handbrakes&hairpinsissue

26

SWRT: Drivetrains Latest WRC News Spotlight on Chris de Wit

INSIDEthis week:

To receive your FREE weekly Handbrakes and Hairpins newsletter, or if you would like to share this with a friend, please send me your e-mail address to evanrothman@gmail.com. Mobile: 083 452 6892.

All content copyrighted property of Handbrakes and Hairpins, 2007-8

Image: Motorpics

Spotlight on: Chris de Wit/Dean Redelinghuys Team Total Evolution Toyota RunX Class A7

The first round of the 2008 Sasol South African National Rally Championship kicked off last weekend in Durban for the Hitachi Power Tools Tour Natal Rally.

With a gruelling route twist-ing through 10 slippery stages, this event was char-acterised by it high attrition rate. Just about every crew suffered on this event, and even saw many of this sport’s big talents dropping out of the rally early on Day One.

Chris de Wit and co-driver Dean Redelinghuys, who have local knowledge of the fast roads used for this event, started the rally off on the

back foot on Day One. As early as Stage One, De Wit/Redelinghuys’ Team Total Evolution Toyota RunX (Class A7) suffered a broken sideshaft, resulting in them having to limp through opening stage. In order to repair the car, the crew were forced to take lateness, and booked out of Service One 18 minutes late.

De Wit tried to regain lost time thereafter, but luck was not on his side. SS2 and SS3 proved vastly more confidence-inspiring for the pairing, but in SS4 they were struck down with a debilitating engine misfire. Battling to locate the source of the engine misfire, De Wit had to drive cautiously through SS5 and SS6 before he found the petrol pump to be the cause of the engine misfire.

With the petrol pump changed and the car prepped for Day Two’s stages, De Wit and Redelinghuys assaulted the remaining four stages of the rally.

Climbing up the leader board to a promising 13th position overall and third in Class A7 highlighted this team’s potential for the remainder of the season. After the event, Chris de Wit stated he was happy with his navigator, Dean Redelinghuys, and was looking forward to the next event on the calendar.

Images: Motorpics

GBS/CIDP Foundation International

Guillain-Barre Syndrome and Chronic InflammatoryDemyelinating Polyneuropathy

Serving patients of GBS, CIDP and Variants with support, education and researchPLEASE ADVISE PATIENTS AND FAMILIES THAT GBS/CIDP FOUNDATION OFFERS:

*EMOTIONAL SUPPORT

*INFORMATIONAL BOOKLETS

*HOSPITAL/REHAB VISITS TO PATIENTS (when possible)

Your South African GBS/CIDP Foundation International Chapter Is Led By: Evan Rothman evanrothman@gmail.com 083 452 6892

GBS/CIDP Foundation International 104 1/2 Forest Avenue The Holly Building Narberth, PA 19072 www.gbsfi.com

Fuel Stop: News Briefs

The Audi Sport quattro has just turned 25 years of age. In 1983, the “Shorty”, as it was affectionately known, caused a sensation as the most powerful series-produced German car. It is thus logical that Audi Tradition will be represented at the 20th Techno Classica in Essen, Germany (from 26 to 30 March 2008) with the motto “25 years of Audi Sport quattro”.

The five featured series-production vehicles will not be the only highlights on the Audi stand in Hall Seven. As a special feature, Audi Tradition will be presenting the latest addition to its own historic collection: the Audi Sport quattro Group B rally car. There are only five remaining examples of this race car worldwide. New from this year: Audi Tradition will now be offering a strictly limited edition (333 units) 1:43-scale model car of the year, the first of which can be purchased at the Techno Classica. In 2008 this is an Audi Sport quattro in orange.

Audi celebrates 25 years of Sport Quattro

Image: Motorpics

The Audi Sport quattro has a very special story to tell. In order to keep ahead of the rally competition, the “Ur-quattro” was taken, the wheelbase was shortened and a twin-camshaft engine with four valves per cylinder was developed. To race such a car in Group B rallies, the international rules governing the sport stipulated that at least 200 units had to have been produced. Exactly 214 units left the production halls at Ingolstadt, and were sold all around the world for just under 200,000 German marks each. For a very long time it was the most expensive car Audi had ever put on sale. But the customer certainly got something for his money.

