by Dr. Iain Corness |
San Marino GP this weekend
The first Grand Prix back in Europe is this
weekend - the GP at San Marino (Imola).
The circuit, which is located 20 miles
south-east of Bolgna, is laid out in the Castellacio Park and
was first used in 1950. Originally 3.118 miles long, it was
used for the occasional non-championship race, but was very
much a second-string circuit until 1973 when it was
refurbished with the addition of Varianta Bassa and renamed
Autodromo Enzo E Dino Ferrari. Variante Alta was added in
1974, when the length increased to 3.144 miles and a chicane
was added at Aqua Minerale in time for the first championship
race in 1981, when the length of a lap became 3.132 miles. It
is a quick, undulating circuit with a series of demanding
corners broken by chicanes. Popular with almost everyone, it
was Imola’s misfortune to be the scene of the fatal
accidents to Roland Ratzenberger and Ayrton Senna in 1994 and
these tragedies have made Imola remembered by everyone. It
will also probably be dropped next year, as F1 goes further
into Asia.
But back to the 2004 season. So far Ferrari
has managed three pole positions and three wins, plus a couple
of 1-2 finishes and that’s from the first three GP’s.
While it looks like total domination, it’s probably not as
dominant as Ferrari themselves would like. There is no doubt
that BMW Williams are close, and in fact the Qualifying at
Bahrain could easily have gone to little Schumi or Montoya.
BAR are also ‘up there’ and Sato’s high placing on the
grid (and 5th at the end of the race) shows that there is
nothing wrong with the 2004 BAR.
The fact that Button has got on the podium
twice is also no fluke, though he was lucky in Bahrain that
Montoya struck gearbox problems. Renault have also got the
race pace, and it is only Alonso’s bad qualifying form that
has meant he has had to fight from the back, instead of
fighting at the front.
 At
this stage, that’s the front half of the grid, though you
should never discount Mark Webber’s qualifying form. The
front row position in Malaysia was something he pulled out of
the proverbial hat (or some other part of his anatomy), but I
fear that the Jaguar is not really quick enough. McLaren? Even
more nights have been spent by the engine team, trying to work
out what is going wrong, and believe me it’s not that easy.
When you are left with something that hand-grenaded at 17,000
rpm, do you know which bit let go first? Ron Dennis and his
drivers will be hoping for better results at Imola. Toyota?
Still not quick enough, I’m afraid. Sauber and Jordan?
Forget ‘em. Minardi? Well Zsolt Baumgartner has already
snapped up 20th position on the grid.
By my reckoning, the race should start at 7
p.m., but as always, check the TV guide, as I would hate to
see you miss the start. Me? I’m going to go to Shenanigans
at 6 p.m. and have something to eat from the carvery while
waiting. Why don’t you join me? (Ed’s note: The UBC online
guide has Race Day starting at 6 p.m. and race coverage
beginning at 6:45 p.m. <18:45>).
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Schumacher helps with European
road safety
Safety on the track has been one of Michael
Schumacher’s wheelbarrows that he has pushed for some years.
He is now taking that to the roads as well, being in Dublin to
launch Europe’s Road Safety Charter.
 Michael
Schumacher
Our six times Formula One World Champion
joined forces with the FIA Foundation and transport ministers
from across the European Union (EU) at the initiative. Along
with FIA President Max Mosley, Schumacher was a keynote
speaker, calling on governments, companies and organizations
across the EU to make a firm and measurable commitment to
improve road safety. The EU has a target of reducing road
deaths by 50 percent by 2010.
Schumacher said, “As a racing driver I am
extremely concerned about safety - not only on the race track,
but also on the road. I would not dream of starting a race
without my seat belt securely fastened, or of starting my car
without checking first that everybody traveling with me was
safe. It only takes a few conscious steps; a few seconds
thought and action, to ensure the highest possible safety in a
car.”
Max Mosley said, “At European level we do
need more focus on road safety, with a dedicated road safety
commissioner concentrating on road safety every hour of every
day. In France road deaths have fallen by 20 percent in one
year because President Chirac decided to take road safety
seriously. Most road deaths are preventable. Thousands of
people are being killed unnecessarily and we must have the
political will to stop it.”
Road traffic deaths and injuries have
fallen in all EU member states over recent years, but it is
feared that the entry of 10 new countries could reverse the
downward trend.
They should consider themselves fortunate
that Thailand is not eligible to enter the EU, as that would
certainly skyrocket the figures. We have one of the worst road
tolls in the world. Songkran figures alone would topple
governments in Europe. As Max Mosely said, “Most road deaths
are preventable. Thousands of people are being killed
unnecessarily and we must have the political will to stop
it.” When will Thailand’s pollies learn this?
