CARS & RACE GLOBALMAG December 2015

November 2015

38

digital monthly magazine

CARROS DE CUBA

LOS ANGELES

AUTO SHOW

CONTENTS

38

December 2015

24 12 32 5

12

4 PICS 1 MONTH

FRONT PAGE The Origami Car

24

MISS OF THE MONTH

32

FOCUS

Hyundai Vision G

Mazda CX-9

digital monthly magazine

44 50

62

44

GLOBAL NEWS

62

50

CLASSIC

A toy for boys

AUTONEWS Los Angeles December

The magical run

CGM

4 PICS 1 MONTH

With a 3D printer, Audi Toolmaking has produced a model of the historical Grand Prix sports car “Auto Union Typ C” from the year 1936

4 PICS 1 MONTH

Land Rover has driven its flagship Range Rover luxury SUV across a bridge made of paper. The freestanding structure in Suzhou, China, spanned five metres without glue or bolts to hold it in place.

4 PICS 1 MONTH

As the last remaining airworthy Avro Vulcan prepares for its final flight, the iconic 1950s British V bomber has been united with its modern namesake: the Aston Martin Vulcan.

4 PICS 1 MONTH

Land Rover showcases new Range Rover Evoque Convertible in Santa Monica beachside shoot with Bond star Naomie Harris * Black bathing suit and mesh coverup Norma KAMALI. Earrings by EF Collection rings by Graziela and EF Collection

FRONT PAGE

CARROS DE CUBA

The car photographer Piotr Degler is launching his latest project, the Carros de Cuba book: “A book that documents with the best pictures my dream, a dream that I invite you to discover.”

“Visiting Cuba has always been a dream of mine since I was a kid, because of my love for classic and american cars. Finally I took my “travel through time” and it became a reality.”

Carros de Cuba

Carros de Cuba

Carros de Cuba

Carros de Cuba

Carros de Cuba

“I wanted to photograph the Cars on Cuba for 3 reasons” says Piotr Degler “First: he political situation in Cuba was starting to change very fast, so it was the perfect moment to do it. Second I wanted to show the daily life of the classic cars on the Island. Thats a kind of Jurassic Park for every classic car lover. Third: I wanted to find more exclusive cars which are hidden today in private garages or “rusting in peace”. My inspiration and motivation was a shot of a Mercedes Gullwing photographed in Cuba in 1978”.

I traveled the island from Viñales to Santiago de Cuba, stopping in dozens of towns and cities. As I forged friendships with enthusiasts and local mechanics, I opened doors normally closed to foreign tourists. I took over 25.000 images during one month, but published only 12 in my 2015 calendar. The calendar quickly became a big success, thanks also to the discovery of the rusted Mercedes 300 SL Gullwing which I photographed at night under some banana trees!”.

Now Degler is now working on a book fully dedicated to Cuba cars, with a selection of the best images of the hole trip.

Obviously many photographs of the famous Gullwing are included in this book , as well as Jaguars, Porsche, Hispano Suiza, another 300SL and many other cars he found during his tour of the island.

To participate in this project just follow this link: bit.ly/carrosdecuba #carrosdecuba

“ In the ON THE ROAD section” adds Degler “You will find photographs of great classic cars which have a daily use

still today. A tribute to the cars that have survived over half a century on the island thanks to the inventiveness of the Cuban people. Carros de Cuba will show around 200 images in over 300 pages which have never been published before. It will be the most complete project ever made about the Cars of Cuba”.

“So, why I’m on Kickstarter? I think Kickstarter is the best way to selfpublish a book. While selfpublishing a book you become the producer, designer and photographer at the same time. I can choose the best quality of the materials, the format, have no limits putting images in it.

Everything becomes more personal, a direct contact with the final result. And I can keep the book prices as low as possible keeping the best quality. I am not interested doing big money with this project, my goal is sharing it with the rest of the World. This is why for every donation of just 50€ you will received a signed copy of the book. Available only as a promotion on Kickstarter this is the lowest price for a book of this standards. It is not a big amount of money, but if everybody helps with a donation, we will make the production of the Car-

ros de Cuba book happen. Take in mind, if we don’t arrive to our 100% which are 30.000€, your donation won’t be charged from your credit card”.

“You can select a different range of donations, receiving gifts as postcards, the Standard Book , one of the 100 Collectors Edition Boxes which includes 3 signed, numbered and certified prints on high quality paper, or one of the ten big format prints of the Mercedes Gullwing displayed in a special rusted and protected frame”.

It will be the perfect book for everybody who loves Cars, Cuba, Photography or History. Natural and improvised photographs, natural colors… the pictures show respectfully the reality as it is.

CGM

MISS OF THE MONTH

opulence an

Hyundai Motor recently presented the ‘Vision G’ Coupe Concept at the 2015 Frankfurt Motor Show, an evolution of its design language that will inspire a family of future

Hyundai Vision G displays passion for luxury and performance to inspire future premium products

nd elegance

premium products. The concept demonstrates Hyundai’s passion for performance and luxury, while also showcasing advanced connectivity and future control technologies

Hyundai Vision G

Hyundai Vision G

Hyundai Vision G

“Vision G

is the first high-end premium coupe by Hyundai Motor. Despite its bold and powerful styling, the concept is purposefully understated, creating a balance of opulence and elegance that will resonate with customers who seek style without pretention,” said Peter Schreyer, President and Chief Design Officer of Hyundai. “Vision G represents a fresh interpretation of Hyundai Motor’s characteristic approach of balancing design and performance, expressed in a way that isn’t overburdened with glitz and stereotypical luxury cues.”

During the design process, a unique collaboration was made between Hyundai Motor creative teams in North America, Asia and Europe. The notion of ‘chivalry’ was a key inspiration to the design teams who made efforts to ensure the car would be noticed and respected, without being excessively exuberant. This respectful approach is evident throughout the car. For example, the automatic door which acts like a valet, while recognising the self-sufficiency of the driver.

A sense of the car’s performance capabilities is created by clever treatment of the concept’s exterior. The long hood, high-beltline and understated cabin present an appearance of tension, like a loaded slingshot.

“The beauty of Vision G is that it appears dynamic and in constant motion even when standing still. This anticipation of action reflects the confidence we have in the future direction of luxury Hyundai Motor vehicles,” said Christopher Chapman, Head of Hyundai Design Centre in North America. “Making an emotional connec-

tion with our customers is of huge importance to Hyundai Motor, and the design of Vision G makes this connection in a bold, respectful and premium way.”

The underlying idea of respectful luxury flows into the interior, underscored by simplicity and a sense of calm. The introspective design ensures the driver is ensconced in a relaxing, non-glitzy environment, with effortless luxury provided by the natural, warm wood and leather.

At the heart of Vision G is the awardwinning 5.0-litre Tau V8 engine, producing 420 horsepower at 6,000 rpm and 383 lb. ft. of torque at 5,000 rpm. The Tau V8 engine family has been named in Ward’s prestigious Ten Best Engines list three times. With high-pressure direct injection for impressive power, low emissions and superb efficiency, this latest version of the Tau V8 benefits from an optimised intake runner, enhanced timing chain for reduced noise, vibration and harshness (NVH), a low-torque exhaust manifold, increased compression ratio and upgraded multipleinjection mapping. These enhancements combine to produce a flatter torque curve at lower rpm for even better driveability.

Vision G is also a reference point for the newest Hyundai Motor technologies, providing customers with maximum comfort and enjoyment while causing minimal distraction. The most notable features are the central control panel ‘Remote Wheel’ and curved display.

The ‘Remote Wheel’ is an ergonomically designed semi-sphere haptic touchpad installed in the centre console. It offers intuitive touch and gesture interaction and responds to a simple wave of the hand, minimising driver distraction.

Vision G is equipped with a curved display on its centre fascia, delivering information rich in detail. By removing all physical buttons, Vision G presents a simple and intuitive overall cabin ambience.

The driver’s preferred display content is freely interchangeable between cluster and centre fascia, helping them keep their eyes on the road. All of Hyundai Motor’s latest intelligent and safety functions – including Autonomous Driving System and Driver State Monitoring – are intuitively and thoroughly implemented within Vision G.

CGM

FOCUS

All new Mazda CX-9 Three-Row crossover made its debut at 2015 Los Angeles Auto Show

Family Vehicle, Family Vehicle, Couples Retreat Couples Retreat

CX-9 offers elevated experience with innovative technologies, new SKYACTIV-G 2.5T engine and premium, authentic materials. The second-generation of the Mazda CX-9 redefines expectations, aiming for no other target than to be uncompromising in any aspect a family may need or an individual may desire. CX-9 was developed to indulge personal desires while satisfying rational needs for a practical, all-weather family vehicle

New Mazda CX-9

From Designed to make CX-9 look as though it were carved from a single ingot of steel, Machine Gray is the newest signature color from Mazda, complementing CX-9’s surfacing.

In order to do achieve its look, perfect, blemishfree panels are a necessity, which come as a result of ultraprecise stamping and assembly. Paint is applied in a primer, a black base coat to add depth, the Machine Gray color and, finally, a clear coat—all spaced out such that the paint has time to set in a precisely climate-controlled environment.

the moment one steps foot into the new CX-9, that person is greeted by an atmosphere of beauty and detail. Even the door jambs are finished with a level of precision that lends an air of sophistication.

Once seated, passengers notice a vertically stacked centre console with details that wrap around from the dashboard to the rear seats, designed to envelop passengers in comfort and serenity. The fact that there is more than 53 pounds of sound deadening installed below the floor in three sections only complements the calm aesthetic.

A sweeping single piece of aluminum adorns the dashboard, emphasizing width, with a forward-angled dashboard that is flanked with Auburn accents in the new, flagship Signature trim level. Satin and polished finishes on the aluminum plinth evoke Japanese craftsmanship and are inspired by Japan’s famous hand-made knives.

Further heightening the elegant atmosphere is rosewood trim on the centre console and front of the cabin, supplied by a premium guitar-maker. Supple Auburn Nappa leather covers seating surfaces in Signature trim with a modern design and is also evocative of bespoke horse saddles — a subtle nod to Mazda’s Jinba Ittai —“horse and rider as one” — philosophy. Jinba Ittai also represents the notion that drivers should have utter confidence and control in their vehicles.

Athletic Stance KODO’s strength lies in proportion — a long hood, swept greenhouse, large wheels and short overhangs convey stability and a contained sense of energy ready to be unleashed. At 199.4 inches (5065mm)

New Mazda CX-9

long, CX-9 is 1.2 inch (30mm) shorter than its predecessor, but its wheelbase has been stretched 2.2 inches (55mm), benefiting passenger leg room as well as entry to and exit from the rear.

CX-9 carries shorter overhangs on both ends — 2.3 inches (59mm) shorter up front and 1 inch (25mm) shorter in the rear — with its A-pillars shifted back 3.9 inches (100mm), lengthening its hood and adding a sense of strength through proportions.

Housing large wheels — 18 and 20inch wheels — CX-9’s tapered fenders are pushed to the edge of its body, giving the vehicle a wide, trapezoidal stance.

The smooth lines start up front with a bold, five-point grille with double bars.

They’re flanked on either side by standard low- and high-beam LED headlights.

The bold grille introduces a strong lower body and sleek upper body that elevates KODO, introducing sleek curves that provide a premium appeal in a segment awash with convention. The overall effect is one of purity, simplicity and Japanese beauty.

The Turbocharged SKYACTIV-G 2.5T Engine Throughout the SKYACTIV engine series Mazda aims to offer customers a combination of great performance in everyday driving situations and excellent fuel economy. Based on this philosophy, Mazda’s SKYACTIV engine family has delivered it promise of combined performance and fuel economy, and it continues to do so with the introduction of the new SKYACTIVG 2.5T. When Mazda’s engineers set out to design a new engine specifically for CX-9, they looked at how drivers used their vehi-

cles. Customers want effortless acceleration through bountiful torque delivery, so engineers developed the SKYACTIV-G 2.5T with enough power and torque to provide ample acceleration without having to hunt through the gears.

