Paul Tan's Automotive News » Motorsports

Rally of Queensland: Proton looking for APRC success

Anthony Lim — Fri, 25 May 2012 11:19:43 +0000

It’s on to Australia and the third round of the Asia Pacific Rally Championship (APRC) this weekend, where Proton is hoping for a change in fortunes at the 2012 International Rally of Queensland.

The first two rounds, in the Rallies of Whangarei and New Caledonia, have made for a challenging start to the season for the team. Swede PG Andersson clinched second place in Rally Whangarei, but despite both Andersson and reigning APRC champ Alister McRae demonstrating incredible pace in the Satria Neo S2000 in New Caledonia, retirements meant they did not go on to secure an overall position

Rally Queensland will be run over a total distance of 863 km, consisting of 19 special stages. The longest special stage is some 33.25 km while the shortest measures just two kilometres. McRae returns to the grueling Australian rally having finished fourth last year, while for Andersson, this weekend’s three-day event will be his first time out Down under.

Meanwhile, out to defend his title in Australia will be reigning 2WD APRC champion Karamjit Singh and defending APRC junior champion Akira Bamba in the Proton Cusco Rally Team 1600cc Satria Neos – they will be joined by a third driver, Kenneth Koh.

Ahead of the race, Proton celebrated an early “victory” when the Satria Neo S2000 piloted by Andersson won a sprint test against a helicopter – the event was organised for the second year running to promote the Rally of Queensland.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 27 May 12 13:17:56 +0000.

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Russian Helicopters partners Caterham F1 Team

Danny Tan — Tue, 22 May 2012 06:09:05 +0000

Caterham F1 Team seems to be doing better in the boardroom than on the track. No championship points yet, but another sponsor has been added to the list. Russian Helicopters has become an official partner of the team, and the helicopter maker’s logos will be seen on the Caterham CT01 from the Monaco GP, which is the next race.

Vitaly Petrov drives for Caterham alongside Heikki Kovalainen. Petrov, who is Russian, was dropped by Lotus, and replaced veteran Jarno Trulli in the Caterham team. It’s no secret why this new sponsor came on board.

“Russian Helicopters are delighted to announce the start of our partnership program with Vitaly Petrov’s Caterham F1 Team. It is important for Russian businesses to support projects which positively raise the profile of Russian interests worldwide.

“And as Russian Helicopters is a global high-tech company it is a natural step for us to support Vitaly, as Caterham’s Russian driver, in his role in a high-tech sport which is enormously popular all over the world,” said Dmitry Petrov, General Director of JSC Russian Helicopters.

Moscow-based Russian Helicopters is a subsidiary of UIC Oboronprom, which in turn is a part of Russian Technologies State Corporation. It is the only helicopter design and production company in Russia. Over 8,000 helicopters of Soviet/Russian make are operated in 110 countries worldwide, with demand highest in the Middle East, Africa, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, Russia, and CIS countries.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 27 May 12 13:17:56 +0000.

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Jazeman Jaafar wins F3 Euro Series race at Brands Hatch

Danny Tan — Mon, 21 May 2012 01:16:26 +0000

Jazeman Jaafar, the young Malaysian who is competing in the British F3 International Series, has become the first Malaysian to win an F3 Euro Series race, with a lights-to-flag victory at Brands Hatch over the weekend. Jazeman is a guest driver in the Euro Series.

“Above all, I am racing in the Formula 3 Euro Series this weekend in order to gain experience, to learn and to get to know the Hankook tyres. Being able to win a race on top of that, of course, is particularly great,” said the Petronas-backed driver, who won his first British F3 race in Pau last week.

Jazeman, who drives for Carlin, started from pole on the reversed 1.929 km grid and won the starting duel against Felix Rosenqvist from Mücke Motorsport. Both were side-by-side going into the first corner, but the Swede briefly went off the track and dropped back to fifth.

Sven Müller took over second place from Pascal Wehrlein and Michael Lewis (Prema Powerteam). Müller then kept the leaders within reach throughout the race, but couldn’t find the chance for a successful attack, leaving the Malaysian to claim the chequered flag for Race 2.

Jazeman, who finished sixth overall in last season’s British F3, is now second in the table, three points behind leader Carlos Sainz Jr. The next British F3 race at Rockingham will happen on June 9-10, before going to Brands Hatch later in the month. He’ll continue to guest star in the Euro Series – the next race is at the Red Bull Ring Spielberg in Austria.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 27 May 12 13:17:56 +0000.

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Team Lamborghini Kuala Lumpur JH Italia unveiled – Rizal Ashram Ramli a.k.a. Jejai is the Super Trofeo driver

Danny Tan — Thu, 17 May 2012 06:59:43 +0000

Last week, we told you about the Lamborghini Blancpain Super Trofeo Asia Series that will kick off in Sepang on May 25-27. Today, Eminent Century Sdn Bhd, official Lamborghini importer, and its sole dealer JH Italia Sdn Bhd, introduced Team Lamborghini Kuala Lumpur JH Italia, which will compete in “the fastest one-make series in the world”.

The team’s race car was unveiled by Datuk Razali Haji Ibrahim, Deputy Minister for Youth and Sports. The Super Trofeo car is a lightweight version of the road-going Gallardo LP 560-4 with 10 extra horses (570 hp), a re-engineered chassis and a stripped out cabin. Racing must-haves such as a roll cage and fire extinguisher are thrown in.

The man doing driving duties is Rizal Ashram Ramli, who has motorsports experience. Rizal, also known as Jejai, is the son of former Perak Menteri Besar Tan Sri Ramli Ngah Talib. Readers of our sister website OHBULAN! and those who follow the local entertainment scene will also know him as the husband of popular actress Fasha Sandha, who was also at the event.

Following three successful seasons in Europe since 2009, where the bulls go to Monza, Spa, Silverstone, Nürburgring, Paul Ricard and Navarra, the Super Trofeo Championship will for the first time also run on six of the best circuits across Asia, including Sepang, Fuji, Ordos, Zhuhai, Penbay and Shanghai for the Grand Finale in November.

The series will see drivers compete in two separate 50-minute races at each venue, following a 35-minute qualifying session that will determine the driver’s position in the rolling start. Each team can have up to two drivers. There’s a compulsory driver change from the 20th to 30th minute window, so there’s some strategy involved, too.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 27 May 12 13:17:56 +0000.

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Jazeman Jaafar wins his first British F3 race at Pau

Anthony Lim — Mon, 14 May 2012 10:13:11 +0000

Jazeman Jaafar has finally won his first British F3 International Series race, taking the honours at the Grand Prix de Pau in France, which ran over the weekend. A second place finish on Sunday means he now lies second in the overall British F3 Drivers’ Championship for the 2012 season.

The third round of British F3, which was run on a temporary circuit on the streets of Pau built for the annual Grand Prix de Pau weekend, saw the European F3 Championship joining the party for the two races.

During qualifying on Saturday, the young Malaysian set the best lap time of the British F3 runners to take third on the grid, behind two F3 Euroseries drivers, with Ferrari F1 protégé, Raffaele Marciello, in pole position for both races.

In the first race, Marciello led through to the finish, but it was Jaafar who starred in the British F3 fight for honours. The 19-year-old driver didn’t have the best of starts off the line, but he was soon in the mix.

When second and third-placed drivers Daniel Juncadella and Pascal Wehrlein collided at a hairpin, the Petronas-sponsored driver slid through into second place. A safety car period to recover the stricken cars bunched up the field, and at the restart Jaafar made a bold, spirited attempt on Marciello, but the Italian eventually pulled away and took the chequered flag.

Nonetheless, Jaafar’s outstanding drive was rewarded with the Carlin driver’s first British F3 victory and second-place overall in the race – the second feature race on Sunday, again won by Marciello, saw JJ finish third to secure the spot

“I’m really happy to have beaten the British F3 field and take my first win in the series, as I’ve been waiting a long time for it. My first win, together with listening to the Negaraku, made this very a very special day; it was an amazing feeling. The support from home has never stopped motivating me to be on top,” he said.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 27 May 12 13:17:56 +0000.

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Pastor Maldonado wins Spanish GP, Williams’ first victory since 2004 – garage fire injures 16 soon after

Danny Tan — Mon, 14 May 2012 04:58:27 +0000

It was a dramatic weekend in Spain for the Williams F1 Team. Pastor Maldonado won yesterday’s race ahead of Fernando Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen, ending the team’s victory drought that dates back to the 2004 Brazilian Grand Prix. The Catalunya victory is the first F1 win by a Venezuelan, and it happened on the weekend of team founder Sir Frank Williams’ 70th birthday.

