AUTO MANIA: by Dr. Iain Corness [email protected]

Abu Dhabi GP this weekend

Abu Dhabi

The Abu Dhabi Yas Marina grand prix circuit hosts the GP this weekend. Abu Dhabi is the most oil-rich in the region and the 5.55 kilometer Yas Marina Circuit has been built using the motorists’ money, extracted at the petrol pumps. Roll on electric power! It was also one of the most boring race tracks in living history and has been universally christened ‘Yawn’ Marina.
Located on Yas Island, the PR blurb said the track was set to revolutionize the design of future Formula One circuits. Boasting top speeds of 320 km/h and average speeds of 198 km/h, it features nine right turns and 11 left turns and is one of the few venues on the calendar to run in an anti-clockwise direction.
It was designed by circuit architect Hermann Tilke (so need I say more?), and Yas Marina has a waterfront setting scenic enough to rival the likes of Monaco and Valencia, complete with a hotel that even changes color, but was just as boring as that former pair of venues.
All of the grandstands, including the massive hairpin seating area, are covered to protect spectators from the desert sun, whilst the state-of-the-art pit building boasts 40 garages.
As well as the waterside marina area, there are high-speed sections, tight corners for overtaking, and even a twisty street circuit-style sector. However, none of this prevents Yas (Yawn) Marina from being boring if the F1 cars cannot pass each other.
In an effort to boost the Abu Dhabi GP, our Bernie, the patron saint of dwarfs, dreamed up the concept of double points for this meeting, a system universally disliked, with even Bernie admitting it wasn’t such a bright idea!
The World Driver’s Championship is down to the Mercedes drivers Hamilton (Britain’s white hope) and Rosberg (dual nationality Finnish and German). Hamilton is ahead on points, but Rosberg can win with the double points, provided Hamilton does not do well.
If Rosberg finishes:
1st, he needs Hamilton to finish 3rd or worse
2nd, he needs Hamilton to finish 6th or worse
3rd, he needs Hamilton to finish 7th or worse
4th, he needs Hamilton to finish 9th or worse
5th, he needs Hamilton to finish 10th or worse
6th, Hamilton is world champion regardless of where he finishes
The race will start at 8 p.m. our time Sunday (also 8 p.m. Saturday for Qualifying), and I will be getting to Jameson’s Irish Pub around 7 p.m. for a bite to eat (Sunday roast is great value) and a glass or two. Come and join us for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix which we watch on the big screen with streaming from the dedicated F1 channel, with no adverts after the race starts. Jameson’s Irish Pub is on Soi AR, next to Nova Park serviced apartments.

New Volvo V60 off-roader

New Volvo V60 off-roader.

A boost to ride-height and some tougher touches will give owners of the diesel-only V60 Cross Country the confidence to go further, says Volvo.
Volvo has added a second trail-focused Cross Country model to its ranks with a ride height-boosted version of its mid-sized V60 wagon joining the fleet alongside smaller V40 Cross Country.
The V60 Cross Country made its debut at the Los Angeles motor show late November, revealing its ride-height to be 65 mm higher, higher profile tyres and chunky body modifications.
Volvo says the alterations give the latest V60 variant a new level of versatility with “unparalleled control on and off the beaten track” for owners wanting “rugged capability”.
Europe will get three diesel-only versions of the V60 Cross Country starting with a front-wheel-drive D3 four-cylinder, a mid-range front-drive four-cylinder D4, while top-of-the-range four-wheel-drive versions get a five-cylinder engine.
This might be a last hurrah for the five-pot engine in V60, as Volvo’s Drive-E four-cylinder engine eventually will power all models in the Swedish brand’s range including the V60 Cross Country D4 and D3.
Getting the power down to the road is optimized with ‘torque vectoring’ and ‘corner traction control’ for both front-drive and four-wheel drive versions.
The V60 Cross Country range comes with either 18 inch or 19 inch wheels with high-profile tyres to improve ride quality and offer better rim-protection on rougher surfaces.
Front and rear skid-plates, side scuff-plates and bumper extensions visually set the Cross Country apart from its more road-bound sibling, and increase durability when on changeable surfaces.

A two-wheeled nutter?

“Blown” bicycle!

Have you heard of Francois Gissy? No? Well, he has just done 333 km/h on a rocket propelled push bike.
The bike, designed by Gissy’s friend, Arnold Neracher, reached its top speed of 333 km/h in just 4.8 seconds and 250 meters.
“In the moment, it is scary, but as soon as you stop, you also realize how amazing that was,” Gissy said of the experience in an interview with the technology website Gizmag. But he said the wind is extremely powerful when travelling above 300 km/h. “I’m lucky my head is still bolted on the body!”
Gissy sits just above the rocket, which has three thrusters and is fastened to the frame. (Exotic Thermo Engineering/Swiss Rocketman.)
This was not his first time; Gissy’s previous speed record on a similar bike in 2013 was 263 km/h.
Exotic Thermo Engineering’s other inventions include a rocket-powered go-kart, a rocket car, and a jetpack called a “rocket belt.” (The latter must get the sphincter well and truly puckered!)
According to Guinness World Records, the fastest speed ever for a bicycle that wasn’t rocket powered was 268.831 km/h by Fred Rompelberg of the Netherlands, riding behind a wind-shield fitted dragster in 1995 and assisted by the slipstream of the car.
The current unassisted bicycle speed record is 133.8 km/h - a record that a team in Toronto is trying to break.

