Archive for October, 2014
BTCC 2015: New Team go to Infiniti and Beyond!
Just as the current class has taken their final curtain call for 2014 and the lights fade on yet another season of the British Touring Car Championship, already there comes exciting news from afar. The first announcement regarding the 2015 season has been made, and it is something huge. A new manufacturer has appeared on the horizon, working in conjunction with a team that welcomes a whole new era in motorsport. Ladies and gentleman, may I present to you, ‘Support Our Paras Racing’ and Infiniti Motorsport.
Buzz Lightyear would be proud. Image Credit: BTCC.net
Initially, you may be wondering what or who exactly Infiniti happen to be. Looking at the glorious picture you see before you, it may ring some familiar bells in your mind. One of these bells that may now be ringing with an ever increasing intensity is the similarity in look between the Infiniti and Lexus, and you would be correct in noticing that. In fact, Infiniti and Lexus do indeed share a considerable similarity; they are both the luxury division of famous Japanese manufacturers. Lexus hails from the capable hands of Toyota, while Infiniti is the product of the genius minds of Nissan.
Now when it comes to the BTCC, Nissan is somewhat of a legendary name. Throughout the mid-late 90s, Nissan rose to become one of the best teams the championship had ever seen. In 1998 they clinched the manufacturers title under the piloting of Anthony Reid and the late-great David Leslie. But that was not enough for them, so in 1999 they returned; Leslie along with his new team mate Laurent Aiello clinched both the manufacturers and drivers title, with Aiello just beating Leslie in the drivers title fight. The Vodafone Nissan, along with its drivers became a true legend of the Super Touring era of the BTCC, and their cars can still be seen today racing in the official Historic Super Touring series. With the announcement that Infiniti have entered the championship as a fully fledged manufacturer for 2015, you could just say that an ancient power force is rising from the ashes of the past ready to reignite the Nissan flame once more.
The all conquering Vodafone Nissan Primera has become an icon of 90s BTCC. Image Credit: Piston Heads
Just to add to the excitement of a neo-Nissan return to the sport, the team that is entering the two Infiniti Q50s is called ‘Support Our Paras Racing’. The addition of this team to the championship represents the dawning of a new era in British motorsport. As well as gunning for championship glory, the central aim of the team is to raise both awareness and funds for ‘Support Our Paras’, the official charity for the British Parachute Regiment. Most importantly, any profit the team makes as a result of championship entry will be donated directly to the charity itself.
The charity’s focal objective is to donate money towards the welfare of both injured paras along with their families. Not only that, but as a juicy addition to this, the team will include a number of injured paratroopers who will work in the team to prepare the cars for each race weekend. It truly is a momentous occasion within the BTCC to have such a campaign changing the way we think about motorsport and its ability to impact on people’s lives. The team will not only give work to those injured serviceman who can no longer serve in the parachute regiment but also raise awareness to a whole new motorsport audience.
The new team will give work to those injured in the British Parachute Regiment. Image Credit: BTCC.net
Its a proud moment seeing the ‘Support Our Paras’ logo atop the mighty Infiniti. Image Credit: BTCC.net
‘Support Our Paras Racing’ is headed by Derek Palmer, while the drivers will be Derek Palmer Junior (shockingly it is the son of Derek Palmber senior) and Richard Hawken. Hawken has won previous club championships along with testing for Speedworks. The Palmer father-son duo are most well known for their involvement in the Historic Super Touring series that has taken place in the UK over the last few years. Both are proven race winners, and it would not surprise me if they were up there challenging for wins throughout next year.
Alan Gow, the series Director and main man of the BTCC said:
“It’s fantastic to welcome a new manufacturer to the BTCC and particularly a premium brand such as Infiniti. There’s a great initiative behind the team too, with the ‘Support Our Paras’ charity being such a worthwhile cause. The record-breaking 2014 BTCC season concluded in fine style at Brands Hatch last weekend and the interest in the series continues to grow year-on-year. These entries from Infiniti are further testament to that and we look forward to welcoming the team to Britain’s best championship in 2015.”
There are not enough words in existence that give justice to just how significant this is for not only the BTCC but for motorsport in general. Motorsport has always had a significant following, so to combine this with charity work is a stroke of genius. The British Touring Car Championship in recent years has undergone somewhat of a rebirth, and the addition of a non-profit charity based team will further add to the growing success of the series. In many ways, everyone will benefit from this. The return of a neo-Nissan team, giving injured serviceman jobs in the motorsport industry and most importantly raising awareness and funds is one of the most exciting things to come from British motorsport in recent years.