If that’s not enough, the Wlliams team garage went up in flames after the race, injuring 16 people, one with severe burns. The race winner was seen carrying his 12-year-old cousin Manuel to safety in the blaze, which is believed to have been caused by an electrical fault in a fuel rig. Caterham said four of their mechanics were taken to the medical centre, one with a minor hand injury and three for smoke inhalation. Thankfully, there were no casualties.

Maldonado started first on the grid, as stewards penalised Lewis Hamilton for running short of fuel at the end of qualifying. Local hero Alonso beat him to the first corner, but Maldonado regained the lead after the second round of pitstops.

The red car was all over the Williams at the end part of the race, and a pass by Alonso looked inevitable at that time, but the two-time champ’s challenge faded away.

A charging Kimi was eating away at the gap between him and Fernando, but the Lotus man ran out of laps. Still, a second podium finish in two races is a good result for the returning Finn. Teammate Romain Grosjean finished fourth to cap off a good day for the team.

Sauber’s Kamui Kobayashi did really well to claim fifth, while showing that he still has the kamikaze moves that made everyone sit up and notice. Defending champ Seb Vettel finished sixth after a successful late charge that saw him overtake both McLarens (Hamilton eighth, Button ninth) and Nico Rosberg, who finished seventh. Vettel was hit with drive-through penalty for failing to heed yellow flags. He also required a new front wing in his final stop.

After a great duel with a restless Mark Webber, Force India’s Nico Hulkenberg emerged to take the final point of the day.

Living legend Michael Schumacher had a bad day in the office, colliding into Bruno Senna when fighting for position at the end of the straight on lap 13. Stewards found Schumi to be the guilty party and handed the Mercedes man a five-place grid penalty for Monaco. Schumacher has collected just two points after five races, 39 less than teammate Rosberg.

Who had a worse day than him? Felipe Massa, perhaps. The struggling Ferrari driver was penalised for ignoring yellow flags and was lapped by his teammate at the end, finishing 15th. Massa also has two points to date, 59 less than joint-championship leader and teammate Alonso. The end has to be near for Massa…

Five races, five different winners. Next stop, Monaco.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 27 May 12 13:17:56 +0000.

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Lamborghini Super Trofeo Asia Series starts in Sepang

Danny Tan — Fri, 11 May 2012 04:27:01 +0000

The bulls are set to take over Sepang! Lamborghini is all set for the debut race of the Lamborghini Blancpain Super Trofeo Asia Series at the Sepang International Circuit on May 25-27, after a promising official pre-test session at the F1 track last week.

The Super Trofeo car is a lightweight version of the road-going Gallardo LP 560-4. With 570 hp, a re-engineered chassis and reduced weight, Lambo calls this “the world’s fastest one-make race series”.

The 2012 season will see teams from Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan and mainland China push the Super Trofeo to its limits. The series will be held in partnership with Blancpain, Swiss watchmaker and the European series’ title sponsor.

We had a chance to drive a Lamborghini on Sepang recently, although it wasn’t a race. Click here to read. Lamborghini launched the Gallardo Malaysia Limited Edition last week – read the launch story here.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 27 May 12 13:17:56 +0000.

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1996 F1 champ Damon Hill to race again, in a VW Scirocco

Danny Tan — Thu, 10 May 2012 03:20:29 +0000

Damon Hill, the 1996 F1 champion turned pundit, will race for the first time since 1999 when he gets behind the wheel of the Volkswagen Scirocco R-Cup car. The event, a DTM support race, will be at Brands Hatch on May 18-19.

Hill, who became champion driving the famous Rothmans-liveried, Renault-powered Williams, will be joined by a group of his junior racing rivals for the Scirocco race. They are Mark Blundell, Perry McCarthy, Martin Donnelly and Julian Bailey (the rat pack), along with David Brabham. McCarthy organised the race reunion to raise funds for Damon Hill’s Halow charity.

“Perry, Julian and I are coming out of retirement for this race, so we are sure to be pretty rusty. But it promises to be a great weekend for all friends and family to get together and a great way to draw attention to the aims and objectives of the charity. I am looking forward to it,” Hill said.

If Damon needs some tips on the VW, he’s welcome to call our Harvinder, who has recent track experience in the racing Scirocco

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 27 May 12 13:17:56 +0000.

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Formula 1 is all set for Singapore stock market debut

Danny Tan — Tue, 08 May 2012 13:39:33 +0000

Formula 1 fans, do you want to own a part of the sport you love? Well, you can technically do so soon, as F1 is all set to make its debut on the Singapore stock exchange. The floatation on SGX, scheduled to happen next month, is expected to offer up to 30% of shares to investors.

The man running the show will be Austrian Peter Braback-Letmathe, a non-executive board member of Delta Topco, which is the parent company of CVC Capital Partners, the private equity group that holds F1’s commercial rights. Braback-Letmathe is also chairman of the board and a former CEO of Swiss food giant Nestle.

“We intend to float F1 in Singapore soon. Some roadshows and presentations have taken place already. It’s true that I said I would be ready to chair the board in a non-operative function. If F1 goes public it will be important to have an independent chairman.” Braback-Letmathe told Austrian newspaper Salzburger Nachrichten.

Pretty soon, “I own Formula 1″ will be a boast non-Bernie Ecclestones like you and me can pull off, even if it’s just 0.00001%

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 27 May 12 13:17:56 +0000.

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Peugeot 208 R2 Rally Car – a race-ready car you can buy

Chris Ng — Mon, 07 May 2012 11:44:06 +0000

This is Peugeot’s arrow-tip for the 208 range. Its full name is the Peugeot 208 R2 and yes, it is a rally car that you can buy. If you’re living in Europe, that is. The R2 has been in development since 2011 and it’ll be put to test at the Tour de Corse on May 10–12 in France, where Stéphan Sarrazin and co-driver Benjamin Veillas will drive the car.

Because you can get this off the shelf, Peugeot has put extra eyeballs on the car’s reliability, with additional attention to transmission, electrics and electronics. To make ownership less of a migraine, Peugeot sourced parts from existing cars and assemblies as well as PSA Group’s customer competition catalogue. That way, the number of parts is significantly reduced.

What can you expect from the 208 R2? A leaner car, definitely. The 208 R2 is about 40 kg lighter than the 207 Super 2000 rally car. The R2 also inherits the 208’s long wheelbase, has a lower centre of gravity and short overhangs, to make the car tighter all around. The structural integrity of the R2 is reinforced with a multi-point, welded roll cage.

Providing the firepower is a naturally-aspirated 1,600 cc engine derived from the 1.6 litre VTi. It produces 185 hp and 190 Nm of torque, according to the spec sheet. Specifically, the engine produces 116 hp/litre. Peugeot says this is a totally new competition version of the VTi, which is equipped with variable valve timing (VVT) for the intake and exhaust. The low-weight body and naturally-aspirated engine have made the car fuel-friendly also.

Peugeot worked closely with Sodemo to make the engine driver-friendly, choosing to focus on flexibility rather than peak power that often goes unused. The 208 R2 kits will be sold with the engine built, run-in and checked on the dyno.

Paired with the engine is a new gearbox. The unit is a five-speed manual sequential gearbox mounted on the steering column instead of on the floor. This makes the lever much shorter and higher, and the shifts are more direct and precise because it is in line with the gearbox. The gearbox also gets cooling air ducts at the front that sucks in air to the fins built into the front part of the casing. The heat and oil of the gearbox is cooled this way.

Peugeot have saved the three-way adjustable dampers and shoehorned it into the front of the 208 R2. As for the rear, the R2 rides on a strengthen H-beam modified to accommodate an anti-roll bar. Additionally, there are also new bespoke adjustable Öhlins dampers with hydraulic bump stops for the front and rear. The R2 also has a specific wishbone arrangement that increases suspension travel. Which simply means the R2 has better traction.

As for the steering, Peugeot dumped the electric power steering in favour of a hydraulic system, merging it with a higher-ratio hydraulic rack for more precision and comfort. The hydraulic system is also better at feedback especially on loose surfaces.