However, Mazda’s latest engine, the SKYACTIV-G 2.5T, is a realization of excellent real-world and catalog fuel-economy as well as spry acceleration, featuring a host of technological advancements to achieve this goal. One piece of technology is Mazda’s Dynamic Pressure Turbo, the world’s first turbocharger with the ability to vary the degree of exhaust pulsation depending on engine speed. The system routes engine exhaust to the turbocharger’s turbine through smaller ports at low rpm. It works similarly to when one might place his or her thumb on a garden hose, creating a strong amount of pressure through a smaller outlet. This allows the turbocharger to spool up quickly, creating instant boost — up to 1.2 bar (17.4 psi) of pressure. When the engine is in the heart of its rev range, it opens up secondary valves, allowing for greater amounts of exhaust gas to pass through the turbocharger. The system is complemented by the 2.5-liter engine that already benefits from more torque at atmospheric pressure than a comparable 2.0-liter by virtue of its size. Further assisting CX-9 to maximize turbocharger efficiency is a 4-3-1 exhaust.

In order to increase fuel-efficiency, SKYACTIV-G 2.5T employs the efficient combustion of Mazda’s SKYACTIV-G 2.5-liter engine and marries it to a cooled exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) system, which helps prevent burning excessive amounts of fuel when the engine is running at higher temperatures.

New Mazda CX-9

New Mazda CX-9

Additionally, as an example of CX-9’s readily available power, in the outgoing CX-9, when a driver needed 90 horsepower at highway speeds, the vehicle would have to downshift from sixth to fourth gear. However, the new CX-9 can more quickly draw upon that power with faster, better-controlled throttle response and stay in sixth gear, allowing for a smoother operation and a greater sense of confidence.

When coupled with a weight reduction of over approximately 198 lbs. (90 kg) versus the outgoing model, CX-9 boasts improvements in driver control, chassis dynamics and performance — all leading to a greater sense of confidence from behind the wheel.

Lightweight SKYACTIV Technology and NVH Refinement With CX-9, even including safety and rigidity goals, engineers far exceeded objectives — so much that 53 lbs. of sound-deadening mats were added back into the body in for reduced NVH, placing it among the quietest vehicles in its class.

In all, the new CX-9 lost approximately 198 lbs. (90 kg) in front-wheel-drive configuration and approximately 287 lbs.

(130 kg) when equipped with predictive i-ACTIV AWD. The weight savings allowed Mazda engineers to increase window thickness to 4.8mm and rethink active noise-cancelling technologies, in addition to using simpler, more rigid parts, to reduce noise. At 62 mph (100 km/h), interior noise levels have been reduced by 12 percent from the previous model and road noise levels have been reduced by 2.0 dB.

Safety at the Forefront Mazda’s class-leading chassis dynamics and outstanding HMI technologies adhere to Jinba Ittai, advancing the notion of purposeful technology that reduces clutter and improves the driving experience. A lighter, yet more rigid, chassis and straight load-path frame rails integrated into the unibody secure crash protection in the event of a collision and lighter weight improves braking performance with 12.6-inch (320mm) ventilated front disc brakes and 12.8-inch solid rear discs (325mm). Those brakes are unchanged in size from the previous model, but they now have approximately 198 fewer lbs. (90 kg) to halt.

CX-9’s i-ACTIVSENSE suite features new and notable safety features, including: Advanced Blind Spot Monitoring, Mazda Radar Cruise Control, Lane-Keep Assist System and Lane Departure Warning, High Beam Control, Smart City Brake Support, Distance Recognition Support System, Forward Obstruction Warning and Smart Brake Support.

In 2013 when Mazda introduced its first full-SKYACTIV vehicle, CX-5, it also ushered in its i-ACTIV AWD system that could instantly recognize road conditions and adjust response accordingly. Mazda’s allwheel-drive system in the previous CX-9 took approximately 10 factors into account, including on-road speed, engine rpm and wheel slip, among others. The information was then fed through the onboard computers that would modulate torque transfer between front and rear axles. i-ACTIV AWD upped the ante, implementing a host of other sensors that were already integrated into vehicles for

New Mazda CX-9

other functions and channeling the information they presented such as ambient temperature, steering wheel angle, longitudinal grip, brake fluid pressure and even windshield wiper movement. In all, i-ACTIV AWD brings 27 different sensors together to paint a picture of road conditions and direct torque to the rear wheel as necessary, predicting what the driver may face on a slick road in the winter or in heavy rain. i-ACTIV AWD measures road conditions 200 times every second and can adjust power distribution to account for wheel slip even in dry conditions. It can even route power to limit understeer during spirited driving, sending as much as 50 percent of CX-9’s power to the rear wheels through Mazda’s proven six-speed SKYACTIVDRIVE automatic transmission.

Family Vehicle, Couples Retreat At its core, CX-9 is a family vehicle, with three rows, space for seven passengers and storage for every which item a family may need.

To maximize comfort for front-row passengers and space for those in the second row, engineers went to great lengths to redesign the front seats with thinner seatbacks, yet make them more comfortable.

For the first time in a Mazda, low-rebound high-damping urethane is used in the seat backs of the front seats as well as the seat cushions. This material transmits desirable feedback from the road surface to the driver, while filtering unpleasant vibrations from rough road surfaces, helping to realize the CX-9’ high-class ride comfort. The same material is used in the cushions of the second row seats as well.

To get to the third row, Mazda’s engine-

ers sought to make access so easy that even a child could do it with a single, simple lever.

The Heads-Up Cockpit MAZDA (MZD) CONNECT is an infotainment suite designed around a distraction-free experience that still allows users to stream music, make hands-free calls and use other internet-based applications. MAZDA CONNECT uses both Bluetooth and cable-based connections via two USB ports accessible to front passengers for functions like Pandora or Aha by Harman music streaming.

New CX-9 comes with a seven-inch or eight-inch MAZDA CONNECT touchscreen infotainment system standing front and center for connectivity needs with commander control knob. Using both touchscreen functions when parked and a center-mounted commander control knob when on the move, MAZDA CONNECT intuitively and safety control radio, phone, navigation, diagnostic and phone functions. MAZDA CONNECT also enables voice controls for many functions as well as five shortcut buttons around the commander control for selecting favorite radio channels or enabling specific functions.

The driver also has an available 4.6-inch, full-color TFT screen in the gauges for many of these information readouts in addition to Active Driving Display, a fullcolor head-up display projected onto the lower windshield for readouts from the navigation, cruise control and other functions.

In back, passengers have two 2.1amp USB ports available for charging smartphones or tablets, each mounted in the outboard passenger armrests.

CGM

GLOBAL NEWS

Tonka 4runner Is The Big Toy Story

a for

Tonka 4runner

Tonka 4runner

Putting

the “Toy” in Toyota— with a capital T—is the purpose of the Tonka 4Runner concept vehicle, which has been on display at the 2015 Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) Show.

Toyota teamed with Funrise Toy Corporation, manufacturer of Tonka toys for Hasbro, to build a life-size Tonka SUV whose theme is “the ultimate offroad adventure.” The Tonka 4Runner joins the Tonka Tundra fire truck as the latest collaboration between the two iconic brands.

The Tonka 4Runner is powered by the same 4.0-liter V6 as the production 4Runner—but that’s about the only similarity between the two. The concept vehicle’s body—elevated to new heights by a ten-inch Bulletproof Suspension lift kit—sports bold matte black and yellow Tonka graphics. Twenty-inch Ultra Motorsports Type 250 Colossus wheels are enveloped by Mickey Thompson Baja MTZ 38×15.50R20LT off-road tires. Over each tire are Rigid Industries LED lights, so that the vehicle is as impossible to miss at night as it is in broad daylight.

The custom suspension includes King 8×2.5-inch and 10×2.5-inch coilovers, as well as an assortment of Bulletproof Suspension components.

Bulletproof also designed the vehicle’s welded bumpers, roof rack, side steps and ladders.

The crowning touch is the pop-up tent on the Tonka 4Runner’s roof, which makes the SUV the ultimate dream machine for outdoor enthusiasts.

CGM

CLASSIC

the

MAGICAL run

1904 Cadillac driven by Robin Morrison

&

The Magical Run

1901 Locomobile steam car driven

by Robert Adams

With its unique atmosphere and camaraderie, the Bonhams Veteran Car Run travelling from London to Brighton (staged specifically as a non-profit making veneration) commemorates the Emancipation Run of 14 November 1896, which celebrated the Locomotives on the Highway Act. The Act raised the speed limit for ‘light locomotives’ from 4 to 14mph and abolished the need for these vehicles to be preceded by a man on foot waving a red flag.

The Emancipation Run was first commemorated in 1897 with a re-enactment following the same route in 1927 and has taken place every November since, with the exception of the war years and 1947 when petrol was rationed.

The Royal Automobile Club has managed the Run with the support of the Veteran Car Club of Great Britain since 1930.

The Magical Run

1900 New Orleans driven

by Douglas Pope

The Magical Run

1902 De Dion Buton driven by Michael Sapsford The Royal Automobile Club was founded in 1897 and its distinguished history mirrors that of motoring itself. In 1907, the Club was awarded its Royal title by King Edward VII, sealing the Club’s status as Britain’s oldest and most influential motoring organisation.

The Club’s early years were focused on promoting the motor car and its place in society, which developed into motoring events such as the 1000 Mile Trial, first held in 1900. In 1905, the Club held the first Tourist Trophy, which remains the oldest continuously competed for motor sports event. The Club promoted the first prewar and post-war Grands Prix at Brooklands in 1926 and Silverstone in 1948 respectively, whilst continuing to campaign for the rights of the motorist, including introducing the first driving licences.

The Magical Run

1888 Truchutet driven by Daniel Ward

The Magical Run

More

than 380 pioneering veteran cars dating back to very the dawn of motoring enjoyed unseasonably mild conditions to take part in this year’s Bonhams London to Brighton Veteran Car Run on November the first.

As tradition dictates, the 119th Anniversary Run set out from Hyde Park at day break and headed 60-miles south through a misty London and onto a sunny Sussex seafront. For only the third time in more than half a century, this year’s route took the intrepid participants (all driving pioneering cars from the pre-1905 era) past Buckingham Palace and down The Mall before heading past Big Ben and over Westminster Bridge. The capital’s early morning mist added to the period Victorian atmosphere.

The first few cars began to arrive on Maderia Drive shortly after 10am – the 1903 Berliet driven by John Bentley just pipping the 1904 Fiat of Dutchman Jan Bruijn to the honour of being first past the finishing post.

Among the others turning back the clock were Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason, renowned Formula 1 team principal Ross Brawn and multiple Le Mans winner Jochen Mass. They were joined en route to Brighton by three classic coaches driven

by BBC Radio broadcasters Chris Evans, Alex Jones and Ken Bruce raising nearly £350,000 for BBC Children in Need thanks to the generosity of their 40 passengers.

Before the start the symbolic ceremonial tearing up of the red flag, that harks back to the original Emancipation Run, held on 14 November 1896.

1904 Brennan driven by David Mellor

The annual Run is now the only event anywhere on Earth where so many veteran cars parade in such numbers.

“That was without doubt the best car experience I have ever done,” enthused Evans after crossing the line. “I had absolutely no idea it was such a fantastic event – so wonderfully, wonderfully joyous. It’s like the London Marathon, with so many smiling faces, often ten deep on the roadside cheering you on all the way to Brighton. What’s more, thanks to the generosity of our passengers, we have raised a mega amount of money for BBC Children in Need. It was just an incredible day and one we must do again and again.”

Other entries included Genevieve from the eponymous 1953 film, a large number of cars from the US celebrating this year’s American theme and significantly the 1901 Isotta Fraschini – chassis number one – the very first car to wear the famous ‘IF’ badge which was making its VCR debut this year. Mass, Mason and Brawn all made it to Brighton, too. Brawn needing all his engineering skills – and several tie-wraps – to overcome a broken flywheel on his 1904 Wilson Pilcher. “It’s such a fabulous event, we just had to make it to the finish,” he said.

Another impressive finisher was the steam-powered 1888 Truchutet driven by Daniel Ward – the oldest car on the run – believed to be one of the earliest vehicles to have ever completed the event.

