Paladin
KC Hill
Craig Hill
Oracle of DelphiNew Format
July 22nd 2010 05:49
New Format Coming Soon
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Wheel Fever - by Craig Hill
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Fiat Offers Lifeline To Chrysler
January 22nd 2009 07:58
When Chrysler Australia managing director, Gerry Jenkins, returned to work on Monday he saw a dark, stormy future.
Yesterday the storm clouds lifted with the announcement that Italian carmaking giant Fiat had thrown a lifeline to the embattled Chrysler Group in the US.
Both have signed a global agreement to share models, design, engineering and distribution networks.
The CEO of Fiat Group, Sergio Marchionne said the partnership "is a great fit as it creates the potential for a powerful, new global competitor".
Jenkins said the alliance would also give some security and vision for the future.
"I see pluses on both sides," he said.
Under the terms, Fiat will take a 35 per cent equity stake in Chrysler, which also includes Dodge and Jeep.
Fiat will also provide distribution capabilities in key growth markets, as well as substantial cost savings.
The deal is a key element of Chrysler's viability plan and will provide access to Fiat's small car platforms, engines and components to be produced at Chrysler manufacturing sites.
Chrysler, the third biggest carmaker in the US, has been dodging questions about a possible sale, asset sell-offs or alliances for months.
The company is majority owned by private investment group Cerberus Capital Management, which has no carmaking experience.
Analysts see the move as a strategic life-raft for the embattled US business.
At the recent Detroit Motor Show, Chrysler vice chairman and president, Tom LaSorda, even went as far as to say that the iconic Jeep brand was not for sale.
Fiat has been very successful in executing its own restructuring over the past several years.
In addition, Fiat will provide management services supporting Chrysler's submission of a viability plan to the US Treasury as required.
The alliance will also allow Fiat and Chrysler to take advantage of each other's networks and rationalise their respective manufacturing footprint and global supplier base.
The alliance will be consistent with the terms of the US Treasury financing to Chrysler, which includes contributing to the company's restructuring effort.
The deal is still subject to due diligence and regulatory approvals, including the US Treasury.
Fiat does not intend making a cash investment in Chrysler or commit to funding Chrysler in the future.
Over the past five years Fiat has signed several alliances and partnerships with leading carmakers and automotive suppliers.
The chairman and CEO of Chrysler, Bob Nardelli said the benefits are huge.
"Including access to products that compliment our current portfolio; a distribution network outside North America; and cost savings in design, engineering, manufacturing, purchasing and sales and marketing," he said.
Chrysler has previously has held alliances with Daimler, Mitsubishi and American Motors (Renault).
Herald Sun
Yesterday the storm clouds lifted with the announcement that Italian carmaking giant Fiat had thrown a lifeline to the embattled Chrysler Group in the US.
Both have signed a global agreement to share models, design, engineering and distribution networks.
The CEO of Fiat Group, Sergio Marchionne said the partnership "is a great fit as it creates the potential for a powerful, new global competitor".
Jenkins said the alliance would also give some security and vision for the future.
"I see pluses on both sides," he said.
Under the terms, Fiat will take a 35 per cent equity stake in Chrysler, which also includes Dodge and Jeep.
Fiat will also provide distribution capabilities in key growth markets, as well as substantial cost savings.
The deal is a key element of Chrysler's viability plan and will provide access to Fiat's small car platforms, engines and components to be produced at Chrysler manufacturing sites.
Chrysler, the third biggest carmaker in the US, has been dodging questions about a possible sale, asset sell-offs or alliances for months.
The company is majority owned by private investment group Cerberus Capital Management, which has no carmaking experience.
Analysts see the move as a strategic life-raft for the embattled US business.
At the recent Detroit Motor Show, Chrysler vice chairman and president, Tom LaSorda, even went as far as to say that the iconic Jeep brand was not for sale.
Fiat has been very successful in executing its own restructuring over the past several years.
In addition, Fiat will provide management services supporting Chrysler's submission of a viability plan to the US Treasury as required.
The alliance will also allow Fiat and Chrysler to take advantage of each other's networks and rationalise their respective manufacturing footprint and global supplier base.
The alliance will be consistent with the terms of the US Treasury financing to Chrysler, which includes contributing to the company's restructuring effort.
The deal is still subject to due diligence and regulatory approvals, including the US Treasury.
Fiat does not intend making a cash investment in Chrysler or commit to funding Chrysler in the future.
Over the past five years Fiat has signed several alliances and partnerships with leading carmakers and automotive suppliers.
The chairman and CEO of Chrysler, Bob Nardelli said the benefits are huge.
"Including access to products that compliment our current portfolio; a distribution network outside North America; and cost savings in design, engineering, manufacturing, purchasing and sales and marketing," he said.
