Long weekends are the perfect time for adventures and the Suzuki 4×4 Club WP took advantage of a recent long weekend to tackle some 4×4 challenges at Skurweberg as well as do some star gazing in Sutherland.  Richard Poulter from the Suzuki 4×4 Club WP shares their exciting experiences with us.

“After setting off via Wellington and Bains Kloof Pass the first port of call was the Tolhuis Bistro on the Mitchell’s pass just before Ceres.  Over a great cup of coffee we had an interesting talk by the owner, who advised us that amongst other historical facts the premises are haunted by a Victorian era lady ghost. A most interesting and hospitable venue.

After filling up in Ceres we were on our way along gravel roads deep into the Karoo.  A strange round structure called a Bossieskerem was one of our stops. This is a round structure with walls made from the surrounding veld bushes and was a sort of primitive B&B for the original trekkers on their way between Ceres and Sutherland and back.

There is a braai inside with log seats where religious and non-religious activities took place. It all worked on a trust system and payments were left behind inside for the use of the structure for the night.

We then made our way up to the Skurweberg guest farm run by Witjan and Elsa who provided our group with a delicious supper of their own wors, home grown salads and home-made bread. Delicious, particularly after a long day’s drive. We then hotfooted it back to Sutherland for an interesting stargazing experience where we were privileged, amongst other sightings, to see a shooting star explode right above us in the crystal clear atmosphere. According to our host Jurg, it is a rare occurrence to see one so close and so spectacularly. He told us the last one was on the day that Nelson Mandela passed away!

We were lucky with our stargazing time as later we experienced a full moon and clouds, not the best conditions for looking through a telescope at the stars and planets light-years away.  The night proved to be rather cold and at 8am the next morning it was only 3 degrees Celsius.

Next morning our host Witjan arrived to guide us through the Skurweberg 4×4 trail which starts nice and easy and gets progressively more challenging.  Witjan’s farm is situated right on top of a massive escarpment with amazing views of the Tankwa Karoo and Cederberg mountains.

We descended the mountain via a rather hair-raising and incredibly steep downhill track, it was too steep to even walk down. My GPS measured 1625 m altitude at the top and 650 at the bottom after about a 4km drive. That is about a 1km drop in 4kms!   It was so steep that Charles in his SJ410 with non-power assisted brakes actually quite badly strained his foot and leg trying to maximise his braking, even in 1st gear low range.

We all succeeded and I must congratulate the more novice drivers amongst us.  It certainly was a challenging route and well worth doing. We stopped at Witjan’s Winteroord farmhouse for lunch, where they escape to in wintertime from the biting cold of their 1600m+ altitude main farmhouse. Here Witjan provided us with yet more delicious boerewors rolls in another mini Bossieskerem outside the farmhouse.

We made our way back to our accommodation via the rocky and seemingly endless uphill Ouberg pass. It’s hard to believe that the Trans Karoo MTB cycle race goes up there. It was hard work in a Jimny, never mind on a bicycle!

Dinner was again provided by Witjan and Elsa consisting of the most delicious spit roast lamb. There is something very special about Karoo lamb and one cooked over a wood fire in a lapa has to be the very best ever. Thank you Witjan and Elsa, you really spoiled us.

Next day our Portuguese chef, Eddie, prepared an enormous fry-up for breakfast in his extra-large fry pan. A rough list of ingredients included chorizo sausage, loads of bacon, onions, tomatoes, peppers, tinned mussels, baked beans, all held together by dozens of eggs. Delicious yet again (by now you will get the impression that we certainly weren’t exactly starved during our time there!).

After breakfast we left to re-fuel in Sutherland but discovered the only service station in town is open on a Sunday from 11.30 am to 12 noon! Luckily an SAPS van stopped and told us that the owner lives across the road and he was called out to serve a large queue of somewhat desperate vehicle owners, albeit with a mandatory penalty fee!

Home was via the Komsberg pass and from there via the rather busy N1.

Another wonderful weekend away.”

See their adventure

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In June the Suzukings will be competing in the 6 000 km Put Foot Rally 2014 through Southern Africa to raise money for this worthwhile charity.  Have a look at all the details and if possible support them with some sponsorship.  From everyone at Suzuki Auto South Africa to the Suzukings (and Sini Suzuki) – good luck with your adventure!

The Put Foot Rally is a social adventure with a strong charity focus to raise funds for The Put Foot Foundation – the charity organisation responsible for the acquisition and distribution of new school shoes to needy schools throughout Southern Africa.