In total 342 of the starters managed to complete journey from Hyde Park to the Sussex coast before the 4.30pm deadline, thus receiving a coveted finisher medal.

Having been introduced in 2013, the Veteran Car Run now includes a regularity section, where participants have to average a precise speed between two controls. It was the 1900 Georges Richard of Rodney Fowler that claimed the coveted trophy.

Ben Cussons, Chairman of the Veteran Car Run Steering Group and speaking on behalf of the Royal Automobile Club said: “This must have been one of the best London To Brighton Runs ever. Once the early morning mist burned off, the sunshine was unbelievably warm – some were even remarking it was too hot! Motoring more than a century ago was never for the faint-hearted but today’s mild conditions were welcomed not just by the participants but also by the hundreds of thousands lining the entire route. I would particularly like to extend my thanks to Lodge Coaches for providing Chris with his coaches and all the volunteers and marshals along the 60-mile route who make this wonderfully unique and very, very special event possible.”

CGM

AUTONEWS

BUICK LACROSSE

T

he all-new 2017 Buick LaCrosse introduces the new face of Buick. Longer, lower and wider than the current model, the 2017 LaCrosse is built on a stronger yet lighter structure. It is about 300 pounds lighter than the current LaCrosse.

LaCrosse’s all-new 3.6L V-6 engine with direct injection and dual overhead cams is the second generation of GM’s DOHC V-6 engine family and incorporates new features such as Active Fuel Management (cylinder deactivation) and Stop/Start technology.

FIAT

124 SPIDER 500E STORMTROOPER

D

esigned at Centro Stile in Turin, Italy, the new FIAT 124 Spider takes its inspiration from the 1966 original, not only in terms of its proportions and stance but also in terms of its detailing. A horizontal line emerges from the front wing, kicking up over the rear haunch and flowing toward the tail lamp, aping the distinctive bodywork of the original car, while the style and position of the LED headlamps, and the hexagonal upper grille, both draw heavily from the details of the classic roadster. This attention to detail extends even as far as the operation of the soft top, with spring-assisted opening and closing – eliminating the need for a power assist system – and automatic window lowering and raising when the header-rail lock levers are operated. The FIAT 124 Spider will go on sale during the second half of 2016.

T

he exterior livery of the Fiat 500e Stormtrooper is inspired by the armor of the First Order Legion form the Star Wars movies, with a two-tone black and white custom painting of the car body. The windshield and the side windows are wrapped to bring out the immediately recognizable visor and helmet of the First Order stormtrooper.

Inside, everything is in black and white, too, with total custom front and rear seats upholstered in leather and Alcantara.

Autonews

FORD ESCAPE

T

he new Escape is the first Ford vehicle in the world with available SYNC Connect, allowing users to unlock doors, check fuel level and even locate where a vehicle is parked using their smartphones.

It is the first Ford vehicle to make Auto Start-Stop standard with either of two EcoBoost engines new to the model – a 1.5-li-

ter and 2.0-liter twin-scroll.

Escape SE and Titanium trim levels come standard with the new 1.5-liter four-cylinder EcoBoost, while the new twin-scroll 2.0-liter EcoBoost is optional. A six-speed automatic transmission is standard across the line, with new paddle-shift technology available for Escape SE and Titanium.

HONDA CIVIC COUPE

T

he new 2016 Civic Coupe, like its sedan counterpart, will feature two advanced new engines, including the first-ever turbo engine for the Coupe, delivering more power, performance and fuel efficiency. All new Civic Coupes, from the well-equipped LX to the new, line-topping Touring trim, also receive significant upgrades to interior style. The

2016 Civic Coupe will launch with two more powerful and fuel-efficient powertrains, Lower trims receive a new 2.0-liter DOHC i-VTEC™ engine turning out 158 horsepower and 138 lb.-ft. of torque. Civic Coupe mid to highest trims are powered by a new 1.5-liter DOHC direct-injected TURBO putting out a peak 174 horsepower and 162 lb.-ft. of torque.

Autonews

HYUNDAI ELANTRA

F

rom the front, the new Elantra is defined by Hyundai’s signature hexagonal grille that projects a distinctive character when combined with its modern lighting signatures, including available HID headlights with Dynamic Bending Lights and unique vertical LED daytime running lights, which are firsts for Elantra. For 2017, the new Elantra receives two all-new powertrains. The standard engine available on the base SE and Limited trim is a 2.0-liter Nu MPI Atkinson four-cylinder engine producing a peak 147 horsepower at 6,200 rpm

and 132 lb. ft. of torque at 4,500 rpm (estimated). It is paired with either a standard six-speed manual transmission (available only on the SE trim) or Elantra’s next generation six-speed automatic transmission.

The second powertrain is an all-new 1.4-liter Kappa turbocharged GDI four-cylinder engine equipped on the Elantra Eco trim.

This engine produces 128 horsepower at 5,500 rpm and a robust 156 lb-ft. of torque at a low 1,400 ~ 3,700 rpm and will be mated to an EcoShift seven-speed dual-clutch transmission.

JAGUAR XE

J

aguar introduced the 2017 Jaguar XE with key model year updates and new specifications ahead of its arrival in North American showrooms this Spring.

With pricing starting from $34,9006, the XE rounds out the modern Jaguar sedan line-up as the new point of entry to Jaguar ownership; joining the new 2016 Jaguar XF mid-size sedan and refreshed 2016 Jaguar XJ full-size luxury sedan. At launch in North America the XE will be available with a buyers choice of three powertrains; the 35t, a 340-hp supercharged 3.0-liter V6; the 25t, a 240-hp 2.0-liter turbocharged gasoline four-cylinder and the 20d, a 180-hp 2.0-liter turbocharged diesel four-cylinder.

Autonews

JEEP

GRAND CHEROKEE NIGHT & WRANGLER BACKCOUNTRY

T

he new Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT Night features a stealth-like appearance with the roof, rear spoiler, front grille bezels, B and C pillars and side window surrounds all adorned in Gloss Black. The front

applique is Satin Black, as is badging on the hood and rear liftgate. New lightweight, split five-spoke “5Ten” 20-inch wheels are also finished in Satin Black and are designed to showcase the Grand Cherokee SRT8’s standard Brembo brakes. The Jeep Wrangler Backcountry boasts a winter capability theme and is based on the Wrangler Sahara model. It features a Backcountry decal on the front fender and rear quarter panel, a unique off-road front and rear powder coated bumper, 17-inch Rubicon wheels painted in Mid-gloss Black and a black fuel fill door. Wrangler Rubicon rock rails are standard on the Wrangler Backcountry, but Sahara side steps are also available at no additional charge. A black hard top is standard, but an optional body color hard top is also available.

LAMBORGHINI HURACAN LP 580-2

A

utomobili Lamborghini presented the Lamborghini Huracán LP 580-2: a two-wheel drive version of the Huracán coupe. Specifically designed and engineered for its rear-wheel drive set-up, the Huracán LP 580-2’s combines dynamic new looks with a package for an enhanced Lamborghini experience. With its naturally aspirated V10 5.2 l engine sending 426 kW

/ 580 hp to the rear axle, the Huracán LP 580-2’s dry weight is just 1,389 kg, thus 33 kg lighter than the four-wheel-drive version.

The Lamborghini Huracán LP 580-2 is clearly different from its four wheeldrive stable mate. The front and rear of the Huracán LP 580-2 have been redesigned, accenting a young, fresh and more assertive look and highlighting the aeronautic styling.

Autonews

MERCEDES-BENZ SL

T

he new Mercedes-Benz SL will offer customers a host of significantly enhanced technical and visual features when it launches in the U.S. in the spring of 2016.

More powerful engines, the 9G-TRONIC automatic transmission, DYNAMIC SELECT with five transmission modes and Active Body Control with the curve tilting function all take the car to a new dynamic level. The high suitability for everyday use has been enhanced

with the vario-roof, which can now be operated at up to 25mph, and the automatic trunk separator. Visually the front end in particular is significantly sportier with an all new hood, bumper and headlamps.

The model range now includes the SL450 with a V6 engine uprated to 362 hp (additional 34 hp) and 369 lb-ft of torque @ 2,000-4,200 rpm as well as the SL550 with the powerful 449 hp V8 engine.

MITSUBISHI OUTLANDER SPORT MIRAGE

M

itsubishi unveiled the updated 2016 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport featuring a newly redesigned, bold exterior front fascia/grille. In addition to the new exterior design, the 2016 Outlander Sport is equipped with new power folding side mirrors with LED turn indicators, wheel lip moldings, auto-dimming rearview mirror with Homelink and a new 18-inch alloy wheel design. Also new to the vehicle this year are three new exterior colors: Cool Silver, Diamond White Pearl and Quartz Brown.

T

he new Mirage features a new exterior design, improved performance and enhanced interior appeal. The 2017 Mirage continues to utilize a 1.2-liter 3-cylinder DOHC engine featuring the latest version of Mitsubishi Innovative Valve timing Electronic Control (MIVEC) variable valve-

timing system that maximizes fuel efficiency and power output while greatly minimizing exhaust emissions. With the addition of a roller-type camshaft, Mirage increases its horsepower to 78 horsepower and 74 lb-ft torque.

Autonews

NISSAN SENTRA

T

he exterior redesign brings the Nissan Sentra closer in look and feel to the new 2016 Maxima and redesigned 2016 Altima. All three Nissan sedans reflect Nissan’s new design language first introduced on the dramatic Nissan Murano crossover. The 2016 Sentra also delivers enhanced performance and handling through a retuned suspension

design featuring a 10 percent increase in spring and damper rates, as well as enhanced body stiffness for improved roll and body control. All 2016 Sentra models utilize a 1.8-liter 4-cylinder engine mated to an advanced Xtronic transmission with sub-planetary gear.

A 6-speed manual transmission is also available with the Sentra S grade.

PORSCHE CAYMAN GT4

T

he 283 kW (385 hp) mid-engine racer for motorsport newcomers, which is not road homologated, is based on the successful street-legal Cayman GT4 sports car.

Just like its production sibling, the Cayman GT4 Clubsport is powered by a 3.8-litre flatsix engine, positioned directly behind the driver’s seat. The racing version exclusively features a modified six-speed Porsche double clutch transmission with shift paddles on the steering wheel and a mechanical rear-axle locking differential specifically for racing.

Autonews

SCION

C-HR CONCEPT

T

he Scion C-HR Concept is named for its Compact size and High Ride height.

With four doors and a hatch for supreme functionality, it’s the perfect vehicle for young urban creatives who inspired the design. Taking inspiration from a diamond with sheered sides, the overhead view, the

diamond points have been sharply cut in the front, rear and sides, giving view to the round fender flares visible from every angle of the car. Graphite black accents on the grille, rear bumper, fender flares and lower side panels reflect the strength and stance of the vehicle.

SUBARU IMPREZA SEDAN

S

ubaru unveiled the Impreza Sedan Concept that will be the first example of Subaru’s next-generation vehicles using a new modular platform. The design is sportier and less angular than the previous

generation Impreza, but with a powerful stance expressing Subaru’s new Dynamic x Solid design language. The new design direction hints at not only the new Impreza design, but of Subaru’s future models.

Autonews

VOLKSWAGEN BEETLE DENIM & DUNE

V

olkswagen announced the launch of the special edition 2016 Beetle Denim. As a special edition vehicle, exclusive design elements have been added to the 2,000 production units. The 2016 Beetle Denim is offered in two exterior color options-Pure White or Stonewashed Blue. The convertible top has been finished in Dark Blue with a brand new textured fabric that resembles denim. The Beetle Dune has a more aggressive appearance than the rest of the Beetle range, thanks to the fitment of new front and rear fascias and pronounced black wheelarch extensions that flow into the bumpers. Additionally, the Dune’s raised ride height of 0.4 inches and track that is 0.6 inches wider give it a more rugged stance. The 2016 Beetle Dune will be available in three exterior colors: Sandstorm Yellow,

Pure White, or Deep Black Pearl. Sandstorm Yellow cars have an interior that features body color upper door trims and dashpads, whereas the Pure White and Deep Black Pearl vehicles have black door and dashpad trim.

