Bay Driver 24 October 2014

Friday 24 October 2014

The urban SUVThe urban SUVFord EcoSport See page 4

Dean and Tracy Teddy enjoy a coffee at Brooklyn Patio and Eatery after a day out in the Ford EcoSport.

The Weekend Sun Bay DriverPage 2 Friday 24 October 2014

Advertising bookings and enquiries contact Lucy Pattison on 07 578 0030email: [email protected]

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phone 07 578 0030 No.1 The Strand, PO Box 240, Tauranga 3140 www.sunlive.co.nz

Home of

www.baydriver.co.nzWeekend Wheels

Bay events: October 25: Breakers Wheels on Mainstreet: Mount MaunganuiHundreds of classic cars and hot rods from around the country will descend on Mount Maunganui for the Breakers Wheels on Mainstreet classic motoring display from 9am-2pm. Details: www.mountmaunganui.org.nz/WHATSONOctober 25: Speedway season opens: ASB Baypark SpeedwaySpeedway season will roar into life with action on the track from a handful of classes, including talented midget drivers from across the north for round one of Top Half Midget Series.October 26: Motorkhana/Autocross: TECT All Terrain ParkMotorsport BOP will continue its motorkhana driver challenge series with its third round, with racing from 12.30pm. Details: www.mbop.org.nzOctober 26: Vintage run to Tirau.BOP Vintage Car Club’s end of month run will see members head over the Kaimai’s to take in the interesting collection on display at Tirau Museum. Drivers meet at the clubroom at 9.15am. Details: Joe Scott 5441941

Beyond the Bay:October 24-26: American pickup displayFans of iconic American pickup and panel trucks are in for a treat with a display, raising funds for the New Zealand Cancer Support Service, at Rotorua’s waterfront (Saturday from noon) and Taupo’s Tongariro Domain (Sunday from 10am). Details: www.usahaulersnz.weebly.comOctober 25: Huka Honda MX Fest in TaupoThe annual Taupo moto cross festival will see top riders from across the country and a handful of international competitors go head-to-head in the fi rst major event of the season. Details: www.taupomcc.co.nzOctober 25-26: Motul Honda Cup in TaupoRound 2 of the series will see action continue in Taupo, where Tauranga driver Ryan MacArtney is determined to build on his dream start to the series which has him top of his 2000cc class and second overall.

To submit an event for listing, email details to: [email protected] at least two weeks prior.

Brian Roderick Motors SINCE 1978

The Weekend Sun Bay Driver Page 3Friday 24 October 2014

After a dream return to the Honda Cup last month, Tauranga’s Ryan

MacArtney is determined to build on his success at round two in

Taupo next weekend.

“It’s a bit more of a technical track but now that I’ve got winning in my system, I’m even more determined,” says mechanic Ryan, who won one of three races in the 2000cc class and came third in the other two from handicapped starts.

“I was just amped, I couldn’t believe it,” he says of his stellar start to the season which included setting the fastest lap time of the weekend, finishing top of his class and second overall.

But Ryan, who races a 1996 Honda Civic

powered by a 177kW engine sponsored by Fulton Automotive, didn’t have it all his own way, with the car losing power just before it crossed the finish line in his final race after blowing up from a dropped valve.

“It was pretty stuffed, so we’ve had to rebuild it,” he says. “Hopefully it’s going to be even faster now.”

Ryan’s ‘manager’ and mum Kris MacArtney is hoping his top performance will attract interest from sponsors after exhausting their season’s budget.

“We are truly on the hunt for sponsors now. We are down, but we aren’t out,” she says.

Anyone interested in helping out should contact Ryan or Kris at Fulton Automotive on 575 9525 or email [email protected]

By Hamish

Carter

Ryan’s winning way

Ryan MacArtney is determined to keep on top of his class in the Honda Cup despite finishing the first round with a blown engine. Photo by Tracy Hardy.


SPECS

Drive small and play big

It’s fi tting that this week’s car appears here in the colour it does. Ford’s

EcoSport was styled and engineered in Brazil. It’s been available there

since 2003 and has consistently been one of South America’s best-selling

cars. Such was the success of it there and in places like India, it was given a major re-engineer and new shape for the entire world late last year.

