South Africa’s only legitimate fuel economy contest will be joined by a brand new team in 2011. Suzuki Auto South Africa has announced that it will support two factory-entered cars in the annual Total Economy Run.
The company will field a latest-generation Suzuki Swift 1.4 GLS and a Suzuki Alto 1.0 GLS in the Economy Run, with the objective of proving the exceptional fuel efficiency the two hatchbacks are capable of.
“Suzuki has always enjoyed a reputation for producing passenger cars that are fuel efficient – an aspect that has become increasingly important as rising fuel costs impact on the overall cost of ownership,” says Kazuyuki Yamashita, managing director of Suzuki Auto SA.
“We believe that the Total Economy Run provides the perfect platform to showcase just how economical our new Swift and Alto hatchbacks can be in real-world driving conditions.”
The Alto will be crewed by experienced Economy Run specialists Willie Nel and navigator Willem Nel, while the Swift will be in the equally capable hands of Ben and Isébel van der Westhuizen.
Both teams have an established motorsport and Economy Run track record. Nel will be competing in his 35th Economy Run, and is arguably the most successful competitor in the history of the event, with no less than 11 overall and 26 class victories to his credit.
The Van der Westhuizen husband and wife team can also boast extensive experience in the Total Economy Run. Ben has been a regular competitor since 1978, while the couple have competed together since 1987, with several class wins to their credit.
The latest-generation Suzuki Swift was launched locally earlier this year, and is propelled by a 1 372 cc four-cylinder engine featuring 16 valves and multipoint electronic fuel injection.
The rated power and torque maximums come to 70kW at 6 000 rpm and 130Nm at 4 000rpm respectively. The claimed combined fuel consumption figure is just 5.5 litres/100 km, with a CO2 emissions rating of 132 g/km.
The sub-compact Suzuki Alto is powered by a compact 997 cc three-cylinder engine. It produces 50kW of maximum power at 6 000 rpm, linked to a torque peak of 87Nm at 4 500 rpm.
The combined fuel consumption figure is 5.7 l/100 km, with a CO2 emissions figure of 133 g/km.
The highly competitive Total Economy Run is a full-blown motorsport event that tests the fuel efficiency of standard production cars in different classes in real-world conditions on a representative selection of South African tar roads.
The 2011 event will be run in the Thaba ‘Nchu area from 29 to 31 July, with the start and finish at the Black Mountain Resort. Participating crews will cover a total distance of 1 109 km during the two-day event.
STORY BY SUZUKI
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