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Prac Three: Sutil does it again for Force India

2009-09-12T18:36:00.001+08:00

Saturday 12th September 2009

There seems to be no stopping Adrian Sutil this weekend in Italy as the Force India driver finished his second successive session quickest of all.

Force India came to the fore at the previous race in Belgium where Giancarlo Fisichella finished on the podium. But with Fisi having left the team it's been up to Sutil to continue the attack, which the German has done with gusto.

Sutil set the fastest time in Saturday's final practice where not only was he quicker than Jenson Button and Nick Heidfeld on the softer option tyres through the final five minutes but he also had the measure of Lewis Hamilton's McLaren when Hamilton was on softs and Sutil was on the harder tyres.

As for Fisichella, he crashed his Ferrari F60 at the turn in to Parabolica and finished at the very bottom of the timesheets.

Report: Sunny skies and hot temperatures greeted the drivers at the start of the final practice session for the Italian GP. Tonio Liuzzi and Sebastien Buemi got proceedings underway as the field ventured out for their standard installation laps before returning to the pits.

Giancarlo Fisichella and Jaime Alguersuari headed out for the first timed laps of the morning, joined by Buemi, who is using a new engine, and Liuzzi. Fisichella crossed the line with a 1:28.402, taking 1.3s off his time on his second lap. Buemi, Luizzi and Alguersuari lined up behind the Ferrari driver. Liuzzi improved to first place with a 1:26.268 while Kimi Raikkonen took second place. Nico Rosberg went sixth. Liuzzi continued lapping and dropped the benchmark to a 1:25.332. Buemi went second and Adrian Sutil fourth. Raikkonen returned to the P1 slot with a 1:25.309.

Lewis Hamilton was the next to lead the way as the McLaren driver clocked a 1:25.180 on his very first flying lap. Impressive pace from the MP4-24. His team-mate Heikki Kovalainen went sixth ahead of Alguersuari and Nico Rosberg. Hamilton improved his time with Kovalainen jumping up to second behind him. The duo, though, were soon split by the arrival of Timo Glock into second place. Sutil moved into fourth.

The yellow flags came out when 27 minutes into the session, Fisichella crashed his Ferrari F60. The Italian, who is making his debut for the Italian marque, wasn't able to stop the car heading into the Parabolica, which sent him on a trip over the gravel and into the barriers. Fisichella claimed unaided from the car and trudged back to the Ferrari garages.

With the flags lifted Fernando Alonso was quick to pounce as he took third place while his team-mate Romain Grosjean went sixth ahead of Jenson Button and Kazuki Nakajima.

Mark Webber finally ventured out with 26 minutes remaining in teh session. Red Bull are limiting their drivers' running due to the fact that both are running out of fresh engines. The Aussie, though, was slowest of all with his team-mate Sebastian Vettel P19.

Strapping on the softer tyres, Hamilton improved his benchmark time to a 1:23.929, however, he was soon cut down by Sutil, who despite using the harder option tyres took second place, just 0.179s behind the World Champion. Sutil continued lapping and took the P1 slot off Hamilton with a 1:23.735. And all this on the harder tyres!

Button climbed to fifth place and then third as he too lapped the Monza track with the harder tyres - and no KERS. Liuzzi took seventh, then sixth and Raikkonen eighth. Vettel improved to 18th place and Webber 16th, leaving Trulli and the crashed Fisichella at the bottom of the timesheets.

Grosjean put his Renault into a impressive slide but managed to get back on track. A few minutes later he was off again and onto the gravel, leaping over the grass before heading back to the Renault pits.

With five minutes remaining, the drivers ventured out for their final runs. Kovalainenn moved up to fourth, Barrichello fifth, Liuzzi sixth, Trulli eighth, Sutil improved his benchmark time, Barrichello second, Alonso third, Kovalainen second, Button took first with a 1:23.404, Sutil quickest with a 1:23.336, Hamilton third and Heidfeld third.

Times
01 A. Sutil Force India F1 1:23.336 21 laps
02 J. Button Brawn GP 1:23.404 21 laps
03 N. Heidfeld BMW 1:23.490 18 laps
04 R. Barrichello Brawn GP 1:23.575 20 laps
05 L. Hamilton McLaren 1:23.633 18 laps
06 H. Kovalainen McLaren 1:23.803 20 laps
07 V. Liuzzi Force India F1 1:23.849 21 laps
08 F. Alonso Renault 1:23.915 17 laps
09 T. Glock Toyota 1:23.959 21 laps
10 R. Kubica BMW 1:23.996 18 laps
11 R. Grosjean Renault 1:24.197 15 laps
12 K. Räikkönen Ferrari 1:24.302 20 laps
13 J. Trulli Toyota 1:24.326 17 laps
14 K. Nakajima Williams 1:24.392 20 laps
15 S. Buemi Scuderia Toro Rosso 1:24.572 23 laps
16 N. Rosberg Williams 1:24.621 21 laps
17 M. Webber Red Bull 1:25.154 13 laps
18 S. Vettel Red Bull 1:25.244 16 laps
19 J. Alguersuari Scuderia Toro Rosso 1:25.791 10 laps
20 G. Fisichella Ferrari 1:25.951 10 laps

Source : Planet F1

Belgian Race Report: What A Race, What A Result

2009-08-31T00:10:00.001+08:00

Sunday 30th August 2009

Kimi Raikkonen claimed the victory in the Belgian GP, just managing to hold off Force India's Giancarlo Fisichella - and what a race it was.

After Valencia's tedium and snores, Spa-Francorchamps delivered the exact opposite with no fewer than four drivers, including Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton, crashing out at Les Combes on the opening lap.

This brought out the Safety Car with Fisichella, who had started from pole position, leading the way ahead of Raikkonen. But three laps later, with the debris clear and the Safety Car coming in, Raikkonen launched his attack, easily taking the lead from the Force India driver.

Game over - or so many thought...

Race Report
With no rain predicted for the race, in bright sunny conditions, Giancarlo Fisichella led the drivers round on a very slow parade lap. The ambient temperature was at 16C with the track at 30C.

As the lights went out the man in P4 on the grid was immediately in trouble, the anti-stall mechanism on the Brawn kicking in and Rubens failing to get underway for the third time this year and everyone streaming past him on the grid.

Into La Source and Kimi Raikkonen was forced out wide by the gaggle of cars at the apex, while further back Jenson Button also took that route. Polesitter Giancarlo Fisichella had got away cleanly into the lead, but behind him P2 man Trulli was overtaken on the inside by Nick Heidfeld and on the outside by Raikkonen.

Heidfeld, once past Trulli, effectively into P2 or P3 by now, was slow away from La Source and Trulli ran his front wing into him, loosening it but thankfully it remained in place. Heidfeld's lack of pace on the exit was seized upon by Robert Kubica who swept through on the inside and into P2.

Down the hill they charged: Fisichella, Kubica, Raikkonen (joining from the run-off) followed by Heidfeld, Trulli, Glock and the two Red Bulls.

Further back Adrian Sutil had taken a tightish line into La Source only to find Nico Rosberg inside him and Fernando Alonso inside Rosberg. Contact with Rosberg spun Sutil around and as the Williams driver escaped, Fernando Alonso ran over Sutil's front wing.

It seemed as though Alonso had got away with it, but events later in the race would prove otherwise.

Down the hill to Eau Rouge they charged, the rest of the pack trampling over Sutil's front wing. Kimi Raikkonen, using the Ferrari's KERS button, was straight onto the tail of Kubica and easily outdragged him up the hill to Les Combes, although the Ferrari driver was tentative on the brakes into the corner and took a narrower angle than the normal racing line. Slow on the exit, he was almost punted up the rear by Kubica.

Behind them, Nick Heidfeld missed his braking and went over the grass on the inside, losing a place to Glock and Trulli straight away and subsequently Mark Webber.

Behind them, Jenson Button had got a reasonable start and was P11 (from P14) through Eau Rouge. Going up the hill to Les Combes he got on the inside of Kovalainen and was able to outbrake the McLaren on the outside to take P10 - at which point Romain Grosjean's Renault - trying to follow him through- hooked a wheel inside of his and spun the BrawnGP car into the barriers, wrecking his own car against the Armco in the process.

Lewis Hamilton had got a poor start with the anti-stall almost kicking in and was coping with Barrichello coming up on the outside at Les Combes when he was clattered into by the Red Bull of Jaime Alguesuari. Four drivers out in one corner. The stewards decided they would investigate both incidents after the race.

Something they didn't investigate, but surely must, was Rubens Barrichello's overtaking of a pack of cars using the outside escape route at Les Combes. Barrichello recovered maginificently from last place on the grid and dodged round a few cars at La Sourceand in the run down to Eau Rouge. Up the hill into Les Combes he was alongside Hamilton on the outside, realised he wasn't going to make the turn and took the escape road, dodging all the frantic action involving the four wrecked cars.

With four cars out and debris at La Source it was an easy decision to call out the Safety Car. So as Giancarlo Fisichella led everyone over the line the race order was: Fisichella, Raikkonen, Kubica, Glock, Webber, Heidfeld, Rosberg, Vettel, Alonso, Kovalainen.

Vettel was soon on the radio complaining that Rosberg had overtaken him under Safety Car conditions while Trulli, Barrichello and Sutil headed for the pits. Trulli and Sutil needed new front wings and Barrichello took the opportunity of taking on more fuel under Safety Car conditions - the Brawn having gone the lightest in qualifying.

The race was restarted on Lap 5 but already the major dramas were over. Fisichella didn't manage to shake off Kimi Raikkonen in the corners before the start and as the Ferrari followed the Force India car through Eau Rouge, KERS power was easily able to take him past before Les Combes.

From that point on it was assumed that Raikkonen would open a gap to Fisichella in his cruise to his fourth Belgian GP victory - especially when he set the Fastest Lap on Lap 8 with a 1:47.749. It didn't happen.

On Lap 12 the first pit-stops started to unfold and it was assumed that the Red Bulls - who had gone slightly longer on fuel - would start to take advantage. Glock and Kubica came in first and Toyota had to switch to the reserve fuel ring for Glock sending him back down the race order from P4 before the stop.

On Lap 13 Nick Heidfeld showed his intention of getting a place back off Mark Webber by setting the Fastest lap at 1:47.738.

A lap later and both Raikkonen and Fisichella pitted together, their cars separated by an entire pitlane but the positions staying the same. Behind them, Mark Webber and Nick Heidfeld pitted at the same time. Heidfeld got away first and looked to have made up a position, but just as the BMW approached the Red Bull garage the Red Bull lollypop was raised.

It was yet another dangerous Red Bull release and though they had got away with one the race before, this time round Heidfeld had to take avoiding action and brake to avoid running into the back of Webber in the pitlane. Whether that was on the team's mind or not is unknown but Heidfeld was able to overtake Webber going into Les Combes that lap, while Rubens Barrichello pulled a fantastic overtaking move into the high-speed Blanchimont of all places.

The incident must have severely unsettled Webber because the following lap he started to block and move around in the braking zone trying to keep the Force India of Adrian Sutil behind going into Les Combes.

Red Bull team-mate Sebastian Vettel had a much better time of it, jumping Heidfeld for a place and also his team-mate in the process. It was then announced that Webber would have to serve a drive-through penalty for the team's (not his) pitlane mess-up. He emerged from the pitlane on Lap 18 back in P.13.

The positions on Lap 19 were: 1.Raikkonen, 0.9 in front of... 2.Fisichella, 3.Alonso (not stopped), 4.Kubica, 5.Kovalainen (not stopped), 6.Buemi (not stopped), 7.Vettel, 8.Heidfeld, 9.Barrichello, 10.Sutil

Lap 20 and 21 saw a remarkable feat. Luca Badoer set the timing screens to purple setting the fastest first sector on successive laps.

The Ferrari team were keen for Kimi Raikkonen to put a gap between himself and Giancarlo Fisichella, fearful that the Force India could run a lap or two longer in the middle stint. They asked him to push and try and edge him by a tenth of a second a lap (interestingly it was not Kimi's engineer Chris Dyer who passed on the message). This was duly broadcast on television and then relayed back to Fisichella behind.

By Lap 24 the gap was still only 0.7 though, the Force India easily having the legs of the Ferrari. If Force India could run longer, then they were sitting pretty.

Fernando Alonso was still in P3 and yet to have his first pit-stop. On Lap 25 he came in for what would be his solo stop of the race. However his front left tyre wheel would not accept the wheel spinner and after several seconds of wrestling, the mechanic had to give up and use a replacement.

This was the same wheel that had impacted Adrian Sutil's Force India on the first corner, a result of Alonso taking a risky narrow inside line. The delay had dropped him from P3 to a disastrous P14 and a lap later the team brought him back in to retire as the telemetry showed that the wheel might come loose. They were not going to run the risk of what had happened in Hungary.

