The Nissan Leaf

It was a Wednesday night and I was driving home when I looked at my fuel gauge to see that I was running low. I had 13 kilometres left, according to the trip computer, and the dashboard had lit up to tell me to fill up. It was late, 10pm, and I had to find a place to fill up quickly.

To the average motorist, this has happened many times. You simply pull in to the nearest service station and ask the attendant to fill up your car with petrol. But this was no ordinary car, this was the ALL ELECTRIC NISSAN LEAF EV.

Pretty, isn't it? 

It's bigger than it looks in the picture. The Leaf will easily take 5 adults and their luggage in a massive boot. The handling is amazing with the centre of gravity really low due to the batteries underneath the chassis.

See that cable running from the little tower into the car? That's the quick charger. It will charge your car from 3% to 90% in about 40 minutes. That is what I needed at 10pm on that fateful Wednesday night. 

Currently, there are a limited number of quick charging stations in South Africa. Luckily for me, there are two within 10km of my home and I was able to charge at another on that Wednesday night. But let me start from the beginning.....

I was lucky enough to drive the amazing Leaf for three days last week. The car is all electric. There is no backup engine to charge the batteries. While driving, when you coast to a stop and apply the brakes, there is a charging action that extends the life of the batteries. The drive is eerily quiet with no engine noise whats so ever. This does mean that you have to keep a careful eye on the spedometre aas the car tends to get up to speed very quickly with 80Kw under the bonnet and what feels like unlimited torque. There are no gears so the car just keeps on going and going until you look down at the split dash and see that you have easily reached 100km/h.

Inside, the car has all the mod cons one would expect. Heated seats and steering wheel. (The streering was a first for me). Climate control, touch screen panel, rear facing camera as well as a beeper so that pedestrians can hear your car coming at low speed because it is so quiet. (You can switch the beeper off if you want.)

Outside, the car is a sleek and aerodynamic. I am not a fan of the lights in font, but they must be there for a reason.

Now the charging.....

Nissan claim a range of 190km on a single charge. I can say that that might me so under perfect conditions and very gentle driving. The temperature must be right, the traffic must be flowing and you must have managed your batteries very well. 

When one buys a Leaf, you are given a charging cable that can plug into a regular South African plug as well as a charging station installed at home. One dealer I spoke to says that the installation of the charging station is included in the hefty price of the vehicle. I asked what happens should you move house and he didn't have an answer for me.

The Leaf will charge overnight, just like a cell-phone and be ready to go the next morning. Should you experience load-shedding, then the handy travel charger can be plugged in anywhere to slowly charge your car. It might actually be a better idea to find a plug at your office and charge the car while it is sitting idle during the day.

The Leaf is not your ONLY car. With the short range, you will not be driving to Cape Town in it. Highway driving sucks the juice out of the batteries too quickly and you will be charging every 50km or so. This is a city car, designed VERY well for the city.

Sadly at almost R500,000 it is a very expensive city car. 

I hope that Nissan make a smaller version of the Leaf that is more affordable. 

Winners of Duke of Edinburgh Cup set for royal treat

The four winners of South Africa’s top amateur annual golf tournament – Tsogo Sun’s Duke of Edinburgh Championship – were revealed after a day of nail-biting play on 20 April on the Rockland and Woodmead courses of the Johannesburg Country Club, winning a once-in-a-lifetime chance to participate in the exclusive Duke of Edinburgh Cup 2015 World Finals in England.

The winners are Mr Mervin Mudaly and Mr Kevin Naidoo from Pietermaritzburg, representing Golden Horse Casino, who won on the Rockland course, and Mr Man Chan and Mr Zhao Jin Chen from Johannesburg North, representing Silverstar Casino, who won on the Woodmead course.

The tournament represents the South African leg of the Duke of Edinburgh Cup, which is played annually in 10 different countries with the aim of raising funds to benefit children and young people in need. Tsogo Sun has been associated with the tournament for more than 10 years and has raised over R8 million for charitable causes over the years.