VOLVO QX30

R

emaining true to the powerful and elegant design cues that guided the original QX30 concept, the car’s highly sculpted exterior, unique crossover stance and asymmetric cabin design exemplify Infi-

niti’s design-led approach to product development. The QX30 also offers an elevated ride height, confidence-inspiring handling and a versatile attitude, underpinned by an intelligent all-wheel drive system.

Autonews

r e b m Dece

GMC

SIERRA DENALI ULTIMATE

T

he GMC Sierra Denali Ultimate is offered exclusively on four-wheel drive 1500 crew cab models with either a 5’ 8” or 6’ 6” cargo bed.

Sierra’s 6.2L V-8/eight-speed automatic powertrain combination offers the light-duty segment’s highest output: 420

horsepower (313 kW) and 460 lb-ft of torque (623 Nm). Active noise cancelation technology contributes to a quieter driving experience and is featured with the 6.2L engine. A 5.3L V-8 with the new Hydra-Matic 8L90 eight-speed automatic transmission is the standard powertrain.

KIA

CADENZA

K

ia has revealed the updated exterior styling of the Korean domestic market all-new Kia Cadenza (known as ‘K7’ in Korea). The all-new Cadenza boasts a purposeful new design and will feature high levels of interior quality and contemporary luxury when it goes on sale in overseas markets in 2016. At the front of the car, a new reinterpretation of Kia’s signatu-

re ‘tiger-nose’ grille, sharp wraparound LED headlamps, and muscular fenders give added confidence and definition to the design. Distinct lines characterize the rear of the car, with squaredoff bumpers, wide LED lamps joined by chrome detailing, twin exhausts and bold styling lines serving to emphasize the car’s width and convey a more assertive appearance.

Autonews DECEMBER

VOLVO S90

T

he new Volvo S90 comes equipped with an advanced semi-autonomous drive feature, Pilot Assist. The system gives gentle steering inputs to keep the car properly aligned within lane markings up to motorway speeds of around 130 km/h and no longer needs to follow another car. Pilot Assist is another step towards full au-

tonomous drive – a key innovation area for Volvo. The S90 will also come with a clean and powerful T8 Twin Engine plug-in hybrid powertrain and one of the most luxuriously appointed interiors and connected infotainment systems in the large sedan segment. The S90 is set to be publically unveiled at the NAIAS in Detroit.

W MOTORS FENYR SUPERSPORT

W

Motors, the first Arabian brand of high performance luxury sports cars debuted its latest creation, the Fenyr SuperSport. It is the latest addition to the W Motors line-up of Hypercars focusing purely on performance, power and speed, limited to only 25 units per year. The Fenyr is powered by a custom made Flat Six Cylinder, 4.0L Twin Turbo, Mid-Rear engine produced

by RUF Automobile in Germany, along with a 7 Speed Double Clutch gearbox, delivering from 900hp and 1200 NM of

I A B U D Motor Show

torque for extreme performances achieving 0 to 100km/h in less than 2.7 seconds and a top speed exceeding 400km/h.

CGM

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& RACEGM

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automotive digital/magazine published by Doppiovù Press SAS Lesmo (Italy) info@carsgm.com www.carsgm.com

Monza (Italy) Court Registration nr. 17/2012 of the November 2nd 2012

Chief Editor Vittorio Gargiulo Editorial coordinator Niccolò Gargiulo Graphic design Diego Galbiati

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Like us on facebook: Cars Global Magazine All rights reserved. All materials present in this pubblication including, but not limited to texts, photographs, illustrations, video clips and other materials are protected by copyrights and/or other intellectual property. The material and content provided in this magazine is for your personal, non-commercial use only, and you agree not to distribute, copy, extract or commercially exploit such material. You further agree not to reproduce, distribute, perform, display, modify, adapt, translate, prepare derivative works from this magazine.

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RACEGM The Super GT final

# 22 December 2015

The Andy Green’s diary

ANOTHER ONE FOR BENZ!

PIC OF THE MONTH

Tommy Johnson Jr. races “Make-A-Wish” Dodge Charger R/T Funny Car to second consecutive runner-up finish in the Auto Club NHRA Finals at Pomona (November 15)

CONTENTS FRONT PAGE

A dramatic last round

VIDEO

FORMULA ONE

Enrico’s notepad

SPECIAL

Andy Green’s diary: It’s really a rocket!

VIDEO

INTERVIEW Ken Block

RALLYCROSS

What a great day!

CLASSIC RACE

Alpine mon amour

PORTRAIT

Erica Enders-Stevens

PADDOCK MIX

RACE GLOBALMAG is an extra issue of digital monthly magazine CARS GLOBALMAG. Chief Editor: Vittorio Gargiulo All rights reserved. All materials present in this magazine including, but not limited to texts, photographs, illustrations, video clips and other materials are protected by copyrights and/or other intellectual property. The material and content provided in this application is for your personal, noncommercial use only, and you agree not to distribute, copy, extract or commercially exploit such material. You further agree not to reproduce, distribute, perform, display, modify, adapt, translate, prepare derivative works from this magazine.

FRONT PAGE

C I T A M A R AD

D N U O R T LAS The November 15 MOTEGI GT 250km race, last round of the 2015 series, was held in difficult conditions that saw a wet track in the first half of the race turn to dry in the second half. The GT500 class race winner was the No.37 KeePer TOM’S RC F (Andrea Caldarelli/Ryo Hirakawa), while the winner of the season Driver Championship was the No. 1 MOTUL AUTECH GT-R pair of Tsugio Matsuda and Ronnie Quintarelli, who drove hard and skillfully from 12th position on the grid to finish the race in 2nd place and win their second consecutive title in a dramatic turnaround.

a dramatic last round

The rain that had been falling since Saturday ended before noon on race day, but it began to fall again before the start of the race to once again wet the track just as it had started to dry out. When the race started at 1:40 in the afternoon, all of the cars were on rain tires.

In the early stages of the race the pole-starting No. 37 KeePer TOM’S RC F (Andrea Caldarelli) opened up a lead and was chased by the No. 64 Epson NSX CONCEPT-GT (Bertrand Baguette) and the No. 100 RAYBRIG NSX CONCEPT-GT (Naoki Yamamoto). The leader of the Driver ranking, the No. 12 CALSONIC IMPUL GT-R (Joao Paulo de Oliveira) was in 5th place and anxious to move up toward the front. Meanwhile the 2nd-ranking No. 1 MOTUL AUTECH GT-R (Ronnie Quintarelli), having to move up from 12th position on the grid, was pushing hard and showing amazing speed in managing to climb to 6th position by the 10th lap. By the 23rd lap, just before the teams would be making their routine pit stops, No. 1 was closing in on the tail of the CALSONIC IMPUL GT-R.

What awaited next was the speed battle of the mechanics in the pit.

The CALSONIC IMPUL GT-R’s TEAM IMPUL managed the refueling and the

tire changes in a brisk 36 seconds, but the MOTUL AUTECH GT-R’s NISMO team managed to perform the same work in 33 seconds and got the car back into the race even quicker. This enabled the MOTUL AUTECH GT-R (Tsugio Matsuda) to get back on the track in front of the CALSONIC IMPUL GT-R (Hironobu Yasuda). This put car No. 1 in second position behind the leading No. 37 RC F.

After this, There was a crash among other cars that brought the Safety Car out. This reduced the gaps between the competitors to almost nothing, and set the stage for heated battles over the remaining 22 laps of the race.

The gap between the top four cars, from the No. 37 KeePer TOM’S RC F (Ryo Hirakawa) to the MOTUL AUTECH GT-R. RAYBRIG NSX CONCEPT-GT (Takuya Izawa), the CALSONIC IMPUL GT-R was down to just two seconds and a heated battle raged with the order changing several times. Through it all, the KeePer TOM’S RC F kept its lead and managed to take the win without ever surrendering it once in the entire race.

The MOTUL AUTECH GT-R finished in 2nd place and the CALSONIC IMPUL GT-R finished 4th. These results gave the MOTUL AUTECH GT-R drivers Matsuda and Quintarelli and the NISMO team their second consecutive season title.

PIT STOP In the GT300 class, the No.31 TOYOTA PRIUS apr GT (Koki Saga/Yuichi Nakayama) started from pole position to take a perfect win. The GT300 class Drivers Championship title went to the No. 4 GOODSMILE HATSUNE MIKU Z4 drivers Nobuteru Taniguchi and Tatsuya Kataoka by hanging on to finish 3rd in this final race. The GT300 class Driver championship title had already been clinched by Andre Couto of the No.10 GAINER TANAX GT-R team (Couto/Katsumasa Chiyo) in the previous round.

a dramatic last round The KeePer Tom’s RC F Lexus of Andrea Caldarelli and Ryo Hirakawa leads the group at the start

PIT STOP Andrea Caldarelli: “I’m very happy that we got this win.

We were able to run very well in today’s race. The track was wet at the start, so we had trouble with the tire choice, and when we chose the hard tires, things were a bit tough at first. Despite that, I was able to open up a gap over the rest of the field by pushing as hard as I could. The timing of the pit stop also went very well, and I think that was an important factor.”

Ryo Hirakawa: “In today’s race, the Safety Car came out during my stint in the second half, and that all but eliminated the lead I had over the 2nd place car. But, I was then able to enjoy battling with my rivals. I am just very happy that we were able to win this last race of the season.”

a dramatic last round The WedSportAdvan RC F Lexus of Juichi Wakisaka and Yuhi Sekiguchi

PIT STOP Koki Saga: “I am glad to win this race. And, it is great that it was a perfect win from pole to finish. Before the start, the weather was tricky, and I was feeling that the slightly wet track is the kind that I am not very good with, so I was glad when it began raining before the start and we had full rain conditions; I felt saved by that. However, the timing of the Safety Car appearance wasn’t very good and it threw off our timing of the pit stop, but we were still able to win.”

Yuichi Nakayama: “We got two wins this season, in the opening round and the final round, so I am very glad about the way things have gone. During the race, the Safety Car came out and, unfortunately, we lost our lead because of that. When I got back into the race we were in 4th position, and the told me over the radio that the lead car was eight seconds ahead of me. I had some worries about the performance of the slick tires, but I was able to catch up, so it was a great race.”

a dramatic last round The Motul Autech GT-R Nissan of the 2015 Champions Ronnie Quintarelli and Tsugio Matsuda

PIT STOP Tsugio Matsuda: “I still can’t believe what has happened. I just can’t believe it. This season we had to drop out of the first race, and then we won in round two at Fuji, but things didn’t go smoothly after that. We reviewed and corrected a number of things and were finally able to win again in the 7th round at Autopolis. Then we were able to get the championship in this race today. I want to thank the team, NISMO, Michelin and all the other people who had helped us get here.”

Ronnie Quintarelli: “To tell you the truth, I thought it was going to be difficult for us to win the championship. Before the start of this 8th round I thought that we were probably in a difficult situation. Five laps before the pit stop, I was getting close to car No. 12, and that made me feel that we might win the championship after all. I feel that today’s race has probably shortened my life by about five years.”

The Drago Modulo NSX Honda driven by Takashi Kogure and Oliver Turvey

RGM

FORMULA one m

narini.co

icoza www.enr

S ’ O C I R EN D A P E T NO Enrico Zanarini is one of the most expert and successful managers of the Formula 1circus.

Since the mid 80s he’s playing a primary role in the paddock by supporting the career of drivers as Eddie Irvine, Giancarlo Fisichella, Vitantonio Liuzzi just to mention a few. Enrico also manages the activity of important sponsors as he’s at the head of one of the main international sport/management agency.

He has recently started writing his reflections about Formula 1 on his own blog and he has also accepted to publish the more interesting thoughts on RACE GLOBALMAG. We are happy to host his “behind the scenes” insights and truly free point of view, even if sometimes these don’t perfectly match the RGM point of view.

ANOTHER ONE FOR

BENZ

(photo Getty Images/Red Bull Content Pool)

FORMULA ONE Another Formula 1 season is behind us but it seemed like we were still in 2014. Looking at the final standings nothing seems to really have changed with Hamilton at the top of the chart followed by Rosberg a close second. Mercedes has once more confirmed its supremacy by dominating most of the season, but the final result doesn’t give the full picture of what happened in 2015 as there were some significant differences with the previous year.