Today you can buy the little Ford SUV almost everywhere there are dealerships with the blue oval above the door. It is one of Ford’s ‘One Ford’ products - a creation of recently retired CEO and ex Boeing boss man Alan Mullaly. ‘One Ford’ is where cars are sold globally and components are shared between different models.

He rebuilt Ford from being seriously in a black hole as the GFC hit last decade by reducing the number of car companies Ford

owned, reducing the number of different cars it built around the world and aiming for a ‘best in class’ philosophy to build the world’s best vehicles. The big thing was he wanted the same great platforms to be sold and driven everywhere - some-thing Ford had only done with some of its line-up before.

We’re familiar with the world’s brands going all ‘i’ this and ‘eco’ that, except in this case Ford’s new wee SUV is actually pronounced ‘Echo’ not ‘Eek-o’. Use a soft E, not a hard one. I tried Google Translate to see if Eco pronounced like echo meant something in Portuguese, but it doesn’t seem to. In fact EcoSport is exactly that in Portuguese. Interestingly, Ford does have a range of Eco, as in ‘eek-o’ engines in its cars. The EcoSport doesn’t have them yet, but may do.

Quirky curvesThe fi rst time I laid eyes on

EcoSport I thought it looked like I had washed a Ford Territory at the wrong water temperature and shrunk it. And also I was look-ing at in one of those A&P Show ‘funny mirrors’. There are some interesting curves in places but it works, it is though a cute, quirky-looking little car.

It is based on Ford’s small-est model the Fiesta, however instead of being a hatch, its taller and more SUV like. We love driving cars with room and a view, with huge and growing sales of Sport Utility Vehicles in recent years.Like Fiesta, the Ecosport is front wheel drive only.

It even uses the Fiesta’s new 1500cc engine and six-speed

auto. Again showing what the market wants there’s no manual option. But really, how often does the average person really use or need

four wheel drive in a family car? Certainly for a small car designed for city driving I might suggest hardly ever or never. Ok maybe that one time you get caught in a muddy carpark watching

your daughter’s Saturday soccer game. Despite not being a rough and tumble SUV, EcoSport has heaps of room underneath and as it was designed for South America and India, it’s able to wade through half-a-metre of water - that’s water over its tyres.

Manual labourIf you’re wondering about whether Ford

was trying to ‘tough up’ its looks by put-ting the spare wheel on the back door, the answer is no. Apparently putting it under-neath the fl oor would have compromised the cars crash structure. I wanted to have a look in the back but couldn’t fi gure how to open it. Until I spied an oddity in the right-hand tail-light and what do you know - it’s the handle that’s integrated into the light. You could ask why I didn’t just consult the manual.

I don’t as I like to see how easy and intui-tive manufacturers make their vehicles. I should be able to get in and work all the controls and the radio without having to go back to school. Though I am a bit of a nerd for manuals so I do actually pull them out and read from cover to cover.

Interior storageIt’s a hackneyed phrase but EcoSport does

feels a bit ‘Tardisy’ inside. There are a lot of

places to put things with storage nooks all over the car - there are 20 of them! I counted fi ve drinks holders for the front two seats alone. One in each door and three behind the gear lever! And if you want to keep your sports drink cold, the glove box can be a cooler too. Great for keeping the bottles of Sav Blanc cold on the way to the barbecue.

Syncing There are leather seats and a lot of stand-

ard features inside too, including Ford’s SYNC that was developed with Microsoft. It includes voice activation for all sorts of things and some neat apps too. After a quick setup – without even glancing at the manual! – it was able to understand me and do what I ask, even with my big bellowy 25-year radio career voice.

Ford has designed this EcoSport mini-SUV for the modern day city dweller that doesn’t want to join the small hatchback owners club, be they in Taguatinga, Brazil, or Tauranga, New Zealand. EcoSport is a very neat take of the small car for what has now become a very small world.

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From a dream to reality, this weekend Katikati pickup enthusiast Allan

Smith will be rewarded for his vision and hard work when the fi rst NZV8 Pickup Round-Up is held in Taupo.

After dreaming about forming a club dedi-cated to pickups of American origin for a few years, he decided to go for it at the start of the year, forming the USA Haulers Club NZ which he heads as president.

Within weeks of getting the ball rolling he was encouraged by friends and colleagues who shared the passion to think bigger and organise a major event where everyone could show off their pride and joy.

This weekend more than a hundred pick-ups from as far as Nelson and Kerikeri will descend on Taupo to do just that.

