Colin-on-Cars - Three days of action at Kyalami

The 9 Hour returns to Kyalami in February packaged into a three-day motor sport extravaganza that includes not only the Intercontinental GT Challenge Powered by Pirelli, but the top local saloon and single-seater race formulae as well.

The weekend’s headline event is the second round of the IGT Challenge, following just three weeks after the opening round of the 2023 season at Bathurst in Australia. Organisers anticipate all teams will be lined up on the grid to boost their season title aspirations.

Joining the SRO Motorsports Group K9H starting grid will be some of the top South African teams in FIA-homologated GT3 and GT4 machinery.

Thursday’s practice sessions will be open to the public for the first-time, giving motor sport enthusiasts the opportunity to see glowing brake discs and flame-spitting exhausts during the night practice session, along with pit walks and driver autograph sessions.

SUPPORT RACES

More than 200 competitors are expected to participate in the line-up of support races – each category featuring two races – over the three days. Topping the support bill is the opening round of the 2023 GTC and SupaCup Championships, while 50 wild BMWs across the brand’s recent history will battle it out in the first round of the BMW M Performance Parts Race Series.

In addition, the hotly contested CompCare Volkswagen Polo Cup enters its 27th year at Kyalami and the 2023 season will be one to watch with interest.

The InvestChem F1600 Championship kick off their year along with the opening round of the thundering Mobil 1 V8 Championship.

A substantial entry of Sports and GT cars, featuring a wide variety of racing machines is sure to keep spectators on the edge of their seat. Adding to the excitement, will be a high-speed Historic Race Car demonstration and static display, where spectators can get close to an array of legendary cars from South African motorsport history.

Adam Brown, K9H CEO says: “We launched the Kyalami 9-Hour in 2019 with a great response from the public creating a great platform from which to grow. The Global Pandemic then hit forcing us to host a race without the vital support of our race fans.

“We are grateful to all our event partners and race fans for sticking with us through these challenging times. The 9 Hour is back in early 2023! We are going all out – a true fest of motoring, bigger international grid, more national team participation and greater support race participation.

“The access for race fans has been extended to include Thursday making the event a three-day experience which includes the 9 Hour night practice session and qualifying, support race practice and qualifying, motor industry activations, historic race car displays and demonstrations, e-sport competitions, hot laps, music, food and beer gardens.”

Denis Klopper (K9H Race and Track Activations Manager) added: “We are extremely excited to announce a full Support Race programme for the Kyalami 9 Hour race, with six categories announced including three National Championship Series. With a total Support Race entry exceeding 200 competitors race fans can look forward to an entertaining three days of motorsport and Historic Race Car demonstrations.”  

TICKETS:

With Christmas fast approaching, K9H tickets will make a perfect gift for the petrol-head in your family or circle of friends.

General Access tickets go on sale on Friday, 25th November with special Black Friday deals for one day only. Details of the various Hospitality Packages will be announced shortly.

Pricing:

- Thursday 23rd February  R 250

- Friday 24th February      R 350

- Saturday 25th February  R 550

- Three-day ticket             R 1,000

Black Friday Prices (25 November ONLY)

- Saturday                        R 465

- Three-day ticket            R 850






https://bit.ly/3EQycZM

Colin-on-Cars - Supercar spectacular

April next year will become a petrolhead’s dream when 60 exotic cars leave the Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit on a 1 300 km tour of the country – including a track day at Dezzi Raceway on the KZN South Coast.

OzowDR23 will kick off at Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit on April 27, where entrants road will take to the tarmac for day one’s fast-paced track day. From there the supercar convoy will head east for an Afrika Burn inspired launch party and overnight in the Drakensburg, ahead of day two’s convoy to Umhlanga where some of the world’s most prestigious automotive rivalries will be settled at a high-profile gymkhana like no other.

Day three sees another grip-seeking, aero-testing, limit-pushing track day, this time at Port Shepstone’s Dezzi Raceway, before some respite for both man and machine on the fourth travel day – by private charter to Hoedspruit, of course.

Air Force Base Hoedspruit and its 3,9 km asphalt runway, together with the beautiful backdrop of Kapama Private Game Reserve, provide an ideal venue for high-speed test runs on day five, with OzowDR23 wrapping up with a Sabie hillclimb and ‘Go Hard or Go Home’ prizegiving party in Nelspruit on May 2.

