Economy Run 2011

Triumph Economy Run Achievement – South Africa

The 30th national motorcycle economy run, organised by the Pretoria Motor Club and sponsored for the fifth year by Retirement Fund Solutions (RFS) was run on 26 and 27 August.

Team RAT entered 3 Triumphs piloted by Arnold Olivier (Triumph SA Brand Manager), Abri Marias and Gerhard Schutte, (partners in the Centurion Lifestyle Dealership), all three being quite experienced and previous Class winners.

The event started in Pretoria and followed an interesting 1 070-km route over two days to Hazyview in Mpumalanga. Rain and mist for a large part of the morning of the second day saw the competitors experiencing challenging riding conditions, especially in terms of keeping on time and avoiding penalties for late arrival at the end of the stages.

The Sprint GT not only gave Arnold Olivier a class win (Class C – Road bikes 1001cc +) with an overall fuel consumption of 3.99l/100km, but it also achieved 9th overall out of 55 competitors. No mean achievement for the GT as the 8 bikes before and 4 after were either smaller capacity singles or twins.

Gerhardt Schutte won Class H (Cruisers) with a Thunderbird 1600 (fitted with a touring screen and sissy bar) with an average fuel consumption of 5.23 l/100km. Some still think that he would have done better without the screen, but it ended up being a wise choice due to the high average speeds that needed to be maintained throughout.

Abri Marias achieved 2nd in Class J (Touring with panniers 1001cc +) also on a Sprint GT, with an average fuel consumption of 4.56. The adverse riding conditions on Saturday morning saw Abri struggling to maintain time, for which he collected a 5 litre fuel penalty. Half a litre less and he would have been class winner again, but wisely he chose safety over glory.

Olivier commented that it was a remarkable achievement to have two firsts and a very close second from just 3 entries, and it is testament to the inherent economical nature of Triumph engines. Team RAT’s goal for 2012 is to enter 6 motorcycles and achieve 6 class wins.

Clerk of the course and former champion off road co-driver Francois Jordaan declared the event a great success: “The weather was good on Friday, but deteriorated on Saturday, with mist and rain in mountain passes along the route making the event very challenging.

“It’s a tribute to the skill and responsible riding of the competitors that there were no accidents or injuries and they are to be congratulated on this achievement,” Jordaan added.

Only three riders failed to complete the event, as a result of bending wheel rims on potholes.

For more information on the 2011 Economy Run and other competitor results, visit www.econorun.co.za.