Honda Magazine Issue 55 by Traveloscopy Editor

F E A TU R I N G

HONDA MAG 55

ALL-NEW CR-V DIESEL Diesel 4WD is coming ALL-NEW ODYSSEY Arriving February 2014

MotorSport ARC Farwell, MotoGP and F1 TRAVEL West Africa, Iceland, Sri Lanka

2015 NSX IS COMING...

Issue 55 | HONDA.COM.AU

Honda Magazine | Honda.com.au

C O N TE N TS ISSUE 55 D / SU MMER 2013

02 NEW PRODUCT: CR-V DIESEL JAN 2014

06 THE WORLD OF HONDA

10 TRAVEL: INSIDE ICELAND’S VOLCANO

14 NEW PRODUCT: ODYSSEY FEB 2014

17 TECH TALK: SEAMLESS TRANSITION

19 TRAVEL: SRI LANKA

24 NEW PRODUCT: NSX. IT’S COMING

27 ART & SOCIETY: MEET JANET LAURENCE

30 HONDA HERITAGE

31 SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE

33 THE HONDA FOUNDATION

35 TRAVEL: WEST AFRICA

Honda traces its heritage in Australia. Meet the 1976 Civic beast.

The Sydney Opera House celebrates 40 years with a bang.

The Honda Foundation turns 21. We take a look at the foundation’s contributions.

Roderick Eime explores the dusty landscapes where diamond fever once swept through.

39 NETBALL AUSTRALIA

41 RACING ROUND-UP

47 FAN FEATURE

49 COMPETITION

Sarah Allen reports on the series that restored Australia’s netballers to the #1 spot.

What’s going on in the Honda world of racing? We catch up with F1, ARC and MotoGP.

Fans continue to post photos to our Facebook page. See if your photo is featured.

Congratulations to our 80K competition winner and enter for your chance to win our next prize.

Editor: Stuart Sykes; Executive Editor: Jarrod Tuck; Digital Director: Corinne Wilson; Design: Megan McDermott. For general enquiries regarding Honda motor vehicle products or services, contact Honda Australia on 1800 804 954.

PRODUCT

BIG ON PERFORMANCE. SMALL ON FUEL BILLS. CR-V DIESEL IS ON ITS WAY... Photography: 2014 CR-V Diesel DTi-L

Photography: 2014 CR-V Diesel DTi-L

THE CR-V DIESEL IS SET TO HIT OUR SHORES IN JAN 2014 It’s been over 15 years since Honda unleashed its CR-V upon the automotive world. In that time the CR-V has been built in nine different plants, sold in over 160 countries and passed the five million mark. After generational changes in 2001 and 2007, the CR-V – “one of the key pillars of Honda’s global platform” – will be available to Australian buyers in Janurary 2014 with an exciting array of technologies and... with a diesel engine. With a 4WD it can be downhill all the way… but the new CR-V Diesel’s Hill Descent Control makes heading downhill a lot easier. Using ABS to control the speed of each wheel it holds the car at a pre-set speed which can range from eight to 20 km/h. What else do you want a gutsy 4WD to do? Pull your trailer– The CR-V Diesel’s Trailer Stability Assist feature also makes that essential task easier. It reacts to the signs of the trailer swinging side to side, reduces torque and brakes individual wheels to restore driver control. The new-to-Australia 2.2-litre i-DTEC power unit produces 110 kW of Power at 4000 rpm. It boasts an impressive 350 Nm of grunt between the 2000-2750 rev mark while its fuel efficiency chimes in at 5.8 to 6.9 litres per 100 kilometres* across the three-model range: the DTi-S manual, DTi-S automatic and DTi-L automatic. Want to know more? Visit the teaser site and register your interest to be one of the first to find out about pricing and on sale dates: crv.honda.com.au/crv_diesel.aspx

5.8L /100KM+ 350Nm 110kW REAL-TIME 4WD FUEL EFFICIENCY* TORQUE AT POWER AT WITH INTELLIGENT CONTROL (MANUAL) 2000-2750RPM 4000RPM SYSTEM

* The fuel consumption figures quoted are based on ADR81/02 test results. +Combined fuel consumption.

Photography: 1884 illustration of a diesel engine published in ‘Technique and Technology’.

AND IN THE GREEN CORNER... What if? It’s a popular question among Honda associates, whose work ethic embraces the contradictory and sometimes even the seemingly downright impossible. So… what if you really could travel back and forth in time, and bring people face-to-face with each other who would otherwise never have met? Then you could put Kenichi Nagahiro in the same room as Rudolf Diesel – and wait for the sparks to fly. Nagahiro-san is the Honda chief engine designer who always felt that diesel engines were noisy, smelly and dirty and that the company should have nothing to do with them. Herr Diesel, of course, is the man who gave his name to these noisy, smelly dirty things in the first place. Their main work was done over a century apart. But what brings them together is their passion for the internal combustion engine.

DR DIESEL AND HIS DASTARDLY DESIGN We say ‘dastardly’, of course, only because that’s how it must have seemed to a man like Kenichi Nagahiro. His life’s work has been devoted to refining the internal combustion engine: he was the man behind Honda’s VTEC engine in the first place. Long before Nagahiro was around, Rudolf Diesel was studying in Augsburg and Munich in his native country, Germany. Drawn irresistibly to the new technology coming to life in automotive design, Diesel first built an external combustion engine.

A DIESEL ENGINE USES THE HEAT GENERATED04 BY COMPRESSION ON THE UPWARD STROKE TO IGNITE ITS FUEL Understanding that the key to acceptable performance in an internal combustion engine was controlling combustion in the cylinder – music to Nagahiro’s ears – he first aimed for thermal rather than mechanical efficiency. By 1892 the first diesel (Diesel) engines were on show in Augsburg; his design was commercialised in 1897. There is also a marvellous cloak and dagger aspect to Diesel’s story. In September 1913 he disappeared overboard while on a crosschannel ferry to the UK. Not until October was his body recovered by a Dutch pilot boat. The question was: accident, suicide – or a dastardly deed by German agents determined that Diesel’s designs should not fall into the hands of a country that was soon to be Germany’s enemy? Whatever the answer, Diesel engines were on the march. The first production car with diesel power came from Daimler-Benz in 1936. So what’s the difference? Like petrol-driven internal combustion engines, diesels have all the usual gear: block, crankshaft, valve train, camshaft, pistons, connecting rods… What they don’t have is spark plugs, coils, distributors or any of the paraphernalia associated with igniting petrol in the cylinders. That’s because a diesel engine uses the heat generated by compression on the upward stroke to ignite its fuel.

Photography: 2014 CR-V Diesel engine.

Diesel engines are always fuel-injected, but the fuel does not enter as a mixture with air. Instead air enters through the intake manifold and is compressed. Diesels have a much higher compression ratio than their petrol counterparts, which in turn means that a higher percentage of the fuel is converted into power. The compression raises the air temperature above the ignition temperature of the fuel so combustion is instantaneous. Diesel fuel has more heat energy than gasoline and yet it is less volatile. The key to the design of the diesel engine is that it extracts maximum power from the fuel: the order is around 40% as compared to gasoline’s 26%. In other words, diesel engines have clear potential to be more efficient, while the invention of new technologies such as common rail injection, in which all of the engine’s fuel injectors are fed by a pipe where the fuel is stored at high pressure, has only enhanced that characteristic. But…

‘I HATE DIESELS!’ Despite all of the above, Honda chief engine designer Kenichi Nagahiro is on record as saying “I hate diesels!” That’s because of the enduring legacy of early diesels, namely that they were rattly, noxious, grubby pieces of kit that were, in effect, the poor cousins to the petrol engines on the sunnier side of the street. But what if…? What if you were able to channel all the energy you put into hating something, in order to change the very object of your hatred? With Honda growing increasingly aware of the growing market share enjoyed by diesel engines in the early 21st century, that was exactly the

Diesel fuel has more heat energy than gasoline and yet it is less volatile. position Nagahiro adopted. Honda would build its first diesel. But it would be the opposite of existing diesels. Regrets, Rudolf, but this diesel would be very much a Honda. Hate it? Change it… This was a new idea. So Nagahiro and his team introduced new materials and new processes. The diesel engine they came up with was built on an aluminium block; already it saved weight and reduced the power unit’s dimensions. It deployed a 1600-bar second-generation common rail fuel injection system. Advanced combustion technologies (Rudolf would have approved) combined with low friction (achieved by such clever ideas as an offset crank) to allow high fuel efficiency with useable power. Combustion control and the unit’s increased rigidity meant that the noise levels were parallel to those from a petrol engine. Instead of being noisy/smelly/dirty, Nagahiro’s new engines were quietly efficient, very strong and low on emissions. Another Honda paradox had been brought to life: a diesel engine freed from many of the vices people associate with diesel engines in the first place. Hate it? Change it!

NEWS

THE WORLD OF HONDA WHAT’S HAPPENING IN THE REMARKABLE WORLD OF HONDA?

21 06

Photography (clockwise): HondaJet cockpit; HondaJets; HondaJet F3 ariel close up; HondaJet assembly area.

TAKING FLIGHT Two HondaJets made their public debut earlier this year at the Experimental Aircraft Association’s (EAA) AirVenture Oshkosh 2013 in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)conforming HondaJets concluded the day with a picturesque formation flyby as a tribute to EAA AirVenture Oshkosh and the 500,000-plus attendees. The two jets are Honda Aircraft Company’s third and fifth FAA-conforming HondaJets. Since 2010, Honda Aircraft has produced six FAA-conforming HondaJets: four flight and two structural test aircraft, which are used for flight and ground structural testing to meet FAA certification requirements.

The third FAA-conforming HondaJet is being used for mechanical system testing, the fifth for cabin system, interior and options testing. It will also be used for function and reliability testing. It is the first HondaJet with a production interior and is anchoring the final leg of the flight test program.

Jack J. Pelton, Chairman of the Board for the Experimental Aircraft Association, declared: “We are watching Honda’s pioneering efforts with the HondaJet with great interest and enthusiasm. We welcome the aircraft to Oshkosh as Honda shares it with the world’s flying community.”

“EAA AirVenture Oshkosh has special significance for me,” said Honda Aircraft President and CEO Michimasa Fujino. “[It] is where I introduced the proof-of-concept HondaJet to the world…. It was truly the beginning of Honda’s exciting venture into aviation. I am very excited that EAA AirVenture Oshkosh has once again provided the setting for the first public appearance and demonstration flight of not one, but two FAA-conforming HondaJets.”

