo TSI 66kW Comfortline for R2,999* per month.
Come into Barons Pietermaritzburg and purchase the New Polo GTI. The New Polo GTI DSG standard features include:
-
The Polo TSI 66kW Comfortline standard features include: -
Leather multi-function steering wheel with GTI emblem 17” Parabolicca alloy wheels Cruise Control 1.8 TSI 20 valve engine
Model
Exclusive to Barons Pietermaritzburg: Limited stock available. 4 units available for immediate delivery. Don’t miss out on this great offer and many more.
Polo TSI 66kW Comfortline
Polo Vivo
e&oe
Mileage certified • Full Service history • 7-day exchange plan • Vehicle Customization • 24 Hr roadside assistance •
80-point mechanical check 2-year / unlimited km warranty* Vehicle History Integrity Check Balance of VW Automation Plan Professional Vehicle Reconditioning
2014 2014 2013 2015 2015
Polo Vivo Maxx 1.6 Polo Vivo Sedan 1.4 Trendline Polo Vivo GP 1.4 Trendline Polo Vivo GP 1.6 Comfortline 5 Door Polo Vivo Maxx 1.6
White Silver Red White Silver
R154 900 R129 900 R142 900 R159 900 R159 900
12 000 35 000 3 000 1 000 6 500
km km km km km
2011 2013 2013 2014 2014 2014 2014 2015 2015
Polo 1.6 Comfortline Polo 1.4 Trendline 5 Door Polo 1.4 Comfortline Polo GTI DSG Polo 1.4 Trendline Polo Sedan 1.6 Comfortline Polo 1.4 Comfortline 5 Door Polo 1.2 TSI Highline Polo 1.2 TSI Trendline
Red White Red Silver Silver White Grey Red White
R149 900 R152 900 R169 000 R279 900 R152 900 R184 900 R184 900 R239 000 R185 900
62 000 25 000 58 000 9 500 16 000 21 000 23 000 3 000 1 500
km km km km km km km km km
2011 2013 2014 2015 2015
Golf 6 GTI 2.0 TSI Golf 7 1.4 TSI Comfortline Golf 7 GTI 2.0 TSI Golf 7 2.0 TDI Highline DSG Golf 7 1.4 TSI Comfortline DSG
Grey Silver White White Silver
R259 900 R229 000 R359 900 R319 900 R295 000
90 000 61 000 38 000 23 000 6 000
km km km km km
2015
Amarok Double Cab Automatic 132kW
Grey
R449 000
1 500
km
2009 2011 2012 2013 2014 2014 2015 2015 2015 2015 2015
VW Citi Sport 1.4i Jetta 1.4 TSI Comfortline Jetta 2.0 TDI Transported Crew Bus 2.0 TDI Passat 1.8 TSI Comfortline DSG Kombi 2.0 TDI Crafter 23 Seater Bus Touareg 3.0 TDI BlueMotion Tiptronic Volkswagen CC 1.8 TSI DSG Scirocco R Move up! 1.0
White Blue White White White Silver White White Grey Grey Red
R69 000 R149 000 R199 900 R279 900 R279 900 R359 000 R549 000 R839 000 R374 900 R459 000 R145 900
106 000 km 88 000 km 81 000 km 42 000 km 15 000 km 22 000 km 2 000 7 000 4 000 2 000
2012 2014
BMW 320D Tiptronic Sportline F30 Ford Figo 1.4 TDCi Ambiente
White White
R309 000 R119 900
20 000 km 19 500 km
Polo
Golf
Amarok Other VW
Other
R223,700
R2,999*
No. of Instalments
Electric windows, front and rear Leather multi-function steering wheel 15” Tosa alloy wheels Multi-function display
Interest Rate Linked / Deposit Variable
60
9.45%
Balloon Payment
11.62% 40% (R26,000) (R89,480)
Total Cost Incl fees & VAT R272,832
Visit us on www.baronsvwpmb.co.za and find us on facebook.com/BaronsPietermaritzburg
Pietermaritzburg
9 Armitage Road, Pietermaritzburg, 3201 • Tel: 033 845 3100
It’s not just a car. It’s a Golf.