Towards the end of the second stint Sebastian Vettel started to close on Robert Kubica's P3 and back in P5, Nick Heidfeld began to close on the pair of them. The two BMWs pitted on Lap 30 and Lap 32 while Vettel was able to stay out till Lap 35 and leapfrog past Kubica.

The biggest battle was always going to be Ferrari versus Force India in the final pit-stops. On Lap 31 the Ferrari mechanics came out into the pitlane and must have been very relieved to find the Force India crew out at the same time. Neither made a mistake and though they resumed in P2 and P3, when Vettel stopped four laps later they would resume P1 and P2.

So on Lap 36 the order with gaps in front of the next car was:
1.Raikkonen 0.8
2.Fisichella 5.9
3.Vettel 2.5
4.Kubica 2.7
5.Heidfeld 12.6
6.Kovalainen
7.Barrichello
8.Rosberg
9.Webber
10.Glock

Vettel put in a series of Fastest Laps in a vain attempt to catch Fisichella and Raikkonen but was never close enough. In the closing laps of the race the excitement was provided by Rubens Barrichello's car which started to blow smoke intermittently on lap 42 of 44 and then constantly from Lap 43 onwards. It gave hope to the following Rosberg in P8 and Webber in P9, but Rubens managed to nurse his car to the line and 7th place.

It was the Ferrari team's first win of 2009, but the biggest celebrants were Force India. Having not scored a point all year, they easily had the fastest car in the race and had scored eight in one go. What's more, they stand even more of a chance for a race win at Monza in two weeks' time.

Sebastian Vettel will be relieved to have finished on the podium again, but the Red Bull team will have been hoping for much more from the race. BMW picked up 4th and 5th through Kubica and Heidfeld and Heikki Kovalainen came home unchallenged in 6th.

Yet again it proved Spa's remarkable ability to provide a memorable race. Even without rain.

Results
01 K. Räikkönen Ferrari 1:23:50.995
02 G. Fisichella Force India F1 + 0.938
03 S. Vettel Red Bull + 3.875
04 R. Kubica BMW + 9.966
05 N. Heidfeld BMW + 11.276
06 H. Kovalainen McLaren + 32.763
07 R. Barrichello Brawn GP + 35.461
08 N. Rosberg Williams + 36.208
09 M. Webber Red Bull + 36.959
10 T. Glock Toyota + 41.490
11 A. Sutil Force India F1 + 42.636
12 S. Buemi Scuderia Toro Rosso + 46.106
13 K. Nakajima Williams + 54.241
14 L. Badoer Ferrari + 1:42.177
Did not finish
15 F. Alonso Renault + 18 lap(s)
16 J. Trulli Toyota + 23 lap(s)
17 J. Button Brawn GP + 44 lap(s)
18 R. Grosjean Renault + 44 lap(s)
19 L. Hamilton McLaren + 44 lap(s)
20 J. Alguersuari Scuderia Toro Rosso + 44 lap(s)

Source : Planet F1

Fisichella takes shock pole at Spa

2009-08-30T00:27:00.001+08:00

Giancarlo Fisichella took an historic and surprising first pole position for Force India in qualifying for the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa.

The 36-year-old Italian veteran took his fourth career pole in an extraordinary session, though the car had looked quick through the weekend.

Fisichella - linked to replace Luca Badoer at Ferrari for Monza – kept up the tradition of old-timers following Rubens Barrichello's European GP triumph to set a time of 1m46.308s that could not be matched by Jarno Trulli's Toyota or Nick Heidfeld's third-placed BMW.

Barrichello was the top 'front-runner' in fourth position. The Brazilian is well-placed to make up ground on the championship leader and team-mate Jenson Button, who failed to make it out of Q2.

Robert Kubica was fifth fastest in the second BMW, having briefly occupied a front row slot until the final shakedown in the last minute of the session.

The Pole will start just in front of Kimi Raikkonen, who was sixth ahead of Timo Glock, Sebastian Vettel, Mark Webber and Nico Rosberg, who did well to wrestle the Williams into the top ten.

Several of the big names were knocked out in a curious Q2 session.

Trulli set the early pace in Q2 with an incredible 1m44.865s in the Toyota. He then lowered that to an even more amazing 1m44.766s.

That was good enough for much of the session, until Fisichella thumped in a 1m44.667s in the final moments. But even that was not the fastest time as Trulli managed a 1m44.503s to take the top place back again.

Then Kubica and Vettel pushed the Force India back to fourth.

All this action at the front contributed to those famous names being knocked out of Q3 – Lewis Hamilton ending up 12th, Fernando Alonso 13th and Button 14th. The Brawn driver in particular was perplexed to have been unable to match Barrichello, who of course did make it through in sixth.

Fisichella had already impressed in Q1, setting the fastest time, 0.38s faster than Trulli's Toyota.

Barrichello meanwhile was third in the opening segment of qualifying, despite running off the track at Fagnes early on, ahead of the second Force of India Sutil and the Red Bulls of Webber and Vettel.

Alonso only made it into Q2 by the skin of his teeth, having ruined his best lap after running wide on the exit of Fagnes.

Button and Hamilton also only just made it through too, in 14th and 15th positions.

Luca Badoer, who needed to find 0.5s on his final run – having set a personal best of 1m46.957s – crashed at Les Combes after going wide on the entry on his final attempt. It rendered him last on the grid.

Sebastien Buemi, Jaime Alguersuari, Kazuki Nakajima and Romain Grosjean all also failed to make it beyond the opening 20 minutes.

Pos  Driver       Team                       Q1        Q2        Q3      
1.  Fisichella   Force India-Mercedes  (B)  1:45.102  1:44.667  1:46.308
2.  Trulli       Toyota                (B)  1:45.140  1:44.503  1:46.395
3.  Heidfeld     BMW-Sauber            (B)  1:45.566  1:44.709  1:46.500
4.  Barrichello  Brawn-Mercedes        (B)  1:45.237  1:44.834  1:46.513
5.  Kubica       BMW-Sauber            (B)  1:45.655  1:44.557  1:46.586
6.  Raikkonen    Ferrari               (B)  1:45.579  1:44.953  1:46.633
7.  Glock        Toyota                (B)  1:45.450  1:44.877  1:46.677
8.  Vettel       Red Bull-Renault      (B)  1:45.372  1:44.592  1:46.761
9.  Webber       Red Bull-Renault      (B)  1:45.350  1:44.924  1:46.788
10.  Rosberg      Williams-Toyota       (B)  1:45.486  1:45.047  1:47.362
11.  Sutil        Force India-Mercedes  (B)  1:45.486  1:45.119
12.  Hamilton     McLaren-Mercedes      (B)  1:45.239  1:45.122
13.  Alonso       Renault               (B)  1:45.767  1:45.136
14.  Button       Brawn-Mercedes        (B)  1:45.707  1:45.251
15.  Kovalainen   McLaren-Mercedes      (B)  1:45.761  1:45.259
16.  Buemi        Toro Rosso-Ferrari    (B)  1:45.705
17.  Alguersuari  Toro Rosso-Ferrari    (B)  1:45.951
18.  Nakajima     Williams-Toyota       (B)  1:46.032
19.  Grosjean     Renault               (B)  1:46.307
20.  Badoer       Ferrari               (B)  1:46.359

Source : Autosport

Qualy: Hamilton leads all-McLaren front row

2009-08-22T22:09:00.000+08:00

Saturday 22nd August 2009

Lewis Hamilton continued McLaren's resurgence, claiming pole position for the European GP after outpacing his team-mate by 0.034s.

The Brit, coming to Valencia off the back of his Hungarian GP win, crossed the line with a 1:39.498 and appeared to have the pace to better that before opting instead to pit having already secured the coveted grid slot.

Heikki Kovalainen, who is use the old McLaren chassis that is reported two-tenths slower than the shorter wheel-based chassing being used by Hamilton, finished in second place, 0.034s behind his team-mate.

Rubens Barrichello claimed third place for Brawn GP, also less than a tenth off Hamilton's time while Sebastian Vettel qualified fourth and, importantly, ahead of Championship leader Jenson Button.

Kimi Raikkonen was next in line, P6 for Ferrari, with Nico Rosberg and Fernando Alonso completing the top eight.

Meanwhile, Luca Badoer's first qualifying session in a decade didn't go according to plan as the Ferrari test driver finished P20, almost three seconds off the pace.

Full report to follow...

Times
01 L. Hamilton McLaren 1:39.498
02 H. Kovalainen McLaren 1:39.532
03 R. Barrichello Brawn GP 1:39.563
04 S. Vettel Red Bull 1:39.789
05 J. Button Brawn GP 1:39.821
06 K. Räikkönen Ferrari 1:40.144
07 N. Rosberg Williams 1:40.185
08 F. Alonso Renault 1:40.236
09 M. Webber Red Bull 1:40.239
10 R. Kubica BMW 1:40.512
11 N. Heidfeld BMW 1:38.826
12 A. Sutil Force India F1 1:38.846
13 T. Glock Toyota 1:38.991
14 R. Grosjean Renault 1:39.040
15 S. Buemi Scuderia Toro Rosso 1:39.514
16 G. Fisichella Force India F1 1:39.531
17 K. Nakajima Williams 1:39.795
18 J. Trulli Toyota 1:39.807
19 J. Alguersuari Scuderia Toro Rosso 1:39.925
20 L. Badoer Ferrari 1:41.413

Source : Planet F1

European Grand Prix Preview

2009-08-22T01:41:00.000+08:00

Cut the elevator music, it's time to go racing again. The summer break is over, but thanks to the incident-packed Hungarian Grand Prix, we haven't had four weeks of tumbleweed blowing through the F1 news.

There's little doubt that Renault wouldn't have been facing the ludicrous penalty of a one-race ban had Massa not made connection with Rubens Barrichello's flukily bouncing rear spring on the Saturday of the last GP weekend.

Pit-stops cock-ups happen all the time, but it takes the mind of a Machiavelli to think that Renault might have deliberately sent Alonso back onto the track knowing that he would lose a wheel.

Thankfully common sense has now prevailed and the Renault team are allowed to race in Valencia, but it took an act of blatant stupidity to impose such an inappropriate penalty in the first place. Presumably FIA Race Director Charlie Whiting will now face similar charges for failing to black flag Kimi Raikkonen's Ferrari after he drove round with a flailing exhaust chimney at the French GP in 2008.

The excitement at the prospect of seeing Schumi race again, in Massa's stead, was very real while it lasted. Presumably the former World Champion wanted to drive the current machinery to check out whether his 'secretly fractured' neck would stand up to the strain. When various teams - including Williams, who owe him at least one pie in the face - vetoed a ride in an F60 he must have calculated that the risk of failure was too great.

In his place Luca Badoer will face a tough test at a circuit he doesn't know, in one of the few Ferraris he's had little time in. Certainly the car that he'll be presented with on Friday will be a quantum leap forward from the one he drove in pre-season testing.

It wouldn't be a surpise to see Kimi Raikkonen put a whole second between himself and the Massa replacement. Ferrari are in a bit of a dilemma right now. There are stories doing the rounds that Raikkonen is going to be offered a lot of money not to race for them in 2010 so they can bring Alonso on board.

What they can't know is how Felipe Massa will react to his big accident. Williams' Patrick Head is fond of the theory that after drivers have experienced major accidents they are never quite as fast again. Amongst those he cites are Ralf Schumacher who had a big testing accident at Monza while he was with Williams.

It hasn't seem to have deterred Robert Kubica after his titanic shunt in Canada in 2007, but Patrick's seen enough drivers to know what he's talking about. Ferrari will have to make a decision about 2010 before they can know the true state of Massa's recovery.

Back at the World Championship Brawn should have had enough time to analyse the data from Hungary and work out why they weren't fast on a hot track that was supposed to favour them. Button is good on street circuits and if he can nudge his Brawn in front of the two Red Bulls in Valencia and the following race at Spa, which is a track at which he excels, then he can start to feel less nervous.

The good news for Jense is that Mclaren are looking good for back-to-back wins, with Hamilton supremely strong at the Hungaroring and Kovalainen being given the hurry up from the team. Raikkonen is also looking quick and on home soil Alonso rarely disappoints.

So if all that lot are in front of the Brawn GP cars and the Red Bulls, then Button will not be at all worried. If Red Bull are in front, but Brawn are behind, then it's very bad news indeed. Team orders are an easy call for the Brawn team but for Red Bull any intervention is still a long way off.

With a fine win in Hungary and yet more swanky new parts for the McLaren, Lewis Hamilton will be looking to make it two wins on the trot at the European GP. What's more, he and Raikkonen have the advantage of the KERS boost button which they both used to their advantage on the similarly tight confines of Budapest. Ferrari and McLaren may have given up their Championship-winning ambitions, but they'd both like to finish third in the Constructors' title.

Williams will also be looking to join in the fun and demote either the Red Bulls, or more likely the Brawns down the order, while Toyota will be struggling to hold back the tide of Ferrari and McLaren development and retain fourth in the Constructors'.

