HARLEY TO SELL SILENT BIKES P6
CARS WANTED
May 14, 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
Lovingly restored: The 1946 Ford Prefect before and after it was made as good as new by Allen Umraw and his son, Witness journalist Amil. Look for the Prefect in its gunmetal finish among the more than 1 000 other classic cars that will be on show at Cars in The Park at its new venue at the Gold Circle training centre on Sunday. PHOTOS: AMIL UMRAW
Made with elbow grease Father and son turn barnfind to elegant ride ALWYN VILJOEN THE 40th edition of SA’s long estrunning motorshow this year moves to the Gold Circle race horse training circuit in Ashburton, less than 20 minutes out of Pietermaritzburg’s CBD. Organisers expect more than a 1 000 cars at this year’s ruby event — a far cry from the few cars that were on show at the first event that was held in February 1976. Apart from cars, tractors, steam engines and mo torbikes will also form part of the show, with lots of entertainment for the child in everyone. Motorbike riders and their pillions enter free, although a donation for Hospice will be appreciated at the motorcycle display area. Adults pay R40 to enter, with children under 16 and pensioners paying R20. Member of the 100s riders club Neville Henderson predicts it will be a bumper show and re minds the fans to bring sun block, as the training ground does not have the trees that gave shelter at the show’s previous venue, Alexandra Park. The show starts at 7 am and finishes at 4.30 pm. The specta tor’s gate closes at 3.30 pm. • To get to the Gold Circle training circuit, drive east on the N3 from Pietermaritzburg
to Ashburton. Take offramp 69 and follow the signposts to reach it. The circuit is 17 km from the City Hall. Wooing a wrench, instead of a wench One of the exhibitors at Car in the Park, The Witness journalist Amil Umraw, will be showing off the dividend from the litres of elbow grease he and his father Allen invested in an old Ford Pre fect for almost a year. Amil recalls how he came to spend most nights and week ends wooing a wrench instead of a wench to get an old 1 200 cc car back on the road after 50 years. “A flat bed rolled into our driveway with what looked like a London cabby that had taken a fare to hell and back. “Under patches of 60year old paint and rust glimmered a 1946 Ford Prefect. My father had purchased it from a farm owner in the Albert Falls area, where for many a year it was home to rats and spiders. “We started by stripping the entire car — removing whatever could be detached. “We then gave the engine a swing. Lo and behold, after three or four cranks, the rustbucket started up and we made it all the way to the top of the driveway before we realised the brakes
didn’t work. We then set about removing and stripping the en gine, cleaning every individual nook and cranny. “The seats and interior trim mings were sent for reuphol stery, all the metal trimmings were sent for chroming, the car was sanded down and a few tack welds were made here and there before the body was primered and sent in for painting (which happened in our back yard, much to my mother’s delight). “What emerged was a splen did dash of gunmetal grey with a silent blue undertone. No bad at all for an old barnfind.” The devil is in the detail Amil said repairing a 50yearold car was not all fun and games. “Finding a radiator hose and the original lights (which the fin est R50 LEDs from a local racing shop were sourced from) were a major problem. Tyres as well. “An original 16inch Jeppi tyre costs R2 400 these days. So we opted for 15inch wheels of a VW Beetle. Tyres aside, the old Pre fect is almost back to showroom condition. It’s not ready for the likes of Pearl Beach, but I think the old jalopy will enjoy sunning her gunmetal flanks at Cars in the Park this weekend. It really feels splendid, putting a car that was forgotten back on the road where it belongs.”
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WitnessWheels MOTORING
May 14, 2015
Sensor helps solve child seats challenge
Look ma, no airbags Continuing this paper’s antiairbags movement, this screen grab from YouTube shows the moment before race drivers Yoan Droumenq and Gabriel Durand slam into trees in their Citroen C2 rally car after somersaulting off another tree in last week’s Rally Ronde de la Durance. Both drivers walked away — unhurt — thanks to a roll cage, bucket seats and double harnesses. Note how the racing technicians do not believe in surrounding their drivers with explosive devices. PHOTO: YOUTUBE
New Landy a lot more than its good looks Land Rover Discovery Sport built to take you anywhere in perfect comfort THE new Land Rover Discovery Sport, the world’s most versatile and capable premium compact SUV, is now available in South Africa. The first member of the new Discovery family, Discovery Sport, features 5+2 seating in a footprint no larger than existing fiveseat premium sport utility vehicles (SUVs). Discovery Sport’s progressive new design approach defines the new Discovery family with opti mised volume, proportions and stance. Its design leadership combines with engineering in tegrity to result in a dynamic pro file, the ultimate use of interior space and 5+2 seating configura bility. “Our challenge has been to combine premium design with exceptional versatility; the two attributes must work in harmo ny,” said Gerry McGovern, Land Rover design director and chief creative officer. “I’m proud to say we’ve achieved that; Discovery Sport’s dynamic design will reso nate on an emotional level with consumers, and this vehicle is more versatile than any other premium compact SUV on the market.” This spirit of adventure is re flected in Discovery Sport’s inte rior, which has been designed with customers at its core. It fea tures highquality materials and a strong vertical centre console graphic to reflect the premium design of the exterior, while the core Discovery value of versatili ty is evident everywhere. Storage
solutions are integrated into the cabin and up to four 12V power points and six USB charging sockets can be specified for all three rows of seating, allowing multiple electronic devices to be charged simultaneously. A host of innovations have al lowed Discovery Sport to intro duce the versatility of 5+2 seating
into the premium compact SUV class for the first time. An allnew multilink rear axle not only pro vides engaging driving dynam ics, but it also provides ample and flexible cabin space behind the second row. Coupled with supple long travel suspension, the innovative rear axle also ensures the Discov
ery Sport is comfortable, refined and rewarding to drive onroad, while retaining the breadth of all terrain capability for which Land Rover is worldrenowned. In fact, with approach, departure and breakover angles of 25, 31 and 21 degrees respectively, Terrain Re sponse® technology, and the ability to wade to 600 mm, Dis
covery Sport offers classleading capability in all conditions. Safety has been a key priority in the development of the new Discovery Sport, resulting in a firstinclass pedestrian airbag, autonomous emergency braking, and a stateoftheart bodyshell featuring both ultrahigh strength steel and lightweight al uminium. This represents a fraction of the advanced equipment availa ble in Discovery Sport, which al so includes an allnew eightinch touchscreen infotainment sys tem, and tiltandslide rowtwo seating for maximum interior configurability. The Discovery Sport is equipped with a range of four cylinder turbocharged petrol and diesel engines. Both the allalloy Si4 2.0litre petrol engine and the 2.2litre turbodiesel feature highpressure direct injection, lowfriction internal compo nents and smart regenerative charging for outstanding per formance and economy. “Discovery Sport is the newest member of the expanding Dis covery family, offering the practi cality of 5+2 seating in a premium package,” said Richard Gouver neur, Managing Director, Jaguar Land Rover South Africa and subSahara Africa. “It is, without a doubt, the most accomplished vehicle in its segment.” Discovery Sport is produced at Land Rover’s awardwinning manufacturing facility at Hale wood, Liverpool. — Supplied.
