Isuzu breaks 72-hour record

At 14:00 on Tuesday, April 20th, a group of 51 drivers set off on a mission to break a number of existing South African speed and distance records for diesel bakkies over a period of 72 hours. For the mission, to be reached by 14 members of the media, 6 engineers, test drivers from Gerotek and a number of professional drivers, Isuzu nominated three KB300 D-TEQ LWB LE bakkies and two KB250 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 160km/h, including time in the pits for refuelling and tyre changes (no routine servicing was require as all Isuzu diesel bakkies are serviced at 15 000km intervals). To achieve the goal, the drivers worked in shifts with each driver spending an average of 2 and a half hours in the car at a time, a safety regulation of Motorsport South Africa.

At the end of the 72 hours, the leading KB300 D-TEQ bakkie had completed 12 243.385km at an average speed of 170,047 km/h over the 72 hours, smashing the previous distance record by 722.721 kilometres. The Isuzu KB300 D-TEQ reworte the record book for its class and set new overall records for diesel bakkies over the 72-hour endurance event.  The KB250 D-TEQ fared equally well by beating the previous class record of 11 024km (previously held by a 3.0-litre diesel) by 471km with a new record distance of 11 495,567km. The Isuzu team rewrote a total of 15 overall speed and distance records.

General Motors SA’s Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Malcolm Gauld, was overjoyed with the Isuzu bakkies living up to the brand slogan. “Taking on the challenege of breaking these relatively new 72 hours 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”,  he said.

“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”, he commented.

The entire process was monitored by Motorsport South Africa, with the vehicles running flat-out over 72 hours. “None of the vehicles had a single fault on them and provide an emphatic statement of confidence for us and our customers”, said Gauld.

Look out for our own test of the Isuzu KB300 D-TEQ LX double-cab in the coming weeks.

- Christo Valentyn