LIMPOPO
March 2022
P3 AirCar
P12 New rules for 2022 season
P16 Racing legends
2 | March 2022
CONTENTS ISSUE 03 | MARCH 2022
Personeel | Personnel
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Slovakian AirCar turns highways to runways A car that can transform into a small aircraft has in January 2022 passed flight tests with flying colours in Slovakia. The “AirCar” was awarded an official Certificate of Airworthiness by the Slovak Transport Authority after completing 70 hours of “rigorous flight testing,” according to Klein Vision, the company behind the “dual-mode car-aircraft vehicle.” The test flights included more than 200 takeoffs and landings and were compatible with European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) standards. “The challenging flight tests included the full range of flight and performance maneuvers and demonstrated an astonishing static and dynamic stability in the aircraft mode,” the company said. Klein Vision said that a pilot license is required though to fly the hybrid vehicle and added that the company hopes to have the “AirCar” commercially available within 12 months. A team of eight specialists clocked up more than 100 000 hours converting design concepts into mathematical models that led to the prototype’s production. The “AirCar” is powered by a 1.6L BMW engine and runs on standard car fuel. The vehicle can fly at a maximum operating altitude of 18 000 feet. In June last year, the flying car completed a 35-minute test flight between airports in Nitra and the capital Bratislava in Slovakia. After landing, the aircraft converted into a car and was driven to the city center. “AirCar certification opens the door for mass production of very efficient flying cars,” said test pilot Stefan Klein, the car’s inventor and leader of the development team. Kyriakos Kourousis, chair of the Royal Aeronautical Society’s Airworthiness & Maintenance Specialist Group, said this is not the first time that similar types of vehicles have been certified. Other vehicles in development include the PAL-V Liberty, a gyroplane that doubles as a road vehicle, from Netherlands-based company PAL-V. The vehicle was given a full certification basis by the EASA but is yet to complete the final compliance demonstration stage, according to the Dutch firm. Similarly, US-based firm Terrafugia obtained an FAA Special Light-
March 2022 | 3
Sport Aircraft (LSA) airworthiness Certificate for its Transition vehicle, which allows users to drive and fly. Kourousis added that vehicles like the “AirCar” could one day replace helicopters. “The choice of an internal combustion engine for the propulsion system of this vehicle has been most probably made to rely on proven technology. The environmental impact can be substantial if the utilization of such vehicles is scaled up, especially in urban settings”, Kourousis said. “I do believe we will see full electric or at least hybrid vehicles of this, or similar kind, in the near future, contributing to our environmental sustainability targets.”
Top: AirCar in flight . Bottom: AirCar driven on public roads.
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4 | March 2022
Female doctor invented road lines The person who invented road lines, a female doctor, was the person behind the initiative to push for road lines to be painted so that every road user has an indication on which side of the road they must steer. And to avoid drifting into the lanes of oncoming traffic and prevent accidents from happening. The doctor would in fact be utterly disappointed to see how road users of today have a total disregard for road line and markings. It was after a frightening experience that she has decided to something about unmarked roads. In 1917, Dr McCarroll was driving home at dusk after visiting a patient when a truck forced her off a narrow highway into the sand. It wasn’t the first time it has happened to her. The truck driver apparently had difficulty telling just where his half of the unmarked highway ended. Later, while driving on another, newer highway, she noticed that the road had a definite middle joint where
it had been widened from 8 to 16 feet. The pronounced center ridge caused cars to stay on their own side. A center line painted down the middle would serve the same purpose, she thought. Known for her confidence and straight talk, she took her idea to the Riverside County Board of Supervisors and the Chamber of Commerce. They gave her a polite ear but nothing else. She instead took direct action. She got down on her hands and knees and painted a 2-mile-long (3,2 kilometer) 4-inchwide white stripe down the center of the road that passed in front of her house on Indio Boulevard. She was sure that her example would illustrate the idea’s safety benefits, but change was slow to come. For seven years, she wrote letters and petitioned the county and state to adopt the white lines. Finally, with the support of the Indio Women’s Club and the California Federation of Women’s Clubs, which had previously campaigned to add roadside markers, she prevailed. In 1924, the Legislature authorized the State Highway Commission to paint center lines on roads.
From Doc June’s idea sprang colors, stripes and other markings on streets and highways to enhance motoring safety. By the time she died in 1954, at 86, striping highways was commonplace across the country. There is some controversy though, since two Michigan men, Kenneth Sawyer and Edward Hines, apparently had the same idea before McCarroll. And they also painted some white stripes on a road. But unlike her, they don’t seem to have tried to get their state government to adopt the idea. So, in this case McCarroll rightly gets credit as the originator of the idea.