Both Fisi and Adrian Sutil are good on street circuits and Sutil in particular will be pitching in there for Force India's first points. Surely his luck has to turn sooner or later. After all, Mark Webber's did.

Romain Grosjean will be making his debut for Renault and all eyes will be on him to see if he can close the gap between the two Renauts. This is probably not the race to do it, though. Don't expect an exhilarating overtaking fest from the dock side - sorry, harbourside - circuit of Valencia, but whatever happens, there will be some significant action.

Source : Planet F1

Prac Two: Alonso delights Spanish fans

2009-08-22T01:37:00.001+08:00

Fernando Alonso delighted his Spanish fans by finishing Friday's practice in the P1 slot despite a bit of a coming together with Nick Heidfeld.

Alonso proved to be there and there about throughout the session, often going quickest before dropping a few places only to then rise to the top. But, with 15 minutes left on the clock, the Spaniard locked his brakes, sending him into the side of Heidfeld's BMW. The damage put Heidfeld out of the session although a new front wing saw Alonso put in a blistering 1:39.404.

The Renault driver's time was a staggering 0.774s up on Jenson Button's best while his Brawn GP team-mate Rubens Barrichello was third quickest.

Meanwhile, Romain Grosjean finished in 13th place, Luca Badoer 18th and Jaime Alguersuari 19th. As for Lewis Hamilton, he was P20 after a minor coming together with the barriers ended his session.

Report: Sweltering conditions and a track temperature of 44'C greeted the drivers as Sebastien Buemi, Nico Rosberg and Jaime Alguersuari led out the field for their installation laps. While most pitted after one lap, Buemi stayed out to set the afternoon's first time, a 1:43.726 and was quickly joined by others. Mark Webber went second, Alguersuari third and Luca Badoer fourth. The timesheets changed, though, as Lewis Hamilton went quickest with a 1:43.214. Fernando Alonso took fourth place with Heikki Kovalainen seventh and Kazuki Nakajima eighth.

Hamilton put his McLaren into a spin and stopped facing the wrong way, not the greatest feeling as one of the Toro Rosso's came speeding past him. The Brit, however, quickly through another spin to face the right way and continued lapping. Meanwhile, Alonso overhauled his time by half a second to go fastest. Kovalainen went second with Adrian Sutil putting in another great lap to take third place. His team-mate Giancarlo Fisichella went fifth only to be dropped by Jenson Button.

Buemi moved up to second place, Rubens Barrichello took ninth and Romain Grosjean tenth as the French racer continued to impress in his debut outing. Nico Rosberg slotted in to second place, 0.449s off Alonso's best, with Barrichello behind him in third. Grosjean also found some pace, taking eighth place, less than a second off Alonso's time. Nakajima moved up to the order, going third behind his team-mate, who had closed the gap to less than a tenth to Alonso. Webber climbed to third.

At the back of the pack, Badoer continued to battle for pace, 3.8s slower than the lead driver. Not a great start to the Ferrari man's first weekend as a Scuderia driver. His team-mate Kimi Raikkonen improved to fifth place while moments later Badoer left the bottom of the timesheets to take P19. Barrichello moved into the top three before he was overhauled by Sutil.

Meanwhile, Hamilton was left sitting in his garage after it emerged that he had damaged his car during his earlier spin. The McLaren driver actually broke a piece, a 'hanger' off the front of his car.

Rosberg took the P1 slot off Alonso while his team-mate Nakajima went second quickest. Jenson Button moved up to eighth place moments before Heidfeld took 13th. The BMW driver's rise up the order meant that once again Badoer was slowest of all. Vettel climbed to second place, 0.039s off the pace.

Button was the next to lead the way as the Championship leader clocked a 1:41.534 to edge Rosberg by 0.054s. Barrichello went third while Alonso improved his time but stayed sixth. Heidfeld shot up the order, moving into second place, 0.046s off the pace. But he was soon dropped as Rosberg went quickest. Buemi moved up to fifth place while Kubica took 11th. Alonso resumed his place at the top of the timesheets with a 1:41.324.

Button and Barrichello moved up into the 1-2 with Jarno Trulli taking third. However, the Brawn duo soon swapped over as Barrichello outpaced his team-mate. Raikkonen went from 12th to fifth while Kovalainen moved up from 18th to 11th. Alonso returned to the front as the Spaniard continued to impress at home. Heidfeld took the long way around, running wide and using the run-off to get back to the track.

Glock climbed to fifth place ahead of Kubica before moving up one position more as he overhauled his team-mate Trulli. Badoer improved to 18th place, leaving Alguersuari and Hamilton in his wake.

Problems for Alonso and Heidfeld as the two parties came together at the final corner with Heidfeld's BMW actually being launched into the air before landing heavily. Damage as well to Alonso's Renault, which appeared to lock up as his braked, causing him to hit Heidfeld.

Nakajima went quickest with Trulli taking third place and Raikkonen seventh. Barrichello was the next to lead the way, Rosberg going second, Button third and then second, Kovalainen went sixth.

Alonso, back on track with a new front wing, put in three fastest sector times on his way to a 1:39.404 which put him quickest. Button went second, 0.774s behind.

Times
01 F. Alonso Renault 1:39.404 33 laps
02 J. Button Brawn GP 1:40.178 33 laps
03 R. Barrichello Brawn GP 1:40.209 34 laps
04 N. Rosberg Williams 1:40.385 39 laps
05 K. Nakajima Williams 1:40.503 35 laps
06 A. Sutil Force India F1 1:40.596 23 laps
07 R. Kubica BMW 1:40.643 34 laps
08 G. Fisichella Force India F1 1:40.681 31 laps
09 S. Vettel Red Bull 1:40.723 33 laps
10 H. Kovalainen McLaren 1:40.738 31 laps
11 K. Räikkönen Ferrari 1:40.739 39 laps
12 J. Trulli Toyota 1:40.770 32 laps
13 R. Grosjean Renault 1:40.787 35 laps
14 M. Webber Red Bull 1:40.956 37 laps
15 T. Glock Toyota 1:40.985 30 laps
16 S. Buemi Scuderia Toro Rosso 1:41.156 34 laps
17 N. Heidfeld BMW 1:41.350 29 laps
18 L. Badoer Ferrari 1:42.017 37 laps
19 J. Alguersuari Scuderia Toro Rosso 1:42.089 34 laps
20 L. Hamilton McLaren 1:43.214 3 laps

Source : Planet F1

VIDEO: Fantastic and fanciful old-timey explanation of the differential

2009-08-10T07:49:00.003+08:00

This is another interesting subject - differentials. A lot of us don't really understand what it is and how it works (including me really) but we pretend to know and it's fun to talk with your petrolhead buddies how it affects the driving. One thing is for sure, it helps. Here is an explanation and video on how it works. Enjoy.

Variable Valve Timing explained

2009-08-10T07:34:00.002+08:00

A lot of people know about variable valve timing and they've heard of VTEC, MIVEC, VVT-i, DVVT and all sorts of T's but do they really understand what it is and what it does or how it's done? I have a vague understanding myself. I found this article on the topic and thought that it would help a lot more people to understand it and hopefully aids in the maintenance of our cars. There's also a video on the subject and the link is here.

Schumacher gets £12,000 crash helmet

2009-08-10T07:22:00.002+08:00

Since Massa's accident and Henry Surtees' death, there's been a lot of talk about safety in open wheel cars. It seems that there is nothing much can be done but to upgrade some safety equipment such as the helmet and pray for the best.

Schuberth, the F1 helmet manufacturer has come out with a new helmet design for Michael Schumacher to debut in Valencia. This new helmet costs a bomb and has an upgraded visor as explained below:

"The area around the visor, where Massa was hit by the spring, has been strengthened on Schumacher’s helmet with titanium. - James Allen"

It also has seven stars to denote his seven world championships.

How McLaren turned a dog into a winner

2009-08-10T07:21:00.000+08:00

It's quite surprising and exciting that McLaren have managed to fix the problems with their car, the MP4-24 turning it essentially from trash to cash. It not only improved but won the race in Hungary outright. It's fast, sticks in corners and is as reliable as ever. How did they do it? Well, head on to Youtube to find out more here.

Hungarian GP Report: Hamilton Returns To The Top

2009-07-26T22:41:00.001+08:00

Sunday 26th July 2009

Lewis Hamilton claimed his first grand prix victory of the season in Hungary as McLaren put their early season woes behind them to return to winning ways.

Starting from fourth on the grid, the defending World Champion put his KERS to good use, easily sliding his way past his rivals and up into second place by the end of the first lap.

From there it was just a case of chasing down Fernando Alonso, which he easily did, taking the lead as the Spaniard pitted.

Alonso's pit stop, though, proved to be the Renault driver's downfall as his front right wasn't secured properly and came off on his out-lap.

With the wheel hurtling across the track, F1 proved for the second time this weekend that its safety standards still need to be improved. The damage from driving back to the pits on three wheels resulted in Alonso retiring on the next lap.

Meanwhile, with Hamilton pulling away from the chasing pack, it was left to Kimi Raikkonen and Mark Webber to settle the podium with the Ferrari driver taking second place off the Australia.

However, in yet another strange occurrence of the weekend, Raikkonen could lose his eight points as he will be investigated by the race stewards after the race for his incident with Sebastian Vettel at the very start of the race. So what were the stewards doing for 69 3/4 laps?

Nico Rosberg put in yet another solid performance for Williams, coming home in fourth place ahead of Heikki Kovalainen and Timo Glock. Jenson Button could only manage seventh place with Jarno Trulli completing the points.

Full report to follow...

Results
01 L. Hamilton McLaren 1:38:23.876
02 K. Räikkönen Ferrari + 11.529
03 M. Webber Red Bull + 16.886
04 N. Rosberg Williams + 26.967
05 H. Kovalainen McLaren + 34.392
06 T. Glock Toyota + 35.237
07 J. Button Brawn GP + 55.088
08 J. Trulli Toyota + 1:08.172
09 K. Nakajima Williams + 1:08.774
10 R. Barrichello Brawn GP + 1:09.256
11 N. Heidfeld BMW + 1:10.600
12 N.Piquet Renault + 1:11.500
13 R. Kubica BMW + 1:14.000
14 G. Fisichella Force India F1 + 1 laps
15 J. Alguersuari Scuderia Toro Rosso + 1 laps
16 S. Buemi Scuderia Toro Rosso + 1 laps
Did not finish
17 S. Vettel Red Bull + 41 laps
18 F. Alonso Renault + 55 laps
19 A. Sutil Force India F1 + 69 laps

Source : Planet F1

LEWIS WINS IN HUNGARY

2009-07-26T22:26:00.001+08:00

Finally, a race worth watching. And what a race. The supposedly boring Hungarian GP turned otherwise. Alonso who was on pole and looked to have at least been on the podium ended up DNF because of a loose wheel which came off flying in a dramatic way.

Sebastien Vettel also retired due to a problem with his car and Mark Webber really didn't have the pace although he did end up 3rd. Rosberg quietly finished in 4th and Kovalainnen got some more points for McLaren in 5th. He really is no match for Lewis even with the same car.

The 2 Toyotas were surprising finishing 6th and 8th after a poor practice and qualifying. The Brawns seems to have lost some steam with Button 7th and Barrichello 10th. Looks like Rubens won't be racing next year.

The race was watchable, I'd definitely watch it again. The start was nail biting, there were some overtaking moments and McLaren are back.

Ford’s baby cat is getting ready to pounce

2009-07-25T01:30:00.003+08:00

I never liked Ford, any model but this new Puma Coupe' is just too hot, wished it was another brand like Honda that came out with this design.

"Boasting nearly 180bhp, the hot Puma would be able to do 0-60mph in around six seconds and accelerate on to a 140mph top speed. Allied to a even sharper chassis with a subtle ST-style bodykit, uprated brakes and figure-hugging Recaro seats, it could be a successor to the revered Racing Puma." 180bhp? Woohoo!

Aston Martin One-77

2009-07-25T01:18:00.010+08:00

Aston Martins have always been sexy supercars and they have had good exposure in the James Bond movies. But this particular model, the highest in their range and set to rival the Bugatti Veyron is just incredible. Incredible in looks and specs. To read more about it click here. Here's a selection of pictures courtesy of EVO to whet your appetite.

Mitsubishi FQ-330 SST

2009-07-23T22:57:00.004+08:00

Great news for Evo lovers, as paddle-shift reaches more powerful Mitsubishi Evo X

Here at Evo Towers we’ve blown hot and cold over the tenth version of our namesake Lancer, primarily because of its technical advancements and more polished finish. As a ground covering tool it would be hard to find anything more efficient and there are fleeting moments of greatness, but we miss the interaction and rally-raw feel of the old Evo IX.

The optional SST twin-clutch gearbox introduced with the X did little to help the new car’s case. Up until now, however, the SST ’box was only available on the basic FQ-300, which led us to conclude that it wasn’t beefy enough to cope with more power. Well, apparently it is, as now the 324bhp FQ-330 can be ordered with it too, and the great news is that it makes for a far more intriguing package.

