F1 returns to the US
USGP at Long Beach 1977
The F1 circus has struck a deal through
our Bernie Ecclestone to return to America - not to Indy,
but to a track yet to be built in Austin Texas in 2012. In
turn that has brought out American racing fans all calling
for Danica Patrick, their lady driver (though I believe
‘female’ driver is more correct), to get behind the wheel of
an F1 car. I read comments like “to be the first female in
F1” and similar twaddle.
There have been several female drivers in
F1 over the years, including Lella Lombardi, the first
female F1 driver to score points. The first to enter F1 was
the Italian Maria Teresa de Filippis who raced between 1958
and 1959. She did not qualify for the Monaco Grand Prix of
1958, but had plenty of friends, being one of 15 drivers who
were not quick enough, including a certain B. Ecclestone in
a Connaught-Alta.
But back to the Austin Texas track. This
is yet to be built and will be a purpose-built F1 track we
are told, but if they get Herr Tilke to design it as is
rumored, it will be as exciting as Bahrain, the world’s
greatest yawn-fest. Don’t book your ticket to the US just
yet.
What did we learn from the Turkish GP?
Selfish, impetuous and reckless are just
a few of the words to describe the “pass” on Mark Webber by
his ‘teammate’ Sebastian Vettel. It was a move that was
never going to come off and spoiled the one-two Red Bull
Racing was going to receive. He was only partially in front
by leaving his braking so late whilst off-line for the
lefthander. He had to try and move to the right to be able
to swing in left and collected Webber in the process. Young
Vettel has been having a bad attack of the juvenile pouts
recently when beaten by Webber in qualifying or racing. From
being ‘wunderkind’ he has had to eat some humble pie, and it
obviously stuck in his craw. This was not Red Bull Racing,
but ‘red mist’ racing. Let us hope he has learned something
from this sorry episode, but it may take some years and the
maturity that brings. One of the F1 websites wondered why
the Red Bull pit personnel ‘cuddled’ Vettel. That is easy to
answer - cuddling is what you do for all upset children!
Interestingly (for Vettel) is the fact that 90 percent of
the bulletin boards place the blame firmly at Vettel’s feet.
McLaren could not believe their luck, but
warned their drivers not to indulge in cut-throat racing,
with coded messages like “conserve fuel and tyres”. This was
after a bit of passing and repassing. Button was the loser,
as he could have relegated eventual winner Hamilton, but was
reminded forcibly that the ‘team’ comes first and driver
egos come second.
Mercedes GP now up to 4th
and 5th, with the Wily German beating
the young German again. It would appear that Michael
Schumacher is remembering his old skills, while Rosberg is
still learning them. The move on Button on the first lap was
sheer skill and delightful to watch. It was only the
superior top speed of the McLaren with its magic f-duct (and
don’t ask what the f’s that?) that got Button back in front.
Probably some of the best performances
came from Renault-Lada with Kubica giving a workmanlike
performance behind the Mercedes duo, but his teammate Petrov
really did shine and had the measure of Alonso in the
Ferrari until Alonso snagged the rear tyre in the Renault
forcing Petrov into the pits. Until then, Alonso was
nowhere, as he had been all weekend. For Ferrari’s number 1
driver to qualify in 12th is not where
the prancing horse wants to be. And Massa down in 7th
is also indicative of the performance of the red car team.
Currently it seems more like a staggering donkey.
Sutil again dragged Team Poppadum into 9th
and Kobayashi brought the Sauber into the top 10, a good
effort with a very poor car.
As for the rest, they were nowhere.
Liuzzi in the second Force India is no force at all, the
Williams team continues to disappoint (how the once mighty
have fallen), Sir Richard Branson must be regretting having
anything to do with Formula 1 with both his cars three laps
adrift at the end, and Chandhok at six laps down in the HRT
should not even be allowed to start.
The next race is in Canada June 13.
Autotrivia
Quiz
Last week I asked how many finishers were
there in the World Cup Rally of 1970? The correct answer was
23, with the usual culprits all tripping over each other,
but it was Ivar Hoyem who was first in and best dressed.
Congratulations Ivar.
So to this week. Let’s stick with BMW.
Red quarters on a BMW radiator badge denotes what car?
For the Automania FREE beer this week, be
the first correct answer to email [email protected]
Good luck!
Gone in 60
seconds?
I can personally vouch for the truth of
this item, which happened when I was on a Porsche club
rally, and we were coming back from Adelaide, a 3,000 km
trip. Australia is a big place! We had pulled into a motel
for the evening, and we were 11 cars, every one a Porsche
911.
I got out, pushed the locking button down
on the driver’s door and swung the door shut. As it clicked
into place, to my horror, I saw that the keys were still in
the ignition. What to do? Porsches are just about
thief-proof, and none of us were accomplished car thieves
like Nicolas Cage in the great movie “Gone in 60 seconds”.
