TODAY IS A GREAT day for Renault South Africa,” Stefano Chmielewski CEO of Renault Trucks, said his voice echoing with pride and emotion.  And so he should be proud and emotional. Putting a truck through its paces in demanding operating conditions is a sure fire way of advertising a vehicle’s technical prowess but with the Cape to Cape expedition, Renault Trucks certainly went the extra kilometre - and then some. The expedition - comprising six Renault Kerax trucks supported by six Sherpa’s, a smaller truck designed and manufactured by Renault for the military - set off from the North Cape in Norway on March 1 and reached Cape Town in South Africa on July 7.

The intrepid fleet passed through 17 countries including Russia, Ukraine, Bulgaria, Turkey, Iraq, Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenia, Tanzania, Botswana and Namibia befor entering South Africa.

Chmielewski said the trip provided a great test of endurance for the trucks due to the radical changes in the terrain and extreme climatic conditions. “Temperatures ranged from -30°C up to +50°C at altitudes from -230 m to +4,113 m. The roads also presented serious challenges for the expedition vehicles ranging from good to extremely poor and non-existent - and that was before we reached the sand dunes of the Namib Desert.” 

Chmielewski went on to say: “The expedition presented an ideal opportunity for us to reassess our technology and reassure ourselves that what we are selling is technically competent.” 

Questioned as to why Renault has undertaken such a journey in the midst of a world-wide recession, Chmielewski said the planning and preparations for the expedition which cost around $2,5-million (R20,25 million) had been initiated long before the recession had broken. “It was a difficult moment for Renault and its expedition partners, (Michelin, Allison Transmissions and Total) but we decided there would be no retreat. We wanted everyone to know that once we start a project we will not stop until we accomplish what we set out to do” 

Chmielewski, who joined the expedition for the final two days, before arriving in Cape Town said, apart from demonstrating the technical prowess of the vehicles, there is a very human side to the story. “It provided the Renault employees a chance to participate in what can best be described as an adventure of a lifetime and perhaps more so in the modern age when real adventure is a very rare commodity. 

“With one or two exceptions none of the 50 drivers and crew were professional drivers,” Chmielewski explained, “so for them it was something quite different from what they ever done before and something they will remember for the rest of their lives.

Chmielewski said further that in travelling through 17 different countries the Renault team were demonstrating how transport plays an important role in uniting the world. “Transport has always been critically important in bringing civilisation to the world and this expedition underlined this. Who says trucks cannot unite the World?” 

Two South Africans were among the team of 50 men and women of 14 different nationalities, all of whom are employed by Renault Trucks and drove the vehicles on different legs of the journey. 

Philip Phasha, head of driver training at Renault South Africa, was one of the two locals who participated in the expedition. Asked what it felt like driving into Cape Town, he says: “Right now, I just want to go home and see my family.” 

As far as the trucks are concerned Phasha says he is very impressed with the way the vehicles handled the different operating conditions. 

Workshop manager at Renault Cape Town, Leon Nel, spent six weeks driving the Kerax through the ice and snow of Norway and Russia. “What struck me about the new Kerax was its excellent mobility and its ability to handle the toughest operating conditions I have ever experienced,” he says adding that the vehicle was also extremely comfortable to drive. “There is no doubt in my mind that this vehicle is ideally suited for South African operating conditions.”

Journey's end. The drivers and crew of the Renault Cape to Cape expedition arrive at the Cape of Good Hope bringing an emotional end to a 30 000 km overland odyssey.