NCAP suggests India puts safety last, not first

It’ll polish out!

The Indian made Datsun Go has failed its NCAP testing, making it more of a No-Go than anything else.
The global independent New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) organization has turned up the heat on two more international automakers by giving devastating zero-star safety ratings for two “new” car models in India where one person dies on the road on average every four minutes.
In one of the crash tests, the structure of the Nissan-made Datsun Go collapsed so badly that NCAP engineers concluded airbags would have been pointless, even if they had been fitted. The steel itself is very doubtful, so it may have used recycled soft drink cans?
Bharat (an alternative name for India) NCAP is a collaboration between the Indian government and Institute of Road Traffic Education, and like similar organizations in eight other key markets aims to give consumers a guide to vehicle safety and not be afraid to publicize the results, poor or otherwise.
So far, zero scores have been handed out by Global NCAP to seven Indian-made cars, bringing in to question the commitment of many automakers to car safety in developing countries.
An NCAP photograph of the 64 km/h frontal offset crash test - a standard NCAP test around the globe - of the 2014 Datsun Go was particularly telling, revealing a massive buckle in the roof and body deformation almost to the rear hatch.
The front wheel was pushed back into the driver’s side cabin space, and the dummy’s head impacted the steering wheel.
In India, the Go is the latest model from the born-again Datsun brand - Nissan’ s low-cost supplier of cars in Third World markets.
Bharat NCAP is the 10th NCAP to be formed around the world, and with India now the fifth largest producer of passenger cars, “This new consumer program will no doubt have a direct effect on improving vehicle safety standards across India,” ANCAP Chairman Lauchlan McIntosh said.
From zero stars, anything will be an improvement!

Automotive Focus Group spreads the latest news

South Korean steel maker POSCO has started construction on an automotive steel sheet plant in Thailand which is expected to be completed by 2016.
The plant will be producing galvanized steel sheet for automotive applications and the plant will have a production capacity of 450,000 tons per year.
The company said that Thailand is developing into the biggest automotive production base in Southeast Asia with production capacity increased to 3.2 million vehicles.
Posco found it difficult to export automotive steel sheets to Thailand which triggered its move to build the factory at the Amata City Industrial Complex in Bangkok.
The facility will produce GI (Galvanized Steel) and GA (Galva-annealed Steel) that will be supplied to local automakers and automotive suppliers.
Posco-TCS CEO Han Kwang-heum said, “We will ensure the stably supply of quality automotive steel sheet and expand our close partnership with local automakers in a bid to take the initiative in the Southeast Asian automotive steel sheet market.”

Forget Retro cars - it’s Retro bikes

Royal Enfield.

Royal Enfield’s revamped Continental GT still has the old-school charm, with some new-school tech.
Try the Royal Enfield Continental GT - a real head-turner with its authentic café racer looks and bold red paint job.
According to Royal Enfield the Continental GT is its lightest and fastest model yet. While still paying homage to its roots from the early 1960s, this 535cc single cylinder café racer will be a nostalgia fest for the original Rockers and I’m one.
For retro riding, the seat is accommodating and despite the low-set bars, the riding position doesn’t feel as racy as it looks due to the clip-on style bars mounted on top of the triple clamp rather than below, giving you a slightly more upright riding position.
You have the option of an electric start - or if you like authenticity, you can have a stab at the kick starter, but not to be recommended, if you haven’t tried one before.
It needs some revs to get off the line cleanly, and minor vibrations occur in the upper rev range, which is what the tester expected from this type of engine, but he complained he was looking for 6th, as the engine could easily pull it.
Fitted with Pirelli Sport Demon rubber, twin gas-charged Paioli rear suspension, some decent Brembo brakes and a newly-designed chassis, you’ll soon realize how good a package this modern-classic Continental GT is.

Autotrivia Quiz

Last week I mentioned that the AC Ace did not start its production life as an AC, but as something else, which was purchased by AC and its Bristol engine removed. Of course, the ultimate form of this car was the 7 liter Ford Shelby Cobra. I asked what was that original car? It was the Tojeiro Bristol.
So to this week. Advertised as being for “the few who own the finest” these cars had owners such as Sir Stirling Moss, Fred Astaire and Picasso. What was it?
For the Automania free beer this week, be the first correct answer to email [email protected].