The diametre of the brake discs are dictated by regulations, so that cannot be changed. What is different is the single Alcon caliper with standard, re-machined ventilated discs. And because of the floating caliper arrangement, only the mount needs to be moved to get the R2 from gravel-spec to asphalt-spec.

The R2’s wheels follow regulations and have different specifications. For asphalt, the R2 wears the 6.5 X 16, while gravel tracks require the R2 to put on the 6 X 15 wheels – Michelin tyres provide grip.

The price – if you have a 208, you need to spend €37,500 for the kit that includes a fully-built engine. If you want to buy the car in fully built form, you need €57,500. In both cases, you can spec it to gravel or asphalt. Deliveries are scheduled for November this year.

One more thing, before the year ends, Peugeot will also be releasing a circuit version of the 208 that features specification similar to the R2. The circuit version will be followed by a FIA R5-compliant 208 in September, which will replace the 207 Super 2000 rally car at national and international levels.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 27 May 12 13:17:56 +0000.

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Sauber F1 Team enters into partnership with Chelsea FC

Danny Tan — Wed, 02 May 2012 03:05:31 +0000

Noticed the “True Blue” and “Out of the Blue” messages on Sauber engine covers in the past two races? Well, the blue link is apparent now – Sauber F1 Team has entered into a partnership with English Premier League club Chelsea FC, also known as The Blues. Expect to see Chelsea logos on the cars of Perez and Kobayashi in the next race, the Spanish GP.

“A partnership like this between Formula 1 and Football has never existed before in this form, yet there are numerous commonalities and possible synergies. In either case we are talking about team sport at the highest – and international – level,” said Sauber CEO Monisha Kaltenborn.

“Sauber and Chelsea FC are dealing with many of the same sporting and commercial topics and we want to strengthen each other in these areas. We are looking forward to exploiting these opportunities, and we congratulate Chelsea on making it to the final of the Champions League,” she added.

Chelsea Chief Executive Ron Gourlay added: “This is an innovative partnership that will see a football club link up with a F1 team like never before, bringing together two of the world’s biggest sports and uniting our fans. We felt that this Swiss team, the fourth oldest of the existing teams, reflects our own ideals perfectly.

“In a year when Chelsea celebrates 20 seasons as a Premier League team, Sauber does so as a Formula 1 team. We share many philosophies when it comes to how the respective organisations are run, from the development of young talent to constantly striving for success. Sauber’s philosophy towards grassroots development has produced some of the best drivers in F1, which mirrors our dedication to develop promising young football talent through our Academy.

“This partnership will benefit us both greatly, with the potential to create unique commercial opportunities. It is a shared vision to unite the two most attractive sports in the world. We look forward to working closely with the Sauber F1 Team and wish them the very best of luck for the remainder of the Formula 1 season.”

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 27 May 12 13:17:56 +0000.

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APRC: Proton fails to convert pace into results in New Caledonia – Gaurav Gill leads Team MRF to a 1-2 finish

Danny Tan — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 01:18:23 +0000

Round 2 of the 2012 FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship (APRC) has ended, and the New Caledonia rally was won by Team MRF’s Gaurav Gill. The Indian driver’s teammate Chris Atkinson made it a 1-2 for the Skoda Fabia S2000 powered team. In third spot was Kiwi Brian Green in his Mitsubishi Lancer.

Team Proton headed to the Pacific island with high hopes but failed to convert strong pace into strong results. APRC debutant PG Andersson led the rally from the start and set fastest times in three of the four special stages, but the second day saw the Swede’s car experience an abrupt loss of power as a result of a water crossing, a predicament that would later cost him to lose more than 14 minutes.

After a new head gasket at final service. Andersson’s final day fightback lasted only 6km before the engine stopped once again, this time for good.

Things didn’t go well in the other Proton, too. APRC defending champ Alister McRae retired in SS2 but continued on the final day under Super Rally format, winning three of the day’s six special stages to secure seven championship points. But he wasn’t eligible for a podium finish.

“We had hoped for a repeat of last year’s double podium results in New Caledonia but the reality of rallying is such that all the hardwork and preparation is never a guarantee of a strong finish,” said Datuk Abdul Razak Dawood, Head of Proton Motorsports.

The next APRC round is the Rally of Queensland in late May. The Aussie rally will be the third of six rounds this season, and it’s vital for Proton to get back to winning ways Down Under if they are to prevent Team MRF from running away with their title. Still early days, though.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 27 May 12 13:17:56 +0000.

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APRC: Proton ready to roar in New Caledonia, PG Andersson aims to bounce back from Kiwi misfortune

Danny Tan — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 01:15:29 +0000

The second round of this year’s FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship (APRC) will happen in New Caledonia this weekend. Defending champions Proton return to the Pacific island in search of their first win of the year, after finishing second and fourth in the opening rally in New Zealand.

The drivers in action are APRC reigning champion Alister McRae and Swedish driver PG Andersson – the latter is in his first full APRC season and will be competing in New Caledonia for the first time. Proton’s main rivals will once again be the Skoda Fabia S2000s of Team MRF.

As defending champion, McRae will again be in the unenviable position of having to start the rally first, clearing the road for the other drivers behind him.

“Winning the championship last year means I am first on the road on all the rounds this year and that was quite a disadvantage on the first round in New Zealand, but I don’t think it will be so much in New Caledonia. The rain is likely to have washed away much of the loose gravel from the surface before we got there and it’s possible that running at the front might even give us a small advantage,” said the optimistic Scot.

Teammate PG is ready to bounce back from the Kiwi bad luck which cost him an outright victory in the opening round. Comfortably setting fastest times en route to winning 11 of the 16 special stages in New Zealand, Andersson caught a puncture to surrender the lead. “One thing for sure is that I’m starting this event as I start every event – to win. I have never been to this rally before, so it’s always exciting to try some new roads,” he said.

Based in Noumea on Grande Terre, the largest island in New Caledonia, Rally New Caledonia moves through beautiful lush vegetation and farming plains, and will be contested over a competitive distance of 252.82 km covering 19 special stages.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 27 May 12 13:17:56 +0000.

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Rosberg’s incidents with Hamilton and Alonso – no penalty

Danny Tan — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 03:39:44 +0000

He didn’t have race winning pace yesterday, but Mercedes’ Nico Rosberg drove like a man on fire in Bahrain. Lots of action from the German, including two hairy incidents with Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso. After investigation by the stewards after the race, the Chinese GP winner will get off scot-free.

The stewards of the meeting met with the drivers and their team reps after the race to look into the details of the clash. It happened when Hamilton exited the pits on lap 11 and tried to retake a position. Rosberg responded by moving across to the right on the exit of Turn 3, and Hamilton had to complete his pass off tarmac before Turn 4.

When Alonso wanted to overtake Rosberg, the latter tried the same thing, but this time, he succeeded in defending his position. The Ferrari man was furious as a result, and we felt a bit of his emotions via the radio.

The stewards said that because Rosberg had moved to the right to defend his position in a ‘constant and continuous straight line manner’ it was legal. Also, Hamilton was not alongside Rosberg as he began that move.

“Had a significant portion of Car 4 (Hamilton) been alongside that of Car 8 (Rosberg) whilst Car 4 still remained within the confines of the track, then the actions of Car 8 may not be considered legitimate,” they added, clearing the Alonso clash for the same reasons.

The Spaniard is still carrying anger. “I can only say that if, instead of such a wide run-off area there had been a wall, I’m not sure I’d be here now to talk about it,” he said. After hearing the investigation outcome, Alonso tweeted: “I think you are going to have fun in future races! You can defend position as you want and you can overtake outside the track! Enjoy!”

Those who saw the race, what do you think?

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 27 May 12 13:17:56 +0000.

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F1: Seb, Kimi and Romain makes an all Renault podium

Chris Ng — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 02:42:02 +0000

After the domination of Mercedes-powered cars in China, it is now Renault’s turn to have a clear sweep of the podium. But I’m running ahead of myself for what was definitely an uncharacteristic Bahrain Grand Prix.

Recall that Bahrain did not host the Formula One GP last year due to civil unrest in the nation. This year, however, the show continued in spite of what was happening beyond the boundaries of the racetrack.

Politics aside, Bahrain is also infamous for being dry in overtaking opportunities, as exampled so clearly during the 2010 season. Then again, the cars did not run with DRS in the 2010 season and KERS was not widely used till last year. I don’t have to say that this year was different. With both technologies in full effect, we now have four different winners in four different races; no one have a firm grip on the throne yet.