Chrysler has previously has held alliances with Daimler, Mitsubishi and American Motors (Renault).
Herald Sun
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Petrol To Hit $2 A Litre
January 15th 2009 00:10
One of the world’s leading experts on alternative automotive energy believes the wholesale price of petrol will return to more than $US100 a barrel within two years – the last time it was that expensive, the retail cost came close to $2 per litre in Australia.
“Petroleum we believe is going to plateau around $US100 a barrel,” says Larry Burns, the head of General Motors Research & Development and Strategic Planning.
“There are some very fundamental things that indicate to us that the petroleum that’s coming on line in the world is becoming ever more expensive to gain access to.
“In addition to that we have the biggest countries in the world gearing up to introduce carbon taxes, so we are definitely going to see high petrol prices again soon … within the next two years at the latest.”
Burns has spent his 40-year career working on advanced technology since he joined the company as a graduate when he was 18.
He is regarded as the pre-eminent expert in his field and his life’s work has become of particular importance to GM and the auto industry in the past few years as car makers have realised they need to reduce their dependence on oil.
Two years ago Burns established a team within GM – the Global Energy Systems Intelligence Centre – whose sole purpose is to track the current and future price and availability of oil and “other energy supply chains”. Burns claims his eight-member outfit of experts plucked from various parts of the energy industry are the best in the business.
He says petroleum will become increasingly more expensive as oil companies drill deeper to retrieve lower quality crude – which, in turn, is more expensive to refine to today’s quality standards. “In other words, the oil companies will need to drill more crude at the same time as supply is drying up.”
But GM does not believe the internal combustion engine will ever die. Burns says the number of electric cars will grow significantly, and they are part of the solution, but they ultimately will not completely replace cars and trucks with internal combustion engines.
“We think the internal combustion engine is here to stay,” he says. “Motorists are going to be spoiled for choice between electric powered cars and cars powered by internal combustion engines, depending on which one best suits each application.
“There are more than 800 million cars and trucks around the world with internal combustion engines, so they’re not going anywhere,” he said, adding that trucks and other heavy machinery would likely run on bio-diesel rather than electricity.
“The trap we get into is we keep thinking ‘all or nothing’, but the future of the car is one with a choice of many types of alternatives to petrol,” he says.
GM is working with at least two companies that are developing new ways to create ethanol fuel that does not involve food crops. The use of grain-based ethanol, such as that derived from corn or sugar cane, has received criticism in recent years because there isn’t enough land in the world to feed its entire population as well as power all its cars.
One method transforms household waste into ethanol and is so effective Burns claims it could see an end to landfill. The other uses a special type of grass that requires little to no maintenance as it grows quickly and easily, even in adverse conditions. GM is so convinced about both systems that it has invested heavily in both companies working on them.
Burns says ethanol should be of particular interest to countries, such as Australia, that regularly experience water shortages. “It takes two or three gallons of water to make a gallon of gasoline, but using these processes it takes less than a gallon of water to make a gallon of ethanol.”
In Australia, most of our ethanol-blended fuel is currently derived from sugar cane waste, rather than crops grown specifically to be used as fuel. But, through Holden, GM is looking to assist with the introduction of an ethanol refinery in Australia that transforms waste into fuel.
Ethanol won’t become a magic solution, however, until cars are redesigned to get the most out of the fuel.
Burns admitted ethanol has about 50 per cent less energy than regular fuel, so you need to burn more of it to travel the same distance as a car powered by unleaded petrol.
“That’s ok though,” he says. “Cars will get bigger petrol tanks so motorists can travel the same distance between refills, and engineers are going to have to design cars with more efficient engines and use more lightweight materials.”
“Petroleum we believe is going to plateau around $US100 a barrel,” says Larry Burns, the head of General Motors Research & Development and Strategic Planning.
“There are some very fundamental things that indicate to us that the petroleum that’s coming on line in the world is becoming ever more expensive to gain access to.
“In addition to that we have the biggest countries in the world gearing up to introduce carbon taxes, so we are definitely going to see high petrol prices again soon … within the next two years at the latest.”
Burns has spent his 40-year career working on advanced technology since he joined the company as a graduate when he was 18.
He is regarded as the pre-eminent expert in his field and his life’s work has become of particular importance to GM and the auto industry in the past few years as car makers have realised they need to reduce their dependence on oil.
Two years ago Burns established a team within GM – the Global Energy Systems Intelligence Centre – whose sole purpose is to track the current and future price and availability of oil and “other energy supply chains”. Burns claims his eight-member outfit of experts plucked from various parts of the energy industry are the best in the business.
