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Round 3 TGTC at Lopburi this
weekend
The local racers are again competing at Lopburi rather than at
our Bira Circuit. About a 3 hour drive I am told, so probably
staying in Lopburi might be a good idea. A good way to explore
the country and take in some motor sport at the same time.
Qualifying is on Saturday 10th and racing
on the Sunday 11th. The first race is at 10 a.m. and is for
the Sport Challenge cars (formerly called the Concept I
series) and is the ideal breeding ground for the drivers of
the future. Touring Cars, Group N, Classes A, B and C are on
the card for the day, as are the Sport Grand Champion cars
(formerly Concept II). The racing is all over by 4 p.m. so
it’s not too late if you want to drive back. You can get
more details from AIM Racing, the promoters of the event on 02
940 6600.
The “new” MG sedans
The new MG series, after being resurrected
by financial backers in the UK, after BMW threw MG-Rover away,
seem to be doing very well, with aggressive sales and I must
say that when I looked at them in the UK last month they were
very good in the flesh (and incidentally much better than the
Rover variant). Our Down-Under roving correspondent, John
Weinthal has just spent a week with some MG ZT 190’s and
came away most impressed as you will see from this report.
“I have just had a truly fascinating
week’s motoring - back in MGs. The serious business started
when I hopped into the 140kW MG-ZT manual sedan. This MG is
based on the ever-so-British and richly relaxing Rover 75.
MG - from
Wheels magazine
“Almost all they share is the external
body shape - and the MGs have enough add-ons to ensure nobody
will confuse one for a Rover. The 2.5 litre V6 engine has been
substantially modified for the MG to deliver a different sort
of blood rush with only small power increases. The suspension
is lowered and firmer, while the steering has a quicker ratio
rack. The brakes are larger and there’s a lower final drive
ratio. And, unusually for Eurocars these days, they do not
demand expensive Premium fuel.
“Standout styling cues, beyond the famous
MG octagon badge, include formidable chrome mesh grilles and
some of the most attractive 18 inch alloy wheels I can recall
- real eye-catchers. They look even meaner because their
Michelin Pilot tyres are an ultra low 45 profile. This is
serious stuff.
“The MGs’ internal revisions say sporty
without going overboard. They are well equipped with most
niceties like air and cruise, xenon headlamps with powerful
washers plus half a dozen airbags and the now expected
electronic safety aids.
“Above all, MGs must deliver driving joy.
In manual form the 140kW sedan did so to huge effect. This car
can be pure fun and, apart from driver-silly racing starts, I
defy most to pick that it is front-wheel-driven. The ride is
firm, as expected with such low profile tyres and lowered and
stiffer suspension, but rarely harsh. The gearbox is as good
as any with snick-snick shifts up and down every time. These
MGs are proof yet again that there is more to memorable
motoring than mere slingshot capability.
“But these Euros are about more than just
status. They have a special aura combining driving flair with
a solid feel and great communication between driver and road.
This is immediately apparent and enduringly appealing.
“The AUD 60,000 plus zone inhabited by
the MGs provides some very compelling competition. Cars like
the 60 Series Volvos, the iS Lexus twins, 3 Series BMWs and C
Type Mercs represent formidable foes for the small but
apparently thrusting all-British MG Rover company.
“However, my time with these MGs - the
seriously appealing manual sedan and the mildly puzzling auto
wagon - more than proved that the Pomms still know how to put
together fine cars which are fun to drive with a unique blend
of British plush and promise.
“Sales will not be dramatic, but new
owners will be happy people. And do look out for the wild red
colour which made the test sedan even more of an
eye-popper.”
Thank you John, now if we could only get
one in here without the crippling tax... Ah, it would be nice
to sit in an MG again! By the way, some performance figures,
gleaned from Wheels magazine indicate 0-100 kph in 8.4 seconds
and a top speed of 227 kph.
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Autotrivia Quiz
Last week I mentioned Jaguar, and asked why
did they change the name of the company to Jaguar from its
previous name? This was really easy. Before WWII the cars were
called the S.S., with the S.S.100 being a classic these days.
S.S. stood for Standard Swallow (not Swallow Sidecars), but
after the war, the SS in everyone’s mind was the German
Secret Police, so the MD of the company changed the name to
Jaguar. It was interesting that he took the name of one of the
famous members of the cat family, since the man was also from
the cat family - (Sir) William Lyons!
So to this week, and another easy one.
There were some famous cars which were sold with a white
elephant radiator cap mascot. What was it?
For the Automania FREE beer this week, be
the first correct answer to fax 038 427 596 or email auto
[email protected]
Good luck!
