At 2pm on Tuesday the 20th April a group of 51 Drivers (including 14 media, 6 GMSA Engineers, Gerotek Test Drivers and a number of professional drivers) set off on a mission to break a number of existing South African speed and distance records for diesel bakkies over 72 hours. For the mission General Motors nominated 3 Isuzu KB 300 D-TEQ LWB LE bakkies, 2 Isuzu KB 250 D-Teq Extended Cab LE bakkies.
To achieve the goal of exceeding the previous overall distance record at least one of the Isuzu KB300 D-TEQ single cab bakkies was required to average more than 160 km/h, including time in the pits for refuelling, tyre changes (no routine servicing was required as all Isuzu diesel bakkies are serviced at 15000 km intervals). To achieve the goal the drivers worked in shifts with each of them facing an average 2 hours 30 minutes in the car at a time (as per MSA safety regulation).
At the end of the 72 hours the leading KB 300 D-TEQ bakkie had completed 12 243.385km kilometres at an average speed of 170,047 km/h over 72 hours smashing the previous distance record by 722.721 kilometres. The Isuzu KB 300 D-TEQ rewrote the record book for its class and set new overall records for diesel bakkies over the 72 hour endurance event. The KB 250 D-TEQ fared equally well with the KB 250 D-TEQ beating the previous class record of 11 024 km (previously held by a 3.0 litre diesel) by 471 km with a new record distance of 11 495, 567 km.
In the quest for a new set of overall speed and distance records over 72 hours the Isuzu team rewrote15 overall speed and distance records.
“Isuzu’s slogan: ‘Isuzu delivers’ certainly proved true here this week through this event,” says Malcolm Gauld, Vice President of Sales and Marketing at GMSA. “Taking on the challenge of breaking these relatively new 72 hour speed and distance records has allowed us to demonstrate the tough constitution of these bakkies, their efficiency, reliability, and durability under the most arduous conditions,” continued Gauld.
“A fundamental of the record breaking performance of our vehicles was their ability to perform perfectly and efficiently throughout the 72 hours. Any time spent in the pits for refuelling and tyre changes is against the clock with distance lost for every second of down time. The whole record process was observed by MSA (Motorsport South Africa). The record breaking vehicles ran flat out over the 72 hours with out a single fault to provide an emphatic statement of confidence for us and our customers,” concluded Gauld.
To achieve the goal of exceeding the previous overall distance record at least one of the Isuzu KB300 D-TEQ single cab bakkies was required to average more than 160 km/h, including time in the pits for refuelling, tyre changes (no routine servicing was required as all Isuzu diesel bakkies are serviced at 15000 km intervals). To achieve the goal the drivers worked in shifts with each of them facing an average 2 hours 30 minutes in the car at a time (as per MSA safety regulation).
At the end of the 72 hours the leading KB 300 D-TEQ bakkie had completed 12 243.385km kilometres at an average speed of 170,047 km/h over 72 hours smashing the previous distance record by 722.721 kilometres. The Isuzu KB 300 D-TEQ rewrote the record book for its class and set new overall records for diesel bakkies over the 72 hour endurance event. The KB 250 D-TEQ fared equally well with the KB 250 D-TEQ beating the previous class record of 11 024 km (previously held by a 3.0 litre diesel) by 471 km with a new record distance of 11 495, 567 km.
In the quest for a new set of overall speed and distance records over 72 hours the Isuzu team rewrote15 overall speed and distance records.
“Isuzu’s slogan: ‘Isuzu delivers’ certainly proved true here this week through this event,” says Malcolm Gauld, Vice President of Sales and Marketing at GMSA. “Taking on the challenge of breaking these relatively new 72 hour speed and distance records has allowed us to demonstrate the tough constitution of these bakkies, their efficiency, reliability, and durability under the most arduous conditions,” continued Gauld.
“A fundamental of the record breaking performance of our vehicles was their ability to perform perfectly and efficiently throughout the 72 hours. Any time spent in the pits for refuelling and tyre changes is against the clock with distance lost for every second of down time. The whole record process was observed by MSA (Motorsport South Africa). The record breaking vehicles ran flat out over the 72 hours with out a single fault to provide an emphatic statement of confidence for us and our customers,” concluded Gauld.
STORY AND PICS BY ISUZU/ GM SA
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