The much sought-after prize for the winning pair on each course is a golfer’s dream come true. It includes a trip to London, hotel accommodation for five nights from 27 September to 1 October 2015, entry to the 36-hole Duke of Edinburgh Cup World Final which will be held over two days at the Buckinghamshire and Mill Ride Golf clubs near Windsor, an invitation to play at the Royal Household Golf Club at Windsor Great Park and attendance at a royal champagne reception and prize-giving dinner in the state apartments of Windsor Castle where all contestants and their guests will be introduced to a senior member of the British Royal Family who will be in attendance at the dinner.

This year’s tournament was by invitation only, giving Tsogo Sun the opportunity to thank their loyal and supportive card members.

“The Duke of Edinburgh Championship is a highlight on our annual calendar; it is a leading tournament in the country and always provides an exciting day’s play, and it also gives us a wonderful opportunity to raise funds for underprivileged children,” says Noëleen Bruton, Director of Marketing for Tsogo Sun.

This year more than 2 200 children from Grade 1 to Grade 7 from Muzomuhle Primary School, Diepsloot’s oldest and largest school, benefitted from funds raised through the charity-driven golf tournament. On 24 March, Tsogo Sun handed over 2 200 anoraks, 400 pairs of school shoes and 300 school jerseys to help the children cope through the winter months. Tsogo Sun worked in partnership with the school to identify the children’s needs and how to positively impact these children’s school experience.

“We’re delighted to be involved in this highly prestigious event every year and we believe it is a truly memorable experience for all the players – particularly the winners – as well as the worthy beneficiaries of the funds we raised. We heartily congratulate the four worthy winners and wish them an exciting and successful trip to the Duke of Edinburgh Cup finals in September,” says Bruton.

Tsogo Sun’s portfolio includes over 90 hotels and 14 casino and entertainment destinations throughout South Africa, Africa, the Seychelles and Abu Dhabi. The Group operates in all segments of the hotel market from Deluxe to Budget. For further information, visit tsogosun.com.

Ballantine’s Finest Whisky presents the KICK OFF Footballer Of The Season Award nominees

Voting is now open for the KICK OFF Footballer Of The Season Awards presented by Ballantine’s Finest Whisky. The 16 nominees have been identified with voting taking place from 1 April 2015 at www.kickoff.com.

Editor of leading football magazine KICK OFF, Richard Maguire, says: “These 16 footballers are now on the shortlist and will be battling it out to be crowned with the prestigious title as South Africa’s number one footballer of the season.”

He adds: “These players have this season not only proven their worth on the field of play, complemented by their flair and determination, but also with their off the field skills such as leadership, coping under pressure and helping their team to grind out a result. Sportsmanship and of course their behaviour are other major aspects that are taken into consideration.”

Initial voting by the public takes place from 1 April until 13 April 2015, after which a further shortlist of 8 candidates will be announced on 14 April. A final round of public voting to select the Ballantine’s KICK OFF Football Player of the Season will then commence before the awards ceremony on 28 May 2015.

KICK OFF, the continent’s most successful football magazine, partnered up with the world’s second highest selling Scottish whisky, Ballantine’s, in order to honour these outstanding athletes.

Brand manager, Daryl Dixon, explains why Ballantine’s and KICK OFF make a perfect fit for the awards: “Ballantine’s Finest whisky inspires people to have the conviction to stay true. This ethos forms the basis of our global mantra, which is ‘Stay True. Leave an Impression.’ This ties in perfectly with the 16 shortlisted players who have left an impression at their respective clubs over the course of the season and we believe will continue to do so.”

