NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2015

30 Schoongezicht Rd, Bergbron, Johannesburg Tel: 011 670 8400 e-mail: info@ats-motorsport.co.za www.ats-motorsport.co.za

DRIVERS SEAT

IT HAS BEEN ANOTHER hotly-contested

year of South African motorsport, with
many of the championships going down
to the wire!
While the National Rally Championship
was a nail-biting affair, it ultimately
ended rather tamely, with Mark
Cronje/Gerhard Snyman winning the
event overall and finishing well ahead of
arch-rivals Leeroy Poulter/Elvene Coetzee
for Cronje to win his third drivers
championship. With Cronje changing

navigators three-quarters through the

season, Coetzee still ended as the
champion co-driver and became the
most successful female navigator in
South African rallying.
It was more clear-cut in the Cross
Country champs, with Leeroy wrapping
that up with a round to spare, this
time with Rob Howie alongside.
In Volkswagen Cup it went all the
way, and matters were only decided at
the season finale at Zwartkops on

November 7. Sheldon van der Linde

retained his 2014 crown and in the
swansong for Production Cars it was
Hennie Groenewald who wrote his
name next to that one.
But whatever you raced, navigated,
rode on or in, we hope you had a good
2015, and weve got some ideas to help
you hit the ground running come
2016...
Robin Houghton

www.ats-motorsport.co.za

TIS THE SEASON TO BE MERRY...

WELL ALMOST
Weve got some ideas to make them merrier, and weve broken it into handy price categories:
under R250, under R1 000 and money no object!

UNDER R250

UNDER R1 000

NO OBJECT

R2 050

R155

R455

ATS mechanics glove. Keep your hands in

good shape by protecting them when
theyre at work with these locally-made
mechanics gloves. Theyre so affordable,
you can keep a pair in the spare-wheel
well for that day you get a puncture
then youll love yourself for your own
foresight!

Your helmet should be your most prized

possession and you should aim to keep
it that way. Cover it up when not in use
with the OMP helmet bag at this
price theres really no excuse.

keep your kit perfectly organised with the

Sparco Universe bag. With numerous
compartments (including one for your
headgear) youll have all the requisite
items in the right place, and theres no
better feeling than being thoroughly
organised. It translates into more time and
energy to focus on the important things,
and focus is what is required to win.

R225

R740

R7 205

ATS karting gloves. Why spend a fortune

on gloves for fast-growing young hands?
Go with our affordable house brand and
replace them annually without breaking a
sweat. Fire retardantnot fireproof and
intended for karting only! Available in 12
sizes (including adults), and three
colours

No one makes handskoene like the

Italians and the Sparco KG-3 kart gloves
will provide exceptional comfort and
protection but at a surprisingly keen
price. It combines a polymide outer with
a soft cotton liner, and an
ergonomically shaped suede palm
inserts. Four colours, and also certain
kids sizes. Once again, please note:
karting gloves are not fireproof.

Shoe! What a pair! This is what your

plates of meat have been crying out for
your entire competition career and it is
time to treat your feet! The OMP Evo-R
boots are made to order and thats means
you can use them to make a strong visual
statement regarding your fashion savvy.
And they are very good to drive in just
ask Mark Cronje, and a chap by the
surname of Ogier.

www.ats-motorsport.co.za

SPECIAL OFFER
MAKE YOUR FIESTA
SLOWER

BREMBOS ON A GO-SLOW

DRIVE A FIESTA ST, considered by

many to be the best hot hatchling
around? We agree and if you exploit
its performance and use it for the
odd track day we recommend an
upgrade to Ferodos DS2500
high-performance brake pads which
are designed with heavy-duty
road/moderate track use in mind.
And while youre at it, replace the
stock brake fluid with one of
Ferodos race fluids. We stock both.

JUST SO THAT YOU KNOW: ATS remains the sole local source for Brembo performance
products, which includes the sought-after GT and GT-R braking systems for drivers
who demand the utmost from their cars, and can include composite discs and
aluminium calipers in four, six or eight piston configurations with matching high
performance pads and metal-braided hoses. Since joining forces with Brembo in 2011
weve been committed to meeting the needs of motorsport competitors, the track day
community, and drivers of premium performance vehicles who are looking for instant,
predictable and fade-free behaviour from their brakes in high-stress environments.

WERE GOING GLOBAL

WERE EXCITED TO CONFIRM that well be the official tyre supplier to Global
Touring Cars for the next three years, starting with the 2016 championship which
gets underway on March 16. The rear-drive, 300 kW 2.0-litre turbo cars will all
run on 18-inch Dunlop slicks control tyre.
Were delighted to have been awarded the Global Touring Car (GTC) contract,
and competitors in the series will benefit tremendously from Dunlops extensive
expertise with slick tyres, as well as our ability to supply race-proven products
and services to South African motorsport competitors, said Kobus Roos, Sales
Director of ATS. The British Touring Car Championship and Australian V8
Supercars already use Dunlop slicks as a control tyre and in fact the tyres
earmarked for GTC are similar to those used in the
highly-competitive Australian series.
Sumitomo Rubber South Africa, the local subsidiary of
Sumitomo Rubber Industries, which owns Dunlop, has played
an important role in ensuring the price competitiveness of the
tyres and will ensure a steady supply of the slicks directly
from Japan throughout the season.

