You might remember the clip of Ricardo Patrese driving his wife around the Jerez racetrack from last September. Well, I might be a bit slow on the uptake, but here is a subtitled version for your viewing pleasure.
Note: Language warning applies, haha.
I know the Aussie car mags cop a lot of flak out there in readerland, but for mine, they do a better than half reasonable job of catering to what may be considered our narrow local market, while still giving good coverage of activities beyond our shores.
To that end the Wheels Magazine Car of the Year award lays claim to being the world’s longest continuously running COTY award. That’s pretty cool I reckon, and also says a fair bit about the longevity and relevance of motoring journalism in our country.
Okay, enough pontificating, and onto the news that the second gen Honda Accord Euro has been named this year’s Wheels COTY winner. The mag, perhaps not doing anything to placate their critics, announces the award on Channel 9’s A Current Affair these days. Sure, that gets them a great TV audience, but, to me, does little to enhance their reputation as the country’s leading car mag. ACA is mostly a disgrace that does little more than whip its audience into a lather about the latest terrorist “threat†and the current must do diet craze.
Wheels, you owe yourself a greater show of self-respect than your affiliation with ACA offers.
So, about that pontificating. Yes, erm, anyway, back to the car gong, Honda Australia, obviously, was chuffed to claim the award and Mr Yasuhide Mizuno, Managing Director and CEO said, “This is fantastic result for a fantastic car that epitomises every element of Honda’s DNA. It’s fun to drive nature combined with quality, safety, value and sporty styling is what the second-generation Accord Euro is about.â€
Good for Honda. For more on the Wheels COTY check out their website.
Despite earlier reports that Mexican tycoon Carlos Slim Helú had saved Honda’s Formula One outfit, the British based team is still looking for a buyer.
Speaking to the Telegraph in the UK, Team Principal Ross Brawn said “We would love it if it were true, but it’s pure speculation from various members of the media. It’s just been one of those rumours which has developed a life of its own.”
However, Brawn remains hopeful a buyer is not far away, “There has been a huge amount of interest,” he said. “It’s now got to the stage where we need to filter out the serious from the not so serious. We’re all hopeful that something will happen.” It is believed two interested parties could be Indian industrialist Vijay Mallya and Prodrive’s Dave Richards, who now has more time on his hands after Subaru’s withdrawal from the WRC.
Brawn says the team is ready to start the season in late March, “We have enough funding to get us through to Melbourne and we still have a competitive package.”
Source: Telegraph.co.uk (Thanks to Lee for the tip.)
The dreams of the Honda F1 team appear to have come true with news Mexican telecommunications billionaire Carlos Slim Helú (inset pic) has bought the team, according to a report in Italian newspaper La Stampa. Slim is reported to be the world’s second richest man and has proven experience in motorsport with his Telmex company being a long time supporter of the US based Chip Ganassi Racing.
The news is yet to be confirmed in an official capacity, and autosport.com is reporting that Slim is just one of four parties in negotiations with Honda F1 Racing.
However, according to the La Stampa article it is believed Slim paid the £1 asking price announced by Honda when confirming plans to quit Formula One. If this news comes to fruition it is likely the revitalised team will keep Britain’s Jenson Button for one of the driving positions, while the other drive will go to Brazilian Bruno Senna (pictured above during testing in November). Bruno is the nephew of F1 legend and triple world champion Ayrton Senna. This means the former Honda driver, Brazilian veteran Rubens Barichello, could be forced into retirement.
Importantly, master tactician Ross Brawn will also be kept on staff and assuming Slim throws the full weight of his finances behind the team, the F1 circus will see the welcome the addition of new privateer player on the starting grid.
Source: autoblog, AFP & autosport.com. (Thanks to Nick and Dylan for the tips.)
“We, Honda Motor Co., Ltd., have come to the conclusion that we will withdraw from all Formula One activities, making 2008 the last season of participation.”