Red Bull Racing looked to have lost the momentum at the start of the season. And it took the Austria-licensed team with Sebastian Vettel three races before they could sit on pole, and continued on to grab the chequered flag. No mean feat because his rear view mirrors were kept frozen by the avalanche-like pace of the Iceman. Only a well-placed race strategy and crisp pitstops kept Vettel constantly in the lead. His teammate was not as fortunate. Mark Webber, who started third on the grid, lost his position to Grosjean and finished fourth.

Surprising finishers on the podium came from Lotus F1 Team – Kimi finished in second and Romain was placed third. This is the Frenchman’s first podium finish in Formula One. Blistering pace off the starting grid and pure hard work through the first set of corners set a beachhead that both drivers could mount an assault on in the later stints.

Romain started in seventh and meteorically shot into second position. Kimi gained four places up to seventh before clinically carving through the pack and found himself behind his teammate. A few laps later, Kimi swapped places with Romain. From then on, Kimi kept hounding the young German, never letting him rest his pace right till the chequered flag.

While McLaren-Mercedes started strongly, Hamilton in second and Button in fourth, things went horribly wrong for them. Hamilton suffered wheel nut problems in two of three pitstops, costing him precious seconds and even more valuable positions. He finished eighth. Jenson had a stronger race but a puncture at the closing forced him to pit, only to have an outlap that picked up what seems to be a problem with the exhaust at Lap 55 made the Brit park his car in the garage permanently.

Even Rosberg reported issues with his Mercedes but kept moving and secured fifth. Schumacher started in 22 due to a gearbox change and finished in seventh. For Rosberg, the story does not end. In two separate occasions during the race, Rosberg forced Hamilton and then Alonso experience the excursions off the racing track. The stewards will investigate the racing incidents after the race.

It could be said that Ferrari had an interesting race. Alonso, who started ninth, improved two places to finish in seventh. But it took the former world champion to squeeze every bit of performance from the car, to find tenths of seconds from the racing line and drive to the limit of the rules. Massa also found some speed in Sakhir. He started in 14 and finished in ninth.

Paul di Resta of Force India finished sixth, making a two-stop strategy work in his favour.

The 2012 Formula 1 season now takes a break before the Spanish GP in Catalunya starts on the second week of May. The break is important because it gives the teams the chance to update their cars with new parts that they hope could earn them a few extra seconds.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 27 May 12 13:17:56 +0000.

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F1: Nico Rosberg wins the Chinese GP, his maiden victory and Mercedes’ first triumph since 1955!

Danny Tan — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 02:48:47 +0000

Nico Rosberg’s first win was always likely to be at the Chinese GP. The young German has led the race in Shanghai in recent years, only to fail to take the win. He showed that he had something extra in qualifying, where his fastest lap was half a second faster than the next man. Yesterday, he sealed the deal, and claimed his maiden win with a margin of 20.6 seconds!

Nico’s commanding Shanghai triumph is also Mercedes-Benz’ first as a works team since Fangio won the 1955 Italian GP, so it’s double joy for the team, which of course is sponsored by Petronas. Lots of screen time for the national oil company as a result.

McLaren’s two ex-world champs Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton completed the podium, while Red Bull drivers Mark Webber and Seb Vettel had to settle for fourth and fifth. The other team with two cars in the points were Williams – Bruno Senna and Pastor Maldonado finished seventh and eight, respectively. Lotus’ Romain Grosjean will be extremely happy with his sixth place, since he had completed all of five race laps before Shanghai.

The final two points paying positions were taken by Fernando Alonso in the Ferrari and Kamui Kobayashi in the Ferrari-powered Sauber. The kamikaze Japanese driver made a brave late move on teammate and Sepang hero Sergio Perez for the final point.

Mercedes AMG Petronas’ other driver didn’t have a good race. Living legend Michael Schumacher started alongside Rosberg on the front row after Hamilton took a grid penalty, but the team botched Schumi’s first pit stop. His rear wheel was incorrectly fitted, and he was the only man to DNF in China. The team were also fined €5,000 for the unsafe release.

It was a race dominated by tyre strategy, but Rosberg proved that Mercedes has resolved its rubber eating issues – a simple two-stop strategy and good pace kept him way ahead of the crazy battles behind.

Further back, Caterham’s Vitaly Petrov finished ahead of the rookie team drivers in 18th. Heikki Kovalainen was classified as last. Looks like Caterham is still nowhere near the midfield as targeted – while they’ve improved, so have others.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 27 May 12 13:17:56 +0000.

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Super GT 2012 Round 3 announced – bigger event this year

Chris Ng — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 00:35:43 +0000

Here’s a safe prediction: the month of June will see a high number of Japanese visiting the country, especially in the first two weeks of the month. The reason for that is elementary; Super GT returns to SIC in June.

The Round 3 Super GT 2012 will be held in SIC on the June 9 and 10, 2012. This will be JPM Motorsport’s second year organising this event. If last year was anything to go by, this year’s event should be better.

For starters, there will be another gathering of supercars and performance cars on track. Last year, there were 405 cars lined bumper to bumper on the pit straight. This year, JPM Motorsport aims to break that record. All I’m saying is to get your cameras ready.

There will be a Motorshow this year too, showcasing cars from Honda, Sime Darby Motor, Naza World, UMW Toyota, Mazda and cars from private collections. Obviously, GT Queens will get on stage to garner more fans for their teams and there will be stage performances. New for this year is the Akiba Town, which is described as an outdoor, Japanese-styled lifestyle-themed bazaar inspired by Akihabara in Tokyo.

There are a number of off-track activities for the visitors. For the younger fans, there is a BMX Challenge. What takes interest is the Gran Turismo 5 Asia Online Tournament 2012 organised by Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE). The six finalists for the Malaysian round will go on to compete to be the Malaysian representative for the finals. The Malaysian Champion will go on to race against finalists from Singapore, Philippines, Hong Kong, Korea, and Japan. The winner will be crowned Asia’s GT5 Champion.

Do note that this is a cashless event and everything will be paid via Touch ‘n Go. There are 15 reload counters within SIC just in case you run out of credits. Don’t worry if you don’t have a TnG card, you either buy one during the event or get a Special Design Super GT Touch ‘n Go card with every ticket purchased. Tickets are priced at RM100 each and are available from Ticket Charge online, Speedy, Rock Corner and Victoria Music.

Now, unfortunately, I have some bad news. You may have heard that the Toyota Prius and the Honda CR-Z will be competing in the GT300 category. However, due to an unfortunate incident that involved the car catching fire, the Prius may not be ready in time for Sepang. As for the CR-Z, well, they’ll be joining the race from Round 4 onwards. Bummer.

I will not leave you with a low note. Before the press conference, there was a Super GT Queen Malaysia 2012 Showcase; the finals will be held during the race weekend. Naturally, we pointed our cameras at the contestants as well as some of the judges and selected guests. Look for them in the gallery below.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 27 May 12 13:17:56 +0000.

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Lotus F1 ends title sponsorship deal with Group Lotus

Anthony Lim — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 11:11:59 +0000

According to a report, the Lotus F1 team has ended its title sponsorship deal with Group Lotus, but will continue the use of the hallowed name in F1.

Autosport reports that the team’s owner, Genii Capital, recently agreed on a deal with the marque to cancel the title sponsorship agreement that was put together two years ago, in addition to annulling an option brand-owner Proton had to buy 50% of the team.

The end to the formal relationship between the two parties comes on the back of uncertainties concerning Group Lotus, following DRB-Hicom’s deal in taking a majority stake in Proton.

Genii Capital’s head honcho, Gerard Lopez, told the publication that there was previously an option from Group Lotus to buy into Lotus F1 but that has now been taken over by Genii. He added that he remains committed to using the Lotus name, even though the sponsorship deal had ended.

“We are happy to carry the Lotus name as we believe it is a good name for F1. We funded the team last year and the year before for whatever delta was missing. We would prefer to have sponsors up to the full amount, but if we have to fund it then we will fund it,” Lopez told Autosport.

“When we changed the name from Lotus Renault to Lotus, it opened up the door for a title sponsor. If we sign a title sponsor now, we will end up with a better cash flow situation than this team ever had before,” he added.