The bias of the Evo’s four-wheel-drive system is rearward and here it has enough power to give the driver more options, with both power and lift-off oversteer on the menu. The blink-and-you’ve-missed-it gearshifts are more in keeping with this new-found feistier character too. The great news for Evo lovers, then, is that some of the missing spirit has returned.

Source : EVO UK

Bugatti Veyron and Nissan GT-R

2009-07-23T22:47:00.002+08:00

Ever considered what would happen if you pit the mighty Veyron against the GTR? Well, click here to find out. Of course, it is easy to know that the Veyron would chew up the GTR and spit it out but even with the GTR given a rolling start, the Veyron still caught up with it and overtook. Incredible.

AUTO NEWS - Used-car sales expected to drop

2009-07-23T22:29:00.004+08:00

Probably in 3 months time, it would be a good time to go shopping for a used car.

GEORGE TOWN: The sales of used cars in the country are expected to drop by 10% this year from 450,000 units sold last year.

Federation of Motor and Credit Companies Association of Malaysia president Datuk Tony Khor said that from 2004 to 2008, the sales of used cars had been between 400,000 and 500,000 units per year.

“But because of the global recession this year, we expect a decrease of about 10%,” he told StarBiz.

Khor said that since last October, the drop had hit double digits every month.

“In May, due to the launch of the Proton Exora, the decline in sales improved to single digit.

“We expect the Exora, coupled with the dip in interest rates, to drive up sales for Proton to enable it to become the number one car company in the country, overtaking Perodua, which has been the leading national car company for the past 12 months,” he added.

Interest rates on loans for national cars have recently gone down from 4.1% to 3.5% and 3.65% for a five-year and seven-year period respectively, and 3.75% for a nine-year period.

On the sales of non-national cars, Khor said the hike in interest rates to about 3.4% from 2.4% and the impact of a slow economy had affected sales. He urged Bank Negara to lower the rates.

Sales of 1.6-litre capacity and below vehicles had taken about 85% of the market share in the country last year, Khor said, adding that about 48% of the cars were sold in Selangor, while about 10% were sold in Penang and Johor respectively.

Source : The Star

AUTO NEWS - Porsche axes CEO, sets stage for VW merger

2009-07-23T22:22:00.001+08:00

Wendelin Wiedeking, CEO of Porsche SE posing for the media before the start of the company's annual news conference in Stuttgart on November 26, 2008. He was forced to step down today, a casualty of the power struggle over Porsche's future. - Reuters file photo

STUTTGART, July 23 — Sportscar maker Porsche conceded a months-long power struggle to mass-market rival Volkswagen by axing its CEO and said it would raise at least €5 billion (RM29.13 billion) in equity as the two prepared for a merger.

Porsche said Wendelin Wiedeking, Germany’s best-paid executive and its CEO for the past 16 years, and finance chief Holger Haerter would quit the group immediately.

Before Wiedeking’s departure, the Piech and Porsche families which control Porsche approved his proposal to raise fresh equity – either in cash or through a contribution in kind – and endorsed talks to sell a stake to Qatar.

“This should lay the foundations for the creation of an integrated automobile group consisting of Porsche and Volkswagen,” Porsche said.

The families had been at loggerheads for months over how to resolve Porsche’s debt woes and the role VW would play. VW chairman Ferdinand Piech has pushed for VW to take over Porsche, on condition that Porsche fixes its finances first.

Porsche SE, the holding company that controls sportscar maker Porsche, needs to bolster its finances after accumulating more than €10 billion in debt through its botched attempt to seize control of VW.

“What is good news is that decisions have at least been prepared. However, still a huge amount of questions (are) open which are decisive for valuation,” said MM Warburg analyst Marc-Rene Tonn.

It remained unclear whether Qatar could take a stake in Porsche, in Volkswagen, or in both. It was also not clear what form a possible combination of the two companies could take.

On Tuesday, sources said that Qatar was primarily interested in an investment in Volkswagen, though a participation in the capital increase will also give it a stake than 25 per cent in Porsche.

The issue was due to be discussed by Volkswagen’s own board of directors at an extraordinary session on Thursday in Stuttgart, where Porsche’s Zuffenhausen headquarters are based, rather than its own headquarters in Wolfsburg.

CONTRIBUTIONS IN KIND

Sources told Reuters that Porsche, as part of the capital increase hopes to raise €2 billion cash by selling a stake of less than 25 per cent to Qatar, the first time a family outsider might gain voting rights in the company.

It was not clear whether the Porsche and Piech families, which trace their origins back to VW Beetle creator Ferdinand Porsche, would participate in the capital increase, but analysts said they believed the families could bring in the assets of their Salzburg-based Porsche Holding instead of cash.

An analyst who asked not to be named agreed: “I cannot think of another asset the families have.”

Porsche Holding holds the exclusive distribution rights for all Volkswagen group brands in Austria as well as central and eastern Europe. It had sales of €13.7 billion last year.

At 1139 GMT (7.39pm, Malaysian time), Porsche shares were down 0.33 per cent, while Volkswagen’s were down 2.5 per cent, compared with a 0.5 per cent fall in the DJ Stoxx auto index and a flat German market.

Wiedeking, who opposed selling Porsche to Volkswagen, will be succeeded by Porsche’s production head Michael Macht, the board said in a statement early on Thursday.

The duo’s hasty exit will be sweetened by severance deals of €50 million and €12.5 million. Wiedeking, who had been criticised by German media for his fat pay check, said in a statement his after-tax payoff would be used for charity.

Porsche was forced to abandon attempts to win control over 75 per cent of VW, leaving it with a stake of nearly 51 per cent. The failed takeover attempt opened the door to VW chairman Piech, himself a part-owner of Porsche, to turn the tables on Porsche.

Porsche is entering the final stretch of negotiations with Volkswagen to create what both sides have called an “integrated” auto group, in which Porsche would essentially become the 10th brand in Volkswagen’s sweeping automotive empire. – Reuters

Batman replica motorcycle leathers (Batpod not included)

2009-07-20T07:34:00.001+08:00

by Alex Nunez on Jul 19th, 2009 at 1:31PM

The San Diego Comic-Con kicks off later this week, and as is the case each year, there'll be no shortage of giddy, costumed fanboys and girls roaming the halls. There's no denying that some of the getups people wear to the con are pretty spot-on, but fans of Batman might be interested in this one, which looks to be dead accurate, as well as being somewhat functional.

Universal Designs is developing a set of motorcycle leathers that's an exact replica of the Batsuit donned by Bruce Wayne in The Dark Knight. Included in the leather-and-kevlar suit are the jacket, pants, boots and gloves. You even get the ninjatastic arm gauntlets. How cool is that?

You'll need to supply your own cape, cowl and helmet (having a trustworthy butler, billions of dollars, plus an inventor friend and colleague with a healthy sense of discretion will help immeasurably). For maximum impact, you should probably build a fully-functional Batpod in your garage, too. Just think of the entrance you can make in San Diego.

Source : Autoblog

PitroadM M-Golden Hayabusa GTO

2009-07-20T06:39:00.005+08:00

PitroadM M-Golden Hayabusa GTO Ver.3 [Z16A] From OPTION [Dec. 2006]

Despite its satisfactory sales and sporting a style which swayed away from the domestic tradition, the Mitsubishi GTO still stamps a highly notable presence in the tuning world. Being supported by many GTO fanatics to this date, Mr. Morishita attempts to build the fastest straight-line drag GTO out there.

A potent arsenal of 3.1 liters + T88-38GK

It all began 6 months ago when Morishita received a video letter from one of his acquaintance in the United States. That video included an astonishing clip of a stateside Mitsubishi 3000GT (GTO in Japan) pulling off an impressive 9 second pass on the quarter mile.

Morishita replied “I was in utter shock. Seeing a stock bodied GTO breaking the 10 second barrier was something that we have never seen. Our best time was 10.7. I watched that amazing pass many times, even rewinding the tape and measuring with my own stop watch from start to finish.”

That machine was just an extension of a street vehicle, with an extreme case of weight reduction performed. Morishita was further stunned to learn that the foreign machine was mostly fitted with PitRoadM components and made consistent 9 second passes. As a competitive tuner in the DSM world, Morishita's fire was lit.

Determined to achieve a higher status, the 10.7 second achieving 6G72 engine fitted with forged internals with TD06L2 turbine that made 600 horses was tossed out. They decided to build another engine.

The new bottom end consisted of 1mm oversized forged 92mm pistons with H beamed connecting rods which increased the displacement to 3100cc. The crank was only balanced and not modified since Morishita believed that it wasn't necessary to as long as they didn't force the motor to over rev.

Next was the head assembly. Custom strengthened valve springs accompanied the intake and exhaust high lift camshafts of 272 degrees. Since the 6G72 engine produces plenty of torque without having to spin it to the higher RPMs, there's no need to rev that high. Building the engine to achieve a 8500 RPM redline can be a disastrous decision, with rocker arms flying off and spinning connecting rod bearings in no time. The absolute limit for these engines should be 8000 RPMs at the most. The correct tuning approach should be to modify the combustion chamber and the intake ports to increase midrange torque; which PitRoadM started doing.

The turbine should be matched to the mid range torque to add that much needed punch. The twin turbos were tossed out to make room for the monstrous single snail. The intake manifold was reversed to make room for the exhaust manifold.

The entire assembly is regulated by an Fcon Vpro, achieving 920 horsepower at 7500 RPMs. 672 ft/lbs of torque is produced from this beast.

“Now we should be able to break the 10 second barrier with ease. We can't be losing to the boys in the US all the time.” Claims Morishita.

The vehicle is planned to be tested this winter. Holding the pride of the nation's number one GTO tuner, he cannot afford to lose to this game.

SPECIFICATIONS

• ENGINE & DRIVETRAIN
Modified 6G72 3.1 liters, Special port & polish, modified combustion chamber, M-SPL MFR92mm forged pistons, H-beam connecting rods, 1.5mm headgasket & intake manifold, Trust T88-38GK18L turbo & Type C wastegate, M-SPL MFR camshafts (IN&EX:272 deg), strengthened valve springs, custom original surge tank, 90mm throttle body, 1000cc injectors x6, HKS F-CON Vpro, Trust Profec, M-SPL 3 row intercooler, 3 row radiator

• SUSPENSION
M-SPL Suspension (F:16kg R:8kg), M-SPL camber arms, M-SPL brake kit & hoses & pads
• WHEELS & TIRES
GY Eagle (FR:265/35-18), RAYS Gram Lights (FR:9.5J-18)
• INTERIOR & EXTERIOR
Veilside steering wheel, Recaro SP-G x2, Trust gauges, Autometer, M-SPL Falcon aero kit, M-SPL carbon doors & rear hatch & hood, LED tail lights, acrylic windows

ENGINE

The 6G72, an unfriendly engine to the aftermarket tuning parts industry. At PiRoadM, tons of research and development have gone into this platform, producing a mass of engine components. The payoff and the proof is the engine shown to the left, a high boost 3.1 liter 6G72.

SUSPENSION

The suspension is an Aragosta base, which was modified to withstand and provide traction. 16 kg springs for front, and 8 kg for the rear was set. The rear is equipped with a custom camber arm. The suspension was set meticulously and carefully.

BRAKES

In order to bring the large sized body to a stop, oversized brakes were installed. The front and rear was fitted with a modified Greddy brake kit. 6 pot caliper with 355mm rotors for the front, 4 pot 330mm brakes for the rear. The brake pads are a custom as well.

INTERIOR

Driver and passengers are seated in the Recaro SP-G seats. On the middle of the dashboard, Trust water temp, oil temp, oil pressure, intake temp, fuel pressure gauges are lined up. In addition, a Tomei AFR gauge with an Autometer gauge was set.

BODYWORK

The rear seats have been deleted to remove unnecessary weight however all the other trim pieces remain in tact. A custom chromoly 5 point cage was welded in. On top of that, the front and rear tower bars add extra rigidity to the chassis.

COOLING

A twin pipe 3 row intercooler was mounted having a diameter of 100mm for each pipe. The 3 row radiator and 16 row oil cooler are also a shop original item. The water pump pulley adds support when producing big horsepower numbers.

AERODYNAMICS

The M-SPL Falcon body kit was produced for the early model GTO with the looks of the later generation styling. The headlight assembly is turned into an air intake duct, and the windows were all replaced with acrylic units to save weight. The doors, rear hatch, and the hood are made of carbon fiber to achieve a 3300 pound vehicle.

F1 News - Webber hails a 'great' day for Australia

2009-07-18T10:55:00.000+08:00

Monday 13th July 2009

At least one Australian emerged triumphant on Sunday as Mark Webber finally savoured the sweet taste of Formula One success.

