What do Anna Woodcock and Michael Schumacher have in common? For starters both wear red race suits. Secondly, both are winners, and that’s where the similarity ends. I watched 13-year-old Anna, in the tightly controlled Yamaha class, compete at Andy Scheidegger’s Pattaya Kart Track in the Thailand championships. Not only did she win her class, but she won outright as well. With a heady drive from 3rd grid position she was up to 2nd within one lap and took the lead three laps from home and was never challenged after that. In fact, she ran away from the rest! And if you think she has the best kart, think again. Andy Scheidegger told me that the chassis was several years old and there was no new technology in it.

Anna Woodcock

She really is a “pint sized” young girl, but do not think that means she has a weight advantage in the kart. All the karts PLUS driver must meet a minimum weight, which means in Anna’s case that her kart has 30 kg of lead ballast added to it. In between the heats and the final she had a little sleep in the pits, and this photo was taken as she woke up!

Her race ability lies in her demon left foot braking, picking up metres on the opposition on the run into the corner and her keeping the kart from getting too far out of shape. She is also a very “thinking” driver, and for one so young, this is amazing. A rare talent and a lovely young girl who is a credit to Pattaya (and to Andy Scheidegger, who is her mentor and patron).

That is not as far fetched as it sounds, in the incestuous world of motor car manufacturing. DaimlerChrysler has plans to invest a cool $226 million over the next few years with its joint venture partner, Beijing Automotive Industry to produce a new Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) in 2003 and then into production of cars.

Pajero

The dateline says March 2003 will see 10,000 Pajeros rolling off the production line each year. Pajeros? Yes, in a quaint marketing agreement DaimlerChrysler, who actually owns 37.3% of Mitsubishi Motors, will build the Pajeros under licence from Mitsubishi.

These Pajeros will have 40% local Chinese content, but this will rise to 80% in 5 years, according to a spokesman. That, gentle reader, is Growth, with a capital G.

But will they sell? DaimlerChrysler have been flogging, or rather attempting to flog, the Jeep Grand Cherokee in China, built in their JV factory called Beijing Jeep. 600 have gone out the door, but that is nowhere near enough. There is also another vehicle built by them and just called “Beijing Jeep” - a cheap boxy beast which at its peak in 1995 saw 80,000 vehicles sold. In 2001 they sold 9,100. Today, that’s like trying to sell rotary dial telephones in Sweden. Rotsaruck.

According to An Qingheng, chairman of Beijing Automotive Industry Holding, he was confident that Beijing Jeep would get permission from the Chinese government to manufacture cars, but they had to make the Jeep Grand Cherokee into a good seller first. And rotsaruck again, An Qingheng!

Latest news on the F1 rumour mill is the test session carried out in Barcelona this Friday 28th with Aussie Mark Webber at the helm of the unloved Jaguar R3. Webber (about whom readers of this column will know I have predicted good things for many years) is looking ahead to 2003, with his current Minardi seat being a little doubtful next year as Minardi boss Paul Stoddart is loudly proclaiming he has not even got enough money to complete the 2002 season.

Mark Webber

Spaniard Fernando Alonso also tested for Jaguar last month as part of an evaluation of the team’s test drivers, but this latest development suggests that the British based team is seriously considering changing its driver line-up for next season (currently Pedro de la Rosa and Eddie Irvine).

It is widely known that Eddie Irvine’s contract expires at the end of the year, and official negotiations are yet to begin on whether he will stay with the outfit for 2003, although it is common knowledge that he would have to take a significant pay cut to stay with Jaguar. Eddie, never one to be tight-lipped, has been saying some fairly uncomplimentary things about the Jaguar and how he wants to be competitive next year. Expect to see Eddie as an F1 TV commentator! He’ll still be able to pull the birds from that position, the most important factor for Eddie!

They say the only certainties in life are death and taxes, and if you want a new Pontiac GTO in America, you are going to pay for the privilege of driving one of the most exciting cars to come out of the States in many years. And it’s not really a Stateside car either!

The new GTO is based on the Aussie Holden Monaro, but the 300 BHP engine in the Ozcar is not enough, with 350 BHP estimated for the worked over US version of the muscle car. “For a car to be credible, accepted as a rebirth of the rear-drive American muscle car, it has got to have that rocket-sled acceleration off the line,” said Robert Lutz, vice chairman for product development, at a media event in Munich, Germany, reported Automotive News.

One of the US’ little quirks is to come down hard on manufacturers (and ultimately the owners) if the vehicle cannot return greater than 22.5 miles per gallon. The tax, collected by the Internal Revenue Service, applies to cars - not light trucks - that have combined city and highway fuel economy of less than 22.5 mpg. The tax amount increases as fuel economy falls too.