First of all Ferrari was able to step up as (almost) a contender by filling the gaps Mercedes conceded a little more frequently than in 2014. The Scuderia was the only team that could make the Germans worry, clinching three victories, but coming up short of a serious push for the title.

I’m sure many would agree that the most demoralizing aspect of the Championship was the gap between the runner-up and the rest of the pack. Take the last race at Abu Dhabi for example: a part from the Ferraris all the others were seconds behind the silver stars!

The allocation of strength is so unbalanced now that the result is a really poor spectacle. A clear

Th e 2 0 1 5 Wo r ld C ha m p i o n L e w is Ha m i l t o n d u ring t he l a st G ra n d P r ix of t he se a s o n i n Ab u D ha b i

message to Mr. Ecclestone and all the other key players in Formula One is to quickly address this aspect of the sport. Something must be done with the new rules so that, for every top team’s small mistake there should be plenty of other contenders able to have a shot at the big prize.

On the positive side I want to give credit to the performances of some F1 drivers. Full honors go to Lewis Hamilton who certainly deserved his third title, with superb driving all year long.

Vettel was the main reason for Ferrari’s good performance, perfectly understanding his role in the Scuderia bringing enthusiasm at Maranello and a lot more points than his teammate with 13 podium finishes of which three on the top step.

He will be the success key for Ferrari in the upcoming years as the team will push to be more competitive.

Youngsters were under the spotlight several times with the Toro Rosso duo of Verstappen and Sainz capable of putting on a yearlong battle and still finishing in front of many others: bravi!

Best money-for-value prize goes to Force India, able to finish fifth in the championship with both drivers, Perez and Hulkemberg, bothering the top of the pack in several occasions.

Mexican dri v e r S ergio Pere z, protagonist of a super-positiv e season with his Force In d ia

FORMULA ONE

think we can Sebastian Vettel: “ I is season. Of be very happy for th to catch the course the last step the hardest Mercedes will also be about where one, but if you think ago, this has we were only one year . I can’t think been a miracle season ich improved of any other team wh Big smiles are so much over a year. rage and for going around in our ga increase the next year we want to very happy to amount of smiles. I’ m in this moment have joined the team ening year with and to have had an op pefully we’ll Ferrari like I had. Ho ones coming”. have many more good ari)

(photo Copyright Ferr

FORMULA ONE

uld love to start Nico Rosberg: “ I wo rrow - but I the 2016 season tomo ible. It’s strange, know that´s not poss nt so much I’m enjoying the mome dy very much but I’m thinking alrea uld change of next year what I co ove. We will all and where I can impr rved break with now have a well-dese k forward to our families and I loo time with my wife spending some more ”. and my little daughter

FORMULA ONE

of Performance Rob Smedley, Head had a really good Engineering: “We’ve solid third again, season and finished a the growth of which is important to ly proud of the the team. I’m incredib tantly growing way this team is cons cus has been on and improving. Our fo a long time, the 2016 car for quite winter ahead now we’ve got a long out the starting and we have to come next year”. blocks in a full sprint /Williams)

(photo: Glenn Dunbar

FORMULA ONE C a r l os S a i n z ( To r o R o s s o ) d ur i n g p ra ct i ce f o r t h e A b u D hab i G r a n d P ri x a t Yas Ma r i n a C i rcu i t ( pho to Ge tty I m a ge s / R ed Bul l Conte nt Pool)

THE CALENDAR FOR THE 2016 FIA FORMULA ONE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

Â

20 March 03 April 17 April 01 May 15 May 29 May 12 June 19 June 03 July 10 July 24 July 31 July 28 August 04 September 18 September 02 October 09 October 23 October 30 October 13 November 27 November

Melbourne Bahrain Shanghai Sochi Barcelona Monte Carlo Montreal Baku Spielberg Silverstone Budapest Hockenheim Spa-Francorchamps Monza Singapore Sepang Suzuka Austin Mexico City Sao Paolo Abu Dhabi

Australia Bahrain China Russia Spain Monaco Canada Azerbaijan Austria United Kingdom Hungary Germany Belgium Italy Singapore Malaysia Japan USA* Mexico Brazil United Arab Emirates

*subject to agreement with the promoter and the ASN

RGM

SPECIAL

The Andy Green’s Diary

IT IS REALLY

Starting from this month we are honoured to publish the diary of Wing Commander Andy Green.

Fighter Pilot of the Royal Air Force, Green is the current world land-speed record holder (he drove the Thrust SSC up to 763 mph in 1997) and is destined to change history by attempting the new record with the Bloodhoud Project and focused around 1000 mph.Â

Y A ROCKET!

It is really a rocket!

I’m regularly asked whether Project BLOODHOUND is going to develop any new technology that will be used in the future. My answer is always ‘I hope not’. BLOODHOUND is not aiming to develop new engineering, we are aiming to develop new engineers.

New technology is difficult and expensive to produce, and we have to assume that’s it’s unreliable until it’s been properly tested and developed. Proven ‘off the shelf’ technology is always a better choice, especially for a small fast-moving (!) project like a Land Speed Record. BLOODHOUND is using existing technology in new ways, in order to bring science and technology to life for the next generation of engineers. However, that’s not quite true for BLOODHOUND’s rocket programme.

The education/inspiration role is still the essential part of what we do, including for the rocket programme, but I’ll come back to that later. The problem with the rocket programme is that we do appear to be in the ‘developing future technology’ business, whether we like it or not. The good news is that we seem to be rather good at it.

First, a brief summary of why we’re developing a rocket. We need some form of rocket system in order to reach 1000+ mph, as jet

[photo by Stefan Marjoram]

engines alone won’t be enough – after all, we’re trying to go faster than any jet fighter has ever been at ground level, so we’re above the design speed of any known jet engine.

Hence we need a rocket, but what type? Solid rockets (like very large fireworks) can’t easily be controlled or shut down, so they are not a favourite of mine.

Liquid rockets (the sort used for ‘normal’ space rocket launches) work by mixing 2 very excitable liquids together and trying to control the very angry reaction it causes. Liquid rockets are very powerful, but the liquids are not nice to use (or to carry in large quantities in the Car with me) so once again this is not ideal. Hence our choice was for a hybrid rocket system. The solid fuel ‘grain’ (basically a long tube with a hole down the centre) is made from a synthetic rubber called HTPB, while concentrated hydrogen peroxide, known as ‘high-test’ peroxide (or HTP for short) gives us a fairly well-behaved oxidiser. These make for a safe payload in rocketry terms.

The rubber fuel is, well, just rubber. In dilute form, hydrogen peroxide can be used for a number of things including hair bleach – hence the term ‘peroxide blonde’ – and as long as the concentrated HTP is kept cool and clean, it also behaves itself nicely. These chemicals

are certainly a whole lot more friendly than liquid hydrogen, liquid oxygen, various solid fuel ‘explosives’, etc., that other rockets use.

The tricky bit in a hybrid rocket is pumping the HTP oxidiser into the fuel grain at high pressure and then managing the burning process (known as ‘regression’) of the rubber fuel grain, once the hybrid reaction (very high temperature burning rubber) starts to generate the thrust. This is the system that the BLOODHOUND team has been developing, in conjunction with our rocket partner Nammo.

BLOODHOUND’s rocket pump has been produced in-house. Starting with a 1960s design from the British rocket programme (which

also used HTP all those years ago), we’ve used modern computer modelling and specialist manufacturing processes to produce the most efficient HTP pump ever made. The pump still needs over 500 hp to drive 800 litres (approximately one tonne) of HTP, at 75 Bar (1100 psi), into the rocket in just 20 seconds, which is why we’ve got Jaguar’s 5 litre supercharged V8 engine as a pump motor. Add a whole series of valves, electronic sensors and computer controls, plus flushing and purging systems, and you’ve got a complicated (but safe) rocket system (summarised in this video which is worth watching just for the Elbow soundtrack).

It is really a rocket!

The BLOODHOUND team delivered its first full-scale firing back in 2012, working with the Falcon Project to test our first prototype. With that background knowledge, we then made some big changes to the design, using several smaller rockets as an alternative to one large one.

Two years later, Nammo fired the first of the revised rocket designs intended for use in the Car. Two years might sound like a long time, but for rocket development, that’s virtually overnight. This rapid-prototyping approach is grabbing people’s attention in the rocket world.

We’re using some components (like the Jaguar V8) that are too heavy for a flight system like a space rocket, but BLOODHOUND’s approach is getting things done quickly and cheaply – just what a Land Speed Record team needs.

1

So much for the rocket system in the Car. If you add in the requirement to set a World Land Speed Record, then things get even more difficult. We’ll be operating the rocket out in the middle of a desert, not in a specialist rocket facility, so we’ll need a lot of support equipment for servicing, fuelling, HTP storage and so on. The FIA regulations require the Car to do 2 runs, in opposite directions, within one hour. Instead of days to prepare the rocket for another firing, we’ve got to replace the fuel grain, reload a tonne of HTP, replace the Car’s coolant, reset all the systems, and get all that done in about 30-40 min. This is a classic blend of aerospace and motorsport technologies: a racing pit stop for a hybrid rocket.

To deliver this race-capable rocket system in the desert, we are preparing some specialist support vehicles and equipment. These are being delivered in the same short period of time. I’ve only just found out that this support equipment is regarded as so innovative that one of our rocket support team is writing his post-graduate thesis on its development. Like it or not, we really are developing new technologies and new ways of doing things.

PIT STOP

As well as developing our own rocket technology on the Car, we’re seeing more and more schools taking part in the BLOODHOUND Model Rocket Car Challenge. Ever fancied getting your name into the Guinness Book of World Records? Here’s one exciting way to do it. Don’t wait too long though, the competition is getting more intense every day.

Interest in the Model Rocket Car Challenge goes much wider than just UK schools. Over the week of the Brazilian Grand Prix, we had a small team out in Sao Paolo, helping the UK Government to promote the very best of British innovation and technology (Project BLOODHOUND!). We were also there to support Brazil’s huge interest in the Rocket Car Challenge, which is going country-wide in Brazil. The teams from the SENAI academy seemed to get the hang of it really quickly – subject to ratification, they have already set a world record in the 50 metre category. Well done them!

2

1. BLOODHOUND SSC first hybrid firing.

2. Testing wooden underwear.

It is really a rocket!

BLOODHOUND’s use of HTP is also generating a lot of interest. We’ve set up our own test laboratory to check that all the key materials in the Car are HTP compatible. That includes the Alpinestars fire-proof overalls, boots, gloves etc., that I’ll be wearing to drive it (the suit was absolutely fine, by the way, but the boots needed a bit of modification – the leather bits were reactive).

They even tested my flame-resistant underwear! Alpinestars uses a natural fibre called ‘Lenzing FR’, made from trees (yes, I know that sounds wrong, but apparently my underwear really is made with Beechwood fibres).

I was sure that anything from a tree would react furiously with HTP. Shows how much I know: the flame-proof ‘wooden’ underwear is also very HTP-resistant. Sadly, this robs me of the chance to say ‘that run was so fast that my underwear nearly caught fire’, as the team now knows that this can’t happen.

HTP is also a very ‘green’ fuel. It’s non-toxic, relatively easy to store and use, and produces the cleanest decomposition products imaginable, water and oxygen. We’ve been approached by a range of people, from the space industry to universities, seeking advice on using it. I don’t know if HTP is going to find its way into everyday vehicles any time soon (storage and handling does require some care), but it’s a really interesting option for an alternative fuel source – so who knows?

We are trying to avoid using too much ‘new’ technology for BLOODHOUND, but as you can see, we do have to develop some to get us to 1000 mph. The new technology does come with one big advantage – as BLOODHOUND is an ‘Engineering Adventure’ designed to bring technology to life, it gives us an even better story to tell.

Another great result in Brazil was signing up our newest BLOODHOUND Ambassador, the Brazilian F1 racing legend Emerson Fittipaldi,

who was recruited by our Rocket Challenge manager, Jas Thandi. Having this level of support for the Brazilian education campaign will make a big difference.

