Is winning a race about the car make?
Apr 24, 2008
THEY are obscenely expensive, mean-looking, fast and sleek and will be zooming past you at lightning speed at this weekend’s Pearl of Africa Uganda Rally.
By Jude Katende
THEY are obscenely expensive, mean-looking, fast and sleek and will be zooming past you at lightning speed at this weekend’s Pearl of Africa Uganda Rally.
The Lubiri sprint is one of the best circuit points in rallying in Uganda. It also has the advantage of being close to the city. News that Emma Katto of the EMKA rally team had ferried in a new car hit town recently and as expected,it sent tongues wagging.
So it was not a surprise when fans speculated that Katto’s 2007 Subaru N14, the second of its kind in Africa, was likely to take the upper hand: “They are finished! He is going to show them more fire than he did with his previous Subarus and Celicas,†Musa Ssekitoleko, an avid rally fan says.
Rally driver and competitor, Ronald Ssebuguzi, said he was not intimidated by the car. He argued that Katto would first have to adapt to the car, which would take him some time. It is one thing to have a good machine and another to have the skill.
Fans have seen many foreign drivers with cars that cost a fortune, but have been beaten by local drivers such as Ponsiano Lwakataka, whose cars are ordinary. In the 2006 edition of the Pearl of Africa Rally, some foreign drivers wondered what was magical about Lwakataka’s Subaru N4 after he trounced them.
What they forgot was that it was the Masaka fish trader’s antics and skill coupled with good speed that saw him to victory. Katto is expected to provide such thrills, but he rarely completes an event, good as he is.
New cars
In making the VW Polo Super 2000 and Toyota’s RunX 2000, manufacturers sought to create something cheaper, but equally strong as the big machines. But these Polos are not necessarily cheap. According to Wikipedia, Super 2000, also known as S2000, is an Federation of International Autosport (FIA) specification and classification for production-based race cars.
The specification covers both rally and touring car racing. Super 2000 rally cars are also permitted to compete in Production World Rally Championship events alongside Group N cars. The goal of the Super 2000 classification is to allow more manufacturers and privateers to race by reducing the cost of a competitive car.
Toyota South Africa Motor Sport was the first manufacturer in the world to enter and win a rally under the FIA’s then new Super 2000 regulations in 2005.
Serge Damseaux and co-driver, Robert Paisley won the Class S2000. The Toyota S2000 rally car, based on the RunX platform, was developed by Toyota Motor Sport in South Africa due to the fact that the parent company is currently not involved in the World Rally Championship, with its extensive involvement in the Formula One.
The VW Polo S2000 was built and developed by VW Racing South Africa. According to rallytrading.com, the Spanish press acclaimed it as “The King of Africa†on its maiden European Rally victory.
It regularly dominated over the local Toyota Corollas, Subaru STi’s and Evo Lancers in South African local rallies. The 2007 South African Rally Champion, Jannie Habig, drove one to win the championship.
Katto’s N14 is the newest on the scene and is estimated to have cost him $100,000 (sh170m).
Most of the Subaru Imprezas on the local scene are the N4 type, which were street cars, but designed for rally racing.
Though old, they can do a good job as the relatively newer N8s, N10s and N12s.
According to the FMU website, the event organisers, there will be 10 competitive sections, the longest will be 38km and the shortest 8km.
THEY are obscenely expensive, mean-looking, fast and sleek and will be zooming past you at lightning speed at this weekend’s Pearl of Africa Uganda Rally.
The Lubiri sprint is one of the best circuit points in rallying in Uganda. It also has the advantage of being close to the city. News that Emma Katto of the EMKA rally team had ferried in a new car hit town recently and as expected,it sent tongues wagging.
So it was not a surprise when fans speculated that Katto’s 2007 Subaru N14, the second of its kind in Africa, was likely to take the upper hand: “They are finished! He is going to show them more fire than he did with his previous Subarus and Celicas,†Musa Ssekitoleko, an avid rally fan says.
Rally driver and competitor, Ronald Ssebuguzi, said he was not intimidated by the car. He argued that Katto would first have to adapt to the car, which would take him some time. It is one thing to have a good machine and another to have the skill.
Fans have seen many foreign drivers with cars that cost a fortune, but have been beaten by local drivers such as Ponsiano Lwakataka, whose cars are ordinary. In the 2006 edition of the Pearl of Africa Rally, some foreign drivers wondered what was magical about Lwakataka’s Subaru N4 after he trounced them.
What they forgot was that it was the Masaka fish trader’s antics and skill coupled with good speed that saw him to victory. Katto is expected to provide such thrills, but he rarely completes an event, good as he is.
New cars
In making the VW Polo Super 2000 and Toyota’s RunX 2000, manufacturers sought to create something cheaper, but equally strong as the big machines. But these Polos are not necessarily cheap. According to Wikipedia, Super 2000, also known as S2000, is an Federation of International Autosport (FIA) specification and classification for production-based race cars.
The specification covers both rally and touring car racing. Super 2000 rally cars are also permitted to compete in Production World Rally Championship events alongside Group N cars. The goal of the Super 2000 classification is to allow more manufacturers and privateers to race by reducing the cost of a competitive car.
Toyota South Africa Motor Sport was the first manufacturer in the world to enter and win a rally under the FIA’s then new Super 2000 regulations in 2005.
Serge Damseaux and co-driver, Robert Paisley won the Class S2000. The Toyota S2000 rally car, based on the RunX platform, was developed by Toyota Motor Sport in South Africa due to the fact that the parent company is currently not involved in the World Rally Championship, with its extensive involvement in the Formula One.
The VW Polo S2000 was built and developed by VW Racing South Africa. According to rallytrading.com, the Spanish press acclaimed it as “The King of Africa†on its maiden European Rally victory.
It regularly dominated over the local Toyota Corollas, Subaru STi’s and Evo Lancers in South African local rallies. The 2007 South African Rally Champion, Jannie Habig, drove one to win the championship.
Katto’s N14 is the newest on the scene and is estimated to have cost him $100,000 (sh170m).
Most of the Subaru Imprezas on the local scene are the N4 type, which were street cars, but designed for rally racing.
Though old, they can do a good job as the relatively newer N8s, N10s and N12s.
According to the FMU website, the event organisers, there will be 10 competitive sections, the longest will be 38km and the shortest 8km.