The 16 shortlisted players for the KICK OFF Footballer Of The Season Awards presented by Ballantine’s Finest Whisky, are as follows:
·         Cole Alexander (Polokwane City)

·         Rivaldo Coetzee (Ajax Cape Town)

·         Dean Furman (Doncaster Rovers)

·         Thulani Hlatshwayo (Bidvest Wits)

·         Andile Jali (KV Oostende)

·         Lehlohonolo Majoro (Orlando Pirates)

·         Cuthbert Malajila (Mamelodi Sundowns)

·         Thabo Mnyaname (University of Pretoria)

·         Oupa Manyisa (Orlando Pirates)

·         Mandla Masango (Kaizer Chiefs)

·         Tefu Mashamaite (Kaizer Chiefs)

·         Tsepo Masilela (Kaizer Chiefs)

·         Mulomowandau Mathoho (Kaizer Chiefs)

·         Teko Modise (Mamelodi Sundowns)

·         Thuso Phala (SuperSport United)

·         Dove Wome (SuperSport United)

To vote for your favourite player for the KICK OFF Footballer of the Season Award presented by Ballantine’s Whisky, as well as the Finest Moment of the Season, visit www.kickoff.com. Alternatively you can email forum@kickoff.com (Vote FOTS in the subject line) or send a letter to KICK OFF at PO BOX 16368, Vlaeberg, 8018.

Pretoria’s High Performance Centre partners with Brand ID

The High Performance Centre (HPC) at the University of Pretoria and Brand ID are thrilled to announce a newly formed five year partnership.

Brand ID, a Lifestyle Fashion and Sports Brands distribution business with a family of 25 brands has offered a unique level of partnership to support the high performance culture of the HPC through their global sport brand portfolio.

Says Brand ID‘s CEO Wayne Bebb “we have had a long standing relationship with the HPC and our Speedo brand. We have found them to be a perfect partner and therefore found it opportune to extend the relationship with them further into our broader brand family. Our business prides ourselves on creating unique partnerships between athletic centres of excellence and our business to offer them best in class product to support their achievement goals. It’s a pleasure to engage with the HPC who sees the value in true partnerships”.

The partnership allows the HPC access to the entire Brand ID family of brands with particular focus on Skins, Skilz, Speedo, Mizuno, Canterbury and Brooksfield.

Canterbury needs no introduction and has defined the “world of rugby” as the playground for the brand. Mizuno celebrates its Japanese heritage by providing superior footwear for track, road, trail and field. Speedo positions itself as the number one swimwear brand in the world and produces unrivalled technical product due to its massive investment in research and development. Skilz produces training equipment that acts as a workout partner. By incorporating technology with targeted training to develop athletic enhancement, it encourages optimal workouts and results.  Skins is the number one compression garment in the world offering unrivalled athletic performance and recovery. Brooksfield is a lifestyle brand offering the unique opportunity to also cater for any off field apparel.

Exclusive partnerships of this nature allow for credible endorsement of world class sports brands, demonstrated use of the brand at the HPC and beyond this roll out further shared exciting joint ventures and activations with Brand ID.

Equally excited about this partnership is the CEO of the HPC, Toby Sutcliffe who said that "teaming up with a Company like Brand ID was an easy decision, based on our professional relationship we have built up with Speedo over the past few years. The range of products is a perfect fit with what we are offering our athletes on a daily basis and already our Olympic Gold Medal Rowers, our top athletes, swimmers and triathletes have all reaped the rewards of being associated with some of these exciting, innovative and Lifestyle brands. With the Olympic Games in Rio only just over a year off we are truly excited of what we, with Brand ID and their portfolio of brands, will be able to deliver to our high performance athletes in the lead up to and during the games."

Old Mutual Two Oceans Ultra Marathon to run via Ou Kaapse Weg

After weeks of intense discussions and close collaboration with the City of Cape Town and key stakeholders, it was confirmed that the Old Mutual Two Oceans Ultra Marathon route will run along the detour route of Ou Kaapse Weg.

The recent devastating fires that raged along Cape Town’s Southern Peninsula, caused significant damage to Chapman’s Peak’s fragile vegetation. Since the fire, the section of the pass most affected (between Noordhoek to the top lookout point) has been closed regularly due to high winds and threatening rock falls.

“This is not a decision that was made lightly,” says Carol Vosloo, general manager of the Two Oceans Marathon NPC. “We are responsible for every single runner on Race Day, so all decisions were made with this in mind.”

