What did we learn in Abu Dhabi?
We saw that Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull)
is the brightest new talent in the current crop of F1
drivers. Four Grand Prix wins this year and second in the
championship says it all. He has matured and the mistakes he
made in the early part of the year will not be repeated in
2010. Definitely a world champion in the making.
Vettel’s team mate, Aussie Mark Webber, has been upstaged
most of the year, and being around 10 years older than
Vettel, will have to be ready to play bridesmaid in 2010,
but there will be opportunities for further wins to add to
the two he has under his belt.
New World Champion Button (Brawn GP) had a crack at Webber
over the final laps, but was never going to make the pass
cleanly and settled for third. His soon-to-be-ex-partner
Barichello again drove a good race into fourth and will give
good value for Williams next year.
BMW’s final race saw Heidfeld in seventh again outdistance
Kubica in 14th. Yet for some reason Kubica is rated more
highly than his German team mate. Not in my books!
We also saw some lack-luster performances from some drivers
who knew they were leaving their 2009 team and had
(hopefully) secured places for 2010. Alonso (Renault) in
14th place six places behind Buemi in a Toro Rosso, but
going to Ferrari next year. Rosberg 9th in the Williams
probably going to Brawn GP. Fisichella 16th in the Ferrari,
living out his nightmare. (“It is every Italian’s dream to
drive for Ferrari.”) Kovalainen 11th for McLaren when
Hamilton was driving for a podium finish until the brake
problem sidelined him. Raikkonen in 12th six places behind
raw recruit Kobayashi in the Toyota (and has been bought out
of his contract and may retire and go rallying).
Kobayashi deserves a mention on his own. A great drive from
the rookie to come in sixth (and my pick for man of the
meeting), beating his very experienced team mate Trulli in
the Toyota team, particularly when you look at the other
‘novice’ drivers such as Alguersuari (Toro Rosso) who has
been a mobile chicane and completely blotted his copybook by
driving into the wrong pit! Grosjean in the Renault, who has
not impressed at all. Or Liuzzi (not really a novice, but
drafted in only a couple of races ago) who has done nothing
in the Force India.
The racing itself was very processional, and despite the
novelty of racing through sunset and a hotel that changed
color, could hardly be regarded as one of the best GPs of
2009. The track needs reworking on the exits of the corners
to allow passing maneuvers to continue around and through
the corners. The other factor of brakes which are too good
should not continue to be ignored by the FIA. If the braking
distances were much longer, to take at least several seconds
would allow for more passing opportunities by the late
brakers.
Finally, we learned that the Yas Marina circuit, with the
hotel spanning the track is just the most awesome man-made
structure that human beings can race on. There is no other
venue which can match this one. You can forget Monaco and
Singapore. Yas Marina is a sensational venue, even if it
produced deadly dull racing. It is also the most obscene
display of wealth by the sandy nation. Wealth which was
extracted from the pockets of all motorists. We should not
forget just where the money came from. I wouldn’t go as far
as saying it was built on immoral earnings, but I am
certainly tempted!
Upgrade to new Nissan
GT-R supercar
Apparently not satisfied with having produced a
real successor to the ‘Godzilla’ GT-R of a couple of decades
ago, Nissan has just announced upgrades, which they have
called ‘Continuous evolution’ for Nissan’s super-coupe that
refines performance and dynamics
The upgraded version of its GT-R supercar appeared at the
Tokyo motor show last month, highlighting recalibrated
suspension settings and better engine performance via an
improved-flow catalyst system.
Due on sale in Japan and international markets in December,
the twin-turbo V6 AWD GT-R is described as having gone
through “continuous evolution” to remain on the “cutting
edge of multi-dimensional performance” since its
introduction in its home market late in 2007.
Nissan claims the suspension upgrade offers “enhanced,
premium quality ride comfort” while “still providing the
driver with a feeling of direct contact with the road
surface”.
Engineers aimed to increase the accuracy of the front shock
absorbers and springs, while the stiffness of the rear
suspension radius rod bushings also has been strengthened.
Rear diffusers with cooling ducts, as seen on the Japanese
market race-oriented GT-R SpecV, are now used across the
range, improving cooling performance around the rear floor
area.
Both the GT-R and GT-R SpecV use essentially the same 3.8
liter twin-turbocharged V6 producing 357 kW of power and 588
Nm of torque, although the SpecV features a high-gear boost
control device that momentarily increases boost from the
turbochargers to provide an extra 20 Nm between 3500rpm and
5000rpm.
