Spanish GP this weekend

Twelve months ago I wrote about the Spanish GP at Catalunya in this column stating, “The Alonso fans will be out in full voice, hoping that this will be the GP at which Ferrari comes on even stronger, and the Spaniard fulfills all their dreams, even if Massa was dragging the chain two weeks ago.” It would appear that despite four different winners in four races, in the Ferrari garage, it is much of the same as 12 months ago. One interesting rumor has Webber going to Ferrari for 2013 to replace the underperforming Massa, and his Red Bull seat being taken by Ricciardo from Toro Rosso. We shall see.

Back to the GP. Spain has a long history in GP racing, and the Catalunya circuit (aka Montmelo) was built just 20 km from Barcelona. It was actually the fourth circuit in, or near, Barcelona, which has some claim to being Spain’s capital of motor racing.

The 5 km Circuit Catalunya was opened in 1991. A temporary chicane was built at ‘Nissan’ (a very shallow curve) in 1994, but for 1995, ‘Nissan’ was straightened reducing the length of a lap to the 5 km length.

I will be watching the dedicated F1 channel in front of the new huge screen in Jameson’s Irish Pub (Soi AR, next to Nova Park). The race will start at 7 p.m. but I will get there early and have some dinner from the Jameson’s specials menu. Why not join me for dinner and a beer before the race?

Last year I posed the following questions, “…can Vettel grab another win before the others catch up? Will McLaren find more speed and challenge? Will Mercedes get Rosberg up on the podium and forget Schumacher? We will know by Sunday night.” Seems nothing at all has changed!

The age of self-deploying cup-holders is here

The J.D. Power and Associates 2012 U.S. Automotive Emerging Technologies Study has shown that vehicle owners have come to expect additional safety features and are now turning their attention more to infotainment technologies in their vehicle.

The attach anywhere cup holder.

The study measured vehicle owner interest and purchase intent for emerging automotive technologies, with the clever rider that the interest was taken both before and after market price was revealed.

The top-five considered technologies, based on vehicle owners who indicated that they “definitely” or “probably” would purchase in their next vehicle, both pre-price and at market price were:

I am sure multiple cup-holders would have come a close sixth, as purchase interest fell across all features when the price was introduced.

According to Mike VanNieuwkuyk, executive director of global automotive at J.D. Power and Associates, “While vehicle owners remain very interested in technologies that make their vehicle safer, they are turning their attention more and more toward features and technologies that allow them to be productive, connected and entertained while in their vehicles. Given the variety of interests from consumers, automakers will be challenged to pursue technologies that fit their consumer’s interests in order to attract them to their products.”

You have been warned, the self-deploying cup-holder is almost here!

Pre-Price Feature	Interest
Light emitting diode (LED) headlights	70%
Natural language voice-activation	69%
Next-generation heads-up display	69%
Wireless connectivity system	68%
Remote vehicle diagnostics	65%
However, when the price was revealed the interest changed:
HD radio (at $100)	52%
Collision mitigation system (at $750)	46%
Wireless connectivity system (at $300)	45%
Surround-view rear-vision camera (at $550)	44%
Personal assistance safety services, $15pcm	41%

Thai Auto Book 2012 predicts a good auto year

The best and most authoritative e-publication available on the Thai auto industry is the Thai Auto Book 2012 (thaiautobook. blogspot.com) compiled by the Automotive Focus Group president Uli Kaiser.

The statistics on the Auto Alliance plant are interesting, with the combined plant having the capacity of 195,000 units (pick-ups) and 100,000 cars. Forward bookings for the new Ford Ranger are 16,500 and 13,500 for the Mazda BT-50.

Saudi Arabia is also an interesting market for Thai made vehicles. According to Thai Automotive Institute, approximately 20 percent of Thai car exports go to the Middle East. Thailand exported about 750,000 cars in 2011 and 20 percent of that is 150,000. Saudi Arabia recorded sales of about 550,000 vehicles in 2011 - so roughly every third car sold in Saudi Arabia is made in Thailand. The popular makes are Toyota (41 percent and 230,000 vehicles), Hyundai (19 percent) and Ford (eight percent).

Hyundai are certainly on a roll. Now 5th largest automaker it is showing double digit growth in Europe, where the overall market is in decline. One reason is their quality, regularly out-performing the better known brands in the quality stakes.

Add those predictions to the news from David Nardone (CEO Hemaraj) that they have revised their land sales and ready-made factories figures upwards for 2012, with the bulk of the purchasers being involved in the auto industry.

