German GP this weekend
Nurburgring
The (newer) Nurburgring is in use this
weekend for the German Grand Prix. Up in the mountains, it
is close to Michael and Ralf Schumacher’s home town of
Kerpen, so I am sure both of them have done many laps of the
famous “old” Nurburgring. Unfortunately, the days of the old
circuit through the forest have gone, as far as F1 is
concerned. Following claims from the drivers that the
classic old circuit was too dangerous, this new five km
circuit, with little character, was constructed in 1984,
close to the original track. It is of interest to note that
the first thing that the new generation of F1 drivers do on
arrival at the circuit, is to shell out a few Deutschmarks
to drive the famous old circuit, the Nordschleife!
Nobody could ever claim to be the absolute master of the
Nordschleife, which is still used for Touring Car
categories. Any driver who has driven on the old circuit
speaks in terms of awe of what is possibly the most
demanding circuit ever constructed. I have driven it!
Totally mind blowing! A circuit that keeps you on your toes
for the entire lap. The laconic ex-F1 driver Aussie Frank
Gardner, with a total disregard for political correctness,
claimed it was designed by Adolf Hitler for Jewish drivers!
I will be watching from my perch at Jameson’s Irish Pub Soi
AR, in front of the big screen. Join me at 6 p.m. for a meal
before the action starts at 7 p.m. We watch the South
African feed and do not have to worry as to whether UBC will
show it, and we don’t have to suffer the adverts either!
Cremation ceremonies
for the Toyota Prius
In an interesting press release from Toyota, the
company outlined the cremation for the new Prius. Long
before the first new Prius reached the showroom, Toyota had
plans in place to ensure that when the car reaches the end
of its useful life it can be disposed of in an
environmentally responsible fashion.
When its driving duties are done, more than 85 percent of
new Prius’s can be recycled and more than 95 percent of its
materials can be recovered in a process that only accounts
for a tiny proportion (approximately two percent) of its
full lifecycle CO2 emissions.
Special attention has been paid to the efficient recycling
of new Prius’s high voltage nickel-metalhydride battery with
a new process that allows 95 percent of the battery
components to be recovered for re-use with near-zero
emissions.
At the vehicle’s end-of-life, the battery is removed at an
authorized Prius service centre. Toyota has appointed
authorized waste management companies in each country where
the car is sold, which are responsible for transporting the
batteries to one of three European Final Treatment Companies
(FTCs): SNAP, Accurec and Umicore.
The recovery process begins with the removal of the
battery’s outer casing, which itself can be re-used in steel
making processes. All the wires and electronic parts are
sent to a specialist recovery company, while the power cells
themselves are recycled using an induction-based vacuum
thermal system.
This is an evolution of the traditional waste heat treatment
process, but it consumes less energy, is almost
emissions-free and is highly secure. The cells are put into
a sealed container from which all air is removed,
significantly reducing internal pressure. The container is
then heated to 800° C. When the temperature reaches 400° C
all organic materials break down into a mixture of oil and
water, which is sent on to a licensed water treatment
company for processing. The power cells are then exposed to
hydrogen, which helps break the oxides down into metals.
What is left after the process is a highly concentrated
nickel alloy which can be re-used as a raw material in the
production of new batteries. All the other metallic elements
recovered can be used in the manufacture of stainless or
other specialist steels.
Of course, that came from Europe. Toyota hasn’t seen our
recyclers here in action. Within 24 hours of being dumped,
there would be nothing left. Guaranteed!
The future? Here now
from Mercedes-Benz
The concept of safety in motor cars has been
steadily evolving. In 1974 Mercedes-Benz showed what a
car would be like with airbags, head restraints and seat
belt tensioners. You will find these on any run of the
mill family car these days.
So what does Mercedes-Benz predict for us now? Their new
experimental vehicle, the ESF2009 is their latest
concept car, and one focused entirely on road safety,
with brand new innovations, looked at here.
Braking Bag. When the car’s sensors detect an
unavoidable, imminent collision, the braking bag is
deployed. This is a huge airbag with a high-friction
coating that pops out between the axles of the car and
under it, and acts as a massive braking contact patch to
produce a huge decelerative force that tyres alone can’t
match. The braking bag doubles the G force in stopping
power, resulting in vastly superior braking performance.
