Archive for 2015
Light It Up For Safety.
I’ve been in and around motorsport for close to fifteen years now; a massive, huge, ginormous part of motorsport is the safety aspect, with engineered in crash absorption, roll cages, harnesses and more. In a retail environment, car salespeople will talk about ABS, energy adsorption, traction control, airbags and the like however true road safety is STILL up to the driver. Only the person behind the wheel presses the accelerator, steers the wheel, presses the brake, uses the indicator and, when it’s dark, turns on the headlights.
Or do they?
Modern cars come with a headlight switch with Off/Auto/Low Beam/High Beam, with the Auto linked to a sensor that reads light levels; so, for example, when going into a tunnel, they should come on by themselves and go off when back in daylight. It does seem that too many drivers leave that switch in the Off position, so, when it’s dark or foggy or raining or all three, they have a car that is unseen to other drivers on the road. Early mid January saw a deluge start in South Australia (going a LONG way to helping the brave fire brigade members) and move east towards and over Sydney. Starting mid afternoon Saturday 10 January and continuing well into Sunday, Sydney and a good proportion of New South Wales were under grey skies, with solid light rain and mist greeting drivers. Disturbingly, a disproportionate number of drivers chose to ignore safety by not using their headlights. Here’s a video from overseas showing just how much easier it is to see vehicles with headlights on during a rain spell: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ndD0Jtlg0YU
http://www.wikihow.com/Drive-Safely-in-the-Rain offers up some simple, common sense, tips when it comes to driving in the rain, covering not just using headlights but driving to the conditions, having good tyres etc.
Quite simply, a good driver is one that understands that safety is more than simply adhering to a speed limit; common sense, courtesy, an understanding of the ability of yourself AND the vehicle you’re driving, driving appropriately for the conditions and utilising CORRECTLY the equipment your vehicle is fitted with go a long, long way to being a safe driver. Because a speed limit sign says 110 kilometres per hour doesn’t mean you SHOULD drive at that speed if the weather is composed of howling rain, three metres of visibility and an inch of water on the road. A safe driver would drive at a velocity lower than that. They’d also ensure that headlights are lit, windscreen wipers are engaged and the interior demisting system is working.
See here how the silver car blends nicely into the background, whilst the darker coloured car, illuminated, stands out much more clearly.
Using headlights, is it REALLY that hard to do?
BTCC Drivers 2015: Return of the Priaulx Powerhouse
The new look WSR BMW 125i M Sport for Andy Priaulx. Image Credit: BTCC.net
The Autosport International Show 2015 is underway and very much in full motorized swing, revealing all the latest developments ahead of the new season. As the years roll by, one of the highlights for me has always been the BTCC announcements, and this year is most definitely no exception. As I tuned myself in on the first day, Dick Bennetts of West Surrey Racing took to the stage to reveal that multiple champion Andy Priaulx MBE would be returning to the championship. Andy Priaulx has not c0mpeted in the British championship since 2002, but he has always been one of my favourite touring car drivers. For a man that has achieved so much, here his driver profile ahead of the 2015 BTCC season.
What many people probably do not know about Priaulx is that his earliest time in the spotlight came as far back as 1995 when he took the British Hillclimb Championship in spectacular form. This young gun definitely had something to prove and the talent to go with it. After a couple of slightly low-key years in the world of single seaters (with a break to completely dominate the Renault Spider Championship in 1999), Andy got a guest drive in the BTCC in 2001 at Oulton Park in the Egg Sport Vauxhall. It was then that the touring car magic truly began.
Andy Priaulx was one of the standout drivers of 2002. Image Credit: mattsalisbury.co.uk
In his first touring car drive, he managed to leave the jaws of the championship regulars firmly set on the floor by storming to both pole positions, leaving the weekend with a well deserved 2nd place and one retirement. 2002 saw Andy signed by the returning Honda team in their new Civic Type-R. Recently, I have started a compilation of BTCC Memorable Drives and there was no way I could start such a list and not include Priaulx and his staggering 2002 drive. As a rookie to the championship, he delivered solidly across the year, achieving a much deserved win at Knockhill (after nearly throwing it all away in the closing laps). He ended the year 5th in the standings; not bad for a new driver. As the car was developed more, he was one of the few drivers who took the fight to the dominant Vauxhall team and pushed that car to its limits. It may have been a small car, but Priaulx made it a massive contender. Following his BTCC successes, it was time for Priaulx to move on up to the European and World rankings. It was time for the British motorsport empire to return to power.