BTCC is evolving. A new era is upon us. Watch this space
To Infinity and Beyond!
Keep Driving People!
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Peace and Love
When I first heard Paras, I will admit I did think Pokemon…
Disabled Parking: Use and Abuse.
It’s a situation that burns people with a sense of right and fair play: seeing seemingly non disabled drivers parking in clearly marked Disabled Parking spots. Invariably, there’s no indication of a sticker inside the car, a requirement in order to use these spots. Unsurprisingly, when these drivers are talked to by security personnel, there’s an unleashing of swearing and attitude that would shame an old salt. Yet, like so many things we see on the roads nowadays, there’s no need for this, there’s no need for this attitude. and the NSW state government appears to have finally said “enough”
In a move that the government hopes will dissuade non-legal users of the Disabled car parks, it’s been put forward that demerits points for drivers that are caught improperly using Disabled parking spots be implemented and fines increased. In NSW, fines are currently $519 for using the space without a permit and $623 for improperly using a permit. NSW Roads Minister, the Hon. Duncan Gay, says his office is responding to the numbers of enquiries and complaints in regards to improper usage, including a submission from the Lane Cover council. Ironically, Lane Cove councillor, Karola Brent, was photographed parking her Range Rover in a Disabled car space…
Approximately 800,000 Australians are registered to have a Disabled parking sticker, while in NSW, around 16,000 fines are issued annually to people that have breached the regulations. The tough talking Mr Gay said: “Able-bodied people who steal disabled carparks from people who genuinely need them are low-lifes, plain and simple. I’ve asked Roads and Maritime Services to look at introducing demerit point penalties for people parking illegally in disabled carparks. I have utmost sympathy for the people who are disadvantaged by this sick behaviour.”
If you think over $500 for a fine is steep, consider this: the UK fines people up to Au$1840.00 whilst in San Francisco it’s up to Au$1100.00. The message is clear: don’t park in the wrong spot, take responsibility when you’re hauled up on it and be prepared to be stung when you’re caught.
What do you think: shound demerit points be introduced or should the fines be heavier?
No Hat Required: Volvo XC60 D4.
Volvo’s best seller is its mid size SUV contender, the XC60 D4, a nomenclature that says, simply, it’s a four cylinder diesel. Having never driven a Volvo before and having only one driving experience, that with Robert Dahlgren and the S60 Polestar as part of the 2014 Top Gear Festival Sydney, it’s with an open mind that the XC60 is approached.
The Donk.
The XC60 tested has a frugal, 2.0L, four cylinder diesel, with peak power being 133kW, at a high (for a diesel) 4250 rpm. There’s significant twisting force on offer, with 400 torques between 1750 to 2500 revs. 
Although it is a narrow torque band, it’s working with a gearbox that has eight ratios, spreading the load and the love. It’s no rocketship, with a zero to one hundred time of 8.5 seconds however those numbers are tempered by its bulk; at 1748kg dry, it’s no featherweight. It’s rare to hear the characteristic chatter of the diesel, intruding only rarely and tending to be at startup and hard acceleration, otherwise it’s barely noticeable. The XC60 has stop/start tech for the engine as well, to conserve fuel and reduce emissions (127g per kilometre) by switching the engine off when the vehicle has come to a stop. It’s somewhat disconcerting for passengers that aren’t aware of how it works.
The Suit.
Designers quickly worked out that, when it came to SUV styling, that the traditional three box look was not a winner and Volvo has been quick to work curved magic on the XC60 sheetmetal. From the smooth and aero looking nose cone through to the tapered rear, there’s nary a straight line, The front has some trapezoidal design elements in the bumper, the headlights have a seemingly teardrop look sitting above two strips of LED driving lights whilst the lower air intake has a whiff of Aston Martin. There’s a strongly defined creaseline from the front guards through to the rear, fading into the fold that terminates in the rear lights. It’s a bold look and draws the eye to the sloping tailgate, framed by the stylish tail light clusters. The rear bumper has chrome inserts and hides the exhausts whilst the tailgate itself is power operated, via keyfob, dash button and insert in the gate itself. There’s roof rails and folding wing mirrors to complete the package.
On The Inside.