Monday's meal with close friend, Australia captain Ricky Ponting, will not be as celebratory as planned after the cricketers missed out by one wicket on taking a 1-0 lead over England in the Ashes following a thrilling climax to the first Test at Cardiff.

But in becoming the first Australian since Alan Jones at Las Vegas in October 1981 to win a grand prix, Webber will still be hailed a hero Down Under.

Although Webber will be gutted by the result in the cricket, there was no doubting just how much his maiden win meant to him as an Australian.

"It was very, very important for me because not many Australian drivers have reached Formula One, and there are even fewer who have been successful," remarked Webber.

"It's a real message to the Australian people. I've always tried to represent my country as best as I can.

"We're a very proud sporting nation which has done well on bikes in the past with Mick (Doohan) and Casey (Stoner).

"Now this is a great day for me and Australia."

Source : Palnet F1

Brawn GP lightest of all

2009-07-12T10:10:00.002+08:00

This should be interesting as the Brawns are light but the Red Bulls are not that heavy. The more interesting thing is the McLarens are way heavier but are on row 3 and have KERS. Plus the weather is changeable with a heavy possibility of rain and the first turn is after a long straight with a harpin. Woohoo!

Saturday 11th July 2009

In a surprise revelation, car weights post qualifying have hinted that Brawn GP's rivals have not only caught them, but surpassed them.

Brawn's two drivers, Rubens Barrichello and Jenson Button, qualified second and third for Sunday's German GP, a feat that one has come to expect from the duo this season. However, what wasn't expected was how light they are.

Barrichello and Button are the lightest drivers on the grid, weighing in at 647 and 644kgs respectively, whereas pole sitter Mark Webber and his team-mate Sebastian Vettel are both coming in at 661kgs.

Lewis Hamilton, who qualified in fifth place and has already said a podium finish could be on the cards for McLaren, is third lightest of the top ten, with his MP4-24 weighing 654kgs while his team-mate Heikki Kovalainen is carrying 10kgs more fuel.

One of the biggest surprises of qualifying, though, was Adrian Sutil's performance as the German finished the afternoon in seventh place ahead of both Ferraris. And he's heavier than them as well.

Weights
01. Webber Red Bull-Renault 661.0
02. Barrichello Brawn-Mercedes 647.0
03. Button Brawn-Mercedes 644.0
04. Vettel Red Bull-Renault 661.0
05. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 654.5
06. Kovalainen McLaren-Mercedes 664.0
07. Sutil Force India-Mercedes 678.5
08. Massa Ferrari 673.5
09. Raikkonen Ferrari 674.0
10. Piquet Renault 676.0
11. Heidfeld BMW-Sauber 681.0*
12. Alonso Renault 668.2*
13. Nakajima Williams-Toyota 683.6*
14. Trulli Toyota 683.7*
15. Rosberg Williams-Toyota 689.6*
16. Kubica BMW-Sauber 673.5*
17. Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari 674.5*
18. Fisichella Force India-Mercedes 662.5*
19. Glock Toyota 662.3*
20. Bourdais Toro Rosso-Ferrari 689.5*

Source : Planet F1

Qualy: Webber claims debut pole

2009-07-12T10:09:00.000+08:00

Saturday 11th July 2009

What a difference a touch of rain makes to an F1 track, as Germany witnessed the best qualifying session of the season with Mark Webber claiming his first ever pole position.

The rain started to fall lightly at the end of Q1, however, it was in Q2 that the action really started with drivers sliding off the track on their outlaps before returning in full force to the pits for intermediates.

And although the rain stayed away for the final session it was no less exciting as the top five positions all changed after the chequered flag fell with Webber coming out tops with a 1:32.230. It was the Aussie's first ever pole position and a much-deserved one.

Brawn GP was the team that yet again took the fight to Red Bull Racing with Rubens Barrichello and Jenson Button finishing second and third, ahead of Sebastian Vettel. This means the top four drivers in the Championship race will also be the top four on the Nurburgring grid.

Lewis Hamilton, who set the pace in the final two practice sessions, had to settle for fifth place ahead of his team-mate Heikki Kovalainen and Force India's Adrian Sutil.

Qualifying 1
Under leaden skies with the temperature down at 14C ambient and the track at 22C, all the teams scurried into the pitlane for the start of the session fearful that the skies might open and rain would become a factor.

As it was, the rain held off in the opening minutes and while the cars - which had all been fuelled up for three or more hot laps - circulated, Sebastian Vettel established the P1 time at 1:33.413 on the medium (prime) tyre.

Button edged this down to 1:32.649, Alonso reduced it to 1:31.834 before Lewis Hamilton seized the advantage with a 1:31.686 on the first of a series of three runs which took the time down to 1:31.473 (all on the super-soft option tyre).

Realising that everyone was going to be using the green-walled super-soft tyres, Vettel joined the gang and re-set P1 at 1:31.430, while Mark Webber went even better with a 1:31.257.

A rejuvenated Fernando Alonso was flying in the early stages and making the most of an updated aero package on his Renault. It looked like he would snatch P1 until he came up against the Toyota of Timo Glock trying to give himself a bit of space in the final corner. Alonso still got P2 but even if Glock wasn't in trouble with the stewards, he was in trouble on the track.

Going into the final three minutes the danger positions were: 13.Nakajima, 14.Sutil, 15.Piquet, 16.Kubica, 17.Button, 18.Fisichella, 19.Glock, 20.Bourdais.

There had been rain drops spotting the camera lenses after five minutes, but with two minutes to go it began to rain steadily, giving those in the drop zone no chance of improving their lap time. And though Kubica and Glock set off with the hope of getting into Q2, their mid-lap times were so far down that they didn't bother completing the lap.

So, out went:
16.Kubica
17.Buemi
18.Fisichella
19.Glock
Bourdais

Glock was the major casualty, but strange to say after their practice form it was more of a surprise to see Fisichella in the bottom five than it was Robert Kubica.

Qualifying 2
If the rush to get out of the pitlane in Q1 was evident, then the scramble to get out of the pits for Q2 was like the M25 on a Friday night. And the race to get track position was intense on the opening tour as the rain started to fall again and conditions worsened.

Lewis Hamilton was on the outside of a three-car battle going into one turn, while ahead of them Kazuki Nakajima showed how bad the conditions were getting by spinning his Williams-Toyota under braking.

Everyone was having fun controlling their cars, none more so than Felipe Massa who lost control of his Ferrari exiting the Michelin kurve and found himself tiptoeing round a cinder track behind the gravel trap at the run-off for the BIT kurve.

At the end of a madcap lap everyone barring Mark Webber came in to the pits for Intermediate tyres, leaving the Red Bull driver to struggle on for a fruitless lap on slick tyres.

Out they all came again on inters, led off by Fernando Alonso who set P1 at 1:43.931. This was then superseded by Lewis Hamilton at 1:42.325 with Adrian Sutil taking P2 and then Kazuki Nakajima taking P2 off him.

Everyone was having moments all over the circuit. Heikki Kovalainen passed the tentative Toyota of Trulli only to put a wheel on the white line at the exit of Turn 4 in the Mercedes Arena and spun his car with a gentle bash on the Armco that thankfully only ruined his lap time.

Nick Heidfeld was sensational in the wet at Silverstone and Spa in 2008 and he grabbed P1 with a 1:42.310, Raikkonen took it off him with a 1:41.730 and then Mark Webber put in an astonishing lap, sending the timing screen purple for three sectors with a 1:38.038.

While all this was happening, and Nakajima and Vettel were having a paint-swapping moment in the pitlane, Rubens Barrichello chose to put on dry tyres. The rain had stopped briefly and Rubens saw a gap. His lap time was sensational. He carved almost four seconds off P1 from a 1:38 to a 1:34.469.

Now the rush was to get out there again with dry tyres on.

Going into the final three minutes the danger positions were: 8.Hamilton, 9. Nakajima, 10.Sutil, 11.Trulli, 12.Piquet, 13.Rosberg, 14.Button, 15.Kovalainen

And just as soon as the cars had their slicks back on then it started to rain again. With just seconds of the session remaining, Button and Hamilton had been relegated to 14th and 15th positions. Sutil grabbed P2, then Nelson Piquet took P2 off him.

Fernando Alonso lost it under braking for the Veedol chicane but kept his car out of the gravel despite dipping his front wing in. At the same time Kimi Raikkonen started to rallycross his Ferrari F60.

Across the line they came and Heikki Kovalainen managed to get his injured car into P6, Button's last gasp attempt brought him P5 and Hamilton came home in P6. It had been the most breathtaking Q2 of the season, if not the most eventful since we moved away from single lap qualifying.

Out went:
11.Heidfeld
12.Alonso
13.Nakajima
14.Trulli
15.Rosberg

For the first time Nelson Piquet Junior had outqualified his team-mate and by a margin of almost seven seconds. Nelsinho just loves the German Grand Prix (he finished in P3 last year). Alonso looked like he had the potential to run in the top five but threw it all away due to his own misjudgement.

Trulli's exit sealed a miserable qualifying for Toyota and the recent upswing of Williams was stopped dead inits tracks.

Qualifying 3
Unlike the previous two sessions when the green light came on, this time nobody came out at all. There was 8.30 left on the clock when Jenson Button's Brawn GP car broke the silence, but seeing few others come out on track, he came straight in again.

Rubens Barrichello set the provisional pole time with a 1:32.797 and Mark Webber slotted in behind before Sebatian Vettel took P2 off him. The track was drying fast and it looked like everyone was going to save their best till last.

After the early laps, the order was: Barrichello, Vettel, Webber, Kovalainen, Raikkonen, Massa, Sutil, Hamilton, Piquet, Button (who hadn't set a time).

Out they came for either one or two final hot laps. Kovalainen consolidated his P4. Lewis Hamilton jumped to P1 with a 1:32.616, Jenson Button couldn't better it and went P2. Rubens Barrichello passed him for P2, then Mark Webber set pole at 1:32.230.

Vettel, Barrichello and Button were all on hot laps behind him. Hamilton was back in his garage. Though Button set the fastest first sector of anyone, he had a moment in his middle sector and lost 0.5 of a second.

Meanwhile Vettel crossed the line to take P2, but despite Jenson's mistake he took it off the German, and then Barrichello crossed the line to put himelf on the front row in P2 relegating Button to P3 and Vettel to P4.

Hamilton ended up 5th and Adrian Sutil a brilliant 7th for Force India - five Mercedes engines in the top 10. It was Mark Webber's first ever pole position and the Aussie is good in both wet and dry conditions boding well for the race tomorrow.

Times
01 M. Webber Red Bull 1:32.230
02 R. Barrichello Brawn GP 1:32.357
03 J. Button Brawn GP 1:32.473
04 S. Vettel Red Bull 1:32.480
05 L. Hamilton McLaren 1:32.616
06 H. Kovalainen McLaren 1:33.859
07 A. Sutil Force India F1 1:34.316
08 F. Massa Ferrari 1:34.574
09 K. Räikkönen Ferrari 1:34.710
10 N. Piquet jr. Renault 1:34.803
11 N. Heidfeld BMW 1:42.310
12 F. Alonso Renault 1:42.318
13 K. Nakajima Williams 1:42.500
14 J. Trulli Toyota 1:42.771
15 N. Rosberg Williams 1:42.859
16 R. Kubica BMW 1:32.190
17 S. Buemi Scuderia Toro Rosso 1:32.251
18 G. Fisichella Force India F1 1:32.402
19 T. Glock Toyota 1:32.423
20 S. Bourdais Scuderia Toro Rosso 1:33.559

Source : Planet F1

F1 News - Prac Two: Hamilton steals Vettel's thunder

2009-07-11T11:44:00.000+08:00

Friday 10th July 2009

Lewis Hamilton stole Sebastian Vettel's thunder in Friday's second practice in Germany, beating the local favourite to the P1 slot.

Hamilton, who has had a miserable season with McLaren to date, showed some signs of promise as he crossed the line with a 1:32.149, edging Vettel by 0.182s.

Third place went to Brawn GP's Jenson Button, who wasn't far off the pace, just 0.2s behind his fellow Brit.

Report: With the track temperature up to 20'C and thick cloud cover overhead, Sebastian Vettel got proceedings underway in the weekend's second practice session. The German, who stopped out on track due to a loose electrical connector in Practice One, led out a string of cars as the drivers set about covering their installation laps. Vettel, though, almost came together with Seb Bourdais as he dived down the inside, looking to start the first timed lap of the afternoon.

Vettel clocked a 1:37.646 but was quickly overhauled by fellow German Timo Glock. Glock too lost out as his team-mate Jarno Trulli went quickest with a 1:37.180. Nick Heidfeld, Felipe Massa, Robert Kubica and Seb Buemi queued up behind them on the timesheets. Vettel returned to the P1 slot, posting a 1:35.577 as the first few drops of rain began to fall. Glock improved to second place ahead of Trulli, Kubica and Buemi.

