Pro Racing series at Bira this weekend
This series comes somewhere between the
very professional SuperCar series and the amateur SuperClub
series. Promoted for both four wheels and two, the events
come thick and fast and there is something for everybody.
The 4th round of the Pro Racing Series 2009 is on October
10-11, 2009 at Bira International Circuit Pattaya as usual.
For more information, visit the website at
http://www.gpimotorsport.com
What did we learn from
the Japan GP?
Well, we learned that all the hype about young
Vettel being the next Schumi isn’t just hype. The kid has a
real talent, and what’s more seems to have a happy bubbly
personality, which makes him even more sensational when you
look at the current crop of grumblers and mumblers in F1.
Pole position and a lights to flag win. It doesn’t get much
better than that, except getting fastest lap, but his Red
Bull team mate Mark Webber took that away from him, in what
had been a totally disastrous weekend.
No discussion on the Japan GP without mentioning the
resulting shambles after qualifying, with six drivers up
before the magistrates (sorry, stewards) for yellow flag
misdemeanors and being penalized five grid slots. Yellow
flags are hung out by the flag points to indicate a hazard
ahead, with various degrees of danger going from single
steady yellow, waved yellow and waved double yellows.
Drivers who do not lift off are in breach of the regulations
and will always lose out in any action with the stewards.
Saying you could see the hazard and knew you could drive
around it is no excuse. The stewards ruled that Brawn
drivers Button and Barrichello, Alonso (Renault) and Sutil
(Force India) had all failed to slow down under waved yellow
flags. Alonso tried denying it, but his telemetry showed the
Sulky Spaniard was being more than economical with the
truth. Perhaps he wanted to dedicate his qualifying to
Flavio!
The Toyota team was very happy with Trulli’s second place,
but will that be enough to ensure Toyota’s place on the grid
in 2010? Put your money on Toyota not getting the funding
needed to maintain the team from new boss Toyoda-san, and
poor old Jarno is out to pasture anyway.
Jenson Button for World Champion? It is difficult at this
stage to imagine any driver looking less like a champion.
After the meteoric first half of the championship with six
wins from seven, he looked to be a shoe-in, but since then
he has developed into a mid-field wimp, outclassed and
out-driven by Brawn GP team mate Rubens Barichello (and half
the field). He was extremely lucky to get the one point from
eighth he was gifted after Sutil and Kovalainen came
together. One would like to see a champion with personality
and fire, who can deliver championship performances.
Sutil, in particular, is showing lots of ‘tiger’ in Team
Poppadum and almost for the first time ever, Kovalainen
(McLaren) became just as aggressive. The incident in the
esses was all through Klumsy Kovalainen, but his later jump
on Fisischella (Ferrari) on leaving the pits was superb.
Ferrari had the loquacious Kimi through to fourth, but he
was rarely seen in the TV coverage. In fact the telecast had
no continuity. A very poor effort by the director, in my
opinion.
Interestingly, Kubica is much vaunted in the expiring BMW
team, over Heidfeld, but it is Nifty Nick who seems to be
higher up the order than the Pole (6th versus 9th).
Rosberg in the Williams continued to produce solid
performances, but Knuckles Nakajima was, as usual, nowhere.
Finally, the ridiculous ‘no testing’ rule should be scrapped
immediately. Without testing we are getting
under-experienced drivers such as Jaime Algy and Romain
Grosjean brought in who are trundling around as mobile
chicanes or ending up as red flag or safety car accidents.
It has also meant that Felipe Massa, trying to see if he is
OK to drive in F1 after the head injury, being forced to
drive a GP2 car instead of his F1 Ferrari (which should be
the case to give a direct correlation to his times
beforehand).
Autotrivia Quiz
Last week I asked which amphibious car
manufacturer sold more than 3,000 cars? The answer was
Amphicar and the first in was Mo Bertrand.
So to this week. In 1931, the N.A.G. Company produced
Germany’s first V8. Who designed it?
For the Automania FREE beer this week, be the first
correct answer to email [email protected]
Good luck!
1931 NAG
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
(October 12) 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. Come along
and meet guys who have a common interest in cars and
bikes, and enjoy the Jameson’s Steak night special,
washed down with a few beers.
OMG! The Trabant is
back!
Anyone who ever saw a Trabant will never forget
its boxy austerity. Anyone who ever covered more than 100 km
in one without it breaking down has probably thought about
contacting the Guinness Book of Records. Reliability was not
its strong point.
However, the butt of Cold War-era jokes, the Trabant, was
the unlikely star of the Frankfurt motor show. I kid you
not, and the story of how it got there is even more fanciful
than the 100 km non-stop.