In desperation, I asked for the other 10
drivers’ keys and tried them in my door lock. Amazingly, the
keys from the 911 parked closest to mine opened my door! And
just as amazingly, my key would not open his, though his
would open mine. But neither key would operate the ignition
of the other car. Nic Cage made it look all so easy!
BMW goes
ActiveHybrid
BMW has confirmed that a hybrid version
of its 3 Series and other model lines will join the X6, 7
Series and new 5 Series hybrid despite having persevered
with hydrogen power for many years, as their alternative to
the gasoline engine.
BMW 3 Series ActiveHybrid
BMW AG chairman Norbert Reithofer broke
the news this week at the company’s annual general meeting
in Munich, revealing that hybridization was a “top
priority”. Dr Reithofer said, “As early as next year, the
new BMW 5 Series will also be available as a full hybrid -
and we are anticipating the hybridization of further models
series, such as the BMW 3 Series.”
While BMW is continuing to further
develop its conventional petrol and diesel engines, Dr
Reithofer emphasized the importance of hybrids in the minds
of consumers and in key markets, such as Japan, which offer
incentives for hybrid vehicles. “The public perceives hybrid
as a sign of eco-friendliness, despite the fact that diesel
engines are often much more efficient,” he said. “In Japan,
for instance, the government has adopted a proposal to offer
tax credits for hybrid vehicles. This has had a phenomenal
effect on the market. Sales of hybrid vehicles have
skyrocketed. If you don’t have a hybrid in your portfolio,
soon you might not be selling any cars in Japan at all.”
The last sentence above explains much of
the thinking behind the production of BMW hybrids, and you
can discount all the fluff about carbon emissions as being
straight out PR spin.
BMW did unveil the 5 Series ActiveHybrid
at the Geneva motor show in March. The vehicle adds an
electric motor and other hybrid hardware to the
twin-turbocharged 225 kW/400 Nm 3.0 liter straight-six - the
petrol engine which powers the new-generation F10-series
535i.
The ActiveHybrid versions of the 7 Series
limousine and X6 coupe-SUV combine a 4.4 liter twin-turbo V8
petrol engine with an electric motor, although the 7 Series
version is a ‘mild hybrid’ that cannot run on electric power
alone.
Like the 5 Series ActiveHybrid, the X6
uses a ‘full-parallel’ (or two-mode) hybrid system that
enables full-electric operation under certain conditions.
Currently all these hybrids are in left
hand drive configuration and right-hand drive versions of
BMW’s hybrids are still to be confirmed, so ne need to put
down a deposit with BMW Thailand at present.
Dr Reithofer said this week that now
ActiveHybrid technology had made the leap into series
production, the company would look to broaden its
availability. “Our top priority is the large model series
because this is where the savings potential is greatest,” he
said. “Today, our European fleet’s average carbon emissions
are 150 grams per kilometer. This corresponds to a fuel
consumption of 5.9 liters per 100 km.” (Note: this does not
mean that the new BMW returns 5.9 liters per 100 km, the
carbon emissions from a normal gasoline engine returning 5.9
liters per 100 km would be 150 gm/km.
Dr Reithofer said, “A clear statement.
These low emission values are achieved despite an average
performance of 170 hp or 125 kW. This is another thing that
sets us apart from competitors. Our customers will always
experience sheer driving pleasure.
He went on, “We want to reduce our global
fleet’s carbon emissions by at least another 25 percent
between 2008 and 2020. Our new models and drive technologies
will support these efforts.”
BMW going
fully electric as well
BMW’s forthcoming Megacity electric car
will be built in Germany and launched as a BMW sub-brand in
2013 - well ahead of the company’s original schedule and
some 12 months before an all-new front-wheel drive compact
BMW model hits the market.
In his speech to shareholders, Dr
Reithofer vowed that the Megacity would be fully sustainable
and set new standards in vehicle production, such as through
the use of carbon-fibre and other lightweight materials.
BMW Megacity
“The assignment we have given ourselves
from the very beginning is to develop a Megacity vehicle
that will be a zero-emission vehicle. And it will be
sustainable throughout its entire lifecycle,” he said.
“We aim to set new standards - for
example in the field of lightweight construction. We will
apply carbon and carbon-reinforced materials at a scope
unprecedented in series vehicle production.
Dr Reithofer also asserted that BMW was
ahead of the pack in tackling future mobility and
sustainability. (He is obviously choosing to ignore the
all-electric American Tesla, already in production.)
“I am convinced that a company’s global
footprint will gain importance,” he said. “When it comes to
economic success, a company’s social reputation will
increasingly become a make-or-break issue. In all these
aspects, the BMW Group is leading the way.”
