Month: February 2012

Categories
Formula 1 Red Bull Racing

Vettel quickest on Day 1 in Barcelona

Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull RB8, Barcelona

Sebastian Vettel found himself in a familiar position after he took his Red Bull RB8 to the top of the timesheets in F1 testing overnight. The teams have arrived at Barcelona for four days of testing and with the launch of the Mercedes AMG F1 W03 all the major teams are now running their 2012 cars.

Vettel was the fastest man in the morning session and was the only driver out of the top seven to improve his times in the warmer afternoon running. His morning time was on Pirelli’s medium tyres and he managed a small improvement later in the day on the hard compound.

The day was otherwise uneventful with Lotus ending the day disappointed following Romain Grosjean’s complaints that something wasn’t right in the E20-02 chassis. As a result of this setback Lotus has withdrawn from the next three days of testing as well. Lotus ran their E20-01 chassis in Jerez and can take some comfort that it performed quite well.

2012 F1 pre-season testing – Barcelona (Day 1)

  1. Vettel, Red Bull – 1m23.265s (79 laps)
  2. Hulkenberg, Force India – 1m23.440s +0.175 (97 laps)
  3. Hamilton, McLaren – 1m23.590s +0.325 (114 laps)
  4. Ricciardo, Toro Rosso – 1m23.618s +0.353 (76 laps)
  5. Alonso, Ferrari – 1m24.100s +0.835 (75 laps)
  6. Schumacher, Mercedes – 1m24.150s +0.885 (51 laps)
  7. Perez, Sauber – 1m24.219s +0.954 (66 laps)
  8. Senna, Williams – 1m25.711s +2.446 (97 laps)
  9. Kovalainen, Caterham – 1m26.035s +2.770 (31 laps)
  10. Grosjean, Lotus – 1m26.809s +3.544 (7 laps)
  11. Pic, Marussia* – 1m28.026s +4.761 (121 laps)

All Timing Unofficial
*2011 car

[Source: Autosport | Pic: Red Bull/Getty Images]

Categories
Bathurst 12 Hour BMW

BMW M5 Safety Car for Bathurst 12 Hour

BMW M5 Safety Car

The new to Australia BMW M5 will handle the official Safety Car duties at the Bathurst 12 Hour race this weekend. It follows on from BMW’s Safety Car program overseas which sees the F10M involved in the MotoGP series.

Piers Scott, BMW Group Australia Head of Corporate Communications, is pleased to see the M5 take on its official role, “The Armor All Bathurst 12 Hour features its most exotic field yet this year and BMW Australia is looking forward to having the brand new M5 leading the way when it is required.

“The performance and technology within the new BMW M5 matches up well with the cars competing in the race itself. The fact there is live TV and continual internet coverage means it is an effective way to showcase the new vehicle.”

James O’Brien, Event Director said, “We are very proud to have BMW on board to provide our Safety Car this year.

“Bathurst always throws up the unknown and safety car periods are almost a certainty. We’re certainly looking forward to having the new M5 lead the pack this year across the Event weekend.”

[Source: Bathurst 12 Hour]

UPDATE: An official press release from BMW Australia has been added below.

Continue reading “BMW M5 Safety Car for Bathurst 12 Hour”
Categories
Drive Thru Volkswagen

Drive Thru: Volkswagen Polo GTI

Volkswagen Polo GTI

Volkswagen’s GTI badge has enjoyed a renaissance of late, thanks largely to the exploits of the Mk5 Golf GTI. The subsequent and still current Mk6 Golf GTI has maintained the momentum with poise and class, as well. So what of its new baby brother, the Polo GTI, can it live up to the renewed heritage of the GTI name?

The previous model (9N3 2005–09) was powered by a 1.8 litre turbo offering 110kW/210Nm. By the time its life cycle had ended replacing the much loved 1.8T was well overdue. Similarly, the chassis of the fourth-generation Polo GTI didn’t reach any great heights as far as the critics were concerned. Mind, while we’ve never driven a 9N3 GTI we’ve seen enough anecdotal evidence to suggest its handling prowess is far better than its reputation. So much so, that, unusually for a Volkswagen, it was the car’s interior which was perhaps its weakest point.

Visually, the fifth-generation 6R Polo GTI hits the spot. We reckon it looks fantastic. The standard Polo provides a good base, of course. But the GTI version, with familiar styling cues filtering down from its bigger brother, follows the hot hatch style guide to the letter. Even the woeful looking and embarrassingly out of date 17″ Denver alloys seem to, somehow, look perfectly acceptable.