“It’s pretty amazing to think how quickly it happened,” says Tracey Smith, Allan’s daughter who was soon involved and helping organise the Pickup Round-up.

“The response has been overwhelming. I think it’s because it’s the fi rst event of its type in New Zealand, there haven’t been any others that catered specifi cally to these trucks.”

From incomplete trucks from the 1930s through to the latest brand new pickups, the event – which will includes displays in Taupo and Rotorua over the weekend – was con-tinuing to attract late registrations every day when Bay Driver spoke to Tracey on Tuesday.

“But unfortunately we won’t be able to take any registrations on the day,” warns Tracey.

Recalling how the event came about, Allan says encouragement from fellow pickup enthusiast Willy Pelzers to organise a run

from the central point of Taupo soon grew into plans for a show.

“I thought it was a great idea, so we got together and discussed a plan,” says Allan, with the pair agreeing an event would be a highlight on the calendar for pickup fans and a great way to raise funds

for the Cancer Society.Among a large contingent of

pickup enthusiasts from Tauranga will be Jens Wulff, with his 1955 Chevrolet 3100, and Tom Jones with his 1931 Ford Model A.

Tom says he is looking forward to displaying the Model A he has owned for seven years and catching up with lots of mates who own pickups. “Hopefully it should be lots of fun,” he says.

The Round-Up is expected to be the largest gathering of American-origin pickups ever to be held in New Zealand, with plans to make it an annual show. The event includes a cruise from Taupo (leaving on Saturday

at 10.30am) to put on a lakefront show in Rotorua.

Tracey says the cruise to Rotorua will be an impressive sight, with a gold coin donation giving the public a chance to get up close to study the cars on display from noon until 3pm.

On Sunday the trucks will be on display at the Tongariro Domain in Taupo from 10am-3pm, with live music, children’s enter-tainment and competitions.

The display will see trucks competing in 13 categories. For more details go to: www.usahaulersnz.weebly.com

Strong pickup for national event

By Hamish Carter

Above: Tauranga’s Tom Jones will have his 1931 Ford Model A on show.

Tauranga’s Jens Wulff will be displaying his 1955 Chevrolet 3100.

Katikati pickup lover Allan Smith has gone from forming the USA Haulers Club to organise an event

celebrating the classic American pickup in 10 months.


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Classic times ahead at rallyClassic times ahead at rally

Matchless, BSA, AJS – no matter what fl avour your classic bike, it’s the

perfect time to wheel it out of the garage. Next month Tauranga Classic Motorcycle Club are hosting

the national classic motorcycle rally and club president Roy Knowles is keen to hear from any classic enthusiasts who want to come along for the ride.

Roy, who’s had a passion for bikes for 60 years, actually joined the club himself when it last hosted the nationals in 1999 and is expecting similar again this year.

“Almost every time we go for a run we end up with new members after people have seen us and asked how to get involved,” says Roy, who admits to having owned a motor-cycle of one type of or other since he was 16.

Among the bikes stowed away in his shed these days is a ’54 Matchless, along with a BSA and an AJS.

For Roy, a big part of the appeal of riding continues to be the sense of freedom it gives you, but it’s also about celebrat-ing those favourite bikes and memories from his youth.

“You look around the clubs and the most popular bikes are those from the 50s - the bikes most of us were riding back in our day,” he says.

The national rally, which is based at Waihi Beach on November 14-15, is expected to attract more than 100 bikes. Rally secretary Dot Reeve told Bay Driver that 90 were already confi rmed earlier this week, with more expected.

At that point the oldest confi rmed bike was a 1928 Tri-umph N Deluxe, from Huntly’s John Roberts. Other early bikes included 1939 Ariel models from Tauranga members Lloyd Baker and Todd Ashton.

Dot herself was looking forward to taking part in the rally, but was encouraging husband Lionel to ride his 1982 Suzuki, rather than his older classic BSA Golden Flash.

“It’s just a lot more comfortable,” says Dot, who rides pil-lion. “We did the Burt Munro (rally) on it last year down in Invercargill, and despite facing some terrible weather it was great to ride.”

The rally is being based in Waihi Beach so they can include a ride to Paunaui and take advantage of ideal accommoda-tion at Te Rau Aroha Camp.

“Everyone likes to have a good ride in the Coromandel, so it’s good to be able to offer that,” says Roy, who knows many of the riders who are coming from around Wellington are extending the trip to return via the East Cape.