Radio killed the driver
Many have seen and laughed at quirky comments on social media poking fun at the need to turn down the music for a driver to be able see better ahead. In fact, many drivers do actually turn down their music when they need to think more carefully about their route, not because it helps them see better but because it helps them concentrate more. While the social media remarks may seem funny, it is a personal indictment on each driver that has done this, showing how music can affect your driving. International studies found loud music can increase the chance of crashing and driving irresponsibly. It can cause distractions that negatively impact reaction times. Loud radios can result in not braking soon enough or not taking evasive action to obstacles quickly enough. Listening to loud music while driving is outlawed in certain cities around the world. Nevada in the USA considers listening to loud music as distracted driving. A Canadian study says that people listening to loud music take 20% longer to complete mental and physical tasks. Additionally, the tempo of the music can affect reckless driving according to a study conducted at the BenGurion University. Music with higher tempos cause heart rates to speed up which affects your speed and
concentration levels without even realising it. Other potential effects on driving include: Being twice as likely to skip a red light. Teenagers in particular are at higher risk and commit more driving errors when listening to loud music, including speeding and weaving. Loud music can also hinder your ability to hear and your reaction times to emergency sirens. Ultimately, loud music and driving creates a very dangerous situation. Distracted driving in a high-speed situation as a result of this, combined with a delay in reaction times creates a deadly situation. In South Africa there isn’t a specific law banning loud music while driving. Does that mean you can jump in your car tonight and turn the sound all the way up? The answer to that, for drivers committed to using the roads safely and to reducing road tragedy, is no. Safe driving behaviour is not solely dependent on what the law says. It depends on each driver identifying dangerous driving situations and changing their behaviour to reduce the risk as much as possible. The next time you reach over to crank up the sound keep these studies in mind and do not expose yourself or other road users to unnecessary risk.
Inspired by a feline
Percy Shaw
Commonly referred to as Cats Eyes, the reflective road studs today are either made from plastic, rubber and aluminium.
Percy Shaw had begun working as a road contractor by 1930 and started his own business which he expanded and began to employ his own workers. It was at this time that Percy invented reflective road studs. He often drove with his 1916 Model T Ford on the stretch of road between two towns, namely Queensbury and Boothtown. The road had a very steep drop at one side which Shaw called ‘the death drop.’ The only light on the road at night came from the tram lines which Shaw said shone ‘like twin silver ribbons’ and acted like a guide on the road. On one foggy night when he was driving down the same road he saw a cat, sitting on a fence and noticed how the reflection of its eyes pierced through the darkness. The tram lines and the cat’s eyes provided Shaw with the idea for reflective road studs. Finding suitable materials for the new invention was difficult and the crystal glass used in the studs could only be sourced in Czechoslovakia. He made several prototypes of the stud and tested them on the road before he was happy with his invention. Shaw’s road stud was unique because it had a rubber cushion which collected rain water and closed like an eyelid over the glass stud when a car tyre ran over it. This also helped to keep the reflective stud clean. He patented his invention as Catseyes in 1934 and founded his company, Reflecting Roadstuds Ltd in 1935. Then came the Second World War. During the blackouts of the Second World War, Catseyes became extremely popular, with orders coming into the small workshop of up to 40 000 per week. His Catseyes were dubbed ‘the most brilliant invention ever produced in the interests of road safety’. He insisted on staying in the old workshop he had worked in with his father even though his business was growing. The workshop was eventually expanded and built around Shaw’s favourite tree which was left to grow through the factory roof. He never felt the need to move and continued to live in the house he had lived in since he was two years old. He was awarded the OBE (OBE is an order of the British Empire award, it is the second highest ranking) in 1965 and he died on the 1st of September 1976.
March 2022 | 5
Percy Shaw’s Lifesaving Invention, the Catseye.
6 | March 2022
SA’s 1st open-road EV range test results released Exactly how far is an electric car able to travel on a single charge in realworld South African conditions at a steady 120km/h?
This inaugural test took place at the Gerotek High Speed Oval.
A new benchmark evaluation answers this very question, putting three locally available electric vehicles (EV’s), the Jaguar I-Pace, BMW i3s and MINI Cooper SE, to the test in a first-of-its-kind, simulated open-road range assessment. This inaugural test took place at the Gerotek High Speed Oval and sets a national benchmark for each of the three battery-powered variants. It lays down a historical reference point to look back on and allows consumers to evaluate battery performance advancements as more EVs are added to the local market each year. While the maximum claimed range of any given EV is well advertised, the new test provides an indication of just how far consumers would be able to go on a single charge if they were driving non-stop at the national speed limit on a characteristically hot day in South Africa. Whereas the Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicles Test Procedure (WLTP) cycle that automakers use to calculate advertised range includes a combination of urban, suburban, rural and highway driving scenarios, as well as prescribed acceleration phases and a set number of stops, the South African Electric Car Test concentrated solely on open-road driving. It thus removes regenerative braking, a recovery system that redirects what would otherwise be lost kinetic energy back into the battery during deceleration, boosting overall
Three locally available electric vehicles, the Jaguar I-Pace, BMW i3s and MINI Cooper SE were put to the test.