The HondaJet is an advanced light jet, incorporating the HondaJet Over-The-Wing Engine Mount configuration, natural-laminar flow wing and fuselage nose, and a composite fuselage. These innovations make the HondaJet the most spacious, fuel-efficient and fastest jet in its class. Honda Aircraft is targeting late 2014 for FAA certification of the HondaJet. 07

A MOVING STORY

Photography (clockwise): Walking Assist Device with Bodyweight Support System; Stride Management Assist Device (2012); Walking Assist Device in use. (2008)

Putting technology to its proper use – in enhancing mobility for human beings – has long been a guiding principle of all Honda’s endeavours. Not only on the road, either: Honda’s Walking Assist Device is now improving the quality of life of people who have difficulty in walking, either through the ravages of time or as they recover from injury. Honda began research and development of the Walking Assist Device in 1999. As with ASIMO, Honda’s humanoid robot, the Walking Assist Device adopts cooperative control technology that was developed based on Honda’s cumulative study of human walking. The control computer activates motors based on information obtained from hip angle sensors while walking to improve the symmetry of the timing of each leg lifting from the ground and extending forward, and to promote a longer stride for an easier walk. The compact design of the device and overall weight of less than 2.6 kg were achieved through the adoption of thin motors and a control system that were developed independently by Honda, as well as a simple design that enables the device to be worn with belts. As a result, the device is less of a burden on the user and suitable for various body sizes. From the early stages of the research and development of the Walking Assist Device, Honda has been working together with medical corporations, businesses and research institutions. Through this process, Honda has received positive feedback from recipients of walking training / therapy, physical therapists, medical doctors and researchers who acknowledge certain effectiveness and compatibility of the device in the rehabilitation. To date, Honda has conducted collaborative research on rehabilitation training / physical therapy using the Walking Assist Device in seven hospitals. Honda is now inviting a broader range of hospitals to participate in this monitoring process by leasing a total of 100 units of the Walking Assist Device to gain more opinion and feedback from real-world users to further improve the functions and usability of the device. 08

F1- IF ONLY F1 fan? Ever thought, ‘If only I could give that a try…’? Well, thanks to Honda, now you can – after a fashion. You don’t need to leave your chair to get a sense of what life is like in the cockpit of a Grand Prix car, in this case the McLaren-Honda of the late Ayrton Senna, who won three World Championships with Honda engines between 1988 and 1991. A new interactive web site developed by Honda allows users to experience the engine sound and driving trajectory – in 3D – of Senna in his McLarenHonda MP4/5 during the 1989 Formula One championship. The website reproduces the engine sound based on analysis of actual data, including the accelerator control, engine speed and vehicle speed recorded when Senna set a new qualifying lap record during the Japanese Grand Prix at the Suzuka circuit. Data of Senna’s driving trajectory has been given new life through 3D graphics expressive technologies, allowing users to enjoy the experience from various points of view. Honda developed this content as part of their ‘Design Our Transport Story’ project, which studies how people interact with vehicles. The content can be found by visiting http://www.honda.co.jp/ internavi-dots/dots-lab/senna1989/ This is also part of Honda’s ‘Ayrton Senna 1989’ project, which has already seen the release of the movie ‘Ayrton Senna 1989’ that reproduces Senna’s then fastest lap at Suzuka Circuit using sound and light, as well as an iPhone app ‘Sound of Honda’ that enables users to enjoy driving with the sound of the McLaren-Honda MP4/5 by synchronising it with their own car.

Photography (left-right): Alan Prost, Soichiro Honda and Aryton Senna; Still from the Sound of Honda Aryton Senna 1989 Project.

TRAVEL

ICELAND THE JAWS OF HELL STORY & PHOTOS BY WILL GREY

Photography: The volcano entrance.

Descending at speed down a narrow tube of slick rock, the basket suddenly jerks to a halt. Right ahead is what looks like the entrance to hell. Will Gray and his tour companions are on their way – inside the volcano…

A bruised orange, red and black cavern with a shiny lip that appears to be covered in unearthly slime: you can almost hear the roar of the furnace from its wide-open jaws.

kiln, flowing with molten lava and belching hot gases out of the earth. And where we are standing is the heart of an active – but currently dormant volcano.

At my back, a rippling wall of deep red jagged rocks with pointed peaks slides within inches of our metal cage as it rattles back into life, bouncing and rolling down off the sides of this narrow chimney.

“Could it explode, then?” had been the inevitable opening question from one of our group – some of whom had travelled from as far away as Russia and New Zealand for this once-in-a-lifetime experience – as we waited in Reykjavik for our pre-trip briefing (and waiver signing).

As we descend further, the tight and claustrophobic entrance suddenly widens into a cavern the size of the St Paul’s cathedral dome. The bright lights beneath our cage shine down on a rugged base of scattered rock, the equally bright lights on the floor shining back to make it feel like we’re now in a pod docking with our mother ship. We land gently and, after our brush with the jaws of hell up above, we now appear to be right in its belly.

“Well, it’s an active volcano, so it’s always possible,” came the response from tour leader Bjorn Ólafsson, who once summited Everest and is one of three partners now developing this unique tourist attraction. “It’s extremely unlikely, though. You’ve got more chance of being hit by falling rock if there’s an earthquake – and that’s unlikely too by the way.”

Around us, the arcing chamber roof is a modern art version of the Sistine Chapel, painted by a rather disturbed and angry artist. The silence is eerie, the only noise coming from the continuous plop of water seeping through the earth, hitting the ground and echoing through the damp air.

In fact, despite the fact the volcano sits less than 60 miles from Eyjafjallajokull, which exploded to cause global travel havoc two years ago, and despite the fact that Iceland has some 300 earthquakes per day, you’re still more likely to get hit by lightning in Reykjavik while eating one of the famously tasty hot dogs from the harbour stall.

But 4,000 years ago, this place was hotter than a

So with that, it was off to the volcano.

Photography: Will’s team preparing to enter through the Voclano’s top crater

THERE IS NOWHERE ELSE IN THE WORLD WHERE YOU CAN ENTER A VOLCANO THROUGH THE TOP CRATER Norwegian Sea

ICELAND THRIHNUKUKAGIGUR

North Atlantic Ocean

A 30-minute drive from the buzzing town of Reykjavik, we stepped off the minibus at the Blafjoll ski centre in the Blue Mountains, where many of Iceland’s 318,000 residents enjoy their winter breaks. Our target, Thrihnukagigur volcano, is the tallest of three cones fed by the underground magma chamber we were about to enter, and it sits at the end of an impressive chain of cones, which spread across the horizon. Our trek to the summit took around 45 minutes, across terrain typical of this part of Iceland. Rough rocky ground covered in soft mosses spreads far and wide, peppered with cinder cones and volcanoes and split by a long crack in the earth where the American

and European continental plates are moving apart at a rate of 1cm per year.

120m on specially developed ropes to reach the bottom.

A natural bridge crosses the crack and the path winds on to a small temporary base, where we kit up with harnesses and helmets.

But for this summer only, a steel structure - which is normally used to clean skyscraper windows – was placed on the summit to lower people into the abyss, part tourist experience and part test, to evaluate whether the experience is engaging enough to drill an $14m horizontal tunnel into the chamber to make it more accessible.

“It was only years later that we actually got to see all the colours and the size. It comes alive with light, and now this lift will allow people to go in without any knowledge or training. The manufacturers thought it was quite an interesting use for it!”

“There is nowhere else in the world where you enter a volcano through the top crater,” said Bjorn. “In the past it has been quite technical to get inside and there was no margin for error. When I first went in, climbing ropes were not long enough to reach

Before we enter, we’re shown a vent hole some 150m from the crater, out of which gases spewed when the volcano was alive. It explained, from the surface, just how big the giant void was below. 12

To ease nerves, Bjorn reiterates that the safety levels are second to none, this is perhaps one of the most monitored areas of the earth, and any troublesome rumbles can be felt well before they become a danger. The volcano, discovered in 1974, has previously been accessible only by skilled climbers, who had to scramble over the narrow cinder cone and descend

the bottom so we had to tie two together. It was like going down into a black hole – you couldn’t see how far down it was.

Photography (left to right): Will’s team decending the inside of the volcano; colourful jaggerd walls.

OUR BASKET FINALLY LANDED AND WE STEPPED OUT INTO A WILD WORLD OF COLOUR

After our 120m descent – a height just short of the Sydney Harbour bridge – our basket finally landed and we stepped out into a wild world of colour. Trampling over the rocky rubble floor, it was hard to keep a footing as my eyes were drawn upwards to the streaky black, purple, red and yellow colours burned into the ceiling, a product of the minerals within the molten rock that flowed through here 4,000 years ago. Through the bruised slit of rock in the cavernous roof, a tiny speck of blue can be seen: the bright sun-filled sky at the surface. After an incredible hour exploring the cavern, I spotted the glowing lights of the dangling basket halfway between that opening and the base, heading down on its final trip. I’d yet to explore the outer reaches of the cave, but sadly my time was almost up. “You can stay down here if you want,” offered Bjorn, with a cheeky smile. “Take my radio and we’ll come back down and pick you up in 15 minutes or so. It’ll be fine...” Tempting. But then I remembered where we were…

TRIP NOTES The ‘Inside the Volcano’ tour ran this summer and organisers plan to create a new access tunnel to the volcano for the 2013 summer season. For more details, see: www.insidethevolcano.com Will flew to Iceland with Iceland Air (www.icelandair.com) and stayed in the Iceland Air Harbour Hotel in Reykjavik (icelandairhotels.com/hotels/reykjavikmarina). For more information on Reykjavik visit: www.visitrykjavik.is

PRODUCT

IS IT A PLANE? IS IT A TRAIN? NO, IT’S A HONDA ODYSSEY!

With apologies to Superman fans, our headline is not at all facetious. It reflects the history of a vehicle that almost didn’t make it past the drawingboard, but went on to become one of the most iconic Hondas of them all. Planes, trains: both forms of transport figured in early discussions about the Odyssey, as we shall see.... More than two decades ago, under the leadership of a Honda associate by the name of Kunimichi

Odagaki, the vehicle that would become the Odyssey had to be developed almost in total secrecy. Planned as a head-on rival for what American drivers call the minivan, the Odyssey was scrapped soon after it was thought of. But Odagaki and a small team defiantly but secretly kept working on a model they believed in, outside their regular hours, to try to convince their superiors that the vehicle should be rescued from oblivion.

Photography: 2014 Odyssey VTi-L.

One of the early names for this new vehicle was the PJ. Hence our headline – ‘PJ’ stands for ‘Personal Jet’. When the fundamental principle of having a walk-through aisle was adopted, some of the early development team called it ‘the family bullet train’, as per our headline again. It had been scrapped by upper management because they felt it was “impossible to accommodate that kind of structure in a stylish design”.