As a final thought, the BLOODHOUND rocket programme has forced us to change the way we talk about things. We can’t use the phrase ‘it’s not rocket science’ anymore, because BLOODHOUND is the ultimate Engineering Adventure. It really is rocket science.

PIT STOP Another great result in Brazil was signing up our newest BLOODHOUND Ambassador, the Brazilian F1 racing legend Emerson Fittipaldi, who was recruited by our Rocket Challenge manager, Jas Thandi. Having this level of support for the Brazilian education campaign will make a big difference.

It is really a rocket!

RGM

INTERVIEW

Ken Block

…

D N E G E L A S I E H

‌

From throwing a one of a kind Ford Mustang around the streets of Los Angeles to taking the fight to the competition in the Global Rallycross Championships, the driver from Long beach (California) is most at home in the driver’s seat of a race car. We meet him for a chat during the recent Gymkhana Grid meeting at Santa Pod (UK)

he is a legend In 2005, Ken Block decided to pursue a childhood dream: becoming a professional rally driver. Upon completing his first year of racing, he was awarded the title of “Rookie of the Year” by Rally America. From there, his trajectory upward started and hasn’t stopped since. Within a few years, he’d helped put rally racing on the map in the US by competing in events at X Games as well as highly successful campaigns in the Rally America Championship. In 2010, Block took his racing global, with the creation of the Monster World Rally Team, competing in multiple rounds of the World Rally Championship (WRC) in his Ford Fiesta. In 2013, Block’s team became the Hoonigan Racing Division and he continued to travel the world with his racing.

The past 12 months have been another success story for Ken and his Hoonigan Racing Division as the team travelled all over the world racing in various rally events and achieved strong results wherever they went. Add to that the release of Gymkhana SEVEN video, which saw the American unveil the Hoonicorn and shred the streets of LA, it’s been another huge year for the tyre-slayer in chief.

In addition to his success on rally stage roads, Block also created the YouTube viral video series known as Gymkhana. With seven entries in the series and over 300 million views, Block is now equally well known for his viral videos as he is his racing.

I’m a competitor and someone that likes to have fun, so I truly enjoy competing but I also think that the amazing cars that I get to race, like the Ford Fiesta, is also fun to take them off the racetrack and do other things with them.

You are a racing driver, showman, entrepreneur … how do you consider yourself to be exactly?

You have also been able to transform all of this in a good business …

Yeah, absolutely! At the end of the day motorsport is very expensive. It costs millions of dollars to do the things that I do every year competitionwise, so we tried to find a way over the years to get more exposure for our sponsors, so that we can bring in the money to be able to do all the crazy things I do every year. It’s been a fun exercise and I really enjoy racing and doing all the things around the world, doing them not only on a racing or demo but also on the business side also.

Which has been the best decision in your career? And the worst?

Probably the best thing for me was to embrace social media, the internet, and try to have fun with that and use that to expose what I was doing as opposed to just rely on the event organizers like Rally America, WRC or X-Games. In the traditional sense of athlete in the past, you relied only on what the people that were putting on the sport could do to expose you but today we control lot of that to make that exposure possible ourselves.

The worst moment? Crashing! I had one of the worst crashes of my life in Portugal at the WRC event. Crashes happen, it is what it is, is part of the game. I’ve always gone with the attitude that I started this very late in my life and tried to learn very fast but I’ve always tried to be just the best driver that I can be. But unfortunately when you push the limits sometime you crash, that’s the reality of it.

You are one of the only four Americans that scored points in the World rally Cahmpionship. Do you believe you will be able to stay in the top 5 in World Rally if you would concentrate just on this?

That’s probably the most disappointing thing for me, because I had the ability to be there but I didn’t have the time. If you look at the best drivers… it has taken them years and years to get where they are.

And that’s what you have to do, you have to go to every event, every year, better your notes, do all the testing, and I just didn’t have the time with everything that I do, with sponsor requirements, I have three children … can’t do it all! And unfortunately the WRC just takes a huge amount of time. Nowadays racing rallycross I am able to race at high level and do all the events, they just take much less time. But still, at the end of the day, I am a stage rally driver, I love that and I miss being able to race WRC.

Racing has changed a lot during your career, but how has racing changed you?

For me it’s like a dream come true. I started racing for the fun of it, I knew I had a little bit of natural talent when I did my first school, but I had no idea I would have been able to take it this far. I’ve been able to do amazing things around the world including racing in the WRC and finishing in the top 10. I never would have thought that would be possible, but for me it’s been an amazing experience.

he is a legend

PIT STOP Ken Block about the Santa Pod’s Gymkhana Grid event: “It was an incredibly fun weekend and I loved watching the guys battle it out. Trying to get the massive Hoonicorn around the course was a real challenge today and it’s the first time I’ve properly raced it. Dmitrij had an amazing drive in our one on one so well done to him! Thanks to Monster for organising such a great event and to all the fans who came to see us. I can’t wait to see how we top this next year!”

he is a legend

he is a legend

PIT STOP Making its international debut at X Games in Los Angeles in 2013, GymkhanaGRiD is all about speed and precision. Open to all those who dare to compete against other petrol heads in their own specially modified cars.

Held on an approximate 100m x 100m open space of asphalt called the grid, each driver must record a time by completing a lap of two custom designed courses which include a pre-determined sequence of drifts, figure 8s, donuts, and slaloms.

Historically split into three classes, drivers go head to head in All Wheel Drive (AWD), Rear Wheel Drive (RWD) and Rallycross Supercars categories.

RGM

RALLY cross

The new sereis champion Scott Speed (Volkswagen Beetle)

Photo Chris Tedesco/Red Bull Content Pool

Wiman Wins the last 2015 Race and Speed Clinches Championship at Red Bull Global Rallycross

WHAT A

GREAT DAY!

Joni Wiman took his first Supercar main event victory, while Scott Speed clinched a hard-fought championship, in the season finale on the Las Vegas Strip. Wiman’s teammate Sebastian Eriksson earned second place, while Speed placed third to complete the podium.

what a great day!

Scott Speed

Nelson Piquet Jr. and Patrik Sandell

what a great day!

Sebastian Eriksson (photo Larry Chen)

what a great day!

Sebastian Eriksson (Ford Fiesta) (photo Larry Chen)

what a great day!

Tanner Foust (Volkswagen Beetle)

what a great day!

“I feel great!” Wiman, last year’s Supercar champion, said after the victory in Las Vegas. “I’ve been waiting for this for almost 20 races. It’s unbelievable—I had a completely clean race with almost no mistakes, and that’s how you win races.”

Inclement weather caused the event to take place on a wet track, with drivers forced to run wet Yokohama tires for the single-day event. Steve Arpin won the pole for the event, but Wiman took the semifinal victory to earn the pole for the main event.

Speed, who won the second semifinal, grabbed the lead on the start of the 10lap main event, but Wiman muscled by him quickly to take a lead he would never relinquish. The Formula One former driver

maintained the third spot to earn the championship over Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross teammate Tanner Foust, who finished ninth and off of the lead lap.

“What a great way to win here, with all the climate issues and all the drama,” Speed said. “It really feels great for the team because we came from so far back in points. I’m super happy for Volkswagen Andretti to bring home this championship!”

In GRC Lites, Oliver Eriksson earned the championship for OMSE as Alex Keyes stormed to his third race victory of the season. The championship battle bet ween Austin Cindric and Eriksson came to an end on the first lap of the final when an incident in the dirt ended Cindric’s day.

Joni Wiman and Steve Arpin

RGM

RACE CLASSIC

1965, Le Mans 24 Hours Jean Rédélé near an Alpine Renault (photo DPPI)

Photo Renault Communication

Sixty years ago the birth of Alpine.

Motorsport has been a constant theme throughout Alpine’s history

ALPINE mon amour…

With the benefit of hindsight, Jean Rédélé’s destiny was clear to see. Raised from a very young age in a world dominated by cars, racing and Renault, he also distinguished himself through an avant-garde vision of technology and business.

Born on May 17, 1922, Jean was the eldest son of Émile Rédélé, a Renault dealer based in Dieppe and formerly an official mechanic for Ferenc Szisz, the brand’s first ‘factory driver’ back at the beginning of the century. Once he had completed his studies at HEC business school in Paris, Jean came to the attention of Renault’s management for his ground-breaking business ideas. At the age of just 24, he became the youngest car dealer in France as he followed in his father’s footsteps.

alpine mon amour

Reasoning that ‘motorsport is the best way to test production cars and victory is the best sales tool’, Jean Rédélé entered his first competitive events four years later, at the age of 28.

After a trial run at the Rallye Monte-Carlo in 1950, he triumphed in the inaugural Rallye de Dieppe behind the wheel of the new 4CV, defeating a plethora of significantly more powerful rivals! This nationally-acclaimed victory convinced Renault to entrust him with a 4CV ‘1063’ – the special racing version – for the following season.

While this enabled him to maintain his run of success, Jean Rédélé worked hard to improve the performance of his vehicle. This quest led him to Giovanni Michelotti, from whom he ordered a 4CV ‘Spéciale Sport’, the chief feature of which was an aluminium body that was rather more aerodynamically streamli-

Amédée Gordini and Jean Redele

ned than the original vehicle. Over the course of time, this collaboration between the French rally driver and the Italian designer gave birth to three unique models.

While awaiting the delivery of his new car, Rédélé continued to compete in his ‘1063’ as his friend Louis Pons – a Renault dealer in Paris and Etampes – became his co-driver. Always seeking to enhance performance, the pair funded the development of a five-speed gearbox, designed by André-Georges Claude. This played

The Alpine-Renault A 442 of Frequelin-Ragnotti during the Le Mans race of 1978

a particularly important role in their record-breaking class victory in the Mille Miglia, the famous road race held between Brescia and Rome.

Jean Rédélé’s career path next took him to the Le Mans 24 Hours and Tour de France Automobile. In 1953, he finally got his hands on his 4CV ‘Spéciale’, and on his very first outing in the car, he won the 4th Rallye de Dieppe ahead of two Jaguars and a Porsche!

The following year, the Rédélé/Pons pairing triumphed in their class for the third time on the Mille Miglia,

before going on to prevail in the Coupe des Alpes. “I thoroughly enjoyed crossing the Alps in my Renault 4CV, and that gave me the idea of calling my future cars ‘Alpines’, so that my customers would experience that same driving pleasure,” he would later reveal.

The notion of creating his own brand preyed upon Jean Rédélé’s mind, and it was his father-inlaw who helped him to turn his dream into reality.

Owner of the Grand Garage de la Place de Clichy on

alpine mon amour

1972, the Renault Alpine A110 “Berlinette�

rue Forest, Charles Escoffier was one of the leading Renault dealers of the era. When he asked his sonin-law to assist with the development and marketing of a series of ‘Coaches’ already commissioned from Gessalin & Chappe, it proved to be the catalyst for the foundation of the ‘Société des Automobiles Alpine’ on June 25, 1955.

Founded by a skilled driver, Alpine is a brand whose history is punctuated by success in motorsport, from the Rallye Monte-Carlo to the Le Mans 24 Hours!

Even if the characteristics of the A106 ‘Coach’ did not particularly lend themselves to racing, in the hands of drivers of the calibre of Jacques Féret and Jean Vinatier, it nonetheless succeeded in securing some very creditable results, not to mention the outstanding second place claimed by Jean Rédélé himself on the 1955 Mille Miglia.

Motorsport also served as the catalyst for the development and evolution of the A108, while providing the baseline for the A110.

Beginning in 1963, Alpine pitted itself against the gruelling Le Mans 24 Hours, targeting the ‘Performance Index’ and ‘Efficiency Index’ accolades rather than outright victory. With their small Gordini engines, the Alpines stood out for their aerodynamic efficiency. Two victories ensued, in 1964 with the M64 crewed by Henry Morrogh / Roger Delageneste and again two years later with the A210 piloted

by Jacques Cheinisse / Roger Delageneste. There were also one-two-three finishes in the Energy Index classification in 1966 and 1968.