DETROIT — With appropri ate child safety seats and safe ty belts now legally required in South Africa, flexibility, ad justability and compatibility will become an increasingly important factor in the car buying decision. Chevrolet is making huge strides in this department, with vehicles such as the Traverse midsized SUV of fering parents flexibility when it comes to fitting child safety seats. But how do GM engi neers determine what seats fit and where, especially with hundreds of models on the market? A Kinect motion sensor, originally developed for the Xbox 360, is helping to solve that challenge. “There are over 250 differ ent makes and models of child safety seats on the market, and new or revised models are introduced every year,” said Julie Kleinert, GM’s Global Child Safety Technical Lead. Through the Centre for Child Injury Prevention Studies (CChIPS), a National Science Foundationfunded industry/university research cooperative with partner re search sites at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and The Ohio State University, Kleinert and engi neers from other vehicle and child seat manufacturers are working to develop new tools to help manufacturers evalu ate child seat compatibility. The Kinect for Windows sensor was first launched for the Xbox gaming console be fore being made available to Windows devices. The same technology created to capture player movements and enable voice control of video games doubles as a powerful scan ning tool in the automotive industry. The project, led by CHOP’s Dr Aditya Belwadi, developed a methodology to use the Kinect controller to digitise the shape of a child seat in minutes and at a fraction of the cost of an industrial scan ner. CHOP researchers created “surrogate” child seat shapes by overlaying the individual child seat scans produced by the Kinect on top of one an other. This surrogate represents the maximum amount of space needed for a particular category of child seat. Virtual evaluations of the surrogate may prove to be a simple way for vehicle manufacturers to assess a large range of child seats with a single tool. The team hope this ap proach, which was presented as a technical paper at the 2015 SAE World Congress in Detroit in April, may influ ence other vehicle and child seat manufacturers to adopt a common standard for the size and geometry of different categories of child seats. More information on Chevrolet models can be found at www.chevrolet.com
MOTORING WitnessWheels
May 14, 2015
3
Perfectly Perfectly petite
As a technical package, the Corsa makes a really good im pression, although the price will deter buyers.
New Corsa pleases Mom
Top: The option you should have in the new Corsa (left) is the seveninch touch screen that links to both iOS and Android smart phones. PHOTO: QUICKPIC
IN April, the new Corsa led Opel passenger car sales with 331 units sold — the most Corsa sales in a month since January 2009. Wheels recently had the mid dleoftherange Corsa Enjoy on test and we let a mom, a young professional and a pensioner loose in the hatch, which retails for R216 000. (Dealers do have good discounts so watch the ads.) Compared to the rather Spartan entrylevel Essentia for R185 500, the Enjoy come with many of the “upperclass com fort downsized for the city” that Opel fits to the Cosmo, which sells for R236 300. On top of the standard equip ment, our test model had the sev eninch touch screen with Intelli
link with BT, USB, AUX inputs; advanced park assist, blind side Zone Alert on the side mirrors; and front and rear park sensors.
the new Corsa, which I really, really appreciate, and the seat is firm and very comfortable.” Opel states the Corsa’s speed dependent electric power steer ing adds precision, and the mom concurred. “It feels like you could turn this wheel with a feather. I like.” From a security point of view, she did not like not having a “lit tle light or something” to show when the car doors have auto matically locked and being a Lud dite, she could not operate the seveninch touch screen that links to both iOS and Android smart phones. She also asked why the digital clock is displayed so small, but the speed is indicat ed twice and talking of speed, she wanted more power, with no ap preciation for what the little mill
The mother The 40something mom, who drives a Renault Clio, said she en joyed the equally planted feel of the Corsa around corners, as well as the solid “clunk” the doors make when closing and the “lovely little growl” the three cylinder engine makes. Being petite, she really appre ciated the ergonomic design of the driver’s leg room. “By the time we have moved the seat for ward far enough to reach the ped als, most of us shorties end up bashing our knees against some protrusion under the steering column. There is none of that in
was pushing out. The pensioner The 70something pensioner, who drives a Honda Jazz, looked forward to Opel’s latest offering, for as he said, there is no room for mediocrity in the heavily con tested Bsegment and the Corsa is one of the bestselling city cars in Europe, so it must be fantastic, right? Erm, no, it seems. “The ex ternal design is unpretentious and might get lost in the welter of interesting designs now availa ble in the Bsegment. This does not mean that the Corsa is not goodlooking; each design ele ment in fact looks gorgeous when viewed on its own, but they don’t add up to a car that make me go ‘wow’. “That said, beauty is in the eye
of the beholder and the new Cor sa is much better looking than the reliable 1990’s model that is still running around on our roads. Inside, I found the Intelli link system placed too low in the centre console for easy opera tion. Everything else exudes re strained class and the overall per ceived quality is excellent, with the polyurethanecovered steer ing wheel the only thing that felt a little out of place in this price class.” Under the hood, the mechan ics are of the highest quality. The 85 kW/170 Nm, threecylinder engine will get you to 100 km/h in about 10 seconds and top speed is around 190 km/h. Fuel consumption is a meagre six li tres/100 km, which is excellent for city driving.