There’s an immediate standout to the Volvo uninitiated: the sublime design of the centre console stack which is a brushed aluminuim, floating look. It’s classy to look at (Volvo call it Copper Dawn), ergonomic by being tilted towards the driver and has a mostly user friendly button layout. I say mostly because intrumentation should be intuitive; dual zone climate control should be easy to work, for example, but there doesn’t appear to be a simple one button press to link both sides for temperature. Volvo has an onboard user manual (great green thinking but who wants to sit in a car reading an electronic book?) and the central locking system, once the car had stopped and turned off, required a double press of the interior door handle to unlock that OR press the actual central locking button twice for all doors. Apparently there’s a bypass 
procedure, I couldn’t find it.
The layout of the stack has an ideogram of a human for aircon flow direction but is unusual in having a phone keypad as well. It does take up some room and may be better served by incorporating, like so many others, a touch screen at the top of the centre console, which, in this case, is simply an info screen. Being a European car, obviously, the indicator stalk is on the left side of the adjustable steering column, with a button and jog dial that accesses info but also allows the centre and (fully digital, looks great) dash screen 
to change through a choice of three display settings, modifying the info and layout shown. Satnav via the Sensus Connect system, however, is a near $3K option…but there is an app to allow web access by using your smartphone. In the rear cargo area, with 495L (seats up), there’s some under cover storage as well, by lifting the nicely carpeted locker cover. The eight speaker audio system is also very good, being nicely balanced and with some good punch, aiding the experience. Naturally there’s auxiliary inputs plus Bluetooth streaming for music, that gorgeous 7 inch LCD screen, plenty of safety 
with airbags everywhere and hazard light activation for emergency braking and emergency situations.
There’s full leather seating (heating at the front), memory for the driver, a pollen filter for the aircon plus vents in the pillars for the rear seat passengers, split fold rear seats which sit a bit higher than the front row and a cargo blind, face level B pillar mounted vents, plus a soft move and velour lined centre console bin, all contributing to a premium feel.
On The Road.
It’s an SUV but not as you know it: it’s not intended to be anything other than a midlargish two wheel drive diesel SUV. There’s no transfer case, 
no traction modes for anything other than tarmac and the tyres (235/65/17 Michelin Latitude Sport) are asymmetric in tread and not intended for anything else, really, than a road. So, within those guidelines (as an AWD version of the D4 is on its way), it works pretty well. There’s a touch of push on understeer with the relatively high sidewalls flexing and it’s noticeable in the driver’s seat, some noticeable body roll at times but the suspension does a good job of dismissing the smaller bumps before firming up and being a touch niggly. Undulations are despatched with ease and the XC60 rarely became truly unsettled, even into some sloping off camber turns. Under way the eight ratio gearbox moves quickly and quietly as the diesel settles down into its ryhthm, only really noticeable on startup with the chatter. Sports Mode on the transmission does makes things a touch quicker, however neither mode can do much about the turbo lag below 1700revs or so plus, there were times when the gearbox was seemingly caught unaware, with a clunk and thud at certain throttle input levels. The steering is light, a touch numb on centre and doesn’t really feel as if you’re connected to the road 100%. The stop/start system (it can be turned off) is sometimes intrusive, with a cutoff point of close to five km/h the engine goes off the grid and sometimes it’s a bare breath before you can move forward, restarting the engine. It is, however, impressively quick to do so; also impressive is the hush inside, even on Sydney’s goat track coarse bitumen, with plenty of work being put in to isolate the cockpit from the noise outside.
The Wrap.
Volvo has well and truly shrugged off its boxy headache in recent times; exterior designs are sexy, slinky, curvy, interiors are comfortable, welcoming and ambitious. The XC60’s ride is good enough for most drivers however the technology may overwhelm. I’m reasonably tech savvy yet found myself bemused and befuddled by Volvo’s system; for the life of me, I couldn’t find the override for the central locking, for example. It took a while to absorb how the menu system works as once an item is selected then the various dials and buttons work only for that selection. It’s a cool look to the interior and being able to tailor the digital dash is handy, maybe a touch gimmicky but the information available, once you figure out how to use the system, is considerable. Ride quality is quite acceptable as is handling and as long as a driver doesn’t expect rocket launch acceleration then there’s enough available. Fuel economy, given the predominantly suburban driving, ended up around 7.0L per 100 kilometres.
