We love celebrating landmarks and milestones with you. Here are some of the occasions that have made us proud this month:
Five-star grading
Congratulations to MK SuperTech, which received its five-star grading this month.
Darryn Vice of Le Mans Auto Services wins Algoa Motorsport Club Coastal Challenge
Well done to Darryn Vice of Le Mans Auto Services, who won the Algoa Motorsport Club Coastal Challenge series in December.
Darryn grew up in a family where motorsport was a passion, so it’s not surprising that he is a lifelong fan of the sport. He started racing karts in 2006, but sadly had to stop after back surgery three years later. He went back to riding motorcycles, but then, in 2015, he received an invitation to take part in a three-hour endurance event – and, as he says, the bug bit properly.
Darryn built his own cars for the series, including a 1963 Anglia, as well as a Datsun 120Y and an Escort 1600, both of which he raced, and which achieved great results during 2022. He believes that the cars are in for a great year ahead, and has already started work on them for the next season.
Darryn admits that he has big plans for 2023: he’s hoping to win the overall challenge once more, improving on his time, and would also like to design and build another car.
MIWA professionalism in action
Pieter Niemand, MIWA national director, was on the receiving end of great MIWA member service this December, when his Fortuner was damaged during a trip to the Wild Coast. With most workshops closed, he had slim hopes for a quick recovery – but Teresa Spenser Higgs proved that his pessimism was ill-founded. Although Teresa’s own shop was closed, she did all she could to assist. She also put Pieter in touch with Cliffie Jacobs from Cliffies Auto Repairs in East London, who agreed to keep his shop open so that he could help.
“What a fantastic example of MIWA professionalism in action,” Pieter says. “It really shows you that while most people are on holiday, many of our MIWA members are still willing and available to work and help.”
Pieter Niemand discusses dishonest workshop on The Devi Show
Pieter Niemand was extremely excited when Devi Sankaree Govender approached him to discuss dishonest workshops on her consumer protection programme, The Devi Show. Pieter was asked to discuss why some vehicles are returned to their owners in worse condition than they were handed in, giving him an opportunity to talk about the importance of using a MIWA-accredited workshop.
Pieter gives his thanks to Adrian van Dalen at VAG Automotive Centre in Centurion for allowing Devi and her crew to film in his workshop. The episode flights in March. In the meantime we give you a sneak preview of Pieter being questioned by Devi.