range and rendering EVs especially well suited to stop-start city driving, entirely from the equation. Considering it has the greatest net battery capacity at 84.7kWh and a claimed upper-end range of 470km, it’s little surprise the Jaguar I-Pace achieved the most impressive distance on the day, circling the Gerotek High Speed Oval in Gauteng for a total of 277km, 311m at a true average speed of 119.9km/h. This sort of range could be equated to driving from Johannesburg to Pretoria and back twice, with plenty of mileage to spare. According to PlugShare, there are as many as 71 charging points within a 3.2km radius between these two points, illustrating the fact that South Africa’s larger metropolitan areas are better stocked with charging options than many might believe. The BMW i3s e-drive REx (the test was conducted with this derivative’s range-extender fuel tank emptied) finished on 168km, 527m,
with its GPS-verified an average speed settling on 120.02km/h. The MINI Cooper SE was just behind on 147km, 730m at a true average speed of 119km/h. With net battery capacities of 37.9kWh and 28.9kWh and advertised ranges of 285km and 215km respectively, these two new-energy hatchbacks are designed to excel at city driving rather than out on the open road, so their final results are by no means underwhelming. Particularly when one considers the average daily commute for South African car drivers is a mere 22km one way. The three sub-R2.5 million EVs available to purchase in South Africa at the time of the inaugural open-road simulation were driven in their respective eco modes, Eco for the I-Pace, Eco Pro in the case of the i3s and Green for the Cooper SE, from a fully charged state, with each one’s air-conditioning system set at 21°C on auto with the ambient temperature at the track on the day was recorded as 28°C.
Shock fuel increase for March The price of petrol is expected to increase by R1.24 per litre (95 inland) in March according to the latest Central Energy Fund data, one of the steepest monthly increases on record. And economically stressed South Africans just have to find a way to fork out more without any reprieve. The March’s increase comes on the back of a recent surge in oil prices reflecting a risk premium related to attacks on fuel storage facilities in the United Arab Emirates, related conflict in Yemen, and rising fears of a Russian invasion of Ukraine. Recent developments in the oil market suggest the peak in oil prices could be higher. Nevertheless, Russian oil supply is unlikely to be affected and as such the current strife is not expected to have a structural effect on oil prices. As such, the current episode is viewed as a temporary shock and oil prices are expected to decline after a few months. The moves in headline prices in recent days have been driven by two of the market’s biggest geopolitical risks, the potential return of Iranian barrels to the market and political tension around Ukraine. Russia supplies much oil and gas to the rest of the world, a supply that could be cut off if tensions escalate to the point of an invasion. Any Russian invasion into Ukraine would almost surely trigger economic sanctions from the US and its European allies. That could lead to oil and gas shortages around the world and,
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most likely, higher energy prices. On Thursday, Russian state media cited Moscow-backed separatists as saying Ukrainian forces had violated cease-fire rules overnight. While Russia has insisted that it’s serious about easing tensions, and has repeatedly denied that it plans an invasion of its smaller neighbour, the US says Moscow is still building up troop levels near the border. It’s a headline-driven market at the moment, with the market reacting to sensitive news from Eastern Europe and related to the Iran nuclear talks. Mineral Resources and Energy minister Gwede Mantashe has directly attributed the rise in oil prices, and local petrol costs, to the crisis between Russia and Ukraine. “We should pay attention to the developments between Western countries and the Russian Federation on the Ukraine matter, in so far as it impacts crude oil prices,” Mantashe said. “This could result in huge increases in fuel prices globally and negatively affect local consumers and transport users.” Although South Africa does not import oil from either country directly, global oil prices are highly dependent on Russia’s actions. Russia provides 30 to 40% of Europe’s oil, gas and coal, and in any given year its exports supply 4% to 5% of the world’s energy. So what it means if the world have a cutoff of some significant amount like 5%, the price goes up everywhere.