Golf TSI 90kW Comfortline from R3,444* per month. The Golf TSI 90kW Comfortline standard features include: -
km km km km
90kW @ 5000rpm 6 speed manual Electronic Stability Programme (ESP)
Model Golf 1.4 TSI Comfortline
Monthly Vehicle Price Instalments R308,000
R3,444*
No. of Instalments 72
-
Electronic Park Brake with Auto-hold Air conditioner 16” Toronto alloy wheels
Interest Rate Linked / Deposit Variable 6.53%*
Balloon Payment
10% R113,960 (R30,800)
Total Cost Incl fees & VAT R361,920
Visit us on www.baronsvwpmb.co.za
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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
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 Polo TSI 66kW Comfortline model in standard specifications. Instalment excludes optional extras, delivery fee, 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 31 May 2015.
m service plan 5 year / 90 000k
*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.
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66kW@ 4,800rpm 5-speed Manual Electronic Stability Programme (ESP) Dual front and side air bags
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 1.4 TSI Comfortline model in standard specifications. Note: Offer calculated on model in standard specification. Information subject to change without prior notification. All finance offers are subject to credit approval from Volkswagen Financial Services. Instalment includes initiation and monthly administration fee of R57. Volkswagen Financial Services - a division of Volkswagen Financial Services South Africa (Pty) Ltd.250 An Authorised Financial Services and Credit Provider. NCRCP6635. Terms and Conditions apply. All the above is subject to price increase and valid until 31 May 2015.
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WitnessWheels MOTORING
May 7, 2015
Mad scramble for Scrambler Ducati focuses on capturing the spirit and fun of the original, rather than creating a fast bike
The Motolady told to go slower after being pulled over on the 2015 Ducati Scrambler. PHOTO: THEMOTOLADY.COM DRIES VAN DER WALT THE eagerlyawaited 2015 Duca ti Scrambler was launched at In termot in October 2014 and the bikes have arrived in South Africa with a launch at the Barnyard Theatre in Rivonia, Gauteng. The new version is a contem porary take on the original Scrambler, a singlecylinder ma chine with engine capacities ran ging from 250 to 450 cc that has become hugely popular in Eu rope and the United States. The original Scrambler soon became as much a fashion state ment as a mode of transport. Classic — and modern This the latest Scrambler has an 803 cc aircooled 90° Vtwin Desmodromic engine and comes in four variations: the base Icon in yellow or red, the Urban Endu
ro (said to be ready to switch from city streets to country back roads in an instant), the flattrack inspired Full Throttle and the Classic, meant for those who want a retro look combined with the riding pleasure and comfort of a modern bike. To integrate the classic and the modern, Ducati combined clas sic styling elements such as a teardrop tank, wide handlebars and a long seat as well as new generation components such as front and rear diode lighting, liq uidcrystal display instruments and an upsidedown front sus pension. Standard on all versions are a steel fueltank with interchange able aluminium side panels, headlight with glass lens, diode lightguide and interchangeable aluminium cover, machinefin
America’s MotoLady, aka Alicia Mariah Elfving, on the new Ducati Scrambler at the launch of the motorbike in Long Beach, U.S. PHOTO: THEMOTOLADYCOM ished aluminium belt covers and an underseat storage compart ment with a USB socket. Original interpreted Versionspecific differences in clude a high front mudguard, headlight grille and spoked wheels for the Urban Enduro, a Termignoni slipon silencer, low handlebars and a flattrack style seat for the Full Throttle and spoked wheels, aluminium mud guards and a seat with a dedicat ed design for the Classic.
Each version has its own logo. Johnny Araujo, Ducati South Africa’s general manager, told Wheels24 that the Scrambler was not a retro bike but rather an interpretation of how the original might have looked had Ducati continued its production. He also readily admitted that the Scrambler was not excep tionally fast: the concept was more to capture the spirit and fun factor of the original than to cre ate a fast bike.
‘Cultural movement’ Araujo added: “The Scrambler name has much in common with the verb ‘to scramble’ — mixing up, blending, letting the imagi nation run free and sharing with others. “The Ducati Scrambler is a cultural movement in and of it self. It’s freespirited, positive and anticonformist, open to en counters with other philosophies and styles. The Scrambler isn’t just a bike, it’s a world.”
