Spanish GP this Sunday April 27
Spain has a long history in GP racing,
and the Catalunya circuit (aka Montmelo) was built just 20
km from Barcelona. It was actually the fourth circuit in, or
near, Barcelona, which has some claim to being Spain’s
capital of motor racing.
The Circuit Catalunya was opened in 1991, the 5 km circuit
was quick and had both a wide range of corners and excellent
facilities and viewing points. A temporary chicane was built
at ‘Nissan’ (a very shallow curve) in 1994, but for 1995,
‘Nissan’ was straightened reducing the length of a lap to
the 5 km length.
I will be watching in front of the big screen in Jameson’s
Irish Pub (Soi AR, next to Nova Park). The race should start
at 7 p.m. but I will get there early and have some dinner
from the Jameson’s carvery. Why not join me for dinner and a
chat before the race?
The local Spanish fans will of course be going lunatic over
Alonso, the sulky Spaniard, but it will take Moses and
several miracles to get Alonso on the podium. However,
Renault are saying they will have some new aerodynamic bits
by then which will improve the car’s performance. This is
correct; unfortunately, every other team (other than Super
Aguri which will be a non-starter I believe) has new
go-faster bits as well.
The current points score reads
1 Kimi Räikkönen Ferrari 19
2 Nick Heidfeld BMW 16
3= Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 14
3= Robert Kubica BMW 14
3= Heikki Kovalainen McLaren-Mercedes 14
6 Felipe Massa Ferrari 10
7 Jarno Trulli Toyota 8
8 Nico Rosberg Williams-Toyota 7
9 Fernando Alonso Renault 6
10 Mark Webber Red Bull-Renault 4
11 Kazuki Nakajima Williams-Toyota 3
12 Sebastien Bourdais STR-Ferrari 2
It is too early in the season to predict much, but
undoubtedly Ferrari look like the top team, but BMW is the
one springing the surprises, whilst McLaren-Mercedes, and
Hamilton in particular, are making too many unforced errors.
Nissan GT-R V-Spec
pounds Porsche at Nurburgring
The performance car drivers are anxiously waiting for the
new Nissan GT-R to become available at your local Nissan
dealership. This car brings super-car performance at bargain
prices, but at present you will only get one through the
grey import houses.
Nissan
GT-R V-Spec
The performance of the GT-R, with its 4WD is already
legendary, but Nissan have not sat back there. They have now
produced a “performance” version V-Spec (‘Victory
Specification’) version which was spied at the Nurburgring,
and Euro reports suggest the stripped-down, pumped-up GT-R
stopped the clocks at a staggering 7min 25sec.
Putting this in perspective, the standard GT-R’s benchmark
time (albeit on a partly wet track) is quoted by Nissan at 7
min 38 seconds, which is already quicker than a Porsche 911
GT3 or 911 Turbo. However, a lap of 7.25 places the GT-R
V-Spec ahead of the vaunted Pagani Zonda F Clubsport (7:27),
Porsche Carrera GT (7:28), Porsche 997 GT2 (7:32) and
Koenigsegg CCR (7:34).
The key to the V-Spec’s pace is much the same as the recipe
for the Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera and Ferrari F430
Scuderia - less weight, more power and tweaked aerodynamics.
Reports suggest kerb weight (1740 kg in standard form) has
been pruned by more than 150 kg via extensive use of carbon
fiber and the deletion of bits deemed non-essential.
The 3.8 liter twin-turbo V6 has also reportedly been worked
over to yield an additional 50 kW-plus, taking its total
output to somewhere more than 400 kW.
A super-car down at the dealership with a Nissan Sunny Neo.
The mind boggles at the thought.
By the way, here are the lap times for some of the fastest
production cars at the Nurburgring:
7:25 Nissan GT-R V-Spec
7:27 Pagani Zonda F Clubsport
7:28 Porsche Carrera GT
7:32 Porsche 997 GT2
7:34 Koenigsegg CCR
7:38 Nissan GT-R (base model)
7:39 Porsche 997 GT3
7:40 Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren
7:40 Bugatti Veyron 16/4
Those figures should be taken with a grain of salt, however,
as to be really accurate, the times should be done on the
same day with the same driver. But you can see that even the
cooking model GT-R is a very potent motor car.
Autotrivia Quiz
Last week I noted that one driver attempted to
qualify for the 1949 Indy 500 in a car that was 35 years
old. I asked what was the car? It was a 1914 Grand Prix
Peugeot.
So to this week. There is one automaker in the USA which has
been building cars since 1896. Which is it?
For the Automania FREE beer this week, be the first correct
answer to email [email protected]
Good luck!
Honda Racing Fest this
weekend at Bira
Honda Automobile (Thailand) says the Honda Racing
Fest will give its fans a ‘higher adrenaline rush’ with more
fun-filled, exciting and challenging activities this year.
Both the Jazz and Civic one-make races are unique because
all participants are not permitted to make independent
modifications to their own vehicles, an international ruling
set by Honda. Their racing cars must be kept with the
organizer after each practice run or qualifying rounds.
Honda Racing Fest’ will be held five times this year; two
rounds will be staged in two selected provinces, and the
remaining three rounds at Bira International Circuit,
Pattaya. The five rounds are scheduled for April 26 and 27
at Bira, then June (Chiang Mai), August, October and
December.