He says petroleum will become increasingly more expensive as oil companies drill deeper to retrieve lower quality crude – which, in turn, is more expensive to refine to today’s quality standards. “In other words, the oil companies will need to drill more crude at the same time as supply is drying up.”
But GM does not believe the internal combustion engine will ever die. Burns says the number of electric cars will grow significantly, and they are part of the solution, but they ultimately will not completely replace cars and trucks with internal combustion engines.
“We think the internal combustion engine is here to stay,” he says. “Motorists are going to be spoiled for choice between electric powered cars and cars powered by internal combustion engines, depending on which one best suits each application.
“There are more than 800 million cars and trucks around the world with internal combustion engines, so they’re not going anywhere,” he said, adding that trucks and other heavy machinery would likely run on bio-diesel rather than electricity.
“The trap we get into is we keep thinking ‘all or nothing’, but the future of the car is one with a choice of many types of alternatives to petrol,” he says.
GM is working with at least two companies that are developing new ways to create ethanol fuel that does not involve food crops. The use of grain-based ethanol, such as that derived from corn or sugar cane, has received criticism in recent years because there isn’t enough land in the world to feed its entire population as well as power all its cars.
One method transforms household waste into ethanol and is so effective Burns claims it could see an end to landfill. The other uses a special type of grass that requires little to no maintenance as it grows quickly and easily, even in adverse conditions. GM is so convinced about both systems that it has invested heavily in both companies working on them.
Burns says ethanol should be of particular interest to countries, such as Australia, that regularly experience water shortages. “It takes two or three gallons of water to make a gallon of gasoline, but using these processes it takes less than a gallon of water to make a gallon of ethanol.”
In Australia, most of our ethanol-blended fuel is currently derived from sugar cane waste, rather than crops grown specifically to be used as fuel. But, through Holden, GM is looking to assist with the introduction of an ethanol refinery in Australia that transforms waste into fuel.
Ethanol won’t become a magic solution, however, until cars are redesigned to get the most out of the fuel.
Burns admitted ethanol has about 50 per cent less energy than regular fuel, so you need to burn more of it to travel the same distance as a car powered by unleaded petrol.
“That’s ok though,” he says. “Cars will get bigger petrol tanks so motorists can travel the same distance between refills, and engineers are going to have to design cars with more efficient engines and use more lightweight materials.”
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Posted By: Paladin - Category: General News
Charlie Cox Leaves TV Show Top Gear
January 6th 2009 11:59
James Morrison, the jazz star and major car enthusiast, is the new host of the Aussie version of the TG down under after a major off-season shake-up. Officially, former host Charlie Cox is returning "reluctantly" to the UK for "business reasons".
Unofficially, the whole TG on-air team has taken a hammering from critics who say the show lacks the spark of the British original.
Cox was never going to match Jeremy Clarkson, who has become a worldwide superstar, but he still struggled to be sharp or insightful. And his driving ability, reflected in a couple of Bathurst 1000 starts in the late 1980s, was never exploited for TG.
"It seems best to leave the show," Cox said.
Morrison cuts in alongside the surviving on-air talent, Warren Brown and Steve Pizzati, with a huge reputation - and not just as a jazz musician.
He has a personal car collection closing on 100 vehicles, was the presenter for a previous Aussie TV program, has raced and rallied - including a couple of massive forest crashes - and ridden motorcycles.
"This is going to be fun," Morrison said.
Herald Sun
Unofficially, the whole TG on-air team has taken a hammering from critics who say the show lacks the spark of the British original.
Cox was never going to match Jeremy Clarkson, who has become a worldwide superstar, but he still struggled to be sharp or insightful. And his driving ability, reflected in a couple of Bathurst 1000 starts in the late 1980s, was never exploited for TG.
"It seems best to leave the show," Cox said.
Charlie Cox Leaves TV Show Top Gear
Morrison cuts in alongside the surviving on-air talent, Warren Brown and Steve Pizzati, with a huge reputation - and not just as a jazz musician.
He has a personal car collection closing on 100 vehicles, was the presenter for a previous Aussie TV program, has raced and rallied - including a couple of massive forest crashes - and ridden motorcycles.
"This is going to be fun," Morrison said.
Herald Sun
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Posted By: Paladin - Category: General News
Toyota Australia Shuts Down TRD Division
January 6th 2009 11:47
Toyota has shut down it's Australian TRD division, after just 888 sales and a range of setbacks, including a safety recall for an engine failure. The decision to close the go-faster shop has cost an estimated $20 million in research-and-development, dealer facilities and a production tie-up with Prodrive in Melbourne. The 17 staff at TRD will be moved to other jobs within Toyota Australia.