21917
ALWYN VIJOEN
The young professional The 20something professional who drives anything fast, appre ciated the power that comes out the Corsa’s 1,0 turbo engine. “Even though it has a bit of a lag before 3 000 rpm, it really gives quite the kick of accelera tion afterwards. The Corsa will get you to 120 km/h before you decide what song to listen to on its seveninch multifunction dis play, which in its own right is im pressive for a car in its category. It handles well around bends, with a tight steering to give you added confidence in your control of the vehicle. “Opel really paid attention to the little details, and it makes a noticeable difference in the aesthetic appeal of the car: LED daytime running lights, a sporty stainless steel exhaust tip and an unnecessary digital dis play of your speed. “That said, the leg space is not for a tall driver and the foot ped als are too close together. If you’re a sizeable guy or girl, your passengers are really going to battle with rear leg space as well. “Other than that, I can’t find many things wrong with Opel’s new offering. Well, besides the fact that my girlfriend described it as ‘pretty’. “That’s a bonus point for fe male buyers, but if you’re a guy looking for something to boost your testosterone levels, it might not be the car for you.”
M{ZD{3 1.6 MANUAL NOW FROM JUST PER MONTH WHILE STOCKS LAST
R2 999
Model
Mazda3 1.6L Original 5Dr
Recommended Retail Price
R232 900
M{zd{ BT-50 Drifter Pack
Deposit Balloon payment Instalment (excl R57 monthly admin fee) R2 999 Months Rate YEAR
4
4
YEAR
M{zd{6 now from just R3 999* per Month at 0% deposit
Model Recommended Retail Price
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5 YEAR
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M{zd{ CX-5
Mazda6 2.0L Active manual R342 000
Instalment (excl R57 monthly admin fee) R3 999*
YEAR
4 YEAR
Inclusive of a 3-year Unlimited Service Plan.
UNLIMITED YEAR
WARRANTY
4 UNLIMITED WARRANTY YEAR
To find a Mazda dealer near you go to www.mazda.co.za or contact 0860 069 700. All finance offers are subject to credit approval by Mazda Financial Services, a part of WesBank, a division of FirstRand Bank Ltd. An Authorised Financial Services and Credit Provider. NCRCP20. Terms and Conditions apply.
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WitnessWheels MOTORING
May 14, 2015
Nismo makes Le Mans more interesting with a gamble on downforce The Nismo team (left) hopes gadgetry and a lot of downforce on GTR LM will prevent the typical results of understeer (below). PHOTO: NISSAN
ALWYN VILJOEN HAVING lost more arguments with pavements than I have won in understeering, frontengined road cars, I am watching with keen interest the experiment by Nissan to rewrite the designbook for racers in their Nismo LM P1. The team principal and techni cal director of Nismo, Ben Bowl by said the car will be a first in the Le Mans endurance race, where it is to date “unique” for front wheel drive to attempt a win. Traditionally, racers use the momentum from the weight of an oversteering rearengined car to push through a corner, but
Bowlby predicts Nismo would be able to, well, just bowl by the competitors using the proven benefits of a front engine’s weight on a straight, with the added advantage of the down force from the bigger body in the corners. Jann Mardenborough, the 2011 GT Academy winner and now LM 1 driver, said the long bonnet above Nismo’s front wheel, frontengined approach will give them extra downforce to through corners faster and a cou ple of mile faster along Le Man’s long straights. “The straights at Le Man is very long, you can gain a lot of time being a couple of miles an
hour faster than the opposition,” said Mardenborough. To overcome the understeer is the reason why other cars do not put a big block in the front of a 500 plus horsepower car. “We are certainly pushing on the boundaries of people’s expec tations and beliefs of what a Le Man car is and what can be fast.” If the Nismo team are right, the GTR LM will take the race to the limit against the Porsche 919 Hybrid and Audi R18 etron come June 13 and 14. If they are wrong, the racing fraternity remains grateful to Nissan for not just pushing the boundaries, but making racing interesting.