But when ideas like a third row of seats that could be stowed underneath the floor emerged, that made it possible to lower the vehicle’s centre of gravity significantly. That, in turn, meant this ‘minivan’ could be streamlined to look more like a car. And that has remained one of the fundamental design philosophies behind the Odyssey to this day, as evidenced by the 2014 model to be on sale soon in Australia. Visit the teaser: http://newodyssey.honda.com.au 14

TRIPPING THE LIGHTS FANTASTIC Now, we know that Honda prizes lightweight materials in its relentless pursuit of more efficient vehicles. But the original Odyssey took that philosophy to extremes – it was made of Styrofoam! That’s what the design and development team did, in order to present the decision-makers with a tangible version of their vision for the new model. By April 1991 the team was determined: “We can develop a car that drives like a sedan,” they insisted, “but offers much more interior space.”

That space would come from the low floor which remains an Odyssey hallmark. The ‘one-box’ design with sliding doors was aimed at a growing market and to reflect the way Honda’s engineers imagined – correctly – cars would start to look in a rapidly approaching future.

A turning-point was reached when American Honda told the Japanese-based team they could plan on selling 5000 units a month if the project went ahead; by October 20, 1994, Honda was able to unleash the Odyssey upon a largely unsuspecting world.

It would be a question of balance, as we have seen elsewhere in this issue. The balance would be, essentially, between the vehicle’s functions and its aesthetic appeal. Once again Honda was reconciling opposites.

Two revealing results followed. In the first place, Odyssey set a lifelong pattern for itself by winning two key Japanese awards in its first year; in the second, within three years Odyssey had sold 300,000 units to roar past Civic as Honda’s fastestselling new vehicle.

The scepticism Honda’s upper management had feared amongst the car’s potential buyers had proved totally unfounded as the market moved away from sedans towards SUV’s and what we know as people-movers. As early project member Hiroshi Sekine observed, “This project showed us how important it was to approach every design from the customer’s perspective.” Isn’t that an enduring Honda hallmark?

Photography: Interior 2014 Odyssey VTi-L.

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Photograph: Still from Honda Project Drive-In website.

NRMA Best Cars Best Family Wagon

NRMA Best Cars Best Passenger Wagon

1996-1997

1998

A SOLID HONDA SUCCESS STORY No wonder Honda Australia Director Stephen Collins used those words to describe Odyssey earlier this year. The seven-seater has consistently added to its trophy cabinet: Australia’s Best Cars “Best People Mover”, Wheels Magazine’s 1995 “Car of the Year” and this year the Odyssey took out Drive’s “Car of the Year - Best People Mover” for an unprecedented fifth year in a row! These are just a few of the awards that have come the Odyssey’s way. The third-row seating, now seats three with reclining chairs that offer unprecedented levels of space, while the under-floor storage is still handily available. The new third row seating allows the original Japanese design team’s vision to come to reality. The captain-style seats in the second row of the VTi-L variant have a long sliding mechanism that mirrors aeroplane styling

RACV Best Buys Best People Mover 1998

Australia’s Best Cars Best People Mover

Wheels Magazine Car of the year

Drive’s Car of the year Best People Mover

2004-2007

1995

2004-2006; 2009-2013

with lift-up support for the legs. For the VTi variant that ‘seven seater’ is about to become an ‘eight-seater’ thanks to some more Honda Magic which balances practicality and people-friendly styling with three seats in both the second and third rows. The wide-opening sliding doors and an internal width dimension larger than the standard ‘minivan’ means ‘easy in, easy out’ is no empty boast, and a super-low floor simply adds to that effect. The newly-developed engine using Honda’s Earth Dreams technology is a 2.4-litre DOHC i-VTEC unit mated to a CVT, the whole package giving increased fuel efficiency thanks to low-friction technologies and weight-saving materials plus the addition of an Idling Stop feature to cut fuel consumption dramatically.

Were you – are you – a fan of drive-in movies?

With 129 kilowatts and 225 Newtonmetres on tap the car – for that, essentially, is what Odyssey is – combines smooth acceleration at take-off with efficient cruising speed, while the ECON system permits further economies through cunning use of engine/transmission/ airconditioning in harmony.

They were an engaging feature of American life as we used to see it reflected in movies over here, and of course Australia had the climate to develop its own drive-in culture, still alive in isolated spots across the continent.

Revised suspension and steering enhance the driveability of the Odyssey, while the ride quality is markedly improved by the high rigidity of the body. It also boasts a car-like 5.4-metre turning radius. Clever add-ons like a multi-view camera, smart parking assist and lane-changing monitors all add to its reassuringly safe feel.

American Honda donated a 2014 Odyssey Touring Elite to be auctioned for charity. Funds raised by the auction were put towards saving drive-in theatres struggling to stay afloat. In addition, American Honda contributed towards and facilitated the donation of digital projectors to nine drive-in theatres across the US. Alicia Jones of American Honda expressed, “It’s not often that a company gets the opportunity to help preserve an American pastime”. Thanks to Honda these theatres will continue to be operational, keeping the drive-in culture alive.

In short, the latest Odyssey is a 21st-century refinement of the principles behind the original train/plane/car: inner space wrapped up in a sleek design that puts people first but can quickly be transformed into a remarkable cargo-carrier.

And what better way to catch a movie than from the comfort of one of the Odyssey captains chairs?

Whether it spreads Down Under or not remains to be seen, but American Honda has launched a nationwide campaign, Project Drive-In, to help theatres facing closure due to the end of 35mm film distribution. And there’s an Odyssey connection…

FIND OUT MORE

TECH TALK

Photography (clockwise): Marc Marquez in the lead closely followed by Yamaha’s Jorge Lorenzo and teammate Dani Pedrosa at Indianapolis in August; 2011 RC212V Engine; Stoner testing the RC213V MotoGP works machine.

SEAMLESS TRANSITION STORY BY NEIL SPALDING

This one is for the technically-minded among Honda followers as Neil Spalding explains a key component of the technology that goes into Honda’s allconquering 2013 MotoGP machinery Young Spaniard Marc Marquez has moved smoothly into the starring role once occupied by Australia’s Casey Stoner in the Honda ‘works’ MotoGP team. You might say that with Marquez claiming the world title Stoner won in 2011, there has been a seamless transition. At the same time, Honda has come up with a ‘seamless’ gearbox, one of the keys to increased efficiency – and speed – on track. It must have worked: in mid-season front-running rivals Yamaha accelerated the development of their own system. So what is a seamless gearbox? In a normal gearbox a ‘shift drum’ is rolled by the movement of the shift lever; the shift drum has a track cut into it which moves selector forks. The forks in turn move the gears on their shafts. One gear is moved out of selection and then a second is simultaneously moved in.

To do that easily the gearbox needs the load on it to be removed. On road bikes we pull in the clutch but on race bikes we typically use a small ignition-kill switch for the period when the gears are being moved in and out of selection. But that small cut in power affects acceleration, unsettles the suspension and affects tyre grip. In a ‘seamless’ gearbox there are no breaks in the flow of power to the tyre. Compared to a standard gearbox, where one gear is deselected then the next gear is selected, the seamless box does it the other way round: it selects the new gear THEN deselects the first one. Two gears are engaged simultaneously, but just for a few milliseconds. As the shaft accelerates the ‘new’ gear disengages the old gear within a quarter of a turn of the gearbox shaft.

The selection system is different: no sliding dog gears and no shifter forks as you would find in a conventional gearbox, but when neutral is selected the gears on the main shaft all turn freely on the shaft. In the centre of the driven shaft there is a ‘selector rod’. On the output shaft (or countershaft) all the gears are fixed in place. To select a gear the selector rod is rotated; pins that sit in grooves cut into its surface, are pushed up into the inside diameter of the gear being selected. The pins do not ‘engage’ the gear but push on small rockers called ‘pawls’, and each pawl is moved so that its end connects with a tooth cut into the inside diameter of the gear, locking it in place. To change to the next gear the shift rod is again rotated and pushes more pins out, moving the pawls inside second gear and locking the ‘faster’ gear into place, while the first set of pins drops back into a groove on the shift rod. As the faster gear speeds up the shaft, the pawls inside first gear unlock.

Photography (left): the small lever on the RC213V used to select neutral; (right): RC213V Torductor.

This process can be carried on all the way up the gearbox and works on down-shifts too. There are some side effects to these instantaneous changes. Let’s assume you are in fourth, you are going to change up to fifth, and there is a 750 rpm difference between the gears. You bang in a gear change in a conventional box and there will be a reaction – you have only increased your speed by say 1 kmph but the crank has just dropped 750 rpm, which means a lot of stored energy is looking for an outlet. To get the smooth gear change and to try and harvest the energy that would otherwise be lost the clutch can be modified to act as a damper or it can be designed to slip slightly, even though it remains engaged and is transmitting power.

like Honda first fitted to the front sprocket of its works bikes back in 2009. Once you have this sequence in place there would be no reduction in the torque flowing through the rear tyre. There would be changes in rpm inside the engine and you would hear the throttle dip but the side effects would be prevented from reaching the tyre.

THE ‘SEAMLESS‘ GEARBOX PUTS ANOTHER IMPORTANT WEAPON IN THEIR ARMOURY

A change in the design appears to have taken place earlier this year with a new lever appearing on the left handlebar that looks like a small cable-operated thumb brake. We believe the Honda gearbox has a N 1-2-3-4-5-6 pattern and that would make it possible to accidentally change down from first to neutral.

In MotoGP the rules prevent the clutch from being controlled electronically. The throttles can be dipped, or the ignition can even be cut just enough at the same time to balance the load change slightly. The power transmitted remains smooth as the ‘cut’ is covered by the energy from the change in the crankshaft’s speed being used to make up for the reduced throttle requirement. The secret to a smooth gear change then is managing that reduced throttle so it happens exactly at the right time and by exactly the right amount to use the energy in the crankshaft in such a way as to make the power flow to the rear tyre ‘seamless’. The throttle needs the precise timing and amount of the throttle dip to be programmed in. Initially this could be done using an active torque sensor, a ‘torducter’

This is the reason for the small lever on the left side of the handle bars on all the Honda RC213V’s, a cable-operated ‘Neutral gate’ that the rider operates when he wants to select neutral. This prevents him accidentally changing down once too often and inadvertently ending up in neutral on track. While the riders’ reactions -- and talent -- remain the keys to on-track success, the development of technology such as the ‘seamless’ gearbox puts another important weapon in their armoury.

15 19

TRAVEL

Photograph: A lurid bus in Colombo’s Pettah Market.

