Bang Saen Speed Festival this weekend
In fact, by the time you have read this
page, I should most probably be about half way through a six
hour endurance race in one of the Pizza Company Race Team
cars around the houses in Bang Saen. (My personal sponsors
AA Insurance Brokers made it all happen, thanks Peter and
Malcolm, so my body should be well insured for the event.
Unfortunately I could not take out racing insurance for the
car’s body, or against not winning! There are no policies
for those risks.) Don’t worry if you can’t get there today
(Friday), there’s more tomorrow (Saturday) and even more on
Sunday the 9th.
6
Hour racer
Spain produced a ‘round the streets’ event in Valencia this
year, as did Singapore, whilst Monaco has had its event
since about 1921. In the mid 1990’s Surfers Paradise in
Australia also produced a street circuit, and I have raced
at that Gold Coast Indy event. There is no getting away from
it, street racing is exciting from the driver’s viewpoint,
and if you get the right vantage point, it is also exciting
for spectators, as the action is just meters away. It is
also something different, and Bang Saen is only a 30 minute
drive from downtown Pattaya. Take the kids!
Thomas
Raldorf
The full program of events includes races
for the Super 1500 class (the six hour endurance race), plus
sprint races for the following categories:
Toyota Vios One Make Race
Toyota Yaris One Make Race
Toyota Vios Lady
Super 1500
Super 1500 Open
Super 1600
Super 2000
Supercar
Super Commonrail Pick-up trucks
Minis
Retro car
Super bikes
PTT drift team show (Saturday evening after the races)
Vigo drift show (Sunday evening after the races)
The Pizza Company racing team cars include the Vios (driven
by Paul Kenny and myself - car number 37), the Yaris (driven
by Thomas Raldorf and Tony Percy - car number 18), and the
Honda Civic Model EP 3 Type R (driven by Thomas Raldorf -
car number 9 and currently second in the championship).
The Bang Saen event was very successful last year, and is
shaping up to be even bigger and better this year.
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 November 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 whether you can put a Nissan engine in
an Austin A30, and still call it kosher. Come along and meet
guys who have a common interest in cars and bikes.
Autotrivia Quiz
Last week I mentioned that the KdF turned
out to be a very popular car. I asked who designed it, and
who sponsored it? This was easy. The KdF was the initial
name for the ‘People’s Car’, the Volkswagen, the well loved
Beetle. It was designed by Dr Porsche and sponsored by the
German government under Adolf Hitler.
So to this week. The winner of the Chinese GP received an
extraordinary trophy which looked like a collection of
Citroen grill emblems - the reversed double chevron.
Forgetting about why the Chinese chose such an outlandish
design, why did Andre Citroen choose the double chevron for
his cars?
For the Automania FREE beer this week, be the first correct
answer to email [email protected]
Good luck!
Can we stand two motor
shows a year?
Thailand has two motor shows each year. There is
the internationally sanctioned Bangkok Motor Show at BITEC,
then there is another one at the end of the year. Can we
stand two shows? I do not believe so.
Australia has had motor shows in the capital cities, with
the Sydney motor show and the Melbourne motor show being the
biggest. The last Sydney show was memorable in the fact that
many of the top brands stayed away, finding two shows in one
year too expensive.
With the current financial downturn, I predict we will see
the same here; however, it should be said that those with
deep pockets (and even longer arms) could still afford to
splash out, with buyers placing orders for four Ferraris,
three Lamborghinis, three Maseratis and the Nissan GT-R,
which landed six firm orders.
What did we learn from
the Brazil GP?
The first thing we learned from the Brazilian
Grand Prix was that to make a race nail-biting, bring on the
rain! The ending where Lewis Hamilton regained position on
the last corner of the last lap to win the world
championship was almost pure Hollywood!
Three drivers stood out from the mixed conditions. Felipe
Massa (Ferrari) did not put a wheel wrong, and deserved to
win a world championship, but it was not to be. Alonso (I
have forgiven him and will not use the term the “Sulky
Spaniard”) drove faultlessly as well and deserved his second
place. Vettel (Toro Rosso) continues to impress and seems
able to temper his youthful enthusiasm with his sheer car
control. He will be a future champion.
