British Grand Prix this weekend
New Silverstone
Following the demise of the Donnington F1
circuit, the British Grand Prix returns to the ancestral
home of F1, with the first F1 GP held there in 1950 (and won
by Dr Farina in the Alfa Romeo). At last, this is a circuit
that the drivers universally like, a circuit that allows
cars to pass each other, and a Grand Prix where it is likely
to rain at some point. After all, it is in England, and they
cannot possible go three days on the trot without a good
drenching from above!
The new “arena” part of the circuit goes
from Abbey to Brooklands corners, moving infield and adding
an extra 760 m to the track length. You will be heartened to
read that Herr Tilke was not involved. Interestingly, this
modification was actually built for the MotoGP series, but
now incorporated in the F1 series after Bernie, the patron
of King Midas Enterprises, gave it his blessing. Yes, that
is the same Bernie who has masterminded such yawnfest new
circuits as Valencia, Bahrain and Singapore.
Hamilton will be trying for the win with
his magic F-Duct, Button will be desperate to rid himself of
the “number 2 driver” mantle, Boy Vunder Vettel wants to
raise the one finger again and Mark Webber will try to avoid
getting more flying time for his pilot’s license while the
Sulky Spaniard will complain about something, nothing or
everything!
The Qualifying is at 7 p.m. on Saturday
10 and the race is 7 p.m. on Sunday 11 July. We watch the
racing, on the big screen in Jameson’s Irish Pub, Soi AR,
next to Nova Park. We get there around 6 p.m. and have
something to eat (the Sunday carvery is great value) and a
small drink or two before the start. Why don’t you come and
join us.
Thailand’s Ford Focus takes on the world
The next-generation Focus built in
Thailand is earmarked for export to Australia. This will be
a more competitively priced and/or specified Focus from
Thailand, which has a free-trade agreement with Australia.
Thailand’s new Ford Focus
Four-door sedan and five-door hatchback
versions of the MkIII Focus made their global debuts at the
Detroit motor show in January, where FoMoCo said it next
Focus would be sold in 122 countries after production
started in North America and Europe in early 2012.
Ford will invest $US450 million to
construct a state-of-the-art manufacturing plant in Rayong
to produce the Focus in Thailand from 2012.
The new passenger car plant will have
initial production capacity of 150,000 vehicles, with 85
percent of production destined for markets outside Thailand.
Ford said the new plant would produce the next-generation
Focus from 2012 for Thailand and other Asia-Pacific markets,
as part of its aggressive expansion strategy in the local
and Africa regions.
Ford has also committed to producing its
latest Fiesta in Thailand for Australia this year, though
there is no word on Mazda3 production in Thailand.
Ford said it would buy up to $US800
million worth of local components a year through Thailand’s
local supplier network, and that the facility has the
potential to support up to 11,000 new jobs - including 2,200
direct factory jobs.
Ford Asia Pacific and Africa president
Joe Hinrichs said the investment underscored Ford’s long
term commitment to Thailand and its role as a global
production and export hub for Ford.
“The decision to build our new plant was
supported by Thailand’s world-class automotive industry, and
logistics and export infrastructure,” he said.
“Thailand’s commitment to the continued
growth of its world-class auto industry has given Ford the
opportunity to further leverage the skilled local work force
and market expertise, as well as the strategic footprint
that we have already established in Thailand.”
Amidst the recent depression, this is
nothing but good news for Thailand, and the Eastern Seaboard
in particular.
Autotrivia
Quiz
Last week I mentioned W. F. Shetzline and
asked what car did he build? The clue was 1911. He built the
imaginatively named WFS.
So to this week. Iran received hundreds
of thousands of British CKD cars in 1969. What was it called
in Iran and the UK?
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 (July
12) 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
specials, washed down with a few beers.
SuperCar
meeting
The SuperCar meeting at Bira two weeks
ago was stupendous. I have not seen so many cars competing,
nor so many spectators as there was on the 27th.
The pits had to be extended all the way down to the entrance
tunnel, and parking spots at the hairpin were at a priority.
The next meeting at Bira should be the
Pro Races on 24/25 of this month followed by the 3K meeting
the following weekend.