Pre-Safe inflatable metal structures. These are metal
shields that only come out in the pre-crash situation
and reinforces various areas of the car.
Partial Main Beam intelligent headlights and spotlights.
The headlamps are made up of 100 individually controlled
LEDs. An infrared camera recognizes oncoming traffic and
then dims only the LEDs that are reflected directly at
that vehicle. The result is that, while you’re not
blinding the oncoming driver, the rest of the road is
fully illuminated.
Passengers banging their heads together in a crash can
be fatal, but Mercedes attempts to solve this issue in
the ESF2009 with an inter-seat airbag system that
inflates soft barriers between passengers as the crash
happens, isolating each person from the rest and
cushioning the movement of all bodies in the car
post-impact.
Another feature is the Belt-Bag inflating seatbelt.
Seatbelts have already saved countless lives, and they
remain the primary source of protection in collisions,
particularly to backseat passengers who don’t often get
an airbag. The Belt-Bag unfolds as it inflates, almost
doubling its surface contact with the wearer to
distribute its restraining force across a wider section
of the body, as well as contributing an air cushioning
effect.
There are many other features in this Mercedes-Benz
ESF2009, including sensors to work out just how much air
should go in the airbag, depending upon the height and
weight of the passengers, interactive car to car
transmission so that when your car detects a hazard, it
then warns other cars in the area, air chambers in the
seats to push the passengers away from the crumple zones
and even a ‘kid cam’ in the roof that lets the driver
see just what the children are up to!
Undoubtedly you will see the concepts in the ESF2009
making their presence in the vehicles in the next
decade. With the road toll being so high in this
country, perhaps Mercedes-Benz could design a cocoon to
wrap around motorcycle riders when they come off,
wearing no helmet (as usual).
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
(July 13) 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. Come along
and meet guys who have a common interest in cars and
bikes, and enjoy the Jameson’s Steak night special,
washed down with a few beers.
Hang on tight!
For the thrill of a lifetime, how about going
pillion on the back of a Ducati Desmosedici? Note the
static “handlebars” for the koala bear on behind! Mind
you, some of us have ridden behind with a Bangkok taxi
motorcycle rider at the front. And you don’t get a set
of leathers, you don’t get your own handlebars, but you
do get a plastic helmet!
I don’t know if any of you caught the young presenter
from Eurosport who did a lap behind a good rider and got
off the bike totally shattered, unable to speak or move.
Hilarious!
Two seater
Ducati racer
Supercars at Bira this
weekend too!
The Thailand Supercar class is racing at Bira
this weekend (on the right of Highway 36 heading East
before Highway 331).
The
new Pizza Company Supercar
It is a full weekend with many classes and categories
racing. The top class is the Supercar group with Porsches,
and turbo charged everythings running. Thomas Raldorf should
have his new Pizza Company Subaru WRX sorted and will be a
front runner, as he has been in every class he has contested
in the past few years.
Practice begins Friday July 10 and qualifying and racing is
on Saturday 11 and more racing Sunday 12. There are some
advertising banners around town indicating the action starts
at around 10 a.m. each day.
Supercars in
action
Autotrivia Quiz
Last week I wrote about an engine that
was used to garner several world speed records. It was a 24
liter 12 cylinder engine, with the cylinders arranged in
three banks of four, known as a ‘broad arrow’ configuration.
I wanted to know the engine, the car it was in, and the
driver. The answer was the Napier Lion aero engine that was
put in the Napier-Railton Special driven by John Cobb. From
1933 to 1937 it set many records, including the 24 hour
record at over 150 mph (240 kph in the new money).
By the way, in answer to the quiz question a couple of weeks
ago, Simon Panton in the UK sent in his wonderful pic of two
Cooper 500’s showing the Fiat transverse leaf suspension.
Note the mirrors mounted on the spring!
And so to this week. Let’s remember the ‘muscle car’ era of
the mid-60’s. What was the most powerful American muscle car
in those days? This refers to stock vehicles, off the
showroom floor, not ones that have been modified
after-market.
For the Automania FREE beer this week, be the first correct
answer to email
[email protected]
Cooper 500’s
photo by Simon Panton