And with those words, Takeo Fukui, the chief executive of Honda Motors, confirmed the rumours and brought down the curtain on Honda as a Formula One constructor. However, the UK-based team may live on, if a buyer can be found. Fukui confirming the F1 team was up for grabs, “We will enter into consultation with the associates of Honda Racing F1 Team and its engine supplier Honda Racing Development regarding the future of the two companies. This will include offering the team for sale.”
Nick Fry, Honda Racing F1 team boss has high hopes a buyer can be found, “In the last 12 hours we’ve had three serious people come and suggest they’d like to buy the team,” he told the BBC.
“We’re one of the best-funded teams and have the best assets and resources in the pit lane – we’ll be quite a desirable asset for somebody.”
Honda Racing F1Team Principal, and general F1 mastermind, Ross Brawn is certainly talking up the Honda product, “Our information is that, relative to the other teams, we have a very strong car in development here at Brackley and we will continue to develop the RA109 to ensure a strong start to 2009 and improvement through the season. This is a unique opportunity. The facilities we have here are among the best in the sport…”
The full statement from Honda Motor Co and official responses from Honda Racing F1 team members can be read after the jump.
In dramatic news Honda is set to withdraw from Formula One. While news still filters in this decision is confirmed the team could be gone before Christmas. The Japanese manufacturer is frantically looking for a buyer, but if one can’t be found they will simply close the doors and wind the team up. No doubt, if this does happen, that Ross Brawn will be snapped up very quickly by rival teams, with the ex-Ferrari man already linked to a move back to Maranello. However, the future of driver Jenson Button, as well as the 750-strong Brackley-based team employees, may be less bright, in the short term at least.
It is reported that the Honda F1 Team spends around AU$450 million (£200M) financing their team, and with the global financial crisis hitting car manufacturers hard, you can see why Honda may be starting to count their pennies.
BBC Radio 5 Live’s F1 commentator, David Croft, quoted on the BBC website, says, “This has serious implications for F1, not just because there will be only 18 cars on the grid. It’s the start of the sport as a whole feeling the pinch. Williams are reported to be in financial difficulties, Toyota are trimming down their budget as well.
“Bernie Ecclestone has some serious thinking to do in the next few weeks.”
He added, “Honda spend around £200m annually and had invested heavily in next year as well, including bringing in Ross Brawn as their team principal, the man who masterminded seven world titles for Michael Schumacher.
“But they are a car company whose sales have dropped by 41% in the last quarter, they’re closing their Swindon factory for two months at the start of next year, and obviously feeling the pinch on a global scale.
“If no buyer is found by March, the Honda team will cease to exist in F1.”
There are suggestions, however, that Honda may let the team be sold for as little as £1 if an appropriate backer can be found. (Such a sale would offer the witty adaption of the Honda F1 Team tag line “Powering dreams one pound at a time”.) Other possibilities could see Honda act as an engine supplier only. It is believed Honda will release a press statement detailing their plans sometime around 4pm today (AEDST).
The 2009 season starts on 29 March in Melbourne.
UPDATE: An anonymous quote reported to Associated Press leaves Honda’s desire in no doubt, “Their intention is to pull out entirely — as an engine supplier and sponsor. It’s a shock. I think this came as a total surprise to everyone. No one in the UK was aware of this decision before Thursday night.”
News is being constantly updated via the BBC link below, stay tuned for latest developments.
Source: BBC, autoposrt.com and AssociatedPress
Honda have reportedly offered seven-time F1 World Champion Michael Schumacher a factory backed seat in the 2009 World Superbike Championship. Schumacher has been riding a Honda in the German IDM Superbike series and, according to comments by Honda Racing’s Carlo Fiorani, if Schu wants the SBK gig, it is his for the taking. Quoted in Gazzetta dello Sport, Fiorani said, “For the moment he has not asked us to race in the 2009 world championship. But if he wants to, there is a way for him (to do it). All he has to do is ask us.”
Currently, John Surtees is the only man to win both a Formula 1 and motorcycle world championship.