Continue reading “Drive Thru: Volkswagen Polo GTI”
Categories
Mercedes-Benz

Mercedes-Benz SL63 AMG previewed

Mercedes-Benz SL63 AMG

While Michael and Nico were taking the covers off the new F1 W03 Mercedes decided it would be a good time to sneak out its new SL63 AMG for a quick spin around the Circuit de Catalunya.

Based on the new sixth-gen SL the range topping AMG version uses a 5.5 litre twin-turbo V8. The M157, as seen in other AMG models, has been tuned to produce almost 400kW. Following the welcome trend of shedding weight, the new model has lost 125kg compared to its predecessor.

Full details will be released as the Geneva Motor Show draws closer.

Continue reading “Mercedes-Benz SL63 AMG previewed”
Categories
Ferrari

The most powerful Ferrari ever

Ferrari F620 GT teaser video

Ferrari has just released an teaser video (available below) for its next supercar. Codenamed F152 it’s expected this will be otherwise known as the F620 GT. Power will come from a new 6.3 litre V12 with a lot of power, Ferrari promise. Something north of 520kW we reckon.

Official pictures and info will be published by Ferrari on 29 February following secret previews to select clients and dealer staff.

In the past Ferrari has applied strict entry requirements and the chances of any pics sneaking out via smartphone happy snaps is unlikely, but we’ll keep an eye out all the same.

Continue reading “The most powerful Ferrari ever”
Categories
Formula 1 Mercedes-Benz

Mercedes AMG unveils 2012 F1 car

Mercedes AMG F1 W03

Mercedes AMG has just revealed its F1 W03 to the world ahead of tonight’s pre-season testing in Barcelona.

Admitting that the W03 has a face only a mother could love Team Principal Ross Brawn said, “The F1 W03 is a car that I believe, and hope, our team can be proud of, and which will deliver the on-track results that everybody has worked so hard to achieve.”

“Notwithstanding the distinctive nose design, which is certainly an acquired taste, the F1 W03 is an elegant interpretation of the current regulations, and a clear step forward over its predecessor in terms of detail design and sophistication,” he added.

Elder statesman and seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher reckons he still has what it takes and is excited with his new wheels, “I have done quite a few roll-outs and launches of new cars, but even after all these years, I must say it still feels special. Days like this are precious moments, as they are always filled with hope and anticipation.

“For my part, I am eager to fight again, looking forward to the new season, and I can’t wait for it to begin.”

The F1 W03 has already enjoyed over 350km of pre-season testing during a private session held last weekend.

UPDATE 22 February: A video from the launch, including comments from Norbert Haug and Ross Brawn, has been added below.

Continue reading “Mercedes AMG unveils 2012 F1 car”
Categories
Ferrari Oh the humanity

Ferrari FF lights my fire

Ferrari FF fire

Ferrari has put the FF into f-f-fire for a stricken owner in China. The incident happened on Shi Bo Avenue in Shangahi and thankfully nobody was hurt during the blaze. It’s been reported the FF had spent long periods of time in slow moving traffic immediately before the incident.

In 2010 Ferrari ended an embarrassing run of 458 Italia fires by recalling all models built prior to July of that year. The cause of the 458 infernos was found to be a result of extreme exhaust temperatures overheating adhesives used on nearby body panels.

At this stage Ferrari China is still investigating what caused the FF to turn into a smouldering mess.

[Source: China Car Times | Pics: auto163 | Thanks to Charlie for the tip]

Categories
Bathurst 12 Hour

Armor All returns with B12H pole position prize

Bathurst 12 Hour

Bathurst 12 Hour race title sponsor Armor All will return with a cash bonus for the pole position winners at this year’s race. It’s a relatively modest $5000 that will be split evenly between the drivers.

Event Director James O’Brien welcomes to the continuing support, “Qualifying is only a small part of the 12 Hour Race, but thanks to Armor All it has again become a key and exciting part of our Saturday program.”

Qualifying for the Bathurst 12 Hour will be run over two sessions on Saturday 25 February. There is a morning session, which runs from 8:15–9:45am to be followed by a 30 minute late afternon session commencing at 4:30pm.

Pole position at the Bathurst 12 Hour is calculated by an aggregate score. Teams with three drivers will combine the best times of all drivers set in either qualifying session. While entries with four drivers will eliminate the time of their fastest driver and add together the three remaining times to arrive at the final qualifying mark.

