Archive for September, 2015
BTCC Memorable Drives: The Power of the Four Rings
Image Credit: BTCC.net
With the news that Rob Austin Racing are set to drop the Audi A4 at the end of the 2015 season in search of another manufacturer, it would seem fitting that I provide a little bit of the history of the famous four rings. The story begins in 1996 when Audi announced that they would be entering the championship as a factory entry.
From the moment that the A4 Quattro set foot in the championship, there was a reaction similar to that of the Alfa Romeo team in 1994. Where in 1994 the debate lay around the extendable wings on the Alfa Romeo 155, the issue in 1996 was the 4WD ability of the Audi team. The 1996 season was utterly dominated by Frank Biela in the Audi. Of the 26 rounds in the year, Biela would only finish outside the top four 3 times. That’s right, 3 times. On top of that, he had a 100% efficiency rate, even taking into account his disqualification from the second race at Snetterton.
The only man who could even try to put up a fight to the Audi domination was the Swiss ace Menu in his Williams Renault. While Biela was charging off into a lead he would never lose, his team mate John Bintcliffe was not sharing Frank’s success. He may not have been the number 2 in the title hunt, but he only recorded 6 results that were outside the top 10. An impressive feat from the Audi team.
Image taken from: Autocar.co.uk
In 1997, Audi’s luck would somewhat change as an imposed weight penalty would hinder their performance. It was argued that the 4WD was too much of an advantage over the other teams, so to balance everything out it seemed fair to have a weight addition. It was hardly like Audi could complain much about it, considering BMW had always suffered with a weight penalty for their RWD cars (don’t tell Jason Plato about that now, he’ll be wanting all the modern RWD BTCC machines with a weight penalty).
As we all know, 1997 saw Alain Menu storm to the championship, never at any point losing the lead. Biela would still score strong finishes, but the added bonus from 1996 prevented him for taking consistent wins. Well, this is of course until it started raining. It does not take a genius to guess that a 4WD car works considerably better in the rain than 2-wheel drive.
After an appeal by the Audi team, the weight penalty was reduced in the second half of 1997 and once more the Audi’s were fighting for the top places. In fact, Biela was the only man who stood between Menu and his title. Alas not even Biela could stop the Menu stranglehold.
When 1998 rolled around, Biela departed and was replaced by the then relatively unknown Frenchman Yvan Muller. On top of that, the 4WD model was replaced by the 2 wheel drive A4 to stop any weight penalty on the car. The difference between the two years was staggering, but that did not stop Muller banging in some great drives in the Audi. At the close of 1998, it was thought to be the end for the four rings; Audi joined the ranks with the likes of Nissan, Volvo and Renault, all of whom took the decision to pull out due to the spiralling costs needed for success.
Had the power of the rings come to an end?
Many years rolled by, but all was not lost. A tiny light began to flicker.
Beautifully demonic. Rob Austin brings Audi back. Photo Credit: BTCC.net
A small team by the name of Rob Austin Racing entered a lone Audi A4. Little did anyone know that both car and driver would become an icon of the modern BTCC. Since 2011, Rob Austin has run the eponymous Audi A4 (Sherman) with ever increasing success. Rob at one time was partnered by Will Bratt, before being joined by his current partner in crime Hunter Abbott in 2014.
Rob has always run an independent team, with no factory support from Audi themselves. However, that has not stopped him achieving some spectacular podiums alongside two dazzling victories, both of which coming at Rockingham. Let us not forget, Rockingham is just around the corner. Fingers crossed! Rob Austin and Sherman have become one of the most popular teams on the grid, and it will be a shame to see Rob dropping the Audis for his 2016 campaign.
After a successful Knockhill campaign, Rob Austin goes to the track where he has enjoyed the most success of any other. It is time for Austin to bring the rock to Rockingham.
All that remains is the former Audi of American Robb Holland, now driven by Nicholas Hamilton and the AmD team. With Austin retiring the A4s, it may very well be that the Audi S3 Saloon is the last of a once great breed. A species on the verge of extinction.
Will Audi go the way of Vauxhall, Volvo and Nissan? Is this the end of the four rings?