A QUARTER-TURN
THATS ALL IT TAKES
THE YEAR IS DRAWING to a close
and maybe that racer of yours is
starting to look a little tatty? Body
panels have been on and off
countless times but maybe all it
needs are new fasteners.
Help is at hand: the guys who
brought you the acclaimed
Aerocatch have added a
quarter-turn fastener the Aeroloc
to their range, and we have them
in stock. Dimensionally identical to
the ubiquitous Dzus, the Aeroloc
represents an improved design,
with features like a Phillips screw
head and the option of recessed of
flush-fit types. The Aeroloc comes
in 4 styles and represents excellent
value at about R150 for the
fastener and R50 for the receptacle
inclusive of VAT. Theyre a great
way to refresh your racer relatively
inexpensively and make sure all
panels fit properly for maximum
aerodynamic efficiency.
See them work here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=
Gc9CEJfz_Ig#t=20

www.ats-motorsport.co.za

Q&A WITH STUART THOMPSON

I'm Johannesburg born and bred
and was educated at KES and Wits.
Grew up immersed in the golden
age of SA single seater racing and
surrounded by characters like
Charlton, Scheckter, Tilanus and
Duxbury. Spent my formative years
in circuit racing until forming WCT
Engineering in 2007, in partnership
with Achim Bergmann, with Justin
Allen joining us in 2010. Mark
Cronje introduced us to rallying
that year and we enjoyed a
wonderful season running Mark
Thompson (second from left) crunches
some numbers while the rest of the Ford
and Chris Birkin in an A7 Toyota
Performance crew look pensive
Run-X under the watchful eye of
the incomparable Wammy Haddad.
The business has been involved in rallying since then and for the last 5 years we have
run the Cronje/Houghton Fiesta with success. Our core business is the design (by
Achim) and build of Cross Country cars, with the local BMW X3s, Nissan Navaras,
Dakar Renault Dusters and VW Amarok all emerging from our Kyalami workshop.
For recreation I race old Formula Fords very badly.

NEWS
K&N UPDATE
THE FAST FORDS ARE COMING
with the RS and Mustang in the
pipeline, and the ST Focus and Fiesta
well-established, were taking the
opportunity to remind owners that
we do or will offer K&N filtration
and/or cold air intake systems for all
these vehicles, in many cases
providing significant performance
gains along with better filtration.
And dont forget that we stock
a K&N filter for Ranger the same
item fitting both the 2.2 and
3.2-litre turbodiesels. Best of all, itll
be the only and last filter youll
need to buy and you can service it
as frequently as you need to.

Star sign: Aquarius (I think)

Marital status/partners name: Married to Nadine for nearly 16 years. We have
three children: Georgina (10), Dale (8) and Samantha (6).
Date of birth: 30 January 1974.
Strengths as a competitor: Attention to detail, belief in our drivers, and the will
to be competitive.
Biggest disappointment: Losing Sasol sponsorship at the end of our
championship-winning 2012 rally campaign was a huge blow.
Claim to fame: Can weld aluminium quite well.

ARE YOU FOR REAL?

Favourite food: Nothing beats a braai!

FAKE IT UNTIL YOU MAKE IT

thats not a philosophy you want to
apply in motorsport, and faking it
can cost you your life. Knock-offs of
quality brands like Sparco,
Aerocatch and Simpson continue to
be the bane of our life, and these
thieves of intellectual property and
brand reputation sometimes do a
convincing job at a glance.
Counterfeit goods can look like
the real deal, but one of the best
ways to protect yourself (literally
and figuratively when talking
motorsport equipment) is to buy
from a reputable dealer...

Favourite drink: Windhoek Lager is a staple.

Favourite music: I enjoy most music no rap or Celine Dion please!
Favourite motorsport event and why: The Dakar is monumental. Spa is also a
magical place. The Sasol Rally is a truly international-level local event its hard to
beat the sound of a S2000 car in the forests!
Favourite competition machine and why: Our Msport S2000 Fiestas are fantastic.
The F3000 Reynard I ran in Europe was a serious piece of kit. I am very proud of our
current Amarok and Duster as well.
Motorsport role models: I guess I inherited my interest and passion for motorsport
from my Dad, Andrew. Glyn Hall has also shown what is possible within the SA
motorsport environment.
Goals for 2016: We dream of a top 10 finish in the Dakar with Emi Spataro in our
Duster. We would really love to continue with the Fiesta in rallying as well!

Will the real Stig

please stand up