In the BMW UK car, Priaulx stormed to 4 titles in a row (ETCC/WTCC). Image Credit: Phil Volkaerts
As soon as Priaulx entered what was then the European Touring Car Championship, everything fell into place. In 2004 at the end of the final race, he and Dirk Muller were tied on points, but due to the higher number of wins for Priaulx, the championship was his. For 2005, the championship became known how it is today, as the World Touring Car Championship. And against foes such as Tarquini, Farfus Junior, Giovanardi and Coronel, Andy triumphed his way to 3 further titles. If that is not a sign of true greatness in a driver, then simply none other exists.
The key to success with Priaulx has always been consistency. He may not have the aggressive streak that many other drivers have, but he will consistently score throughout the season (often without actually winning) and find himself in championship contention come the closing rounds of the year. For example, his WTCC crown in 2005 came off the back of one solitary race victory throughout the year. Usually you would expect the overall winner to be a frequent victor. By hanging back and letting those in front fight it out, he could often cruise to high finishes with a lot less risk than those gunning for glory. Aggression is only one part of what contributes to a truly legendary driver. Motorsport requires a great deal of cunning, precision and in many cases, restraint.
Just to complete the touring car set, it only made sense for the Guernsey man to get behind the wheel in both V8 Supercars and DTM. It was only ever guest drives that Priaulx would get in the V8s, but he did record an impressive 2nd place partnering Craig Lowndes at Surfers Paradise in 2010. Rumours began to circulate that he would move to a full time in the Australian championship, alas nothing ever materialised. All that remained for Priaulx in the touring car world was DTM, however his 2012 and 2013 were not filled with much success.
So where do you go when you have made your way through the worlds greatest touring car series? Of course the next step can only be the worlds greatest sports endurance races, obviously.
DTM was not kind to Priaulx, although the car did look pretty good. Image Credit: andypriaulx.com
Priaulx has now become no stranger to endurance racing, having taken part in the Le Mans 24 Hour (and finished 2nd on the second occasion) as well as the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup in which he completed the season 2nd overall. He even came away with a win at the 12 Hour Sebring Race. Most recently, Andy has been competing in what was the American Le Mans Series (ALMS) but has now become the United Sports Car Championship (ULSCC) in the GTLM BMW Z4 GTE. He finished 2014 in 8th, achieving a season best of 2nd at Laguna Seca (probably one of the hardest tests of any driver anywhere in the world).
To compete in one championship is hard enough for the best of drivers, but Priaulx will not only be taking part in the BTCC, but also the European Le Mans Series and the USCC for Team Turner. On his BTCC BMW, Priaulx has brought with him long term sponsor IHG. In recent seasons, Andy has been known to be sporting the Crowne Plaza sponsorship, so I was shocked when they were not revealed as the title sponsor for the BTCC car. The result of these multiple commitments is one clash at Rockingham which could prove to be fatal if he is fighting for the championship. Many people have doubted his ability to win races in his championship return, but in 2002 he managed to get a brand new Honda to the top step of the podium. I believe that in the BMW especially which has become the strongest car over the last year, he has a genuine chance at fighting for the championship.
Furthermore, BMW has been the car of choice for Priaulx for the most part of his racing career, so if there was any car that he would feel most comfortable in, it would be the RWD BMW 125i. Interestingly, I enjoyed the comments he made at the Autosport reveal, arguing that apart from the slight start line advantage, the RWD cars do not have that much of an advantage and even have to run on tyres made for FWD. I will be interested to see how a certain Jason Plato reacts to these comments.
In the official announcement at the Autosport Show, Priaulx said that he felt there was so much unfinished business in Europe, especially the BTCC after his 2002 debut season. The BTCC is fast returning to its status as the worlds premier tin top race series, and for a driver such as Priaulx it is an offer almost impossible to resist. With such a big name in Priaulx, I believe it ends any rumours that Plato may also may move to WSR. Plato quite famously likes being the big dog in his team of choice (or this may also be influenced by his sponsors).
Dick Bennetts also said that Priaulx would hold the number ‘111’ to represent his 3 World Touring Car titles. From his Hillclimb beginnings, Andy Priaulx has become one of the greatest living racing drivers. I cannot express just how excited I am to see one of my all time favourite drivers returning to my all time favourite championship.
Let me know your comments on this news on Twitter @lewisglynn69!
Keep Driving People!
Peace and Love!
A true legend of racing. image Credit: gamepod.com
Movers and Shakers: The Numbers from 2014.
Cardigan wearers around the country have erupted into cheers of joy after news of their favourite car, the Toyota Corolla, was the highest selling car in Australia for 2014. Meanwhile, there were tears of red and blue as figures for the once mighty Holden and Ford brands showed that, in 2014 at least, the love affair was over. The red lion delivered just 106000 cars whilst the blue oval found just 79703 new homes, its worst result in 23 years and the tenth year in a row the numbers have fallen. Industry analysts were heard to mutter that it was all Tony Abbott’s fault whilst others complained that it was the Kardashian family’s fault because they’d sucked all of the usable oxygen from the atmosphere, making people hallucinate and believe that an SUV was actually pink, flew and had a curly tail. What’s notable about the Ford sales disaster (even with a $200 offer put forward by an attractive brunette) is that it’s across the board, not just the once indomitable Falcon and trusty Territory.
