Thursday 26 April 2012

F400-4stroke racing- round 3 2012 Zwartkops Raceway



Wow! What an exciting and eventful day. 2012 round 3 at Zwartkops raceway started off with a beautifully clear day after a night of heavy rain. The competitors spirits were high and the atmosphere was electric.



The early morning practise started with the f200's and, with the still wet track being rather slippery, it looked more like a scene from "Tokyo Drift". Luckily by the first race the track had dried up somewhat and only a few karts were still sliding.

















Heat 1 was immensely fast for both the F200's and the F400's. The Prokarts joined the F400's in their heats, so it was a large and diverse field and great fun for the competitors to watch.







Heat 2 was bittersweet with Rogue Racing 2 driver Keagan Flipping his kart and dislocating his shoulder. Flipping a kart is not very easy and can generally only be done by the front wheel hitting another karts wheel, which is what happened in this case. The race was ended and all racing was halted for half an hour until the ambulance crew had returned.



Heat 3 went off without and hitch and the day ended well, with many teams achieving higher places then ever before.


My 2 favourites did very well with Allstar finishing in the top 10 for the very first time with a tidy 9th place and  Tripod  finishing 4th.





Top 9 fuel efficient hatches under R200 000







Make
Model
Variant
Price
Fuel Consumption per 100km





Volkswagen
Polo
1.2TDI Blue Motion
R 183 500.00
3.4
Citroen
C1
1.0i
R 113 600.00
4.5
Ford
Fiesta
5dr 1.6TDCi Ambiente
R 197 990.00
4.5
Peugeot
107
1.0 Urban
R 116 500.00
4.5
Toyota
Aygo
 1.0 fresh
R 109 300.00
4.6
Nissan
Micra
1.5dCi Acenta
R 146 900.00
4.7
Hyundai
i10
1.1 GLS
R 102 900.00
4.8
Kia
Picanto
1
R 99 995.00
4.9
Chevrolet
Spark Lite
0.8
R 82 300.00
5.1

Friday 20 April 2012

f400 - 4 stroke karting Zwartkops Raceway




F400 practise at Zwartkops. 

Prokarts
Oh yeah, bring it on!
Looking forward to the races this weekend where both the F400 contingent AND Prokarts will be racing at Zwartkops kart circuit.



If the practise runs were anything to go by, it looks like its going to be a very exciting day for all involved.



The circuit is just over 1000m long and a minimum of eight metres wide. The start/finish line is on the 180m-long 10m wide main straight, and is 90m before the first corner. The first two corners are 12m wide to reduce first lap congestion. A unique feature of the new circuit is the Bridgestone Flyover, where the circuit actually crosses over itself. The sloping terrain of Zwartkops lends itself to great spectator viewing points and promises the drivers a challenging roller coaster ride 




So if you love speed and racing and all round , good family fun, come join us in cheering on the teams, who knows, maybe you'll love it so much that next time I'll be cheering you on too.

How to get there

From Johannesburg
There are a number of ways to get to Zwartkops from the Johannesburg area.

The most common way is past Kyalami – travel in a generally Northerly direction along the R55 towards Pretoria West.(It is approximately 21 km from Kyalami to Zwartkops)
This road can become congested on big international race days.

From Johannesburg, get onto the N14 (Krugersdorp Highway) and head Eastwards. Take the R55/ Pretoria West off-ramp and turn left towards Pretoria West. Travel in a genrally Northerly direction on the R55 and you will reach Zwartkops Raceway on your left.

To avoid congestion the next best alternative route is through Erasmia. Travel in a genrally Northerly direction along the R 511 (William Nochol Drive).
This is the road that goes past Diepsloot (William Nichol R511) and becoming the M26.
As you get to Erasmia turn right at the Zwartkops Raceway signboard and enter through the Drive-In gate.

From East Rand
From the N1 take the Hans Strydom off ramp - travel Westwards on the M10 until the R55. Turn right into the R55 and Zwartkops is on your left + 3 km.

From Pretoria
Take Mitchell Street under the subway past the Old Power Station (on the left). Turn left into Quagga Road and travel Southwards past Laudium until you reach Zwartkops on your right.