“That’s got to be one of the great appeals of biking, it’s just getting out there on the road and taking it all in.

“We don’t do it now, but we’ve had lots of great times over the years with other couples, touring and camping around the South Island as well as the North.”

To fi nd out more about the club or the national rally, con-tact Roy on: 576 9332. By Hamish Carter

Pyes Pa classic motorcycle lover Lionel Reeve is still deciding which bike he

will ride at next month’s national

rally in Waihi Beach.

Home on the RangerKiwi farmers like to think we do it a little

differently here, and that has been the message rural vehicle manufacturer Polaris has been

hearing loud and clear.After strong calls from farmers for adjustments to its side-

by-side all-terrain vehicle to suit their needs, Polaris is set to release its revised model with the features, durability and capabilities demanded.

The 2015 Ranger 570 HD has been completely redesigned with New Zealand in mind and is poised to lift performance to a new level and offer more features for New Zealand farm-ers than ever before.

Polaris Australia and New Zealand spokesman Robert Rosengarten says the changes embodied the brand’s mantra of ‘Hardest Working, Smoothing Riding’.

The Ranger 570 boasts class-leading capabilities, including a 680kg towing capacity, 227kg rear dump box capacity and 34.1L fuel capacity.

He was confi dent the model’s release will continue Polaris’s growing popularity which saw its year-to date sales jump by a staggering 37.3 percent over the same period in 2013.

Robert says Polaris acted on farmers’ feedback to ensure the model provides maximum durability for our harsh working conditions, offering the model in a heavy duty specifi cation with features designed for the market, including an engine braking system with 4-wheel descent control to provide opti-mum control and traction when descending slopes.

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It could be time to take a fresh look at the Polo, with Volkswagen’s latest model

showing it’s more than just a miniaturised version of the

highly popular Golf.Fuel-savings alone could be enough

to prompt a closer look, with the updated car boasting 19 per cent better fuel effi ciency than its prede-cessor and runs on 24 per cent fuel than its leading competition (leaving

$420 in your pocket a year).But promotional material from

Volkswagen, which says the new Polo has “grown in stature in almost every respect” shows its fuel con-sumption under 5L/100km that sets it apart.

Lower CO2 emissions (19 per cent), its fi ve star EuroNCAP safety rating, increased torque (21 per cent) and state-of-the-art enter-tainment controls through the multi-function steering wheel all add to the appeal.

Revamped polo turning heads ‘Nice idea to go electric, but it can’t

compete on power’. It’s the common perception about electric versus petrol-fuelled cars, but the reality will be put

to the test in Christchurch next month.

Aircraft engineer Simon Wilkinson has had a close interest in electric vehicles for 10 years, and after many long nights toiling away in his workshop converting his 2004 Ford Falcon Ute to electric, he is confi dent the work will pay off.

The Rangiora-based engineer has been work-ing on the conversion for the past three years in his spare time and is determined to have it fi nished in time to compete at EVolocity, the country’s largest electric motorsport event being at Ruapuna Motorsport Park next month.

The converted Falcon is set to come up against a combustion Falcon XR8 at the event, in what he expects will knock out the non-electric competition as long as the transmission and driveshaft hold together.

“All things going well, it should easily beat a Falcon XR8 or XR6 Turbo,” says Simon.

While it was Simon’s engineering background which led him to the project, he believes it should also save him a lot of money in the long run.

“It’s just a desire to build something that others can’t or won’t – I’m an engineer, it’s what we do. It also makes fi nancial sense as I do a reasonable amount of kilometres each year.”

The conversion should soon see him saving much of the $3500 annual fuel bill he has in his relatively economical Toyota Vitz, without sacrifi cing any power, with an estimated 760 Nm of torque and 300 horsepower.

EVolocity CEO Rob McEwen says electric

motorsport was growing around the world “with designers and drivers taking electric vehi-cles to thrilling new places”.

The event promises a wide range of contests, including a race between the world’s fastest elec-tric drag motor bike and the fastest drag motor bike in the South Island, and a race between a Ferrari and a Tesla Roadster.

Ford’s charged race Electric vs combustion

A Christchurch engineer has converted his 2004 Ford Falcon XR6 by installing twin electric motor and transmission.




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Bay Driver 24 October 2014