An optimist is someone who takes their lunch to work!
The entire US auto manufacturing sector
is in trouble. That’s not news, but the size of the trouble
is. And the way out of trouble is bad news for many in the
industry.
General Motors, which posted a huge second-quarter loss last
week, said it will remove about 5,000 people from its
salaried staff by November 1 as part of a cost-cutting
initiative. Those cuts amount to 15 percent of GM’s North
American white-collar work force. The head count move is
part of a 20 percent reduction GM plans for its North
American white-collar cost structure this year. It plans to
reduce overhead by $10 billion over the next 17 months. GM
will also suspend the dividend, cut capital spending and
trim retiree benefits to meet its target. As of March 31, GM
had $24 billion on hand. GM has a plan to shore up liquidity
by $15 billion by the end of 2009 by implementing the $10
billion cost-cutting plan and raising another $5 billion
through asset sales and collateralized loans.
One would also hope that this time it does not ‘reward’ its
top brass with million dollar bonuses on top of their
already stratospheric salaries.
Chrysler LLC is trying to establish partnerships with
foreign auto makers to help cut costs and is talking to Tata
about assembling Jeep in India, and is discussing using one
of its US plants to assemble cars for Italy’s Fiat, while
Nissan Motor US has announced buyout offers to 6,600 workers
at two Tennessee plants in hopes of trimming about 1,200
jobs. Ford is also in the diabolicals, having to write down
$2 billion in leasing losses, and the real optimists in the
US are those who take their lunch to work.
Do you want a ‘real’
pony car?
Were you one of the motoring enthusiasts that
yearned after the real pony cars of the 60’s and 70’s, but
couldn’t afford one then? Are you now of the age where you
should be able to afford one, but genuine cars have now gone
sky-high or almost unable to find? There is an answer. It is
in Canada and Sean Hyland Motorsport will build it for you.
Cobra
CSX 4000
The company, located in Canada’s Ontario province, offers a
range of goods and services, including a reproduction Shelby
Cobra, badged as the CSX4000. This vehicle is, according to
Sean Hyland Motorsport, a most accurate reproduction of the
famous Shelby Cobra Roadster and you can order it with
either a small-block V8 or a large-block engine.
Or how about a 1965 Mustang fastback built using the latest
technology, incorporated CAD designed aluminum A arm front
suspension, three link rear suspension, and a 600 hp
throttle body injected 6 liter modular engine, complete with
5 stage dry sump.
You can also get repros on GM or Mopar platforms, using CAD
designed suspension system, four wheel disc brakes, and new
6.1 Hemi engines with power up to 800 hp. These cars are
completely re-engineered and rebuilt to better than new
standards with custom leather interiors, modern air
conditioning, and the manufacturers say it provides the cool
vintage look with modern car manners.
If you want to see more, go to http://www.seanhyland
motorsport.com
Autotrivia Quiz
Last week I mentioned that the first man
to fly the English Channel was Frenchman Louis Bleriot. And
I asked why should we remember him when we drive at night?
The answer was Louis Bleriot made the best acetylene gas
headlamps, in the days before we had dynamos to power
electric ones.
So to this week. Who was the first non-Italian driver to win
the ‘proper’ 1000 km Mille Miglia?
For the Automania FREE beer this week, be the first correct
answer to email [email protected]
Good luck!
Natter Nosh and Noggin
The monthly car enthusiasts meeting will be at
Jameson’s Irish Pub on Soi AR next to the Nova Park
development. The car (and bike) enthusiasts meet on the
second Monday of the month, so this time it is Monday
(August 11) at Jameson’s at 7 p.m. This is a totally
informal meeting of like minded souls to discuss their pet
motoring (and motorcycling) loves and hates. Many
interesting debates come from these evenings, including
quite a few topics for the Autotrivia quiz. Come along and
meet guys who have a common interest in cars and bikes.
More local motorsport
If you want to pencil in some more dates, the
combined Asian Festival of Speed and Supercar meeting will
be at Bira August 16/17, and the GPI Motorcycle racing is
the following weekend August 23/24.
Jack Lemvard
The AFOS meeting will see local touring car ace, Jack
Lemvard (who currently leads the Asian Touring Car Series)
and open wheeler driver Robert ‘Chawakij’ Boughey competing.
Lemvard, who is 23 years old, has been promised a drive in
the World Touring Car Series by his sponsor Ocean 1 Racing,
should he win the Asian Championship this year.
This has been a busy year for Lemvard, participating in a
total of five touring car races around Asia and he looks set
to compete in at least one round of the World Touring Car
Championship.
