Life With A Learner Driver
For some time now, my teenage son has had his learner’s licence and the blue-tack holding the L-plates to the back and front windows is starting to get a bit the worse for wear. It doesn’t seem like that long ago that we were having to explain which pedal was which…
Most of us who have teenagers go through the journey of watching them progress through the licenses and become fully fledged motorists. It’s quite an emotional roller coaster – and some journeys feel physically like a roller coaster, too. However, in spite of what it can do to your stress levels at times, I recommend that parents encourage children to get their drivers’ licences early on. Not only does it suddenly make your kids grow up and learn some responsibility but it also saves hassles later on. If you’d seen one of my friend’s daughters wind up as a young mother with no driver’s licence, or if you’d seen one of my other friends constantly ferrying around a teenage boy who prefers a gaming console to a steering wheel, you’d feel that way too.
BTCC Manufacturer Madness: Can We Bring Them Back?
For many years, intrepid explorers have ventured deep into the vast depths of the British Touring Car Championship to see what we can understand and learn about this fascinating world. Searching through the great annals of its past, it is easy to see that throughout the 1990s, the BTCC enjoyed its golden years. The times were fruitful, the manufacturers came thick and fast. Alas, as the unstoppable juggernaut of time rolls by, the ‘Super Touring Years’ have been confined to the stuff of legend. The modern times have not been kind to the BTCC; the once flourishing manufacturers have all but disappeared. It is time for change. It is time for action. It is time to save one of the cornerstones of the BTCC from extinction. Some of our latest findings may have given us renewed hope.
The entrants in the BTCC may be flourishing, but only two manufacturers entered the 2014 season. Image Credit: BTCC.net
"Backyard Mechanics" and Service Support.
Members may have read about a purported lack of support for non dealership mechanics by car companies in Australia. According to the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries, there’s no real detriment being seen, under the current guidelines, to customers. In a review conducted in 2012 by the Australian Treasury, a recommendation was that access to repair information would not become an issue, which appears to have been reached with the FCAI’s Voluntary Code of Practice relating to Access to Service and Repair Information. This represents a minimum standard for the provision of service and repair information to independent repairers, by car manufacturers selling vehicles in Australia.
There’s been assertions that car makers don’t supply information; this is, in fact, incorrect, with a number of manufacturers providing the minimum amout of information required and more to a wide range of independent repairers. Part of this is to do with security. Just as you may have a code for your tablet or smartphone, the Code of Practice allows makers to protect their customers from the release of personal and vehicle information, such as safety, security and legal matters. For example, it allows car makers to help customers protect their vehicles from theft by restricting access to the security codes that would allow any person who purchases the information to access a vehicle. Also, information that an manufactuer is prohibited from disclosing under any law, including privacy laws, will not be made publicly available.
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.
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