Apologies to the GoKart fans
I have to begin this week with an apology to the GoKart
fans, following a failure in email communication between
myself and the Easykart people who ran the recent 24 Hour
Kart Race. Not knowing it was on until the last minute meant
that any pre-race information did not get published, and my
post-race details were indeed sketchy.
Thailand
24 Hour race
With electronic communication ‘re-wired’, I can now shed a
little more light on this event, which was the third 24 Hour
GoKart race to be held at the revamped Bira Kart circuit.
There were 24 teams entered for the 24 Hour, with five from
France, three from the Philippines, two from Bahrain, seven
from Thailand and singleton entries from China, UK, Germany,
Japan and Morocco, showing just how much the Thailand 24
Hour has become an international event.
Rain
did not deter them
The three winning teams were Mac Boys (France) outright
winners on 1,168 laps, Nivea Dubai second on 1,165 laps (and
not caring about skin dehydration) and Benfica (Portugal)
third on 1,162 laps. Team China were the wooden-spooners,
but even so, had covered 1,106 laps in the 24 hours, through
night, day and deluge.
The Easykart people (www.easykart.net) have more karting
events coming up soon and a couple of new developments for
the local karting scene. Now that the lines of communication
are again open, I will be able to bring those to you in a
more timely fashion.
The ultimate Porsche?
Forget the Porsche Turbo and the Porsche Carrera,
try the GT3 RSR. The potent Porsche GT3 RSR has received
aerodynamic upgrades for 2008 and you will belong to a very
exclusive club with one of these - only 35 are being
released globally.
As if the last GT3 was lacking something, the factory says
that the 2008 Porsche GT3 RSR is “considerably improved”.
You could (just about) drive it on the road, but the RSR is
really for the race track.
Other
driver’s view of the RSR
It is based on the Porsche 911 (which if you remember came
out about August 1964 so that certainly is an enduring
design), and which last year scored wins at the 24 hour
races of Le Mans and Spa as well as overall victory at the
Nurburgring 24 hours.
The most distinguishing feature of the new GT3 RSR is the
front end which received major improvements to the
aerodynamics. These include the little ‘flicks’ on each side
of the air intake.
The majority of innovations, however, are hidden under the
lightweight body, which is made from hot-galvanized steel.
The rear end including the rear wing was taken from the
predecessor.
The 3.8 liter boxer engine of the GT3 RSR remains unchanged
apart from slight improvements to details. It delivers 465
hp (342 kW) at 8,000 revs per minute and delivers a maximum
torque of 430 Nm at 7,250 revs. The rev limiter of the
efficient six-cylinder kicks in at 9,400 rpm. It has four
valves per cylinder, and dry-sumped (naturally).
Porsche
RSR
Much of the know-how in the GT3 RSR’s totally new gearbox
has come from the RS Spyder sports prototype. The sequential
six-speed unit, developed by Porsche engineers, is
considerably lighter than its predecessor. Internal friction
was substantially reduced. It uses a triple plate
carbon-fiber clutch and has a limited slip differential.
The suspension also hearkens back to the original 911 series
with McPherson struts up front with an adjustable roll bar.
The brake system has a balance bar control, with one-piece
six-piston aluminium fixed callipers; inner-vented, 380 mm
in diameter; racing brake pads at the front and one-piece
four-piston aluminium fixed callipers; inner-vented, 355 mm
in diameter; racing brake pads at the rear.
All up, the 911 RSR weighs 1,200 kg and I want one!
Aside from the GT3 Cup and the GT3 Cup S, the GT3 RSR is the
third race car based on the Porsche 911 offered by Porsche
Motorsport. And if you want to get your hands on one, be
prepared to shell out the asking price of 349,800 Euro plus
VAT, plus duty into this country which is calculated by
multiplying the price ex-works by your birthday and doubling
it.
Autotrivia Quiz
Last week I asked what do the initials AC stand for,
in the auto world. (And not Alternating Current.) The
correct answer was the initials AC stand for the tiny
“Auto-Carrier” tricycles which operated between 1905-1914.
Founded by an engineer called John Weller and a pork chop
butcher John Portwine who put up the money. So there.
And to this week. We have been looking at Porsche, so, when
did the Porsche 901 come out?
For the Automania FREE beer this week, be the first correct
answer to email [email protected]
Good luck!
Do you want to be a
better driver?
In a novel move, an insurance broker has
announced a program to help you retain your no-claim bonus!
