Toyota South Africa Motors (TSAM) is poised to take on all comers at this weekend’s Total Economy Run, to be held between 9 and 11 September 2010. The event, which is fully sanctioned by Motorsport South Africa, will be headquartered at the Black Mountain Leisure and Conference Hotel in Thaba ’Nchu and competitors will cover a distance of 1 100 km over three days.
The well known “King of the Economy Run” Willie Nel, who has cleared a hectic 4×4 training schedule that includes Gabon, Ethiopia, Zambia and Ghana to attend the event, will champion TSAM’s cause. Nel, who will be driving a standard Toyota Prius 1.8 litre Advanced, is one of the only competitors to have competed in every Total Economy Run since its inception in 1977. He will be accompanied by his son Willem.
It should come as no surprise that other competitors in the 1.6 to 1.8 litre class are carefully watching the Prius. Designed to offer the smallest possible environmental footprint, the Prius brilliantly reduces its fuel consumption and emission levels through the combined electric and petrol drive, known as its Hybrid Synergy Drive.
An unmatched drag co-efficient level of 0.26 thanks to unique aerodynamic wheel caps, a smooth undercarriage and shaped roof, standard low rolling resistance tyres and on-demand management of auxiliaries such as the power steering pump, offers environmental performance that far exceeds that of similar sized family vehicles. The Prius’ unmatched consumption figures are further enhanced by the use of an Atkinson cycle engine with exhaust gas recirculation.
“The vehicle has impressed me no end, especially in town driving. To be exact it has delivered its best consumption figures in town,” says Nel. Nel, who was the first driver to ever achieve a combined consumption figure of less than 5 litres/100 km in a Total Economy Run, is convinced that the Prius can rewrite the record books.
“We believe that the Prius is capable of an average consumption figure of far less than 5 litres/100 km. The car has shown itself to be a very capable ‘combination’ vehicle, meaning that it delivered exceptional consumption figures in both open road and stop start traffic.”
Nel is one of the best known competitors in the Total Economy Run and has won 10 overall and more than 20 class victories in this event. He has piloted several iterations of Toyota Cressida, Camry and Corolla models and he is the current holder of the lowest overall consumption figures in a Toyota powered Citroën C1.
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Press release from Topix.com