Bikes on show at BITEC
Our motorcycling editor at large, Alan Coates,
covered this aspect of the show and we will be highlighting
a few of the motorcycles over the next few weeks. His report
follows:
This year the overall impression is that the major Japanese
and German manufacturers wanted to showcase their latest
offerings in the large capacity Tourers, Sports Tourers and
Muscle bikes for the Thailand market.
Of the smaller capacity machines the trend back to the look
of the Vespa and Lambrettas Italian scooters of the 1960s
continues. Meanwhile another thread of design seeks to
emulate the MotoGP look with fully faired front ends and
high kick up bodywork over the rear wheel.
It was good also to see the return of the Thailand
manufacturer, Tiger, albeit with a more modest display,
while Ducati were represented by a dealership rather than
the Bologna factory itself.
Not appearing were, surprisingly after last year, the
T-United with their small capacity hybrid machines. Also
absent were Triumph, now on sale in Bangkok and manufactured
at Chonburi.
BMW
Of interest is that the top of the range K1200LT would
appear to have been withdrawn from the Asian market.
Although technically it is still in the model line-up it is
probably due for replacement. However BMW were well
represented as follows.
BMW
R1200 RT
HP2 Megamoto - This is an off-road (trailie) with over 110
bhp from the flat twin engine which should give huge pulling
power from the bottom of the engine speed range. The
high-quality, racing-style tubular space frame is said to
give extreme torsional stiffness. The 179 kg dry weight is
impressive and BMW claim this bike never gets out of breath
and offers incredible braking points and extreme banking at
a level only offered by superbikes!
K1200 R – Sport - This naked bike (minimal half fairing) has
high handlebars more precise handling, which together with
its long wheelbase should give a stable ride while sat in a
more upright position. The in-line 4-cylinder engine
produces 163 bhp and 127 Nm and can come with
state-of-the-art ABS system
K1200 GS – Enduro - Again, using the “Boxer” twin cylinder
fuel injected engine, this enduro style machine has 105 bhp
and 115 Nm torque at modest revs, more suited to an off-road
performer than a street bike of 1200 cc capacity.
R1200 RT – Tour - The “RT” is promoted as a long distance
tourer with full on board luggage and capabilities to cover
thousands of kilometres. A tailor-made package of
comprehensive accessories with a wide range of technical
features is available for adaptation to individual owner
touring needs, with ABS as standard.
Ducati
Two models were on display, courtesy of a local dealer.
Ducati
Monster
1098S - This lightweight (171 kg) bike utilizes the
familiar, L-Twin cylinder, 4 valve per cylinder Desmodromic,
liquid cooled engine uprated to the ‘S’ performance with 160
BHP produced at 9750 rpm. The new 1098 S has achieved the
status of the highest performance Ducati street bike ever by
reducing weight to the minimum and adding world-class
components to an already excellent design.
Suspension is of the very highest performance standard. The
forks are fully adjustable Ohlins units, 43 mm at the front
and a single unit at the rear mounted to a single-sided
swing arm. The Ohlins package is completed with an
adjustable steering damper.
This package does not come cheap, retailing at 14,000 pounds
sterling or about 1 million baht before import!
Monster - Powered by the smaller 992 cc air-cooled version
of the desmodromic engine giving 95 BHP at 8000 rpm the
Monster is more typically a naked sports tourer. The
performance will test the endurance of the rider on this
high speed machine without significant wind protection.
Why you can’t wear a
plastic helmet in F1
Crash helmets in Thailand range from laughable to
ludicrous. My favorite is the blue plastic number, unlined,
with plastic straps (invariably never done up) that must be
made from recycled ice-cream buckets. And my other ‘must
have’ helmet is the black plastic London Bobby’s headgear.
Like everything in motor sport, helmets too have been
modified to come up with the new skull and brain protection.
Although its fundamental shape may look very similar to
those worn by drivers in the 1980’s and even the 1970’s, the
underlying design and construction technology has changed
radically over the years.
Current Formula One helmets are massively strong and
considerably lighter, now weighing approximately 1.25 kg.
Helmets are constructed from several separate layers,
offering a combination of strength and flexibility (vital to
absorb the force of large impacts). The outer shell has two
layers, typically fiber-reinforced resin over carbon fiber.
Under that comes a layer formed of vastly strong plastic,
the same material used in many bullet-proof vests. Then
there is a softer, deformable layer made from a plastic
based on polystyrene, covered with the flame-proof material
used in racing overalls and gloves.
The visor will be made of a special clear polycarbonate,
combining excellent impact protection with flame resistance
and excellent visibility. Most drivers use tinted visors,
the insides of which are coated with anti-fogging chemicals
to prevent them misting up, particularly in wet conditions.
The latest designs are more aerodynamically efficient.
Sitting directly below the main engine air intake, helmets
are increasingly shaped to assist in getting the air
smoothly into the engine.
As you would expect, the FIA have strict ‘super helmet’
requirements for Formula One racing. To gain approval for
Grand Prix use, a helmet design must pass a number of tests,
covering factors such as crush and penetration resistance
and surface friction. It must also work correctly in
conjunction with the mandatory HANS (Head and Neck Support)
device. It is also very expensive!
