Belgian GP this weekend
Spa is a real driver’s circuit, and there
is always the threat of rain, which could help bring some
drivers forward and see the ‘power’ drivers slip back
somewhat.
The almost 14 km Spa-Francorchamps circuit was the quickest
of all the classic road circuits and many would say, the
greatest. It used public roads through the mountains of the
Ardennes in Southern Belgium and even in the dry was a
circuit for which you needed a good set of cojones. In the
wet it was only for heroes and as the region is known as
‘The Pisspot of Europe’, races have frequently been held in
the wet.
Spa was first used for racing in 1924 and the first Belgian
GP was run in 1925, won by Antonio Ascari, father of the
double World Champion, Alberto Ascari.
Serious discontent with Spa began after a downpour in the
1966 race which caused several crashes, most significantly
one involving Jackie Stewart which led to his campaign for
improved circuit safety.
In 1983 a new 7.3 km circuit was built incorporating some of
the original track, but with an improved surface and run-off
areas. The new Spa, which still includes some public roads,
is the longest circuit on the F1 calendar and, many believe,
the most challenging.
After that total boring race in Valencia, at which our
Editor at Large, John Weinthal suggested there must have
been a street sign saying “Welcome to Valencia - please
drive carefully - no overtaking!” so Spa has to be better.
Massa is definitely on a charge, and with six races left in
the calendar (and 60 points), he has a more than fighting
chance of scoring his first World Driver’s Championship.
Lewis Hamilton is still leading, but he has to take the
fight to Massa, to survive at the top of the table.
The GP will be at 7 p.m. Thai time, but as always, check
your local feed to confirm this. I will be watching as usual
from my perch in front of the big screen at Jameson’s Irish
Pub on Soi AR (next to Nova Park), and we watch the South
African feed which has some decent commentators and no
adverts! Join me for a meal and a natter first.
Thailand GM looks to
diesel engine production
General Motors has started building a new engine
plant and commenced an upgrade of an existing vehicle
assembly operation in the ‘Detroit of Asia’ (Eastern
Seaboard Industrial Estate).
The 14,492 square-meter facility is costing GM $US445
million and the engine plant will produce more than 100,000
engines per year when operations commence in 2010.
This is GM’s first four cylinder diesel engine facility in
SE Asia, and will employ around 340 people.
This was announced by GM chairman and CEO Rick Wagoner, who
said the Thai facility would be a key player in the
company’s engineering development of the next generation
Colorado, which will be built there.
The Thai engines are a co-development with Italian diesel
specialists VM Motori, which GM acquired in 2007 as a 50
percent equity stake to form a joint-venture with the Penske
Corporation.
These new engines will be initially available in 2.5 and 2.8
liter capacities, the engine will power a number of other
future light commercial vehicles as well as SUVs derived
from them, spread over a variety of brands in the GM
network, including Australia’s Holden and Chevrolet.
CEO Wagoner described the Thai facility as “an example of
how we are proactively pursuing two key aspects of GM’s
global strategy … the first (is) the accelerated application
of alternative fuels and propulsion systems to reduce global
dependency on fossil fuels. The second is growth in the
emerging markets, including the ASEAN region, as a key
factor in our continued global leadership.”
GM calls the upcoming facility “a state-of-the-art, highly
flexible and people-focused production complex that
incorporates GM’s leading manufacturing strategies.” These
include the production of a variety of alternative fuel
engine derivatives, namely Compressed Natural Gas (CNG),
cellulose derived ethanol, bio-diesel and petrol. However,
there was no mention of plug-in propulsion as in the much
heralded Chevrolet Volt, due in 2010.
GM currently sells over one million diesel engines annually,
in 36 different vehicle lines, and in sizes ranging from the
1.3 liter four cylinder in Europe’s Opel Agila and Corsa, to
the 6.6 liter Duramax V8 powering a variety of US trucks and
vans.
The market for such 6.6 liter behemoths has absolutely
crashed in the US, and it is good to see GM investing in
Asia, a region of the world that is still delivering profits
for them.
Autotrivia Quiz
Last week I asked where did the Sex-Auto
come from? Hint: It was not Patpong Road. It was the Reeves
car which had six wheels. They also brought out an Octo-Auto
in 1911 and that spelled the end for the entire company.
