Canadian GP this weekend
The ninth Grand Prix of the 2006 season crosses the Atlantic
to be run in Montreal at the Gilles Villeneuve Circuit,
constructed on a man-made island which had been used in the
1967 Expo. Originally named the Ile Notre Dame circuit, the
circuit was renamed in Villeneuve’s memory after his death
in 1982. The location is one of the loveliest in Formula One
since the narrow track threads its way through lakes and
parkland. It is a narrow, medium-fast, 2.75 mile circuit
with 13 corners. Some corners were eased for 1979, a new
corner before the pits was added in 1991 and a chicane was
added in 1994.
Whilst Alonso appears to have a good lead in the
championship, there are many rounds to come, and Ferrari and
McLaren seem to be closing the gap. It could be an
interesting race. By my reckoning it will be starting at
midnight (Sunday night or Monday morning, take your pick).
I will be watching at Jameson’s Irish Pub, Soi AR, next to
Nova Park. Join me for a couple of drinks first.
The mystery
of the musical chairs
Around this time of year the
rumour-mongers start, with all kinds of speculation as to
who will go where for 2007. I have to admit that I have been
saying for some months that Renault will drop Fisichella,
because he has been underperforming compared to Alonso – but
with the latest news from the Renault group, I have been
shown to be a lousy fortune teller! Fisi is going to stay at
Renault for 2007.
So who will partner him? Much space in the print media has
been dedicated to the concept that the key to it all is
Michael Schumacher. If Schumi stays, then one plan of action
will occur, but if he decides to retire, then we have a
totally different scenario. This I believe is poppycock.
Both Ferrari and Renault, as the two top teams, can select
whomever they want. Both are cashed up enough to hold out a
large enough financial carrot for any driver, so it really
boils down to which driver can offer which team the greatest
chance of success. It is that simple.
Now let’s take Raikkonen. McLaren-Mercedes has not given the
Finn the vehicle to win a championship for the past two
years, so why should he stay? Renault have a winning team
with bulletproof cars, and it would make Raikkonen an
obvious choice, surely. So, irrespective of what Michael
Schumacher might do, Raikkonen to Renault would make the
most powerful combination on the 2007 grid, despite the fact
that world champion-elect Alonso will be with the McLaren
team next year.
So who will partner Alonso at McLaren? Montoya has not
really impressed this year, and his results are poor
compared to Raikkonen, but if Montoya left, who would
replace him? The answer could be the young Briton, Lewis
Hamilton, who has been absolutely blitzing the GP2 support
category, and who just happens to be a McLaren sponsored
driver. You might normally expect such a newcomer to spend a
year as an F1 test driver before moving up, but think back –
did Raikkonen? No, he did not. So why should Hamilton? By
giving Hamilton the race seat, McLaren would then have a
proven world champion in Alonso, plus the quickest ‘new’
driver to the category on the 2007 grid.
If this is the case, then whither Montoya? He is still an A
grade driver, even if A2, rather than the A1 of Schumacher,
Alonso and Raikkonen. Honda (BAR) have made such a fuss over
Jenson Button that they would lose too much Japanese face to
let him go, even though Barichello is currently doing better
than the British white hope. That leaves Red Bull or BMW,
and the only chances Montoya has is to replace Klien at Red
Bull or Villeneuve at BMW, in my opinion.
The next few months will be interesting as the seat
contracts become finalized!
Autotrivia Quiz
Last week I mentioned the famous Monza banked autodrome was
rebuilt in 1955 for a special race. I asked what was it, and
who won it? The answer was the American Challenge Race (also
known as the Two Worlds Trophy 500 Mile Race) and it was won
by Jim Bryan in a Dean Van Lines Special.
So to this week. Who was it that had the rear-mounted fuel
tank on his Cadillac armour-plated?
For the Automania FREE beer this week, be the first correct
answer to email [email protected]
Good luck!
Is it ‘wind’ or is it
‘Natural Gas’?
There is much confusion in the local
motoring scene, with articles seemingly weekly regarding LPG
and Gasohol as alternatives to the current 95 and 91 octane
petrols available. Another fuel is also touted and is being
called NGV, which is totally incorrect, as NGV means Natural
Gas Vehicle. The fuel is natural gas and comes in a
compressed form, called CNG (Compressed Natural Gas).