Car audio has come a long way Imagine getting into car with no music or radio to listen to. It would be a rather dull experience. Thanks to some innovative thinking, there are a lot of motor and sound engineers who made the car audio possible and to become as advanced as what it is today. 1930’s - The First Commercial Head Units: Audio enthusiasts had already been finding creative ways to integrate radios into their cars for over a decade, but the first true car radios weren’t introduced until the 1930’s. 1950’s - AM continues to dominate: Blaupunkt was the first to sell the first AM/FM head unit in 1952, but it took a few decades for FM to really catch on. The first on-demand music system also appeared in the 1950’s. At that point, it was still almost a decade away from eight tracks, and records were the dominant force in home audio. 1960’s - The Car Stereo is born: The 1960’s saw the introduction of both eight-track tapes and car stereos. Up until that point, all car radios had used a single (mono) audio channel. Some had speakers in both the front and back that could be adjusted separately, but they still only had one channel available. 1970’s - Compact cassettes introduction: The eight-track’s days were numbered from the start, and the format was rapidly pushed out of the marketplace by the compact cassette. The first cassette head units showed up in the 1970’s. 1980’s - The Compact Disc (CD) fails to dislodge the Compact Cassette: The first CD head units showed up less than 10 years after the first tape decks, but the adoption of the technology was much slower. CD players wouldn’t become abundant in head units until the late 1990’s, and the technology coexisted with the compact cassette for more than two decades. 1990’s - CD Players become dominant:
CD players became increasingly popular in head units during the 1990’s, and there were a few notable additions toward the tail end of the decade. Head units that were capable of reading CD-RWs and playing MP3 files eventually became available, and DVD functionality also appeared in some high-end vehicles and aftermarket head units. 2000’s - Bluetooth and Infotainment Systems: During the first decade of the 21st century, head units gained the ability to interface with phones and other devices via Bluetooth. This technology was developed in 1994, but it was originally intended as a replacement for wired networks. In automotive applications, the technology allowed for handsfree calling and created a situation where a head unit could automatically mute itself during a phone conversation. 2010’s - The death of the cassette and what the future holds: 2011 marked the first year that manufacturers stopped offering cassette decks in new cars. The CD player was the next format on the chopping block. Most head units are now capable of playing music from mobile devices and even from cloud, and others can connect to internet services like Spotify. With mobiles devices that can connect to head units via USB or Bluetooth, the phone is beginning to stand in for old physical media.
The 1960s saw the introduction of both eight-track tapes and car stereos
The first compact cassette head units showed up in the 1970s.
Most head units are now capable of playing music from mobile devices and even the cloud, and others can connect to internet services like Pandora.
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March 2022
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10 | March 2022
Pirelli celebrates 150th anniversary Power is nothing without control The origin of Pirelli dates back to 1872, the year Giovanni Battista Pirelli founded a limited partnership, G.B. Pirelli & C., in Milan to produce elastic rubber items. The company was liquidated though and Pirelli & C. this time with a limited shares partnership was established. In 1873, the first plant to produce rubber items was built in Milano. A rubber band production line for carriages was later started in 1885 and the first tyre for velocipedes (first form of the bicycle) was launched in 1894 which resulted from a number of innovations in the preparation of materials and manufacture of tyres. The production of car tyres began in 1901 which was coupled with growth specifically based on two major factors, care for technological development of processes and products and the support of an ongoing commitment in racing along with a strong geographic expansion. In particular, in the first few years of 1900, Pirelli’s geographic expansion took off with the opening their plants in Barcelona (Spain, 1902), Southampton (England,1903), Buenos Aires (Argentina, 1917), Manresa (Spain, 1924) and Burton on Trent (England, 1928). The Group strengthened its commitment in racing and in 1907, the first Grand Prix of the Automobile Club of France was won by a car fitted with Pirelli tyres.
Shortly after the 1st World War, the Superflex Stella Bianca, the first and innovative sport tyre, was conceived and launched. Very popular in Italy during the 1930’s, the tyre was fitted with a reinforced tread to avoid damages at high speeds. In 1949, the Cinturato tyre was started to be considered and then designed, to become the first Pirelli radial tyre marketed from 1953. The Cinturato’s main feature was a sturdy belt in radial material between the carcass and the tread. It was an innovation compared to the tyres available then on the market, since it provided a remarkably better level of safety, performance and wear. In 1959, the production of steelcord tyres began. During the Sixties and Seventies, a further step to develop the strategy geared on geographic expansion and technological innovation was made. Technological developments ensued with the design of the low-profile tyres thanks to the know-how acquired in racing. It met the power requirements for cars produced by the major international car makers. In the Seventies, a big technology advance was made when Pirelli launched the Cinturato P6, P7 and P8. In the Eighties, the result of a further commitment in terms of technological innovation was the introduction of the first motorcycle radial tyre.
After 19 years, Pirelli made a return in June 2010 to the formula 1 championship.
