Believe it or not but this year I’m taking part in the annual Total Economy Run that kicks off on 9 September. A far cry from the pedal-to-the-metal world of track racing that I’ve grown so accustomed to over the last 9 months, I’ve got a feeling that this event is going to be one hell of a driving challenge. It’s all about optimal economy, afterall, so I’m going to have to adjust my normally aggressive driving style to squeeze the very best fuel consumption figures out of my Pretoria North Toyota-sponsored Toyota Yaris. Thankfully I’ve got a rather good navigator named Piet van Heerden sitting next to me in the passenger seat so I’m sure he’ll be able to give me some petrol-saving advice once the start flag drops this coming Thursday.

Today we had a impromtu training run – an hour or so ramble out to Bela Bela – on which I managed to average 4.9l/100km. Now in my book this bloody miraculous, a revelation, but according to our team leader, Douw de Boer, I should have been able to do 4.1l/100km. Fail. But even worse was the fact that we had to drive the entire way without the ventilation system on because, according to Piet, it can have a negative impact on the car’s overall fuel consumption. After 80 kilometers half my T-shirt was soaked through with sweat so I’d hate to see what the rest of my clothing looks like after the 600-odd kilometre trek planned for the first day of the run. Time will tell so be sure to click back here between 9 and 12 September to find out.