While the OzowDR23 supercar entry list is yet to be confirmed, an ultra-valuable assortment of exotic machinery including rare Lamborghinis, Ferraris, McLarens, Aston Martins, Porsches and Paganis – some with values approaching R100-million – is expected based on past event participation.

Aside from the competitive elements behind the wheel, entrants will identify charities of their choice and challenge each other to raise the most money by the end of the rally.

Automated EFT specialist and title sponsor Ozow will develop and facilitate an easy payment system with unique smartphone scannable QR codes applied as decals to each team’s supercar. Teams are encouraged to support their charities through donations from associates and members of the public along the six-day journey.

Super and hypercar owners interested in entering the largest charitable rally in the southern hemisphere are welcome to contact Mark Castel at mark@daytonarally.co.za for more information.

https://bit.ly/3tDxNn1

Colin-on-Cars - All to play for

The forests of Mpumalanga will come alive this weekend to the sound of rally cars as the season finale, the TRACN4 Rally takes to the fast forest stages between Belfast and Dullstroom.

It is certainly not yet over with series leaders Chris Coertse and navigator Greg Godrich and their new NRC1 Rally Technic Mazda2, who start the event just 64 points ahead of their nearest rivals, Theuns Joubert and Schalk van Heerden in the Salom Labour Toyota Yaris.

There are 74 points on offer for the double-header, meaning Guy Botterill and Simon Vacy-Lyle who are third in their Gazoo Racing Toyota Starlet and 68 points adrift could stand a mathematical chance.

“We’ve prepared the car well for this weekend,” said Botterill in the build-up to this weekend’s Rounds 11 and 12. “We finally feel that we’re on top of things, and even though we’ve had our fair share of teething problems with the new car, I’m confident that we’re in a good position for this weekend.”

At the same time, teammates Mandla Mdakane and co-driver Kes Naidoo, will be campaigning the team’s second car in the form of a Toyota Auris S2000. The car has served as an entry to the sport for Mdakane, but reliability issues have plagued his attempts thus far.

“We’re hoping for a clean run this weekend,” said the Johannesburg-based driver. “We’ve shown good pace over single stages earlier in the year, but haven’t had the opportunity to string it all together. With a bit of luck, we’ll get that chance in Dullstroom.”

The weather in Dullstroom for this weekend is predicted to be mild and dry, in stark contrast to Botterill/Vacy-Lyle’s last outing for TGRSA, which was in extremely muddy and wet conditions, during the Parys 400 – final round of the 2022 South African Rally-Raid Series (SARRC), where they finished in fourth place during the final round.

This year’s TRACN4 National Rally will kick off with a ceremonial start at the service park at Lakenvlei, just outside Dullstroom. This will be followed by seven stages in the area forming Round 11 of the season. Saturday will see Round 12, the final of the season, start at the oval in Dullstroom itself, again followed by seven stages bringing the 2022 NRC to a close.

https://bit.ly/3EicX19

Colin-on-Cars - First Ranger off the line

After months of build-up news, a factory ‘unveiling’ and more than plenty hype, Ford Motor Company’s Silverton Assembly Plant in Pretoria, today became the third plant to commence production of the new Ranger for customers around the world.

The start of the production follows a major investment of US$1,05-billion (R15,8 billion) in Ford’s South African operations and supplier tooling to allow exports to more than 100 markets, including Europe.

Ford Motor Company now has three production hubs in the International Markets Group (IMG) region producing Next-Gen Ranger for global markets, including the Silverton plant in South Africa, and two plants in Thailand. The company also has CKD operations in Vietnam and Cambodia to assemble the Ranger, with plants in the US and Argentina to begin production in 2023.

Commitment

“The start of Ranger production in South Africa highlights our commitment to delivering must-have products for our customers, not just in South Africa but around the world,” says Dianne Craig, president of Ford International Markets Group (IMG).

“South Africa is an important part of our global Ranger manufacturing network, and it is fantastic to witness the investment being utilised to modernise and transform the Silverton Assembly Plant to produce vehicles of the absolute best quality for customers around the world.”