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No GP this
weekend
The Grand Prix circus is having its
“holiday” of three weeks, so there is no Grand Prix this
weekend. However, the Hungarian GP will be on next weekend,
and the telecasting time is 7 p.m., according to the UBC
schedule.
The three weeks will have been fairly
frantic for a couple of teams. Jaguar, who have been given the
“shape up or ship out” order from Ford is one of them,
while the engineers at Cosworth will also be having sleepless
nights trying to get the Cosworth F1 engine delivering enough
grunt and staying together. They are not on their own as the
tracks of late have been littered with exploding Honda
engines, and not to be outdone, Toyota put a hand grenade in
the rear of Alan McNish’s racer at Hockenheim.
Arrows will also have been busy, or rather,
the boss of Arrows, the dour and feisty Tom Walkinshaw, will
have been very busy trying to get creditors and others such as
sponsors to come and put signatures on documents.
| Heidfeld
unhappy with HANS
One of the dangers in motor racing is
not the fore and aft retardation of the head in an
accident, but rather the sideways movement. The neck
adapts to fore and aft easily (try nodding your head),
but sideways is much slower and more difficult.
A few years ago, a motor racing
friend of mine was killed in a race in Oz. He was
driving a BTCC 2 litre touring car and went sideways
into a bank. The crews rushed over and he looked fine,
other than the fact that his neck was broken and he was
very dead. (This is the same type of accident that
killed Dale Earnhart in America recently, I am led to
believe.)
 Nick
Heidfeld
His team owner was devastated and
went to America and came back with the HANS (Head And
Neck Support) device and I was involved with the
project, being at that time the medical officer for the
Confederation of Australian Motor Sport. I must say that
I was not overly enamoured with it as it appeared then
(about 6 or 7 years ago) to be a very clumsy thing and
undoubtedly difficult to wear.
The sideways restraining shackles
were on a frame, which sat over the driver’s shoulders
and was held in place by the shoulder straps of the race
harness. The other end was firmly fixed to the helmet,
so there was some movement, but the neck snapping
extremes were restricted. That was the theory, anyway.
During the lead-up to the German GP a
couple of weekends ago, Nick Heidfeld, the Sauber
driver, tried the latest model of the HANS device but
was not impressed according to the reports in the
pitpass.com web site.
“It’s very uncomfortable,” he
is reported to have said. “We’ve tried to build our
own version but it is very uncomfortable. It really
limits your movements and how you can react,” he
added. “I think it makes things more dangerous. It
limits your shoulder and neck movements and just rests
on your collar bone,” said the German. “I don’t
know whether it’s going to be compulsory, I hope not,
I don’t like it.”
The use of the HANS device is scheduled to become
compulsory, but it is believed that the FIA will discuss
this with the drivers before a binding decision is made .
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Natter Nosh and Noggin
The car (and bike) enthusiasts will be meeting again this
Monday night (12th) at Shenanigans Pub at 7 p.m. This is a
totally informal meeting of like-minded souls which meets on
the second Monday of every month to discuss their pet motoring
loves and hates. It is free to join and I suggest that you
bring along magazines or photographs so that the group can get
involved in the discussion. Generally we have something to eat
while we are there and wash it down with something amber,
hence the name, Natter, Nosh and Noggin. Just ask any of the
lovely Shenanigans girls where Dr. Iain and the group are and
they will point us out and give you a push. See you Monday
12th.
 Shenanigans
girls
The trials and tribulations of licensed
driving overseas continues, and I do thank David Jeater and
Roger Womersley who contacted me through Automania after my
request for more information. David pointed out that my idea
of getting my original UK licence renewed (or re-issued) would
not have worked anyway because anyone without a permanent
address in the UK cannot get a replacement licence. This
applied to David on his last visit to England and I guess will
apply to many UK ex-pats living in Thailand. Of course, I
suppose you can always use a UK member of the family’s
address, if you don’t mind a little “fudge”.
David also mentioned that the rental car
firm in the UK (if you are going to use one) should accept the
Thai licence as it is legal to drive on it in the UK. He did
say that a translation might be helpful, but I would be
interested to know if anyone has rented in the UK on a Thai
licence.
Roger felt that there were other problems
with an International Driving Licence (IDL) in the UK,
writing, “As far as I know you cannot drive in the UK on
only an International Driving Licence, you must also have a
valid national driving licence on which you can drive: this is
regardless of an IDL which is irrelevant insofar as the UK is
concerned.” However, to get an IDL issued from your country
of residence does need you to hold a national licence from
that country.
I must say, I remain a little in the dark.
Anyone else who can shine a little light on this can contact
me through [email protected]
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