Nitto 3K meeting at Bira this weekend

Securitas Retro Escort.

This weekend is another one of the very relaxed “club-style” meetings. This group promotes the Retro classes (pre 1985) and the oldest car competing is our Securitas Mk1 Ford Escort, driven by myself, the oldest driver (we are the genuine Retro team as I raced Mk1 Escorts when they were new)!

The best place to watch the races is the outside of the hairpin at the end of the straight, where you can watch the cars coming into the corner and then up the hill, and then coming down through the sweeper behind you. To get there, come in the ‘back gate’ entrance (200 meters before the main entrance) off highway 36 heading towards Pattaya. You then go through the tunnel under the track and turn immediately right and park where you can near the big trees. If you come on the Sunday, look for the red AA Insurance/D2 hospitality tent. Come and say Hello. Some cold drinks and gourmet sandwiches will be available for lunch. Our races for the Securitas Escort will be around 11 a.m. and again around 3 p.m., though they never seem to get the timetable right.

Cars to look out for include Henk Kiks’ B-Quik supercharged 944 Porsche (450 BHP), Gavin Charlesworth’s EBC Brakes E30 BMW (250 BHP), Mark Titterington’s Toyota DX (280 BHP) and Urs Schonenberger’s E 36 BMW (350 BHP). With our 160 BHP in the Mk1 Escort, we are at a disadvantage, but these meetings are for “fun” and not for trophies.

Here’s the very ticket for the Jaguar restoration

Glossy “factory finish” for Jaguars.

Liquid Black finish from Zircotec recreates Jaguar factory finish and also reduces underbonnet heat. This brand new coating that replicates the vitreous enamel finish of Jaguar manifolds has been created by Zircotec. The product also serves to protect underbonnet components and bodywork from the effects of heat. Suitable for all six cylinder Jaguars manufactured from 1948 right up to the mid-1980s, Zircotec’s Liquid Black? ceramic coating solves the long standing durability issues of the original enamel finish whilst also reducing underbonnet temperatures. Tested to a simulated 160,000 km of use, the tough, gloss coating should appeal to both concourse and driver enthusiast alike.

According to Zircotec, by far the highest proportion of classic car customers seeking a Zircotec coating is Jaguar owners. “Many E-Type, MkII, XK and early XJ owners wish to retain the glossy enamel finish from the factory but even on new reproduction parts it can’t withstand the heat cycling and just doesn’t last. It ends up looking very tatty and won’t help lower underbonnet temperatures,” says Zircotec’s sales director Peter Whyman. “We set out therefore to create a new coating that would look ‘period correct’ but would also offer a significant thermal barrier performance.”

Zircotec’s Liquid Black? coating will provide other benefits to owners choosing it over less effective solutions; by keeping heat inside the exhaust, the coating prevents damage to surrounding paintwork, can assist in lowering cockpit temperatures and will help avoid fuel evaporation issues during hot start-up. “The coating can withstand exhaust gas temperatures of 600ฐC and testing has shown it to maintain its appearance in use. Unsightly paint cracking on E-Types around the louvres and stifling temperatures in the cockpit could be eliminated by using our technology,” suggests Whyman.

Zircotec’s development team worked for more than a year to create Liquid Black? the company’s s first ever gloss finish. “We wanted a finish that would respond to the needs of Jaguar owners, a finish that would be long lasting, durable and robust. Liquid Black? has passed our rigorous test regime. All parts are coated at Zircotec’s Abingdon factory. Customers can send either new or used cast manifolds and we will prepare, clean and apply the multi layer coating,” adds Whyman. “We turn round parts typically in under 10 days.”

Available now, the coating costs ฃ330 for a pair of cast manifolds for a six cylinder engine. Not cheap, but if you are into concourse preparation well worth it.

Here is an email contact: [email protected].

Safety - now a world-wide campaign

Crash testing.

ENCAP, the European body that performs the crash tests on new cars gave more 5 star results this month with the Audi A6, the BMW X3, the new Chevrolet Aveo and Chevrolet Orlando, the Citro๋n DS5, the Hyundai i40, the Opel Ampera, the VW Golf Cabriolet and the VW Jetta all performing well.

Only the European Kia Picanto received an overall rating of 4 stars, a result poorer than many of its city-car competitors. Surprisingly, the new Picanto is not fitted with Electronic Stability Control as standard across the model range. Michiel van Ratingen, Euro NCAP secretary general, said, “Proven safety benefits of ESC resulted in new legislation requiring the technology to be fitted as standard on all new models in Europe as of next year. In 2011, consumers should expect this critical safety equipment to be part of any offering regardless of car size or price.”

Euro NCAP continues to test plug-in and electric vehicles and announced that the Opel/Vauxhall Ampera (Chevrolet Volt in the US) achieved an overall rating of five stars.

