GEELY ENTERS TOTAL ECONOMY RUN WITH MK2 1.5 GT
author: Andries vd Walt
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A picture by Motorpics.co.za
Roger McCleerty and Graham Jessup with the Geely MK2 1.5GT
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Among the strong entry for the 34th Total Economy Run, which takes place in the eastern Free State from Thursday to Saturday (September 9 to 11) is a lone Geely MK2 1.5 GT which will fly the flag for the Chinese manufacturer. Geely means ‘lucky’ in Chinese, but motoring journalists Roger McCleery and Graham Erasmus will be looking for a lot more than luck.
On their shoulders rests the reputation of one of South Africa’s newest B/C market segment contenders. “The Total Economy Run presents us with the perfect opportunity to expose the Geely brand to the car-buying public while at the same time demonstrating the car’s fuel economy,” said Geely South Africa’s newly appointed CEO John Jessup.
Jessup has a long and distinguished history in the South African motor industry and recognises a marketing opportunity when he sees one. “We have a high-profile crew in our car in Roger and Graham and we know if they are impressed with the car, as we expect them to be, we will hear a lot more from them.
“We also buy into the concept of a national economy run,” he added. “It provides the consumer with a meaningful comparison of fuel consumption figures achieved by different vehicles running at the same time, under the same conditions and on the same roads.”
For McCleery, South Africa’s veteran motor sport commentator and broadcaster on matters motoring on Radio Today, driving on the Total Economy Run will be a first and he relishes the challenge.
“As two of the more mature motoring journalists, Graham (editor of the trade magazine Automotive Business Review) and I have a responsibility to ourselves, let alone Geely, to get the best possible result out of our car. We’re both members of the Guild of Motoring Journalists and we don’t intend to let the side down.
“In this day and age, fuel efficiency is increasingly important, so to combine what is a useful and necessary exercise to demonstrate the fuel economy of a wide variety of cars available to the South African public, it’s also a great chance to get out and about in this beautiful country of ours.
“We’ve been told this Geely MK 1.5 GT is going to perform very well. My first impressions are of a remarkably well-equipped car with a quality finish that offers great value for money. We’ll be competing in class C (for cars with engines from 1 351 cc to 1 500 cc) against the likes of the GWM Florid, Daihatsu Sirion, Alfa Romeo Mito and Ford Figo.”
The Geely MK 1.5 GT is powered by a 1 498 cc DOHC 16-valve multi-point injected engine that develops 69 kW at 6 000 r/min and 128 Nm of torque at 3 400 r/min. Power is transferred to the wheels via a five-speed manual transmission.
The three-day event, which starts at Black Mountain Hotel at Thaba ‘Nchu in the Free State with documentation and scrutineering on Thursday afternoon, September 9 and finishes some 1 100 km later back at Black Mountain Hotel on Saturday afternoon, September 11.
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