The vehicle oozed high-performance technology. When it was presented at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 1983, the 225 kW “Shorty” was the most powerful series-produced German car. The engineers succeeded in bridging the gap between a pure race car with breathtaking performance data and a reliable car for use on public highways. The body of the Sport quattro was made of aramide- and fibreglass-reinforced plastic and carbon/kevlar composites. The racing version of the car performed well in the rally world championships in 1984 and 1985, but did not produce the technical breakthrough the Audi team had hoped for. At the time, 22 cars were manufactured by Audi Sport, just five of which still exist today. In late 2007, Audi Tradition succeeded in acquiring one of the rare Audi Sport quattro Group B rally cars. There are still about 140 of the 214 series-production Sport quattros built. The prices offered for these vehicles now are close to the original price when the vehicles were new!

On the Audi Tradition stand in Hall Seven of the Techno Classica, the race car will be set in a 1980s rally service station. No less exciting are its “little brothers”, five series-production Sport quattros – in the four original colours of the time: tornado red, copen-hagen blue, malachite green, alpine white, plus the special black paintwork. - Credit: Audi.

The 1994 World Rally Champion Didier Auriol is set for something of a mini-comeback in the IRC (Intercontinental Rally Cham-pionship) this year, after his forthcoming outing on the Rally de Portugal in early May. The former works Toyota, Peugeot, SEAT & Skoda driver is reported as stating he will drive a Fiat Grande Punto on the event alongside long time co-driver Denis Giraudet.

Didier Auriol briefly returning to rallying in 2008

Auriol is in advanced discussions with sponsors at this stage, and is aiming to compete in three more IRC events, those being the Russian, Spanish and Italian rallies.

“It is not 100% confirmed, but I have been talking to a sponsor and I have a good feeling it will happen,” said Didier Auriol. “I have no idea how I will compare with the young drivers who have lots of experience in Super 2000s. But, I am only driving for fun although of course I will try my best.”

The IRC is this year making a great leap forward in its driver line-up, as a host of former WRC stars and European national rally champions have all signed up for this exciting series this year. Auriol will compete against the likes of Gilles Panizzi, Francois Duval, Dani Sola and Freddy Loix, all who are highly experienced drivers. It will be interesting to see how Auriol shapes up against the younger drivers...

The IRC season starts in Turkey on 4th April with Auriol set to join the action on the second round in Portugal from May 9th-10th. - Credit: Rallye-Info.

The organisers of Rally Argentina have published the confirmed entry list for their event, which is the fourth round of the 2008 WRC championship.

A total of 62 cars are due to start the rally, which runs from 27 to 30 March, with entries received from all six manufacturer teams and from 24 different countries.

Manufacturer entries from the Citroen, Ford, Subaru and Suzuki teams are the same as the first three rounds of the series, but there are changes to the Stobart and Munchi’s squads. Stobart will field Ford Focus RS WRCs for Gigi Galli, Henning Solberg and Mat-thew Wilson, with Galli and Solberg nominated to score manufacturer points. The Munchi’s team will run Ford Focus RS WRCs for its Argentine driver line-up of Federico Villagra and Luis Perez Companc.

Conrad Rautenbach, the only other WRC entry, will drive a privately entered Citroen C4 WRC.

This year marks the 28th running of Rally Argentina, which also counts as round two of the 2008 Production World Rally Cham-pionship (P-WRC).

Twenty-three P-WRC cars will start the rally, including the Subaru Imprezas of defending P-WRC champion, Toshihiro Arai, 2006 champion Nasser Al-Attiyah, and the man who came second on the last P-WRC round, Jari Ketomaa. Two-time Rally America National champion and former Motocross super star Travis Pastrana is also taking part in the P-WRC contest. The American will be co-driven for the first time on a WRC event by Scotland’s Derek Ringer, who used to partner Colin McRae. The P-WRC list is completed by Argentine rally heroes Marcos Ligato and Sebastian Beltran, who are guest drivers of the Argentina’s national sport-ing authority, the Automovil Club Argentino. - Credit: www.wrc.com.

WRC Rally Argentina entry list confirmed

Competitors from the World Rally Championship showed their support for the FIA’s new environmental campaign ‘Make Cars Green’ during Rally Mexico.

The WRC drivers and co-drivers participated in a group photo to endorse the FIA’s campaign and will be supporting it at other events throughout the 2008 season.

Make Cars Green is an international campaign aimed at reducing the impact of motoring on the environment. The campaign encourages environmentally friendly and fuel efficient driver behaviour; the introduction of new technologies to help motor-ists monitor their environmental impact; the improvement of tyre design to help save energy and the global use of unleaded and sulphur free fuels.

As part of the campaign, the FIA has launched a public policy Declaration which calls on the United Nations to adopt the first ever worldwide target for CO2 emissions in passenger cars.