The final TRD Aurion and HiLux models will be produced before the end of March and stocks are likely to be cleared early in 2009.
Toyota denies any embarrassment over the TRD failure, its first since ending Daihatsu sales in Australia, but admits it was not making money and had little chance of a black-ink bottom line.
"It was costing us more than it was returning. Our forecast was that we would have had to continue to invest for a period of time, a number of years not a number of months," admits Peter McGregor, who was responsible for TRD.
"We're talking about an operational change to the total Toyota business. We've had to make some tough decisions."
McGregor says the current economic situation has also put pressure on TRD, which is not making its projected sales results.
"It was working reasonably well. HiLux was selling 50 to 60 units a month, and we were doing about 34 Aurions, although that is slightly below what we originally thought we would do."
The numbers are far below the results achieved by Holden Special Vehicles and Ford Performance Vehicles, and TRD critics are already claiming a success in the brand's failure.
They say go-faster Toyotas were never going to succeed in Australia, despite the company's investment in supercharged V6 engines for the Aurion and HiLux.
The TRD operation was planned as a way of winning new buyers to Toyota showrooms, as well as converting younger customers, by adding some spice to cars which are known for their vanilla flavour.
"Vanilla can be quite nice if you get the right brand. And we have the luxury brand in Lexus," says Mike Breen of Toyota Australia.
The TRD operation will be closed after less than two years and the decision means there is no need to continue development of a third TRD model.
"There definitely won't be a third model. Although there were a number under consideration," says McGregor.
All TRD vehicles will continue to be covered by Toyota's warranty.
The failure of TRD has been offset this week by an upcoming record for Toyota Australia.
It has hit an export milestone, shipping more than 100,000 vehicles overseas in a single year.
The record car was part of a shipment of 2100 vehicles which left Melbourne on Christmas Eve.
Toyota Australia is now forecasting total exports of 101,563 for 2008, an industry record, up from 96,688 in 2007.
Its production at Altona is now overwhelmingly focussed on exports, with local sales of the Camry and Aurion only totalling around 40,000 cars.
"This is Australia's biggest automotive export program, generating
$1.8 billion a year in export revenue," says Dave Buttner, Toyota Australia's senior executive director of sales and marketing.
Herald Sun
The final TRD Aurion and HiLux models will be produced before the end of March and stocks are likely to be cleared early in 2009.
Toyota denies any embarrassment over the TRD failure, its first since ending Daihatsu sales in Australia, but admits it was not making money and had little chance of a black-ink bottom line.
"It was costing us more than it was returning. Our forecast was that we would have had to continue to invest for a period of time, a number of years not a number of months," admits Peter McGregor, who was responsible for TRD.
Toyota TRD Aurion LR
"We're talking about an operational change to the total Toyota business. We've had to make some tough decisions."
McGregor says the current economic situation has also put pressure on TRD, which is not making its projected sales results.
"It was working reasonably well. HiLux was selling 50 to 60 units a month, and we were doing about 34 Aurions, although that is slightly below what we originally thought we would do."
The numbers are far below the results achieved by Holden Special Vehicles and Ford Performance Vehicles, and TRD critics are already claiming a success in the brand's failure.
They say go-faster Toyotas were never going to succeed in Australia, despite the company's investment in supercharged V6 engines for the Aurion and HiLux.
The TRD operation was planned as a way of winning new buyers to Toyota showrooms, as well as converting younger customers, by adding some spice to cars which are known for their vanilla flavour.
"Vanilla can be quite nice if you get the right brand. And we have the luxury brand in Lexus," says Mike Breen of Toyota Australia.
The TRD operation will be closed after less than two years and the decision means there is no need to continue development of a third TRD model.
"There definitely won't be a third model. Although there were a number under consideration," says McGregor.
All TRD vehicles will continue to be covered by Toyota's warranty.
The failure of TRD has been offset this week by an upcoming record for Toyota Australia.
It has hit an export milestone, shipping more than 100,000 vehicles overseas in a single year.
The record car was part of a shipment of 2100 vehicles which left Melbourne on Christmas Eve.
Toyota Australia is now forecasting total exports of 101,563 for 2008, an industry record, up from 96,688 in 2007.
Its production at Altona is now overwhelmingly focussed on exports, with local sales of the Camry and Aurion only totalling around 40,000 cars.
"This is Australia's biggest automotive export program, generating
$1.8 billion a year in export revenue," says Dave Buttner, Toyota Australia's senior executive director of sales and marketing.
Herald Sun
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Green Queen Elizabeth Switches To Biofuel
January 6th 2009 10:51
Queen Elizabeth II has become the latest royal to join the green revolution. The Queen has asked that her two gas-guzzling V8 Bentley State Limousines be converted to run on biofuel.