Lewis Hamilton (McLaren) managed to scrape in to 5th and won
his first world championship. It was not a great drive, but
he kept it on the island, and did exactly what he had to do
to win. I could not help but feel sorry for Massa’s family
who initially thought that Felipe had won the prize when
Hamilton was pushed back to 6th by Vettel, only to see
Hamilton regain 5th at the final corner, relegating Massa to
second. There were those who suggested that Toyota might
have told Glock to move over, and there was even talk of an
‘envelope’. As our motoring editor at large, John Weinthal
said after the race, “Nobody could offer Toyota an envelope
large enough!” Toyota is, after all, the highest funded team
in F1.
So much for the winners. How about the losers? David
Coulthard (Red Bull) did it again! Another first lap crash
to end a trail of first lap crashes in the 2008 season. DC
stayed one year past his use-by date, I am afraid. Nelson
Piquet Jnr. also ended his race in the wall, yet again.
Renault cannot possible use him again in 2009. An envelope
probably helped him into F1, but his results have not been
worth it. Another of the losers - Sebastian Bourdais (Toro
Rosso). By all reports, he seems a nice enough chap, but he
certainly is not another Vettel. Having won so many CART
championships in America, it makes one wonder about the
standard of our American cousins, I’m afraid. And the prize
for the most heralded talent that has come to nothing? Nico
Rosberg (Williams). Both he and team mate ‘Knuckles’
Nakajima have consistently dropped down through the order
all year. Williams has confirmed both these drivers for
2009. I wish them well. Another loser was BMW and Kubica in
particular. Here was a driver with a win under his belt, who
now cannot even get to the last group of qualifiers. A
driver who was so much quicker than his team mate Heidfeld
at the start of the year, not even a nose in front and now
finishes behind him. And the final loser? Raikkonen. What is
wrong with this man? In one of the two best cars and yet his
last few drives have been lack-luster at best. Ferrari have
signed him again for 2009. Let’s hope he wakes up for the
start of the season.
So that was the final race of 2008. Memorable in many ways,
with a result brought on by changeable weather conditions.
To put the excitement back into F1 make wet tracks
compulsory. A cheap sprinkler system on turn 1 will do!
Rossi to drive Ferrari
F1
The rumors are flying again that the Italian
motorcycle champion Valentino Rossi is going to drive for
Ferrari. This is not an unfounded rumor, because Rossi is
indeed going to drive the F2008, but it is only a fun test
day for the two wheeled champion. However, with Italy’s
favorite son driving in a race car from Italy’s favorite
racing team always makes for good publicity.
The truth is that it is only a PR exercise. Rossi’s Yamaha
bike has Fiat backing, and Fiat owns Ferrari. This does not
need rocket science to put together the relationship and the
photo opportunity. They did this a couple of years ago, and
Rossi was definitely competitive (about one second off
Michael Schumacher’s lap times), but he has already signed
another two year contract with Yamaha, so you won’t be
seeing Rossi lining up on the grid for the 2009 series in a
Ferrari.
But it is an interesting thought!
Come and get me,
Copper!
It looks as if the Italian Police are set up to
apprehend speedsters, even on the Autostrada Del Sol. The
fuzz just picked up a new Gallardo LP560-4 Polizia donated
to the Italian State Police by the factory.
This is a very short-sighted act by Automobili Lamborghini.
It is now no longer worthwhile buying a Lambo to have fun,
as apparently the coppers have one as well, and what’s more,
theirs was free. Perhaps it might be better to save your
lira and join the police force instead!
Police Lambo
Nissan reveal the new
Zed car
The 370Z will be officially unveiled at the Los
Angeles Auto Show which opens in mid-November; however,
there have been plenty of ‘security leaks’ and even the
publicity photographs are available on the Nissan websites.
There are also some visual hints of the new GTR in the new
Zed.
The new car rides on what is expected to be a shortened
platform but wider track. Bigger wheels, bigger brakes and
revised suspension components are also expected, as well as
the 3.7 liter engine.
Nissan 370Z