Back in the beginning of the world, when Adam was expelled from Eden, his feet touched the ground on this island. It’s a mighty fine selling-point for travel pundits, who are touting Sri Lanka as the year’s hottest tourist destination. What’s the lure? Perhaps it’s the colour, culture and a larder brimming with white-sand beaches, the exotic safari drives, lavish temples and excellent shopping, but without the heartache of the haggle. “You can get a suit done in two hours, but it may not last three,” says walking guide Mark Forbes, as we dodge a painted truck loaded high with sacks of rice, bound for the food markets deep in Pettah, the commercial heart of frantic Colombo. Computer chips, wedding gowns, cuckoo clocks: what are you looking for today? The island capital will keep you on your toes, but it’s an example the rest of the country prefers not to follow. A little slower, a little gentler than its explosive, in-your-face neighbor India, the name Sri Lanka translates as ‘resplendent island’ in Sanskrit. It’s an island of tea, sapphires, cricket and trees – Sri Lanka is home to the world’s oldest tree, its beaches are swathes of beauty, Queen Elizabeth wears its cornflower-blue gems and a packet of Mackwoods’ tea is the essential souvenir.

SRI LANKA RETURN TO EDEN ST O R Y & P H O T O S BY BELINDA JACKSON

And if you’re not into cricket, then well, you’re not into life. On the weekends, school grounds are taken over by local white-clad cricketers, watched keenly by skiving tuk-tuk drivers. Colombo’s top restaurant, Ministry of Crab, is co-owned by two former cricket greats and would it be too much to suggest that planning permission is eased by promises to upgrade the local cricket facilities? 20

Photography (left): A proud Galle resident taking the afternoon breeze.; (right): Saved from a temple, timber status of horses for sale in a Galle antiques shop.

RETURN TO EDEN

SRI LANKA IS A VERY SOCIAL PLACE The island is about the same size as Tasmania, but Sri Lanka’s population tops 20 million. Yet there are still empty beaches, rolling tea plantations, serene rice paddies and national parks where peacocks flutter their glory and sloth bears happily hang, so ugly that they’re cute. Wrapped in legend and spotted with tiny, five-room boutique hotels – think Maya Villa, Kanda Kandaha, The Last House or the Sun House – old Ceylon is beloved by sun-starved Europeans who flit down to bask on the white-sand beaches of the south coast from November through to the end of Easter.

a warning: if you’re not travelling on the new freeways, steel youself for a pace that can be kindly described as languid

A warning: if you’re not travelling on the new freeways, steel yourself for a pace that can be kindly described as languid. The traffic on the old highways drifts at a comatose rate, giving you ample time to window-shop villages given completely over to the sale of roasted cashews, pineapples, wedding photography or buffalo curd, set in hand-thrown earthenware pots. In one spectacular jam in Colombo, I conduct a long chat and photo session with a photogenic temple attendant in the taxi beside mine. “Sri Lanka is a very social place,” says Dominic Sansoni, photographer and owner of the wildly successful Barefoot stores in Colombo, that mix together a bookshop, clothes shop, homewares designs and an excellent outdoor café meant for scratching out postcards, drinking papaya juice and hitting the pause button. “You’re never alone,” he says, simply. 21

RETURN TO EDEN

The company you keep may not be the company you seek: at the Amangalla hotel, the last word in Galle chic, the company is a grey-faced monkey that watches over us lucky few in the white cabanas around the pool. On the way to Tangalle, further along the south coast, we share the road with a small herd of water buffalo, on their way to greener pastures. And cycling the steep tea-lined terraces of Hatton, I am chased by a band of village children intent on elbowing their way into my pastoral scenes.

SRI LANKA

Photography (top): Stacking sacks of rice in the hyperactive Pettah Markets, Colombo; (bottom): A happy Colombo tuk-tuk driver poses for a snap.

COLoMBO

YALA NATIONAL PARK

This warm welcome is one endearing trait of Sri Lanka, along with its absurd precision amidst chaos, where a road sign will tell you itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 112.5km to Colombo and the telephone directory is an atlas of names from Spanish to Dutch, English to Sinhalese extravaganzas that celebrate an expressive alphabet. I should tell you to go now: before tourism swallows up the prettiest beaches with five-star mega-hotels. Go now before the freeways bypass the towns and kerbside shopping fades away. Go now before frozen yoghurt and barista-pulled coffee overtake the traditional 3pm tea and butter cake. But you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t need any of these reasons: just go. 22

SRI LANKA

GHOSTS IN THE JUNGLE: LEOPARD SAFARI

Photography: Sri Lanka’s top predator, the leopard, is best spotted in Yala National Park./ Early morning on the road.

BY BELINDA JACKSON They’re supposed to be shy, elusive and rarely seen, but two days in the wild, and we find a jungle thick with spotted predators. There’s one slung around a tree like a carelessly tied scarf, a cub feeding from its mother before gamboling prettily and a third simply ambling down a dusty road in the golden morning light. Thanks to its compact size, Sri Lanka’s Yala National Park is possibly the world’s top leopard spotting location, yet back in Colombo, we listen to other travellers and even locals who confess they’ve never caught a whiff of a leopard.

Travelling with Sri Lanka’s bona-fide leopard whisperer, Noel Rodrigo, doesn’t hurt, either. Noel has been tracking leopard ‘pug’ marks for 15 years, including those of One-Eye, Bati (the tiny one), Harmu (the governor) and Scarface. Broken tails, scars and torn ears, he knows them all. 23

GHOSTS IN THE JUNGLE

His small, five-star, low-impact camp site sits lightly on the earth while still generously laying on the wine, hot showers and soft beds beneath canvas. He also has a team of expert guides–all keen photographers–and well-equipped jeeps with battery charging-points and camera rests. The camp kitchens serve up some of the best local cuisine we encounter in the country. When not spotting leopards, we dodge elephants on the move, rouse sleepy buffalos and admire child-like grey langur monkeys, eyes always open for sloth bears, the Scarlet Pimpernels of the Sri Lankan jungle. Twitchers note: we also snap Sri Lanka’s national bird, the colourful Ceylon jungle-fowl and watch crested hawk eagles kill while painted storks fish for their supper. The average stay is two nights, and while it’s far from the cheapest option, it’s an ethically-and sustainably-run operation worth every cent.

Photography: A lazy buffalo basks in the early sunshine. Caught in action, Little Green Bee-eater on the prowl. (Merops orientalis ceylonicus) A leopard cub pauses from a morning of play..

Address book Barefoot, 706 Galle Rd, Colombo 3 (flagship), also, Galle Fort and Dutch Hospital, barefootceylon.com. Colombo City Walks, colombocitywalks.blogspot.com. Leopard Safaris, from US$400 a night, all-inclusive (leopardsafaris.com). Belinda Jackson was a guest of Mr & Mrs Smith hotels (www.mrandmrssmith.com) Banyan Tours Lanka (banyanlanka.com). 20 24

PRODUCT

A QUESTION OF BALANCE What makes Honda unique is its ability to balance features that seem simply irreconcilable. Nowhere is this touch of genius more obvious than in the eagerly-awaited NSXâ&#x20AC;Ś Photography: 2015 NSX Concept.

Photography(left): 2015 NSX Concept gearbox; (right top-bottom): 2013 NSX-GT Concept; 1997 NSX historical image; 2005 NSX racing.

RACING IMPROVES THE BREED Honda has long boasted that racing is in its DNA. That philosophy will be put into practice again when a 2-litre variant of the new supercar, the NSX Concept GT, goes racing in Japan in 2014.

If, as they say, anticipation is ninetenths of pleasure, then there are a lot of very happy people out there. But they need to contain themselves until 2015. That’s when Honda will start commercial production of its second-generation NSX ‘supercar’ at a dedicated plant in Ohio, USA. The common thread between the original NSX, first dreamt of three decades ago, and the new car is human – which is often the case with Honda. In this particular case it’s Takanobu Ito, part of the team behind the original car and President and CEO of Honda Motor Company when he unveiled the new NSX Concept in Detroit at the start of 2012. Ito-san asked a telling question: “What exactly is a supercar created by Honda?” The original NSX provided at least the beginnings of an answer, since it redefined the ‘supercar’ concept with its midships 3-litre engine, its aluminium body and its stunning combination of speed and handling. The original NSX sold 18,000 units worldwide, a couple of hundred of which were here in Australia, where the revolutionary NSX was Wheels Car of the Year in 1991. “We created a set of new supercar

values,” Ito-san recalled. “We would strive to balance the synergy of man and machine at a high level with heightened comfort and intuitive handling.” The end result, in Honda’s motto of the day, was ‘Our dreams come true’. In 2012 dreams were again firmly in Takanobu Ito’s mind: “Now,” he said, “the NSX Concept is about to start its journey by turning our dreams into reality again – balancing the joy of driving and environmental responsibility, two seemingly contradictory goals, at an uncompromising level.” While the exterior looks of the new NSX are simply breathtaking, the real impact of this supercar for the 21st century comes from within. Still mid-mounted, the engine will be a direct injection VTEC V6 whose true power is unleashed when it works in conjunction with Honda’s new technologies. The dual clutch transmission with built-in electric motor allows supercar acceleration without sacrificing efficiency, while the fabled NSX handling is guaranteed by Honda’s Sports Hybrid Super-Handling All Wheel Drive system (SH-AWD).

Racing to Japanese GT500 regulations, the car will be powered by a 4-cylinder turbo engine and will incorporate a racing hybrid system.

redefined the ‘supercar’ concept with its midships 3-litre engine, its aluminium body and its stunning combination of speed and handling.

NSX and race-tracks are synonymous: back in 1989 the late Ayrton Senna, one of Honda’s favourite sons, first tested an NSX at Honda’s Suzuka circuit. The Brazilian’s polite remarks about the car’s rigidity led to intensive testing and improvements at the fabled Nürburgring in Germany. Ted Klaus’s development program has been helped by use of a Honda test track in northern Japan designed to replicate many of the challenging features of the German circuit. In true racing tradition, the ultimate key to NSX is the correlation between its weight and its power; the new supercar is designed, in Honda’s words, to “balance human feelings and vehicle performance at higher levels”. 26

the fabled nsx handling is guaranteed by honda’s sports hybrid super-handling all wheel drive system SH-AWD uses a unique double electric motor drive unit with a bilateral torque adjustable control system. The hybrid all-wheel-drive system can instantly generate negative or positive torque to the front wheels during cornering, producing unprecedented handling.

“It is exciting for us to see the prototype running on track, reflecting the great progress we’re making toward the 2015 global launch of the NSX as we engineer a new sports-car experience for customers around the world.”