Giancarlo Fisichella was the first to fall foul of the wet weather as the Roman put his car onto the wet white paint, which put him into a slide that ended with his Force India making contact with a barrier at the Michelin Kurve. Game over for Fisichella.

After a brief rain break the drivers returned to the track with Nico Rosberg taking eighth place on his first timed lap of the afternoon. The German moved up to second place on his next lap before being dropped as Heikki Kovalainen went quickest, the first driver to use the super softs. He did a 1:34.906 only to take more than a second off his time on his second timed lap.

With all the drivers out on track, excluding Kovalainen, Hamilton and Kimi Raikkonen, the timesheets continued to change with Kazuki Nakajima taking second place ahead of Rosberg before Rosberg moved ahead and Massa slotted in between the Williams pairing. Fernando Alonso went fifth ahead of his team-mate Nelson Piquet but that too changed when Trulli put his Toyota into third place.

Nick Heidfeld was the next to take the P1 slot only to lose out to Mark Webber seconds later. Jenson Button went fourth and Alonso fifth. Vettel had problems going into Turn 1, forcing him onto the run-off area as he overshot the braking point. The German later moved up to fourth place, moments after Button took third.

Raikkonen improved from the bottom of the timesheets to fifth place while Hamilton moved up to ninth. The McLaren driver continued his climb up the order taking sixth place behind Glock. Glock's team-mate Trulli also upped his pace, going second quickest with Nakajima third.

The order of play changed as Button took control, going quickest with a 1:32.369, putting him 0.2s ahead of Webber while Adrian Sutil put in another stellar performance to take third place. Trulli improved to second place, 0.142s behind Button. Barrichello slotted into fifth place, finishing finding a similar sort of pace to his pace-setting team-mate's.

Hamilton was the next to put in a charge as he moved up to second place, just 0.044s behind Button before the two Brits were dropped by Vettel's climb up the order. He went quickest with a 1:32.342.

The final few minutes saw a mad rush from the 19 drivers remaining in the session with Hamilton taking the P1 slot and although Vettel closed the gap, he wasn't able to overhaul the McLaren man.

Times
01 L. Hamilton McLaren 1:32.149 23 laps
02 S. Vettel Red Bull 1:32.331 31 laps
03 J. Button Brawn GP 1:32.369 32 laps
04 M. Webber Red Bull 1:32.480 28 laps
05 J. Trulli Toyota 1:32.511 32 laps
06 A. Sutil Force India F1 1:32.585 32 laps
07 R. Barrichello Brawn GP 1:32.664 26 laps
08 F. Alonso Renault 1:32.774 24 laps
09 K. Nakajima Williams 1:32.872 32 laps
10 N. Piquet jr. Renault 1:32.992 29 laps
11 N. Heidfeld BMW 1:33.012 36 laps
12 F. Massa Ferrari 1:33.052 34 laps
13 N. Rosberg Williams 1:33.128 34 laps
14 R. Kubica BMW 1:33.161 28 laps
15 T. Glock Toyota 1:33.172 34 laps
16 K. Räikkönen Ferrari 1:33.182 29 laps
17 H. Kovalainen McLaren 1:33.724 27 laps
18 S. Buemi Scuderia Toro Rosso 1:33.903 30 laps
19 S. Bourdais Scuderia Toro Rosso 1:34.025 30 laps
20 G. Fisichella Force India F1 1:38.877 3 laps

Source : Planet F1

F1 News - Prac One: Red Bull and Brawn resume battle

2009-07-11T11:41:00.002+08:00

Friday 10th July 2009

The battle between Red Bull and Brawn GP resumed in Friday's opening practice for the German GP with Mark Webber setting the pace.

The Australian driver, who Jenson Button believes is the favourite to win at the Nurburgring this weekend, clocked a 1:33.082 to outpace Button by 0.381s.

Third place went to Felipe Massa as the Ferrari driver demonstrated the Scuderia's continuously improving pace.

Report: With the track temperature sitting at just 14'C, Sebastian Vettel left the Red Bull garage to put in his installation lap in front of his home crowd. He was soon joined by another German driver as Adrian Sutil ventured out, followed by a train of drivers. Within ten minutes everyone barring Lewis Hamilton and Timo Glock had completed their sighting lap.

Sebastien Buemi set the first lap time of the weekend as a few spots of rain began to fall, a 1:43.315 for the Toro Rosso driver. Giancarlo Fisichella was the next to record a time, going quickest after taking three seconds off Buemi's time. The track action, though, stopped shortly after as the rain came down a little harder.

With the rain abating, drivers ventured out again with Jarno Trulli going quickest with a 1:39.7. Fisichella dropped to second with Nico Rosberg, Heikki Kovalainen and Buemi behind him. Rosberg and Kovalainen improved their times with Kimi Raikkonen slotting into third place between the two. Raikkonen continued lapping, taking second place while Trulli lowered the benchmark to a 1:36.1. Kovalainen went second.

Halfway through the session, the top eight were Trulli, Rosberg, Mark Webber, Kovalainen, Raikkonen, Kazuki Nakajima, Nick Heidfeld, Felipe Massa. Raikkonen and Heidfeld almost immediately moved up the order while Sutil, Jenson Button, Seb Bourdais, Rubens Barrichello, Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso had yet to set times.

Webber went quickest with a 1:34.4, taking a full second off his time over the course of the next two laps. Rosberg moved up to second place behind him while Sutil impressed with a 1:35.0, which put him third quickest. The German's run, though, came to an end shortly after as he car stopped on the side of the track at the exit of Turn 1.

Vettel went second to give Red Bull the 1-2 but was soon overhauled by Massa, the only driver to get within a second of Webber's P1 time. Alonso moved up to fourth place with Fisichella slotting in behind him and ahead of Robert Kubica, Rosberg and Nelson Piquet.

Vettel, having just improved his time, was the second driver - and the second German - to drop out of the session as the Red Bull racer brought his car to a standstill in almost the exact same place as where Sutil stopped minutes before. The marshals quickly pushed his car out of harm's way.

Force India's impressive run continued with Fisichella moving up to second place with Button also improving as he went P5. Meanwhile, at the back of the pack lay Hamilton, who was 2.5s off the pace with only Buemi slower. Hamilton's fellow Brit, Button, climbed the order to third place, 0.5s off Webber's P1 time before moving up to second on the next lap. Hamilton slot up the timesheets, taking seventh place, while Webber improved his P1 time.

Trulli overhauled Fisichella for third place while his team-mate Timo Glock remained down in 16th place, unable to find the pace needed to challenge at the front in his home grand prix weekend. Raikkonen put in a charge to move up from 17th to fourth place, 0.7s off the pace.

The final few minutes saw a major push from the drivers with Massa going off at the Castrol S chicane before taking third place on the following lap.

The session ended with Webber at the top of the timesheets with a 1:33.082. Button was second ahead of Massa, Trulli, Fisichella and Raikkonen.

Times
01 M. Webber Red Bull 1:33.082 19 laps
02 J. Button Brawn GP 1:33.463 18 laps
03 F. Massa Ferrari 1:33.745 21 laps
04 J. Trulli Toyota 1:33.795 23 laps
05 G. Fisichella Force India F1 1:33.839 26 laps
06 K. Räikkönen Ferrari 1:33.840 23 laps
07 N. Rosberg Williams 1:33.902 26 laps
08 S. Vettel Red Bull 1:33.909 13 laps
09 K. Nakajima Williams 1:33.952 25 laps
10 F. Alonso Renault 1:34.148 16 laps
11 N. Heidfeld BMW 1:34.221 25 laps
12 R. Barrichello Brawn GP 1:34.227 17 laps
13 L. Hamilton McLaren 1:34.483 14 laps
14 R. Kubica BMW 1:34.694 23 laps
15 N. Piquet jr. Renault 1:34.738 24 laps
16 S. Bourdais Scuderia Toro Rosso 1:34.827 27 laps
17 S. Buemi Scuderia Toro Rosso 1:34.878 28 laps
18 H. Kovalainen McLaren 1:34.893 26 laps
19 T. Glock Toyota 1:34.911 23 laps
20 A. Sutil Force India F1 1:35.092 6 laps

Source : Planet F1

The Legend - Proton Wira - 4G92 Rebuild by Simon

2009-07-09T08:03:00.014+08:00

Back to Year 2002 ~ My First car was Proton Wira 1.3GL.

I decided to buy this car because Proton Wira was made based on Mitsubishi Lancer Platform and plenty of modification can be done on this car .

Back to year 2004. First modification - Transplant 4G93T 1.8 GSR Engine to my car. Not much modification was done - just enjoy the stock standard 1.8 GSR which produced 181WHP dynoed that time.

At last the 4G93T Engine is blown due to overboost as my turbo actuator are faulty! After deep thinking and finally decided to do transplant to 4G63T - from Mitsubishi Evolution 2.

Modification list:
Garrett GT2835 Turbine
1.2mm Metal Gasket from Tomei
Re Map ECU with Ralliart Chip
Sard 800cc Injector
Walbro Fuelpump
Stock Internal

Pumping out 320WHP but too bad...engine blown when I tried to push it to the limit at 1.7 bar boost!! Am I crazy?!?!?!?!? (a bit la Simon - ED)

With a very tight budget and I must get my car running on the road again, I got no choice but
plug in 4G91 engine to make it running it again. I bought the 4G91 Floor Engine only At RM900, quite cheap back then.

After plugging in the 4G91 Engine, I'm using the Stock 4G93T Turbo ECU code - 5771 with stock GSR Airflow code 449 and stock GSR 390cc Injector. I have no choice but have to mix and match to get the engine started. That time the Fuel consumption is quite high as I'm using 4G93T GSR Turbo stuff on 4G91 N/A engine.

In 2006 I'm thinking out of the box, based on my experience in modifying cars, I came out with an idea - Bolt On Turbo (I think this idea was around a long time ago, sorry didn't want to offend our reader's intelligence - ED).

With all the parts taken off from my previous 4G93T GSR Engine, all the turbo parts was mod into the 4G91 engine.

Here is the modification list:

4G93T TD04L turbine
4G93T Turbo Exhaust Manifold
4G93T Engine Oil Pan
4G93T Cylinder Head

But the 4G93T piston unable to fit in as the original piston bore for 4G91 is 78.4MM and 4G93T piston are 81mm. It very dangerous to bore more than 2mm from the original block , so end up using the stock 4G91 Piston.

4G93T Piston compression ratio around 9:5.1 and 4G91 N/A - around 11:5.1 compression Ratio. Plus 4G91 N/A does'nt have oil squirter to cold the piston and damn!! I put 1.5mm metal gasket to prevent massive engine knocking and to lower the engine compression.

The Engine management system by Greddy E Manage Ultimate as piggy back ecu to control the fuel map and ignition timing. After the modification are done , the maximum boost is around 0.8Bar , and it can't go any higher, it will cause the engine blown again!!

Engine was tuned based on wide band on the road tuning but definitely its more powerful then 4G93 N/A engine but never powerful than 4G93T GSR. Sorry I don't have the dyno chart

Year 2007 - Planning to increase the power of the engine .......... after a careful planning, came out with 4G92 Mivec block interchange !!!

Reason why ???

4G92 Mivec block sharing the same piston size with 4G93T which is 81MM
4G92 Mivec block comes with oil squirter built in
4G92 Mivec con rod its shorter and stronger

This time Major modification going to start but still with tight budget, I told myself ... why people can built a powerful & responsive engine in oversea especially in Thailand but why I can't built it here in Malaysia ? ?

The piston - I modified in the Toyota Supercharger Forged Piston (Flat Type) Compression Ratio - 8:9.1

The Conrod - Ordered from RPW Australia - Billet Forged Con rod

Together with ARP Racing Stud

The Bearing - ACL Racing Bearing

1.8MM metal gasket fitted in from Mitsubishi special ordered from Japan with a help from my friend. This time I upgrade my turbine to TD05H 20G turbo custom built by Tong Turbo in Kuala Lumpur. Wastegated with Tial 38MM 1 bar spring.

Guess what ? I'm still using the stock standard turbo manifold. Engine head port polish done by Nasty Port Flow in Subang with CFM tested. Jun 4G93T Turbo High Profile Billet cam fitted in - 272 Degree 10.85mm lift for both Intake and Exhaust together with Custom made adjustable cam pulley.

Intake system using back the standard 4G93T intake manifold but ported to bigger flow. The throttle body -From 4G92 Mivec bored to 65MM.

This time Sard 800cc injector fitted in again with Walbro 255LPH in tank fuel pump. This time I'm using the Haltech E6x standalone ECU with external 3 bar map sensor ( well I'm not using the stock map sensor built in with the ecu ) and Toyota 1JZ Air Temp sensor modified to my Intake system and 2.5" Exhaust piping with R*SR Invidia muffler

After the engine running in for few weeks ..After setting and tuning .Massive 316 WHP boosted at 1.9Bar , The turbo boost control by Blitz Dual SBC Spec R. I'm pushing it to the limit at the dyno machine and can't believed it !!!!! as this just 1600cc Engine !!!!!

