Japanese GP this weekend

The second last GP of the 2004 season will be held at the Suzuka circuit in Japan (the final round is in Brazil in a couple of weeks). The event will see whether BAR can maintain the pressure and keep Renault behind them as far as the constructors championship is concerned. With a theoretical 36 points up for grabs in the final two GP’s, Renault can overtake BAR and Williams F1 can even overtake Renault (on paper), though with its two detuned drivers, this is highly unlikely.

Montoya monstering Villeneuve

The final places in the driver’s championship are already cast in stone for 2004, with Michael Schumacher well in front of his team mate (read subordinate) Rubens Barichello, who is also clear of Jenson Button (BAR) and Fernando Alonso (Renault).

For most enthusiasts the race will be one to watch to see if Jacques Villeneuve has made it ‘back’. For me, his inability to pass Webber’s dreadfully slow Jaguar did not make me feel that he was an asset to the Renault team, or any better than the sacked Renault driver Jarno Trulli, the only driver other than Michael Schumacher and Barichello to have won a race this year.

The race starts at (I think) at 12.30 p.m. our time, but please check with your TV feed, as I don’t want to be blamed for your missing it! I will be watching from my favourite perch in Shenanigans, Second Road. Join me for lunch!

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Natter Nosh and Noggin The car (and bike) enthusiasts will be meeting again this Monday night (11th) at Shenanigans Pub at 7 pm. This is a totally informal meeting of like minded souls which meets on the second Monday of every month to discuss their pet motoring (and motorcycling) loves and hates. It is free to join and I suggest that you bring along magazines or photographs so that the group can get involved in the discussion. Generally we have something to eat while we are there and wash it down with something amber, hence the name, Natter, Nosh and Noggin. Just ask any of the lovely Shenanigans girls where Dr. Iain and the group are and they will point us out and give you a push. The History of the Japanese Grand Prix Japan wanted a Grand Prix as F1 had an enormous following in that country, and there were specialist manufacturers and automakers who were interested in being part of the world F1 scene; however, nobody wanted to race at Fuji. The answer was Suzuka, which had been designed by John Hugenholtz as a test track for Honda. Because it had been built as a test track, it had a wide range of corners over its 5.8 km length and it also had a flyover, a unique feature to Grand Prix circuits, and in fact for most circuits. The only other one I know of is the Oran Park GP (long) circuit outside Sydney, Australia. Suzuka was first used for a World Championship race in 1987 and has ever since hosted the Japanese Grand Prix. It has frequently been the championship decider, such as in 1989 when Senna came together with Prost with seven laps to go but the title went to Prost when Senna was disqualified for being push started, or in 1990 when again Senna rammed Prost out of the race at very high speed on the first corner, but this meant that the title went to Senna. Japan invented kamikaze remember, which Senna had learned very well (and I don’t mean the cocktail). It is also good for some people to remember that Michael Schumacher was not the first to work out that by rivals retiring he could be left with the title, and thereby helping them into the shrubbery when required! Autotrivia Quiz Last week, to beat the Googlers, I said to take a look at the photograph published with the quiz. I asked what was the year and what was the car? The clue was that it was not what you initially thought it was! This was not, repeat not, an MGA, but was an experimental vehicle called EX 182. MG made three of these to run at Le Mans in 1955, recording a 12th and 17th overall. These were designed from a previous shape called EX 175, and were all alloy bodies and had Weslake headed B series engines. The MGA’s had a chassis from another experimental vehicle called EX 179, bodies based on EX 182, front suspension from the MG TF, and the rest of the mechanicals from the ZA Magnette. So to this week. And since you’ve now got MG in the Google window, what was the first 750 cc engined MG to break 100 mph? For the Automania FREE beer this week, be the first correct answer to email [email protected] Good luck! New Golf GTI at Paris Motor Show Volkswagen has gone back to the original concept of the Golf GTI as being a pocket rocket, in the new GTI Euro IV released at the motor show in Paris. I can remember with much enthusiasm the release of the original GTI’s in 1976, astounding vehicles that could knock the spots off many much larger engined sporty cars. The new GTI Golf features a 2 litre turbo, a