“We remained hopeful that Chappies would be available to us until the very end. But it became clear that the extent of the damage done to the mountain, coupled with the vulnerability of the mountain pass to weather changes, would hold a significant safety risk for our runners and volunteers.

“It was simply a risk we were not willing to take, and we have always been very clear in our intention to place participants’ safety at the forefront of all planning.”

It isn’t the first time that the Ultra Marathon has run over Ou Kaapse Weg.

“Ou Kaapse Weg as a detour route is not a new concept to us, and our team can now move forward to make the necessary logistical changes to facilitate this change,” Ms Vosloo adds.

This detour route was used for four years between 2000 and 2003, when Chapman’s Peak was originally closed while the tunnels and catchment nets were being constructed.

The Ou Kaapse Weg detour route starts in Main Road, Newlands, and takes runners along the scenic South Peninsula route, through Fish Hoek and into Kommetjie.  But, instead of heading towards Chapman’s Peak, runners will turn towards and over Ou Kaapse Weg, from where they will run along the leafy Spaanschemat River Road. They will then join the Half Marathon route at the Ladies Mile / Parish Road intersection before heading onto Southern Cross Drive to follow the Half Marathon route along Rhodes Drive and the M3 back to UCT.

The distance remains the same.

“Although it is disappointing that the Ultra Marathon will not traverse Chappies, a ‘certain’ race over Ou Kaapse Weg is preferable to one that may be interrupted if routed over Chapman’s Peak Drive,” Ms Vosloo concludes.

Record-breaking R1-million bonus stands

Despite the route change, Old Mutual’s R1-million bonus remains in place, rewarding the winning male and female runners who respectively breaks the 56km Ultra Marathon record.

The men’s record of 3:03:44 was set in 1988 by road running legend Thompson Magawana, while Frith van der Merwe set the women’s record a year later in 1989 when she ran 3:30:36.

This will be the 16th year that Old Mutual sponsors this prestigious road race.

The Old Mutual Two Oceans Ultra and Half Marathons are scheduled to take place on Easter Saturday, 4 April 2015.  Some 27 000 runners are expected to participate in the event that is globally known as the world’s most beautiful marathon.

For more information, visit www.twooceansmarathon.org.za. Runners can also join the online conversation on www.facebook.com/TwoOceansMarathon, @2OceansMarathon on Twitter and Instagram (and by following and using the #OMTOM2015 hashtag).

SA Track Champs showdown attracts track cycling cream

Craig Dutton/Gameplan Media

The Hector Norris Park Cycling Track in Turffontein will play host to the 2015 South African National Track Championships from 7-11 April and the top names in track cycling are expected to be lining up on the Highveld with an eye on a national championship crown and the South African striped jersey at the end of the event.

Central Commissioner for track cycling in Gauteng and member of the organising committee, Angela Scullard, is hoping that the event draws the best in South Africa to Johannesburg and knows that with the best comes intense competition.

“We are expecting to get the best riders in the country at the national championships in two weeks,” Scullard said. “The likes of Nolan Hoffman and Morne van Niekerk as well as Maroesjka Matthee in the ladies and sprinters like Jean Smith will make the event hugely entertaining and will draw in the crowds due to the high level of competition.”

Cycling SA has allowed provinces, teams and clubs to enter for the team events like Team Sprint and Team Pursuit. At the SA Track Championships, riders will be able to qualify for points for major international competitions.

“The Hector Norris Track is a fast track and we are hoping to see some records broken this year. The last time we had the champs there was in 2007 and there were some records broken so if the conditions are right then we should see records tumble,” said Scullard.

“Hosting the event in Johannesburg does bring with it the difference in conditions compared to the rest of the country. The conditions will play a role for a number of the riders that are coming to the Highveld from the coast.”

Tsogo Sun bets on SA’s oldest sprint race

One of South Africa’s top horseracing events and the only sprint event with four Grade 1 races in one day has been given a major boost by virtue of Tsogo Sun adding its name and prestige to the event – the Tsogo Sun Sprint – scheduled to be held on 23 May 2015 at Scottsville Race Course in Pietermaritzburg.