The last time the bird car led the list was in 1995, with a sniff over 81000 being parked in new driveways, whilst 1985 saw the blue oval peak at just under 171000.
Toyota’s Japanese nemesis, the name challenged Mazda (relying on simple numbers rather than alphabetical wordy type stuff for names), is well placed for a tilt at the crown, with 100700 numbered cars leaving dealerships, but they themselves are under threat from Korea’s Goliath, Hyundai. A mere 700 veehickles separated the two at year’s end and with new models an updates due for 2015, there’s little doubt that the car version of Samsung is on a charge. Back to the T and M brands: Corolla and 3 swapped the lead three times in five months after July, when the T car finally slipped past with a mammoth lead of……21 sales.
Although Toyota looked the goods in 2014, like endless views of Miley Cyrus’s wrecked balls, even they got a bit on the nose. It was the third year in a row we saw the numbers tumble for the big T; they’ve been on the down pointed slope since ’08, when over 238K Toyotas were sold, in 2014 that tumbled to 203500. Adding to the fire is the sheer and simple fact that we Aussies can’t be stuffed buying Aussie cars (not that’s to be an issue soon) with less than one in ten cars bought being kangaroo flavoured. A mere decade ago, in 2005, it was one in four. How times change…
Ford, however, is due to see a complete revamp of their range over the next two years, including the release of the Mustang, finally engineered at the factory for right hand drive; for blue oval fans, this can’t come quick enough. For followers of the red lion, it’s still unconfirmed if the GM brand will send their tudor down under. The same goes for Chrysler/Dodge with some beautifully shaped vehicles available in the states, along with some hi-po mumbo. Personally, I’ve crossed everything that’s crossable to hope they move some metal down here.
New Year Resolutions For Driving: 2015 Edition
New Year Resolutions are a bit of a cliché, really. Most of them are made in a fit of hangover-induced repentance on January 1st itself or are far too optimistic. Most of them also get broken come the beginning of February, too. However, there’s something about that fresh-looking calendar or diary that simply begs for a new beginning and new goals. A chance to break bad habits and to acquire some good ones. And we can all do with that every so often. So here, for 2015, are a handful of resolutions for drivers. Join me in adopting as many of the following as you fancy.
- Drive more fuel-efficiently. Ideally, this should include purchasing a new vehicle that has stop/start function for waiting at traffic lights and possibly a hybrid motor into the bargain. However, as the family budget doesn’t permit this, I’d better drive my Volvo S70 as frugally as possibly. This will involve not being heavy footed, finding the best revs for the situation and not idling for ages.
- Keep up my clean driving record. I have never had a speeding ticket or been done for driving under the influence. I’ll admit that this actually means that I haven’t been caught, as that speedo needle seems to creep up above the limit when I’m keeping my eyes on the road ahead. However, as the cops seem to think that every car should have cruise control and exactly the right tyres inflated to exactly the right pressure (this affects what appears on your speedo – seriously!), I’d better tighten up. If you don’t have a clean driving record, then why not make 2015 your year for getting no speeding tickets?
- Keep my car clean from rubbish. I am not one of those ladies with filthy cars where you have to sweep half a dozen old magazines and a packet of chips off the passenger seat before you get in. However, all cars that get used as Mum’s Taxi (or Dad’s Taxi) have a tendency to accumulate food wrappers, stray bits of paper, odd socks (so that’s where they all get to!), books and other debris. I probably won’t go to the extremes of vacuuming and scenting the interior of the car on a weekly basis, but keeping it free from rubbish is pretty important. They say that you can get better fuel economy by not carrying too heavy a load in your car, and all those sports shoes and paperbacks do add up.
- Do more of my own car repairs and maintenance. This is going to involve beating my other half to the job, as he loves tinkering with cars and gives me the “I’ll do that for you, darling,” routine. However, there may come a day when I need to do something when he’s away on business and I’m going to have to do it myself. Oil, water, wiper fluid, oil and air filters… they’re not hard to do, after all! Passing these skills onto my teenage kids will be a sub-clause of this resolution. Basic car maintenance is one of those skills that nobody should leave home without, like cooking and being able to do your own laundry.
That should do it. There are no apologies for not coming up with a list of ten resolutions. Nobody should take on a list of ten resolutions in one year, for driving or anything else.
All the best for 2015 and happy driving,
Megan
Level 2, 9 Help Street