Monza was all about weight in qualifying.
Lewis Hamilton (McLaren Mercedes) went for lightness in
qualifying to take pole; however, that meant he had two fuel
stops but could not pull out a big enough gap from the
eventual winner, Rubens Barichello. He then compounded his
problems by crashing out on the final lap. Ten out of ten
for effort. Zero out of ten for results.
Kovalainen in the second McLaren went for the different
strategy of more fuel and showed that he is a fast driver
(fourth in qualifying), but then showed he is not a racer,
being beaten by anyone who could come close to him. Perhaps
he has a clause in his contract docking his pay if he
scratches the car during a race. Kovalainen will not be
racing for McLaren in 2010.
What should we say about the Brawns? Ran heavy in qualifying
so they had a one-stop fuel strategy, and Barichello (OAP)
never put a wheel wrong and won decisively from championship
leader Jenson Button. Ross Brawn remains the master
tactician in F1 and being a clever chap he will retain both
his drivers for 2010.
Ferrari were lucky to get another podium for Raikkonen who
was elevated to third after Hamilton crashed out. Raikkonen
was delighted after the race and said, “Mmummmbblle,
mummmbbblle, mummmmbbbblllleeeee.” Some viewers missed the
details of his discourse, having fallen asleep.
Fisichella did well for his first outing for the Scuderia.
Enormous pressure - if he had crashed, he would have been
made a laughing stock, so to finish ninth was more than
anyone should have expected. With the stupid ‘no testing’
rule, it meant that he had to familiarize himself with a new
car with new switches and positions, as well as different
driving characteristics on the Friday of the race weekend.
Knowing where to brake and turn in for any particular car
requires a ‘second nature’ knowledge. You don’t get that in
two one and a half hour sessions on a Friday.
BMW, getting close to its swansong as an F1 entrant, did not
cover itself with glory. Heidfeld did finish, and didn’t hit
anybody. Kubica didn’t finish and did hit somebody - Mark
Webber in the Red Bull, effectively finishing Webber’s race,
and his aspirations in the world driver’s championships.
Kubica said, “When we were going into the first apex
unfortunately again I was not able to avoid him (Webber). I
ended up with a damaged front wing, but am not sure how this
happened as it could have been with my fight with Mark or I
could have hit a kerb.” Don’t believe it, he knows it wasn’t
a kerb. However, notice should be made of the ridiculous
front wings which are wider than the track at the front,
leaving the end plates totally vulnerable. Am I the only
person to see this?
Team Poppadum had another great day. Sutil’s day in fact,
with another great qualifying performance to be second on
the grid and his fourth place finish another solid points
performance. Tonio Liuzzi was also doing well in his first
outing until the drive failed in the transmission, which
really tore the crutch out of his new suit, complete with
matching silk shirt and tie in 24 hours.
Renault claimed a fifth for Alonso. I wonder if they will be
claiming the fifth amendment at the FIA hearing in a week’s
time, against the charge of race fixing?
Red Bull had a day to forget, Webber exiting on lap 1
courtesy of Kubica, while Vettel got through to the end in
eighth and one point, effectively kissing his chances of a
world title goodbye.
Toro Rosso and Williams were employed as mobile chicanes,
which they did perfectly.
I believe Toyota, not having a KERS system, opted to use the
new Thai Camry hybrid system, but found that the top speed
was not what was expected, releasing N2O2 (laughing gas)
into the cockpit. The two drivers then began racing between
themselves, resulting in a complete farce. Toyota-San had
both drivers on the carpet on Monday morning.
Porsche re-creates the
classic 911 RS Carrera
With VW taking control of Porsche, there are many
who are wondering if the sports car maker will be able to
build exotics any more. If there is a clamp-down, the new
911 Sport Classic may be the last “great’ sports car from
the Porsche marque.
911
Sport Classic
Just as the 1973 RS Carrera with its ‘ducktail’ spoiler, was
the fastest and most powerful naturally aspirated Porsche in
its day, the new super-exclusive, retro 911 Sport Classic,
also sports a ‘ducktail’ and is a non-turbo. With the
projected price tag being more than that for the GT3 RS, the
911 Sports Classic will certainly be exclusive.
Limited to a production run of just 250 units, and under
development at the Porsche Exclusive specialist vehicle unit
for the past three years, the Sport Classic has emerged
featuring the ‘ducktail’ and ‘Fuchs-style’ custom-made alloy
wheels from the same era.
The 1973 RS was a 2.7 liter, and in its day, the performance
was shattering, and I have been lucky enough to race two of
them, but this new car has a more powerful version of the
current Carrera S’s direct-injection 3.8 liter boxer six
cylinder engine.