Asked if he would be interested in buying Group Lotus, Lopez, previously linked with a potential takeover of the brand, said the situation still remains unclear on that to him. “We don’t know yet, because we really do not know what the new owner wants to do with it,” he stated.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 27 May 12 13:17:56 +0000.

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Rally of Whangarei: PG Andersson finishes second for Proton in his APRC debut, Chris Atkinson wins the event

Danny Tan — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 01:24:14 +0000

Proton’s PG Andersson finished second in his Asia Pacific Rally Championship (APRC) debut over the weekend. Team MRF’s Chris Atkinson, a former Proton pilot, won the Brother International Rally of Whangarei in New Zealand with a 28.1 second margin over the Swede.

Fighting back to reduce an overnight deficit of more than a minute as a result of a puncture, PG set fastest time on five of the final day’s eight stages to finish second overall behind the Skoda Fabia S2000 of Atkinson. A further two minutes behind was the other Team MRF Skoda of India’s Gaurav Gill in third place.

Defending APRC champion Alister McRae finished fourth in the APRC class and fourth overall after enduring a difficult start to the rally. By starting first, he played the role of road sweeper for the rest of the field. In contrast, PG was fastest through SS1, but a puncture in the next stage lost him a minute and a half, demoting him to fourth in the APRC category. He however, fought back valiantly to finish the first day in second place.

Proton took a clean sweep at the podium in the 2WD category with defending APRC 2WD champion Karamjit Singh taking top honours ahead of privateer Mike Young and newly-signed young driver Kenneth Koh. The latter, in only his first international rally, also clinched second place in the APRC Junior category behind Young.

The next APRC rally will be in New Caledonia from April 28-29.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 27 May 12 13:17:56 +0000.

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Proton kicks off APRC title defence in New Zealand, Malaysian Kenneth Koh makes international rally debut

Danny Tan — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 09:55:20 +0000

Proton Motorsports ended last year’s Asia Pacific Rally Championship (APRC) on a high, clean sweeping all eight titles on offer. Now is the time for the team to defend its titles, as the 2012 APRC season kicks off in Rally of Whangarei in New Zealand.

Leading Proton’s charge in the Satria Neo S2000 is reigning APRC champ Alister McRae. The Scotsman will be joined by Proton’s SWRC driver PG Andersson. The Swede will be making his debut in the APRC. India’s Team MRF will be the main obstacle, with new Skoda Fabia S2000s driven by Gaurav Gill and Chris Atkinson. The latter drove for Proton last year.

“People tell me the APRC series is a lot about experience, which is a bit tough for me as New Zealand is the first time I’ve ever competed on one of these rounds. But I’m not going to let that slow me down. I’ve got a hugely competitive spirit – as all drivers have at this level. I want to win every rally and championship I enter and this is no different,” PG said.

Proton will also field reigning 2WD APRC champion Karamjit Singh and defending APRC junior champion Akira Bamba in the Proton Cusco Rally Team 1600cc Satria Neo.

Joining the pair is Kenneth Koh, who is appearing in his first international rally in the 2WD APRC category. Koh won last year’s 2WD Malaysian Rally Championship and is also the MRC junior champion.

To run over the weekend, Rally of Whangarei is divided into 16 special stages over a competitive distance of 283.28 km. Tomorrow’s Leg 1 consists of eight stages including a 1.5 km super special. The remaining eight SS will be run on Sunday.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 27 May 12 13:17:56 +0000.

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BMW F30 335i Race Car: World’s first 3 Series racer

Chris Ng — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 11:01:15 +0000

You’d expect Germany to come up with something like this first seeing how BMW is in, well, Germany. But no. This is the F30 BMW 335i racing car and it belongs to BMW South Africa (BMW SA) and its partner ADF Motorsport. BMW SA said that this is the first F30 3 Series racing car in the world and its debut race will be at the Wesbank Super Series at Killarney in Cape Town on March 31.

ADF Motorsport is responsible for the development of the car; the drivers are the 2010 Production Car Champion Anthony Taylor and Etienne van der Lindec. It took the team less than two months and about USD260,000 to build the racer, according to team principal Donovan van Heerden.

The F30 will be racing with the N55 TwinPower turbocharged engine with no power upgrades. You read that right, and that is due to the SA Production car regulations. However, the engine management system, exhaust and turbocharger have been modified to produce 402 hp and 600 Nm of torque.

As per norm, the car gets plenty of carbon-fibre parts from the M Performance catalogue, which makes it tip the scales at just over 1,360 kg. Which means, by using the M Performance catalog, you could make your own 335i – which was launched recently – into the car you see in the pictures. Cool? I definitely think so.

Read the full story here: bmwblog.com.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 27 May 12 13:17:56 +0000.

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Heroic Sergio Perez says he could have won Malaysian GP

Danny Tan — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 02:36:26 +0000

What a race we had in Sepang yesterday! Let me repeat, WHAT A RACE! Fernando Alonso winning the Malaysian GP for a beleaguered Scuderia and Sauber’s Sergio Perez tailing him till the end – I’m sure no bookie had odds for such an outcome. This shows that rain is good for entertainment, but in the right amounts, since no one wants a repeat of 2009.

Fernando was at his very best, finding a sweet spot in the Ferrari and milking its performance to the max. As if trying to make his teammate look even better, Felipe Massa had another horrid afternoon, mixing with the new boys at the back. There are rumours that Ferrari’s patience with the little Brazilian is wearing thin, and Perez is the man they want. Yesterday’s performance by the young Mexican would have done his prospects no harm!

It was a landmark drive from Perez, meaningful for both man and team. Yesterday’s result was Sauber’s best as a non-manufacturer squad since Heinz-Harald Frentzen took third at the 2003 United States GP. Perez becomes the first Mexican to stand on the podium since Pedro Rodriguez did so at Zandvoort in 1971. Despite a late mistake, and “team orders” to take it easy, the 22-year old believed he could win.

“Really! I think the win today was really possible. Obviously the team did very good work to call me in at the right times. We lost one lap just at the end to Fernando on the dry tyres, so we lost about two seconds, and then my pit stop didn’t go so well with the clutch. And then I managed to catch him, lap by lap.

“Towards the end I had some understeer into a left-hand corner, the quick one, and I ran wide enough to go into the wet and then I just lost control of the car and went straight and lost the fight for the victory. When I caught him I knew it would have to be quick to overtake him because I was having a lot of degradation in my front tyres, especially going behind him. So I went looking for the way to get him and then I just ran a bit wide and touched the wet kerb – I was lucky not to go off,” Perez said.

“In the end, second it’s a great result for the team. Many points and I’m looking forward to the rest of the season. It’s only the second race of the season and hopefully we can keep improving our car to fight the big guys,” the affable young man added.

The last time we were raving about a young driver, the boy Vettel went on to be champion. Will this career defining drive be a launchpad for Perez? Click here for the full race report from our man on the field.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 27 May 12 13:17:56 +0000.

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Lotus F1 Team: Kimi secures 5th, Romain gets another DNF

Chris Ng — Sun, 25 Mar 2012 18:50:22 +0000

The atmosphere of the entire SIC paddock never fails to come of peacefulness just before the race. It is like the collective paddock just sighed and sat their collective behinds on chairs. It could be that the cars are already lined up on the grid and the mechanics have pulled the organized chaos to the starting grid.

It was about 15 minutes before the start of the race and the national anthem was being sung. Since everyone has his or her own sense of music, I will not comment on how the Negaraku was being belted out. The sky, however, started to rain. The slicks came off and the intermediates were put on.

By the time the five lights went out, the heavens have already dropped everything it had on the racetrack. The first lap was nothing short of chaotic; the first corner was filled with high-strung nerves. In some sort of miracle, the cars began to shuffle into position. Hamilton had the lead of the train of cars behind him.

Kimi had a good start and placed himself in 8^th. He started at 10^th because of the penalty brought on by the change of gearbox the day before. He qualified in 5^th.

Grosjean made a superb start, leapfrogging from 6^th to 3^rd and pulled the carpet right under Schumacher’s tyres. But the Michael was never going to give the position without a fight. It was wheel-to-wheel with Grosjean in the first, second and third corner. By then, Michael had clawed back his position. Grosjean, with aggression on full, clipped Michael going into turn four. Both spun out, cars dodged to the left and right of them. Both rejoined the race in double-digits positions.

Lap 2 saw Sergio Perez of Sauber dove into the pits for the blue, wet tyres. This was the game changer.