In the early Nineties, Pirelli was engaged in a demanding corporate and financial reorganization program, following the market recession and the failed acquisition of Continental AG, where considerable economic resources had been invested. In 2000, Pirelli sold to Cisco their terrestrial systems and to Corning their optical component business, this transaction being worth approximately 5 billion euro. In 2001, Pirelli acquired a share in Telecom Italia S.p.A. through Olympia and became the reference shareholder until 2007. Based on an on-going technological research effort, Pirelli started in 2001 producing tyres with their MIRS (Modular Integrated Robotized System) technology which was to substantially change Pirelli’s tyre building process. The CCM-based (Continuous Compound Mixing) technology room was introduced in 2003 to test innovative mixes and materials. In 2004, a joint venture agreement was signed with Continental AG to produce steelcords in Romania. Through this joint venture Pirelli acquired an 80% control share and a plant in Slatina was built in 2005. In that same year the Group started building a production plant for their car tyres which was to become operational in April 2006. The Settimo Torinese industrial plant project took off in 2008. The plant was an integration of two factories and became the most technologically advanced in the entire Group. Research to develop technologies on tyre energy efficiency also gained momentum, and in 2009 the Cinturato P7 tyre was introduced, the first high-performance tyre based on a “green philosophy”. In 2010, Pirelli completed its transformation into a “pure tyre company”, through the dismissal of the Pirelli Broadband Solutions business and spin-off of Pirelli & C. Real Estate. In the same year, after its setting up in 2009, the Pirelli Foundation was established to safeguard, protect and enhance Pirelli’s historical heritage as well as promoting entrepreneurial culture as an integral part of Italy’s cultural heritage. After 19 years, Pirelli made a return in June 2010 to the Formula 1 championship, and became the exclusive tyre supplier since 2011. Pirelli had also been the exclusive tyre supplier for the Superbike World Championship since 2004 as well as of prestigious singlebrand championships, like the Ferrari Challenge of which used to be supplier since its inception a quarter of a century ago.
MotoGP 2022 in for a bumper year Each new season brings its share of newness in the MotoGP paddock, and this year is no exception. 2022 is set to be the biggest ever in the history of MotoGP, with 21 dates confirmed for the championship calendar. The 2022 season is going to be bigger and better than ever, and you won’t want to miss a single second of all the fun. The Qatar GP is first up on the 6th of March, and should not be missed! Most importantly from a South-African perspective the local Binder brothers, Brad and Darryn, are racing again with the latter making his debut in MotoGP after been promoted from Moto3. The younger Binder will be racing for the private WithU Yamaha RNF team. The next 12 months will offer a familiar sense of excitement on track, while there are plenty of fresh ideas coming too. Two of those dates see the MotoGP go to new destinations, namely Finland and Indonesia. The riders have already had the chance to get to know Pertamina Mandalika International Street Circuit in Indonesia, having carried out three days of testing there just recently middle February. The track is composed of 11 right-handers and six left, combining for a total of 17 on the 4.3km track. Round 2 of the Championship on 20 March will be held in Indonesia. Moving from a sunny island destination to an Arctic climate, Finland’s KymiRIng will host Round 12 in July at the third time of asking. The pandemic delayed the visit to the circuit
110km north of Helsinki. It will be MotoGP’s most northerly event and the 4.5 km long track consists of 21 corners, eight left and 13 right. New teams MotoGP 2022 welcomes the arrival of some new structures. WithU Yamaha RNF MotoGP Team replaces the Petronas Yamaha SRT outfit. Razlan Razali continues in his role as Team Principal with Wilco Zeelenberg as Team Manager. Gresini and Aprilia have parted ways and will now compete as Aprilia Racing, while Gresini Racing MotoGP moved to Ducati machinery and become a satellite team for the Borgo Panigale factory. The Italian red bullets have managed to put eight bikes onto the grid this year, with Mooney VR46 Racing also added to their ranks ahead of the new season. New faces and new colours in MotoGP Five riders have been promoted to MotoGP, including the Moto2 World Champion Remy Gardner and his 2021 title rival and teammate Raul Fernandez. Both riders will don the Tech3 KTM colours in their rookie season. There is also Fabio Di Giannantonio (Gresini Racing MotoGP) and Marco Bezzecchi (Mooney VR46 Racing Team), who will remain within their current teams but move to
March 2022 | 11
Ducati machinery. Last but not least is Darryn Binder, who became just the secondever rider, after Jack Miller (Ducati Lenovo Team), to move directly from Moto3 to MotoGP for the WithU Yamaha RNF team. Just two premier class riders see a change of seats and leathers, with Enea Bastianini rejoining the Gresini family with Luca Marini riding under the VR46 moniker.
Former champion Marc Marquez on his new Honda was the fastest in testing and will be hoping to add another title to his list this season
Brad Binder on his KTM factory bike will be hoping for more grip and exit speed once the 2022 season gets under way in Quatar.