direct-injection FSI four-cylinder delivering 147 kW and a huge gruntful of 280 Nm of torque between 1800 and 5000 rpm, with it all being handled by a six speed manual gearbox. This allows the GTI to reach 100 kph in 7.2 seconds, according to VW, but there is also a tricky two-clutch gearbox that gets the 0-100 clicks down to 6.9 seconds. The previous, now superseded, GTI had only 110 kW, whose performance could never have been described as blistering. Even though the new GTI is more powerful, the new Euro IV emissions-compliant engine is also claimed to return average fuel consumption of just 8.0 litres per 100km. Complementing the extra performance is 15 mm lower sports suspension and a host of safety features including six airbags, ESP stability control and active front head restraints. A sports body-kit will complement the increased engine performance, including a black radiator grille with red frame and diamond mesh, front and roof highlights, a rear spoiler, twin tailpipes and distinctive 17 inch alloy wheels with 225 section width tyres. Other tarty features, according to the Australian GoAuto News, include red brake callipers, a distinctive bumper with three large air inlets, black widened sill panels, high gloss B pillar trim, blue heat reflective windows and darkened headlight housings. None of these do I find impressive, I’m afraid. Inside, the new Golf GTI will feature exclusive sports seats with stitched GTI logos on each head restraint, black headlining, aluminium gearknob and pedal cluster, and a three-spoke steering wheel like the original’s, this time leather-wrapped and with aluminium trim. Also exclusive to Golf GTI will be new instruments, climatic air-conditioning, multi-function display, illuminated front footwells, automatic anti-dazzle interior mirror, rain-sensing wipers, courtesy lights and a tyre monitor display. Price is yet to be finalised but it is expected that there will be an increase from the AUD 36,990 sticker on the current GTI down-under (1.1 million baht on straight currency exchange, but if VW brought them here I would expect a price tag closer to the BMW Mini Cooper at 2.2 million baht). Crude Oil goes past the $50 mark The price for crude oil has now exceeded USD 50, a figure that was predicted for quite some time. Not to worry, says Saudi Arabia, we will step up production, but that has not stopped the panic in the international fuel markets. Mind you, Nigeria then saying that they want all sorts of domestic upheavals righted, or they will stop their oil production has not helped, and could be seen as shooting themselves right and properly in the foot. Venezuela is also in more strife than Flash Gordon, so the oil dilemma does not look as if it is going to be corrected in the short term. Oil from Iraq? Forget it. The Iraqi nationalists are blowing up more pipelines than they Americans can fix. (Good one, George Dubbya!) So where does that lead us? Please don’t say down the road to diesel, as the majority of diesel fuel comes from crude oil too. The only advantages with diesel is that you get better fuel consumption figures, and you can use vegetable oils, but quite frankly they are so difficult to produce that the costs won’t go down. No, we are being led, quite inexorably to alternative fuels, with hydrogen fuel cells being way, way out front. But the big problem lies in the infrastructure. We have 100 years of roadside petrol pumps, and zero hydrogen bowsers. Buy a hydrogen fuel cell car and you can only refuel at the manufacturers! It will need big bucks and big cojones to build a hydrogen supply line, but that is coming, especially if you are a Terminator fan. Big Arnie, now the top man in California says he’s behind it, and has the plans (and probably the political clout) to make it happen. In January this year, in his first State of the State address in Sacramento California, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger said that he will encourage the construction of a hydrogen highway in California and that he will make sure that California becomes the place where economic growth and environment coexist. Although Arnie did not mention any specifics on how to finance the Hydrogen Highway infrastructure, it is likely that funding will be based on bonds where the per unit hydrogen fee will ensure the necessary cash flow. What is needed to get started is to build sufficient hydrogen fuelling infrastructure to serve a sufficient number of hydrogen and fuel cell powered vehicles to ensure the cash flow. It really is an example of the chicken and the egg. If there’s no infrastructure, you can’t sell hydrogen cars. If there’s no hydrogen cars, there’s not enough money to be made on fuel sales to finance the building of the pipeline! But as Arnie said, “I’ll be back!” and we hope that’s with the answer to the hydrogen fuel infrastructure problem!