Renault Kerax 2009 Truck Review

On the 1st of March 2009, a convoy of 12 Renault Trucks’ vehicles left the North Cape in Norway heading due south to the Cape of Good Hope on the extreme southern point of South Africa some 30,000 kms away. The idea behind the Cape to Cape 2009 run was to test technical and mechanical ability, human resilience and resources and generate commercial opportunities.

In particular, Renault Trucks wanted to demonstrate the robustness of their SCR technology in conditions ranging from -30 degree C to + 50 degree C – from frostbite cold to searing heat. The Cape to Cape run also provided an exceptional opportunity to wave the Renault Trucks flag in all 17 countries which the convoy passed through. Matthew Eisenegger was one of only two British journalists invited to join the enterprise for one of the African Legs of the journey.

The Convoy itself consisted of six, 6x6 Kerax trucks, and 6 Sherpas models which look surprisingly like the Hummer, but are Renault vehicles undergoing development by Renault Trucks for military application.

The planned route headed south from Norway, through Russia via Murmansk, St Petersburg and Moscow. The southwards trek continued through Ukraine, Romania, Bulgaria and then into Turkey. From there it crossed the border into Syria and Jordan.

A boat trip carried the convoy from Jordan the caravan down the Red Sea to Djibouti, missing out Sudan on advice from the French Government! Ethiopia was next followed by Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, Botswana, Namibia and then finally to Cape Town and the Cape of Good Hope.

The Route

I joined the event in Windhoek, the capital of Namibia, and on arrival was presented with my 7 day schedule. This was no holiday trip. The first day, Saturday, involved a 380 km drive from Windhoek to Brandberg mountain where we would bivouac overnight.

On Sunday we would drive 361 kms to Swakopmund on the Atlantic Ocean and stay overnight in a hotel before heading into the Namib Desert on the Monday. We were under canvas that night and the next before leaving the desert for the Sossusvlei Dunes where I had the luxury of another hotel bed for the night! And then it was off back home for the 11 hours of flights on the Friday.

The Convoy

The whole convoy was completely self contained. There were no advance parties to set things up which meant the crew had to include its own doctor!

The rules were simple and basic. When one vehicle stops, for whatever reason, they all had to stop. All vehicles were therefore linked by 2 way radio with the expedition leader issuing instruction to the rest of the team.

Originally six Keraxes were involved in the event, but one had to retire in Tanzania due to a traffic collision.

Each Kerax had a nominated role. For instance, one vehicle was the mobile workshop. It didn’t just carry a full set of tools, but also a full diagnostics kit to support both Kerax and Sherpas. A second vehicle provided the mobile parts operation and looked as though it had the capability to patch up and repair pretty much anything that may be needed

Needless to say, the group included a number of Renault Trucks technicians so we were in good hands should anything go wrong.

As I joined Cape to Cape towards the end of the event every vehicle was showing signs of the tough conditions encountered so far, each with its own set of ‘battle scars’ from various legs of the drive. Indeed one of the Kerax’s had turned over in Botswana and had broken the passenger window. A repair had been fashioned out of Perspex, and surprisingly, it still worked from the switch - with a little bit of help from the passenger.

The word ‘bivouac’ also intrigued me. This consisted of single person occupancy dome tents and a heavy duty sleeping bag, but the most important vehicle in the fleet was the mobile kitchen. It had a walk-in fridge and freezer compartment, and was staffed by Paris Dakar veteran chef Mouss who made sure the entire team were suitably fed and watered.    

There was another ‘treat’ in store. All vehicles were fitted with Sparco competition seats complete with 4 point racing harness! Padding? Forget it. I’ve got bruises I can’t see or reach – and the wife is wondering how I got them. And for added security, each Kerax had a full roll cage just in case we were treated to a view from an upside down perspective.

So that was the adventure. Next week I’ll go into a bit more detail about driving conditions and attempt to describe the sheer difficulty and impossible terrain which the team encountered - and conquered.

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