The expanded operations in South Africa contribute to job creation and economic development, with 1 200 new jobs added for a third shift to support the increased production volumes. This takes the workforce at Ford South Africa to 5 500 employees. Ford’s supplier network benefits too, with approximately 10 000 jobs added across the value chain.

Of the total investment, approximately US$686-million (R10,3 billion) has gone into the transformation and modernisation of the Silverton plant with the construction of its first on-site Stamping Plant, a new highly automated Body Shop, and the introduction of the latest vehicle assembly operations on the Trim, Chassis and Final line.

Furthermore, the only Ford-owned and operated Frame Line in the world was built in the new Tshwane Automotive Special Economic Zone (TASEZ) supplier park adjacent to the Silverton Assembly Plant. Ford’s investment in tooling at its major supplier companies totalled US$365-million (R5,5-billion).

In addition to the Silverton investment, Ford injected US$34-million (R600-million) into its Struandale Engine Plant in Gqeberha (formerly Port Elizabeth), which produces all the engines used in the new Ranger.

The investment in Struandale Engine Plant has helped Ford introduce the new 3,0-litre V6 Diesel engine program, comprising cylinder head machining and engine assembly. Upgrades for the Ranger were also implemented on the existing assembly line for the 2,0-litre Single Turbo and 2,0-litre B-Turbo diesel engines.

“We have put immense effort, resources, and the latest technologies in place to ensure the Ranger is truly world-class, and that the Silverton plant globally equals the very best,” says Andrea Cavallaro, Director Operations, Ford IMG.

“We took several strategic decisions including the decision to bring the stamping operations and the frame manufacturing in-house, to ensure complete control of the production quality. The process put in today guarantees that the components going onto the assembly line for every Next-Gen Ranger are of the highest quality.”

The Stamping Plant at the Silverton Assembly Plant is in a new 10 320 m2 facility and feeds stamped body panels directly to the adjacent and completely new 44 000 m2 Body Shop, which is highly automated with approximately 493 robots.

Technologies

“To meet our volume and quality objectives, we have the world’s only Ford-owned and operated chassis manufacturing plant at the Silverton plant that uses the most advanced technologies currently available,” Cavallaro added.  

In addition, the 100 000 m2 Frame Line in the Tshwane Automotive Special Economic Zone (TASEZ) supplier park, located next door to the Silverton Assembly Plant, ensures the seamless sequencing of parts directly to the assembly line.

First launched in 2011, the Ranger remained one of the leading contenders in the local market over the ensuing 11 years, earning a long list of accolades in the process.

“The success of the Ranger globally establishes it as one of Ford’s most important nameplates sold in every continent,” said Neale Hill, President, Ford Motor Company Africa. “The Next-Gen Ranger is sure to raise the bar yet again and with the start of production in the Silverton assembly plant, South Africa is proud to play a role in its growth.”

What now remains to be seen is if Ford South Africa will continue to build a range of the older version to service its large corporate market.

To my mind this is a no-brainer, especially considering the final few months of production of the outgoing model were done on the new Ranger line as a kind of tesdt bed production – so there is no reason why both cannot co-exist.

First Ranger off the line: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wD3xnh7cHsE

https://bit.ly/3tzpLeP

Colin-on-Cars - Fossil-free steel for Volvo Trucks

With around 90% of the truck recyclable at the end of its working life, Volvo Trucks has now become the first manufacturer to use fossil-free steel in the manufacturing process.

The fossil-free steel is produced by the Swedish steel manufacturer SSAB and is made by using a completely new technology with fossil-free electricity and hydrogen. The result is a significantly lower climate impact and an important step towards a net-zero emissions value chain. Among the customers that will have fossil-free steel in some of their electric trucks are Amazon and DFDS and, through the transport company Simon Loos, Unilever.

Global

In September this year, Volvo Trucks started series production of heavy-duty electric, 44-tonne trucks, as the first global truck manufacturer to achieve this. Some of the electric trucks will also be the first trucks in the world that are built with fossil-free steel.

“Our journey to net zero emissions includes both making our vehicles fossil free in operation and over time fully replacing the material in our trucks with fossil-free and recycled alternatives,” says Jessica Sandström, Senior Vice President of Product Management at Volvo Trucks.

“At Amazon, we are on the way to making all of our operations net-zero carbon by 2040. We need partners like Volvo to make this transition happen,” says Andreas Marschner, Vice President Transportation Services Europe at Amazon.

