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AUTO MANIA: by Dr. Iain Corness
 


NSX returns

New Honda NSX.

Honda has revived the NSX nameplate for their latest ‘supercar’, though like the first NSX, there will be people who say this new NSX, a hybrid, does not have the gutsy performance that supercar drivers want.

The new NSX was shown at the North American International Auto Show this January, and like the first NSX uses aluminium in the chassis, suspension and body panels, to be a lightweight, and yet very strong. This extensive use of aluminium has its drawbacks however. One was raced in Australia in the Bathurst 1000 many years ago and had an accident in practice. Despite there being racks to straighten the chassis, aluminium does not ‘work’ as well as steel, and they could not get the car completely straight.

Confirmed for global production within three years, this new NSX retains the mid-engined layout and V6 engine power of the original - which debuted in 1990, but adds a version of Honda’s Super-Handling All-Wheel Drive (SH-AWD) system. The system will first be launched in 2013 in the MDX SUV, but the NSX gets the Sport Hybrid powertrain featuring an ‘electric’ version of the SH-AWD system.

A 230 kW 3.5 liter V6 combines with a 30 kW electric motor to drive the rear wheels through Honda’s first seven-speed dual-clutch transmission, while two independent 20 kW plus motors are positioned at the front axle - each with adjustable torque control that delivers negative or positive torque to the front wheels during cornering.

Presenting the vehicle in Detroit, Honda Motor Co president and CEO Takanobu Ito - who led the development of the original NSX - said the Sport Hybrid SH-AWD system made the new model “the ultimate expression of Acura’s (American Honda’s) idea to create synergy between man and machine. Like the first NSX, we will again express high performance through engineering efficiency.”

CEO Takanobu Ito also said, “Since production of NSX ended in 2005, we have strived to create a worthy successor. Yet many global changes have affected the automotive industry since that time. Our vision is to achieve performance that is up to the challenge of racing. So, while we created this NSX concept for our customers, you might see NSX on the racetrack as well.”

The new NSX is significantly wider, with a wider wheelbase, but is slightly shorter overall. At this stage, no performance figures were available, but the new NSX will suffer from the same lack of aura as the old one. When you open the doors of your garage, your next door neighbor doesn’t say, “Wow, you’ve got a Honda!” (This of course is one reason why they sell in America as an Acura - similar to the Toyota/Lexus marketing.)


24 Hours in the desert

Thomas battling with a BMW Z4.

In an enterprising move, local race driver Thomas Raldorf put together a team to compete in the Dunlop Dubai 24 Hour race a couple of weeks ago. This was a first for the Pizza Company team and the first for the Tourism Authority of Thailand, backing a local team in this prestigious international competition.

The team took Thai mechanics to Dubai, and the driving duties were shared between Thai drivers Ekarat Wihawatprapa, Pitsanu Sirimongkolkasem, and Thomas Raldorf plus Jakob Borum (Denmark) and Niels Borum (Denmark).

The race Team from Thailand left for Dubai in the start of January 2012 to compete against cars and drivers from all over the world. The event has an internationally recognized status as one of the famous 24-hour races, with many factory teams entered. 2012 was no exception, with drivers like Bernd Schneider, Jarooen Bleekemolen, Thomas Enge, and many others.

The Thailand Team in Dubai.

Team owner Thomas Raldorf started his preparations for the event back in August 2011, and felt he was well prepared when the car was shipped to the UAE in the start of December, but he later came to learn that a 24-hour race is like nothing else.

On the 11th of January the car went to the track for the first practice sessions. It became clear that there was an issue with the sensors in the car, and the fuel mixture was wrong, so time was spent of getting this right and the team pulled a long all-nighter to get the car ready for qualifying the following day.

In the first and second qualifying sessions the team again had a fuel issue, so they ended up last in their class, and had to start last on the starting grind the following day. The team again pulled a long all-nighter and got everything sorted and in the morning warm up set their fastest lap of the event so far, and nine seconds faster than qualifying.