I'm confident that my engine can withstand the power as the modification done on the engine block!!!! But too bad, the car was stolen on 5 January 2009 at my house :(

Here is some of the photo's and the full modification chart list

Engine Modification
Mitsubishi 4G92 Mivec 1.6Liter Block
Mitsubishi 4G93 N/A Cylinder Head (Port Polish Done By Nasty Port Flow Subang)
Mitsubishi 4G93T standard turbo manifold
Mitsubishi 4G93T Intake Manifold

Aftermarket Modification
Custom Engine Wiring
JUN 272 Degree Lift 10.85 Hi Cam ( SS Racing )
Custom Made Adjustable Cam pulley
Sard Fuel Regulator (SS Racing)
Sard 800cc Injectors (Bought 2nd hand at Zerotohundred.com)
Greddy Type RS Blow Off Valve ( Tomei Autoparts )
TD05 20G Journal Bearing Turbine by Tong Turbo
Stainless Steel Intercooler Piping by Chee Wah USJ Subang
2.5" Exhaust Piping by Chee Wah USJ Subang
R*SR Invidia Racing Muffler ( Tomei Autoparts Subang )
Aftermarket 65MM throttle Body
Exedy 9" 3 Puck Racing Clutch (SS Racing)
1.8MM Mitsubishi Metal Head Gasket (WiraTakLaju Zerotohundred.com)
Walbro 255LPH Fuel Pump (SS Racing)
Greddy Type RS Blow Off Valve ( Tomei Autoparts)
Mitsubishi Evolution 7 Intercooler ( Sponsored by one of my customer )
Mitsubishi Evolution Front Twin Pot Brake System (Tomei Autoparts)
Mitsubishi Evolution Rear Disk system (Tomei Autoparts)
Mitsubishi Evolution Master Brake Pump (Tomei Autoparts)
Mitsubishi Evolution III Semi LSD Gearbox (Tomei Autoparts)
Mitsubishi Evolution front Axle and Anti Roll Bar (Tomei Autoparts)
Mitsubishi Evolution III Dashboard (Tomei Autoparts)
Mitsubishi Evolution II Door Panel (Tomei Autoparts)
Mitsubishi Evolution II 6 Pieces Cromax Glass (Tomei Autoparts)

Engine Management and Computer System

Haltech E6X Standalone engine Management system
3Bar Map sensor from Haltech
Blitz Spec R Dual Solenoid Boost Controller ( Tomei Autoparts )

**Item bought from the shop as stated in the bracket**
** Car was stolen on 5 January 2009 in front of Union Height Condominium OUG**

Lamborghini Murcielago LP670-4 SV

2009-07-02T19:06:00.007+08:00

It seems that this will be the last model from the Murcielago family and Lambo have pulled out all the stops to send off their most monster creation to date. Have a read of the specs:

Engine	V12
Location	Mid, longitudinal
Displacement	6496cc
Max power	661bhp @ 8000rpm
Max torque	487lb ft @ 6500rpm
Transmission	e-gear paddle-shift gearbox (six-speed manual optional), four-wheel drive, front and rear limited-slip diffs
Front suspension	Double wishbones, coil springs, gas dampers, anti-roll bar
Rear suspension	Double wishbones, coil springs, gas dampers, anti-roll bar
Brakes	Vented carbon-ceramic discs, 380mm front and rear, EBD, ABS, TC
Wheels	8.5 x 18in front, 13 x 18in rear, aluminium alloy
Tyres	245/35 ZR18 front, 335/30 ZR18 rear, Pirelli P Zero Corsa
Weight (kerb)	1565kg
Power/weight	429bhp/ton
0-62mph	3.2sec (claimed)
Top speed	212mph (claimed)
Basic price	£221,335
On sale	Summer 2009

This one is just too much for me and I'm not talking about the price. It's a supercar through and through, something we can only dream about. For the review of the car and how it drives, go here.

AlvinK

HOT WHEELS WIKI

2009-07-02T01:55:00.003+08:00

Just when you thought you've seen or heard it all, along comes a surprise that you never thought possible or even exist. You know about the Wikipedia right? The source of information on just about everything. Well, now they even have a Wiki for Hot Wheels toys or toy cars. Incredible, see it here.

REVIEW - 2009 HONDA CIVIC 2.0

2009-06-30T18:20:00.015+08:00

Well, this is the 2nd part of our on-going layman's review of the compact executive sedans which we think will be fighting for the attention of a lot of people. The first one was for the new 2009 Mazda3 2.0 Sport. The Mazda3 was a good car and I loved all the features they threw in for the price but the Civic is a different animal.

To be honest, I am always a Honda fan having been introduced to the 1990 Honda Accord CB3 by my father who bought one as a CBU unit. Those days Honda was imported and sold by Kah Motor which basically brought in the lower end models without the extras such as digital aircond, electric drivers' seat and cruise control which the CB3 had. I really enjoyed that car and my subsequent 1990 Honda Prelude. So, I may be a bit biased towards Honda but for good reason.

Honda has always been at the top of design, engineering and power output stakes in Japan when compared to their domestic rivals Toyota and Nissan. I have been following this development for years and Honda always out-powers their rivals when it comes to engine output, until recently that is with the Mitsubishi Lancer (a review is also coming). But now lets talk about the Civic.

I had the opportunity to test drive the Civic 2.0 recently. This was the locally assembled version which comes from Melaka. First, the looks. What can I say, it looks good. when this new design first came out, I was disappointed to be honest. Gone was the fast and furious looks of Civics of the old days. This new look was more mature, older and although still flowing, might have been rather slow or compromised. But the looks grew on me and now I have to say that it looks good from any angle, especially the FD2 Type-R. The look is very balanced.

The latest model from Honda Malaysis was facelifted a while back from the launch version and I must say, I like the facelift look as it has the FD2 Type-R front bumpers which is very nice indeed. The new 17" wheels are also nice with multiple spoke design somewhat resembles the Nissan GT-R's. The model being shown now in showrooms though has an extra Modulo bodykit but be aware, the sticker price does not include that. Not included also is the reverse camera, it was on the test drive car. It does include the Michelin tyres though.

Interior wise, it is simple and well laid out. The centre of attention is the dashboard with the much talked about double layer intsrument cluster. I like digital meters and the speedometer in the Civic is nice. It works too being on a higher level than the rest of the instruments. I was able to look at my current speed without taking my eyes of the road.

One thing I really liked about the Civic interior - and this is from the veiw of the drivers seating position - it is really sporty. The moment I sat down in the drivers seat, I could feel that everything around me was positioned in such a way that it made it feel sporty right away. Just to compare to the Mazda3, the Mazda3 seating position was 'normal'. The Civic was exciting.

The centre console has a built in cup holder that you can fold away to fit bigger items in there, smart. There is only 1 teh-tarik hook though in the car, wished they'd put more. The aircon is a single zone unit and it does its job quite well. The audio system is an integrated unit and includes a 6-disc CD player with AM/FM radio and LCD display that also functions as a digital clock. Audio controls are on the steering wheel. The only thing that sucked was the front door speaker enclosure, it was made of plastic, looked cheap, like something in a Proton.

The steering wheel is of the right size and rim thickness with the shift paddles behind in the familiar right upshift and left downshift. Only problem was they were made of plastic and are quite small. Can't wait to try the Lancer's huge Magnesium paddles. It looks good too, that new design being used on almost all Hondas.

I won't bore you with going on and on about the specs, safety features and all that because you probably know them all by now as you've been to the showroom, had a brochure or went to the website. What I prefer to do is to review the car especially the performance and the feel. This kind of feedback you can only get by driving the car and no glossy brochure or feature listing will do justice to the car as a complete package.

So, lets dispense with the usual gaga and get straight to the point - how does it perform and drive. Well, after my initial drive which was short and around some traffic laden roads in PJ (Sec 16, Jalan Universiti and Sec 13), I was very impressed with the Civic's power, gearbox and handling.

First of, the engine. That 4-cylinder; 16 valves; Chain Driven; 2.0L DOHC i-VTEC engine is sweet as should any Honda engine dating back the last 20 years. It pushes out 155 PS and 188 NM of power. Compared to the Mazda3's 145 PS and you know what I mean. In fact, in my review of the Mazda3, I was making a point about that lack of power, the 11 PS. After driving the Civic, it was clear that the 11PS made a world of a difference. The power delivery was immediate and powerful, it pulled away strongly.

The gearbox also play a part as well as the engine's traction ability. I must say that I was a bit disappointed by the lack of throttle response from the Vtec engine, maybe I was used to the dual carb engine of my Prelude being so free revving. But I do remember the older EG Civics SiR-II having free-revving VTEC engines too. Anyway, this Civic will start pulling strongly once you hit about 3000rpm where it really gets interesting. The power is infectious. I love it.

Compared to the Mazda3, the Civic moves with a purpose. It's engine delivers the power in a confident manner, the traction is very good, the gearbox is spaced nicely and the suspension is good. Although good for comfort and sedate driving. Probably a more sportily tuned suspension would help in the turns. The steering feedback was spot on, it was sharp and the car goes where you point it.

Overall, the Civic is a more exciting, powerful and rewarding car to drive compared to the Mazda3. I would now say that if you are a family man who needs a comfortable and daring looking car to drive around and your life is not about a heavy right foot, then the Mazda3 is for you. But if you are a boy racer at heart and have the need for speed and cornering once in a while, then please choose the Civic. For now. That is until I get a test drive in the Mitsubishi Lancer GT which sports a 2.0L Mivec engine pumping out 155 PS of power and 199 NM of torque. Sounds good..on paper, lets drive it first, eh?

News - Lexus LF-A to hit 220mph

2009-06-30T17:53:00.006+08:00

It has been a while since we've heard from Lexus and their new supercar. For those of you who have not been following, Toyota announced some time back that they were to produce a Japanese supercar under their Lexus brand called the Lexus LFA. The LFA debuted in concept form at the 2005 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS).

It was powered by a V-10 engine displacing less than 5.0 liters, generating over 500 hp (373 kW) and had a top speed around 200 mph (320 km/h). To maintain a near ideal weight distribution a rear transaxle is used and the radiators are mounted at the rear.

When I first read about it, I was like - "Hell yeah! The Supra is back!". But then as details were getting less and less, I realized it turned out to be a supercar which is out of reach of most of us. Nice to ogle at though. Anyway, the latest news is that Toyota were not happy with the 320kph top speed (WTF?) and did some mods to the car, which somehow altered its looks but brought the top speed to 352kph (WWWTTTFFF?). That is courtesy of the LF-A’s front-mid-mounted 550bhp-plus 4.8-litre V10. Click here to read more of the possible final GT-R ass kickin' version.

AlvinK

The 737HP On Wheel - Toyota Supra

2009-06-27T18:30:00.008+08:00

Toyota Supra one of the most powerful car that Toyota ever produced.

This one owned by one of my friend , bought second hand last year.

Powered with stock 2JZ 3.0liter engine with twin turbo really giving 'Ummpp' when you driving around especially when you press hard on the pedal ~~

Ok ..now

This car , 2JZ engine pumping out 737 Wheel Horse Power how do you feel when driving around with it??
Well, I tried it at Mex expressway in Kuala Lumpur ,and the result was fun ... totally unbelievable .

At 1st gear to 4th gear already running at 220KM/H , shitsssssssssss that is fast

With so much power on the engine , the pick up is damn freaking fast and with the powerful g force , I guess your leg will be shaking when came out from the car.

It took 8 months to complete all the modification of this car. Done by one of the experience mechanic in Kuala Lumpur
To unleashed the power of the engine , the important modification done is the turbo charge system .

The turbo charge system its from Garrett model GT42 which can produce more than 1000BHP and internal of the engine block is totally stock standard . I was worry when the owner want his car to have more than 700WHP

The engine head itself, installed with HKS 280 High Profile Cam Shaft and Custom Made adjustable cam pulley.

1000CC injector from Sard installed to this engine to provide sufficient petrol to the engine and most important its the fuel pump itself.

The mechanic think out a brilliant idea. He modified twin fuel pump into the original fuel tank

Two Walbro 255LPH internal fuel pump was use and we also upgrade the fuel line system with WORKS Performance fuel rail.

Actually the engine was built with a tight budget , a lot of custom made aftermarket parts was use.

The Exhaust Manifold and Intake Manifold custom made in Malaysia and Thailand

The intercooler itself was custom made from a truck intercooler .

With all of this modification , we throw in AUTRONIC SM4 Standalone Electronic Control Unit ( ECU ) to control the system of the car.

Thanks to Hon from JC Racing Asia who tuned this car up to 737 HP on wheel boost at
1.9Bar

Check out the dyno chart below

Simon Lai

Michael Jackson - Cars Collection

2009-06-26T09:06:00.007+08:00

Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009)

Here is some photos for Michael Jackson Cars Collection

Rest In Peace

Breaking News - Michael Jackson is Dead

2009-06-26T08:11:00.003+08:00

Publish Post

25 June 2009

Michael Jackson passed away at LA Hospital due to heart failure. He was 50. The circumstances of his dead was not immediately clear . M.J was not breathing when Los Angeles Fire Department paramedics responded to a call at his Los Angeles home about 12:30PM.