12 | March 2022
New rules and regulations for the 2022 season “We’ve researched it to death!” Formula One fans are set for a 23-race season in which 20 drivers will face-off for the ultimate prize, with 10 teams vying for the constructors’ championship crown. With a lot of changes in 2022 with a brand-new set of regulations facing the teams, this might just be quite an unpredictable championship season. It’s taken an unprecedented amount of research by F1’s Motorsport team to produce the new design. Here are a broken-down analysis of the 2022 car into numbers, with the help of the FIA’s Head of Aerodynamics Jason Somerville and F1 Chief Technical Officer Pat Symonds. Symonds explained the philosophy that led to this radical new design of the 2022 F1 car: “For the first time, when we set up this operation in 2017 actually, with a view of looking at the 2021 car, which was delayed due to the global pandemic, we have thrown heaps of resources, we have thrown millions of pounds at it, which again has never been done before. We’ve researched it to death!” 500 000: Gigabytes, that is. Or half a petabyte. That’s the amount of data accumulated by the F1 Motorsport team during the Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) cases. CFD cases are a computational model of the entire prototype car (or pair of cars), which simulates the airflow in and around the car, enabling the F1 Motorsport team to accurately quantify the aerodynamic influence of the geometric changes they have made. To illustrate just how staggering a figure half a petabyte is, a DVD takes up just under five gigabytes. Half a million gigabytes would fill up 10 million four-drawer filing cabinets with text, or account for a third of the photographs on Facebook. 471: That’s how many years it would take for a high-spec home computer using an Intel i9 processor to work its way through the 16.5 million core hours of computing clocked up by the Motorsport team. “Our CFD models range from 150 to 600 million cells and run on high-specification AWS (Amazon Web Services) cloud computing systems,” said Somerville. 140: This is the amount of million dollars the cost cap will be for every team on the grid this season. That figure, $142,4 million in 2022 to be exact, does exclude some things like marketing costs, but it’s a crucial figure. The objective here is to make for a more level playing field.
50: This is the percentage which is the peak thermal efficiency of the turbohybrid power units. Before 2014, that number stood at just 32% for Formula 1 engines, and the best road cars have a thermal efficiency with a percentage that hovers around the low to mid-40s. 40: Years, or four decades since the last ground effect cars raced in F1. Ground effect is downforce produced by the undersides of the cars, and this year sees 3D floors keeping cars glued to the floor along with the work of the front and rear wings. Crucially, the loss of downforce when one car is following another is lower than it was in 2021, which should provide for some closer racing. 20: Twenty different car concepts were produced by the F1 Motorsport team, each one assigned a letter of the phonetic alphabet. The final show car was titled ‘Uniform’. However, that number quickly spirals into the thousands when you take a more granular view, as aerodynamics head Somerville explains: “There were 20 formal baseline iterations, but each baseline step comprised hundreds of individual CFD simulations, where the design was continually developed and refined. Overall, we conducted over 10 000 CFD simulations!” 18: This is the inches the size of the 2022 F1 tyres supplied by Pirelli will be. The tyres were redesigned from scratch, with more than 10 000 hours of indoor testing, 5 000 hours of simulation, and 70 virtual prototypes produced before nine teams tested them for 20 000 kilometres in 2021. The result is a wider working range than the former 13-inch rubber, with more limited overheating and a reduced degradation. 10: The percentage of E10 fuel containing bio-components, which is part of Formula 1’s push for sustainability and aim of being Net Zero Carbon by 2030. That proportion of biofuel is the one that emits next to nothing when it comes to carbon dioxide, and F1 are aiming to go much further, targeting a move to 100% biofuel in the future. 4: This is the amount of percentage the simulated loss of downforce will be when a 2022 F1 car is 20 metres behind another. In 2021, that figure was estimated to be around 35%. The loss of downforce rises to 18% when a 2022-spec car is behind another, compared to 46% when one 2021 car was behind another. As for the number of people and hours of work involved in producing the final 2022 F1 car concept, that rises from the “handful” of experienced F1 engineers including Somerville and Symonds, who headed up the F1 Motorsport team, when you factor in the work of contractors, consultants, and F1 teams’ own engineers. That staggering body of work and the resultant numbers should add up to some incredible action this season, the longest in F1’s history with 23 Grands Prix, and one driver crowned at the end of it all.
Some more Changes to points allocation for shortened races The F1 Commission has voted in favour of changes to the Sporting Regulations regarding how points are awarded should a Grand Prix not complete its intended race distance. Talks on the subject have been taking place since the 2021 Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps was shortened due to bad weather. Red Bull’s Max Verstappen was declared the winner of the race, which ran to two laps behind the Safety Car as heavy rain made green-flag racing impossible. Verstappen and the rest of the
Should the leader have completed more than two laps but less than 25% of the scheduled race distance, the top-five finishers will be awarded points as follows: 1st – 6 points 2nd – 4 points 3rd – 3 points 4th – 2 points 5th – 1 point.