Working on the principal that if you have increased driving
skills, you should be able to avoid more accidents, and in
particular, cut down the chances of a single vehicle
accident, but this needs driver training.
AA Insurance Brokers have hired the facilities of the Bira
International Circuit just outside Pattaya, plus two
experienced racing drivers to give lectures and practical
instructions on how to better control your car. This will be
on Wednesday March 12.
After instruction, the race drivers will take you round the
circuit and teach you the finer points of braking and
picking the correct lines through any corner. You will then
swap seats and the instructor will assist you from the
passenger’s chair. When he has judged that your competency
level has improved, you will then be allowed to continue
circulating around the Bira circuit on your own, to polish
your new-found skills.
The objective in this course is not to teach people to be
racing drivers – you will not become the next Michael
Schumacher after a few laps of the Bira circuit, but for you
to become ‘better’ drivers, being able to handle a car
properly and safely.
One of the drivers will be from the Pizza Company racing
team and will bring one of their modified sedan cars and a
few students will be given passenger laps in a real racing
car, and experience the excitement of two wheel cornering
and last minute braking.
AA Insurance Broker’s Peter Smith, who has had one of these
passenger rides previously, says, “Very few get out of the
car without that pale look that says it all. There isn’t a
roller coaster ride in the world that even comes close to
being in a real racing car.”
Refreshments will be provided, including of course pizzas,
courtesy of the Pizza Company. No beer … at least for the
drivers, until after the event.
There has been a huge response by clients and businesses
around the area, all keen to be part of what AA Insurance
Brokers plan to be a regular event. I believe some
sponsorship places are still available and all profits will
be donated to a local charity.
To secure your place, act fast … but you either have to be a
sponsor or a client of AA Insurance Brokers to get a place.
You can contact AA Insurance Brokers by email on
[email protected]. But do it soon. And yes, you’ll need a
helmet.
Natter Nosh and Noggin
The monthly car enthusiasts meeting will be at
Jameson’s Irish Pub on Soi AR next to the Nova Park
development. The car (and bike) enthusiasts meet on the
second Monday of the month, so this time it is Monday (March
10) at Jameson’s at 7 p.m. This is a totally informal
meeting of like minded souls to discuss their pet motoring
(and motorcycling) loves and hates. Many interesting debates
come from these evenings, including quite a few topics for
the Autotrivia quiz.
Servicing
Following the closure of my workshop guy’s
facility, I have been, like many of you, looking for
somewhere to have my car serviced. With the family chariot
(the mighty Avanza) needing its service, my wife went to the
newly opened Shell Autoserv (that’s how they spell it) on
Sukhumvit Road, just before the Soi Wat Boon lights,
outbound. The result was a very happy wife, and my wallet
likewise as the bill was very reasonable. They were very
thorough, the facility is clean and organized like a
European one, and we will go back there. Worth a look for
the Pattaya motorists. Only problem is it needs a Thai
speaker, English language skills were very much below par.
The world is going
green (or mad)
Another automaker that is putting on its ‘green’
clothes is Honda, who ran their F1 team last year under the
banner of My Earth Dream, and while it was evidently one of
the fuel misers (relatively) in the F1 pit lane, it was also
one of the slowest.
Honda does have some very interesting technology, however,
which was debuted in their clean and green V6 in Australia
at the end of last year. This new fuel-saving technology is
seen in the new, Thailand manufactured, Honda Accord V6.
The V6 version of the new Accord features variable cylinder
management, which allows the car to run on six, four or
three cylinders depending on the driving environment.
The new 3.5 liter V6 runs on six cylinders during
acceleration or under high loads, then switches to four or
three cylinders for cruising on the highway or low-speed
driving in traffic. This system delivers better fuel
consumption and lower emissions, as quite simply, not all
six cylinders are gulping fuel 100 percent of the time. A
very interesting way around the fuel consumption problem.
Variable Cylinder Management (VCM) is Honda’s term for their
variable displacement technology. It uses a solenoid to
unlock the cam followers on one bank from their respective
rockers, so the cam follower floats freely while the valve
springs keep the valves closed. The engine’s drive by wire
throttle allows the engine management computer to smooth out
the engine’s power delivery, making the system
imperceptible. Vehicles equipped with VCM are equipped with
an “ECO” indicator on the dashboard which corresponds to the
VCM system’s operation.
Honda Accord
V6