The Alpine name also achieved success in single-seaters, with Henri Grandsire winning the French F3 Championship in 1964. Several years later, Patrick Depailler (1971) and Michel Leclère (1972) repeated the feat.

In rallying, the A110 Berlinette swiftly showed itself to be a potent force. In 1968, Gérard Larrousse came close to winning in Monte-Carlo, but it was the team of ‘Musketeers’ who truly earned the Dieppe-based manufacturer its spurs within the sport. Alpine-Renault

alpine mon amour

The Alpine-Renault M 64

sporting director Jacques Cheinisse recruited a ‘dream team’ composed of Jean-Pierre Nicolas, Jean-Claude Andruet, Bernard Darniche and Jean-Luc Thérier.

Other drivers would subsequently bolster this legendary quartet, such as Ove Andersson who triumphed in Monte-Carlo in 1971.

In 1973, the Alpine-Renault squad competed for the very first World Rally Championship title. The season began superbly, with a one-two-three finish for Andruet, Andersson and Nicolas in Monte-Carlo.

Across 13 rounds, the Berlinette won six times and on every type of terrain: Monte-Carlo (Andruet), Portugal (Thérier), Morocco (Darniche), Acropolis (Thérier), Sanremo (Thérier) and Tour de Corse (Nicolas). The last of those victories saw Alpine conclude the campaign in fine style, with another top three lock-out to write the closing chapter of an extraordinary story!

These results crowned Alpine-Renault World Champion, ahead of rivals Fiat Abarth and Ford.

The 1973 season also witnessed the re-launch of Alpine’s endurance racing programme, which had been halted after the disappointment of the A220 at the end of the 1960s. This time, the brand had the top step of the podium firmly in its sights. Victory edged closer year by year until it was finally achieved in 1978.

Behind the wheel of the Alpine Renault A442-B, JeanPierre Jaussaud and Didier Pironi triumphed ahead of the A442 (crewed by Guy Fréquelin and Jean Ragnotti) which came fourth.

With its mission accomplished, Renault was able to turn its attentions towards Formula 1 with its 1.5-litre V6 turbo engine.

The Alpine A310 similarly enjoyed its days in the sun, tasting glory with Jean Ragnotti, Bruno Saby and Jean-Pierre Beltoise – French Rallycross Champions in successive years from 1977 to 1979 – as well as Guy Fréquelin, the 1977 French Rally Champion.

Following the organisation of the Alpine Europa Cup – contested as a curtain-raiser to Formula 1 Grands Prix with the GTA model – the brand’s motorsport activities drew to a close in 1988.

alpine mon amour

1965, Le Mans 24 Hours Jean Rédélé near an Alpine Renault (photo DPPI)

1966, the Alpine-Renault A210 crossing the finishing at the Le Mans 24 Hours

PIT STOP At the end of 2012, when Alpine’s revival was officially announced, a return to motorsport was immediately mooted. After forging a partnership with Signatech, the brand entered both the European endurance championship (ELMS) and the Le Mans 24 Hours. During its very first season (2013), the A450 lifted the European laurels. The Signatech-Alpine squad successfully defended its ELMS crown in 2014, while at the same time clinching an LMP2 class podium finish at Le Mans. This performance was accompanied by seventh position in the overall classification – the second-best result in the brand’s history at La Sarthe after its 1978 victory.

Mille Miglia 1955, the Renault Alpine A106 of Jean Redele

1969, Le Mans, the Alpine-Renault A220 of Jean-Claude Andruet and Henri Grandsire

RGM

PORTRAIT

Erica Enders-Stevens

Her smile told the story Erica EndersStevens is more than a driver, more than a normal NHRA competitor‌ she is the first woman to win a Pro Stock championship and only the third woman to win a professional title in NHRA

her smile told the story Enders-Stevens’ story goes back more than 22 years ago, when an 8-year-old Enders heard about NHRA’s Junior Dragster program and bugged her dad, Gregg, to be able to participate.

For many kids, that’s where racing dreams die, for life often gets in the way. But for Enders-Stevens, her dream was only beginning.

Her parents, Gregg and Janet Lee – now divorced – had one rule when their children began any project: finish it.

“My dad told me that anything worth having was never going to be easy,” Enders-Stevens said.

“Whether it was sports or dance or school or whatever it was, whatever we started, we had to finish. We weren’t allowed to quit.”

Janet Lee made Erica join the Girl Scouts when she was in second grade, but Erica wasn’t exactly a big fan of the uniforms or the meetings or the cookies.

Well, maybe she did like the cookies – selling them, that is.

While Erica couldn’t wait for her year in Girl Scouts to be up, she was determined to sell as many of the cookies as possible.

She sold them in the neighborhood in Houston, she sold them at her dad’s office and she sold them at the race track. There weren’t many girls around the track then, so the boxes of cookies went quickly.

And when the sale was over, Erica had sold the most.

“You bet your ass I won that competition, too,” EndersStevens said.

PIT STOP Winning 37 Jr. Dragster races in her first eight years, Enders-Stevens caught the eye of filmmakers, who turned her story and that of younger sister Courtney into a Disney Channel movie, Right on Track, which debuted in 2003.

Right on Track was a success, voted Most Awesome Sports Movie of the Year by more than 1.5 million viewers while remaining the second-highest-rated Disney Channel original movie in history.

her smile told the story

PIT STOP In 2014 Erica Won World Championship in dramatic fashion, beating Jason Line in the final round of the final race. … First woman to win NHRA Pro Stock championship. … Came from behind in final two races to win the championship, winning in Las Vegas and Pomona. … Won career high six races and six No. 1 qualifiers. … Doubled up in the first Las Vegas race, winning the special K&N Horsepower Challenge and the national event. … Set national record for elapsed time (6.464 seconds) and Englishtown, N.J. … Qualified in the top three in 20 of her 22 races. … Also won at Houston, Bristol and Norwalk. … Named to the American Auto Racing Writers & Broadcasters Association All-America Team. … One of only three women to score double-digit national-event victories, joining Shirley Muldowney and Angelle Sampey.

her smile told the story Erica was a standout volleyball player at Cyprus Springs High School, but near the end of her junior year, she tore her rotator cuff in her right shoulder.

Surgery and rehab meant that was probably the end of her volleyball career, but Enders-Stevens wouldn’t accept that answer.

“I’m starting my senior year,” she told her father.

“I’m going to be alldistrict.”

Erica is right-handed, so not having full rotation of her right arm after surgery was going to be a large hindrance in her volleyball career.

She still can’t fully rotate her right arm to this day, but she had a simple plan: “I’m going to play lefthanded,” Erica told her dad.

After the surgery, Erica spent day after day, hour after hour, smacking the ball against the wall at the gym – with her left hand. Soon, she was playing outside hitter and libero – left-handed.

“She taught herself to play left-handed,” Gregg Enders said. “My girl is not ambidextrous. She’s

determined.” Erica made secondteam all-district her senior year.

PIT STOP

Enders-Stevens has been racing since she was a little girl. Born in 1983, she first strapped into a race car at age 8, wheeling a Jr. Dragster that is now displayed in the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum in Pomona, Calif.

She didn’t win her first race, but she did go to the winner’s circle in her second, jumpstarting a career that has seen repeated highlights.

In 1993, Enders-Stevens won the Division 4 Jr. Dragster championship. Two years later, she was honored as the Jr. Dragster Driver of the Year.

Erica Enders has already captured the biggest prize in the Pro Stock class of the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series: the 2015 championship. But the two-time series champion is far from finished with the season. Enders is a nine-time winner in 2015, meaning she already holds the record for most wins in a season by a woman, but she wants No. 10.

Enders, clinched the championship during her victory in Las Vegas: “I’m proud that we locked the championship up last weekend,” Enders said. “But I’m going into tomorrow with the mindset that I want to win No. 10 on the season here in Pomona.

That is my job, that is my goal, and that is what I will do.”

Enders-Stevens’ racing career stayed on track as she moved through the NHRA Sportsman ranks, earning Sportsman Driver of the Year honors in 2000. She also reached her first national event final that year in her hometown event in Houston.

From age 16 to 20, EndersStevens won six times in Super Comp, and in 2004, she won in Super Gas at NHRA’s Houston national event.

Ready for the next step, she turned pro in 2005, racing in the NHRA Pro Stock division for Cagnazzi Racing.

In 2005, she reached the final round in Chicago and won eight rounds, earning a nomination for the NHRA Road to the Future Award, which is given to the season’s top rookie.

Enders-Stevens earned her first No. 1 qualifier spot just a year later in 2006 in Topeka, Kan., finished second in Gainesville, Fla., and won 10 rounds over the course of her sophomore season.

From 2007 to 2010, she competed on a limited basis. Then in 2011, she returned to Cagnazzi Racing, reaching three final rounds in a solid season.

RGM

PADDOCK MIX

Gilmour and Bakker win the Women’s Cross Country Selection New Zealander Emma Gilmour and Lisette Bakker from the Netherlands have been selected as the outright winning driver and co-driver in the joint FIA Women in Motorsport and Qatar Motor and Motorcycle Federation (QMMF) cross country rally selection. The women will now team up as a crew to contest the 2016 Sealine Cross Country Rally (17-22 April), the third round of the FIA World Cup for Cross Country Rallies.

“I’m just overwhelmed, it’s been an amazing week and the experience in itself of doing something in which you have no experience, and to be driving around sand dunes, has been amazing,” said Emma. “Now to win and to have another go at the dunes, I just feel very privileged

and lucky. I also now know I need to be fitter for the rally; having got stuck in the sand today I was very hot and sweated a lot so yes, need to be fitter, and probably if there’s an opportunity to do more training, that would be great as there’s nothing like experience and mileage.”

Adding to her comments, navigator Lisette Bakker said: “I am really surprised, I didn’t expect it at all! It will be difficult to do more training because, as we learnt here, you can’t learn this from paper, you have to be in the car and you just have to go out there. I thought it would be more difficult to work with a new driver, but it was more easy than I thought and everyone got on great.

This is fantastic.”

Shane Van Gisbergen takes the crown A brace of victories for McLaren GT factory driver Shane Van Gisbergen with teammate Klark Quinn saw the 650S GT3 secure the coveted Highlands 101 title at the Australian GT season finale weekend which took place at Highlands Motorsport Park, New Zealand.

With victory in the weekend’s opening race, followed by the win in the three hour endurance race, Van Gisbergen secured his first wins on home soil with the 650S GT3.

Shane van Gisbergen, factory driver, McLaren GT said: “A fantastic weekend all-in-all.

The car felt strong during every session,

and it was a great feeling to be on the podium with a McLaren in New Zealand for my first Australian GT win. Klark [Quinn] and the team did a brilliant job throughout, and we were unlucky with the result in race 2, but otherwise a faultless weekend. The Highlands 101 is one of the most exciting races to be part of, and the battle for the lead in the closing stages was one of the best I have ever had. A double podium was a great result for the hard work by everyone, and a huge congratulations and thank you must go to the team.”

PADDOCK MIX Ogier & Ingrassia claim 8th victory

Reigning FIA World Rally Champions Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia rounded off a near perfect season with victory on the final round of the championship, Wales Rally GB. A faultless performance by the Volkswagen crew saw them battle through wind and driving rain in the Welsh forests to claim their eighth win of the season, this time ahead of Citroën’s Kris Meeke and Paul Nagle and with 26 seconds in hand. Andreas Mikkelsen and Ola Floene finished third, giving the Polo R WRC 26 podium results in 2015, its most successful season to date.