First run in 1962, South Africa’s oldest, biggest and richest sprint event, previously known as the Golden Horse Sprint, is one of the six top race days held annually in South Africa and is this year offering over R3 million in prize money.

“Tsogo Sun has been a partner to the Golden Horse Sprint for 14 years and is now taking its support to a new level by changing the name to the Tsogo Sun Sprint,” says Jacques Booysen, MD of Tsogo Sun, who explains that Tsogo Sun’s Golden Horse Casino holds the enviable position of being the only casino in Africa to be located on a racecourse.

“We’re excited about this new strategic direction that is seeing the group ‘adopt’ key sporting events to the extent of taking on the naming rights to the event. We believe this is a win-win partnership with the City of Pietermaritzburg that will see the Tsogo Sun Sprint being elevated by the opportunity to leverage the Tsogo Sun brand, as well as for the group, which is extending its reach into the thrilling and fast-paced world of horseracing. In fact, this was an opportunity not to be missed as we recognised that changing the name would raise the profile of the casino, the group and the city.”

Last year the group launched its headline sponsorship of the Tsogo Sun Amashova Cycle Challenge in Durban, which heralded a new beginning for both brands. It was the first time that Tsogo Sun embarked on a title sponsorship and it was a clear indication of Tsogo Sun’s belief in the cycle challenge as one that has enormous potential for growth and appeal to its target market.

“The Tsogo Sun Sprint also holds great potential for growth and we trust that our partnership with the City of Pietermaritzburg will give the event the opportunity to expand beyond its sound foundation to one that appeals to a far wider audience among horseracing enthusiasts and entertainment-seekers all over the country,” Booysen adds. The race day will be marketed by Tsogo Sun in nine provinces for the first time, through all Tsogo Sun casinos, on every casino floor and in every hotel room, and on TV and radio.

Graeme Hawkins, Racing Director of Gold Circle Horseracing and Betting, says that the significant investment by Tsogo Sun will give the Tsogo Sun Sprint a much-valued boost in terms of positioning Pietermaritzburg as a horseracing destination in South Africa. “Scottsville is a lovely track steeped in tradition, and we believe this new partnership with Tsogo Sun in a top event on the horseracing calendar will bring the horseracing aficionados flooding in to experience the thrills and highlights of the day. We’re extremely grateful to Tsogo Sun for coming on board and we trust this will be a worthwhile relationship for the group for many years to come,” Hawkins adds.

Tsogo Sun’s partnership with the City of Pietermaritzburg began in 2014 when the City participated in the race for the first time. The city’s objective is to support an event that takes place in the heart of the city and has the potential to bring footfall into Pietermaritzburg. Mayor of Pietermaritzburg, Chris Ndlela, says the City of Pietermaritzburg is delighted to be a part of the Tsogo Sun Sprint. “We believe that this new alignment with the Tsogo Sun brand will add impetus to the event and will help to position Pietermaritzburg more strongly on the South African map and drive tourism in the area.”

The four Grade 1 sprint races – races with a field of the most elite horses from all around South Africa and offering 1 200 metres of speed, power and skill – include the Tsogo Sun Sprint, an ‘open race’ for both fillies and geldings with a top prize of R1 million; the Tsogo Sun Gold Medallion, a race for two-year-old geldings with a prize of R600 000; City of Pietermaritzburg Filly Sprint, for fillies only with a prize of R600 000; the Allan Robertson (founder of the Thoroughbred Breeders Association of SA in 1921) Championship for two-year-old fillies with a prize of R600 000; as well as smaller charity and other races.

Tsogo Sun’s vision is to be the premier entertainment destination in the catchment area where its properties are located. Sizwe Jantjie, Tsogo Sun Marketing Manager, says, “The sponsorship of this race strengthens the group’s position as the place to go for entertainment and for creating great experiences. The Tsogo Sun Sprint will be an exhilarating day of pace and power, great style and African flair, as well as a host of added entertainment options.”