With the latest upgrade, all GT-Rs are now claimed to offer
improved low, and mid-range engine response with the
introduction of hexagonal meshed catalyst cells that reduce
ventilation/airflow resistance.
The GT-R is available in Thailand, but as usual, you will
pay a premium if you want one in your garage. Interestingly,
the GT-R is still much cheaper than the newly released Lexus
LFA (estimated B. 50 million) and is faster.
Nissan GT-R
Autotrivia Quiz
Last week I asked which car manufacturer
began operation in Thailand in 1960, gave up in 1976 and
began again in 1995? It was FoMoCo, and Ivar Hoyem was
first in with the correct answer. Well done.
So to this week. 1964 saw the release of the first of
the muscle cars - the Ford Mustang. However, there
actually was another muscle car released two weeks
before the Mustang. What was it?
For the Automania FREE beer this week, be the first
correct answer to email [email protected]
Good luck!
Getting rid of the
consumption ‘blues’
With the big push to reduce dependence upon
oil, some manufacturers are going all-electric (Nissan’s
Leaf or GM’s Volt for example), some are going hybrid
(Toyota and Honda are the leaders here), but VW has
remained with the internal combustion engine, but with
their new technology called BlueMotion has produced real
fuel-misers in their Polo, Golf and Passat models.
VW
Passat BlueMotion
BlueMotion is the best known German automotive environmental
label which debuted in 2006 with the first generation of the
Polo BlueMotion, and its combined fuel consumption figure of
just 3.9 liters per 100 km was the best in the world for a
five-seat car.
Volkswagen is now presenting the three key high-volume
models in its range as newly designed BlueMotion versions
which includes new common rail TDI engines, recovery of
braking energy by regenerative braking (KERS), a Stop-Start
system and refined aerodynamic components.
With combined fuel consumption values of 3.3 liters/100 km
(Polo), 3.8 liters/100 km (Golf) and 4.4 liters/100 km
(Passat), the three new Volkswagens are the world’s most
fuel-efficient models in their classes. Delivery of the
first Golf BlueMotion and Passat BlueMotion (each 77 kW /
105 PS) cars will begin this year, while the production
launch of the Polo BlueMotion (55 kW / 75 PS) will follow at
the beginning of 2010.
The new Polo with a combined fuel consumption of just 3.3
liters diesel per 100 kilometers, is aiming to become the
most economical five-seater in the world. Its 45 liter fuel
tank enables a theoretical driving range of 1,363 km!
Only marginally less economical than the Polo is the new
Golf BlueMotion. Thanks to a fuel consumption of just 3.8
liters of diesel/100 km, it is the most fuel-efficient car
in its class. Its theoretical range is 1,447 km (55 liter
tank).
The range of the new Passat BlueMotion is impressive. With a
combined fuel consumption of just 4.4 liters diesel/100 km
and a 70 liter fuel tank, it can cover 1,591 kilometers!
Today, no other car of this size (4.77 meters in length) in
the world travels more economically.
With VW again being sold in Thailand, hopefully we will get
the BlueMotion models, though our diesel fuel has previously
not been suitable for many Euro spec cars.
Looking for
reliability?
An American organization has just released their
figures on car make and reliability, covering 33
models/makes. This covered models from the manufacturers
from 2000 till 2009, which is probably not really fair, as
eight year old cars will naturally be less reliable than one
year old cars, but since all the manufacturers named had the
same yardstick, it is an indication, if nothing else. Of
course, these were American market models, and many of them
are not in Thailand. However, here are the top 10:
1. Scion (Toyota)
2. Honda
3. Toyota
4. Infiniti (Nissan)
5. Acura (Honda)
6. Mitsubishi
7. Lexus
8. Hyundai
9. Porsche
10. Mercury (Ford)
and now for the bottom 10:
24. Audi
25. Chevrolet (GM)
26. BMW
27. Mini
28. GMC (GM)
29. Saturn (GM)
30. Jeep
31. Dodge
32. Cadillac (GM)
33. Chrysler
All the others are somewhere between 11 and 23, with some
eye-openers amongst them. VW, for instance was way down in
21, and Mercedes-Benz even worse at 23. But neither did as
badly as BMW down in 26.
Scion
iQ
I was surprised to see Mazda in 15, as I have always found
Mazda to be very reliable. But again, these were American
models, some of which we do not get.
However, the all-pervading message is that Asian cars are
more reliable than European or American iron. I am sure
Toyoda-San will be able to use the findings in a positive
way! (BTW, the boss of Toyota is Toyoda, just in case you
thought I was guilty of a spelling mistake.)
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 9) 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.