On the 14^th of June, the five crew members, including Sini Suzuki, will be making their way to Cape Town to complete their registration for the rally and attend the briefing at Weltevreden Wine Estate in Stellenbosch.

The start-line on the 17^th of June will see 60 teams start their adventure of over 6 000km in 18 days. The 17^th of June is also National Barefoot Day, where all South Africans are encouraged to go to work barefoot to highlight the plight of millions of underprivileged children who live every day without shoes. Needless to say, the SuzuKings and the other Put Foot Rally teams will attend the first shoe drop in Khayalitsha barefoot.

All the teams will then travel through the west and northern coasts of South Africa, through Namibia – including the Caprivi Strip, across Zambia and into Malawi on their own accord, as long they arrive at the predetermined checkpoints on time. The return route has yet to be confirmed, with many teams contemplating the return to South Africa via Mozambique while others want to make a beeline to South Africa through Zimbabwe.

There are three shoe drop events during the 2014 Put Foot Rally – first in Khayalitsha, South Africa, secondly in Etosha, Namibia and lastly at the Zambezi Waterfront, Zambia.

With the entry fee sponsored by Suzuki Bramley, Team SuzuKings is now getting their final sponsors and donations sorted for the 4^th annual rally.  All proceeds donated to the SuzuKings, will directly benefit the Put Foot Foundation. Please consider donating to the Put Foot Foundation by clicking on the link below: Any amount will be much appreciated.

http://www.givengain.com/activist/96110/projects/7103/

Good luck to the team and we look forward to sharing some tales of your adventures when you return!

For more information regarding the Suzukings Put Foot Rally team and the Put Foot Rally visit the pages below.

Facebook page

Suzukings interview with Riaan Cruywagen

www.putfootrally.com and www.nationalbarefootday.co.za

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“Man is, at one and the same time, a solitary being and a social being”, says Albert Einstein.  Pondering this thought tends to make you recall those peaceful moments of solitude that you have enjoyed and those great memories of togetherness with family and friends that you have experienced.  With your Suzuki you are able to achieve both – space and comfort to get around to all the events and people you love, as well as access to places of quiet and solitude – all in your favourite Suzuki. 

This month has really being about togetherness for the Suzuki family.  Not only have Suzuki motorcycles and Suzuki Marine joined together with Suzuki Auto South Africa under one umbrella but the various Suzuki clubs and dealers have also spent time together tackling a number of adventures.  The Swift Speed Club enjoyed a breakfast run out to Hartebeespoort, Suzuki Pinetown organised a great day of 4×4 training and the Suzuki 4×4 GP Autoclub hosted the Bridgestone Club Challenge north of Pretoria.  We wish all attending the Suzuki Weekend Away in Mpumalanga from 1-4 May a great time together and look forward to all the stories you will be able to share on your return.

As we enjoy the autumn colours and head towards the cooler weather this coming month we hope you get the chance to take some time for moments of both solitude and togetherness.

Safe driving until next time.

This month we were pleased to announce an exciting new era for Suzuki South Africa as Suzuki Auto, Motorcycle and Marine come together under the one umbrella of Suzuki Auto South Africa.  Watch this space to see how together the Suzuki Way of Life and the spirit of Suzuki will continue to grow!

Read more about the merge here.

The misty hills of the Magaliesburg was the setting for the launch of the class leading SX4.

On arrival at L’Atmosphere, a quaint wedding venue tucked among the trees in the Broederstroom valley, guests enjoyed breakfast, a business presentation and the reveal of the all new SX4. Ninja warriors started the dramatic reveal, and the SX4 was exposed parked upon a pond of smoky water!

Watch the reveal here

Taking to the road, to experience the capabilities of the SX4 both on and off-road, hungry journalists were hosted to lunch before completing the route back to L’Atmosphere for cocktails and snacks.

For more on the launch, click here

Suzuki owners love their Suzukis!  This sentiment is truly captured by the passionate members of the Swift Speed Club who celebrated its fourth birthday earlier this month.  So we would like to take some time this month to congratulate them on this milestone and share one of their recent adventures with you.

On Sunday the 2^nd of March, no less than 23 cars turned up to join the Swift Speed Club on a breakfast run from Randburg to Hartbeespoort. A total of 16 uniquely modified Suzuki Swifts represented the club in full force, while seven other vehicles joined the run. McDonalds in Northgate, Randburg was the meeting point and all 23 cars departed at 07h30 – a real achievement for the young and spirited Swift Speed socialites. Breakfast was served at The Windmill, Hartbeespoort and Max My Ride Magazine was there to cover the event.

