The Challenge:
Team Total’s four crews competed in the 35th edition of the Total Economy Run this past weekend. With 50 crews from 18 manufacturers all vying for top honours in their categories, South Africa’s largest privateer rally team was undaunted by the test. This year’s overall petrol category victory was a shock surprise for all competitors, and Team Total was at the centre of the action. Robbie Coetzee and Craig Trott snatched the overall petrol category honours in this motorsport event.
The route of 1109km over the two days of competition in and around Thaba ‘Nchu in the Free State saw Team Total’s four crews entering this event with no previous experience of the technical nature, the strategising and the navigating required for this. Of course, Team Total also had to curb their enthusiasm when it came to the use of the accelerator pedal in order to be in the running for the cup in the Total Economy Run 2011.
Adding to the complexity of the contest, Team Total’s sponsor further tested the crews: the team’s rally drivers and co-drivers swapped roles for this event, meaning that co-drivers were now in control of the steering wheel and the regular rally drivers were to read the route notes and plot their speed.
The Total Economy Run is the only legitimate and unbiased measure of fuel efficiency for passenger vehicles in South Africa. In the red-hot heat of a battle for podium in the South African Rally Championship demands not fuel efficiency as a determining factor for victory but rather performance and speed. To drive slowly, with the rally crews’ roles swapped and no gravel roads to attack, Team Total readily accepted the dare to prove their adaptability to the very different form of rallying and to optimize the performance and fuel efficiency of their vehicles.
The Crews:
Currently leading Class S1600 and the Junior National Rally Championship, Robbie Coetzee and Craig Trott steered their Toyota Aygo to victory in their Class and also to claim the overall petrol category honours with a fuel consumption of 5.191 litres/100km. Coetzee, in his first Motorsport South Africa-sanctioned event as a driver, was thrilled at the announcement of his win. It was undoubtedly a team effort, as navigators play a large role in the car.
“It is unbelievable to win this great event; it is my first motorsport event as a driver, and I won,” said Robbie Coetzee. He continued with a chuckle: “I think this is a good move from Team Total, and something for them to consider for the future as the team will be saving on tyres and fuel.”
In a similar Toyota Aygo and finished third overall in the petrol category, Angela Shields and Stefanie Botha were thrilled with their podium result. It was a close battle for the top positions it turns out, with the top three crews separated by just 2.3 litres as their Toyota Aygo consumed just 5.371 litres/100km.
A healthy competition grew amongst the Team Total crews, with Carolyn Swan and Jean-Pierre Damseaux finishing eighth overall in the petrol category in a Nissan Micra 1.2 with a fuel consumption of just 5.841 litres/100km.
Grant Martin and Mohammed Moosa competed in a BMW 125i Covertible, and recorded a Class victory and finished 30th overall in the petrol category with a fuel consumption of 8.376 litres/100km.
As with the Total Evolution fuels used by the rally team on this event and in their high-performance rally machines, Team Total has proven its performance and efficiency to their rivals in 2011.
The Next Event:
Team Total will be in action on the Garden Route Rally on 26 – 27 August, in the Western Cape. Round Six of the eight-event series will take place in and around Knysna and George, with the stages set in the surrounding forests to make this an event not to be missed.
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