“DFDS is committed to our green transition and to delivering greener transport and logistics solutions. Any step in the green transition of logistics brings us closer to a carbon-free society and we are therefore happy to learn that some of our new electric trucks soon to be delivered are also produced with fossil-free steel,” says Niklas Andersson, EVP of DFDS Logistics Division.

The first steel produced with hydrogen is being used in the electric truck’s frame rails, the backbone of the truck upon which all other main components are mounted. As the availability of fossil-free steel increases, it will also be introduced in other parts of the truck.

Recycled

Today, around 30% of the materials in a new Volvo truck come from recycled materials. Also, up to 90% of the truck can be recycled at the end of its life. Fossil-free steel will be an important complement to the traditional and recycled steel used in Volvo’s trucks.

Volvo Trucks is committed to the Paris agreement on climate change and to achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions in the entire value chain by 2040, at the latest.

https://bit.ly/3WXgdrr

Colin-on-Cars - De Villiers takes the title

Toyota’s Giniel de Villiers is the 2022 South African Rally-Raid Champion (SARRC), having nicked the position by finishing second behind Gareth Woolridge and Boyd Dreyer – who claimed their first overall race win in the EcoBoost V6 powered FIA T1+ Ford Ranger on the rain-drenched Parys 400 event.

The weekend started with a qualifying race held in cold and very wet conditions, over an already saturated route of 12 km. The mud and incessant rain made it tricky for the crews to find a rhythm, but even so, TGRSA’s crews performed well.

Variawa and Stassen set the benchmark time of 8min 1sec, and were followed home by brothers Johan and Werner Horn, driving a privately entered Toyota Hilux T1+, similar to that campaigned by TGRSA. Behind them came the three remaining works crews: De Villiers/Burke; Guy Botterill and co-driver Simon-Vacy-Lyle; and Lategan/Cummings.

Conditions continued to deteriorate as the delayed race start drew near, but when the flag dropped it was flat out racing in Parys. At the end of the first race loop, which was severely curtailed due to the conditions, it was Lategan/Cummings who led, with De Villiers/Burke in second, Variawa/Stassen in third and Botterill/Vacy-Lyle in fourth – a power performance by the works squad.

Shortly before the end of the loop, the organisers announced the second race loop would be cancelled due to the deteriorating condition of the track, which saw numerous competitors fail to reach the Designated Service Park (DSP) at the Parys Airfield. And with that, Round 6 was done.

Round 7 followed on the Saturday of the weekend, again starting with a qualifying race over a 12 km course. Continued rain over the preceding night meant even more treacherous conditions under foot, but the man who went fastest during qualifying the day before, was again best of the TGRSA crews: Variawa/Stassen posted the second-fastest time, with De Villiers/Burke in fifth place.

When racing got under way shortly after, the tough conditions took their toll. Lategan/Cummings moved into the lead mid-way through the opening race loop, but disaster struck around the 70 km mark: An alternator belt was dislodged in deep water, and when the crew attempted to pull off the route, they became severely stuck. Shortly after, Variawa/Stassen fell foul to a similar fate, ending up stuck within sight of their teammates.

Botterill/Vacy-Lyle also lost an alternator belt 6 km from the finish. This belt also drives the power steering pump, and with no assistance, the big-tyred Hilux T1+ becomes nearly impossible to drive. Despite this, Botterill managed to wrestle the car home to finish in fourth place overall.

Ahead of Botterill/Vacy-Lyle, De Villiers/Burke drove a faultless race to finish Loop 1 in second place. As with the previous day, the race organisers were forced to cancel the second race loop, cementing De Villiers/Burke’s second position, as well as De Villiers’ championship. This title capped a fantastic season for the South African-built and developed Toyota Hilux T1+, starting with victory on the Dakar Rally back in January this year.

The Neil Woolridge Motorsport (NWM) Ford Castrol Team ended its season on a high as Gareth Woolridge and Boyd Dreyer claimed their first overall race win.

“We are thrilled with the win, as Boyd and I have been trying to secure our first win for at least 10 years,” Gareth said. “I’m really glad to finally pull it together in the most difficult conditions we’ve ever raced in.