Ducati offers a huge range of accessories, allowing any of the four models to be customised to suit its owner’s taste. Ducati SA is, as always, very willing to give potential customers an opportu nity to testride the bikes — con tact your nearest showroom if you’re interested. Prices for the Scrambler range are R117 000 for the Icon in red and R118 000 for a yellow one. The Urban Enduro, Full Throttle and Classic all sell for R137 000.
App to help set up your Aprilia for the track
The new Aprilia RSV4 RF superbike can now be set up for a track on a smartphone.
APRILIA’S latest Multimedia Plat form allows a rider to use a smart phone to changes to bike’s set tings as well as view telemetry in real time. The Aprilia V4MP app is available with iPhone or Android and uses the GPS feature to recognise your location on the track, and then can adjust settings based on selected parameters. This enables, for example, us
ing less power to keep the front end down out of the tighter corners or to loosen up the traction control through. A “virtual” dashboard on the smartphone displays all the informa tion on the motorbike’s dash and much more, like longitudinal and lat eral acceleration, lean angle, instant power and torque distributed to the driveshaft. Craig Langton, sales director Aprilia SA and coowner of the Cay
enne Group, said, “If running around on a bike that’s been developed using data taken straight from one of the most successful teams in recent World Superbike history and one that enables cornerbycorner ad justment to the electronic rider aid settings via your smartphone doesn’t make you feel like a superhero, then I don’t know what will.” He said the unit sells for R20k, but the first 20 customers will get it free with “the perfect superbike”.
Lane Splitter — together it’s a car, apart it’s two commuter bikes STU ROBARTS IF you share a car with your other half then there’s bound to come a time when you both need to use it for different reasons. Well, a new concept design would mean that you could. The Lane Splitter is a car that splits apart and becomes two motor bikes. The idea for the unusual de sign came from Fast Company’s Mark Wilson, and was distilled into renderings by product de sign firm Argodesign. Wilson says the aim was to create some
thing that could provide the so cial experience of a car, but that could be a sporty personal urban transport vehicle too. As with many concept designs, the Lane Splitter is more a flight of fancy than an exercise in prac ticality. It is 128 in (325 cm) long and, when in carmode, takes the form of a buggylike vehicle. In spiration for the design came from as varied places as the Bat man Tumbler and the work of Syd Mead. When its two halves are separated, it becomes two closedtop motorbikes. In order to achieve a flush fit
between the two sections, but to avoid a “boxy look”, the Argo design team, led by Chipp Wal ters, embraced the notion of asymmetry. Each motorbike is curved on the side that forms the exterior of the car and flat on the side that joins to the other bike. Hubless front wheels are used to allow for adaptability. In bike mode, the front tyres split and separate slightly to provide more stability and a better longitudinal centre of gravity. When in car mode, the front wheels of each bike move together to form car wheels that are more traditional
in terms of width and separation. Given the unusual premise of the Lane Splitter and that only an initial pass has been made at the design, there are naturally a number of obstacles that would hamper it being brought to production. “Overall, cost as designed would seem prohibitive at this time,” Argodesign tells Gizmag. “There would need to be more iteration on concept design along with a substantial engi neering effort to realise the tech nology and promise of a vehicle which separates into two.” — Gizmag.com.
Two bikes in one to make for a friendly commute. PHOTO: SUPPLIED
MOTORING WitnessWheels
May 7, 2015
7
Harvest day a feast of payload carriers
Topsyturvy How not to drive a water canon: Police officers leave a water cannon vehicle after it crashed into a drain during protests against the Burundi’s ruling CNDDFDD decision to allow President Pierre Nkurunziza to run for a third fiveyear term in office in the capital Bujumbura at the end of April. PHOTO: REUTERS.