Get some clearance Renault’s awardwinning crossover finally here RENAULT has expanded its South African SUV line up with the addition of the Captur cross over. The Captur con cept debuted at the 2011 Geneva auto show and is aimed at SA’s growing Bsegment SUV market with three derivatives (Expression, Dyna mique, Dynamique EDC) and two turbo petrol engines — a new one and 1,2litre — priced from R219 900. F1inspired 1,2 turbo The Captur new 1,2 litre EDC petrol turbo is a result from Ren ault’s adaptation of its Formula 1 technology. The lineup offers two fivespeed manual deriva tives, the 66 kW Turbo Dyna mique and Expression, with the topoftherange Dynamique equipped with a sixspeed auto. The EDC is capable of 88kW/190 Nm, reaches a top speed of 192 km/h, with fuel con sumption rated at 5,4 li tres/100 km and emissions of 125 g/km. The manual derivatives, pow ered the 900 cc threecylinder unit borrowed from its Clio sib ling, are capable of 66 kW/135 Nm, can reach a top speed of 171 km/h, with a fuel consumption of 4,9 li tres/100 km and emissions of 113 g/km. An ECO function mod
Finally here, the newest crossover in SA is the Renault Captur, which was the small SUV of 2011 in Europe. PHOTO: QUICKPIC ifies the engine’s response to re duce fuel consumption. At the front, it sports the auto maker’s diamondshaped badge and stylish grille with LEDs. The Captur has dueltone body col ours and can be fitted with 16” and 17” alloy rims. It has a ground clearance of 17 cm and an elevat ed driving position. Since its de but in 2013, Renault reports 255 000 units sold. Loads of kit It has Renault’s MediaNav multi media system with 17 cm touch screen, satnav, radio/CD audio, USB and Bluetooth connectivity. Standard kit includes a hands free key card, power side mirrors
and power windows (front and rear), auto aircon (with one touch, quick demist func tion) while rear park ing sensors, auto headlights, cruise control and rain sensor. A tyre pressure sensor is standard for Dynamique units. Boot space is rated at 377 litres and 455 litres with the rear bench pushed forward. With the rear seats folded, maximum boot space increases to 1 235 litres. Fivestar NCAP safety In 2013, the Captur achieved a fivestar Euro NCAP rating, the 15th Renault to do so. In terms of safety it’s equipped with an an tilock braking system, emergen cy brake assist, electronic stabili ty control, hill assist, dual front and side airbags as well as three Isofix childseat anchors. The new Captur is sold with a fiveyear or 150 000 km war ranty, a threeyear or 45 000km service plan and a sixyear anti corrosion warranty. Service in tervals are 15 000 km or one year intervals. — Wheels24. Prices Captur 66kW Expression R219 900 Captur 66kW Dynamique R239 900 Captur 88kW EDC Dynamique R279 900
Blackman and English show how Jarod Blackman (right) and codriver Mathew English had a great race in the Sugarbelt 450, held at Eston last weekend, finishing eight overall and third in Class B. Blackman, who jokes he is Africa’s fastest — and only — paraplegic crosscountry race driver, thanked his sponsor: DCB Auto, AgriSales, KFC, Progression and Kudu Signs, for helping him inspire others. Having spent years in rehab after a motorbike crash left him paralysed, the young racer provides expert help to stroke victims to help them regain muscle control at his stateoftheart gym in Hilton. More on facebook.com/scimotion PHOTO: SUPPLIED
VW’s latest 12 cylinder idles like a sewing machine, almost ALWYN VILJOEN WHILE most of us steer clear of V8 engines because they use too much fuel, there are enough rich people in the world to make a via ble niche for a 12cylinder engine, which Volkswagen is happy to supply. The VW Group unveiled its
latest sixlitre W12 at the Vienna Motor Symposium, held in Aus tria last week. Recognising that oil prices are heading back up, the W12 block does comes with fuelsaving cylinder deactiva tion, Audi’s FSI multipoint fuel injection, and a stopstart sys tem. The engine will be used in the Bentley Bentayga and has
switchable oil pump to keep the 12 pistons lubricated during off road use. Other vehicles that will use the W12 are the nextgeneration Audi A8 and the Volkswagen Phaeton. To ensure the big block upfront does not tinkle the ice in the glasses at the back too much, the engine has its own ac
tive suspension system that can cel the engine’s vibrations with phaseshifted countervibra tions generated by electromag netic actuators that operate like little shock absorbers, except that it generates impact instead of dampening the force. VW Group said the new en gine makes 447 kW (600 bhp)
at 6 000 rpm and a peak torque of 900 Nm from 1 500 rpm up to 4 500 rpm. This should propel even the heavy Bentley Bentayga from 0 to 100 km/h in less than four seconds. Fuel consumption? If you have to ask, you may be more interested in Audi’s new 2,0, which was also launched at the Vienna Motor Symposium.
Now a little bit more economical, the 12cylinder, sixlitre block from the VW Group that powers luxury cars. PHOTO: SUPPLIED
Barons Pietermaritzburg Dubbed “VW Dealer of the Year” By Pieter from Maritzburg
Whether you choose to call them ‘The Bespoke Volkswagen Dealers’ or ‘Dealership of the Year’ doesn’t really matter, for in the immortal words of Shakespeare’s Juliet: “A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.”
Barons Pietermaritzburg is not only one of the most conveniently situated Volkswagen dealerships for anyone living between Durban and the Drakensberg, but as members of the Barons Group they are also Volkswagen Dealers of the Year! Just another feather in the cap of the Bespoke Volkswagen Dealers, who are renowned for tailoring deals that suit your budget and needs.
Therefore they are the best dealership to buy your vehicle from. Their range of stock exceeds customer expectations. 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.
Thanks to Barons Pietermaritzburg, the best possible deal on your next Volkswagen (Complete with the quality and reliability of Das Auto Engineering and the fuel efficiency and economy of BlueMotion Technology) is just a stone’s throw away. Plus, as dealership of the year, you can expect exceptional after sales service – it’s not just the owning but the running of your vehicle that’s important.
Live toGTI. the full in a Polo Vivo. Newlife Polo Ultimate Performance = Ultimate Confidence.
Live confident. Drive confident.
m warranty
m warranty
3 year / 120 000k
3 year / 120 000k
Polo Vivo 1.4 55kW Conceptline
Polo 81kW TSI Highline
Exclusive to Barons on Pietermaritzburg: Pay R999 (once off payment) and you will receive 1 year insurance on your vehicle. Excludes pricing/or installments of the vehicle. Limited to the first 10 customers.
Exclusive to Barons Pietermaritzburg: Pay R5,999 (once off payment) and you will receive 1 year insurance on your vehicle. Excludes pricing/or installments of the vehicle. Limited to the first 10 customers.