Luck did not fly with the French-man Romain. It was in Lap 4 that he drove over a swimming pool’s worth of water, aquaplaned and slid into the gravel of turn 5. He ended his race with his nose pointed in the wrong direction.

The race did not, could not continue for long. The hard intensity of the downpour made visibility impossible. Yellow flags were out as well as the safety car. On lap 9, the red flags were waved to put a pause on the race. The cars were back on the starting grid.

It is about this time that I walk into the Garage Grandstand in Sepang for the last time this year. I look at the mechanics scrambling out into the rain with equipment, spare parts and new tyres while I place the communications headset on my head. On screen, I can see the cars are covered with a canopy. For a moment, the F1 grid looks like a WRC service stop.

And then, a whole new world for Formula 1 opened – not sight but sound. What was silence a second before became constant chatter between the team and Kimi. The KERS is not working in Kimi’s car and the mechanics are checking the problem. The engineers then put on their rain jackets and run into the downpour, no doubt towards Kimi.

The atmosphere calmed down again. One of the mechanics walked into the pit and pulls off his helmet. Or should I say, her helmet. It was as if Samus herself was in the garage. A lady mechanic in a male dominated job? Yes. Her name is Jenny and she is in charge of the organisation of spare parts. It is quite possible that Lotus F1 is the only team on the grid that has a female mechanic. A definite nod to equal opportunity.

It’s 4:50pm and Romain’s car rolls back into the pits, the mechanics providing the locomotion. No damage to the body… just disappointed expressions especially from Romain himself. The mechanics begins to dismantle the car. Romain looks dejected. Understandable; I leave him to his thoughts.

The radio crackle to life and the pit wall told Kimi that his KERS was working but if anything should happen, Kimi will need to put the KERS in failsafe. The rain, it seems, is affecting the system. There are also talks of the option of tweaking the brake balance in case the KERS packs up and leave Sepang completely.

The wets go on and the race starts. However, I was just told that I have to give up my time in the Garage Grandstand for other people. OK, back to the backup hospitality suite.

I rejoin the action just as Hamilton is bunching up the pack. The restart is chaotic. Almost 1/3 of the pack dive into the pits for different tyres. Some stayed out. And for the next three laps, the pits straights became an accident waiting to happen. It didn’t; the drivers leave with fresh intermediates. For a while, grid positions became meaningless. In that reshuffle of the deck, Alonso sneaks a place from Webber.

Sergio Perez stays out a lap longer than any one else. His change of tyres earlier must have primed his set for the long run in the wet. He leads the race for a couple of laps before coming in for a set of new tyres. He rejoins the race just in front of Alonso to keep the lead.

The World Champion could never be content with being second, especially to a mid-level team. By the third corner, Alonso moves up and assumes the role of the race leader. Sergio tries his best to keep close to Alonso. Perhaps it is the combination of new tyres or extremely poor visibility forced Sergio to let off the accelerator, but a gap opens between the two.

Down the order, Kimi had just taken 5^th from Rosberg, barely. Kimi is now forced to work hard to keep fifth and, for a while, have plenty of Rosberg in his rear view mirror. But ultimately, it is the Mercedes’ shocking lack of pace in the wet that keeps Rosberg from winning back his position.

Lap 32: Sergio pulls out some more speed from his car. He begins to eat up the seconds away from Alonso. Chunk by meaty chunk, Perez chomps the gap down. By lap 40, the 10-odd second lead is cut down to just 1.35 seconds.

Alonso boxes the car in lap 40, switches to slicks and remaines race leader. Sergio and Kimi take on their new set in lap 41. Sergio slips behind Alonso, Kimi gets behind Webber; losing a place. Again, Perez begins to hack away the distance between himself and Alonso. By lap 48, Perez is sniffing Alonso’s gearbox.

And then, a mistake in lap 50. Sergio runs too wide and goes off into turn 14, effectively throwing away whatever hope there might have been from finishing top of the podium. But the team did tell Sergio that second is good enough and not to be drawn into a mistake.

Somewhere along the way, Vettel picks up a puncture that forces him to come in for a new tyre. His stint did not last long after the pit stop. At the closing of the race, and a few miscommunications later, Vettel is told to stop the car immediately. Vettel’s misfortune is Kimi’s fortune as he picked up a position to finish in 5^th. He and the team will be taking that.

Ahead, Webber finishes fourth. Lewis passes the finish line in third. Sergio takes home second and Fernando Alonso miraculously pulls out a top podium finish from nowhere.

At the end of the race, I can only think what a freakish show it was. Ferrari, the team that never showed any pace, finished at the top. But there is still something fundamentally wrong with the car and the full score picked up today will go a long way.

Sauber, finishing second, had a tremendous race. While some have already wrote it off as luck, it was the brains of the team that turned an appalling weather condition into an invaluable ally.

McLaren, Mercedes and Red Bull – the teams that were the strongest in Free Practice and in Qualifying – fell victim to the weather in one way or another.

As for Lotus F1, race day in Sepang mirrored the race day in Melbourne. In both races, Kimi had to fight his way into a point-scoring position from the back and Grosjean could not even finish half-distance of the race.

This is certain – the Lotus F1 car have constantly put on a strong pace throughout the weekend. It was quick and more importantly, looked well balanced. As proof; the best lap of the day belonged to Kimi with a time of 1:40.722. Then again, the 2012 season has barely started and the dice can still roll either way.

The full result is here. Next stop, Shanghai.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 27 May 12 13:17:56 +0000.

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Lotus F1 Team: An inside look into the team’s garage

Chris Ng — Sat, 24 Mar 2012 16:34:22 +0000

It is a few hours before qualifying and I could feel the tension mounting behind the white panel walls of the Lotus F1 Team’s garage. The walls are the whitest I have seen; it is free of any sort of markings save for the large sign that is stuck on the wall of the entrance. The sign details what non-team personnel must never do when entering the garage; the greatest sin that one can commit inside is taking pictures.

You see, I could be working for another Formula 1 team and taking photographs is the easiest way to steal secrets. And in this business, secrets are most precious.

Which is a big pity because there are a quite a number of things that only a select few could ever get to see in their lifetime. Even diehard fans that travel with the team could only look into the garage from the front and never within. Yet, here I am, in my second Lotus F1 Team garage tour in two days. I have to thank sponsors TW Steel and Proton my experience as well as Mabel Dautzenberg and Francois Puentes of Lotus F1 Team for showing me around.

So let me paint the picture for you in words. The Lotus F1 garage arrived somewhere in the beginning of the week, in pieces. The mechanics then scrambled to assemble the garage that I am about to walk into. The garage was up and running between 24 to 36 hours.

The white-walled corridor is about 20 feet long and about 6 feet wide; the walls are about 8 feet tall – not enough to touch the ceiling of the garage but high enough to keep prying eyes out. The corridor ends with a door on the left and a sharp turn to the right.

Slide the door open and the first thing you will see is the amount of carbon fibre that is stored in here. Immediately in front of you is the underbody of the Formula 1 car set on a platform being wiped clean. In a sport where 1/100^th of a second can mean victory, every thing must be cleaned of debris picked up during the practice session so that the car has got the most optimal chance of scoring points.

To my left, on the floor, I can see the three race seats that belong to the three drivers of the team – Kimi Raikkonen, Romain Grosjean and Jerome d’Ambrosio. The seats are very thin, made out of carbon fibre and devoid of any luxury cushioning, these are pure racing seats made to make the drivers feel every single vibration the car goes through. There are other body panels that are leaning against the wall and some are hanging in a very organised manner of course. From where I am standing, which is close to the door, I can see side pods, front wings and engine coverings – all of which are spares just in case. The ones that are being used in the race are in front of the garage.

Deeper into the room, an engine rests under cover. It is a Renault V8 engine (code name RS27) that produces about 750 hp and weighs about 80 kg. And it is small. If you’ve seen a V-engines of super car, this one is smaller, possibly half the size. But I can’t make sense of what I am seeing: what is that carbon fibre canister, what kind of metal is it made from, where do these tubes go? The only answer I get is, “I wish I can tell you but it is a secret.” It is said with a smile. I understand, with a tinge of disappointment.