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Peugeot 206CC
One of the cars at the Bangkok
International MoShow that caught my fancy was the Peugeot
206CC. I have to admit that it also caught my eye the year
before, but it is still a great funky little rocket,
complete with one of those folding roofs. Our Down-under
correspondent John Weinthal has sampled one a little while
back and he described it as being fun, but void of
traditional Peugeot virtues. Here are the Words from
Weinthal.
 Peugeot
206CC at MoShow
“For more than 40 years Peugeot has
been noted for some outstanding qualities. Their
reputation for strength and reliability was underlined
when the 203 model won the first Redex Around Australia
Trial in 1953. The Peugeot 403 of the late ’50s became
the benchmark for quiet, supple, bump absorbent ride.
Peugeots of their day rivalled Jaguars for quiet, refined
ride, at least until the XJ6 arrived in 1978. These
qualities of strength, reliability and a comfortable
hushed ride remain as Peugeot virtues.
“This test car is the remarkably
styled convertible version of Peugeot’s wonderful 206.
Some loved the lines of the 206CC- others were simply
bemused. (I love it. Dr. Iain.) The first thing to remark
on is the folding steel roof. It takes just 20 seconds to
open or close and has the simplest operation to date. It
can in fact be opened or closed at up to 10kph. This roof
is every bit the equal of that of the Mercedes SLK and the
Lexus SC430.
“But, the Peugeot costs well under
half the Merc’s ticket, and just under a quarter of the
Lexus’ AUD 162,000 ask. Like the Lexus, there are four
head restraints and if you peer deep enough behind the
excellent front seats you will find a couple of pretend
rear seats. Only two under 10s with very short parents up
front could be squeezed back there. That space could be
more valuably used for luggage because the boot, not
unexpectedly, shrinks from 410 litres to just 175 when the
roof goes into its hideaway.
“The 206CC is hugely distinctive. It
has a wonderfully rapid and efficient power hood system.
Hood up, two people are as snug as in any smart coupe,
with plenty of head, leg and shoulder room. However, all
is not well with the 206CC. Indeed only the badges really
say Peugeot. Road noise intrudes as on no Peugeot before
it. It is much worse than most current cars - specially
ones costing AUD 40,000. Roof-down it feels no match in
structural integrity for drop-tops like Mazda’s MX5, the
Honda S2000 or even Peugeot’s own 306. Another first.
After almost 40 years writing about cars this is the first
one with sun visors which rattle!
“So far I have avoided the cute
little Peugeot’s mechanical elements. It is available
either as an auto with an 80 kW 1.6 litre engine, or a 100
kW 2 litre with manual gears. The 1.6 auto costs AUD
38,000 and the manual 2 litre is AUD 40,000, plus the
usual drive-away costs in both cases. (In Thailand we only
get the 1.6 lire auto which retails for a sniff under 2
million baht. Dr. Iain.)
“Performance from the test car’s
1.6 litre could best be described as adequate, but it was
no fireball and it was noisy at almost all times. Worse
than this, this engine is mis-matched to one of those
awful so-called adaptive automatic gearboxes. In this case
the engine and transmission barely acknowledge each
other’s existence. The auto hunts and holds lower gears
for far longer than necessary, while the engine revs up
and down to a score of its own.
“I would love to try the 206CC with
the 2 litre engine and manual gearbox because the car
rides and handles well, and can occasionally be quite fun
even with the test car’s extraordinary
engine/transmission mix.
“The car grabs the eye; the hood is
brilliant in its execution and operation and it is
comprehensively equipped. Standard gear (in Australia)
includes climate control air-conditioning, CD player, two
air bags, ABS anti-lock brakes and remote locking and
window operation - in fact just about everything except
cruise control.
“However, if you expect all the
traditional Peugeot values you will be disappointed. This
was all the more disappointing because each of the regular
206’s I have driven has been marvellous in just about
every way - true Peugeots, made the Peugeot way.”
(Thank you John, but I still like the
funky looks! Dr. Iain.)
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Autotrivia Quiz
Last week I mentioned that the first car in
which Henry Royce had no part in was the P-III built between
1936 and 1939. It had a V12 engine with hydraulic tappets that
always gave trouble, but the front suspension was more
interesting. The question was which company designed the
independent front suspension? The answer was that the front
suspension was made under license from General Motors. The
designer was GM.
So to this week. We feature the Peugeot, so
here’s a Pug question. Who imported a 3.5 horsepower in 1896
and won a gold medal with it in the Thousand Miles Trial?
For the Automania FREE beer this week, be
the first correct answer to email [email protected]
Good luck!
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