F1 resumes with Spa this weekend

Spa-Francorchamps

After the mid-year three week holiday, F1 returns to one of the best tracks on the calendar - Spa Francorchamps in Belgium, a circuit that everyone enjoys (are you listening, Bernie).

Now we get a real race circuit, with Eau Rouge being the corner for those with big hearts (and large cojones). Will Vettel master this one? Will Hamilton keep his hot blood in check? Will Button smooth his way to the top, as there is plenty of chances for rain. We will know by Sunday night.

The race will start at 7 p.m. our time and we watch from Jameson’s Irish Pub on Soi AR, next to Nova Park. The big screen is great and the BBC commentary with no breaks and no ads is superb. Come at 6 p.m. for a meal (the Sunday roast is great value) and a drink and discussion and let’s hope for some real racing.

Racing at Kaeng Krachan this weekend as well

Pro Racing Series

The Kaeng Krachan Circuit in Petchaburi is also hosting racing this weekend, with the Pro Racing Series. This is one step down from the professional Super Car series, but above the “club racing” scene of the Nitto 3K series which is on next weekend at Bira, 3rd and 4th September.

The Pro Racing series categories include the Thailand 2 Liter sedan cars, the up to 1.5 liter sedans, plus trucks and (sometimes) motorcycles. Organized by Grand Prix International (GPI), the stalwarts of motor racing in this country, it should be a good weekend, especially if you like Hondas, as there appears to be thousands of them in different sizes and body styles.

1200 horsepower and 1200 kg

Hennessey Venom GT

The Bugatti Veyron is often thought of as the ultimate performance car that can be purchased by you and me (so I hope you have the money, because I don’t). However, the US has just released a performance car that quite literally blows the Bugatti in the weeds!

This is the Hennessey Venom GT which boasts 1200 horsepower from its V8 engine, dropped into a mid-engined chassis that weighs just twelve hundred kilos (2,685 lbs). You want one? In the US it will set you back US$ 950,000, so I hope you have a large piggy bank.

The Hennessey at 1200 BHP, has more horsepower than the Veyron (1184 BHP) and is very much lighter at 1200 kg compared to the Bugatti at 1,888 kg.

If you do have the money, you will be joining a very exclusive club, as only five of the carbon composite Venom GTs will be built each year. Each vehicle is hand-built at one of Hennessey’s three facilities (Texas, California and Silverstone, England) and the car is available in right or left hand drive, though right hand drive costs an extra US$28,000. But with the car costing US$950,000, what’s an extra 28,000?

Mind you, there are other options available to personalize your Hennessey. A Carbon Fiber Exterior can be ordered for only an extra US$ 375,000. But there’s a waiting list to contend with as well. That’s six months.

According to the designers, the Hennessey is at its optimum as far as the chassis and weight distribution is concerned when the car has both driver and passenger installed, giving it a 44-56 distribution. What you do when you haven’t got a passenger is not stated, though I suppose you can always use the old pick-up trick of throwing a bag of cement appropriately placed between the wheelbase.

The 2012 Venom GT made its first public outing in the USA at the McCall’s Motorworks Revival at the Monterey Jet Center, the traditional first event of the Monterey / Pebble Beach weekend.

Subaru to be built here?

The Motor Image company has assembly facilities in Malaysia and will be building Subaru SUVs in that country after October 2012, which can then come into Thailand and Indonesia at zero tariff through the Asian Free Trade Agreement (AFTA).

Motor Image has indicated they will be bringing in 2,000 SUVs for 2013 and with the AFTA these vehicles will be cheaper than those imported from Japan. To prepare for these, Motor Image will be increasing the number of dealerships in Thailand to 15.

However, the Motor Image group is also involved with the Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus which has an assembly plant at Lat Krabang. Insiders say it is possible that with an upgrade to the assembly lines, this facility could then assemble Subaru passenger cars for sale in Thailand.

Currently, Motor Image Thailand is selling around 150 Subaru passenger cars annually.

Why is the local circuit called “Bira”?

Prince Bira

Contrary to what many people think, there was Thai motor racing before the Pattaya Asiana Speedway in 1975 or the Bira Circuit that was built in 1986, and the Siamese Prince Bira was intimately involved for many years, both as a competitor and in the hierarchy of Thailand’s motor racing.

