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The Citizen
4 days ago
- Automotive
- The Citizen
Nissan Spirit of Africa shows how competition 4x4-ing should be
The 21st running of the event, and third sponsored by Nissan, came with the added task of restoring the author's take on four-wheel-drive battle events. Annual Spirit of Africa this year saw new the Nissan Navara Pro-4X Warrior being the vehicle of use. Image: Charl Bosch Off-roading, whether as a passenger or behind the wheel, has been part of my life for more than 25 years. Having spent a great deal of my formative years, post-2000, in the back of a single cab Isuzu KB, two double cab Mitsubishi Colt Rodeo V6s and a Nissan Pathfinder with my father, late mother and brother criss-crossing Southern Africa from Swaziland to the Caprivi strip, the passion and appreciation for what these vehicles can do remains undiminished to this day. Not the best memory An invite nine years ago to attend an off-road jamboree in fully kitted-out short wheelbase Mitsubishi Pajero came with the same then enthusiasm, but ended in complete distrain. ALSO READ: Nissan Navara Pro-4X Warrior stakes claim in off-road bakkie fight Being a competition environment, the event was anything but enjoyable and ultimately descended into an ego trip filled with unsavoury post-results behaviour and remarks. I was, therefore, apprehensive to say 'yes' to the annual Spirit of Africa media event this week, as the competition aspect of off-roading has left a resounding bitter taste in my mouth. Celebrating a milestone Marking its 21st anniversary this year, and the third to be sponsored by Nissan, I decided to tick the 'yes' box as, unlike last time, I was to compete with my colleagues and not self-image driven individuals keener to belittle others than enjoying what had been set-up. Spirit of Africa this year celebrated its 21st running. Image: Charl Bosch The brainchild of 11-times South African rally champion and motorsport legend Sarel van der Merwe, the event this year took place at the Sandwani Game Lodge outside Cullinan, and saw the media and Nissan representatives use the newly launched Navara Pro-4X Warrior on 16 stages varying from high speed to slow and technical. Supposed to be as testing as possible, but within each driver and the car's limits, the 15 competing Navara Pro-4X Warriors made for an evocative sight standing next to each other. Spirit of Africa yes' and no's Confidence was something I had nothing of. Unlike some of my colleagues who were taking part in their third or fifth event, I was the rookie and under illusion that this won't be easy first time out. The Spirt of Africa fundamentals are, in fact, easy: each team starts out with 100 points and lose points for reversing (30), hitting the marker poles (10), the red flag indicators (30) and for every second over the stipulated time each stage would normally take. The devised stages were tight and confined in some places. Image: Nissan What's more, warnings and being disqualified for being unnecessarily silly – speeding in between stages for example – are also applicable, with the very real outcome of being thrown-out completely if damage to the car is recorded. Gaining points though comes via the speed sections, completing the stage within or faster than the mandated time, and not hitting any of the mentioned poles. Welcome Pro-4X Warrior There was the topic of who the Australian-developed Navara Pro-4X Warrior would perform first time around. The work of Melbourne-based engineering firm Premcar, the Pro-4X Warrior, as its name points out, uses the 'normal' Pro-4X as a base, but receives a redesigned front bumper with a steel bashplate, wider front and rear tracks, uprated springs and dampers, and a lift-kit that raises ground clearance from 221 mm to 232 mm. The Navara Pro-4X Warrior showed no let-up in its maiden Spirit of Africa. Image: Nissan Completing the upgrades are 17-inch alloy wheels wrapped in all-terrain tyres, side-steps, 'riveted' wheel arch cladding, red accents, Pro-4X Warrior decals on the side of the loadbox, black mirror caps and a black grille with a red Nissan badge. Besides red Warrior embroidery work on the headrests of the front seats, the interior is otherwise identical to the Pro-4X, with the same applying to the standard features sheet. Underneath its bonnet, the stalwart YD25DDTI 2.5-litre turbodiesel engine has not undergone any changes and as such, delivers 140kW/450Nm to the rear or all four wheels via a seven-speed automatic gearbox. Action commences Pre-event rule briefing over, I decided to sideline the happenings of almost a decade ago and try to enjoy my time with the Pro-4X Warrior rather than worrying about the scorecard. But, as my colleague Willem van de Putte famously put it, once behind the wheel and into the stage, the competitive aspect takes over as simply having fun turns into a desire to win, not being silly and completing the stage with one's race-face on. The first stage involved a simple speed test, but through a tunnel of poles and flags on either side. My driving partner, Naresh Maharaj, acquitted himself brilliantly and we finished it relatively trouble-free. Navara Pro-4X Warrior should its worth going up and down. Image: Charl Bosch Knowing that the slow and technical sections tend to suit me better, I took the wheel for the second stage, which became a disaster not long after. Tight and twisty it was, precision was the key and unfortunately, a few poles got touched – some disappearing underneath the Pro-4X Warrior – as I simply to get into a rhythm with the clock ticking. As disappointed as I was, the driver swap for the next speed section went according to plan with a clean run. Stage four, named Blood, Sweat and Gears, had everything I loved about off-roading; rocky outcrops, tight corners, a few downhill section, blind crests and a steep descent at the end. Stages demand patience, precession and not hitting any of the placed market poles. Image: Charl Bosch Again though, a few wrong lines saw poles being touched, yet I was starting to get into the swing of things and, admittedly, taking it very seriously. Another well executed speed section later, the second section of the event, a slalom and then a an uphill park in reverse, went completely array as both Naresh and I copped a 'DQ' for different infringements that had departed our minds in the heat of battle. Admittedly, this resulted in memories of the past event flaring back up. However, I knew I couldn't let it keep me downhearted as I made peace with the fact that our #10 Navara Pro-4X Warrior had probably dropped to the back of the field. The final technical and twisty section, despite appearing anything but difficult, proved to be the most enjoyable. Third last stage came with a water crossing. Image: Charl Bosch Again, all about being precise, smooth and accurate, it also included a river crossing and a tight uphill turn to the left and the right. Dropping downhill at the finish, less poles were clipped and more points gained, though we still had no idea where we ranked overall. For the final pair of speed tests, Sandwani's version of the Mulsanne straight had been laid out. But, unlike the famous stretch of public French road that forms part of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, there would be slipstreaming. Instead, the stage was a side-by-side drag race, on gravel. Penultimate stage consisted of a high speed drag race. Image: Charl Bosch Having kept the Navara in 4L or high range four-wheel-drive throughout the event, thoughts of possibly switching back to the default 2H came up for discussion as we prepared to blast off. Concerns, however, of traction being lost settled the argument and instead, an impromptu launch control method was settled upon. With 4L still selected, dabbing the throttle while keeping my left foot on the brake saw the Pro-4X Warrior accelerate quicker than I had expected when the 'go' call crackled over the handheld radio. Feeling stable and undramatic, we crossed the line well ahead of our competition and at close to 120 km/h. The second run was just as faultless and once again, Naresh and I won our battle, albeit with a slightly narrower margin than before. While supposed to have taken place over the mentioned 16 stages time constraints meant only 12 could be completed, the final being a figure-of-eight with each car starting at the opposite end based on their number. A stage that balances speed with smoothness into the corners, I knew I had to do well after what had been a much better second half of the event than the first. Badly cut-up in places by the time we arrived, the stage was testing but fun, and while two poles we touched, I exited with a smile in complete contrast to how it started a few hours before. Top 10 finish At the end of it all, we didn't place 15th, but rather scored a top 10 finish, aptly in 10th place as per our vehicle number. From L-R: Naresh Maharaj, Sarel van der Merwe and The Citizen's Charl Bosch at the end of the event. Image: Nissan An event that ended on a high despite my pre-conceived notions, no egos arose and became thoroughly enjoyable as a discipline of this type should be. What's more, it also showcased the capability of the Navara Pro-4X Warrior as no vehicle developed issues or sustained damage throughout the day. NOW READ: Nissan Navara traverses Africa without a single squeak or rattle
IOL News
5 days ago
- Automotive
- IOL News
Celebrating the Spirit of Africa and the prowess of the Nissan Navara PRO-4X Warrior bakkie
The Nissan Navara PRO-4X Warrior is a big bakkie, but it's surprisingly nimble. Image: Supplied Celebrating its coming of age, the Spirit of Africa 4x4 driving challenge, now in its third year under the Nissan banner, saw 22 journalists and content creators, including some of our colleagues north of our borders, celebrate its 21st birthday, tackling the course in Cullinan just outside Pretoria. Founded by motorsport legend Sarel van der Merwe, the event saw us pairing up to take on various speed and technical challenges in the Nissan Navara PRO-4X Warrior by Premcar. Navara PRO-4X Warrior Launched in March, the Navara PRO-4X Warrior is a collaboration between Nissan and Australian engineering firm Premcar, making South Africa the first market outside Australia to build and offer the Warrior. The exterior features a more aggressive look with a blacked-out grille, door handles, roof rack, side steps, 17-inch alloys under flares and red accents, while inside the seats receive Warrior-banded black seats with red stitching. The modified front bumper improves the approach angle by two degrees to 35 degrees, with the departure angle still 27 degrees. The suspension has also been transformed, providing increased ride height and a wider track, while improved springs and recalibrated dampers give better wheel articulation. Under the bonnet is the same 2.5-litre turbo diesel engine with 140kW and 450Nm of torque coupled to a seven-speed automatic transmission with 4H, 4L and a rear difflock. