In 93 Nick von Bergen started his show of in Namibia, after returning from overseas. Nick’s Racing first imported parts and complete American v8 engines for conversions. Though it quickly came to be understood that he could pep up any Engine and that got customers with 4X4’s flooding him with work. The 2.4 Hilux is well remembered for not only having it’s performance increased by 30 %, but also having its Fuel consumption decreased by up to 50 %.
More and more Bakkie’s had fuel injection as standard and Nick was saddened not to be able to give them really what was needed. So he built his own premises on Erf 23 Nickel Str Prosperita, where a Dyno was installed. Now he can tune these cars properly, by installing a UNICHIP.
The UNICHIP gives Nick full control over the timing and mixture functions of most electronically controlled vehicles ? Not only can mixtures and timing be set, but also it can be set under various load and RPM conditions. This gives him the ability to optimise the vehicle for economy under light load conditions and set it up for optimum performance under full-throttle conditions.
The UNICHIP is much more than just a "chip". In actual fact it is a fully functioning computer that is added to the vehicle’s existing engine control unit (ECU). Apart from controlling general timing and mixtures it can do idling control, drive extra injectors, take full control over timing functions, eliminate road speed governors etc. It can be accurately described as a "Piggyback" computer.
The UNICHIP gets wired into the existing ECU harness. If it is removed the vehicle is back to standard. Unlike other after-market units if the UNICHIP is programmed with zeros the vehicle will be standard. Only areas where the vehicle isn’t perfect need to be altered.
The main difference between other after-market
"chips" and the UNICHIP is that with the
UNICHIP every individual vehicle is optimised. It is not just a
chip that was made on one particular vehicle and then gets used on other
similar vehicles.
This is why Nick is prepared to offer a 3 Months “return if not satisfied” policy apart from his usual 1 Year Guarantee on his Labour. He is adamant that a Satisfied customer is a must, therefore a lot of his products carry a lifetime warranty !
Furthermore Nick has
the Agency for the GOTECH system as well. The GOTECH-MFI system is a low
cost, easy to use micro-controlled engine management system. The Package
includes: MFI (Micro Fuel Injection) box, connection harness, relay, injector
plug kit, user manual and SOF-TECH configuration software. Of course he can
also install and tune it for you. This is a real boon for somebody who has a
“blown” computerbox or purchased an engine without the ECU.
He also has solutions for Suspensions and Brakes.
If you can go faster, you might also want to stop quicker !
NO- not drop kits ! On sedan he can supply firmer suspension or one that just works better than stock. On the 4X4s they can provide a customized suspension for the Load you anticipate carrying while increasing the wheel travel providing a smoother ride.
Sometimes a solution for a problem is at hand, such as the “left pull” and squirrelly ride of the IFS Hiluxes for an excellent price- N$ 2320.
Through the years the following Agencies/Dealerships served him well:
K&N High performance Air filters
Ignitor Electronic Ignition
Magstar Revlimiters, Dual strike Ignitions
Magwire High quality plug wires
Magfire High quality 40 kv Coils
UltaOptek Quality optics at an affordable price
Headers “Branches” as they are commonly called
Cams The “Brain” (and therefore the last thing to change) of your Engine.
Heads Still ported by himself
Parts for BMW Motorcycles are also imported directly. More a hobby of Nick’s than anything else.
He can now do everything in-house, as he picked up a Pipe bender, when Alpine developments closed down, that can bend up to 64 mm
The story does not end here, as he has secured himself other Agencies as well, such as the worlds most efficient Supercharger, but that will have to wait until next year.
Shooting as well as the outdoors are hobbies of his, so it was natural that he would try finding an agency to tie into this. Ramrod was chosen due to their excellent value for money riflescopes and Bino’s. They also offer a lot of other little odds ‘n ends for the people who live/work/play outdoors, such as Maglites, knives etc.
Nick spent his youth racing off-road motorcycles, but has now quietened down. Now he is doing such things as touring Angola with his girlfriend by Motorbike. That Bike is a Modified BMW, so it makes sense him importing spares for BMW motorbikes as a hobby. Nick even set up his own website www.nicksracing.com not only so that the customer could do his own research & pricing but also if you want to read up on his travels etc.