“It has been a difficult year, with some small technical issues that have let us down, despite Boyd and I having one of our cleanest seasons yet,” Gareth added. “We’ve taken big strides forward with our T1+ Ranger, as we proved at the previous event and this weekend in Parys. So for next year, I think we’re in good shape for even bigger and better things.”

Team-mates Lance Woolridge and Elvéne Vonk (#234) led the NWM Ford Castrol team’s charge on Friday, finishing fifth overall. After setting the fourth-fastest time for Saturday’s qualifying loop, just 14 seconds off the lead Ranger, it looked set to be a thrilling battle for the final podium of this year’s championship.

However, they were among several of the top crews who got stuck around halfway through the race loop. Thanks to the assistance of the TeamHilux team of Eben Basson and Leander Pienaar, Lance and Elvéne were able to extricate their stricken Ranger from the quagmire – and were rewarded for their never-say-die attitude by coming home fifth in Class FIA T1+ and 14th overall.

“I didn’t think the conditions could get worse than yesterday, but it was manic out there today,” Lance said. “It was so slippery that we had to start braking from 600 to 700 metres away from a turn and then just tiptoe around the corner.

“We got stuck in a ploughed field where the two Toyotas ahead of us had already gone through, and when I got out the car I sank right down to my knees in the mud,” he added. “Elvéne and I didn’t want to slow the top teams down so we let them all past, then Eben and Leander, who had won their class championship on Friday, stopped and pulled us out, and we had a clean run to the end.”

https://bit.ly/3hHLuOP

Colin-on-Cars - Double points, double the fun

The small Free State of Parys, situated on the banks on the Vaal River, will be rocking to the sound of high performance engines this weekend as the 2022 South African Rally-Raid Championship (SARRC) comes to a climax with a double-header and very much a Toyota versus Ford shootout.

For Henk Lategan and co-driver Brett Cummings, the weekend offers the opportunity to seal their fourth SARRC title, as they hold a three-point lead over teammates Giniel de Villiers and co-driver Dennis Murphy in the overall Production Category.

De Villiers, however, is a fierce competitor and is sure to make Lategan work hard for the points he needs to clinch the championship. To make matters more interesting, however, Murphy will be unable to compete in Parys due to a broken arm. Seasoned co-driver Rodney Burke will be  strapping into his seat for the weekend, adding pressure to De Villiers in his quest to regain the SARRC crown.

For the Neil Woolridge Motorsport (NWM) Ford Castrol Team it will be a crucial opportunity to maximise its points and move up the standings.

Gareth Woolridge and Boyd Dreyer (277) are currently fifth in the premier FIA T1+ category in their EcoBoost V6-powered NWM Ford Ranger, with just eight points separating them from third-placed Shameer Variawa/Danie Stassen (Toyota).

This sets the scene for an intense battle that will be played out on the dusty tracks of this farming region near the Vaal River, just more than an hour’s drive from Johannesburg.

Gareth and Boyd proved that they have the pace to run at the front of the field after leading most of Round 5 at NAMPO Park in Bothaville. A minor electrical gremlin tripped up their charge to victory, but the young pair are intent on ending the season on a high.

Behind the two hard-charging Class T1+ Toyota Hilux crews come two more crews from the same squad, driving identical cars. Shameer Variawa and co-driver Danie Stassen are 30 points adrift of De Villiers/Murphy, and only three points ahead of Guy Botterill and co-driver Simon Vacy-Lyle with two rounds to go.

While it is unlikely either Variawa or Botterill will overtake the crews ahead of them, anything can still happen, and with a maximum of 60 points on offer between the final two rounds, neither of the two chasing crews will be holding anything in reserve this weekend.

“This has been a stunning season for us,” says TGRSA Team Principal, Glyn Hall. “Our Class T1+ Hilux has dominated all year, clearly showing why this machine is tough enough to not only compete at the Dakar Rally, but also to have won it twice now.”

With this in mind, the team will be using the weekend’s Parys 400, as the double-header is known, to test a number of final engine upgrades and other components, as they prepare for the upcoming Dakar Rally in January, 2023.