If I said you could buy a 2006 F1 car for under AU$200,000 you would say I’ve got a few crew members loose in pit lane. However, that is exactly what happened when a 2006 chassis Super Aguri went under the hammer recently. The SA06 racer sold at an internet auction for £85,600 (AU$194,000). The auction was run by SHM Smith Hodgkinson on behalf of Super Aguri’s liquidators. SHM’s Richard Mascall said, “We were absolutely delighted with the outcome. The car sold for £85,600, which is a more than respectable figure and easily more than the original reserve figure.”
The Japanese buyer will now have the keys to the ultimate track day weapon at a price that would raise the interest of captains of industry the world over. Fair enough, the logistics and running costs might up the price a bit in real terms, but it would be pretty ace to own your own F1 car.
The Japanese team made their Formula 1 debut in 2006, but financial difficulties forced their withdrawal from F1 earlier this year, after just four races.
Source: autosport.com (Thanks to Tiaan for sending this in. Pic courtesy of MickyD.)
Ricardo Patrese, former Formula 1 driver, thought it might be a nice idea to take his wife for a nice Sunday drive. They were in a small Japanese hatchback on a quiet road with no traffic. Isn’t that nice.
Fortunately, for your viewing pleasure, Mrs Patrese wasn’t so keen on Ricardo’s driving style. Okay, so the quiet road was the Jerez circuit in Spain, and the hatchback was a Civic Type R. Of course, old racers never die, they just do it faster. I don’t speak Italian, but I know the odd swear word or two, haha.
This clip is a great laugh and the look of horror on Mrs Patrese’s face is beautifully contrasted by Ricardo’s ice cool demeanour. Enjoy!
Source: The Ricardo Patrese blog via autoblog
With the recent release of the MY09 Honda Jazz the Honda PR department conjured up the Urban Fuel Economy Challenge at national media launch last week. The results are now in! During the challenge, both 1.3-litre and 1.5-litre versions of the all-new Jazz returned pretty damn impressive consumption figures of just 5.1 litres/100km across a 60km drive through suburban Melbourne.
That’s better than Honda’s published ADR81/01 figures of 5.8l/100km and 6.4l/100km for the 1.3-litre manual and 1.5-litre manual respectively. Apparently the national average consumption figure for Australia’s vehicle fleet is 11.4l/100km, so naturally Honda is pretty pleased with itself, coming in under half that national figure. The 1.3-litre i-VTEC engine produces just 138gCO2/km when fitted with the manual transmission. However, you may be surprised at how those numbers stack up against another small hatch. Read on…
Honda’s top brass couldn’t wait to trumpet this feel good story about Jazz owner Mary Taylor, a soon to be 90-year-old readying herself for her seventeenth round Australia trip. Seventeenth!
What’s more, young Mary will be singing her own tune as she plans to complete this latest journey solo. A woman after my own heart, Mary says “I’m addicted to solo driving. I love being by myself. I like to make my own decisions. Passengers always want to stop.â€
Mary was 75 when she completed her maiden round Australia voyage, and in preparation for her upcoming drive she booked herself in for a thorough driving assessment. The assessor’s report card read as follows: Mary Taylor’s driving ability is of a very high standard.
Mary will document her journey with a dash-mounted video camera and her laptop, complete with voice-recognition software. She will also take photographs of her Jazz at various locations she visits. She hopes to drive as many as 600 kilometers per day and anticipates her journey along the Australian coastline will take around six weeks, covering between 16,000 to 18,000 kilometers. With precision planning, Mary travels anti-clockwise in order to save petrol and reduce her impact on the environment. “The wind pushes you along. I’ve also done the trip twice in the Civic Hybrid.â€
The Civic Type R has just been announced as the winner of the Best Interior category in the 2008 Wheels Automotive Design Awards. The distinctive exterior of the current model Honda Civic Type R attracts plenty of attention, but if you’ve never seen inside the futuristic looking Honda then you’ve only really seen half the story. The car’s interior takes the drama and electronic trickery to a whole new level.
Sally Dominguez, from ABC TV’s New Inventors, was one of the judges and she said the Civic was a “brilliant and thorough realisation of original concept car. No compromise in execution. Fine, jewel-like detailing.â€