I step out of the room and began to move into the other side. On the way, I see three custom-made headset holders made out of carbon fibre. There are not just to hold the headsets but also to recharge the battery in receiver that is connected to it. With this headset, the team and non-team personnel are able to hear the communication between the driver and the pit wall. FIA also listens in to the conversation to monitor if there are any team orders given out. Team orders are regulated in Formula 1 and FIA keeps close tabs on communications. You could also hear communication broadcasted on TV. However, you don’t get to hear all of the chatter, only the juicy ones.

As of now, only Lotus F1 has this ‘cabinet’ but I am told that it is only a matter of time before the other teams have the same. I guess there are some things you cannot put a tight lid on. Oh, did I just let the cat out of the bag?

Now, in front of me are six computing stations. Here is where four of Renault’s engineers and two of Lotus F1’s engineers monitor the engine. The feedback coming in originates from the sensors that are connected to the racecar. They monitor everything that has to do with the car and engine – from hydraulics to engine temperature. Per race, there are 15 megabytes of data that is being sent from the car to the computers, of which will be fed back Enstone in real time. In case you didn’t know, Enstone is where the headquarters of the team is located.

For Lotus F1, every single byte of data is important. Without the budget of the bigger teams, Lotus F1 does wind tunnel testing on a 40% scale model of the racecar. The bigger teams do theirs with a 60% scale model. Obviously bigger is better because then the team has a more accurate reading on the aerodynamics.

The telemetry is also shown to a very privileged audience back in Enstone where the boffins there will explain the readings during a race. The data that gets sent back will definitely be analysed. From the data, changes will be made to the car. At the moment, Lotus F1 makes a change to the car once every four races, which makes the evolution of the car constant.

What is also constantly evolving is the engine oil and fuel that goes into the engine. The team carries with them a mini lab that examines and analyses the oil and fuel.

How does the engineer (there is only one person) monitor the health of the engine? Through the engine oil.

Think of it has a doctor drawing blood from your body, from which the doctor can tell if you are in the pink of health or will drop dead within the hour. It is the same for the engine. The engineer, through a spectrometer, measures the particles of the engine oil – he does this every single time the car comes back into the garage. This is the only way to check the health of the engine. Dismantle the engine without approval and FIA will slap the team with a hefty penalty.

And then, there is the fuel analyser as well. Because Formula 1 no longer allows refueling during a race, each team must squeeze every last bit of performance from every drop of fuel. So each team will develop its own fuel, within a 10% margin from the homologation set by the FIA, for better consumption and more power. It sounds like what fuel companies would write in the ads isn’t it? Again, every Formula 1 closely guard the secret to their fuel, but a sample must be sent to FIA – for obvious reasons.

Far back behind the Total Oil and Fuel Analysers, I can see a Perspex walls where the KERS systems are inside. I am not allowed near it.

Instead, I am being ushered to the Garage Grandstand. From this vantage point, I can see the engineers and mechanics – in full concentration – putting the cars together. Kimi’s is on my left; Romain’s is on my right. Each car has its own team of engineers and mechanics working on it.

Here’s something you may not know: the engineers that are working from the point of the driver’s shoulders to the nose are called ‘front-end mechanics’ while those working from the driver’s shoulders to the rear wing are called ‘rear-end engineers.’ Each has their specialist roles and responsibilities to follow.

I see Kimi’s car is ready. It was just yesterday, at this very same spot, that I watched James Allison, the Technical Director, and five other people who are probably engineers, are mulling about the gearbox. The gear ratios and cogs are in a tub and there is clearly a problem. It is only late last night that I learned the gearbox had to be changed. The team completed the change at 4:00am.

Here is the layout of the area: in the middle are the various toolboxes and fuel pumps and it acts as a separator between the two cars. On top of the toolboxes is where the driver’s helmets are placed and beneath it are fans that ventilate the inner part of the helmet. Every box, every tool, every plug and every hose in there comes in pairs – one set for each car.

The fuel pumps are also quite interesting. Two hoses are attached to the car during fuelling. One hose fuels the car while the other hose removes the air from the tank. On average, the fuel tank with fuel would weigh between 80 kg to 120 kg. The exact figure is secret; I asked.

A mechanic jumps into Kimi’s car, starts it up and goes through the various engine mapping. The revs sing with every turn of the dial, or growls when the rev limiter button is pushed. Then Romain’s car goes through the same rehearsal. The final Free Practice session will commence soon.

In spite of the increased nervousness of a team about to field their cars, the quick and calculated movement of the personnel is tempered with a certain calmness that can only be achieved by constant practice, respect and trust among teammates. A splash of professionalism does help the situation too.

After the race, the garage will be torn down, packed and shipped back to Enstone. The entire process will take the mechanics somewhere between 12 to 14 hours. Out of the 540 that work for the team, the 72 personnel who are on the ground in Sepang will make their long-awaited trip home.

And then, it all starts again in Shanghai.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 27 May 12 13:17:56 +0000.

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Lotus F1 Team: Friday free practice – more work needed

Chris Ng — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 15:47:36 +0000

The weather at the Sepang International Circuit was not as hot as I expected it to be today. In spite of the sun beating down and the humidity rising with every passing hour, the conditions were surprisingly bearable. That said, there were dark clouds on the horizon.

I spent the free practice day with the Lotus F1 Team, my hosts for the weekend. As it turned out, the day didn’t turn out as promising as anticipated for them.

The first session showed much promise, with both drivers finishing in the top 10. Kimi Raikkonen concluded the session in 7th place. He completed 22 laps, and managed a best lap of 1:39.128, with his average speed being 201.303 km/h.

Meanwhile, Romain Grosjean did better, getting into 5th spot with a best lap of 1:38.919 and an average speed of 201.728 km/h, covering 17 laps in the process.

By the second free practice, however, things weren’t going as rightly, and both drivers dropped places. Grosjean slipped to 9th with a best time of 1:39.311. Luck wasn’t on his side, as one of his tyres picked up a cut, which means losing a set for the weekend.

Raikkonen ended the day in 15th, clocking in a best lap of 1:39.696. An issue with the KERS meant that the time he managed didn’t show the car’s true pace. Reports have since filtered in that the team has discovered a problem with the gearbox and have decided to change it.

With the rules stating that every unscheduled gearbox change will require the driver to drop five places on the grid at that meeting, it looks like Raikonnen might have to repeat his performance in Melbourne, storming from the back of the grid to finish in a point-scoring position.

As for Grosjean, he’ll be hoping that Melbourne will not repeat in Sepang. The again, this is only free practice. For the actual starting grid, well, we’ll just have to wait for tomorrow.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 27 May 12 13:17:56 +0000.

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Malaysian GP: Smooth Friday practice for Red Bull – we hang out with the champs (sort of) in their garage!

Danny Tan — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 14:43:48 +0000

The Malaysian GP weekend started today, and we were in Sepang to warm up for the big race this Sunday. Our man Chris Ng will be in SIC all weekend with the Lotus team (you’ll hear from him shortly), but I couldn’t resist making the trip down to catch the buzz as well. My host was champions Red Bull Racing, the energy drink maker the whole paddock is trying to beat.

Friday is always a quiet day at the Malaysian GP, and the best time to snoop around in the garage, with permission of course! Without a guide, it all looked like a bunch of men dismantling two cars (after P2), but thankfully I had the lovely Georgie from RBR to shoot questions at.

Georgie explained that there’s a team of up to 15 blokes working on each car, and they’re divided into few teams that take care of certain sections – floor, wings, gearbox etc. They were busy stripping the cars to improve and tweak for qualifying tomorrow, and will continue to work till 4am tomorrow morning. They will have to stop work at that ungodly hour, according to FIA rules, before getting back in the garage to resume at 10am.

I was sweating buckets in the enclosed section that you normally see the wives, girlfriends and celebrity guests hang out (standing room for 12 people, each with their own headset), and I was just in there for a mere 15 minutes! It’s a tough life for the crew, more so at hot and humid races like Malaysia.

I noticed that the body panels that were being taken off were gold in colour on the inside, and Georgie confirmed that it is indeed gold I was looking at – the precious metal is to reflect heat away from the engine. And did you know that the front wings are tested with ultrasound to ensure that there are no imperfections? F1 is science at work – it’s such a pity that photography is not allowed, so you just have to take my word for it.

She left the best for last. As the race happens in Malaysia, Red Bull Racing has a team of strategists locked up in a dark room in England (they “live in our time zone” despite being in UK) corresponding with the chief strategist on the pit wall. They study the data and telemetry, and recommend actions for the drivers. And all along I’ve been thinking that all they need is a fast car and fast driver to win!