The Polo Vivo 1.4 55kW Conceptline standard features include:
The Polo 1.2 TSI Highline standard features include: -
Power steering Height and reach adjustable steering column Digital clock and trip recorder 3 cup holders (1 in front; 2 in rear console) Body colour bumpers
81kW @ 5,000rpm Turbo Stratified Injection (TSI) 6-speed manual Electronic Stability Programme (ESP) Dual front and side airbags
-
Electric windows, front and rear Leather multi-function steering wheel 16” Portago alloy wheels Front fog lights Front centre armrest with storage box
Visit us on www.baronsvwpmb.co.za
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 Vivo 1.4 55kW Conceptline model in standard specifications. Price 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 29 May 2015.
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 1.2 TSI Highline model in standard specifications. Price 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 29 May 2015.
• • • • •
Polo Vivo
Mileage certified • Full Service history • 7-day exchange plan • Vehicle Customization • 24 Hr roadside assistance •
e&oe
Visit us on www.baronsvwpmb.co.za
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
vice plan
ser 3 year / 45 000km
Polo 66kW TSI Comfortline from R223,700* incl. VAT The Polo 1.2 TSI Comfortline standard features include: -
Barons
Pietermaritzburg
9 Armitage Road, Pietermaritzburg, 3201 • Tel: 033 845 3100
-
Electric mirrors Alarm with ultrasonic interior monitoring 3 year / 120 000km warranty 3 year / 45 000km service plan
Visit us on www.baronsvwpmb.co.za
e&oe
Visit us on www.baronsvwpmb.co.za and find us on facebook.com/BaronsPietermaritzburg
Multi Collision Braking System Hill-hold Assist Electronic stability control (ESP) incl. ABS with brake assistant, ASR, EDL and EDTC 15” Tosa alloy wheels
Exclusive to Barons Pietermaritzburg: Buy a Polo 1.2 TSI Comfortline and you will receive a 5 year or 60 000km maintenance plan.
km km km km
*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
Live confident. Drive confident.
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 1.2 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. Price excludes 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 29 May 2015.
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WitnessWheels MOTORING
May 14, 2015
India, UK to boost electrics Governments focus on escooters for cities ALWYN VILJOEN WHILE Sweden is scaling down its subsidies for electric cars, England and India are giving their citizens discounts to own and operate electric vehicles. In Sweden, the government has been so keen to get more zero emission cars on the road that they don’t pay parking or toll fees, may drive in the bus lanes and owners enjoy large tax incen tives. This was always going to be too good to last and with the highest electric car sales in Eu rope, Sweden can now afford to promote EV sales less aggressive ly. England and India are however keen to limit the tons of soot spewed out by every car every year and India has in midApril announced the Fame programme — for Faster Adoption and Man ufacturing of Electric vehicles. The programme will subsidise the buying price of hybrid or elec tric vehicles, including trucks and scooters with up to 29 000 rupees (about R5 400) for scoot ers and motorcycles, and up to 138 000 rupees (about R25 800) for cars, with a sliding scale ap plying to threewheeled vehicles, light commercial vehicles, and buses. In England, Business Minister Matthew Hancock announced at the end of March the govern ment will earmark up to £7,5 mil lion (over R138 million) to subsi dise electric scooters and motor bikes to help bikers bridge the cost gap between a zero emission electric motorcycle and conven tional petrol versions. The grant could offer up to £1 500 (currently R27 615) off the purchase price and allow mo torcyclists to reduce both their running costs and environmental impact. The announcements follow meetings with the electric Motor Cycle Industry Association and
V MATTHEW HANCOCK UK business minister
Electric two wheelers can be a real force for good. leading manufacturers including Mahindra, Volt, Suzuki, Harley Davidson, BMW, and Mahindra. Hancock said low emission ve hicles will enable the UK to meet its climate change commitments without giving up our cars or mo torbikes. “Electric motorcycles and scooters have got fantastic po tential and can be a real force for good. “This investment shows we are serious about increasing the uptake of cleaner vehicles in the UK, and offer a fantastic place for firms to locate their research and development and manufacturing facilities. “Supporting new technolo gies is a key part of our longterm economic plan,” Hancock said. UK transport minister Baron ess Kramer said the scheme could be in dealerships as early as June. Mahindra was the first to wel come this statement. Mahindra makes the GenZe, an electric scooter that puts the focus on seamlessly connecting the riders smart phone with the environment, and already sells electric vehicles in the UK, where its Formula E racing team are also based. • alwyn.viljoen@witness.co.za
Red Devils’ fearless kneedragger Leon Haslam, racing for Team Aprilia’s Red Devils, is always pushing the boundaries of grip — sometimes too far, as happened last weekend in Race 2 of the World Superbike Championship, when turn three during the eighth lap saw Haslam crash out. ‘Tough day in the office. One of the biggest highsides of my career. My mistake just pushing on with a few issues,’ he tweeted afterwards. At least this time he did not smash a leg, as he did in 2013, and still holds onto second place in the overall standings, just a few days from his home race at Donington. PHOTO: SUPPLIED
Peddling to a global need for green pedals TWO recent bicycles launched on fund raising platforms show the world’s entrepreneurs are in creasingly tapping into a need for cheap, healthy transport in congested world cities. WAVE ELEGANCE GOODBYE In California, Aaron Brady and Justin Bransmit are raising funds for what they wrongly call “the world’s most affordable electric bike, ever” at an early bird price of R6 588. The full price will be R11 981. There are several cheaper electric bikes on Chinese web sites, while in Cape Town Relec tro offers a sevenspeed ebike with a 250W front mounted motor at R11 750, and around the corner Ezee bikes sells demo ebikes from R8 500. Their erroneous advertising patter aside, the decision by Brady, an organisational psy chologist and selfstyled busi ness guru; and Bransmit, a “manufacturing and marketing genius”, to capitalise on Califor nia’s need for cycles by slapping together relatively old bicycles and a hub motor shows there is money in them than mountain bikes. Their Wave beach cruiser weighs a hefty 22,7 kg — and that is without the battery. The weight does not matter, howev er, as a 750watt hub can push the Cruiser bike’s thick wheels
through sand and up to 45 km/h over smooth surfaces. A removable 48volt 12Amp hour Samsung battery can be charged in five or six hours with standard charger. At its most ef ficient speed of 32 km/h it can travel up to 42 km on full elec tric, and around 80 km with pedal assist.