So to this week. Raymond Sommer, Pierre Levegh and Briggs
Cunningham have something in common in the Le Mans 24 hour
race. What was it?
For the Automania FREE beer this week, be the first correct
answer to email [email protected]
Good luck!
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
(September 8) 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. Come along and
meet guys who have a common interest in cars and bikes.
Unexciting - but makes
sense
Motoring columns such as this one tend to have
road tests on super-fast, super-expensive vehicles that none
of us could possibly afford, including the tester. This
week, it is the opposite. Here is a long-term test on a car
that cost around 650,000 baht, carries seven easily (or 10
Thais) and is an absolute fuel miser. May I present the
family Toyota Avanza.
Toyota
Avanza
This vehicle was purchased in August 2005, with great
reluctance on my part, I have to say. It was certainly no
looker, being tall and narrow. It was also not going to be a
performance car with seven seats and 1.3 liters up front.
However, it was to be a family transport, to be mainly
driven by my wife, ferrying the two children around. We
ordered the automatic transmission and power steering. And
the price was right.
We did look at the Toyota Fortuner and the Wish, but both
were twice the price. Ditto for Honda people movers. The
only one that made financial sense was the Avanza.
I did not even drive it before delivery. Two reasons. One,
the dealership did not have a demonstrator, and even if they
had, I was so sure I would hate it that I would cancel the
order if I drove it.
So what has it been like since then? We have done over
50,000 km, and nothing major has gone wrong. The driver’s
side rear door squeaks, no matter how much CRC I spray at
the hinges, and the door at the back rattles. The
self-locking mechanism unlocks itself and relocks itself
some days, and that’s annoying. The fabric covered seats was
a mistake. They get dirty very quickly with children, milk
bottles, etc.; we should have ordered leather. The front and
rear plastic bumpers spring loose when the holding bolts
undo themselves and disappear somewhere, never to be seen
again. The auto transmission does have a standard and
overdrive setting, but the standard is far too low geared,
so it gets left in overdrive all the time. And that is about
it for the whinges.
On the plus side, it is a very economical vehicle. The 1.3
liter does the job amazingly well for a seven seater. It can
keep up with the traffic, even if it isn’t the leader at the
traffic light grand prix. It is no Ferrari, but it wasn’t
supposed to be. As it is rear wheel drive, the turning
circle is very small, since the front wheel movement is not
limited by drive shafts and CV joint angles, so it’s a
breeze in shopping centers. It is comfortable enough, even
for seats number six and seven when unfolded at the back. It
also has a fan set into the roof between the first and
second row of seats, sucking cold air from the front and
sending it into the second row. Not quite as good as two
separate air-conditioners, but a very neat way of
inexpensively getting around the problem.
Would I buy another? If my requirements were the same, I
certainly would.
Another AFOS round at
Bira this weekend
The AFOS categories are back at the local Prince
Bira Circuit this weekend. These include the Asian Touring
Car championships (both 2 liter and Super 1500Max series) as
well as the Formula Asia 2.0 open-wheelers.
ATCS
1500Max Challenge
The last meeting on August 15 did produce some excellent
hard-fought racing, with the ATCS 1500Max particularly close
with entries from Malaysia, Singapore and Hong Kong,
battling with the local Thailand drivers.
The AFOS head, David Sonenscher, believes that this time he
has the category which the racing public can relate to, and
be such that it does not cost an arm and three legs if you
want to compete at that level.
The newly introduced Asian Touring Car Super 1500Max
Challenge began this year with a 12 round calendar for its
first season, visiting four countries around Asia. The new
championship, aimed at attracting a bigger and younger crowd
of touring car enthusiasts, will be running as part of the
Asian Festival Of Speed season. David Sonenscher said, “ATCS
1500Max provides an international platform for drivers who
have previously been competing in National One make races or
local Touring Car Championships.”
Emphasizing his belief in this new category, Sonenscher also
told me that he already had seven manufacturers lined up to
compete in the series next year (2009). These included
Toyota, Honda and Proton, three manufacturers that are
already committed to 1500 cc sedan motor racing in the
different countries, and already have national
championships, such as the Vios, Yaris and Jazz one-make
races, and incidentally, these groups are very close to each
other in lap times. This new championship then gives
competitors the opportunity to race in other countries in
Asia and will also mean that there will be full fields in
each country.