We came out just in time to catch the bermuda-wearing Seb Vettel giving interviews. The easy-going double world champ would like to slide less tomorrow. “I would love to be a bit higher up this afternoon, but all in all we had decent running today – although there is still a lot to do,” he said, after finishing second in P1 and tenth in P2.

“The tyres drop off quite quickly here, which is the same for all the drivers, but I think we are sliding quite a bit and I would like the car to be a bit more stable. We made a good step today, the potential is there, but we need to get to it. We will see what we can do tomorrow,” he added.

Teammate Mark Webber, in Superdry shorts and flip-flops, is fine with the heat. “The rain held off, which is always fortunate and we have plenty of work to go through regarding our car set up and the tyres. In terms of the heat here, it’s fine, obviously it’s warm in the car but we come prepared for that,” he remarked coolly.

We’ll be in Sepang for the next two days, so you can look forward to more updates from the Malaysian GP. Have a good weekend!

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 27 May 12 13:17:56 +0000.

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Lotus F1 Team: Kimi Raikkonen and Romain Grosjean at Proton Centre of Excellence, Shah Alam

Chris Ng — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 07:54:37 +0000

There are a few new things going on for the Lotus team in Formula 1 this year, but it mainly focuses to two things. The first it that the team is no longer called Lotus Renault GP. Its new name: Lotus F1 Team. Much simpler to roll it off the tongue, don’t you think?

The second main change to the team is the driver lineup. Petrov, Heidfeld and Senna have left for other pastures and Kubica will not return to Formula 1 anytime soon. Which means, there are two empty race seats, which is now filled by Kimi Raikkonen and Romain Grosjean; both are no strangers to Formula 1.

Kimi left Formula 1 at the end of the 2009 season. He went on to take part in Finland’s favourite hobby, rallying. Yet, success was far from his reach because the front-runners are fast. The difficulties Kimi faced was not just the transition from open-wheeled racers to rally cars but also the various surfaces in which he has to drive in one race. Yet, he still loved racing.

Rumours floated around the paddock on the return of Kimi to Formula 1, which is now made true. The deal to get back into Formula 1 came quick. He and the team shared common goals and every one was happy. However, Formula 1 has changed in two years.

To Kimi, the races don’t look any different that since he last left the sport. But he does acknowledge that the tyres and DRS can be a game-changer.

Kimi’s thoughts on the DRS is that the “drivers now can overtake by just opening the rear wing and leave the driver in front no chance to defend himself.” He questions if this is really overtaking and does not think that it counts all the time.

On the new tyre regulations, he said that there is now a big speed difference between when the tyres are fresh and old.

He said, “In the old Formula 1, you had to be so much faster than the guy in front of you to have any chance to overtake, but now with the tyres and the DRS, it’s different.”

About the KERS and DRS, this is what Kimi has to say, “I’ve driven with KERS before and DRS is just a button. Once you’ve done it a few times it will be come automatic.”

Driving with Kimi this year is Romain Grosjean. He started his career with Formula Renault and have close ties to the Renault team ever since. Between 2008 and 2009, Romain have competed in GP2 as well as becoming the test driver for ING Renault F1 Team. Notably, in the 2009, he started in seven races alongside then-teammate Fernando Alonso.

So, you could say that he is half of a rookie. Perhaps his biggest challenge this year is that there are many race circuits that he has no knowledge of. For example, last week’s race in Albert Park was his first as well. Other racetracks that are not known to him are Shanghai, Canada, India, Korea and America. To be fair, no one knows how the track in Austin, Texas, is going to be. What about Sepang? Well, it just so happens that it is one of Romain’s favourite, especially when the weather is right.

Romain also notes the one major difference when he last raced in 2009 is the tyres. He said, “We need them (tyres) working when we need, and save them when we need. Things have changed a lot since the Bridgestone era. It’s part of the show today, to manage your tyres, and we have seen some big, big differences in tyre wear on some tracks which have made Formula 1 more attractive than a few years ago.”

It is a fresh year for Lotus F1 and the season has only just begun. With Kimi Raikkonen and Romain Grosjean it would seem that Lotus F1 have a strong driver line-up; after all Kimi is no stranger on Sepang’s podium.

How will Lotus F1 Team fare in Sepang? Do keep your web browsers locked here as we will be bringing you daily coverage of the team.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 27 May 12 13:17:56 +0000.

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Toleman TG184-2 – Ayrton Senna’s F1 car to go on sale

Anthony Lim — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 05:14:18 +0000

Click to enlarge.

Before Lotus, Williams and of course, McLaren, there was Toleman. Continuing on our trip down nostalgia lane this week, some news about the car that Ayrton Senna began his F1 race career in.

The Toleman TG184-2 Formula One car driven by Senna in his debut F1 season is going up for auction in the UK. This particular car is perhaps best known for Senna’s remarkable second place drive in the rain-soaked 1984 Monaco GP, arguably the race which first demonstrated his extraordinary talents to the world.

Click to enlarge.

The car, which Senna also raced to third in the British and seventh in the Canadian Grand Prix’s, has been in private ownership for the past 16 years, and is now up for sale on the open market. Whoever ends up bagging it will be owning a much sought after piece of motorsport and Ayrton Senna history.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 27 May 12 13:17:56 +0000.

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Michael Schumacher and Nico Rosberg meet & greet fans

Chris Ng — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 16:56:42 +0000

A rough guestimate of the number of people within KLCC Concourse could easily reach 1,000, Malaysians and citizens of foreign lands. The queue starts at the heart and snakes outward to the fringes and around the 2012 Formula 1 Petronas Malaysia Grand Prix Showcase. On the floors above, I can also see people leaning on the rails looking down curiously at the hustle and bustle below them.

There is no doubt that KLCC has seen more people before but to have them gathered in one place could only mean one thing – something is going to happen.

Then, as if on cue, the energy of the crowd heightens, the DJ announces the arrival of two very special guests – racing heroes to most of the people gathered here – Michael Schumacher and Nico Rosberg from the Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula 1 Team. Instinctively, cameras goes up, flash goes popping and the crowd surges forward even before the drivers could take their seats. Is this excitement or kiasu-ism at work? Maybe a bit of both.

One by one, the drivers meet, shake hands and scribble their signatures on prepared memorabilia, and leaves out the rear. Others quickly pull out cameras and phone-with-camera to get their Kodak moment. But not only photo-cards are being autographed but branded handbags, t-shirts and… did I just spot a cap that originates from the days when Michael wore red overalls?

I take a look around and the line is still too long. Michael and Nico only have about half an hour here; about 15 minutes have already ticked by so it is doubtful they’ll meet everyone.

In the end, the drivers stayed on a little while longer to sign as much as they can. The queue never thinned and it is now time for the drivers to leave. For those who did not catch their race heroes, consolation comes in the form of pre-signed memorabilia.

If you have missed the autograph session, don’t fret… there is always next year.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 27 May 12 13:17:56 +0000.

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Renault Clio R.S. Red Bull Racing RB7 – five countries only

Danny Tan — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 07:26:29 +0000

True to form, Renault has come up with a limited edition car celebrating an F1 win. While there’s no more Renault F1 Team to promote, Renault is still a major engine supplier in Formula 1, powering the cars of Lotus, Williams, Caterham and champions Red Bull Racing. This hot Clio celebrates the latter’s 2011 Constructors’ title win. Expect to see Twingo and Megane equivalents soon.

The Renault Clio R.S. Red Bull Racing RB7 is based on the Clio RS 200 Cup that was recently launched here. Highlights include 18-inch black Interlagos wheels with Bridgestone RE050A tyres, Profond Black body colour and Sirius Yellow on the F1-style blade, door mirror housings and diffuser. There are also Renault Sport chequered-pattern roof decals and Red Bull Racing badging on the doors.

Inside, the RB7 gets a personalised numbered plaque and a Renault Sport-badged gear lever knob. Other things are all identical to the Clio RS sold by TC Euro Cars. Automatic climate control, automatic headlights, key card/push start, yellow Recaros, and R.S. Monitor are all standard.

This car will be will marketed in five countries only, and they are France, Spain, Switzerland, Belgium and Austria. So you can’t have it here, but our Clio RS is also a limited edition model from the “Ange & Démon” series. Click here for our launch report.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 27 May 12 13:17:56 +0000.

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