New Armadillo bike ideal for large cargo Compact and fast solution to delivering heavier loads over shorter distances C.C. WEISS OF all the electric cargo cycles we’ve seen, including the Urban Arrow and 2X4, the Velove Armadillo promises the most pedalassist cargo hauling capabil ity. The fourwheeled platform supports a big ol’ cargo box or semitrailer on the rear, making the typical twowheel gro cery getter look downright undersized. The pedalled quad is so cargo hungry, Velove believes it can replace the cargo van when transporting smaller loads over short distances. The Armadillo project was born in Sweden, where bike couriers deliver more than just documents, muscling things as large as sofas and washing ma chines across cities like Stockholm and Gothenburg. Velove cofounders Johan Erlandsson and design firm Kanter & Karlsson came up with the initial design, and Erlandsson’s dad engineered the first two prototypes, with Dutch recumbent manufacturer Flevobike stepping in on the third prototype. Erlandsson tells us they also received help from Erik Svetsare in designing the cargo hardware and have been testing the bikes in Erlandsson’s bike delivery service Pling Transport. The idea of the Armadillo is to provide a quad platform large and sturdy enough to haul bigger, heavier loads while still remaining compact and fast enough to navigate bike paths without clogging up cycling traffic. Prototype 3 is outfitted with an integrated cargo box that swal lows one cube metre despite measuring no wider than 86 cm, which Velove clas sifies as slightly narrower than a typical family cargo trike and a lot narrower than cargo trikes designed for professional
The Armadillo with semitrailer at the International Cargo Bike Festival. PHOTO: SUPPLIED use. Velove estimates the pay load to be 125 to 150 kg. “The bike is narrow enough to fit, fast enough to keep up with or overtake other cyclists, and low enough not to obstruct the traffic overview of other cyclists,” Er landsson explains. A Rohloff internal gear hub and 250 watt Bosch Classic+ Cruise pedalassist electric middrive gives the bike the pow er and torque it needs to mule large loads up steep, tough hills. A doublewishbone suspension al lows riders to roll over uneven surfaces at top speed without worrying about damaging the cargo inside. This is a large
improvement over past prototypes, which had to be driven slowly and care fully when sensitive items like cakes were aboard. The suspension also helps in keeping the Armadillo nimble for its size, providing sharp cornering capabilities. Velove revealed its preseries produc tion Armadillo at the International Car go Bike Festival in the Netherlands earli er this month, showing the model with a 250kg flatbed trailer in back. Erlands son confirms that the Armadillo is a modular platform, so the rider can switch out the trailer for the cargo box as needed. Besides offering a higher weight capacity, the flat, open trailer also allows for hauling loads that don’t fit
neatly in a cargo box, such as large furni ture. Velove has also teamed with the DHL Express branch in Almere, where the bike will be tested for about a month. Com pared to other cargo bikes that DHL Ex press Netherlands uses in its fleet, the Cubicycle/Armadillo offers the space for loading larger parcels, the company ex plains. On average, DHL loads it up with 125 kg of cargo, and the courier rides it 50 km during the day. Velove is moving toward production and hopes to begin taking orders for the Armadillo later this year or early next year. It has not yet established pricing. — Gizmag.com.
THE Nampo Harvest Day in Botha ville will next week showcase the latest bakkies, vans and trucks to Soth Africa’s top farmers. Ford and FAW will attract a lot of attention at the annual festival, which takes place from May 12 to 15. Tracey Delate, general marketing manager, FMCSA, said the focus on the Ford stand will be on the group’s range of smart agricultural solutions, including the Ranger Su perCab, which is one of the most popular options for the farming community as a result of its ex panded cabin space, its exceptional allround performance on and off road, and due to it being VATde ductible. With 3 095 units sold in April compared to 2 105 sales of the Toyota Hilux, Ford’s Ranger is now also the topselling bakkie in SA, making it the benchmark for both workhorse and leisure applica tions. Farmers are expected to take a keen interest in the new Transit panelvan lineup, especially the new Connect van that won the Interna tional Van of the Year title in 2014. The larger Transit Custom won the same title in 2013 and offers excep tional loadlugging practicality, while the twoton Transit Van and Chas sis Cab models give buyers even greater loading capacity and versa tility. At the FAW truck stand, a five ton payload dropside body promis es to provide the lowest cost per ton on the market. The FAW man agement team said the new medi um weight truck is in response to clients’ demand. Yusheng Zhang, CEO of FAW in South Africa said, “FAW pays attention to what cus tomers are telling us. This is why we are extending our local offering to this weight category. We believe this segment of the market has great potential and opportunity for growth,” says Zhang. “The new range will be fitted with the best drivetrain and will include Interna tional brand componentry.” This is the 15th time that FAW has participated at Nampo as a show of respect to the farming community. FAW SA has recognised the patronage and support of its agricultural customers who have, over the 21 years that FAW has been present in South Africa, re mained committed to the brand. FAW SA is committed to offering vehicles engineered, developed and tested to meet the harsh operating conditions locally. The company is on track to con tinue its expansion into the emerg ing subSaharan Africa markets and to making FAW South Africa a ma jor distribution hub for trucks and parts for Africa. — WR.