FIA President Max Mosley said: “It is immensely satisfying that so many competitors in world motorsport are championing the FIA’s campaign to make motoring more sustainable in the future. This support will be a major benefit to our mission to encourage ecologically sound mobility worldwide.” For further information visit: www.makecarsgreen.com/ - Credit: www.wrc.com.

“Make Cars Green” campaign

BP Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team director Malcolm Wilson is to attend a training course to give advice to aspiring young rally drivers from across the UK.

Malcolm Wilson heads back to school

Wilson will give an insight into what a top WRC team looks for in a young driver and make the group aware of the commitment levels required to reach the top of the sport. His talk will be part of a MSA British Rally Elite training event which takes place at Edinburgh University on 15 March.

Also attending the event will be Stobart VK M-Sport Ford World Rally Team’s Matthew Wilson and Scott Martin, both graduates of the British Rally Elite scheme. They will talk about the sort of skills and preparation needed to progress from national to world level rallying and explain how the MSA supported training scheme has assisted them in this transition.

The country’s best young rally drivers will attend the event and will receive instruction in topics that will improve their chances of making it to the highest levels of world class rallying.

The MSA British Rally Elite scheme is a national training programme designed to identify and support the best young rallying tal-ent in the UK and is backed by UK motorsport’s governing body.

As well as being the first group session in 2008 for the latest intake on the scheme, the Edinburgh event will also be open to non-members for the first time. The organisers decided to include an introductory workshop and networking opportunity, during one of the three days, after being impressed by the response they got from those who applied for the scheme but were unsuccessful. - Credit: www.wrc.com.

Image: RallyStuff.Net

The Suzuki World Rally team has appointed Paul Wilding to the position of team manager for the rest of the 2008 season. The appointment was made following the resignation of Akira Kawada, team manager from the end of 2007, who has decided to return to his previous career as a motoring journalist.

Wilding, who is 39-years-old and from Australia, will begin his new job on the forthcoming Rally Argentina. A long term associ-ate of Suzuki Sport Japan, Wilding has been involved in many of the company’s rally projects over the years. He was the chief co-ordinator of Suzuki’s debut J-WRC season in 2002 and manager of its Asia-Pacific Rally Championship team between 2002 and 2004 and J-WRC team in 2006.

Suzuki WRT appoints new team manager

Image: RallyStuff.Net

KIA has revised their highly popular entry-level model, the Picanto, for 2008. The highlights are a more visual ling appealing design and improved functionality.

First launched in 2004, this little runabout caused a stir worldwide thanks to its quirky styling, reliability and affordable price.

Powered by a zippy 1,1 litre, three cylinder engine, it is frugality not performance that this motor was de-signed for. It produces 48kW of power at 5 500rpm and 98Nm of torque from 2 800rpm, and will acceler-ate from standstill to 100km/h in about 15 seconds and reach a top speed of 152km/h (claimed). In terms of fuel economy it is difficult to argue with the following: 6,2 litres/100km!

Prices start at R77 995 for the Picanto Base version, and the range topping out with the Picanto EX Auto model priced at R115 995. The price tag includes KIAs renowned five-year/100 000km manufacturers warranty.

KIA debuts second generation Picanto

Wilding also managed multiple international hill climb entries with Suzuki WRC team principal, Nobuhiro ‘Monster’ Tajima.“During our three debut events at Rallye Monte Carlo, Swedish Rally and Rally Mexico the team benefited greatly from Akira Ka-wada’s wide WRC experience and we are very grateful for his contribution and his efforts,” said team principal Nobuhiro Tajima. “It is unfortunate that for reasons personal to Kawada san and beyond our control we cannot continue our association with him for the remainder of the year. We wish him well in the future.” - Credit: www.wrc.com.

Image: Motorpics

Toyota South Africa has announced two limited edition RF models of the popular Yaris – a regular contender for a top three position in overall vehicle sales – based on the T3+ specification for the hatchback and sedan models. Both feature the 1,3 litre 4-cylinder all aluminium VVT-i engine as fitted to the Yaris T3+. This engine produces 63 kW @ 6000 r/min with maximum torque of 121 Nm @ 4400 r/min.

“The success of the Yaris derives from the fact that it is tailored around a youthful attitude and lifestyle with the hatch ca-tering mainly for young singles and the sedan young families,” says Andrew Kirby, Toyota’s Senior Vice President, Sales and Marketing. “Yaris owners describe their vehicles as cute, funky, and sporty with sedan owners adding style and space utility to that list. The Yaris competes in a dynamic and ultra competitive segment of the market that is very receptive to unique points of difference. The Yaris RF Edition addresses this by adding visual cues and a premium audio system to the already comprehensive T3+ specification.”