How to Exit Zwartkops

There are 3 exits:
Exit 1: Exit DRIVE-IN Follow signs through the DRIVE-IN and then ERASMIA to the M26. Turn left to Sandton and right to Pretoria West.

Exit 2: RING ROAD R55 LEFT-TURN Take the paved ring road between the Skidpan and the 4x4 Track. Turn left onto the R55. At the robot turn left and travel on the M26 past Erasmia and then to Sandton.

Exit 3: MAIN GATE Turn left or right onto the R55

Thursday 19 April 2012

Bikers on the road



Have had a lot of chats lately about bikers on the road. I personally am not a biker, but I am dating one and both my parents rode bikes when I was growing up so I love bikes, but even I will admit that some of the bikers on the road today, should not be riding.

a friend sent me this video and although it is immense fun to watch, it shows exactly how insane some bikers are.
It may be exhilarating to ride like this but it is extremely dangerous not only to you the biker but to everyone else on the road with you at that time.


what do you think of this video?

Wednesday 18 April 2012

E toll protest


http://www.iol.co.za/motoring/industry-news/e-tolls-cosatu-call-to-arms-1.1278473

"The Congress of SA Trade Unions is mobilising its two million members for the mother of all protests against the act of highway robbery set to be committed from 30 April 2012 - the Gauteng e-tolls," spokesperson Patrick Craven said in a statement.

"We are confident that we will be joined by many thousands more angry residents and motorists who support our demand for the scrapping of these tolls."

Cosatu is planning several rallies, marches, demonstrations and night vigils at the offices of the SA National Roads Agency Limited (Sanral) and the transport department across the country from April 23.

These would lead up to a large "national stay-away or socio-economic strike" on April 30.

Craven said opposition to the tolls was "overwhelming", especially to the new punitive rate which will be applied to motorists who do not get windscreen-mounted e-tags.

"These threats will have the exact opposite effect. They will infuriate people and make them even more determined to follow Cosatu's advice not to register and not to buy an e-tag," he said.

"In the end, however, it is the pressure of the masses which will force government to back down. People power has brought down governments in North Africa; it can surely stop this assault on our living standards."

On March 7 thousands of people participated in Cosatu's nationwide march against the tolls.

Sanral gazetted the new tariffs on Friday.

Alternate users (people without e-tags) will be charged R1.75/km, compared to the standard tariff of 30c/km for registered users.

It said the higher fee was because of the need to recover costs, including invoicing and debt collection.

Court bid

On Tuesday, several organisations and political parties raised concerns about the tariffs and asked Sanral to postpone the launch.

The SA Chamber of Commerce and Industry said it was "concerned by the uncertainty" surrounding the fee system and the exemptions for public transport.

"This makes a clear case for delaying implementation until there is clarity on the toll fees and exemptions for certain road users," it said.

Business Unity SA (Busa) called for a delay in implementation until the public's concerns had been fully addressed.

"Unless these serious practical problems can be timeously resolved, Busa sincerely believes that the magnitude of challenges facing the e-toll system in Gauteng justify delaying its implementation... to a later date."

Afrikaner lobby group AfriForum instructed its lawyers on Tuesday to urgently prepare court papers in an attempt to stop the launch.

"The public is asked to wait for the outcome of the proposed legal action of AfriForum and other groups, before deciding whether to register for e-toll at all," said AfriForum chief executive Kallie Kriel said.

The National Council of Societies for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals said the tariffs would severely impact its ability to rescue animals.

"We do not receive any funds whatsoever from national or local government and exemption from Sanral was denied... [we are] now in a position whereby we shall have no option but to use public funds to pay for our vehicles to be allowed onto freeways as we go to assist animals," it said.

On Monday, National Consumer Commissioner Mamodupi Mohlala said she would look into a complaint by the Democratic Alliance about the punitive rate.