FAW trucks and truck bodies are now built at Coega as part of the company’s expansion into subSaharan Africa PHOTO: SUPPLIED
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WitnessWheels MOTORING
May 7, 2015
Home advantage for Ford Team Toyota eye another win in the second round of the Donaldson Cross Country Champs FORD Performance is hoping to claim home advantage on the up coming Sugarbelt 450, second round of the Donaldson Cross Country Championship, which takes place in KwaZuluNatal on May 8 and 9. The race was last run in 2013, and was won on that occasion by Castrol Team Toyota’s Anthony Taylor and Dennis Murphy — who’ll be aiming for a repeat of that performance when they line up for Round 2 of the Donaldson CrossCountry Championship. “The Sugarbelt has been a mainstay of South African cross country racing,” explained team principal Glyn Hall, before the start of the race. “It is a race that is steeped in history, and winning in KwaZulu Natal is always sweet, especially as it is a home race for the Ford Performance team.” The Toyota and Ford teams have had a ding dong battle in the sweet race, with Toyota com ing out on top despite firm oppo sition. But taking on the Fords in their own backyard can be a tricky proposition. “We’ll just have to push hard during the prologue,” explains Taylor, who is currently third on Round 1. “If we can get a good start for the main race, we stand a good chance of edging the Fords. But it all comes down to Friday’s qualifying stage.” The racers will be based at the
Chirs Visser and Japie Badenhorst plan to use their home turf ground advantage to, ahem, ford the drift to take Toyota’s title. PHOTO: QUICKPIC Beaumont Eston Farmers Club, around 35 km from the team’s workshop in Pietermaritzburg where the V8powered Ford Per formance Rangers are built. This is the stomping home round for Pietermaritzburg based driver Lance Woolridge and navigator Ward Huxtable, who opened their 2015 season with a hardfought second placed finish on the punishing
700 km RFS Endurance at the end of March. In line with the revised three tier structure of the 2015 champi onship, the Sugarbelt 450 fea tures a shorter sprint race format, comprising a 100 km qualifying race to determine starting posi tions followed by two loops of about 160 km each. According to the organisers, the Sugarbelt will once again dish
up a wide variety of terrain, com prising sugarcane fields, timber plantations and open veld sec tions — all of which will keep the teams on their toes. “The Sugarbelt has tradition ally been a good event for us, and the team is really looking forward to the race,” says Neil Woolridge, team manager for Neil Wool ridge Motorsport. “It is always a tough one on
F1 hostesses must be ‘embraced not sprayed’ LONDON — Stirling Moss is a great admirer of Lewis Hamilton but he has distinct views about how a winner should behave on the Formula One podium. It is not that he disapproves of the Champagne spraying that landed the Mercedes driver in trouble in China this month, with the Briton aiming a stream of bubbly at a hostess, but his was a very different era. “Champagne spraying didn’t really exist in my day, it was brought in mostly by [American] Dan Gurney. I think he was the first person who did it,” Moss told Reuters in an interview on Thursday. “With good looking girls, I think it would be rather nice to give them an embrace rather than cover them in Cham pagne, frankly.” Moss, now 85 and generally recognised as the greatest driver never to win a Formula One title, can otherwise see something of himself in Hamilton — even if the 30yearold has already won two championships. The pair are both two times winners of the British Grand Prix, with Moss the first Briton to triumph on home soil in an ep ic 1955 race and Hamilton the most recent last year, and both with Mercedes. The two men recently got to gether at the venerable Monza circuit near Milan to lap the an cient banking in the 1955 Mer cedes that Moss used to win that year’s Mille Miglia (thousand miles) road race from Brescia to Rome and back. “He really was quite excited to drive the car,” said the winner of 16 grands prix and four times F1
both cars and drivers due to the tight and twisty route, but we ex pect to do well.” Despite a monthlong break since the RFS race, the Ford Per formance crew has been working flatout to repair the Rangers as they incurred extensive damage from all the mud and water en countered during the treacher ous Harrismith round. Lance Woolridge and Ward