Not exactly the cheapest as advertised, but this ungainly assembled collection of cheap bike parts shows Americans really will buy anything. PHOTO: WAVE
Australia’s design brief for a recumbent trike was simple — make it higher and let it lean. Hiele is now raising funds for this rather nifty pedaller. PHOTO: HIELE
LAY BACK, BUT STAND TALL On the other side of the world, Australian manufacturer Hiele has created the Trivek — a front wheel drive semirecumbent bike that lets its rider sit high enough to look over most sedan roofs. It has a patented steering sys tem that allows the trike to lean into turns, keeping the trike up right even on cambered roads. Hand controls on the under seat handlebar allow riders to adjust the damping of the steer ing system on the fly to make sharper corners in traffic but more gradual turns while mov ing fast. Lewis Freiberg, who co founded Hiele in 2013, said: “We aimed to build something that rides like nothing else. With our first product we’ve nailed it!” He invites potential distribu tors to contact them on hiele.co The group is also raising pro duction funds for the Trivek on Kickstarter, asking $1 899 (R22 800) for a Trivek.
TRON bike breaks auction record
Scarlett Johansson riding an electric Harley Davidson in the new Avengers movie. While not boasting the trademark Hog roar, the silent Harley will be one of the motorbikes to benefit from the UK’s new electric twowheeler subsidy. PHOTO: MOTORCYCLE.COM
MOVIBILLIA on wheels makes for big profits when it comes to sell ing them again. A working replica of the fa mous Lightcycle from the 2010 movie TRON: Legacy has smashed expectations by selling for $77 000 (R921 074) as part of the recordbreaking Andrews Collection auction. RM Auctions’ auction guide ex
pected to get between $25 000 and $40 000 for the TRON Lega cy, which is powered by a 96 V directdrive electric motor with lithiumion batteries and fea tures a computercontrolled throttle. Replicas of the TRON bike has proven very popular among some riders, with American custom chopper builders, Parker Brothers
Choppers, selling replicas of the 2010 bike powered by a Vtwin engine from a Suzuki TLR1000. Stopping power comes from a custom made friction drum that keeps the bike true to the look of Daniel Simon’s latest Light Cy cle design. Customers have a choice between actual gauges and an iPad dock that displays vital statistics on the iPad’s
touchscreen. Jeff Halverson of Parker Broth ers said their TRON bike looks like it drove straight off the movie screen, but weighs over 350 kg and the rider lies 72,5 cm off the ground. Halverson said that it rides like any sportbike, though we’ve got to wonder with that huge front tire. — Wheels Reporter.
MOTORING WitnessWheels
May 14, 2015
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Truck hijacks rising ‘Jobless youth a ticking time bomb that syndicates will exploit for more theft’ JOHN Edmeston, global CFO of Cartrack Holdings, say his com pany’s statistics show truck hi jackings had increased by 16% in the financial year to February 2015. “This aligns with similar fig ures released by the Road Freight Association.” The association had reported 1 150 truck hijackings across the industry during the same period – “a rapid and significant escala tion”. More reports, he added, are showing a direct correlation be tween the crime rate and eco nomic and social conditions. “Car and truck hijackings are generally perpetrated by orga nised crime syndicates, thus the hijacking increases also suggest that organised crime is on the rise in South Africa.” Edmeston pointed out that a report by the United Nations Of fice on Drugs and Crime, “Moni toring the impact of economic crisis on crime”, shows crime in creases during economic crises. The incidence of robbery, the re port said, might double and homicide and vehicle theft in crease. Using data recorded by police in 15 countries, Edmeston claims, the incidence of robbery, homicide and car theft correlate with the possible effects of eco nomic stress.
Truck hijackings had increased by 16% in the financial year to February 2015. PHOTO: SUPPLIED
In eight of 11 countries under going economic upheaval, a link between economic factors and crime could be clearly estab lished. He also pointed out that during the financial crisis of
2008/9 truck hijackings in SA soared by 61% over 2006/7. During the recovery years of 2011/12 the number of incidents fell by 42%. “Nevertheless we have to
come to terms with the fact that crime, particularly organised crime, is an industry in itself and will thrive regardless of econom ics in an environment where con trols and consequences are inad
equate.” Beyond the economic link to crime rates, Edmeston pointed out, various studies stated that many factors were driving this trend, among them youth gangs, drugs, alcohol and the availabili ty of firearms. He said gangs operating drug and vehicletheft syndicates were particularly active in Gauteng and the Western Cape. “Exacerbating this, the per ceived or real high levels of cor ruption, instability in our law en forcement agencies and per ceived low criminal prosecution rates also play a role in bolstering crime — criminals believe they can act with impunity,” Edmes ton said. There was, he said, “a ticking time bomb” forecast of 10 mil lion unemployed young South Africans by 2020; already the World Employment and Social Outlook Trends 2015 report puts South Africa as having the world’s eighthhighest unem ployment rate and among the youth the figure is 52,5% sixth, globally. “Tackling youth unemploy ment has to be South Africa’s sin gle most important focus; busi ness and government must find common ground to defuse that bomb.” — drivernews.co.za
Farmers treated to trucks at Nampo Harvest Festival ALWYN VILJOEN BOTHAVILLE — South Africa’s truck sellers used the Nampo Harvest Festival in Bothaville this week to show farmers their wheels. Iveco launched a new tractor trailer, the Iveco MEW 682, which the company described as the optimal solution between costefficiency and strength, us ing Iveco’s proven technology”. Iveco said in a statement the new MEW was inspired by the Fi at 682, “the first truly versatile truck” which was sold from 1952 to 1988. “The Fiat 682 — called the king by truckers — was de signed to meet the needs of all extreme missions, including off road, and carved a reputation un matched in ruggedness and relia bility. “In Africa, there are still vehi cles with more than 10 million kilometres,” Iveco’s stated. Toyota SA, which had been a part of the show when Dr Albert
Two trucks on show at Nampo this week: Freightliner Trucks have earned the title as heroes of the long haul due to their dependability and low fuelconsumption figures while Iveco’s new MEW 682 has proven to be the new kitten in Europe. PHOTO: QUICKPIC Wessels imported the first Stout bakkie more than 50 years ago, showed products from Toyota, Lexus and Hino, which this year faced competition from FAW’s new 9140 FL workhorse that was launched last week. Six derivatives of that FAW 9140 can move a payload be tween six and 14 tons are avail
able, and national marketing manager Eugene van der Berg said their tests with a fourton payload between PE and Johan nesburg averaged 5,8 l/100 km. Nicole August, senior manag er for promotions and sponsor ships at Toyota South Africa Mo tors, said Toyota is also the offi cial sponsor of the Toyota Young
Auctioneers Competition in col laboration with Veeplaas. Seven regional rounds are car ried out to find the best budding auctioneers around the country in four different categories. The finals will be held tomorrow, with the winner of the Junior category joining the TriNations Auction eers competition.