Some of the tested vehicles obtained high scores for child occupant protection. The Hyundai i40 and both VW Jetta and Golf Cabriolet scored 86 percent. Michiel van Ratingen says, “We consider child protection as a very important part of the overall star rating and have plans to step up our requirements even more in the coming years.”

While many cars released continue to impress in the areas of adult and child occupant protection, pedestrian protection scores are generally still lagging behind. The Opel Ampera, Audi A6 and Citro๋n DS5 only just meet Euro NCAP’s 2011 pedestrian requirements for a 5 star rating but none of the cars in this release would meet the more stringent 5 star requirement of 60 percent coming into effect in 2012. A few car makers have already stepped up, showing much higher pedestrian scores such as the recently tested Ford Focus. Euro NCAP hopes that others will follow suit soon.

Euro NCAP is encouraged to see important advanced safety systems being offered to consumers on more and more models. The 5 star new medium-sized SUV BMW X3 comes with the awarded Advanced eCall, a system that is able to automatically notify emergency services providing critical details of the crash event.

Another example is the Mazda Rear Vehicle Monitoring System available on the Mazda 3 tested in 2009. Euro NCAP reviewed the safety benefits of this technology that detects and warns the driver of an approaching vehicle and helps to avoid common lane change related crashes involving two or more vehicles.

Autotrivia Quiz

Last week I mentioned there were 13 British steam cars before 1914. The best known was actually Belgian, being made under license in the UK. I asked what was the name of these cars in the UK? It was the Turner-Miesse, made by Turners of Wolverhampton, under license from Miesse et Cie of Antwerp. Interestingly, they gave up on the steam power and adopted the gasoline internal combustion engine instead.

So to this week. Study this picture. What was it called? And who made it?

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

What did we learn from the Belgian GP?

Well, let’s start with Qualifying. We learned that despite all the millions of dollars swallowed up by the professional teams, sometimes they appear as incompetent as a new amateur race team. Just how can Mercedes have a rear wheel fall off on Schumacher’s first lap of practice (and it’s not the first one either)? Leaving their driver to start on the 24th grid spot. Just how can McLaren forget to tell their driver Jenson Button that he has only one lap left to set a time in qualifying, leaving him 13th on the grid?

What did come out of Qualifying was that Bruno Senna (Renault) turned in an incredible performance to claim 7th on the grid, when everyone was deriding his seat in the team as being merely a ‘pay driver’. Everyone had to eat their words (on the Saturday at least). The other brilliant Saturday performance was from Jaime Algywotsit in the Toro Rosso to bag 6th on the grid. Having been threatened with the sack a couple of months ago, Jaime has woken up and is returning to excellent form.

And so to the race, one with plenty of action from beginning to end. Spa remains a fantastic circuit that encourages fantastic racing, and not one of these dreadful new Herr Tilke boraramas. Are you listening Bernie (the patron saint of golden garden gnomes)?

A brilliant start by Rosberg saw a Mercedes lead a Grand Prix, something that hasn’t happened since 1955 or thereabouts. Schumacher in the other Mercedes was up to 15th from his 24th starting position by the end of lap 1. Schumacher continued his relentless push, eventually passing Rosberg to finish 5th and silence his critics.

Eventual winner Sebastian (the finger) Vettel was not threatened after he got past Rosberg, and again deserved the win. Webber in the other Red Bull did his usual start taking him from 3rd on the grid to 10th by the first corner. Will Red Bull please take him out to a vacant field somewhere and teach him how to start. Currently he is hopeless. However, his pass on Alonso through Eau Rouge to take second place showed he must have cojones the size of coconuts.

Third was Button, in another of his exemplary clean drives. If he started somewhere further up than 13th he could even have been on the top step of the podium. His team mate, Hamilton the feisty, seems to attract trouble. His crash after hitting Kobayashi occurred because he forgot that the Sauber was still there after his pass down the straight. He moved over and hit Kobayashi (sorry all you Hamilton fans), and he even admitted it later after viewing the video evidence, writing, “After watching the replay, I realize it was my fault today 100 percent. I didn’t give Kobayashi enough room though I thought I was past.”

Alonso (Ferrari, the faster one) was not himself all weekend, but did finish 4th, but was not a happy little Spaniard, though he was in the action for a while. Massa? Bringing up the rear as usual. (“Fernando is quicker than you. Do you understand?” That (in)famous communication from his engineer.)

And what about the ascending ‘stars’ of Jaime and Bruno? Unfortunately Bruno in his excitement forgot which pedal was the brake and center-punched Jaime on the first corner. End of the race for Jaime’s Toro Rosso and the first ‘drive-through’ penalty for Bruno Senna.

The next GP is Monza on the 11th September.