Tuesday 17 April 2012

latest news on e toll- how it effects us all





And the chop suey thickens. Now Sanral have finally started showing their hand. Yes, you don’t HAVE to buy a e tag, you don’t HAVE to register, BUT if you don’t…..you’ll get charged R1.75 /km as apposed, to the 30c/km  you would be charged as an e tag holder.


Giving the proverbial finger to all those planning on taking part in the nationwide boycott?

Just as an example, I decided to get an idea how much the e toll system would cost, I used their onsite calendar using two points I pass each day as my starting and destination points. 
From London Road Off ramp to Gillooleys Interchange
With e tag Approx R87 per month
Without R140

That is a tiny distance  with less then 3 off ramps between the 2 points.

 I can only imagine how staggering the costs would be to those travelling longer distances like Pta to Jhb or from South of Jhb to Sandton.
Not to mention how this will effect  every other aspect of our lives.

Food prices will go up so that the farmers and logistic companies can cover their extra transport costs. Any company that uses the highways for their business will increase the cost of the product or service to cover it.




So what does this mean for us? We’ll be paying more, more for food, more for services, more for petrol and more to get to work. So on the same salary but paying more for essentials we will slowly become poorer.


The rest of the country just shrugs its shoulders, after all, as far as they can see, this is a Gauteng problem right? Wrong, you will all be paying more for everything. The price increases will go across the board and affect the entire country.



Our only hope I feel is that the "people" realize how they have been shafted over the years and finally STOP VOTING ANC!!!!!!!!  I don't care who else you vote for, just NOT ANC!!!!!!!! All they have done is take away all the peoples money and given it to the politicians. We starve while they drive luxury cars and live in fancy houses


             Welcome to another Zimbabwe where the politicians thrive and the people suffer. 






how most of South africa lives
How Zuma lives
















Amazing how different the lives of "the people" and their chosen leaders are





zuma safe and sound in decedent luxury










Thursday 12 April 2012

Latest news on e toll



It's getting to crunch time and it looks like the government and Sanral will win this war. For all it seemed this would be the mark of a great nation saying "no we will not take it anymore" to a corrupt government, it looks now like the ANC will get their way with yet another way to ensure that politicians get richer and the rest of us get poorer. Despite numerous talks by numerous groups, only one real protest has been organized, and the government shrugged its shoulders and said "who cares what you think"







http://www.citizen.co.za/citizen/content/en/citizen/local-news?oid=270847&sn=Detail&pid=146826&%E2%80%98Tolling-will-be-stopped%E2%80%99


http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/Re-registration-for-Gauteng-tolls-DA-20120411


http://www.fin24.com/Economy/Sanral-revises-e-toll-terms-20120411

http://www.timeslive.co.za/local/2012/04/12/sanral-promises-to-allay-e-toll-fears


http://www.iol.co.za/business/business-news/sanral-e-toll-impounding-not-true-1.1271351





So now we can only hope that the nationwide plan to boycott the system by refusing to buy e tags or pay the fines will work in shutting down the entire money making scheme.




                                                                   Are you in?


e toll protest


Hoax or Legit? I haven't been able to figure it out yet, but if it's real its going to be big.





A MASS SHUTDOWN OF THE GAUTENG FREEWAYS IS HAPPENING ON WEDNESDAY 25TH APRIL 2012. LARGE TRUCKING AND LOGISTICS COMPANIES ARE PLANNING TO BLOCK OFF ALL MAJOR INTERSECTIONS AROUND GAUTENG. BOTH DIRECTIONS WILL BE AFFECTED. THE COMPANIES' AIM IS TO SHUT DOWN GAUTENG FOR THE DAY, THUS CREATING HOURS OF TRAFFIC BACKLOGS AND BILLIONS OF RANDS IN LOSSES. THIS, THEY HOPE, WILL SHOW THE GOVERNMENT THAT THEY CANNOT JUST DO WHAT THEY LIKE AND THAT THE TRUE POWER OF THIS COUNTRY DOES NOT LIE IN THEIR HANDS.


PLEASE STAY OFF THE HIGHWAYS ON THIS DAY OR BE PREPAIRED TO SIT IN TRAFFIC THE WHOLE DAY...