MercedesBenz SA believed farmers need look no further than the products on its stands for wheels that would fulfil their every need. Kobus van Zyl, executive di rector of Daimler Trucks and Buses SA, said the Daimler stable offered trucks ranging in size from small, awardwinning Fuso Canter Lift to the Freightliner truck tractors that have garnered a stellar longhaul reputation for efficiently transporting agricul tural produce and other goods. MercedesBenz Vans are also on display in the Sprinter and Vi to, competing for attention with the Ford Transit range Nicolette Lambrechts of Mer cedesBenz Vans South Africa said there is a van to match every farmer’s need, all Merc with a builtin fleet management ex pert in the form of the FleetBoard telematics service, which makes trip information instantly availa ble for analysis in existing pro grammes.
T&B gets TopUsed franchise MAN Truck and Bus South Africa has opened its sixth in dependent TopUsed fran chise in Port Elizabeth’s Truck and Bus. Geoff du Plessis, managing director of MAN Truck and Bus South Africa, who head ed up MAN TopUsed world wide from 2010 to March 2013 said MAN recognises the importance of a proprie tary usedvehicle division as a value driver in the sale of new trucks and buses. Truck and Bus dealer prin cipal Sash Mitchell said the franchise agreement for the first independently owned MAN TopUsed franchise in South Africa was signed in December 2014 and prepara tions started on the Port Eliz abeth Truck and Bus facility to accommodate the corpo rate identity of the MAN Top Used franchise. Emir Solapgir, head of MAN TopUsed SA said every TopUsed truck or bus under goes thorough checks to as certain overall condition and to ensure the mileage is genu ine. Financing facilities via MAN Financial Services is another key market differen tiator for TopUsed dealers, adds Solapgir. — Supplied.
Volvo ebuses in Sweden THE Swedish city of Gothen burg this week started using electric buses built by Volvo, Volvo said its buses use 80% less energy than diesel equivalents. The buses measure 10,7 m long and can carry up to 86 passengers, with the central position of the driver’s seat helping to maximise capacity. Volvo says they are de signed to be modern and wel coming with bright and airy interiors. Among their fea tures are power sockets for passengers to recharge their cellphones and onboard WiFi. The buses are currently un dergoing final testing to en sure that they can operate with no problems in regular city traffic. They will go into operation on route 55 on June 15. — WR.
Freightliner Inspiration drives itself — on highways only DAIMLER last week placed Nevada governor Brian Sandoval behind the wheel of its robot truck — the concept Freightliner Inspiration — which then drove itself along a highway near Las Vegas. The Inspiration follows on the MercedesBenz Future Truck 2025 that was unveiled late last year. Trucking company Daimler to get a licence to test an autonomous truck on the road long travelled by, among others, Google car and Audi. Motor Authority reports the lat
est Freightliner Inspiration truck features Daimler’s intelligent Highway Pilot system for autono mous driving, which is being de veloped with production in view and relies on technology devel oped for MercedesBenz’s pas senger line of cars. The technology was further de veloped and had to undergo a se ries of tests, including more than 16 000 km on a dedicated circuit in Germany. The Highway Pilot system com prises radar and stereo camera
Daimler’s Freightliner concept testing its selfdriving skills in Nevada, but it still needs a driver to pass cars. PHOTO: DAIMLER
monitoring systems that look ahead up to 250 metres, and also relies on existing cruise control, lanekeeping and collisionpre vention technologies — and right now it can only handle longhaul, highway situations. As soon as the Freightliner Inspiration truck is safely on the highway, the driver can activate the system. It regulates the speed, applies the brakes and steers. The vehicle can then operate safely under a wide range of driving conditions — it automatically complies with
posted speed limits, regulates the distance from the vehicle ahead or uses the stopandgo function during rush hour. The Inspiration relies on a hu man driver to pass cars, leave the highway and change lanes, but a fleet of Freightliner Inspiration trucks can link up in “platoon” fashion with drivers following close behind each other. The lower wind resistance plus a more con stant driving pattern ensure dra matic fuel savings. — drivernews.co.za
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WitnessWheels MOTORING
May 14, 2015
Team Lotus go max mad Lotus drivers Romain Grosjean (left) and Pastor Maldonado with the cars they drove ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix to promote the movie Mad Max: Fury Road last weekend. The Lotus F1 Team Mad Max Hybrid was unveiled at the Barcelona International Motor Show along with two custom, drivable vehicles designed and created for the film — Nux’s car and the iconic Mad Max Interceptor. The Mad Max hybrid car comes complete with skulls, blades in the rims and the mandatory flamethrowers. PHOTO: LOTUS