As with the original NSX, seamless integration of mechanical capability with driving skill is the aim, as the man heading up the development of the

And, most pleasingly of all, those customers will include Australians: recently came the exciting news that

1984: Honda starts concept work on its New Sportscar eXperimental 1985: NSX development begins 1986: the decision to use a lightweight aluminium monocoque is taken 1989: F1 legend Ayrton Senna tests the car in Japan 1990: Initial launch date 1991: NSX is Wheels magazine’s Car of the Year 2005: end of the era of the ‘first’ NSX 2011: Honda announces plans for a new NSX 2012: in January Takanobu Ito unveils the NSX Concept at the North American International Auto Show 2013: the new NSX Concept does demonstration laps at the Indy 200 race weekend at the Mid-Ohio course in the USA 2015: production of new NSX to begin new car, Ted Klaus, explained when the new car was unleashed during the Indy 200 race weekend at Lexington, Ohio, in August 2013. “With leadership from our R&D and manufacturing teams here in Ohio, we are developing a next generation sports car that will be equally at home on the street and on the race track, so it is natural for us to showcase the prototype vehicle here at Mid-Ohio,” said Klaus.

the new NSX will be made available in this country. Honda Australia Director Mr. Stephen Collins was delighted to make that announcement: “It was a revolution when it was first launched back in 1990 and this generation aims even higher,” he said. “The NSX has a rich history around the world and diehard fans of this supercar have been waiting a long time for the new model to come to production. We can’t wait to offer this vehicle to our customers.”

Photography (left): NSX Prototype at Mid-Ohio racecourse 2013; (top right): 2013 NSX Concept interior; (bottom right): 2002 NSX interior

ART & SOCIETY Photography: (hero): The Alchemical Garden.

SLOW TIME IN THE WORK: JANET LAURENCE STORY AND PHOTOS BY JANE BURTON TAYLOR. ARTWORK BY JANET LAuRENCE

Jane Burton Taylor meets a remarkable artist taking the Antipodes to a worldwide audience Northern light pours into the studio of Sydney artist Janet Laurence. Fresh off a plane from Hong Kong and Europe, she is unpacking her latest show. Her chocolate curly-haired dog, Muddy, lies on the floor, nestled at the bottom of one of the diaphanous white curtains that border the space. The studio is crowded with a thousand small creatures, specimens and Laurence’s hallmark images printed into panels of glass. In the centre, a stuffed owl turns its head, surveying us from a glass cabinet. Another is tucked under cloth in a corner, Laurence says, checking it is protected from the sun. This is her menagerie. As she unpacks, she

fondly identifies more animals, a tiny reindeer attached to the branch of a tree and wrapped as if in bandages; a wide-eyed dingo, a pale sulphur-coloured mountain lion, they will all be reconfigured and re-imagined into her next shows in Adelaide and Launceston. Laurence unpacks with care. She is a diminutive redhead, with a warm informal manner that belies her international standing. She has represented Australia at home and overseas in Biennales and Triennales; she recently completed a work for Macquarie Bank London; is currently working on a large-scale installation for Berlin and is preparing for upcoming shows both locally and in London.

From the start of her art practice, Laurence has had a passion for the natural world and our complex nuanced relationship with it. She makes connections: between places, between natural and man-made worlds, between past and present. In particular she creates lyrical works that immerse. They give the chance for what she calls “slow time”:

“In order for you to engage, ...you need to have slow time in the work”. Not surprisingly, Laurence was one of Sydney’s pioneers of public art work. Edge of the Trees

for Museum of Sydney was a first. Its monumental totem pole-like forest of timber, sandstone and steel, activated by voices of indigenous people, still stands in the museum’s forecourt, still engaging visitors with its resonating narrative. Laurence, who had studied in Europe and New York (as well as Sydney), recalls public art was happening overseas in 1995, but there was not the same degree happening locally. “At that time there was no MCA, public art barely existed. So even when I got asked to do the Edge of the Trees, they thought it would be a single sculpture.”

Photography: (hero): Tarkine at Maqurie Bank.

It is the idea of the antipodean forest. Many English can’t believe that such an old-growth forest could potentially be lost through mining, particularly in a first-world country.

In a move that was probably unusual for the day too, she asked to work with indigenous artist Fiona Foley on the project.

Laurence says that with the increased human pressures on the environment, her work has become more political.

“I wanted it to be about reconciliation,” Laurence says. “It was [also] about memory of the site. There was a forest there. I wanted an Aurora memory, a colonial memory, a botanical memory.”

“In the last fifteen years, there is much more urgency about what is happening to the environment,” she says.

Laurence was subsequently approached for numerous public commissions, but only took those she had an affinity for. Some highlights include Veil of Trees 1999, Sydney Sculpture Walk, The Domain, the Australian War Memorial 2003, London (with Tonkin Zulaikha Greer) and The Healing Wild 2012, LaTrobe University.

“My work started out more evocative and is now much more about a relationship to real sites and real issues. I consult a lot with scientists and get a lot of material from them; also I spend a lot of time researching in scientific institutions, and on site.” In a way her works are collaborations with

experts, with the sites and with the audience who pass by or come to visit. This is the case with Tarkine (For a World in Need of a Wilderness) 2011, for the Macquarie Bank’s London headquarters. Laurence says “I spent time in the Tasmania’s Tarkine, which amazingly is not yet World Heritage-listed, and then the work came out of that experience.” Essentially, she gave the bank its own beautiful forest to experience daily. Photographs of the ancient landscape were printed onto glass. The panels were then hung from the ceiling of the foyer of the bank in a spiral shape. “I gave them a big hanging forest. And from

outside too, you look in and see a forest,” she says. “It is the idea of the antipodean forest. Many English can’t believe that such an old-growth forest could potentially be lost through mining, particularly in a first-world country.” Giving people an intimate, sometimes confronting experience of the natural world via her art is a Laurence trademark. In her exhibitions – she has continued to show in Sydney’s Breenspace and interstate galleries while doing both public and private commissions – Laurence similarly likes to give intimate experiences. Galleries allow her more freedom, she says. ”I am exploring ideas of fragility and

Photography: (hero): Sherman Show After Eden; (left): Edge of the Trees; (top-right): Memory of Nature AGNSW amongst 19th cantury pastorals; (bottom-right): Cloudy Leopard.

Their forest is being burnt right now for palm oil

ephemerality, and [a gallery is a] more controlled environment than a public space.” In 2012, she was commissioned by the Sherman Contemporary Art Foundation to create After Eden, a show incorporating a series of installations within its gallery including stills, films and taxidermy specimens, which she often uses in her work. “It is a way of representing what was living and now is lost,” she says, “a way of giving it another life.”

To research for the show, Laurence visited Aceh in Indonesia, to understand the plight of the wildlife there. ”I stayed in an elephant camp of Fauna and Flora International and had access to biologists,” she says, switching on her computer. “I understood the plight of the elephants [and other animals] there.” As she speaks, a series of startling films and photographs appear on screen. One, Grace, is slow-motion close-up footage of elephants, a finalist in this year’s Blake award.

Most arresting are images of animals caught in a night camera trap. Printed in negative, the photos were sold to raise funds for the wildlife. They include a haunting image of a rare cloudy leopard. It is a beautiful creature. A leopard with tortoise shell-like markings, it lopes through the night forest, eyes turned to pinpoints, caught in the flash of the camera it is has unknowingly set off. “Their forest is being burnt right now for palm oil,” Laurence says. “Most people who came to the show said ‘We had no idea!’”

Laurence shares this previously invisible reality, close enough to touch, confrontingly close to disappearing. In her public works too, she continues to make thoughtful connections like this. For the wider community, the joy is that we can revisit her works and have “slow time”, savouring her poetic vision of the natural world, and our past and present as part of it. 30

HERITAGE

SOME THINGS JUST GET BETTER AS THEY GET OLDER. THIS SPECIAL HONDA IS CLEARLY ONE

C i v i c 1 9 79 Photography: Mrs. Lily Albert, and her 1979 Honda Civic.

‘ORANGE BEAST’ FINDS A NEW HOME

HELP US HIGHLIGHT HONDA’S HERITAGE

Photo BY BEN EYLES, BORDER MAIL

Racking up 118,030 kilometres is no mean feat for a car that never got beyond its home town of Albury-Wodonga. But that was the impressive tally on one particular Honda Civic’s clock when its owner, Mrs. Lily Albert, finally managed to part with it. Mind you, Lily had owned the car for 34 years, since buying it in 1979. Back then she parted with the princely sum of $5500 to become the 1975 Civic’s second owner, and when she decided – at 88 – that the time had come, she took it straight back to the dealership where she bought it in the first place. That’s Baker Motors of Albury, now proudly in its third generation of ownership by the Baker family, whose current director Stuart Baker was surprised but pleased to be charged with the task of finding the Civic’s new owner.

Stuart didn’t have to go far: it was bought by a local man – and as we went to press we learned that the new owner had already on-sold the popular Honda. “We could have sold the car 15 times over, I reckon,” said Mr. Baker. “We used it as part of our 60th birthday celebrations and it was old then!” That was back in 2006, by the way: it was Stuart’s grandfather who set the dealership up in 1946. “I will feel lost without it,” admitted Mrs. Albert when she spoke to the Border Mail about her beloved Honda.

Do you own, or did you ever own, a Honda that became a special car to you?

It was the newspaper’s reporter Sarah Dean who coined the phrase ‘orange beast’ for the distinctive brightly coloured Civic. “It hasn’t been far at all,” Mrs. Albert added,“but I have lots of memories that I will treasure.” So will the teddy bear which apparently occupied the front passenger seat for much of the time the Civic was being driven around the border cities.

If so, we’d love to hear from you as we trace Honda’s heritage in this country. If there’s an interesting Honda lurking in your garage, or if you know someone who has one and would like to share its story with likeminded Honda enthusiasts, please contact Honda Magazine at: digitalmarketing@honda.com.au

Or send us a PM on Facebook.

Some things just get better as they get older. This special Honda is clearly one. 31

PARTNERSHIPS

Photography: images from the Sydney Opera House 40th Anniversary Concert.

SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE PHOTOS BY DANIEL BOUD

LIFE BEGINS AT 40

JOY UNBOUNDED... … was the theme of the celebrations surrounding the 40th-anniversary milestone of the Sydney Opera House. At their centre, in a spectacular twilight concert on the Forecourt on October 27, was the work which heralded the building’s opening four decades ago: Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, popularly known as the ‘Ode to Joy’, which was conducted by Australian maestro Charles Mackerras. The building’s importance not only to Sydney but to the world was underlined by the attendance of HRH Crown Prince Frederik and HRH Crown Princess Mary of Denmark, clearly renewing the original bond between the building and its Danish designer Jørn Utzon. The evening also featured

speeches from dignitaries and Utzon’s children, Jan and Lin Utzon. As well as the repeat performance of Beethoven’s great work on the anniversary itself, a dazzling line-up of talent took part in the many events that made up the birthday bash before an audience of some 5000 people. They included Baz Luhrmann and Catherine Martin, who not only memorably produced Puccini’s La Bohème at the Opera House in 1990 but were also married on the stage of its Joan Sutherland Theatre, and the worldclass Australian Chamber Orchestra.