Interestingly, there is a benchmark time of 2:08.00 set for the event. Any team found to set a faster time than the benchmark during any practice or qualifying session will be penalised with 50kg of ballast. It’s part of the “Balance of Performance” regulations used in overseas endurance races which the Bathurst event is following.

So we won’t be seeing anyone knock off Allan Simonsen’s lap record of 2:04.956 set during last year’s Sprint Bathurst event.

[Source: Bathurst 12 Hour & Speedcafe]

Categories
Caterham Formula 1

Let’s go for a ride

Caterham CT01 at Jerez

Formula One testing returns later tonight Australian time. The Caterham F1 Team is getting us in the mood with this slick promo clip. It’s all a bit moody for the first half before the glorious sound of the Renault RS27 engine at full noise takes over in the latter half.

Heikki Kovaleinen is at the wheel of the CT01 and in Barcelona he’ll have a new teammate, with confirmation Caterham has shipped out cash-strapped but in demand Jarno Trulli in favour of Vitaly Petrov and his rubles.

Continue reading “Let’s go for a ride”
Categories
Ferrari

25 years of the Ferrari F40 to be celebrated at 2012 Silverstone Classic

Ferrari F40s at Silverstone in 2007

Maybe we’re just getting old, but can you believe the Ferrari F40 is 25 years old already! To celebrate this milestone organisers of the Silverstone Classic are pleased to announce they are on track to have a world record number of iconic F40s on display at their event (July 20–22).

Coordination of the “prance of Ferraris” is being handled by the Ferrari Owners’ Club of Great Britain. Club spokesperson Nigel Chiltern-Hunt said: “Our original aim was to get at least 25 of these Ferraris together and, as I have contacted owners, I have been gratified that so many want to be part of the celebration—so much so that we now have more than 50 F40s registered for the event with more still to come!”

“A parade of those F40s present is planned for the Sunday and it undoubtedly will be the largest gathering of F40s ever seen anywhere in the world and will certainly beat the club’s own previous record of 40 F40s seen at the Silverstone Classic in 2007,” Chiltern-Hunt added.

The photo above is from the 2007 event and we’re sure you’ll agree it is wonderful sight.

When released the 2.9 litre twin turbo V8 in the F40 produced a then staggering 352kW. Multiply that by 50 and you get 17,600kW, or over 23,500hp. Powaaaaaaah!

[Thanks to Avril for the tip]

Continue reading “25 years of the Ferrari F40 to be celebrated at 2012 Silverstone Classic”
Categories
Formula 1 Mercedes-Benz

Mercedes AMG F1 conducts private test

Mercedes AMG F1 W03

Exploiting an interesting quirk in Formula One’s testing agreement Mercedes AMG ran a full private test session with its new W03 in Barcelona yesterday. They racked up 300km of uninterrupted testing. Michael Schumacher drove in the morning and Nico Rosberg took over in the afternoon.

The W03 first turned a wheel in a shakedown and filming day at Silverstone last week (pictured above) but that was on 2011-spec Pirelli tyres. However, by choosing not to participate in the final day of testing at Jerez earlier this month Mercedes AMG were able to lock in a private test session. You have to wonder why more teams don’t do this; there’s less prying eyes and no other drivers to impede with your planned schedule.

The reasons for Mercedes AMG delaying the launch of the W03 are two-fold. First it gave them extra time with ex-Ferrari designer Aldo Costa, who only joined the team in early December. It’s also believed the team has a few details it wanted to shield from public view for as long as practical.

We’ll get a full reveal of the W03 tomorrow evening Australian time and will bring you pics and info as it comes to hand.

[Source: adamcooperf1]

Categories
Ferrari

Ferrari F620 GT to be revealed this week?

Ferrari F620 GT sketch

This unofficial sketch apparently offers a reasonably accurate indication of what to expect when Ferrari unveils the successor to the 599. Word on the street says the new model will be called the F620 GT and the first official pics will be published by Ferrari on 22 February (likely to be early Thursday morning for our Australian readers).

Featuring a new V12 and a 7-speed dual clutch transmission it’s expected the F620 will have around 520kW/700hp. While we’ve not read any material to suggest it, we won’t be surprised if the F620 also features HY-KERS technology.

It looks like all will be revealed very soon.

[Source: WCF & Teamspeed]