An identical Hilux, in the hands of Toyota Gazoo Racing’s Nasser Al-Attiyah and co-driver Mathieu Baumel won the inaugural World Rally-Raid Championship (W2RC) this year, and the mileage recorded during that championship, as well as the SARRC, may well prove to be invaluable in the development of the latest iteration of the GR DKR Hilux T1+ as the car is also known.

This weekend’s race is likely to take place in wet and muddy conditions, though no heavy rains are predicted over the weekend itself. Even so, the muddy tracks around the town of Parys has proven tough in the past, and the TGRSA crews will have their work cut out for them, with two full races taking place in just two days. This includes a prologue, to determine the starting orders for the main race, on both mornings – followed by two long race loops that brings the total daily race distance close to the 400 km mark.

The 2022 season has been extremely challenging for team-mates Lance Woolridge and Elvéne Vonk (234) in the second NWM Ford Castrol T1+ Ranger. They have also shown race-winning potential on several occasions this year, and are aiming to repeat the impressive form they had at the NAMPO event to shake things up – with Lady Luck hopefully on their side for a change as they continue durability testing of key components.

“We have been hard at work testing and sorting out the little niggles that have hampered our performance this year. We are looking forward to returning to Parys which has very similar terrain to the last event, and this seems to suit our car,” says team principal Neil Woolridge.

“It was encouraging and a real morale booster for the entire team to see the Rangers dominating qualifying and having Gareth and Boyd leading for most of the previous round. Now we just need a clean run without any hassles to show what we are capable of as we give Gareth and Boyd the best chance to fight for the final podium position in the 2022 championship,” Neil says.

The action gets under way at 07:30 on Friday morning, when the crews take on a 12 km-long qualifying race.

This will be followed by two loops of 155 km each, starting at 9:30. The crews will then have to repair and recuperate, as they’ll be doing it all again the next day, making for a tough finish to a long season. Fans can visit the race and its HQ at the Parys Airfield free of charge, or follow the action on the Rally Safe application, which is available for both iOS and Android devices.

This race is renowned for its spectator-friendly route and easily accessible viewing points, and access to the route and DSP is free.

https://bit.ly/3NROGDR

Colin-on-Cars - Measuring the moment

How do you actually feel when driving - or being driven - in a motor car? Performance car brand, Abarth, has become the first manufacturer to trial facial recognition technology to better understand the emotions experienced when in its car.

Working in partnership with the world-renowned Loughborough University, Abarth carried out the experiment to discover the differing emotions experienced by the driver and passenger.

Driving an Abarth F595, 595 Esseesse and 595 Competizione, participants were put through driving challenges including hot laps, precision driving tasks, and chase scenarios at Mallory Park, Leicestershire.

Emotions including happiness, excitement, and fear were then measured as passengers were driven by professional drivers.

The results showed the most prominent feeling during a hot lap was happiness, both when behind the wheel (31,8%) and as a passenger (35,4%).

When driven by professional drivers who pushed the car to its full potential, participants experienced short bursts of fear and shock (11,9%), contributing to a thrilling track day experience.

State-of-the-art facial recognition technology was used alongside heart rate sensors - Electrocardiogram (ECG) and Photoplethysmography (PPG) - allowing Abarth to accurately detect an array of emotions among individuals.

The data was then analysed using DeepFace Python library and Facial Emotion Recognition library.

Reader in Digital Health, Dr Dale Esliger at Loughborough University, who led the trial, said: “The constellation of biometric equipment that we used allowed us to accurately detect an array of emotions that were experienced when driver’s and passenger’s get into an Abarth, while detecting the most prominent emotion during the respective driving activities.

“Research within this remit is limited, however, I suspect it will be an area within the automotive industry that will continue to be explored, as manufacturers strive to improve the driving experiences of their cars.”

Greg Taylor, Fiat and Abarth, UK Managing Director, added: “We always knew anecdotally that the levels of joy our cars bring to the driver and passengers, but now we have some preliminary data from one of the world's leading sport universities to back that up.

“Our products are not only designed to excite drivers on the road, but they’re also perfect track day cars too.”

Starting from the 595 for those who want to enter the Abarth world, all Abarth’s offer performance, adrenaline and excitement when on the road.  

One of Abarth’s most distinctive features has always been its sound with people hearing an Abarth before you see it. With Koni rear suspension, the driver feels more connected to the road giving a sporty driving experience and superior control over performance.

https://bit.ly/3UoHgtQ

Colin-on-Cars - Brakes on the logistics sector

The brakes have been put onto the South Africa logistics sector with September seeing a slowing of activity compared to the previous three months of growth.