Get more info in the April issue of Max My Ride Magazine.

View the gallery here

Photography by Justin Bekker Photography.

Last month the Suzuki 4×4 GP Club hosted the Bridgestone Club Challenge at Rust de Winter north of Pretoria.  Well done to all the participants and to the club on a well organised, fun filled and challenging day.  We look forward to seeing Suzuki perform their magic in the Bridgestone finals at the end of the year!  For all the details from the day – as well as the preparation of the event – have a look at the story by Jan van Heerden from their club newsletter – and why not join them at their next event.

CLUB NEWSLETTER                                

BRIDGESTONE SUZUKI CLUB CHALLENGE

RUST DE WINTER – 29 MARCH 2014

This year the Suzuki Challenge was held at the Rust de Winter 4×4 track about 100 km north of Pretoria.  The competition was open to all makes of vehicle and we had 35 entries which is excellent.  There were mostly Jimnys with a scattering of Vitaras and Jeeps, a  Gelandwagen and a Nissan Sani.  There were about 120 souls all in all, 70 drivers and navigators, 20 marshals, 10 from the sponsors and another 20 family and friends.

The competitors had to negotiate 10 obstacles with gates.  A competitor started an obstacle with 100 points.  Points were deducted for mistakes, minus 25 for touching a pole, minus 5 for a stop and minus 5 for reversing.  Environmental points were also awarded.  Here the marshals looked at driving over sensitive areas and excessive spinning.

The top three Suzuki teams go through to the Bridgestone finals at the end of the year.  Ten teams will take part in the finals which promises to be a bumper affair!

The Campsite at Rust de Winter

The course builders arrived on the Tuesday before the event.  The 4×4 track is about 1 km from the campsite as the crow flies and you had to cross the Elands river to reach the obstacles which they call the Gymkana Grounds.  (I did not see any horses!)

Crossing the river was an obstacle by itself.  It was flowing strongly because of the recent rains and Henry walked it before we crossed.  Louis, the camp manager, warned us about 2m crocs in the river.  So, Henry was understandably edgy when he waded in to test the depth and strength of the flow.

There are many obstacles to choose from.  Some are easy, while others are too difficult for a competition.  We selected and tested ten obstacles on the Tuesday keeping in mind the flow of cars and parking space.  Thirst drove us back to the camp by late afternoon.

Monty arrived on Wednesday morning with a trailer full of obstacle building stuff.  Droppers, poles, banners and what have you.  Obstacle building started in earnest.

Monty, Raymond and Henry doing their thing.   (What was I doing?  Supervising of course)

Wednesday and Thursday were spent building, testing and refining the obstacles.  The marshals and many of the competitors started to arrive on Thursday afternoon and the campsite got really busy.

 Some of the disreputable characters.

On Friday morning Monty took the Chief Marshal, Mike Cliff, to inspect the obstacles and make any changes.  They also erected obstacle numbers, route markers and banners.

Saturday morning dawned with the promise of a beautiful and hot day.  Drivers’ briefing was at 07:00 so there was no late sleeping for those who indulged a bit the night before.  Driver registration was next where each driver received a unique number and was told which obstacle to go to.  The obstacles were divided into three groups.  Driver no 1 went to Obstacle 1 first.  Driver no 2 went to Obstacle 5, Driver no 3 to Obstacle 8, etc.

Driver registration

Next in line was vehicle scrutiny where they checked for recovery gear, first aid kit, fire extinguisher, driver’s license and water.  They also peeked under the hood to make sure your engine was not about to fall out.  Sponsor stickers were handed out.  Then it was off to the course.

Obstacle no 1 was a tester to start off with.  It was narrow and snaking with difficult axle twisters.  The poles were positioned in strategic places which made it very challenging, especially for bigger vehicles.  The Jimny’s did well here.

Next up was an obstacle with a very tight left turn almost immediately after the entrance.  Most competitors did not make the turn and had to reverse which carried a 10 point penalty.

In the Hot Cross Bun you had to start on a steep paved incline and could not build up momentum.  This proved to be too difficult and the start was moved back about half a car length.

The Mud Bath was a lot of fun.  It had the shape of a semi circle.  There were five gates and the further you progressed the more points you got.  The 1^st gate was worth 20 points, the 2^nd 40 points, etc.  Initially everybody got stuck and had to be towed out.  As the day wore on the mud dried out and the going got easier.

The Walkies obstacle was something different.  You put your car in 1^st gear low range.  Then you had to get out and steer it through the obstacle while walking next to it.