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top 10 were awarded half points. On Monday the 14th of February, after a meeting in London, the F1 Commission approved proposed updates to the Sporting Regulations regarding how points will be distributed when the race distance is not completed. No points will be awarded unless a minimum of two laps have been completed by the leader without a Safety Car or Virtual Safety Car intervention.
If the leader has completed 25% but less than 50% of the scheduled race distance, points will be awarded to the top-nine as follows: 1st – 13 points 2nd – 10 points 3rd – 8 points 4th – 6 points 5th – 5 points 6th – 4 points 7th – 3 points 8th – 2 points 9th – 1 point.
Should the leader complete 50% but less than 75% of the scheduled race distance, points will be awarded to the top-10 as follows: 1st – 19 points 2nd – 14 points 3rd – 12 points 4th – 9 points 5th – 8 points 6th – 6 points 7th – 5 points 8th – 3 points 9th – 2 points 10th – 1 point.
Any percentage of race distance completed above that threshold will see full points awarded to the top 10. As is always the case, all regulatory changes are subject to approval by the World Motor Sport Council.
14 | March 2022
Lando Norris
Lando renews McLaren contract It seems that long contracts for drivers are becoming the norm in Formula 1 these days. Hot on the heels of Charles Leclerc’s five-year deal with Ferrari at the end of 2019, Red Bull added three more years to Max Verstappen’s contract. McLaren inked Daniel Ricciardo for three seasons and Alpine did the same with Esteban Ocon. And now McLaren have protected their investment in Lando Norris with a four-year extension. With the aero regulations overhauled for this year and the engine rules set to change in 2026, stability for teams is crucial. And so, it’s an attractive proposition for teams to lock
drivers down for the long term, ensuring they have the quality to compete at the front, providing they deliver a car capable of doing so. Even though Norris had a deal with McLaren until 2023, the team were wary of other teams luring him away with bigger, better offers. Given the team are now in a much stronger position financially, having attracted financial support from a USbased sports investment group among other things, they were able to deliver improved terms for a driver they believe can be their future.
Beloved Toyota Dyna transforms into Hino The popular Toyota Dyna light truck will in future be marketed as part of the Hino model range as the 200 Series. The previous Dyna 150 becomes the Hino 300-310, with the “3” denoting a 3-ton load capability while the “10” is a short form for the 100-horsepower engine. The reason for this change in identity is that responsibility for the former Dyna range has moved from Toyota into the Hino stable. The Dyna arrived in South Africa in 1965 and was the first truck to be offered for sale by the fledgling Toyota South Africa, which was established in 1961. “Since then, more than 50 000 Dyna trucks have been sold in South Africa in an uninterrupted run of 56 years, making it one of the longest running vehicle nameplates on the local market. During this time, the Dyna has not only proved extremely popular in the medium truck segment, but it has also built up an enviable reputation for productivity, reliability, and durability. Currently one of the Dynas’s strongest selling points is the fact that it slots into the below 3 500kg GVM category, which means the driver needs a B-type or Code 8 licence to drive it and not a full truck licence. The Hino 200 310 will continue to be sold in this classification category and changes to the truck from the Dyna are mainly cosmetic, being a Hino badge above the front grille, flanked by badges bearing the Hino name and 200 series designation. The 310-model number will be a decal along
the leading edge of the lower section of the doors. The grille has been revised in line with Hino styling. There is Hino branding on the steering wheel and the instrument panel has been redesigned for improved visibility and readability. It features a larger speedometer as the central focus with revised information and warning lights, together with an LCD monitor. Two new, practical features for the Hino 200 are a reverse buzzer and the fitment of a Blue-
Clear windshields thanks to Mary Imagine driving along as heavy water moment. She thought of a device droplets begin to hit the windshield. Be- that can be made that could wipe fore the outside world becomes blurry off the windshield to make tram instead of clear and visible, your hand rides more enjoyable and safer. So, reaches for the small lever right next to the idea of a windshield wiper was the steering wheel to activate the wind- born. shield wipers. In 1903, Anderson patented her invenToday, it’s hard to imagine a car that tion and in 1905 tried to sell it to a noted doesn’t have this safety device. But in the Canadian firm of Dinning and Eckenstein. days of the inventor of this necessary de- Success did not come her way though. vice, Mary Anderson, windshield wipers The manufacturer’s response stated were unheard of, until one day. that they didn’t find the device to “be of In the winter of 1902, Anderson was such commercial value as would warrant riding a streetcar (tramcar) in New York their undertaking its sale.” City. It was snowing heavily, and as a reIn 1922 however, Cadillac became the sult, the visibility was poor. first car manufacturer to take up the deTo clear the sight lines, the driver of the vice and make it a standard feature in all streetcar had two options. First, to shove their automobiles. one of the window By that time, the invenpanels aside, thus extor’s patent had expired. posing himself and the Mary Anderson didn’t get front passengers to the the laurels, nor did she recold weather. Second, ceive any monetary comto continuously stop pensation for her “winthe streetcar, get out, dow cleaning device.” But and wipe off the windshe lived long enough to shield. Neither of the see her invention become two alternatives was universal. She died on the very driver and pas27th of June 1953. senger friendly. Finally, in 2011, her During that exact name was inducted in the ride was where AnAmerica’s National InvenMary Anderson derson had a eureka tors Hall of Fame.