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ The Spirit of Africa challenge saw the Navara PRO-4X Warrior tackle some difficult obstacles. Image: Supplied Off-road skills The event, which started in April, sees 400 two-person teams testing their off-road driving skills over two days to secure a spot in the Top 20, which will be announced after 21 June. But back to testing our skills. Because of the limited time, we completed 12 of the 16 challenges, competing in four technical and eight high-octane speed events. Between 10 and 30 points are deducted or seconds added per infringement pole struck, so we had to keep our wits about us. I teamed up with Anton Willemse from Adventure Afrika, the pair of us having secured second place in a previous Spirit of Africa competition. Let's go Up first was a speed challenge, which saw me post a good time without hitting any red flags or poles, followed by a technical challenge that needed to be completed within a certain time. My partner acquitted himself well, so we decided that I would do the fast bits and the rocky pole littered part of the competition would be his responsibility. As the day progressed and the Gauteng winter sun started to warm us up, the competition heated up too, with us keeping our ears to the radio to hear the marshals call out penalties from the other hopefuls. The Navara is a big bakkie, but it's surprisingly nimble as we thread our way through the poles and red flags in 4H. With my left foot on the brake and right foot hard on the accelerator as a type of launch control, it would lunge forward on the speed sections and during the drag race, managed well over 120km/h. We had a fair idea of where we were in the pecking order, but after a couple of less than favourable challenges, we reckoned that our race was run. Tight turns were the order of the day at the Spirit of Africa Challenge. Image: Supplied Racing face However, competition is a funny thing. The moment the marshall counts you down and you enter the obstacle your 'racing face' appears and you're back in full competition mode. It felt like we had managed to claw back into contention until the last figure of eight speed challenge. All was going well and we were flying through just missing the poles before the last sharp left hand turn. The front left wheel dug in, the Navara continued straight, and I unceremoniously ploughed over three poles before it turned to cross the line. Oh well, it was still a fun and challenging day out testing the abilities of the Navara PRO-4X Warrior. Motorsport legend Sarel van der Merwe (middle) with third place winners Willem van de Putte (left) from Independent Media and IOL Motoring and Anton Willemse from Adventure Afrika. Image: Supplied Bronze Medal Swapping the day's war stories among ourselves, we weren't expecting much when the chief marshall came out to read the results. Counting down from 15 (there were three Nissan SA staff teams as well), we weren't last and as he went through the top 10 and then the top five, we were in with a podium chance. 'And in third place, team number three with Willem and Anton,' he said. Not too shabby for a day's outing. Brendon Staniforth (Maroela Media) and Oliver Keohane (Leisure Wheels) claimed the top spot, followed by Reuben van Niekerk (Wheels24) and Denis Droppa (Business Day) in second place.
TimesLIVE
5 days ago
- Automotive
- TimesLIVE
Can the new Nissan Navara Warrior tackle the Spirit of Africa?
Nissan recently launched the Pro-4X Warrior as the new flagship model of its locally built Navara double cab range, boasting upgrades that enhance its off-roading ability. It is the vehicle used in this year's Spirit of Africa, an annual off-road challenge run by legendary racer Sarel van der Merwe and this year taking place at Sandwani Game Lodge near Cullinan. It's the 21st anniversary of the event and the third edition under the Nissan banner. In addition to three-day events open to the public from April to June, there was a one-day media challenge earlier this week in which I took part. Paired up with Wheels24 motoring journalist Reuben van Niekerk, we competed against 14 other two-people crews driving through a series of slow technical obstacles and high-speed sections — sometimes in reverse. In the slow stuff you have to guide the large Nissan bakkie through an undulating off-road course against the clock, guiding it between poles that earn you penalty points if touched. The poles are narrowly spaced and more suited to Suzuki Jimnys than wide Nissan Navaras. It leaves millimetres of clearance at the Navara's side mirrors, all while driving on uneven surfaces of gravel, mud and soft sand. Making it extra challenging is you tackle each section without having seen it in advance, so you have to be smart about deciding which driving mode to use. For example, selecting two-wheel drive gives the vehicle a smaller turning circle, which provides an advantage in tight corners — you lose points for reversing, so the idea is to get through the turn the first time. Two-wheel drive provides less traction, however, and you may encounter a steep and slippery climb that requires engaging four-wheel drive and the rear diff lock. The Navara has the advantage that it can be switched between two- and four-wheel drive at the twist of a dial while driving, but doing it while navigating dongas through Jimny-sized gaps, with the stopwatch ticking, keeps you on your toes.