Remembering that F1 only began in 1950, before then and before WW II, the unofficial ‘world championship’ was the British Racing Drivers Club championship, run over a number of events each year. Any driver who could win the coveted BRDC Gold Star was the supreme driver of that year, but there has only been one driver to win three pre-war consecutive BRDC Gold Stars, and that driver was an Asian, and in my view one of the most under-rated drivers in motor sports history. This driver was the only Asian to beat five times world champion Juan Manuel Fangio, in equal cars in 1949, when Fangio was making his name as the up and coming driver of the future.

That driver was Prince Birabongse Bhanudej Bhanubandh (known simply as Bira), a member of the royal family of Siam (as Thailand was known then). In 1936 Prince Bira won the J.C.C. International Trophy and three International Light Car Races at Monaco, Peronne and Albi, France. In 1937 he won the Campbell Trophy, the Light Car Race at the Isle of Man, the London Grand Prix, the12-hour Race at Donington Park and the Imperial Trophy. In 1938, he won seven major races including the Coronation Trophy, the Campbell Trophy, the Light Car Race at Cork, the London Grand Prix, the Nuffield Trophy, the BRDC Road Race and the Siam Trophy. Those wins against all the accepted hot-shoes of the times, gave him the BRDC Gold Star awards for 1936, 1937 and 1938. A feat unequalled since then.

Despite the fact that Prince Bira mainly raced in Europe in those pre-war days, Thailand, unlike many of her neighbouring countries, has always had a strong following for Motor Sport, be that circuit racing, rallies or just “doing it in the dirt”. In fact, Dr Prachin Eamlumnow, the father of the Bangkok International Motor Show was a celebrated driver and winner of the Bangkok to Singapore Rally in the early 70’s. Thailand can be proud of its motor racing heritage, and should remember Prince Bira. There is a statue to his memory just inside the main entrance gates of the Bira Circuit.

320 kph in a Skoda

Bonneville Skoda

There are a few Skoda’s in Thailand, though none are thought of as competition vehicles. To try and change the image, a Skoda Octavia vRS, wrapped by signage specialist, Creative FX, and driven by automotive journalist, Richard Meaden, at Bonneville Speed Week, has broken the record for fastest ever Skoda, after recording a speed of 323 kph.

The 500 BHP Skoda Octavia vRS became one of the few cars to break the 320 kph barrier, and the first Skoda ever to attain that speed at Bonneville Speed Week in Utah, America.

The record-breaking car was sporting a special ‘10’ silver and green livery as it entered the history books. Produced and installed by vehicle wrapping specialist, Creative FX, the livery marks the tenth anniversary of the vRS range and 110 years of Skoda’s participation in motor sport.

Robert Hazlewood, director for Skoda UK, said, “Months of rigorous planning, testing and preparation have all been worthwhile. The entire team has done a fantastic job. Our thanks go out to Richard on an incredible drive.”

The Octavia vRS used is a factory-built model, which was specially modified for this event. As well as lowering the ride height and increasing brake horsepower from 200 to 500 BHP; the car had to include a reinforced roll cage, parachute, fire extinguishers and window cage, to meet Southern California Timing Association (SCTA) regulations.

Bonneville Speed Week, which is held near Salt Lake City every August, consists of six days of racing on salt flats. Its spectacular scenery and racing conditions make it one of the most popular speed events in the world.

Remember the movie, “The World’s Fastest Indian”, the story of New Zealander Burt Munro and his Indian motorcycle? An incredible, but true, story of how one man kept focus on Bonneville, and managed to set world records. It is available in record stores, or download it from the internet if you know how! A fabulous movie.

Autotrivia Quiz

Last week I asked what was a ‘sprague’ used for? Hopefully it stymied the googlers out there. It was a metal rod the driver could drop down at the rear of the vehicle, to stop it running backwards down hill, as it would dig into the ground and stop the rearwards motion.

So to this week. There were 13 British steam cars before 1914. The best known was actually Belgian, being made under license in the UK. What was the name of these cars in the UK?

For the Automania free beer this week, be the first correct answer to email [email protected].