The race started at 2 p.m. local time in Dubai with two flying laps and a rolling start, and slowly the team moved its way upwards and was up to 7th place in class after the first six laps, and the team was now three seconds faster that they had been and was 2nd fastest in class. However, after the first six laps the team was also passed for the first time by the leading cars, and now needed to spend a lot of their time looking in the mirrors for the much faster outright contenders with their Mercedes SLS AMG’s, Lamborghini’s, BMW’s and Porsches.

In the pits at night.

The Pizza Company team had long range tanks fitted to the Honda; however, the fuel delivery system then played up and the tanks would not drain into each other. Eventually, the extra tanks were taken out, and the team just had to make more frequent pit stops than anyone else. In fact, the team made 30 pit stops during the 24 hour race (a record in itself)!

With the race being run in darkness as well as during the day, this brought an additional factor to play, one that the team had not experienced before. To be able to see the track at racing speeds, auxiliary lights were installed, but when the team went to use them as darkness fell, the combined amperage was such that it immediately blew fuses. They tried running with just two lights, but it still blew fuses, so in desperation they ran with no extra lights, and followed the tail lights of the cars in front. A risky maneuver, but the best that could be done under the circumstances.

Another problem then appeared. If they ran the engine up to 7,000 RPM the ECU immediately turned off the engine and the driver had to try and reset the computer in the ECU, whilst on the move. Eventually they found that by keeping to a 6,800 RPM limit, they could continue, albeit at a slower speed.

The team soldiered on, despite everything, with just finishing in mind. However, with one hour to go it looked like 6th would be possible! With 10 minutes the Thailand team climbed to 6th place in class, where they finished.

“Alone” in the Dubai desert.

At the start of the event there had been a total of 75 cars, but many of them had not been able to finish and others had finished but had many problems during the race and spent a long time in the pits, so the small team ended up 46th overall.

Thomas sent a bulletin back to Thailand as they crossed the finishing line, saying We did it!!!! 416 laps, 2242 km driven, 30 pit stops, 46th overall and 6th in class.

The team was very happy to have been able to finish such a long and hard event, and plans were made right away to join the 2013 Dubai 24 Hour event again, as they now knew much more and would be much better prepared.

The Motorsports media in Dubai was very interested in the little team from Thailand and the fact they had traveled all the way to Dubai to compete with the big name teams like Besaplast and S.I.G. from Germany, and was also very interested in knowing more about motor sport in Thailand as most of them had no idea how big motor sport is here.

The Team would like to thank a number of companies and people who made it possible for them to join the event and to keep going during the event, with everything from finances to parts and contacts:

The Pizza Company, Raiden, B-Quik, Liqui Moly, Tourism Authority of Thailand, Unicar (D2 Suspension), RAAT, Sa-ing Garden and Khun Charoen Auamchan, Thon-Sticker, NFS, LAP 57, Spencer (SVDP Racing), James Kaye, Duel Racing and Creventic.

And a ‘Well Done’, from us at Pattaya Mail.


Ride like Rossi

If you have ever had the notion you would like to ride a motorcycle around a real race track, then High Side Tours have the answer. Graham Knight, an accomplished motorcycle racer, runs track days for novices up to GP stars and he can help you improve your technique, or just help you do one of your life’s ambitions.

The next training school is in February on the 25, 26 and 27. This will be held at the Kaeng Krachan circuit, which is close to Cha-Am, and is a very interesting course with a mixture of sweepers, some tight corners, up hill and down dale - you won’t get bored!

Graham has a number of motorcycles available, including five ER6N’s and a Ninja 250. To get more information, drop graham an email - [email protected].


Autotrivia Quiz

Last week I asked what postwar icon had windows and roof (metal or canvas) as optional extras? The clue was to think mud. It was the now venerable Land Rover. Yes, windows as optional extras!

So to this week. The Ford Capri was made between 1969 and 1974, but “Capri” was the second choice of its name. What was the original and why was it not used?

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


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