tooth radio which permits safer, handsfree use of a cellphone by the driver. The powertrain remains unchanged with a normally aspirated three-litre diesel engine that develops 66kW of power at 4 000rpm and 192 Nm of torque at 2 000 rpm. A five-speed manual gearbox transfers power to the rear wheels. The Hino 200-310 will be offered by the countrywide network of Toyota dealers as well as the Hino truck dealers, as was the case with the Dyna.
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During this time, the Dyna has not only proved extremely popular in the medium truck segment, but it has also built up an enviable reputation for productivity, reliability, and durability.
16 | March 2022
Legendary Ford Shelby’s classics built in SA
For many motoring enthusiasts the thought of owning a classic car is likely to feature high on their bucket list. But nameplates that carry credible motorsport provenance, like the iconic Ford GT40 (Mark I and Mark II), Shelby Cobra and Daytona Coupé, are often considered closer to fantasy than reality. However, that is exactly what former race driver and classic car enthusiast Jimmy Price set out to change when he established HiTech Automotive based in Port Elizabeth. Founded in the mid-1980’s, Hi-Tech Automotive specializes in the construction and customization of Shelby’s most revered and iconic cars with immaculate attention to detail and authenticity. The company’s workmanship and reputation has resulted in demand from around the world with car collectors from the US and the UK being among the biggest markets. Hi-Tech has built approximately 6000 cars since opening its doors, with close to 300 highly skilled employees helping to keep this pantheon Peter Lindenberg and Jimmy Price are both legends in South African motorsport. of Shelby’s Heritage Col-
14'' 175/65R14 General Alt Com
750
15'' 195/50R15 General Alt One
865
16'' 205/60R16 General Alt One S
1240
lection alive and well. Many attribute Carroll Shelby’s entrepreneurial success to the Cobra, which fully embodied his attitudes and beliefs around big horsepower and simplified driving thrills. This formula provided the impetus for the Cobra Daytona Coupé which took aerodynamics into a more modern era, achieving higher top speeds which earned it countless victories and speed records in a wide range of competitive events. Meanwhile, the Ford GT40 rose to fame by competing at Le Mans with its clean sweep of the podium in 1966 being among its most noteworthy achievements, which was subsequently immortalized in the Ford vs Ferrari motion picture. The GT40 went on to win the 1967, 1968 and 1969 editions of the Le Mans 24-hour race, cementing its status as arguably one of the most successful and iconic cars of all time. Jimmy Price and Peter Lindenberg are well known figures in South African motorsport. The two met during Lindenberg’s powerboating and water-skiing days, and the friendship soon evolved into motor racing. Lindenberg won two SA National Oval Championships as well as two SASCAR Championships in cars built by Hi-Tech. He then expanded his racing career at the wheel of a
A wide range of legendary Ford sports cars are build here in SA and exported internationally
diverse collection of Ford Nobles and GT40s, also built by Hi-Tech. Each of these special Shelby Heritage Cars can take up to 2 000 hours to complete and are hand-built to the customer’s own personal preferences to ensure a unique product that is tailor made for the driving enthusiast. Shelby approved Cobras and Daytona Coupés are supplied with official Shelby chassis plates and the cars are registered on the Shelby registry, which authenticates them as meeting the strict global Shelby registry approvals process. All the vehicles produced by Hi-Tech Automotive leaves the factory as a rolling chassis without an engine or gearbox. It is then up to Hi-Tech Automotive’s retail partners, such as Shelby South Africa, or Superformance in the US, to provide and install the engine and gearbox selected by the new owner for their Cobra, Daytona Coupé or GT40, making virtually every car unique and an expression of their personality.
15'' 215/80R15 General Grab TR 16'' 245/70R16 General Grab AT3 17'' 265/65R17 General Grab AT3
( 10 March 2022 ) to ( 30 April 2022 ).
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