Limited edition Yaris model launched

Exterior styling cues that differentiate the Yaris RF Edition from the T3+ are: rear spoiler; chrome tailpipe finisher; and RF badging. Wheels are upgraded to 15” alloy rims fitted with 185/60 R15 radial tyres. RF embroi-dered carpet set and leather seat trim (black and grey for the hatch and black with grey stitching for the sedan) are added to the interior trim package.

The audio system on both derivatives gains

a major upgrade with a high quality Rockford Fosgate Sound system – hence the RF nomen-clature – in place of the standard system. This package includes an amplifier and speaker upgrade for both hatch and sedan.

The Yaris RF hatch features a two speaker up-grade plus subwoofer while the sedan version has a four-speaker upgrade.

Major features include:

_ ABS brakes with EBD._ Emergency brake assist._ Dual stage driver and passenger airbags._ Electric power steering._ Remote control central locking._ Factory fitted air conditioner._ Power adjustment for side mirrors._ Power windows front and rear.

Prices are as follows:Yaris RF Edition Hatchback R149 532Yaris RF Edition Sedan R155 448

Prices include VAT and a four year 60 000 kilometre service plan. Warranty cover is 3 years/100 000km with AA Roadside Assist-ance for the duration of the warranty. - Credit: Toyota South Africa.

Images: Quickpic

At a recent ceremony in Istanbul, Volkswa-gen received the renowned “TechnoBest” technology prize for its TSI engines. The prize is awarded by a motoring jury from the automobile markets of Eastern and Central Europe. The jury said the Volkswa-gen TSI demonstrated genuine advance-ment in the field of petrol-engine technol-ogy.

The TSI engines combine a supercharger and a turbocharger and offer output of be-tween 103 kW / 140 PS and 125 kW / 170 PS. These twinchargers are already fea-tured in the Volkswagen Golf, Golf Plus, Golf Variant, Jetta, Touran and Tiguan series. The benefit of TSI, in a nutshell, is that it affords maximum power at a mini-mum level of fuel consumption. 127.000 motorists around the world already have the TSI technology under their Volkswagen bonnets.

The TSI technology will be available in South Africa in the all new Tiguan SUV range due for introduction in May 2008.

Volkswagen TSI engines win more awards

Volkswagen is the only carmaker to date to use this technology combination in mass-volume series engines. The supercharger produces a lot of rpm pressure, and thus acceleration agility. Because TSI engines make use of a comparatively small amount of cubic capacity, fuel consumption and CO2 emissions are significantly reduced.

Since their debut, the TSI engines have achieved widespread acclaim, winning the world’s most prestigious awards – the “Engine of the Year Award” in 2006 and 2007, for example. This latest prize, the “TechnoBest” prize for technology is awarded by “Au-toBest”, an independent motoring jury from the emerging markets of Europe as represented by leading journalists from Bulgaria, Cyprus, Croatia, Macedonia, Serbia, Montenegro, Romania, Slovakia, Turkey, Hungary, Poland, the Ukraine, the Czech Republic, Russia and Greece. - Credit: Volkswagen of South Africa

Yet another concept showcased at this year’s Geneva Show was this inter-esting concept offering from French motor manufacturer’s Renault.

The Megane Coupe Concept is utterly distinctive in its styling, and drop-dead gorgeous too. According Renault, this is a vision of what a genuine compact sports coupe should deliver in character and dynamics. It is beauti-ful!

Renault’s seductive new coupe concept breaks cover

Images: Quickpic

Unveiled at the Geneva International Motor Show last week was this fantastic looking concept car from Land Rover. Named the LRX, it is a diesel hybrid that showcases the marques focus on the future. Equipped with a 2,0-litre turbo diesel power plant, it is claimed to only emit 120g/km of carbon dioxide emissions.

The LRX is slightly smaller than the Freelander 2, but is in no way lacking in legendary Land Rover talent. If this goes into pro-duction, it’ll be a massive hit I reckon!

LRX: Future of Land Rover

The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, North America’s leading tyre maker, has been recognised as the world’s most admired motor vehicle parts company by Fortune magazine. Goodyear topped the list of leading companies in four key attributes: in-novation, people management, use of assets and global orientation. Among motor vehicle parts companies in the Fortune Most Admired Companies in America list, Goodyear was also judged the best in regard to innovation and the quality of its products and services.