Another tough obstacle was the paved axle twister.  The twists were quite severe and the gates were tight.  There was much wheel spinning, banging and scraping.  Thanks heaven for under body protection!

The flow of cars between obstacles went pretty well.  Bottlenecks did form at some obstacles, but the marshals quickly sorted that out by redirecting competitors to other obstacles.  Mike Cliff and his team of marshals did a sterling job and we thank them for it.

We went back to the camp at about 12:30 for a welcome burger and coke prepared by hardworking club members.  At R10 that was a bargain.  Thanks to Thomas van den Berg for supplying the eats and drinks. We would also like to thank Beverly Grieve and her team for building the burgers.

By 13:30 the last competitors completed the course.  Everybody gathered at the lapa for prize giving which started just before 15:00.

Ivan and Andries was first in Chilli-Pip

Second went to Raymond and Anel in Zuk-Zilla

Danie and Wilna in Mongoose came third.

The team from Suzuki Boksburg, JJ and Eric, walked away with the environmental prize in their beautifully prepared Jimny.   Build by Wizerd from SDE 011 892 5498

Congratulations to everybody.  I am sure Ivan, Raymond and Danie will do us proud at the Bridgestone finals at the end of the year.

At the end of the day the feedback from the competitors were very positive.  Words like well-run, fair, interesting, tough, we-will-be-back were heard.  Everybody was in agreement, it was one big jolly event!

For that we have to thank our sponsors:

A special thanks to Bridgestone and welcome to the new “Big Chief Organiser”, Guthrie Blaine.

As usual, thanks to Grant for sponsoring our printing.

Grant Esterhuyse 082 802 3300

Of course, none of this would have happened without the hard work and dedication of our Chairman Monty.  Poor Monty was so stressed out he had five nervous breakdowns!  Thanks Monty and the other club members that made this possible.

Photos and videos

Photos can be viewed on our site www.suzukiautoclub.co.za under Gallery and on Facebook.   Follow the link on the website to Dropbox to view videos.

Newsletter by janvanheerden@mymtnmail.co.za

It is always great to receive a fantastic compliment and this month we would like to congratulate Clive van Kerkhoven and his team at Bramley for their outstanding representation of the Suzuki family as well as the Suzuki brand.  Thanks also to Wouter Erasmus, another satisfied customer for sharing his positive experience with us.  As Clive from Bramley says – “Good feedback is like food that helps us grow.”

Hi Clive ,

Hope you are doing well.

As you know I was very impressed by your team when purchasing my Grand Vitara. Your personal touch to the sale was most welcoming and left me with a sense that your team is motivated to putting the client and the client experience at the highest level. My Mother also purchased a Swift through your team and I had the pleasure of booking both these cars for services over the last month.

This is my mail to tell you about my experience.

I was late on the morning that I booked in the Swift for its service. Greg Read was very professional and polite in every conversation I had with him. It seemed that my being late was no issue at all. It was quite strange as ALL the other motor manufacturers that I have booked cars in for a service at have been annoyed when you book your car in late. Now I’m expecting them to finish late with the car and to tell me I can only collect it the next morning.  I asked Greg and his answer was “I’ll give you a call at around 14:30”. Yes, I had heard this before so we can expect a call never and I will have to follow up.  Well, how wrong was I.

14:32 I get a call from Greg asking if they need to assist me with transport to the dealership as the vehicle is ready for collection. Got there and as before got offered a cup of coffee whilst they bring my car around. The Swift? PERFECT!!!

Then I booked my own car for a service and again I was left amazed. How do you do this? It is simply more than I ever expected or have experienced before. Again my vehicle was ready when they said it would be. Greg pointing out everything they did on the car and answered every question I could throw at him. I must add that my car looked and felt as good as new – like the first day I drove it off the floor at your dealership.

Clive I said it at the purchase of my Vitara and I say it again. You have a winning team and I will always support your team. You put your clients first and we can see it and feel it when we drive out with the smile on our faces. I am actually looking forward to the next service and to my next purchase from your team and I could never say this before. This made me think of the previous vehicles I owned (non Suzuki’s) and how I only felt important until I had signed on the dotted line. Here, with your team, I walk into the dealership and it feels like I’m visiting a close friend or relative. I feel like I matter and am not just like a number.

I leave you with this comment :

I WILL RENT A SUZUKI TO HAVE IT SERVICED AT SUZUKI BRAMLEY

Thank you for assembling a magical team

Best Regards

Wouter Erasmus