Such a colourful history in the series – Audi have become one of THE iconic names in the best touring series the world has ever seen.
Keep Driving People!
Follow my BTCC antics for this weekend at Rockingham on Twitter @lewisglynn69
Peace and Love!
Private Fleet Car Review: 2015 Volkswagen Jetta 118 TSI Trendline
The Volkswagen Jetta has long been regarded as a Golf with a boot. That may very well be the case, but there are a few other cars around that had or have sedan and hatch versions. It’s certainly no less of a vehicle for having a boot, so how does it really stack up? Dave Conole tests the Trendline 118 TSI version.
Bottom line: it’s typical VW. That’s neither an endorsement or condemnation, it’s an observation of what the car is. First up, it drives well enough, it looks nice enough on the outside and in, was economical to a T (around 6.5L per 100 klicks on standard unleaded) and that’s pretty much most people look for. Whilst the SUV onslaught continues, it’s still nice to know car companies haven’t given up on sedans. Let’s take a look at the entry to a five model range…
Under the bonnet is the VW family’s 1.4L TSI engine (There’s also a 2.0L TSI and a same sized diesel in the range, plus a six speed manual or 6 speed DSG). Turbocharging and supercharging gives it plenty of torque, 240 Nm of it, from a handy and useable 1500 revs through to 4500 revs. Peak power is decent enough, with 118 kw on board (5800 rpm) but it’s a figure few will really ever take advantage of. VW recommends that the Jetta drink at least 95 RON, (preferably) or 98 Premium Unleaded from its 55L tank to extract the best performance from the 1337 kg (plus passengers and fuel) sedan.
Transmission was the well sorted 7 speed DSG (Direct Shift Gearbox) from the VW family; it’s good, in the Jetta, really good. Smooth, crisp changes under acceleration, barely noticeable shifts in day to day driving (or, in other words, working as designed), only occasional stuttering in slow motion traffic. Naturally there’s manual shifting, (transmission selector only, no paddles) which was only called upon in certain downhill situations when the DSG would hold gear (generally third) and the preference wasn’t for the one chosen.
It’s an economical package as well, with the readout showing 6.5L of 95 RON petrol consumed for every 100 kilometres. Bearing in mind that the natural environment for the Jetta is urban, that’s a pretty damned good figure. Even better, it’s nearly the same figure VW says is a combined consumption number, with highway rated at 5.3L and urban at 7.7L…That’s potentially helped by that relatively low weight.
Styling wise, there’s a clear resemblance to the Audi A4 sedan, which is no bad thing. Apart from the Scirocco and perhaps the Golf R, it’s hard to say that any VW vehicle is truly stylish but there’s nowhere near a need for a paper bag either. It’s not especially compact with a 4659 mm length, 2651 mm wheelbase (good interior room, as a result), stands just 1453 mm tall and is 1773 wide, yet clever packaging manages to make the Jetta look a smaller car than it is.
There’s the familiar VW corporate look at the front, being uncluttered, clean, easy to look at. There’s bulb lit driving lights, no LED’s, a simple creaseline along the side drawing the eye to the rear and it’s as simple and clean and uncluttered as the nose.
The aforementioned “Golf with a boot” scenario? There’s a massive 510L with the rear seats folded up which jumps to a (cough) “decent” 1858L seats down.
A Wheel Thing presumes that’s good enough for most people. Speaking of the boot, the section (naturally) houses the tail light cluster, which is also clean and uncluttered in design.
The interior is very much along the same design philosophy; the seats were black coth,most of the plastics were simple in print style, there’s the monochrome centre of dash display, dot matrix radio screen and simple to follow aircon controls. The seats themselves were supportive, manually operated and comfortable. All controls on the steering wheel where black and white in plastic and labels, again in keeping with the overall theme.
Ride and handling is more than competent for a car this size and in its class. Acceleration is startling and gives the 205/55/16 tyres cause for concern off the line. There’s little choppiness over bumps, it sits flat and taut on the freeway and off camber turns are dispatched nonchalantly, with no hint of the chassis becoming unsettled enough to fire you off into the bushes.