Provided the manufacturers here can find (and keep) skilled labor, it would seem that the Eastern Seaboard is in for a record year.

Autotrivia Quiz

Last week I informed you that in 1912 a manufacturer built cars alongside domestic appliances. I asked what was the manufacturer and how many did they build? In 1912, Miele & Cie. was among the many manufacturers trying to get a share of the emerging market for automobiles. The company made passenger cars with two and four seats, limousines, and pick-up trucks, manufacturing 125 vehicles before this business venture was finally abandoned. However, that was not the end of Miele & Cie.’s activities in the automotive arena. In 1924, the company began making bicycles, followed by a model with a supplemental electric motor in 1933. In the same year, Miele & Cie. introduced its first motorcycle. This too was abandoned and Miele restricts itself these days to white goods.

So to this week. What car does the cartoon character Granny drive in the Sylvester and Tweety Mysteries? Clue: ask your children under 10 years of age!
For the Automania free beer this week, be the first correct answer to email [email protected]

Audi copy Porsche in Asia

Audi Series racing.

The very successful Porsche Asia Cup series has been joined by Audi with there “me too” series in Asia. One of the top drivers attracted to the new series is Malaysia’s Alex Yoong, scoring the top step on the podium in his first race in China.

Rene Koneberg (director of Audi Sport customer racing China) said, “We set out to raise the bar on standards of motorsport in Asia, and our fantastic field of drivers, and fleet of superb Audi R8 LMS Cup cars, have done just that. We could not have hoped for a more exciting first weekend of Audi one-make racing, and for us to debut here in China makes it all the more special. The enthusiasm with which the Audi R8 LMS Cup has been received by the motorsport fraternity has been extraordinary, and we have no doubt we will go from strength to strength this season.”

The development of the brain bucket

Safety helmets have been shown to reduce road fatalities. A quick ‘Google’ returned, “Motorcyclists are at high risk in traffic crashes. A 2008 systematic review examined studies on motorcycle riders who had crashed and looked at helmet use as an intervention. The review concluded that helmets reduce the risk of head injury by around 69 percent and death by around 42 percent.” These are statistics happily ignored by most of Thailand’s motorcycle riders, unfortunately. Helmet use at Songkran would halve the annual fatality figures.

Guess whose helmet.

The ultimate helmets are worn by F1 drivers, as the highest potential for injury lies there. Although its fundamental shape may look very similar to those worn by drivers in the 1980s and even the 1970s, the underlying design and construction technology has changed radically over the years.

In 1985 a typical F1 helmet weighed around 2 kg. That amount increased dramatically under high-G cornering or deceleration, adding to the risk of ‘whiplash’ type injuries in big accidents. As head and neck trauma has been identified as the greatest single risk of injury to race drivers, helmet manufacturers place the greatest importance on reducing the mass of helmets, while increasing their strength and resistance to impacts.

Current F1 helmets are massively strong, and also considerably lighter, now weighing approximately 1.25 kg. Helmets are constructed from several separate layers, offering a combination of strength and flexibility (vital to absorb the force of large impacts). The outer shell has two layers, typically fiber-reinforced resin over carbon fiber. Under that comes a layer formed of vastly strong plastic, the same material used in many bullet-proof vests. Then there is a softer, deformable layer made from a plastic based on polystyrene, covered with the flame-proof material used in racing overalls and gloves.

The visor will be made of a special clear polycarbonate, combining excellent impact protection with flame resistance and excellent visibility. Most drivers use tinted visors, the insides of which are coated with anti-fogging chemicals to prevent them misting up, particularly in wet conditions.

In recent seasons the actual shape of helmets has gradually evolved, as more aerodynamically efficient shapes are brought into use. Sitting directly below the main engine air intake, helmets are increasingly shaped to assist in the process of reducing drag in this notoriously high-turbulence aerodynamic area. The modern designs also reduce the lift produced by more traditionally shaped helmets - which can be anything up to 15 kg at racing speeds.

The helmet design must also provide ventilation for the driver. This is achieved through the use of various small air intakes, though in tropical Thailand I have never found they work too well.

As you would expect, the FIA have strict ‘super helmet’ requirements for F1 racing. To gain approval for Grand Prix use, a helmet design must pass a number of tests, covering factors such as crush and penetration resistance and surface friction. It must also work correctly in conjunction with the mandatory HANS (Head and Neck Support) device.

Top helmets here will set you back around 30,000 baht, but there are cheaper models available from good manufacturers.