THE MAJOR INTERSECTIONS THAT WILL BE AFFECTED ARE:
FLYING SAUCER - PTA (N1/R21)
BRAKFONTEIN - PTA (N1/N14)
PROEFPLAAS - PTA (N1/N4)
GILLOOLYS - EAST RAND (N3/N12)
RIETFONTEIN - EAST RAND (N12/R21)
AIRPORT - EAST RAND (R21/R24
BUCCLEUCH - JHB (N3/N1)
READING - JHB (N12/R59)
ELAND - JHB (N12/N17/N3)
CROWN - JHB (M1/M2)
GELDENHUYS - JHB (N3/M2)











how a trucker strike in Italy shutdown the freeways

Thursday 5 April 2012

Easter traffic



Wishing everyone a safe and happy Easter. If you are travelling anywhere please be careful.








The traffic is insane,


the roadblocks are EVERYWHERE







so make sure you've got "padkos" and some cool company or good music. Don't stress and just enjoy your holiday




Happy easter, happy travelling and happy hunting for the kiddies. Here are some articles for advice for anyone travelling this easter


http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/Arrive-Alive-in-Polokwane-20120403

http://www.iol.co.za/the-star/traffic-police-set-to-keep-drivers-on-the-hop-this-easter-1.1269968

http://www.zululandobserver.co.za/Pages/f12story7.html

Wednesday 4 April 2012

How to save fuel in your car





With fuel prices increasing so dramatically, everyone wants to know how they can save fuel. There are many gimmicks and gadgets available on the market, promising to save fuel but do they REALLY work?












MIRACLE MAGNETS , VORTEX GENERATORS , ENGINE IONIZER , VAPOR INJECTORS , and WATER INJECTION 







http://saveonfuel.co.za/        http://fuel-saver.co.za/    http://www.savepetrol.com/   http://www.super-fuelsaver.com/

Popular Mechanics tested some of these miracle gadgets and found that they have no positive effect on fuel economy, in fact some of them increased fuel usage and DECREASED power output

http://www.speednsound.co.za/forum/viewtopic.php?t=33404



So what can you do to save fuel?

Well your first step would be to purchase a vehicle with good fuel economy, if you don't already own one. Diesel vehicles are still a good option even when the diesel price is high as they consume less per km

Once you've got a car that is light on fuel, what else can you do?

 Its quite simple actually, drive in a civilized and gentle manner.


  • Follow the speed limit 
  • don't accelerate abruptly
  • don't break harshly
  • keep your tyre pressures correct
  • keep your vehicle well maintained and serviced regularly
  • change your oil regularly 
  • always drive in the highest gear possible for the speed you are doing
  • don't carry heavy, unnecessary good in your boot
  • don't over rev your car.
  • Change gears quickly and smoothly


Here are some great articles I found on the subject

http://www.news24.com/MyNews24/How-to-Save-Petrol-and-make-Money-20120403

http://www.autozone.co.za/fuel-efficiency.html

http://forum.cars.co.za/forums/58-Fuel-economy-Eco-tips

Do you know anyone who has tried the gimmicks?
Or do you know any other ways to save fuel?

Let me know by commenting on this blog


Monday 2 April 2012

Changing tyres

So this weekend I changed my Opel Corsa Utility's  wheels from low profile 17" to standard "high profile" tyres.





to







I knew I would feel some difference but was not expecting such a huge difference. I am absolutely amazed. After changing back I will never understand why some people prefer low profiles. Everything is better. The ride comfort, the handling, the power.

When I first purchased my Opel Corsa utility D, I thought it was just a very uncomfortable, hard ride. I thought maybe that was just the way with bakkies.

I also thought it was the noisiest car I had ever driven and the vibrations were intense. Every time I rode over a pebble I felt like the princess and the pea.

Surely this is what wagons felt like back in the days before rubber.


And now, oh wow, I feel like I'm driving on marshmallows she's so soft and smooth. My steering feels electric in comparison to before. Turning is easy, parking is easy, everything is just better.




Why on earth would people CHOOSE low profile, isn't that like devolving? To me its like going back to the wagon.