2015 WORLD RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP FOR DRIVERS Sébastien Ogier (FRA) Jari-Matti Latvala (FIN) Andreas Mikkelsen (NOR) Mads Østberg (NOR) Kris Meeke (GBR) Thierry Neuville (BEL) Elfyn Evans (GBR) Dani Sordo (ESP) Hayden Paddon (NZL) Ott Tanak (EST)

263 points 183 points 171 points 116 points 112 points 90 points 89 points 89 points 84 points 63 points

2015 WORLD RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP FOR MANUFACTURERS Volkswagen Motorsport Citroën Total Abu Dhabi WRT Hyundai Motorsport M-Sport World Rally Team Volkswagen Motorsport II Hyundai Motorsport N Jipocar Czech National Team FWRT srl

414 points 230 points 224 points 181 points 131 points 67 points 51 points 13 points

PADDOCK MIX

Engel claims back-to-back victories at Macau Just as the qualifying race was full of drama and intrigue, so too the ‘main event’ at Macau, the inaugural FIA GT World Cup was a race of challenges that concluded with a red flag and a blocked circuit, the event classified four laps short of its proposed race distance but with an emphatic back-to-back victory for Maro Engel and Mercedes Benz Off pole position Engel was beaten into turn one by arch-rival Edoardo Mortara - the Audi driver perhaps anticipating a repeat of the Mercedes driver’s start in 2014 - although his anticipation ultimately led to his downfall, the Italian penalised ten seconds post race, dropping him off the podium and down to sixth place.

For many of the GT Asia Series regulars, Macau represents the end of the season, with a long break until the opening round of the 2016 season, which is expected to begin in April.

MACAU GT CUP FIA GT WORLD CUP (22 NOVEMBER)

1. 1. Maro Engel 14-laps (Mercedes-AMG Driving Academy SLS AMG GT3) 2. 7. Rene Rast

(Audi Sport Team Pheonix Audi R8 LMS GT3)

3. 97. Stefan Mucke (Craft-Bamboo Racing Aston Martin Vantage GT3) 4. 2. Renger van der Zande (Mercedes-AMG Driving Academy SLS AMG GT3) 5. 55. Darryl O’Young (Craft-Bamboo Racing Aston Martin Vantage GT3) 6. 6. Edoardo Mortara (Audi Sport Team Pheonix Audi R8 LMS GT3) 7. 25. Alvaro Parente

(FFF Racing Team by ACM McLaren GT3)

8. 30. Marchy Lee

(Audi Hong Kong Audi R8 LMS GT3)

9. 88. Keita Sawa

(Team Absolute Bentley Continental GT3)

10. 10. Pasin Lathouras

(AF Corse Ferrari 458 Italia GT3)

12 crews through to the Clio R3t European Trophy Finale

The Rally de Madrid (November 14/15) was the last of the rallies included in the various Clio R3T European Trophy areas, after eight months of intense competition and more than twenty events. The qualified crews will now turn their attention to the 2016 Rallye MonteCarlo finale, where they have a chance to win WRC 3 World Rally Championship drive in a Renault Clio R3T. Here is the full list of drivers that will be competing for this prize in Clio R3Ts next January: International area: Eric Filippi, Alberto Monarri, Alain Pyrame and Benoit Boulanger.

France area: Benoît Vaillant, Marvin Sorin and Jean-Sébastien Vigion.

Italy area: Luca Rossetti and Ivan Ferrarotti.

Alps area: Michaël Burri and Olivier Courtois.

Iberia area: Fran Cima.

Khalid Al Qassimi wins Dubai Rally

After achieving a comfortable lead on day one, Sheikh Khalid bin Faisal Al Qassimi and Codriver Chris Patterson decided to keep a steady pace and maintain the lead until the chequered flag at the end of the Dubai International Rally.

Al Qassimi’s strategy on the final day payed off and he won the home event with a lead of 57 sec. over 2nd place finisher AbdulAziz Al Kuwari while 3rd place went to Khalid Al Suwaidi.

In the 2WD class, the Abu Dhabi Racing junior drivers finished inside the top 10. Mohamed Al Mutawaa/Stephen McAuley won the event posting some impressive times, some even faster than the group N cars! The 2nd place was constantly changing between Saeed Bintowq/Allan Harryman and Mansour Belhelei/Khalid Al Kendi.

Eventually, it was Belhelei who had the final word taking P2 and his teammate Bintouq taking P3.

PADDOCK MIX Bernhard, Hartley and Webber World Champions Former F1 driver Mark Webber (Australia), Timo Bernhard (Germany) and Brendon Hartley (New Zealand) are the new World Champions with the Porsche 919 Hybrid. The sixth race win for Porsche was taken by their teammates Romain Dumas (France), Neel Jani (Switzerland) and Marc Lieb (Germany). For Porsche a perfect season has come to an end: They took the overall victory at the 24 Hours in Le Mans, won the Manufacturers’ World Championship title at the penultimate round in Shanghai – and now have been crowned the drivers’ World Champions too.

In the GT class for production-based cars the company won three titles: Porsche took the manufacturers’ title, Richard Lietz (Austria) took the drivers’ title and Porsche Team Manthey won the team title as the main competitors of Ferrari experienced both joy and disappointment in the 6 Hours of Bahrain. The joy was expected, with the Ferrari no. 72 trio of SMP Racing winning the GTE-Am title. The disappointment came with defeat in the constructors’ championship due to a glitch on the 458 Italia no. 71 of James Calado and Davide Rigon.

In the GTE-Am class car no. 72 of SMP Racing concentrated on playing safe. Andrea Bertolini drove first and successfully avoided any problems and accidents before handing over to Aleksey Basov. Victor Shaytar took the wheel during the middle part of the race and continued to keep a handle on the situation staying in contact with the only title rival, the crew of Ferrari AF Corse no. 83, Emmanuel Collard, François Perrodo and Matteo Cressoni, who replaced the injured Rui Aguas. Bertolini completed the race, which was won by the Aston Martin no. 98 of Mathias Lauda, Pedro Lamy and Paul Dalla Lana.

PADDOCK MIX Comini crowned TCR champion Stefano Comini made it! The Swiss driver was crowned the first TCR International Series champion, after putting on an impressive performance throughout the entire weekend at Macau.

He had arrived at the Guia circuit with only two points of advantage over Pepe Oriola, but with the great handicap of having never raced on this very special track. After a quick learning process over the two free practice sessions, he took a key psychological advantage over his direct rival in qualifying, beating him and extending his lead in the championship to four points.

Then he managed to stay ahead of the Spaniard in both races. The duel between the two was particularly fierce in Race 2 and ended with the Craft-Bamboo Lukoil driver retiring with a

pierced radiator following the many contacts.

Comini rounded things with a superb maiden win at Macau, his sixth of the season, ahead of team mate Andrea Belicchi, a 1-2 that allowed Target Competition to win the Teams’ title as well, overturning the situation in the last race.

Rob Huff also made history, by taking pole position and winning Race 1 – his personal eighth victory on the Guia circuit. That was exactly what the British star had come for, enjoying greatly his first TCR experience in the WestCoast Honda Civic. Jordi Gené and Comini completed the Race 1 podium, with Mikhail Grachev of Liqui Moly Team Engstler taking third in Race 2, his second podium of the season.

Macau’s tradition was respected, as both races saw a spectacular first lap crash and were both red-flagged.

Pitures courtesy of www.superformula.net

Ishiura grabs the 2015 Super Formula title Japanese Driver Hiroaiki Hishiura has been able to grab the champion crown of the 2015 Super Formula Championship. The 34 years old driver from Tokyo preceded Kazuki Nakajima by a mere 5 and the German André Lotterer (winner of race one during the last meeting in Suzuka) . With their super-positive performance Nakajima and Lotterer secured the team title to the Petronas Tom’s Toyota as the champion’s team P.MU/Cerumo Inging Toyota finished second.

Japanese Championship Super Formula is the top category of Japanese formula racing featuring purpose-built racing cars with singleseat, open cockpit and open wheel. Organized

by Japan Race Promotion Inc. and fully sanctioned by the Japan Automobile Federation (JAF), Super Formula traces back its origins to the Japanese Championship Formula Nippon first launched in 1996.

PADDOCK MIX SOLBERG IS THE CHAMPION Sweden’s Robin Larsson has won his first FIA World Rallycross Championship event after triumphing at the November 29 Rallycross of Argentina. Mattias Ekstrom finished Argentina RX in second place, while Norway’s Petter Solberg was crowned the 2015 World RX Champion after securing the third podium spot.

Argentina marked the final round of this year’s World RX presented by Monster Energy and both Solberg and Team Peugeot-Hansen’s Timmy Hansen could have taken the 2015 World RX drivers’ title in South America. With a 26 point-lead going into the event, however, Solberg had successfully gained enough points at the Intermediate Classification to be crowned the 2015 World Champion.

“It’s unbelievable to win another championship and I want to thank my hard working team, who have travelled all round the world with me and

share my passion for this fantastic sport,” grinned World RX Champion Solberg, who last week celebrated his 41st birthday. “It is not easy winning your second World RX title: nothing in rallycross is certain and I have been a bag of nerves today. Rallycross is full of talented drivers and my team have fought so hard for this all year. We have a lot of meetings coming up, and with some manufacturers, so we will see what happens. What is most important is that I have a fantastic team and family that support me. I will be back in 2016 for sure!”

Rossi wins fourth Monza Rally

He came, he saw, he conquered. Valentino Rossi is one of the greatest motorcyclist of all time but he’s pretty damn handy on four wheels too and he sent thousands of fans home happy by winning his fourth Monster Energy Monza Rally Show title.

Hordes of VR46 descended on the Autodromo Nazionale Monza on November 28 & 29 to catch a glimpse of their idol and they weren’t disappointed at all - he put in an awesome display to end his season on a huge high.

The Rally gives fans a unique opportunity to get up close and personal with the nine-times MotoGP champion, with a completely open paddock, and thousands of them took that chance and then watched on as he dominated on-track alongside trusted co-driver Carlo Cassina.

Racing against some of the wtop rally drivers, VR topped the classifications with the 46 Ford Fiesta WRC by over 50 seconds as he defeated the likes of WRC star Thierry Neuville (Hyundai) and Motocross legend Tony Cairoli (Citroen DS3). As last act of the week end Cairoli triumphed in the Master Show race held Sunday afternoon on the legendary finish straight of the Italian circuit.

PADDOCK MIX

Kyle Busch wins NASCAR Sprint Cup!

Nine months after suffering a broken right leg and left foot in an accident at Daytona, Kyle Busch won the Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway thus capturing the 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship.

The title is the first for Kyle Busch and Toyota.

The 30 year old Las Vegas native overcame the direct challenge of Kevin Harvick (crowned champion in last year’s race) on the last restart of the race cruising to victory and winning the Series by beating finishing in front of the other 3 championship contenders (the Championship 4), Jeff Gordon, Martin Truex Jr. and the defender Kevin Harvick. Busch completed one of the most impressive comebacks in sports history after missing 11 races, winning four consecutive after his return and qualifying for the Chase: “I don’t know that anybody could have ever dreamt of this year especially, but to have dreamt of my career path the way it’s kind of gone, it’s certainly amazing to have the opportunity right

now to be in this position with Joe Gibbs and M&M’s and Toyota and Adam Stevens.”

The Ford EcoBoost 400 also marked the last race for the legend Jeff Gordon. After 797 races and 93 wins and four championships, Gordon retires from the sport at age 44, coming up short in his last quest for the Cup (he finished sixth in the race, third in the championship’s standings).

PADDOCK MIX

Sebring decides Lamborghini World Finals!

More than 65 cars, five different winners and five titles awarded. The third edition of the Lamborghini Blancpain Super Trofeo World Final, in Sebring, Florida, produced exciting races with top-quality drivers enhancing the considerable level reached by the series in the debut year of the Lamborghini Huracรกn LP 620-2 Super Trofeo.

Patrick Kujala was crowned the 2015 PRO Champion. The Finn, racing with Bonaldi Motorsport, managed two error-free races that granted him the double after the title won in the European Super Trofeo. Kujala won Race One and ended up second in Race Two behind Patric Niederhauser. American Corey Lewis (Carolina/Change Racing) stormed the PROAM Class, winning both races in the World Final. Lewis added the World Final title and victories to his Lamborghini Blancpain Super

Trofeo North America PRO-AM championship.

The AM World Final title went to Ryan Ockey, also the AM champion of the Lamborghini Blancpain Super Trofeo North America. The thrilling finale also crowned champions in the Gallardo PRO-AM and AM classes. Brit Jake Rattenbury (Carolinas/Change Racing) and American Brandon Gdovic (Palm Beach/ Mitchum Motorsport) took the honors.

RGM

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