It is a remarkable fact that the interior of the Sydney Opera House – the space in which it presents the great musical dramas its name encapsulates – played second fiddle, so to speak, in the composition that took shape in Jørn Utzon’s mind. That composition was governed by the building’s external form rather than by its internal functions which is why, as it celebrated its 40th birthday on October 20, the Opera House was a hive of activity within. Louise Herron AM, CEO of the Sydney Opera House, is spearheading the drive to upgrade her new charge, seeking eminent Australians to

underpin the fund-raising for ongoing work – to the tune of $1.1 billion. Ironically, in an architectural age when bridges have become the most spectacular expressions of the art, the Sydney Opera House displaced the Sydney Harbour Bridge as the city’s most recognisable feature. That was only fair. The Bridge joined the city’s south to its north; the Opera House took Sydney to the world. 32

THE ULURU OF MUSIC THE STUFF OF DREAMS It is perhaps no less ironic that the concrete roofs of the Opera House, conceived as shells, eventually weighed many times more than the main span of the Bridge it replaced at the centre of public attention. If further proof is needed that the outside of the building outweighs the inside in most people’s minds, consider this: of the 8.3 million people who go there each year fewer than 2 million go inside, whether for events or guided tours. It is that stunning set of sails that draws people to Utzon’s creation and makes Sydney’s harbour, into which it juts on Bennelong Point, one of the best-known places on the planet.

Honda, now formally associated with the Sydney Opera House, is playing its own part – in visual and auditory terms – in the celebrations at Bennelong Point.

“As an Event Partner of Sydney Opera House, it was a natural choice for Honda to make it the next home of the Dream installation,” said Honda Australia Director, Mr. Stephen Collins.

The Opera House is the second site to be visited by Honda’s ‘Dream Installation’, a remarkable structure in its own right. Made with laser-cut stainless steel, it ‘comes alive’ when people approach it. They are wrapped in sound while the ‘spy-holes’ in the installation give visual access to a world of dreams.

The ‘dreaming’ theme also reminds us that, while the Sydney Opera House is Sydney’s and Australia’s bridge to the world, it exhibits close ties to the spirit of the country where it stands. As well-known musician John Butler has said, “It is the Uluru of music places”.

“The Dream Installation is an interactive and creative representation of Honda’s philosophy of using clever thinking to bring dreams to life.

Photography (hero): Honda’s Dream Installation at the Sydney Opera House; (left): image from the Sydney Opera House 40th Anniversay Concert; (right): Honda’s Dream Installation.

HONDA FOUNDATION

THE KEY TO EVERY DOOR “Only connect,” said novelist E.M. Forster, so here is a question for you: What is the connection between ending mindless violence and supplying a million meals? Or try this one: What connects a swimming pool in Hobart and Black Saturday bushfires in Victoria? The answer to both questions, and to many more like them, is: The Honda Foundation.

missionary Albert Schweitzer once said: “Everyone must work to live, but the purpose of life is to serve and to show compassion and the will to help others. Only then have we ourselves become true human beings.” The Honda Foundation, which turned 21 this year, exists to help true human beings help others in need. Older readers will recall that reaching 21 once meant you were given the key of the door: The Honda Foundation has long been the key to opening doors which many

people would otherwise never have been able to walk through. Honda’s history of helping Australians stretches back to Darwin in 1974, when cash and Honda generators went to ease the problems caused by Cyclone Tracey. For a considerable period after that Honda made one-off contributions in cash or through long-term loans of cars when the need arose, but in April 1991 The Honda Foundation was set up to centralise and rationalise what

Among the many organisations The Honda Foundation has helped are the Alannah and Madeline Foundation in their fight against bullying in schools; and FareShare, whose work revolves around using unwanted food to provide affordable meals to people who might otherwise go hungry.

Over the years, as The Honda Foundation Chairman Mr. Stephen Collins says in a new video released to mark the 21-year anniversary, the Foundation has worked tirelessly to help other people provide “the services that make Australia a better place to live”. Narrated by Honda Ambassador Dr Andrew Rochford, the video highlights some of the major beneficiaries of the Foundation’s benevolence such as Melbourne’s much-loved ‘Peter Mac’ Cancer Centre, the McCauley Community Services for Women, and others. It is a short but telling summary of what The Foundation has done by way of giving back to society.

The Hobart pool is the subject of an extraordinary photograph by Tasmanian artist Damien Beck for which he won the Honda Foundation People’s Choice Award of $5000 this year. The photo, ‘Waterwings’, showed the pool where many Hobartians had learned to swim before it fell into disuse; it formed part of a special exhibition at the Menzies Research Institute Tasmania’s ‘Art of Christmas’ Exhibition this year. Victims of the Victorian bushfires were helped by donations from The Honda Foundation four years ago. A theme should be emerging here. The remarkable German philosopher and

the company was doing in that area. Its aim was to raise cash by a donation of $5 from the dealership in question and $10 from Honda Australia for every Honda vehicle sold in Australia. It was also a way of bringing dealerships closer to the communities in which their staff lived and worked.

As Dr. Schweitzer also said, “The purpose of human life is to serve, and to show compassion and the will to help others.” Compassion and goodwill need material support: The Honda Foundation looks forward to providing it for another 21 years and more.

Photograph: ‘Waterwings’ by Damien Beck.

29 34

H o n d a b r o c h u r e s for ipad j a z z , a c c o r d

c i v i c e u r o ,

s e d a n ,

c i v i c

h a t c h , a c c o r d,

i n s i g h t ,

o d y s s e y , c r - v , c r - z , c i t y

TRAVEL

Photography: Namibia Dunes

Diamond fever swept through South-West Africa at the turn of last century, transforming the sleepy desert town of Lüderitz briefly into the richest in all of Africa. Roderick Eime, kicks a few pebbles down Bismarck Street in the old German colony.

WEST AFRICA DIAMONDS IN THE DUST ST O R Y & P H O T O S B Y R od e rick Eim e

“It is almost as if Nature, conscious of her injustice to this portion of the African continent had added the diamonds as an afterthought by way of making amends.”

- P.A. Wagner, Geologist, 1914

On a very ordinary day in April 1908, a black African labourer, Zacharias Lewala, was toiling on the railway line not far from the port town of Lüderitz when something caught his eye. A pebble flashed in the sun just as he had seen in the Kimberley when he’d worked there in his youth. Zacharias knew straight away what he’d found and showed it to his foreman, setting off a frenzied diamond rush that changed forever the fortunes of this desolate part of Africa. To the casual observer, the sand-blown desert wastes of South West Africa are a worthless, forlorn expanse of land sandwiched between the Namib and the Kalahari deserts and useless for most anything. Even the ancient San bushmen who’ve lived there for thousands for years call it “the land God made in anger”. Portuguese sailors like Bartolomeu

Dias, on his way to the Cape of Good Hope in the late-15th century, put ashore on scouting missions and, suitably unimpressed, erected crosses to the glory of God along the forsaken so-called Skeleton Coast and left, dubbing it bleakly “The Gates of Hell”. It wasn’t until the 19th century that Europeans really started to take notice of the region and it was the deepwater harbour at today’s Walvis Bay that was the prize. With missionaries as colonial pathfinders, the Germans won the race to claim these barren shores for their own and in 1883, a tobacco entrepreneur from Bremen, Adolf Lüderitz and his shady agent Vogelsang, bought the area around the anchorage along with all land within a radius of eight kilometres for £100 in gold coin and 200 rifles. He immodestly named the port Lüderitz and the following year encouraged German chancellor Otto von Bismarck to claim it for Germany before the British could, thus creating the colony of Deutsch-Südwestafrika (German South-West Africa). Despite his great enthusiasm, Lüderitz seemed doomed to fail. 36

Photography: Dancers at Walvis Bay

TOURISM IS ANOTHER ECONOMIC STAPLE OF nAMIBIA, CONTRIBUTING AROUND 15 percent OF gdp and employing many thousands of people..

TODAY KOLMONSKOP IS A POPULAR TOURIST ATTRACTION After purchasing what amounted to an entire country with guns and gold, all his enterprises failed and in 1886 he disappeared at sea in a flimsy boat not far from the Orange River. Two decades later, a mineral find beyond even his wildest dreams would make these dusty plains one of the richest tracts of land on the planet. From that moment in 1908 diamonds became the mainstay of the country’s economy; it became known as Namibia only after independence in 1990. As with all minerals, demand waxes and wanes with the world’s economy. Where diamonds are concerned that economy is controlled by the world’s largest diamond company, De Beers, founded by Cecil Rhodes in 1888. In an unlikely twist, tourism is another economic staple of Namibia, contributing around 15 percent of GDP and employing many thousands of people. Cruise ships of all sizes visit Walvis Bay and passengers set out on excursions into the nearby desert, ferried by everything from 4WDs and station wagons to robust off-road coaches.

But it’s further south near the original German settlement of Lüderitz where the two economies of diamonds and tourism collide in macabre fashion. Not far from where Zacharias found his fateful pebble, the town of Kolmanskop sprang up to support the local mining community which his find spawned. At first the diamond rush was a chaotic frenzy with hopefuls often seen scouring the desert on their bellies on a moonlit night when the pretty stones were easier to spot under the milky light. They would return to the bars of Lüderitz, their pockets bulging, and indulge in Bacchanalian frivolities until their new-found riches were used up. But this disorder could not be tolerated by the strict German colonialists and with trademark Teutonic efficiency, licensing was tightened and the little village established itself with a hospital, ballroom, power station, school, Kugel (bowling) alley, theatre and sports hall, casino, ice factory and the first x-ray station in the southern hemisphere. Fresh meat was available from the butcher, bread at the bakery, furniture from a local workshop, kids played in the public playground and swam in the pool. A short railway line even ran to the port. At its busiest, little Kolmanskop was home to around 300 Germans and 800 native workers.

Despite these familiar niceties, life in the remote, scorching desert would have been very uncomfortable before airconditioning. Sand storms frequently raged through the village and water, which needed to be shipped in, was often so scarce that people bathed in soda water from the soft drink plant. Between that first find and the onset of WW1, some five million carats had been plucked from the sands but The Great War meant a temporary halt to production. With wars and other interruptions, diamond production had peaked by the early ‘20s and was in slow decline until it finally halted at Kolmanskop in 1954 when the operation was moved to more profitable fields near Oranjemund in the far southern corner of the country. Since that day, it was “last one out, turn off the lights” and the tiny German enclave was left to the hungry desert.

Photography (top-down): Luderitz, Namibia; Kolmanskop, Namibia. Photography: Diminishing buildings left over from the old German Colonny in Kolmanskop Namibia.