The Ctrack Transport and Freight Index declined by 0,1% on a monthly basis in September compared to the revised growth of 2,2% experienced in August, representing annual growth of 12,8%, down from a revised 13,7% in August.

Economic conditions in the South African economy took a turn for the worse during September, with Eskom data confirming the South African economy experienced the worst-ever month of load shedding, with 572 of the month’s 720 hours directly affected.

Power

Analysis by Eskom’s Research, Testing and Development department further showed that, besides 2021, there were more power cuts in September 2022 than had been experienced in any other entire year since load shedding started in 2007.

The negative impact of load shedding reaches all spheres of the economy, including the logistics and supply chain sector. Companies buckle under the inability to produce at capacity, the cost of lost production, reduced productivity, the cost of providing alternatives and reduced margins.

The sector continues to be plagued by many challenges, including significant fuel price increases in recent months, rising interest rates, the higher cost of tyres and spare parts, delays at ports, sabotage and unrest, railway woes and the negative impact of regular load shedding.

Despite these challenges, the logistics sector proved to be largely resilient with four of the six sectors measured by the Ctrack Transport and Freight Index increasing on an annual basis during September. While the broader economic environment has a real effect on all the sectors measured by the Ctrack Transport and Freight Index, there are still vastly different trends evident in each of these sub-sectors.

Growth

Road Freight remains a strong performer, followed by Air Freight, with both sectors posting double-digit growth in September compared to a year earlier, while Rail Freight remains the regular underperformer among the sub-sectors.

“Despite all the challenges that continually batter this industry the resilience of the transport industry and especially Road Freight has continued to surprise with continued growth despite all these challenges, but I fear that is not sustainable indefinitely,” says Hein Jordt, Chief Executive Officer of Ctrack Africa.

The significant performance of the Road Freight sector has been an on going theme since mid-2020. Although treading water in the month of September, the Road Freight segment still increased by a notable 27,9% compared to the same period last year, a continuation of a positive growth streak that started in January 2021.

While the number of heavy trucks on the N3 and N4 toll routes remained unchanged on a monthly basis in September, heavy traffic still increased by 11% compared to the same period last year. Among other reasons the segment continues to benefit from the on going underperformance of the rail industry.

Strain

Air Freight continued to show signs of strain in September, with the Air Freight segment of the Ctrack Transport and Freight Index declining by 0,7% compared to the previous month, which is also the fourth consecutive monthly decline. Despite these declines the segment is still tracking 12,2% higher than it did at the same time last year. Total consolidated airport flight movements declined by 1,5% in September, but air cargo recovered somewhat.

The transport of liquid fuels via Transnet Pipelines (TPL) declined notably in September, with the Pipeline segment of the Ctrack Transport and Freight Index declining by a 11,9% compared to the previous month, but still tracking 4,3% higher than the same period last year.

South Africa’s own production of fuel has been on a downward trend in recent years given that four oil refineries have closed down. The shortage of refineries has created a scenario where the country is increasingly reliant on imports, and supply line disruptions present a greater risk, as highlighted by the recent Transnet strike that affected operations at the Durban port.

The Sea Freight segment measured by the Ctrack Transport and Freight Index increased by 3,7% in September on a year on year basis, driven by a strong recovery in container handling at various ports in recent months, while other cargo handling also increased notably during September. On a quarterly basis, Sea Freight increased by an impressive 8.9% during the third quarter.

Theft

The Rail Freight component of the Ctrack Transport and Freight Index declined by 10,6% year on year in September, the sixth consecutive monthly decline, which can be attributed to amongst other factors, large-scale theft of copper cables, insufficient maintenance, lack of locomotives and corruption. These on going challenges are likely to remain a reality in this space for some time to come.

“It is great to see that government is taking real steps to assist the transport and logistics industry and save the ailing rail network,” says Jordt.

Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana admitted during his speech as part of the Medium Term Budget Policy Statement (MTBPS) there is a crisis in the logistics sector and that inefficiencies in the port and rail infrastructure are costing the economy billions.