The Bentleys are based on the Arnage, but were custom-built in-house by the company's Mulliner coachbuilding division.
The limos are currently powered by the company's perennial 373kW/1000Nm 6.7-litre eight-cylinder.
In the Arnage this engine delivers a combined fuel economy figure of 19.5l/100km, but this car is almost 1.5 tonnes lighter than the royal cars.
Bentley says the royal family are big supporters of Crewe's initiative to switch to bio-fuels.
It is fully supportive of the move, which means changing over the V8 engines in the cars for a modest fee.
The Queen's decision follows the lead of the Prince of Wales, who runs his Aston Martin sportscar on old wine while he has converted his Range Rover, Jaguar and Audi to run on discarded cooking oil.
Each of the Queen's bullet-proof cars is believed to have cost about $14 million each.
One was presented as a gift to her during her Golden Jubilee in 2002.
The second was commissioned by the Crown as a back-up car.
The four-tonne armoured cars are fully maintained by Bentley.
They will not only repel fire from a Kalashnikov AK-47 assault rifle, but protect the occupants from high-powered hand grenades detonated above the roof even if two go off simultaneously underneath the cars.
Like all carmakers, the ultra-luxury VW-owned Bentley brand is aiming to reduce emissions and improve economy of its cars.
It has announced that from 2012 it will have flex-fuel engines available across its range.
The company is aiming for a 15 per cent reduction in CO2 emissions by then on all its eight and 12 cylinder engines.
It will also introduce a new powertrain from 2012 that will deliver a 40 per cent fuel economy improvement, while maintaining current levels of performance.
The new engine is tipped to be a hybrid.
When Bentley launched its three-stage environmental strategy early last year, its chief executive, Dr Franz-Josef Paefgen, said bio-fuels were part of the company's ``corporate social responsibility''.
The Bentleys are based on the Arnage, but were custom-built in-house by the company's Mulliner coachbuilding division.
The limos are currently powered by the company's perennial 373kW/1000Nm 6.7-litre eight-cylinder.
In the Arnage this engine delivers a combined fuel economy figure of 19.5l/100km, but this car is almost 1.5 tonnes lighter than the royal cars.
Bentley says the royal family are big supporters of Crewe's initiative to switch to bio-fuels.
It is fully supportive of the move, which means changing over the V8 engines in the cars for a modest fee.
Queen Elizabeth II and her Bentley, soon to run on biofuel
The Queen's decision follows the lead of the Prince of Wales, who runs his Aston Martin sportscar on old wine while he has converted his Range Rover, Jaguar and Audi to run on discarded cooking oil.
Each of the Queen's bullet-proof cars is believed to have cost about $14 million each.
One was presented as a gift to her during her Golden Jubilee in 2002.
The second was commissioned by the Crown as a back-up car.
The four-tonne armoured cars are fully maintained by Bentley.
They will not only repel fire from a Kalashnikov AK-47 assault rifle, but protect the occupants from high-powered hand grenades detonated above the roof even if two go off simultaneously underneath the cars.
Like all carmakers, the ultra-luxury VW-owned Bentley brand is aiming to reduce emissions and improve economy of its cars.
It has announced that from 2012 it will have flex-fuel engines available across its range.
The company is aiming for a 15 per cent reduction in CO2 emissions by then on all its eight and 12 cylinder engines.
It will also introduce a new powertrain from 2012 that will deliver a 40 per cent fuel economy improvement, while maintaining current levels of performance.
The new engine is tipped to be a hybrid.
When Bentley launched its three-stage environmental strategy early last year, its chief executive, Dr Franz-Josef Paefgen, said bio-fuels were part of the company's ``corporate social responsibility''.
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[ Link ]
Ferrari world record at Silverstone
June 6th 2007 06:24
Ferrari will attempt to break the world record for the largest parade of Ferrari cars at the Formula One world championship circuit Silverstone on Saturday 9th June.
A list of some of the expected car has been released by Ferrari:
* 20 pre-1973 V12s, including two 250 GT SWB, a 250 GTO and a 275 GTB/C, as well as several Daytonas, 250 GT Lussos and even a 330 GT.
* 20 examples of Ferrari's iconic F40s, F50s and Enzos.
* 10 examples of the beautiful Dino.
* 40 examples of each of Ferrari's mid-engined 355, 360 Modena and F430.
* 20 modern V12s, including several 550 Maranello, 575M and 599 GTB Fioranos, accompanied by several 456 GT and 612 Scaglietti models.
* Several other examples of Ferrari's incredibly diverse heritage, including Testarossas, Boxers, Mondials, 308s, 328s, 348s and more.