Today Kolmanskop is a popular tourist attraction adjacent to the Sperrgebiet (forbidden zone), which has existed for one hundred years to keep unlicensed fossickers out of the diamond fields. Voyeuristic travellers wander among the derelict houses and buildings, many of which are being slowly consumed by the ravenous dunes. While some are being slowly restored, others house museum exhibits and interpretive displays. Photographers have made the location famous and several movies and documentaries have been filmed on the site. As for old Zacharias, his fate is not recorded, but one can be sure his fortune did not match that of his railway manager, August Stauch, who quietly resigned his mundane job and became one of the kaiserlichen (imperial) colony’s richest men almost overnight.

IN 1908 DIAMONDS BECAME THE MAINSTAY OF THE COUNTRY’S ECONOMY

FACT FILE Kolmanskop is a few minutes by road from the port town of Lüderitz which can be accessed by road or air. For air travel, see: www.airnamibia.aero For further details, including self-drive tips, visit the official Namibia Tourism site at: http://www.namibiatourism.com.na

32 38

VISITING LüDERITZ The little port town of Lüderitz was built on the bay discovered by Portuguese explorer Bartolomeu Dias in 1487 and originally known as Chanugaub.

NAMIBIA

The German town was founded in 1883 where previously itinerant fishermen and guano miners had camped and exists to this day in a kind of anachronistic time warp where German street names are still displayed and the tongue is not forgotten.

Walvis Bay

Australians will see some similarity to the Barossa Valley townships or the mallee desert farming villages further inland, although the old German language is now only found on café menus and wineries.

Botswana

Lüderitz

STH AFRICA

Many historic buildings remain with their original names and purposes. Hotels, stores, public buildings, churches and grand houses still exist from the heady times of the diamond rush and can be visited on a town tour. Apart from Kolmanskop, be sure to see the Felsenkirche (Rock Church), the preserved mansion, The Goerke House and the town museum, which is a local labour of love and full of many interesting historical and cultural artifacts.

Photography (above): Mr. Lüderitz; (right): Lüderitz township and view of harbour.

PARTNERSHIPS

Photography (hero): Coach Lisa Alexander at the Constellation Cup; (right): Goal-shooter Caitlen Bassett.

DIAMONDS SPARKLE IN CONSTELLATION CUP Sarah Allen reports on the series that restored Australia’s netballers to the #1 spot The Honda-backed Australian Diamonds entered the five-match Constellation Cup netball series against New Zealand with a bold aim in mind – to secure a ‘mental edge’ over their long-time rivals.

A change of mindset saw a change of fortunes in Auckland. The Diamonds took a ‘Grand Final mentality’ into the match and secured a thrilling three-goal win over the Silver Ferns, 48-45.

After reclaiming the Constellation Cup with a 4-1 series whitewash, it’s safe to say the Aussies did exactly that. The comprehensive series win stamped the Aussies as the leading international side.

Alexander rewarded the strong performances of her bench players in the first test and started Chatfield in defence and Ravaillion in centre, as well as the experienced Natalie Medhurst in goal attack. This would prove to be Australia’s strongest line-up going forward.

Coming into the series off the back of a disappointing England tour in January where Australia lost all three encounters, the Diamonds’ bad run looked set to continue when they lost the opening test to the Silver Ferns in Invercargill, 51-55. Despite the disappointing result, the match unveiled Caitlin Bassett as Australia’s first-choice goal shooter, with the 25-year-old netting a perfect 31 goals from 31 attempts.

A return to Australian soil for the third test saw the return of Medhurst’s best. In her 50th test match for Australia, Medhurst shot 18 goals from 19 attempts, and was the architect of Australia’s attacking play, leading her side to an eight-goal win over the Ferns in Adelaide. The Aussies had one hand on the Constellation Cup as they headed to Melbourne with a 2-1 series lead.

And they wasted no time in the fourth test, racing out of the blocks to lead at every break, eventually clinching the series with an unbeatable 3-1 lead. The fifth and final test in the nation’s capital was anything but a dead rubber, with the Diamonds coming from behind to beat the Silver Ferns by one goal in the dying seconds. The Silver Ferns’ four-goal lead was wrestled back by the Aussies and with less than a minute remaining the scores were locked 49-49. Both sides committed unforced errors and the game looked destined to end a draw, but the Aussies finally found Bassett under the post and, in a repeat of her 2011 World Championship effort, she slotted the match winning goal with 13 seconds remaining. Captain Geitz said the come-from-behind victorshowed the character of her side.

“For us to win that game by one goal gives us such confidence that even though we’re tired and it’s the last day of competition, we can come through with the goods,” she said. But coach Lisa Alexander believes there’s still plenty of room for improvement. “We still haven’t put our best performance together yet,” Alexander said. “That’s a good thing for us to know we’re not there yet and we’re still building towards that terrific performance.” The Constellation Cup series was the last time Australia and New Zealand will play before the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow next year, underlining the importance of gaining that ‘mental edge’. 40

Photography (left): Ravaillion at the Constellation Cup; (right): Goal-attack Natalie Medhurst.

I’M JUST ROLLING WITH IT AND WHEN IT (THE TOUR) FINISHES, I’ll FINALLY THINK ‘OH WOW, THAT’S WHAT I HAVE ACHIEVED’. Rise of Ravaillion From the beaches of Cronulla in Sydney’s south to show court on the Australian Diamonds’ Constellation Cup tour in just 12 months is a meteoric rise to the top for 20-year-old Kim Ravaillion.

The personal trainer then got a call up into the Diamonds’ side that toured England in January and found herself in the unusual position of debuting for her country before stepping out on court in the ANZ Championship.

“It’s a bit of a spin-out,” she said. “I’m just rolling with it and when it (the tour) finishes I’ll finally think ‘oh wow, that’s what I have achieved’.”

But it wasn’t until Ravaillion was selected for the Diamond’s recent Constellation Cup tour that she believed she was good enough to play at international level.

The unprecedented pathway to the national side began in September last year, when the athletic mid-courter impressed many while representing the Australian Institute of Sport in the Australian Netball League. From there, Ravaillion earned an ANZ Championship contract with the Queensland Firebirds and selection in Australia’s fresh-faced Fast5 team. The pieces were starting to fall into place.

alongside, those idols. Former Australian captain Sharelle McMahon made her international debut at 20 and said Ravaillion looks to have benefited from having modest expectations coming into the series. “(Kim) can just get out there and give it a crack… and she’s actually run with the best centre, probably in the world, really well over the series,” McMahon said.

“In England I got called in,” Ravaillion said. “To go to selections and actually be named in the (Constellation Cup) squad and get picked in the team, that’s when I felt the belief that I could be the starting centre.”

Known for her gutsy attack on the ball and precision long-range feeds into Australia’s shooters, Ravaillion still considers herself an average girl who loves spending time with family and friends.

The fearless mid-courter grew up admiring New Zealand centre Laura Langman and Australian wing attack Kimberley Green, and now at the age of just 20 she is competing against, and running out

“When I come home they are all so proud of me and they can’t believe that the Ravaillion name is out there,” Ravaillion said with a smile. “They kind of make a joke about it, like ‘oh, you’re famous’.” 41

MOTORSPORT RACING ROUND-UP SOMETHING IS ALWAYS HAPPENING IN THE WORLD OF RACING WITH HONDA – AFTER ALL, IT’S IN OUR BLOOD. Here’s our round-up of the key classes FOR THE SECOND HALF OF THIS year. Let’s start with the motogp WORLD championship...

Photography: 2013 MotoGP Champions, (from left) Moto2 World Champion Pol Esparago (Tuenti HP 40), Marc MARQUEZ (Repsol Honda Team) and Moto3 World Champion Maverick Viñales.

mAKING HIS MARC – AT 20 Elsewhere in this issue we look at seamless gearboxes and their impact on Honda’s motorcycle racing success. That success has also been helped by a seamless transition: from the retired king of the track Casey Stoner to the new prince of the premier class.

He stands 1m 68cm tall; he weighs 59 kilos; he has the angelic features of a happy child. He is also an aggressive, all-action motorcycle racer. He is the 2013 MotoGP World Champion. His name is Marc Marquez. And he rides for Honda. In Valencia on November 10, the very last day of the 18-round season, Marquez scored the points he needed to clinch the title ahead of defending champion Jorge Lorenzo of Yamaha. Mind you, Marquez made us wait: it was his third bite at the cherry, with previous chances to wrap it all up having come and gone at Phillip Island and in Japan. The Australian race was a stunner: concerns over Bridgestone’s rear tyres saw it cut to just 19 laps with a mandatory mid-race change of bikes – known as a flag-to-flag race. Phillip Island was making history for the second time. It staged the first flag-to-flag race, won for Honda by Marco Melandri, in 2006 when the rule was introduced to cope with wet weather. When it staged the first dry flag-to-flag race on October 20, it became a flag-to-black-flag disaster for Marquez. A breakdown in communications within the Repsol Honda team saw him miss the prescribed mid-race window for the compulsory change: disqualification was the result. When the steely Lorenzo won both at Phillip Island and at Motegi, where Marquez had a big crash in

Photography (top-bottom): Marc Marquez celebrating MotoGP World Champioship with Pedrosa; Marc Marquez racing at Japan GP.

the pre-race warm-up but recovered to claim second place, the Honda rookie needed to finish in the top four in Valencia to claim the premier-class crown at the first time of asking. To put everything in context, it is 35 years since we last saw a rider in his first season in the premier class take out the world title. His name was Kenny Roberts, better known as ‘King Kenny’ as he swept to three World Championships in a row for Yamaha. “He’s outstanding,” the 61-year-old American said of Marquez earlier this year. “He obviously knows most of the race tracks and he’s bringing something to it that hasn’t been brought.” Part of that something is the hint of aggression that goes into the Spaniard’s racing. At only his third MotoGP race in Jerez, he incurred Lorenzo’s wrath when he elbowed the Yamaha rider wide at the final corner of the Grand Prix. Closer to season’s end the young contender upset Pedrosa when a late-braking manoeuvre in Aragon, Spain, saw Marquez touch Pedrosa’s rear wheel as they both chased race leader Lorenzo. Damage to a cable disabled the traction control on Pedrosa’s bike and as he accelerated the rear wheel spun, gripped and spat him off. His race was over, his hip so painfully injured that he spent several days unable to walk. 43

Photography (clockwise): Marc Marquez and Dani Pedrosa racing at the Australian GP; Marc Marquez after disqualification at the Australian GP; Dani Pedrosa in second place at the Australian GP.