Boughey, who is known in Thailand as Chawakij, a name given
to him by Her Majesty Princess Sirindhorn, had his first and
only outing in Round 3 of the Formula Asia 2.0 during the
season opener at the Sepang International Circuit. The 25
year old driver did well and is looking forward to competing
at his home circuit, Bira. He will be participating in the
Formula Asia 2.0 Series in Thailand with March 3 Racing,
teaming up with five international racers, Championship
leader Felix Rosenqvist of Sweden, Benjamin Rouget from
France, Zhu Dai Wei and Zhang Zhen Dong from China and the
only female driver in the Series, Samin Gomez of Venezuela.
What did we learn from
the Hungarian GP?
Well the first thing we learned was that the old
adage “Never count your chickens until they are proved free
of bird flu” is very correct, with the H5N1 virus striking
McLaren’s white hope Lewis Hamilton (and expected winner)
with a puncture while running second with no real chance of
passing Massa, and real race leader Ferrari’s Felipe Massa
expiring with an engine blow-up three laps from home.
The race lead was then inherited by Heikki Kovalainen who
lucked his way to his first GP win. However, a win is a win
is a win, and the Finn almost broke the national monotone
after the race with his enthusiasm.
The other Finn, the exuberant Kimi Raikkonen, was even more
lucky to inherit third place, after again losing the plot
and falling asleep at half distance. Kimi explained this by
saying, “It was tough for me because, when you spend a long
time behind a slower car it becomes frustrating and boring.
When I was finally able to push, the car was behaving very
well, but by then it was too late.” You’re not wrong Kimi,
you’re not wrong. And those words are from the highest paid
driver in F1. What Mr. Raikkonen does not seem to appreciate
is that he is paid his multi-million dollar salary in return
for demonstrating his ability to pass slower cars. Despite
having another year to run on his contract, I still expect
to see Alonso at Ferrari next year. Even the sulky Spaniard
in the inferior Renault is driving better than Raikkonen at
present.
A well deserved second was Timo Glock. After a year of crash
testing Toyotas (the last one only two weeks ago), the young
German covered himself with glory, and with Trulli also in
the points has shown that perhaps, just perhaps, Toyota has
really arrived at the sharp end of the field.
Renault had a much better weekend, with both drivers in the
points too. After heading Raikkonen for most of the race,
Alonso somehow lost it all during the second pit stop. How
this happened, we are at a complete loss to know, and the
abysmal television coverage certainly was not going to show
us. One can only presume that Alonso had an ‘off’ and that
allowed Raikkonen the leg up. Piquet just kept his nose
clean and was rewarded with a sixth. Renault will keep him
for 2009, provided the brown paper bag (or lunch box)
stuffed with money precedent is maintained.
BMW, after being ascendant in the early part of this year
has fallen off the pedestal they made for themselves.
Perhaps someone has pulled the chain? Kubica did manage to
get one point for his inherited eighth place, albeit 48
seconds behind the winner. His team mate Heidfeld has
slipped firmly back into midfield positions, and with no
safety car to help him up the order finished nowhere, which
is exactly where he will be next year. BMW is not interested
in mediocrity.
The Roaring Tossers had a bad weekend. Vettel who is going
Red Bull in place of Coulthard had an engine failure, whilst
the bespectacled Frenchman Bourdais livened up proceedings
with a fire in the pits. Shame, he needs more fire in the
belly, finishing last and three laps down.
The Red Bull (senior) team of seniors did not do well
either, with Webber ninth and Coulthard eleventh. Maybe it
had something to do with the fun park that the government
erects behind the pits each year. These older chaps can’t
take late nights any more.
The rest of the field are not even worth writing about. The
My Earth Nightmare team were running, I believe, and as a
plus, did not hit anyone. Team Vindaloo needs more curry and
the Sir Frank Williams team appear to have built new
wheelchairs and not racing cars.
The next GP is around the houses in Valencia August 24.
Honda Racing Fest this
weekend at Bira
Another round of the hugely popular Honda Racing
Fest will be held at the Bira Circuit this weekend August
9-10. The last round was held in Chiang Mai and 20,000
spectators came to see the competition. Local drivers Jack
Lemvard and Thomas Raldorf have been sharing the spoils of
victory in the fastest Honda Pro Cup category, even though
officially they are both B Grade license holders, against
all the A Graders. (The grading system in Thailand is not at
all consistent, with overseas drivers being automatically
considered A Grade and excluded from B and C Grade races,
even though they may not have raced for years.)
Racing on the Sunday will commence at 10 a.m. and go through
to 4 p.m. and categories will include the Jazz and Civic One
Make races as well as the Honda Pro Cup.
Honda Civic
One Make Race in Chiang Mai