* Bruno Senna, nephew of three times World Champion Ayrton Senna, and already a winner in his own right in GP2, will be driving one of the lead Ferrari cars in the Guinness World Record attempt.
This is a great spectacle for all fans of Ferrari and motor sport in general, as to see this many cars all in one place at one time would be just fantastic, unless you happen to be a shareholder in a car insurance company.
No doubt there will be some very impressive photo shoots after the event to show everyone, and the next event, how many 2 CV's can get to the circuit.
The whole weekend has been designated a Ferrari spectacular with racing, historic cars and so much more, tickets are around £15 to £25 depending on which day you go and children under 16 can go for free.
Source [Jalopnik]
A list of some of the expected car has been released by Ferrari:
* 20 pre-1973 V12s, including two 250 GT SWB, a 250 GTO and a 275 GTB/C, as well as several Daytonas, 250 GT Lussos and even a 330 GT.
* 20 examples of Ferrari's iconic F40s, F50s and Enzos.
* 10 examples of the beautiful Dino.
* 40 examples of each of Ferrari's mid-engined 355, 360 Modena and F430.
* 20 modern V12s, including several 550 Maranello, 575M and 599 GTB Fioranos, accompanied by several 456 GT and 612 Scaglietti models.
* Several other examples of Ferrari's incredibly diverse heritage, including Testarossas, Boxers, Mondials, 308s, 328s, 348s and more.
* Bruno Senna, nephew of three times World Champion Ayrton Senna, and already a winner in his own right in GP2, will be driving one of the lead Ferrari cars in the Guinness World Record attempt.
This is a great spectacle for all fans of Ferrari and motor sport in general, as to see this many cars all in one place at one time would be just fantastic, unless you happen to be a shareholder in a car insurance company.
No doubt there will be some very impressive photo shoots after the event to show everyone, and the next event, how many 2 CV's can get to the circuit.
The whole weekend has been designated a Ferrari spectacular with racing, historic cars and so much more, tickets are around £15 to £25 depending on which day you go and children under 16 can go for free.
Source [Jalopnik]
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[ Link ]
Posted By: DavidA - Category: General News
Team Peugeot Total announce Le Man line up
February 12th 2007 09:12
After three intensive test sessions, the management of Team Peugeot have announced their driver line up for the 2007 Le Mans series and of course the jewel in the crown, the 2007 Le Mans 24 hours race.
As normal there is a good F1 presence within the Le Man series paddock, which just goes to
Team Peugeot Total announce Le Man line up
The crew line up for the two cars are;
Pedro Lamy (Portugal) - Stephane Sarrazin (France) - Sebastien Bourdais (France)
And
Marc Gene (Spain) - Nicolas Minassian (France) - Jacques Villeneuve (Canada)
Team Peugeot Total announce Le Man line up
As normal there is a good F1 presence within the Le Man series paddock, which just goes to show how competitive it is to get into a team and stay there. But there are only four places up for grabs, the drivers will need to show the team managers, Serge Saulnier (Team Manager) and Michel Barge (Peugeot Sport Director) who will be the best choice for the places, this does not necessarily mean who is the fastest, this sector of motor sport relies more on team work than in single seater racing, so there are many factors in decided the final selection.
Team Peugeot Total announce Le Man line up
The car that the team will be using is the Peugeot 908 Hdi FAP, which is a completely new car, engine, gearbox, and chassis. The engine is a V12 and initially was supposed to deliver around 700 BHP, reading between to lines, it appears that the Peugeot engineers have yet to achieve this.
Product Page [Peugeot Sport]
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[ Link ]
Posted By: DavidA - Category: General News
PINKS - Racers Race for Pink Slips
June 18th 2006 23:15
Remeber back to the first Fast and the Furious installment, where "racing for slips" was all the rage. PINKS extends this idea further and capitalises on our thirst for seeing someone suffer and lose their car! (Aren't we just so evil!!)
I have been watching PINKS all weekend! Its totally addictive and entertaining! The idea behind PINKS is this. The show invites racers to compete head to head down the drag strip. At the start of the show, they both officially sign ownership of their car to the show. The show then awards the winner at the end of the day both cars.
The races are first to 3 wins. Now, they understand that all cars are different and this is what makes the show interesting. Before each drag race, each of the owners/drivers/teams can negotiate to what they think is fair. Negotiation includes unhooking the nitrous bottle or giving the other person a headstart measure in carlengths and so on. It gets pretty heated as the viewer gets to see the raw emotion of seeing a racer lose their car in a drag race.
You can view various PINKS episodes by searching for them on Google videos.
Heres the website: PINKS TV Website
And you can view a race courtesy of google video here
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[ Link ]
Posted By: Orido - Category: General News
D1 Drifters vs Nascar Drivers??!!