Huxtable (T34) are currently second in the premier Class T Production Vehicle champion ship after a tenacious drive last time out, and will be looking to resume their battle with the fac tory Toyotas in order to score more valuable points. Chris Visser and Japie Baden horst (T28) are hoping for a clear run on the Sugarbelt after a series of electrical issues plagued their previous race where they finished fifth overall. Qualifying starts at 11.30 am tomorrow from the Beaumont Eston Farmers’ Club. Racing starts at 8.30 am on Saturday, with the first of the two loops that are separated by a compulsory 20minute service. From the start, the route heads north to cross the Stoney Ridge Road towards Tala Valley, crosses the Ingomankulu road to Camp erdown and then heads towards Richmond and Hopewell. This section of the route is de scribed as open veld, and eventu ally climbs towards the timber plantations at Mount Desire. Competitors eventually swing south to Mgwahumbe Nature Reserve, having to negotiate nu merous river crossings before making their way towards Eston and Mid Illovo through a variety of cane fields, plantations and open veld on their way back to the finish at the Beaumont Eston Farmers’ Club. — Supplied.
Rally sprint champs
Top: Chris de Wit and Brian Clifton won the S3 Class in their trusty Toyota Conquest, followed three seconds later by Alan Hooper and Ashley Scott in their Corolla (below). PHOTOS: DES HEAD
Mercedes Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton of Britain sprays Champagne at a hostess as he celebrates his win in China. PHOTO: CBC.ZA championship runnerup, at a book launch (Stirling Moss: My Racing Life) to coincide with the 60th anniversary of his celebrat ed victory. “The banking is terribly rough now but … he really enjoyed driv ing the thing. Whether he’d enjoy it if he had to race it I don’t know.” Moss suspected that the an swer would be yes, however: “I think frankly Lewis would be one of the guys who would love to have raced back in the days, be cause he definitely is a very fast driver,” he decided. “He and [Sebastian] Vettel and [Fernando] Alonso, you are talking about guys who are really that good that I’m sure they would have been at the top what ever year.”
Hamilton is currently leading the championship from Mer cedes teammate Nico Rosberg by a hefty 27 points after winning three of the first four races and starting all of them from pole po sition. The Briton is also in the mid dle of negotiating a new contract with Mercedes that could be worth some $40 million (R481 million) a year for a driver who was last week listed as the richest active sportsman in Brit ain. For Moss, who can lay claim to being the first truly profes sional racing driver of the post war era, such untold wealth be longs to another world. “I won the German Grand Prix in 1961 and that was worth
£1 000” he said. “By today’s standards, that would be 10 or £12 000 (R182 000 or R219 000). The most I ever won in a year was about £34 000. “But the time when I was rac ing was certainly the most fun.” Moss, still an avid follower of Formula One even if his preferred mode of transport these days is a Renault Twizy electric car, ex pected Hamilton to have his third championship all but wrapped up by the time he returned to Monza. “I think he probably will. He’s got the right engine. You’ve got to have a Mercedes to win. He’s got that, he’s got the skill. He has a lot of experience. He’s been around quite a while now,” he said. — Reuters.
DEBRA DE WIT ROUND 2 of the 2015 provin cial rally sprint championship saw a nice field of 16 cars and bikes on the start line. The event on April 25 was staged along four rounds of 10,5 km, with Chris de Wit and navigator Brian Clifton again securing a win in their Class S3 Toyota Conquest. They were only three sec onds ahead of Alan Hooper and Ashley Scott in a Toyota Corol la, who raced Hooper and De Wit hard throughout all four rounds. Taking Third overall in the car section — in their VW Polo were Bertus Labuschagne and Peter Chadwick.
The quad bikers were out in full force once again hanging around the technical course in style. Nickey Botes took the quad win on his EVO Eraser followed by Hugo Timmermann and then Mathew Hendey in third spot. The next event is scheduled for May 30. More details on KZN Rally’s Facebook page.
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