Sweet Sugarbelt for Toyota Eston dongas a drift to far to ford, but wait for Botswana, says Ford CASTROL Team Toyota’s Lee roy Poulter and Rob Howie last Saturday won the Sugarbelt 450, which was staged in Eston, some 40 km from Pietermaritzburg. It was a second win in a row for Poulter/Howie in the Castrol Team Toyota Hilux, with the pair coming home ahead of team mates and reigning South Afri can champions Anthony Taylor and Dennis Murphy. The final podium place went to local Pietermaritzburg pair Lance Woolridge and Ward Huxtable in a factory Ford Per formance Ford Ranger — and left the two crews locked together in second place in the champion ship with a second and a third each so far this season. In the Special Vehicle category Eston’s driver Lance Trethewey and Geoff Minnitt romped to a win over former South African champions Evan Hutchison and Danie Stassen. Eston hasn’t had rain in more than two months, and the result ing dust played a critical role in the weekend’s race with tyre ware a big issue. “It was a tough day on a tricky route but we never had any issues and never had to get out of the car,” said Poulter. “It was a good day for the team, and it has been
PMB’s Ford Performance drivers Lance Woolridge and Ward Huxtable are off the injury list, (left) while Eston’s driver Lance Trethewey and Geoff Minnitt race to a special categoty win in the Sugarbelt 450 in Eston last weekend. PHOTO: COLIN MILEMAN AND SACROSSCOUNTRYRACING a dream start to the season for Rob and me.” Apart from a puncture 800 metres from the finish Taylor and Murphy, who started second on the road behind Poulter/Howie, also reported a clean run with 68 seconds the final margin
between the two cars. The two Castrol Team Toyota crews dominated the qualifying race to determine grid positions, and were never in any real trouble during a race run in tricky and dusty conditions. Back in action after missing
last season with a back injury, the Ford Performance team of Lance Woolridge and codriver Ward Huxtable, started the day in fourth place behind teammates and former SA champions Chris Visser and Japie Badenhorst. A misfire and a trip into a
donga on the first of the two 160 kilometre loops that made up the race, along with a puncture late in the day, dropped Visser and Badenhorst into fourth place. “After a long layoff you have to be happy with two podiums in a row,” said Woolridge, “but
a win for the team would be nice. His brother Gareth Woolridge and Boyd Dreyer will remember after a solid sixth in only their second national championship event. Out in a Ford Ranger privately entered under the Neil Wool ridge Motorsport banner, the two youngsters showed plenty of maturity. Gareth is the younger brother of Lance with father Neil a former South African champion and the Ford Performance team principal — with three NWM prepared cars in the top six representing a good day for the Pietermaritz burg family. There was an equally impress ive seventh place in a Regent Racing Nissan Navara from former Special Vehicle champion Terence Marsh and former Springbok rugby captain John Smit in the Imperial Auto Celeb rity Challenge. The next outing on the Do naldson calendar is the Toyota 1000 Desert Race in Botswana from June 26 to 28. This race is the only marathon event in the national series and Neil Woolrdige said his team will have some changes lined up that should make the Rangers faster, — Wheels Reporter.
VW racers hope to stop Ford hattrick in fast and tight Secunda rally IT will be a race betweeb VW and Ford at the Secunda Motor Rally tomorrow and Saturday. After tasting podiums in the Tour Natal the Sasol Rally re spectively, Volkswagen Sasolra cing’s Henk Lategan and Barry White as well as Gugu Zulu and Pierre Arries will want to see more than the brake lights of Ford Performance rally team’s Mark Cronje and Robin Hought on. Cronje and Houghton have enjoyed perfect outings in the first two rounds of the 2015 South African National Rally Championship, and have the po tential to make it a hattrick of wins at Secunda The Ford Performance pair is the clear favourite for the 2015 season after totally dominating
Ford Fiesta racers Mark Cronje and Robin Houghton hopes to again show other racers this view over the 185 km of short, fast stages in the Secunda rally this weekend. PHOTO: QUICKPIC the championship so far. With 32 points in the bag, Cronje and Houghton are eight
points clear of 2014 champions, Leeroy Poulter and Elvéne Coet zee (Toyota).
As a new addition to the na tional rally calendar, the Secunda Motor Rally, which takes place in the Mpumalanga town of Secun da, presents an allnew challenge for the national rally teams, hav ing served as a regional rally last year. The organisers said the rally presents an ‘interesting mix’ of stages, with some featuring fast flowing roads through mealie fields, and others navigating through quarries and surround ing mining and industrial areas with varying road surfaces. It’s an extremely compact event, with a total distance of 316 km, including 12 special stages that cover a competitive distance of around 185 km. Cronje said the the drivers would be cutting the corners
through the farmlands. “So the pace is going to be very fast and extremely tight at the top. Our aim will be to maintain a steady pace, continue our cur rent form and hopefully score a hattrick of wins.” The team have fitted a new en gine to the Class S2000 Fiesta in preparation for the Secunda round, which ensures they can extract the maximum from the car and counter the onslaught from archrivals Toyota as they attempt to break the Ford Per formance stranglehold on the se ries. Rally headquarters and the service park are based at the Lake Umuzi waterfront complex on the southern outskirts of Secun da. The rally officially starts from
the Graceland Casino at 1 pm to morrow, followed by the opening gravel stage directly opposite the casino. The competitors then tackle another five stages before heading to the spectatorfriendly 3.7 km special stage next to the Umuzi Lake complex before the overnight stop. On Saturday the teams face another five stages and repeat the special stage. — Supplied.
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