June 18th 2006 01:41
(Photo: UrbanRacer.com)
Ok i'm sure that we've all talked about comparing motorsport drivers of different genre's (F1, rally, drift, go-kart etc) and thought about a way of comparing them all against each other to see who is best. It seems that someone has already though about comparing top D1 Drifters against some of the top NASCAR drivers.
Personally I think that these 2 styles of driving couldnt be more different and difficult to compare. NASCAR is seen as the more less-skilled motorsport out there. The tracks usually consist of just ovals, the tracks resembling a speed track. The argument against this is that the NASCAR races have many more race participants in each race and that they run a more frequent race schedule than other sports.
Drifting on the other hand is on the other side of the spectrum. THe course is short and littered with different turns and bends. The style of driving is continually different from the continuous throttle-liftoff-brake-throttle of the NASCAR series and requires a bit more complex way to maneuver around the course. The race isnt judged by speed alone but includes aspects of style.
Exact details haven't been released as of yet but I will be eager to see how this turns out.
Article can be found here.
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Comments (1)[ Link ]
Posted By: Orido - Category: General News
Option Video: Drift with a Twist
June 11th 2006 23:40
Oh man this is just too funny. The Japanese people are just so funny (see post below). Not that I am disrespecting them, i just find the ones that i come across in such Option titles are such animated characters!
Now imagine you take their actions, and impose your own words on them! In fact, someone has done it for you, and that brings me to todays post... From the deep vaults of YouTube here is, Option Video..with a twist
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Posted By: Orido - Category: General News
Dutton Rally NSW 2006
June 7th 2006 23:42
Not having much to do on the weekend I decided to take up my friends offer and drove down to Eastern Creek Raceway to see the IS Motor Racing Team compete in the 2006 Dutton Rally NSW.
The Dutton Rally is a series of events on Tarmac courses. Events include track events, motorkaha's, hill climbs and so on. All you need is a road registered car and a helmet. What is great is that it pitt's road registered cars against each in its class so theres a level playing field. Most competitors are enthusiast driver's just out to have some fun. The NSW event was a 3 day event that started in Queanbeyan and moved its way up to Eastern Creek Raceway.
I arrived in the middle of the day to meet a very cold and brisk Eastern Creek, arriving just in time to see Kenny in the IS Motor Racing Evo 6.5 carving up the Motorkhana Event on the Skid Pan.
The ISMR Team ranked 15th overall (out of 72), Kenny ranked 35th(out of 86), and co driver Dave ranked 5th (out of 72)
In their class Kenny ranked 10 out of 17 and Dave ranked 2nd out of 14. A great effort by both drivers!
Photos from the day!
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Posted By: Orido - Category: General News
Gumball 3000! Where the Rich Race
May 15th 2006 21:51
Apart from sounding like an über cool candy machine, the Gumball 3000 is a race. A HUGE one in fact. The Gumball 3000 started in 1933 where a renowned motorcyclist Mister Baker, travelled America coast-to-coast in 54 hours, which warranted the nickname he earned, Cannonball. Since then, he held an annual race since 1914, where he invited participants to enter.
In the 1970s, a motor journalist Brock Yates had started the ‘Cannonball Baker Sea To Shining Sea Memorial Trophy Dash’ in honour of the great Cannonball. The first race was held on April 1, 1971, and first prize was a Gumball dispenser.
Since then, the race has evolved to a 8 day race, covering 3000 miles in three different continents which change every year. Famous celebrities usually partake in this event, racing their supercars from point to point. It’s goal is to unite nations through a common passion for music, fashion, film and the motorcar.
Participants this year included Bam Margera, Tony Hawk, and Snoop Dogg!
Check out more info here: Gumball 3000
In the 1970s, a motor journalist Brock Yates had started the ‘Cannonball Baker Sea To Shining Sea Memorial Trophy Dash’ in honour of the great Cannonball. The first race was held on April 1, 1971, and first prize was a Gumball dispenser.
Since then, the race has evolved to a 8 day race, covering 3000 miles in three different continents which change every year. Famous celebrities usually partake in this event, racing their supercars from point to point. It’s goal is to unite nations through a common passion for music, fashion, film and the motorcar.
Participants this year included Bam Margera, Tony Hawk, and Snoop Dogg!
Check out more info here: Gumball 3000
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Posted By: Orido - Category: General News
Renault take 2 out of 3 Podium Finishes in Spain
May 14th 2006 23:30
I really got into F1 this year. A lot of my friends have been watching it for years but I never really found it that interesting…not interesting enough to stay up to stupid hours in the morning watching it though. It all changed when I watched the F1 when it came to Melbourne, Australia this year. This meant that I could actually spend a Sunday in my normal time zone watching the race.