Steering is precise, measured, with no sense of the front wheels not going exactly where your mind thinks they should be. In slow traffic, there’s a deftness to the steering; in freeway traffic, it’s light enough to require only a brief expenditure of thought and effort. It’s a very well weighted and sorted package. Having a nice to hold tiller helps as well.
Naturally there’s all of the safety features expected along with a well weighted pedal feel for braking. EBD (Electronic Brake Distribution) is on board to allocate braking force where required, there’s six airbags as standard, Brake Assist and Hill Start Assist (holds the brakes momentarily when in Drive, on a hill, when pressing the accelerator) whilst the body is also engineered to provide crumple zones and a you’ll get a 12 year perforation warranty, should a stone nick the paint enough to expose bare metal. There’s the ISOFIX mounts for junior occupants, reflectors inserted into the doors for night time safety and auto door locks which engage once the car is in motion.
The Wrap.
Jetta is more than just a “Golf with a boot”, it’s its own car in its own right. It’s economical (tick), comfortable to be in and has plenty of space(tick),has unconfusing controls (tick), drives well and handles well (tick), looks fine enough on the outside with true European styling (tick) and isn’t expensive to buy at around $22K starting price (tick).
Factor in the quality build and warranty/service factors and the Jetta deserves a higher spot on your cars to consider ladder. Head over here: Volkswagen Jetta range and information for all you’ll need to know.
Stereotypes: The Granny Hatch
Usually seen: In driveways or garages of little cottages or units, supermarket carparks in the middle of the day, outside charity shops.
Typical examples: Suzuki Swift , Fiat Uno, Honda Jazz .
Description:
(Disclaimer: although this car is referred to as a granny hatch, it could equally be driven by Grandpa. However, given the life expectancy stats for the sexes, it’s more likely that the lone elderly driver will be female.)
Granny hatchbacks are, of course, hatchbacks, usually of the three-doored variety, unless Granny has taken to breeding dogs in her semi-retirement, in which case she will have a five-door to let the doggies in and out. Even if she isn’t a dog breeder, there is a high chance that there will be something small, fluffy and yappy bouncing up and down on the rear seat when Granny is in the supermarket picking up the groceries.
Granny does her best on a small pension, so frugality is the name of the game. When she does get down to the garage where the attendant will fill up the tank for her, she doesn’t want a nasty bill at the end of it, especially as she remembers the days when fuel was a lot less than a dollar a litre (the price of things these days….). The hatchback will have a teeny weeny engine and superb fuel economy – the engine size will never be over 2.5 litres. The granny hatch of today may be a hybrid or even an electric car. However, the granny hatch has probably been Granny’s faithful form of transport for years. In some cases, the car even has a name.
There is probably a pillow on the driver’s seat to supplement any lumbar support in the seats. Apart from this, you will not find much floating around in the cabin. Inspection of the glovebox and other storage compartments will reveal a very well-thumbed map that is somewhat yellowed and softened with age, with some bits rubbed off where the creases have been folded and unfolded for years. The map is probably also out-of-date and doesn’t have the bypass leading to the new subdivision on the edge of town. You will also find a packet of old-fashioned wrapped sweets, such as barley sugars or Lifesaver mints, a box of tissues and a few loose coins just in case. . If Granny is particularly old-fashioned, there may be a pair of driving gloves. Some cars have a strategically placed plastic bag for used tissues and sweet wrappers. Recent additions may include a doggy seatbelt to comply with the new dogs in cars laws in some states
When Granny passes on to a better world or becomes incapable of driving, used car salespeople will rub their hands in glee at the prospect of being able to sell a car that really has had one little old lady owner. However, prospective buyers ought to be aware that if this really is the truth, the engine won’t have had much hot running and the clutch has seen a lot of action and may be a bit worn.
Of course, not all grannies drive little hatchbacks. My late grandmother bought herself an Alfa Romeo sports car when she reached her 70s. Unfortunately, I didn’t get it in her legacy (I got the collection of vintage clothing).
Safe and happy driving,
Megan
Level 2, 9 Help Street