The Fortune Most Admired lists are considered “the definitive report card on corporate reputations.” They use a rigorous assess-ment of industry executives, board directors and securities analysts to determine a company’s overall reputation.

Goodyear is one of the world’s largest tyre companies. The company employs about 70 000 people and manufactures its products in more than 60 facilities in 26 countries around the world. For more information about Goodyear, go to www.goodyear.com/cor-porate or www.goodyear.co.za - Credit: Goodyear South Africa.

Goodyear tops Fortune’s “Most Admired” list

Image: Quickpic

The Mercedes-Benz SLR Roadster has won the cabriolet and roadster category of the prestigious “Auto 1 von Europa” [“Europe’s No. 1 Car”] awards organised by leading car magazine AUTO BILD. Readers of the 26 European editions of AUTO BILD as well as an international jury of experts selected the super sports car from Stuttgart for its exceptional qualities. The award honouring the SLR Roadster as the most sought-after open-top car was presented at the Geneva International Motor Show yesterday.

Mercedes-Benz SLR Roadster: Award Winner!

Some 40 million readers of the 26 European editions published by the AUTO BILD family were invited to vote for the best new cars of 2007 in six categories. The three top vehicles in each category in this Europe-wide poll then had to undergo two days of professional testing in Rome. It was on the basis of this thorough programme of comparative testing that the members of the expert jury – made up of experienced engineers, top motoring journalists and leading international racing drivers – decided on the category winners.

In selecting the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren Roadster as the winner of the cabriolet and roadster category, they chose a su-per sports car which occupies a unique position in terms of both performance and technology. Like today’s Formula 1 cars, the Roadster from Stuttgart is built from carbon fibre and is therefore characterised by a very high standard of safety and exceptional torsional stiffness. Combined with a motorsport chassis, these qualities give the Roadster outstanding handling characteristics. The top speed of this high-performance sports car, which is powered by a supercharged AMG V8 engine developing 460 kW/626 hp, is 332 km/h. Although the Roadster offers the ultimate in high-performance, open-top driving enjoyment thanks to its soft top which can be lowered completely, the occupants do not have to make any concessions with regard to comfort or everyday practi-cality. - Credit: Mercedes-Benz of South Africa.

Images: Quickpic

Where far more than expected meets the eye, we look at the complexities of the gear-boxes and differentials used in the Impreza WRC2007, and what goes into making them work:

The Subaru World Rally Team has produced over 100 WRC gearboxes since 1999. Almost 50 WRC differentials have been built since 2004.

Each gearbox takes 85 hours to build and costs £75,000. Coupled with the rear differential the transmission system contains over 700 indi-vidual components.

Each differential takes 16 hours to build, and costs £20,000. The front and rear differentials share components to reduce costs, whereas the centre differential is unique.

Once a gearbox has been built, it takes three hours for the team’s dedicated dyno to run through the complete test procedure before it is used on a rally.

There are two special insulation panels fitted to the side of the gearbox to shield it from the heat of the exhaust which runs alongside it. Each plate is made from titanium and ceramic coated, using a process designed for space craft.

The engine, gearbox and differential are all individually oil-sealed, meaning that each can be removed and replaced without fluid loss.

The gearbox lubrication system has a capacity of 4.5l and is fitted with a high-flow oil pump

SWRT Team Feature:The Impreza WRC2007’s drivetrain in numbers

to keep temperatures down. The gear shift system operates at a pressure of 150bar, or 2,500psi for almost instantaneous shifts. Each unit uses over 40 specialised oil line connectors. Ap-proximately half of these are built specifically for the Subaru World Rally Team, and all use aircraft-grade materials.

The gearbox retains the road car’s H pattern but uses a hydrau-lically and electronically controlled semi-automatic gearch-ange system to shift each gear in fewer than 0.1seconds.

Undergoing 3500 gear shifts on every rally, each unit is rebuilt after approximately 750km of competitive use or two rallies. The oil is changed for every rally.

The gearbox and differential run at 100 degrees Celsius, and need their own oil coolers to maintain that temperature. On

hot rallies such as Greece, the operating temperatures can reach 120 degrees Celsius.

It takes between 10 – 12 minutes to replace a gearbox and rear differential. The fastest time on a rally was 10mins and 20 seconds set during Rally Deutschland 2007.

The housings of both units are cast from magnesium for strength and to reduce weight. A gearbox weighs 95kg when wet (full of oil) and a differential 25kg wet. - Credit: SWRT Media.

Images: SWRT.com