Trabant
nT
The symbol of East Germany’s lack of progress under
communist rule, the Trabant was ridiculed for its terrible
build quality and smoky two-stroke engine. Families had to
wait an average of 15 years to get one. And what a car did
they get at the end!
Now the Iron Curtain is long gone and the humble Trabant has
become a cult car. Good examples fetch good money.
This (misplaced) popularity was the main driving force
behind the Trabant nT, an electric-powered concept car that
has proved to be a massive hit at the show.
In fact, many German newspapers passed over cars such as the
new Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG, Audi e-tron supercar and the
Lamborghini Reventon roadster and put the East German’s
people’s car on their front covers.
A constant crowd of media gathered around the car on a small
stand among component suppliers during the first two days.
But for all the excitement it is not yet clear if the new
Trabant has a realistic chance of making it into production.
Here is the totally quirky thing about this ‘new’ Trabbie -
the car on the stand in Frankfurt was not the result of a
car-maker or even a component supplier, but a toy company
that produces model cars.
A company called Herpa bought the rights to both the Trabant
name and shape to produce 1/87th scale model cars from 1990.
After selling several hundred thousand of them, Herpa
manager Klaus Schindler presented a design draft for a
full-size car in 2007 before enrolling designer Nils
Paschwatta to come up with the new concept car.
Herpa doesn’t have the money or the technical capability to
bring the Trabant nT to market, but presented the concept in
the hope it could attract investors and perhaps get the
attention of a major car-maker as a partner.
The Trabant nT concept car has moved on from the old
two-stroke, instead using an electric motor generating 47
kW. This is linked to a lithium-ion battery pack which can
store enough charge to give the nT a range of 160 km.
Like the Toyota Prius, a solar panel in the roof produces
enough energy to ventilate the cabin.
The Trabant nT measures 3950 mm long, 1690 mm wide, has a
wheelbase of 2450 mm and weighs 1050 kg.
Herpa says the three-door model seats four adults and one
child.
The design is easily recognisable as based on the early
model P601 Trabant, but with some mild updates.
Instead of a traditional chrome grille, the new car has a
body colored panel with a cut-out line with turned up edges
which can be interpreted as a smile.
Herpa’s Klaus Schindler said the Trabant could be an instant
hit because of its design and its name. “The seed is the
publicity, the sympathy and the attention the Trabant brand
attracts. It already has fans today,” he said.
Schindler is not suggesting the nT could be a do-everything
family car. “It is a safe and reliable city and medium-range
vehicle, a second car, a handy helper for service
providers,” he said.
While the technology would need a lot of development,
Schindler is confident the new Trabant could be on the road
within three years if the company is able to attract the
necessary investment.
“It could be on the road in 2012 provided that we are able
to find a strong partner,” he said. If it becomes anything
like the old Trabant, partners had to be strong, to be able
to push it!
Great Wall not so good
hitting the wall
Beware of cheap imported pick-ups says the
independent Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP)
which handed down a two stars (out of five) for the Great
Wall Motors SA220 and V240 pick-ups.
Great
Wall hits the wall
ANCAP program manager and RACV chief engineer Michael Case
said, “Crash statistics show that occupants of one or two
star vehicles have twice the risk of receiving
life-threatening injuries in a crash, compared with four- or
five-star vehicles, at a time when four and five star
ratings are becoming increasingly available for new car
buyers.”
Victorian Transport Accident Commission (TAC) senior manager
for road safety David Healy said all three vehicles
experienced loss of cabin structural integrity, with poor
head and leg protection at impact.
All this really means is that you should be aware that cheap
imports may not have the in-built safety standards you would
want for your own family.
Official Formula 1
calendar 2010
Sharpen your pencils or get out next year’s
diary:
Mar 14 - Bahrain (Sakhir)
Mar 28 - Australia (Melbourne, starting at 1700 local time)
Apr 4 - Malaysia (Sepang, starting at 1600 local time)
Apr 18 - China (Shanghai)
May 9 - Spain (Barcelona)
May 23 - Monaco (Monte Carlo)
May 30 - Turkey (Istanbul)
Jun 13 - Canada (Montreal, provisional)
Jun 27 - Europe (Valencia)
Jul 11 - Great Britain (Donington Park)
Jul 25 - Germany (Hockenheim)
Aug 1 - Hungary (Budapest)
Aug 29 - Belgium (Spa-Francorchamps)
Sep 12 - Italy (Monza)
Sep 26 - Singapore (starting at 2000 local time)
Oct 3 - Japan (Suzuka)
Oct 17 - South Korea (Yongam)
Oct 31 - Abu Dhabi (Yas Marina, starting at 1700 local time)
Nov 14 - Brazil (Interlagos)