The two riders were called before the stewards at the next round at Sepang, Malaysia, where Marquez was given a penalty demerit point for his contribution to Pedrosa’s Aragon demise. He shrugged it all off to compile a staggering set of records for a man in his first year in the MotoGP class including these:»» youngest winner of a premier-class Grand Prix at 20 and 63 days »» youngest pole-sitter the day before »» youngest rider to have won in all three classes (a record stolen from Pedrosa) »» youngest to lead the MotoGP standings (stolen from Lorenzo) »» youngest to win two MotoGP races back-toback (previously it was Roberts back in 1978) »» first rookie to claim 11 podiums (previous best was 10 by Valentino Rossi) »» highest number of race wins by a rookie »» highest-ever points tally by a rookie Veteran television commentator Nick Harris thought he had seen it all – until he saw Marquez. “This has been the most amazing season by a rookie ever,” says the popular Englishman. “Even the great Valentino Rossi’s rookie season was nowhere near as good as this. And the frightening thing is, he’s only going to get better!”

Some paddock insiders are already saying – after less than one season of the Marquez phenomenon – that he could be in the process of ending Pedrosa’s career, at least as a rider for the elite teams. While this is Pedrosa’s eighth season in the World Championship’s premier class, he has yet to claim that title to add to his 125cc and 250cc crowns from 2003 to 2005. Despite 25 victories at the highest level, runner-up in 2007 and 2010 is his best overall performance. All year long Marquez played the humble card: he kept saying that he was the apprentice trying to learn from the masters around him. By mid-season that was one record Pedrosa and Lorenzo really did want him to change. By its end, they had to admit defeat…

MOTORSPORT

Photography (clockwise): Norbert Michelisz wins the WTCC Suzuka Race 1; Tiago Monteiro and team mate; Tiago Monteiro racing; Michelisz qualifying for Japanese Round of WTCC; Honda Trio see WTCC developments at Honda R&D Centre.

magyar makes it - and so does honda It’s five years since Norbert Michelisz made his WTCC debut as a guest driver in Japan. At Suzuka this season the Honda driver became a race-winner on a landmark weekend. Norbert’s success came, in a sense, one race too soon. Had he waited until the second race at Suzuka he would also have been the winner of the 200th race in World Touring Car Championship history. But winning from pole was already satisfaction enough for the 29-year-old who represents Zengö Motorsport; even a dreaded DNF in the second Suzuka encounter couldn’t dilute the pleasure it brought him. “A great weekend!” he beamed. “It was a dream race for me. I had new front tyres saved from yesterday and that allowed me to get maximum grip. From the start I was able to get into the first corner ahead and I knew it was just down to me. The car was so good that I did not even need to push to the limit. I really wanted to win my first race for Honda,

and this was the perfect place to do it.” Another podium finish for Honda’s Tiago Monteiro and fourth place for teammate Gabriele Tarquini capped a solid weekend. The trio had already helped Honda take out the Manufacturers’ Championship at Round 9 in California when Tarquini won the second race at the California venue. “It is a great victory for me and the team and a very special win for Honda,” said the Italian veteran after his 19th career win in the series which started back in 2005. Gabriele was second to champion Yvan Muller in the drivers’ standings with two rounds remaining in Shanghai and Macau. In the 200 races to date the series has visited 32 tracks around the world in 23 countries, welcomed 192 drivers of 34 nationalities, of whom 30 have become race-winners, and 10 manufacturers.

Rewarding its drivers for a job well done in 2013, Honda has retained the Tarquini-Monteiro pairing for 2014. Hideo Sato, General Manager of Honda’s Motor Sports Division, emphasised the benefits of continuity when the announcement was made: “Thanks to the driving skill, experience and technical knowledge of Gabriele and Tiago and their hard work with the team, we have made great progress very quickly this year,” he said. “They have both been fighting to get the Honda Civic WTCC into the results and to have won two races outright and many podium positions is a great result. For 2014, I expect the regulation changes will create an exciting and dynamic racing season. I am confident that our two experienced drivers, who have intimate knowledge of the Civic, will be key to our success.” 45

LISTEN TO HONDA’S TURBOCHARGED V6 F1 ENGINE BEING FIRED FOR THE FIRST TIME: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=43 1h20gvm3M&feature=youtu.be

PUTTING NEW ENERGY INTO F1 EFFORT Taking part in the famous Goodwood Festival of Speed, Tarquini also commented on Honda’s planned return to Formula 1 in 2015. Tarquini was enjoying a run in the 1.5-litre Honda RA272 alongside 1964 World Champion John Surtees, who went on to drive for Honda in 1967, in his RA300. “It is difficult to explain,” said Tarquini, “but in my experience with Honda in WTCC, I feel that Honda is one of the few companies where engineering expertise is linked with such true human passion and dedication for racing, from all the Honda engineers involved. You can feel this passion from every level of the company and this is, for me, what makes Honda unique.” That message came through loud and clear from the man charged with bringing Honda back to the pinnacle of world motor racing, Yasuhisa Arai: “We have improved our company, technology

and product each time we have participated in Formula One,” he said. “Honda has a great chance to improve again, not only for our fans, but for our associates, our partners, everybody involved. As an engineer, I am very excited to face the challenge. “We expect our first F1 prototype engines to be fired up this autumn, from that point we can really accelerate our preparation in time for the 2015 season. Energy management will prove to be a key deciding point for the new power unit, and our expectations are very high. In racing, Honda always wants to win.” Surtees himself is delighted to see Honda back in the sport. “There is a special chemistry in motorsport which makes all the difference between winning and losing,” he said. “Honda will no doubt use their entry into Formula One to inspire and develop their workforce into taking the company to new success.”

I feel that Honda is one of the few companies where engineering expertise is linked with such true human passion and dedication for racing, Photography (top-bottom): Ayrton Senna at 1990 Mexico GP; McLaren Honda Heritage F1 car ; McLaren Honda Heritage F1 car; 1992 Canada GP.

36 46

THE LONG GOODBY E

Photography: (top): Weston and Evans after a win; (middle left-right): Weston, Evans, Pedder and Ryan; Honda rally car kicking up mud; Honda Jazz’s at pre-race shoot. Weston, Evans, Pedder and Ryan

After two record-breaking years with Evans Motorsport on the Australian rally scene Honda has decided to bow out. It all began back in 2010. An up-and-coming Aussie rally driver by the name of Eli Evans and his co-driver Glen Weston climbed into a Honda Civic Type R, gunned its 2-litre Mugen-tuned engine and set off to tackle the national rally scene. In that first year they claimed the 2WD class of the Australian Rally Championship; a year later they were runners-up. But the fun really started when they got their hands on a Honda Jazz for 2012.

pulled off a minor miracle of their own by getting the two Jazz entries ready in a three-month time frame before their debut at Rally Calder in 2012, working closely with specialist tuners and engine-builders Mugen on the power units. Tried and tested pairing Evans and Weston had new partners in crime, too, as Honda Australia also backed the Mark Pedder/Claire Ryan combo.

2012 but now first this year.” By the time Rally Australia at Coffs Harbour came and went in late September 2013 Evans and Weston had won a staggering 11 rallies from 11 starts (their ninth eclipsed Possum Bourne’s Australian record). They had also won the ARC for the second straight year.

Just to underline their superiority the Evans/Weston crew took out Rally Victoria, the last round, making it a comprehensive 12 wins from 12 starts – the perfect swansong as the Jazz heads into retirement. “Mixed emotions,” admitted Weston. “We’re very happy to have won but sad that Honda is leaving the championship.” “We are extremely proud of what we have achieved over the past four years,” said Stephen Collins, who is Honda Australia Director. “Our partnership with the Evans Motorsport Team and the entire rally community has been an amazing experience and we hope the competition will continue to flourish.”

“Mark and I were rivals in years gone by,” said Evans. “When I spoke to him about teaming up he was pretty excited. It was a natural thing for him and Claire to join us and now we have the results, with championships not only for first and second in

“This one is really special,” said Weston. “Last year’s was a split championship, as some competitors were in four-wheel drives. This year we’re all in two-wheel drives so it means a lot more to me because there’s no question that we’re the fastest crew in Australia.”

2010

2011

2012

2013

»» Entered a Civic Type R with driver Eli Evans and co-driver Glen Weston »» Finished third outright in Heat Two and placed fourth overall in the Scouts Rally S.A. »» Evans received Kumho Future Champions award »» Placed third outright and first in the two-wheel drive category at the International Rally of QLD »» Took out the two-wheel drive category of the championship

»» Placed third outright in the Scouts Rally S.A. »» Placed second overall in the two wheel-drive championship »» Announced plans to race two Honda Jazz in the 2012 ARC

»» Announced a two driver combination of Mark Pedder and Claire Ryan to join Evans and Weston in two G2 Honda Jazz »» Evans and Weston take out each round of the season »» The team takes 1-2 in overall championship, with Evans and Weston first outright, Pedder and Ryan second outright

»» Evans and Weston break the late Possum Bourne’s long-standing record of the most consecutive round wins by winning nine from nine starts »» Evans and Weston claim the national title again »» Honda withdraws from the ARC

Well-known rally car preparers JAS Motorsport

THE WINNING FORMULA

THANKS & good luck to weston, evans, PeDder & ryan. 47

FAN FEATURE FACEBOOK PHOTOS The Fan photos just keep rolling in – keep it up guys, we love to see what you’ve got!

facebook.com/HondaAustraliaCars twitter.com/Honda_Australia youtube.com/HondaAustralia pinterest.com/hondacars

1-2-3...ALL THAT JAZZ

The hills are alive with honda

TWO WHEELS OR FOUR?

How much can you pack into a Jazz? Or should we say how many Jazz Vibe-Ss can you pack next to a curb? – That’s a good looking trio Mark!

Anthony sends us a shot of a Prelude, Civc Hatch and Accord from the hills of Adelaide - Cheers!

Decisions, decisions: a Z50ak2 Monkey Bike, the CB1300S K4 or the Accord Euro in the background. – Thanks Rob!

GOOD THINGS COME IN THREES...

...AND IN ALL SHAPES AND SIZES

HAVE YOU GOT A HONDA JOY? WE WANT YOUR PHOTOS!

SOCIAL MEDIA @ HONDA:

Log onto our Facebook page and upload your favourite Honda pics – you might see it here in the next issue of Honda Mag. 49

COMPETITION

congratulations TO RICHARD FROM WILLOUGBY! Richard will be zipping around town in the Civic Hatch while his wife will be enjoying the CR-V. How did Richard win all this? “I was actually on Honda’s website as my wife and I were looking to buy a new car...I saw the competition and entered on a whim”. Why not try your luck and enter Honda’s 50K competion now! Details for the Power Your Dreams 50K competition are on the next page.

ENTER THE POWER OF DREAMS COMP! TRY YOUR LUCK AND ENTER THE COMPETITION HERE: HONDA.COM.AU/CARS

HONDA MAG 55 If you have any feedback send us an email DIGITALMARKETING@HONDA.COM.AU

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