The most memorable moments for me was when Webber's gearbox failed on him whilst in the lead on in his home crowd, and also when Button's engine caught on fire and forced him to retire just inches short of the finish line!!
Chatting to one of my good friends last night, he was telling me all about Renault and how he's been following them for so long now. Even pre-winning days. He has also been picking fairly consistent winners/quinellas on the F1 for this season too which is interesting as I usually have a long chat to him before I visit my local TabSports. Not that it was terribly hard to pick, but he advised me on the Alonso/Schumacher quinella with Alonso to win. As fate would have it Alonso did take out 1st with [Ferrari's] Schumacher 2nd and Renault's Fisichella coming in at 3rd position. These results cementing Alonso's and Renault's 1st place in the Driver and Constructor league tables even further.
I guess the appeal from the F1 races are that it is simply the best race around! You have the fastest, toughest, most expensive race scene around, with teams spending millions of dollars just to improve 0.01 of a second each lap. A wealth of information on F1 and the series can be found at: http://www.formula1.com/
/
The Podium
The most memorable moments for me was when Webber's gearbox failed on him whilst in the lead on in his home crowd, and also when Button's engine caught on fire and forced him to retire just inches short of the finish line!!
Chatting to one of my good friends last night, he was telling me all about Renault and how he's been following them for so long now. Even pre-winning days. He has also been picking fairly consistent winners/quinellas on the F1 for this season too which is interesting as I usually have a long chat to him before I visit my local TabSports. Not that it was terribly hard to pick, but he advised me on the Alonso/Schumacher quinella with Alonso to win. As fate would have it Alonso did take out 1st with [Ferrari's] Schumacher 2nd and Renault's Fisichella coming in at 3rd position. These results cementing Alonso's and Renault's 1st place in the Driver and Constructor league tables even further.
I guess the appeal from the F1 races are that it is simply the best race around! You have the fastest, toughest, most expensive race scene around, with teams spending millions of dollars just to improve 0.01 of a second each lap. A wealth of information on F1 and the series can be found at: http://www.formula1.com/
Renault's Fernando Alonso..too good!
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Posted By: Orido - Category: General News
NOB & Tarzan to set Grand Am Wild
May 12th 2006 01:21
Prominent JDM stars Nobuteru “NOB” Taniguchi and Eiji “Tarzan” Yamada are set to compete together in the US Avondale Mazda Twin 200s. They will be racing in the 2005 Grand American Series ST class champion SpeedSource RX-8. This will be the firs time that top Japanese race drivers team up in a usually American dominated Grand Am series
The history’s of both NOB and Tarzan are inspirational, representing a lot of young street driver’s dreams and ambitions.
NOB, which actually stands for “No One Better” started in the streets of Hiroshima and clean up amateur drifting championships when he started racing (Initial D anyone?). NOB is considered one of the best in the Japanese drifting arena with plenty of crowd pleasing tricks all done with lightning pace. He is the 2005 series champion in the Super Taikyu endurance series with team-mate Manabu Ordio (hoorah!) and also is a multiple winner in the renowned Japan SuperGT.
Tarzan, as his name suggests, is King of the Jungle. He was won nearly every race you can think of. He won the Freshman Series in 1982 to start his career, and since then he has been a big name in both Japanese and US motorsports. Some of his scalps include the Zaurus Cup in the All Japan F3, Mirage Cup, Super Taikyu and of course the JGTC/SuperGT.
All the best guys!!
The history’s of both NOB and Tarzan are inspirational, representing a lot of young street driver’s dreams and ambitions.
NOB, which actually stands for “No One Better” started in the streets of Hiroshima and clean up amateur drifting championships when he started racing (Initial D anyone?). NOB is considered one of the best in the Japanese drifting arena with plenty of crowd pleasing tricks all done with lightning pace. He is the 2005 series champion in the Super Taikyu endurance series with team-mate Manabu Ordio (hoorah!) and also is a multiple winner in the renowned Japan SuperGT.
Tarzan, as his name suggests, is King of the Jungle. He was won nearly every race you can think of. He won the Freshman Series in 1982 to start his career, and since then he has been a big name in both Japanese and US motorsports. Some of his scalps include the Zaurus Cup in the All Japan F3, Mirage Cup, Super Taikyu and of course the JGTC/SuperGT.
All the best guys!!
Why can't all japanese be as cool as this?
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Posted By: Orido - Category: General News
Post End Text
January 1st 2006 13:08
The content on this site is written and mediated by Craig Hill
Go to Craig Hill's home page by clicking here
Go to Craig Hill's home page by clicking here
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Posted By: Craig Hill - Category: General News
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