It develops 300 kW of power at 7,300 rpm (up 17 kW over the
Carrera) and an unchanged 420 Nm of torque - available from
4200-5600 rpm - and drives the rear wheels through a
six-speed manual gearbox (with shorter shift travel).
All-wheel drive and the PDK are not available. This means
that the 911 Sports Classic has been made for the ‘real’
drivers out there.
1973
RS Carrera
In terms of outright acceleration, Porsche claims the Sport
Classic can reach 100 km/h from standstill in 4.6 seconds -
a tenth quicker than the Carrera S manual - and 200 km/h in
14.8 seconds. It has the same maximum speed of 302km/h and
returns an identical 10.6 L/100 km on the combined European
NEDC standard.
Other features include the Sport Chrono Package Plus launch
control fitted as standard, along with the ‘special variant’
of the Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM) sports
suspension which reduces ride height 20 mm and adds a rear
limited-slip differential. Lightweight, 350 mm diameter
Porsche Ceramic Composite Brakes (PCCB), using carbon-fiber
reinforced ceramics are also included, along with six-piston
aluminium monobloc brake calipers up front and four-piston
calipers at the rear.
The 19-inch wheels, complete with a high-gloss black paint
finish on the rim centre, are a throwback to the classic
Porsche-designed Fuchs rims first seen in the 1960s and come
with the largest wheel dimensions on all non-GT 911s: 8.5J x
19 with 235/35 ZR19 tyres at the front, and 11J x 19 on
305/30 Z-rated rubber at the rear.
If the engine note is not pleasing for you (and the old one
used to ‘drum’ inside the car) there is a 385 watt Bose
surround-sound stereo, developed for Porsche and tailored to
the acoustic conditions within the 911, including 13
speakers (and an active subwoofer) plus a seven-channel
digital amplifier.
Oh yes, the build number appears on a motif near the glove
box, and on chrome-plated doorsill trim. To get one, be
prepared to dig deep. I estimate something around 25-30
million THB.
Autotrivia Quiz
Last week I mentioned that the GT40 was named
because it was 40 inches high. Ford has recreated the
GT40 and has called it the Ford GT. I asked what height
is this new one? The correct answer was 44.3 inches.
Matthew was first in on this one. Well done.
So to this week. What prototype car was driven by Ayrton
Senna who declared it to be “a little fragile,” so the
manufacturer increased the rigidity by 50 percent? Clue:
this was not an F1 car.
For the Automania FREE beer this week, be the first
correct answer to email viacars@gmail.com
Good luck!
Making light of the
Prince of Darkness
The “Prince of Darkness” in the automotive
field has always been Lucas electrics. British cars were
famous for their electrical problems, which always ended
up at the feet of Joseph Lucas. It is said that Lucas
invented the intermittent windscreen wiper. They also
invented the intermittent headlights, intermittent tail
lights, intermittent petrol pumps and used the same
technology to produce blinking indicators.
Lucas
lighting
However, there are some people (often called ‘masochists’)
who restore British cars and have to try and unravel the
Lucas electrical system. But now, help is at hand with a new
book called Classic British Car Electrical Systems by Rick
Astley.
This new book from Veloce Publishing’s Essential Manual
series, shines a light on the subject, system by system,
including the murkier corners and makes sure classic car
owners can make all the right connections to keep their
cherished possessions running smoothly for decades to come.
Classic British Car Electrical Systems puts particular
emphasis on the Lucas, Smiths and SU components that were
almost ubiquitous in British cars between 1950 and 1980.
Each major system is given its own chapter, providing
theory, component parts and full system operating
explanations.
Modifications are suggested for those wishing to bring
performance and reliability up to more modern standards.
Fault-finding charts, cross referenced to the appropriate
pages in the book, are provided throughout. Amazingly, Lucas
does not take up all the pages on fault finding!
Classic British Car Electrical Systems by Rick Astley, (ISBN
9781845842154 and one penny short of 25 GBP).
The publishers say the book has:
Get-you-home help provided throughout
Each system circuit explained with easy-to-follow diagrams
Fault-finding guides for each major system
Component evolution explained
Clear photographs aid component identification
Explanations, with unique original diagrams, of how systems
work
Differences between home and export models described and
explained
Repair procedures for expensive or hard-to-find components
Modification suggestions to improve safety, reliability and
drivability
Basic theory to help diagnose unique problems
You can view sample pages and sample text on Veloce’s
website http:/www.veloce. co.uk or contact John on 01305
260068/e-mail john@ veloce.co.uk