This commitment includes the passing of the Economic Regulation of Transport Bill while requests for proposals have been issued for third party-access to the freight rail network and private-sector partnerships for the Durban Pier 2 and Ngqura container terminals.

In addition Transnet has been allocated R2,9-billion to bring out-of-service locomotives back into service and improve rail capacity. A further R2,9-billion has been allocated to deal with flood damage in Kwazulu-Natal.

Zooming into the Storage and Handling sub-sector of the Ctrack Transport and Freight Index revealed another dismal performance, and this sector has clearly been underperforming since the beginning of 2022.

Pressures

The lacklustre economic environment, as well as global supply chain pressures, has played an important role in companies’ management of inventories. Inventories consist of all outputs that are held by the enterprise after production and prior to their further processing, sold, delivered to other units or used in other ways as well as products acquired from other enterprises that are intended to be used for intermediate consumption or for resale without further processing (factored goods).

Locally, inventory holdings in the manufacturing sector as measured by a sub-component of the ABSA PMI, dropped by 12,8% between January and June, before recovering quite notably in Q3.  Similarly, the value of raw materials and work-in-progress of all industries covered by StatsSA’s Quarterly Financial Statistics declined in the first quarter before gradually increasing in Q2 and Q3.

Although the Storage and Handling segment still declined by 7,2% on an annual basis during September, it seems that the sector is making a turn for the better as reflected in two consecutive positive monthly growth rates as well as a sizeable 9,1% quarter on quarter growth which it recorded in Q3.

“The on going pressures facing all the segments measured by the Ctrack Transport and Freight Index mean  the businesses in these segments are facing rising risk levels and shrinking profit margins. The implementation of a bespoke fleet management system has been well proven to mitigate risk, increase profitability and ensure peace of mind in a turbulent environment,” concludes Jordt.

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Colin-on-Cars - Kyalami 9 Hours roars back in

It’s official – the iconic Kyalami 9 Hour Race will be back as the second round of the SRO Intercontinental GT Challenge (IGTC) Powered by Pirelli, in February 2023.

However, the entire week leading up to the start of the race has been dedicated to a major motor sport and lifestyle expo and festival.

The IGTC Series is a GT3 and GT4 Sportscar based series which has run at Kyalami since 2019. The series visits the five continents and the Kyalami round, in February, will be the second round of the five-race 2023 season.

The 9 Hour will be contested by both overseas and local GT3 and GT4 race teams. It is expected more than 20 entries, including top international and local drivers, will fight for overall and class victories in the endurance race. All the top national motor sport categories will also participate in various support races during three days of track action. 

Additional K9H Motor Fest activities includes the inaugural Golf Day which will feature some of the world’s best racing drivers participating as part of the four-ball teams. This all set against the glamour of an international motor race offering private or shared corporate hospitality for the Kyalami 9 Hour race.

Against the backdrop of the 9 Hour night practice session, a Gala Dinner with a charity-based motor sport memorabilia themed auction will take place, offering additional networking opportunities for the captains of the motor industry.

The week-long K9H Trade and Exhibition show, which is open to the public, transforms into the ultimate test-drive opportunity for potential customers to experience the latest model offerings from local manufacturers and importers on the handling and 4x4 track from the Wednesday.

Manufacturers and importers will further be able to offer their business associates, partners and members of the public a glimpse of what the racing drivers will face with three days of hot laps around the iconic 4,5 km Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit from the Wednesday to Friday.

Friday’s activities ramp up the excitement with a beer and wine festival, 150 plus cars in the support category races, including top South African national championships and the Kyalami 9 Hour qualifying sessions, which culminate with the Top 10 Pole Shootout.

On the Saturday there is a high-speed historic race car display, the support races, the on-going beer and wine festival and Trade and Exhibition show. 

Adam Brown, Kyalami 9 Hour Event Director, says; “The 9 Hour has proven itself to be the premier event on the South African motor sport calendar, and a top-rated stop on the international tour. We are delighted to confirm the 2023 event as the second round of the season, and we are especially excited to launch the K9H Motor Fest.

"The Motor Fest adds dynamic content to the successful formula for all our motorsport fans, partners and industry stakeholders. The 2023 Kyalami 9 Hour now possesses all the ingredients necessary to become a flagship event of the motoring sector in South Africa.”

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