Mercedes
NGT refuelling
CNG has been around for a while, and there are vehicles set
up to use this fuel. An example of this is the Mercedes Benz
E 200 NGT saloon. This car is a dual-fuel drive, using both
CNG and gasoline fuels. In the boot area were four CNG
bottles holding 107 litres, as well as the standard fuel
tank, and amazingly there was still enough space for
luggage. In CNG mode, the level of CO2 emissions is reduced
by 20 percent over the gasoline values. It is also a most
economical vehicle, taking 6.1 kg of CNG to travel 100 km
(or in petrol mode 9 litres of 95 octane gasoline), and with
the relative prices of the two fuels, the E 200 NGT will
cost you around 48 baht per 100 km in CNG mode, compared to
around 200 baht in gasoline mode. There are currently around
1000 CNG stations in Europe, but less than 50 in all
Thailand, and there is the first problem with CNG – a lack
of infrastructure.
However, in the USA, Honda Motor Corporation have come up
with a way around this problem. Honda has taken a 20 percent
share of the FuelMaker Corporation, which has a
revolutionary refuelling device called Phill, a home-based
refuelling rig. Suddenly the infrastructure doesn’t matter
as much!
Honda
GX home refuelling
For the past seven years, American Honda has marketed the
NGV Civic GX to fleet operators who have their own dedicated
CNG fuelling stations. By offering the Civic GX along with
the Phill home refuelling appliance, Honda is expanding the
appeal of this ultra-clean and convenient alternative to
gasoline-powered transportation. Honda is the only
manufacturer currently offering a dedicated natural
gas-powered passenger car to the general public in North
America, though GM have a couple of pick-ups, and Mercedes
have the dual fuel E 200 NGT.
The Honda NGV meets California’s Advanced Technology Partial
Zero Emission Vehicle (AT-PZEV) standards. The U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency has certified this vehicle
as “the cleanest internal combustion engine-powered
vehicle.” The GX was the first vehicle to earn AT-PZEV
status in California and the American Council for an
Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) recently named the Civic GX
as the “Greenest Vehicle of the Year” in overall
environmental performance, ahead of even hybrid vehicles.
That’s quite a rap for CNG and Honda.
The cost of equipping a light-duty vehicle to run on
compressed natural gas (CNG) can range from about US$2,000
up to about $6,000, depending on the vehicle and number of
cylinders to store the fuel. Natural gas is less expensive
than gasoline, and the relatively stable price of the fuel
has made it attractive to fleets as well as private owners.
CNG makes much sense. The modifications to the engine are
relatively slight, and taking the Benz E 200 NGT as the
example, the supercharged ‘Twinpulse’ engine was modified by
the addition of injector nozzles on the underside of the
intake manifold. A pressure regulator with sensor and
electromagnetic shut-off valve is fitted near the engine to
regulate the supply of natural gas and maintain the required
system pressure at a constant level.
The reprogrammed engine electronics ensure seamless
operation in both drive modes. The E 200 NGT distinguishes
itself from comparable models, which often deliver poorer
performance in natural-gas mode, by matching the
sophisticated four-cylinder power unit’s power and torque
characteristics even when running on natural gas. This
actually makes the E 200 NGT the most powerful saloon with a
dual-fuel drive unit currently in production.
Honda, on the other hand, sells about 1,000 GXs a year, but
sales growth has been hindered by limited places to fill up,
says Gunnar Lindstrom, senior manager of alternative-fuel
vehicle sales for American Honda Motor. With FuelMaker’s
Phill device, motorists “can start every day with a full
tank,” he says. Civic GX buyers can lease Phill through
selected Honda dealers for approximately US$34 to US$79 per
month (plus installation) depending on regional incentive
programs.
“The combination of the Civic GX and the Phill
home-refueling appliance provides consumers with an
alternative to gasoline-powered vehicles and represents the
ultimate in environmentally friendly transportation
currently available,” said American Honda’s Gunnar
Lindstrom.
Phill can be mounted to a garage wall either indoors or
outdoors and allow a natural gas-powered vehicle to be
refuelled overnight directly from a homeowner’s existing
natural gas supply line. Phill is designed to offer ease of
operation with simple “start” and “stop” buttons and will
automatically turn itself off when the tank is full.
Now while the fuel and oil companies have had the
stranglehold on the retailing of petroleum, this new home
refuelling device opens up an all-new ball game. Imagine
that you are travelling for 1000 km and you are going to
need two more tanks of CNG before you get to you location –
it is not beyond the bounds of reason that you would be able
to dial up the locations of ‘friendly’ home refuelers on
your SatNav and pay per fill (or should that be Phill?) on
your way. Suddenly, the power of the multinational oil
companies just went out the window! People power is coming!
And that power might just be CNG!