Overall, however, the XC60 failed to tick, for me, an important box, the one marked “Excitement” and that’s proved hard to identify why. It’s nice to drive, looks ok, has a plush enough interior….It’s just under $60K and, as tested, was a tick over $62K (metallic paint is a whopping $1750 option!) and is, naturally, well equipped. For information on the XC60 (and other Volvo products) head to www.volvo.com.au and for A Wheel Thing TV: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GtIht5dgKiI&feature=em-upload_owner
Hydrogen Fuel Cells and How They Work
Hydrogen fuel cells are the new player in the area of alternative fuel and sustainable motoring. At the time of writing, there aren’t any production cars fitted with hydrogen fuel cell technology but there are a number of manufacturers that have plans to launch them at some point in the near future; Toyota , Honda and Mercedes are the most talked-about names in this department. All the same, there are a few vehicles already out there that have been rigged out with fuel cell technology, mostly as demo or concept vehicles.
The Toyota FCV concept at the 2013 Tokyo motor show: a fuel cell vehicle that we could see on the roads some day.
This is not to say that fuel cell technology hasn’t been tried and tested. It got its real launch (literally) back in the 1980s when NASA fitted them onto the Space Shuttle and the Apollo projects before that, as their space- and fuel-saving ability were very attractive for outer space missions. In fact, they were invented back in the early 1800s when scientists were starting to tinker around with electricity (cue conspiracy theories now).
OK, so how do hydrogen fuel cells work and how practical are they for the everyday motorist?
In a nutshell, a fuel cell is kind of like a battery. A fuel cell generates electricity, which can be used for whatever you fancy, including getting the engine and the other bits and pieces working inside a car. It generates electricity by the way the chemicals provided by the fuel interact with each other, again similar to what a battery does. However, unlike a battery, it only does this reaction when oxygen is fed to the system, meaning you can switch the process on and off.
A fuel cell consists of three main parts: the anode (the bit where the electrons that create the charge flow out of), the cathode (the bit where the electrons flow to) and an electrolyte for the charge to move through. Fans of sports drinks may recognise the term “electrolyte”. This is because you have dozens of electrochemical connections that are rather similar to a fuel cell in your body’s nervous system (they’re at work while you’re reading this) and an electrolyte is anything that creates positive or negative charge when added to water. There’s usually some way of getting the air to the system to get the reaction started.
A car fitted with hydrogen fuel cell technology is more or less an electric car, although the fuel cell needs to be topped up from time to time with hydrogen. The oxygen is supplied by the air we all breathe, so that’s not a problem.
You may wonder where they hydrogen goes if it needs constantly topping up. Is this creating some sort of exhaust? Technically speaking, it is producing a “waste” product that is a compound consisting of two hydrogen molecules and one oxygen molecule: H2O or good old water.
There are, however, a few downsides to hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. The first one is the lack of bowsers that dispense hydrogen. They do exist in some parts of the US so far, but they are rather rare. This is the biggest problem with the potential uptake of vehicles using this technology. Not only would you have to develop bowsers for dispensing hydrogen gas but you’d also have to find some way of getting the hydrogen gas from where it’s been manufactured to the pump, which would mean a whole new industry (come to think of it, this probably isn’t a bad thing – it’s getting started that’s the problem). This would mean a few logistics and health and safety issues, too: hydrogen is really, really explosive (ever heard of the Hindenburg disaster?).
The problem with setting up a whole new infrastructure for hydrogen technology contrasts with the situation with plug-in electric vehicles. We’ve already got the electrical network in place, so it’s a simple case of putting in a few more places to plug in, plus a few more sources of electricity if needed.
Hydrogen production isn’t an issue, though. At the moment, hydrogen gas is a by-product of quite a few industries, especially those to do with ammonia and methanol – and that’s just a few of them. Often, the process of turning the really nasty carbon monoxide into CO2 (which does have its good side) involves water donating an oxygen molecule to the pollutant CO, leaving hydrogen gas behind. You can also get hydrogen from ordinary water and from sea water (or waste water), so there are a lot of juicy possibilities for the future.
So what should the typical Aussie driver of today think about hydrogen fuel cell vehicles? At the moment, you’d probably do better with an electric or hybrid vehicle, as there aren’t too many places where you can grab hydrogen at this stage. However, when things get off the ground (and I mean “when” rather than “if”), they will be a good way of powering our cars as we go from A to B. I’m looking forward to it!
More information about hydrogen fuel cell technology and progress can be found at the following links:
- http://www.hydrogenaustralia.org/
- http://www.csiro.au/Outcomes/Energy/Gas-Processing-Conversion-Fuel-Future/Project—Hydrogen-and-synthetic-fuel-production.aspx
Happy driving,
Megan
Level 2, 9 Help Street