It is a sad day indeed to hear as Mike has influenced generations of fans, old and young - me and Simon included. My seniors and juniors all loved his songs, dance and style, heck even my parents knew about him. His influence is universal and we at Malaysian Petrolheads want to offer our condolences and may Mike moonwalk to heaven smoothly.

Alvin & Simon

PROTON, PROTON

2009-06-26T04:58:00.002+08:00

Here we go again, another failure at Proton costing some more money. In this latest case, it is with a Chinese company to produce cars in China. This was a JV deal, where proton setup a company in China, probably an office, hired people and spent some money. Their partner was supposed to facilitate their business in China, something like in Malaysia lah, where you need a local company with 'connections'.

It turned out that this local Chinese company couldn't get shit out of the Chinese government much less permission to produce cars in China.

It seems Proton loves to waste money on JVs which it has no idea what it is doing. This reminds me of the other projects that they've fucked up such as the one with VW and MV Agusta. The VW deal really cheesed me off as I was looking forward to a national priced VW but no, Proton had to have a swollen head and insist on controlling the JV when they only had 49% compared to VW's 51%.

Actually, where is the sense in that? "I'll let you take 51% but I have the final say.". Fuck off! That's what people will tell you. See where VW went? They setup in Indonesia, now Indonesians that we abuse here will be able to get jobs at the VW plant there and drive around in world class technology at affordable prices. Thanks Proton.

AlvinK

Mosley: There will be no breakaway series - F1 News

2009-06-25T09:00:00.003+08:00

Finally, the politics is over for now. Thank God the cancer of F1 is leaving soon but we're still stuck with Bernie and the possibility of losing the classic F1 tracks. I would have prefered the teams forming their own series though, just to show the FIA and Bernie that the teams and the fans are the real reason the sport exists.

Wednesday 24th June 2009

The threat of a Formula One breakaway series has been averted after agreement was on Wednesday reached between motor sport's world governing body, the FIA, and the Formula One Teams' Association.

As a result, FIA president Max Mosley has confirmed he will not now stand for re-election when his fourth term ends in October.

The news follows a breakthrough meeting of the World Motor Sport Council in Paris, and a cost-cutting deal being struck between the FIA and the eight members of FOTA - Ferrari, McLaren, BMW Sauber, Renault, Toyota, Red Bull, Toro Rosso and Brawn GP.

Confirming the compromise, Mosley said: "There will be no split. We have agreed to a reduction of costs.

"There will be one F1 Championship, but the objective is to get back to the spending levels of the early '90s within two years."

With regard to his own position, Mosley added: "I will not be up for re-election, now we have peace."

The agreement ends two months of wrangling since Mosley announced after a World Council meeting at the end of April that a voluntary £40million budget cap would be imposed from next season.

That prompted a rebellion, with the eight teams announcing on Thursday night they would be planning a rival series.

Following Wednesday's meeting, F1 surpremo Bernie Ecclestone commented that he was "very happy common sense has prevailed".

Source : Planet F1

SUPER GT MALAYSIA 2009 Round 4 - GT queen / Race Queen/Girls - By Simon

2009-06-21T23:19:00.004+08:00

Super GT International Series Malaysia 2009 - Round 4 by Simon

2009-06-21T22:37:00.012+08:00

Today Me and my friends went to Super GT International Series Malaysia held at Sepang International circuit

Nissan Skyline GT-R 35 was the Safety cars for this year, its my favourite car
Just a stock standard Nissan GT-R and It was Stunning

Round 4 race won by Nissan GT-R also ~ LOL

The actual race was around 4PM the weather is fine and just few minutes before the race , water is drizzling from the sky , the team was busy changing their soft tires to wet tires .

When the race about to start , sun is shining again , they rushing in and change back to soft tires

Very exiting start as alot of cars on the track from both GT 300 and GT 500 category , HASEMI TOMICA EBBRO GT-R - GT500 was leading almost entire of the race . I can said no mistake made by both of the drivers

This race M7 Mutiara Motors - RE-Amemiya Racings- GT300 really put a challenge to the other teams, the driver really work hard to catch up with other racers and they got 3rd placing. Its really exiting when M7 Mutiara Motors Rx 7 , catching up and tried to take lead , the car was very fast well can I said one of the loudess on track????

Petronas Tom's SC430 got 2nd place after the HASEMI TOMICA EBBRO GT-R - GT500

The GT-R really fast from it class, I can see they bypass alot of cars , The handling of this car just very good and perfect for the track

well lets see the full result below

Here is the full result

Qualy weights show Vettel's true class

2009-06-21T09:08:00.001+08:00

This time Vettel has a good chance of winning with his heavier fuel load and starting on pole. Lets just hope he doesn't throw it away to Barrichello by making a mistake on the first lap like in Turkey. Go Vettel!

Saturday 20th June 2009

Sebastian Vettel's pole position time around Silverstone become even more impressive once the FIA released the weights of the cars.

Vettel will start Sunday's British GP from the P1 slot on the grid after clocking a 1:19.509, which put him 0.347s ahead of Rubens Barrichello and an additional tenth quicker than his team-mate.

What's impressive, though, is fact that Vettel was carrying more fuel than both his rivals. And in fact, he is the heaviest of all ten drivers who took part in the pole position shoot-out.

Meanwhile, Webber will have to rely on raw pace to get ahead of Barrichello as the duo are on similar fuel strategies as is fourth-placed Jarno Trulli.

The lightest of the top ten was Kazuki Nakajima, which probably explains why he managed to qualify ahead of his Williams team-mate Nico Rosberg, who was almost 10kgs heavier.

Slotted in between the two Williams is Jenson Button, who is on a similar weight load to his team-mate.

Weights
01 Sebastian Vettel: 666.5 kg
02 Rubens Barrichello: 657.5 kg
03 Mark Webber: 659.5 kg
04 Jarno Trulli: 658 kg
05 Kazuki Nakajima: 652.5 kg
06 Jenson Button: 657.5 kg
07 Nico Rosberg: 661.5 kg
08 Timo Glock: 660 kg
09 Kimi Räikkönen: 654 kg
10 Fernando Alonso: 654 kg
11 Felipe Massa: 675 kg
12 Robert Kubica: 689.5 kg
13 Heikki Kovalainen: 695.5 kg
14 Nelson Piquet: 682.5 kg
15 Nick Heidfeld: 665.5 kg
16 Giancarlo Fisichella: 668 kg
17 Sébastien Bourdais: 687.5 kg
18 Adrian Sutil: 692 kg
19 Lewis Hamilton: 666 kg
20 Sébastien Buemi: 672.5 kg

Source : Planet F1

Qualy: Vettel pips the wrong Brawn to pole

2009-06-21T09:07:00.000+08:00

Saturday 20th June 2009

Sebastian Vettel claimed pole position for Sunday's British GP beating a BrawnGP driver, but it wasn't the one British fans were hoping for.

Vettel, who had the measure of his rivals for two of the weekend's three practice sessions, put his revised RB5 to good use on Saturday afternoon, taking pole position with a 1:19.509.

That put him ahead of Rubens Barrichello who finished 0.347s behind the German, while Button could only manage sixth place on his home grid. Mark Webber was third for Red Bull, finishing ahead of Jarno Trulli and Kazuki Nakajima.

Meanwhile, a huge accident for Adrian Sutil with 24s left on the clock in Q1 cost Lewis Hamilton any chance of making it through to the next session. He will start P19. Sutil, thankfully, escaped unhurt although his Force India was destroyed.

Qualifying 1
Following showers in the morning, conditions were still cloudy with sunny intervals and the possibility of the odd shower. The track temperature was only 25C with an ambient of 16C.

Adrian Sutil set the first sub 1:21 lap in the heavily revised Force India. His 1:20.860 was soon beaten by Bourdais, 1:20.590 and then steadily whittled down by Jarno Trulli on a three-lap stint - 1:19.915, 1:19.356 and finally 1:18.886.

The Red Bulls cast this aside, first Mark Webber set P1 with a 1:18.763 and then Vettel reduced it to a 1:18.685 before Webber reclaimed it with a 1:18.674.

Both Brawns looked unlikely to depose the Red Bulls but were running in the top ten, while the Mclarens looked ponderously slow.

Coming into the final three minutes of the session and the danger zone was: 11.Kubica, 12.Fisichella, 13.Bourdais, 14.Sutil, 15.Hamilton, 16.Raikkonen, 17.Heidfeld, 18.Massa, 19.Buemi, 20.Kovalainen

As the time ticked down Raikkonen put his Ferrari up into P6, Kovalainen could only manage P17 from the first lap of two, before elevating himself to a precarious P14 on the second. Nick Heidfeld managed to get himself into P12 and Lewis Hamilton was setting a faster time when the session was red-flagged.

Adrian Sutil's Force India had suffered brake failure turning into Abbey and run straight on into the barriers, the car spinning round and hitting backwards. The Force India was a major wreck and with just half a minute left on the clock it meant that no-one could improve their time from that point onward.

Kazuki Nakajima had just managed to set the fastest time with an impressive 1:18.530 and Jenson Button had hauled himself up to 5th, but Lewis Hamilton was stranded down in 19th place. So out went:

16.Fisichella
17.Bourdais
18.Sutil
19.Hamilton
20.Buemi

It was the third time in a row that the World Champion had exited in Q1 and was also a disappointment for the Force India team who had hoped to get at least one, if not both cars into Q2 having shown improved form in practice.

Qualifying2

The track temperature had crept up a degree for Q2 but not enough to suit the Brawns which thrive on warm tarmac.

Felipe Massa steered his Ferrari to the first P1 time of the session at 1:19.257 which was put into context by an early-running Mark Webber and a 1:18.638 set on hard tyres, followed by a superb1:18.209 which meant he wouldn't have to run again.

The time stood up until the very last seconds of the session, but with three minutes left the dropzone looked like this: 8.Glock, 9.Raikkonen, 10.Massa, 11.Button, 12.Kubica, 13.Piquet, 14.Heidfeld, 15.Kovalainen

Nelson Piquet Junior put a wheel on the grass at the exit of Woodcote and ruined a hot lap. Rosberg improved to P4, Kovalainen could only manage P13, Raikkonen jumped to P3 with the fastest first sector of the weekend, Massa could only manage P8, Button posted P7, Rubens improved to P3, Glock moved to P8.

Drivers had been fuelled for at least two hot laps and Button had slipped to P9 before regaining P8 and Alonso's last dash put him into P9. Felipe Massa had slipped to P11, but his subsequent lap was not quicker.

Then, at the very close, Sebastian Vettel showed who the fastest Red Bull runner was with the fastest lap of the GP weekend, a 1:18.119. So out went:
11.Massa
12.Kubica
13.Kovalainen
14.Piquet
15.Heidfeld

Massa will have been disappointed to make his exit, but his time was almost 0.4 shy of team-mate Kimi Raikkonen's time.

Qualifying 3

Only three men had taken pole in 2009 and it looked likely that Mark Webber might make it four as the session kicked off.

Barrichello set provisional pole with a 1:21.417, Vettel easily beat it with a 1:20.863 while Jenson Button slotted into P2 (would this be one of Jenson's last minute rescues). Rubens re-took P1 with a 1:20.536 when he had more heat in his tyres second time round.

Vettel didn't have such a quantum improvement from lap to lap but he was able to reduce the P1 time to 1:20.404. Mark Webber had set a sluggish first lap good enough for only P7, but second time round he scorched to a 1:20.040 taking provisional pole by a massive 0.4 of a second.

So, after the first runs, the order was: Webber, Vettel, Barrichello, Rosberg, Button, Trulli, Alonso, Raikkonen, Glock, Nakajima.

Into the final runs (some one-lap, some two-lap) and Rubens was the first to get into the 1:19s with an exceptionally good 1:19.856, Vettel took P1 off him with a 1:19.509 but it looked likely that Mark Webber would continue his massive advantage. Trulli edged into P4, Rosberg to P5 and then Button re-established himself in P5.

Meanwhile Mark Webber had a disastrous first sector and instead of setting a 25.5 down to the Hangar Straight timing point, he put in a 26.1 - that lap was blown. His second hot lap suffered from his tyres going away and he could only manage a 1:19.868 good enough for P3.

Vettel had improved by 0.9 from lap to lap, Barrichello by 0.8 and Mark by just 0.15 and that was pole lost. At the very last moment Kazuki Nakajima rewarded Williams with a P5 start, demoting Button to P6 and beating his team-mate by 0.15 for a change.

The true picture will only be revealed when the fuel levels are revealed later this afternoon, but right now this looks like Red Bull's race to lose. When he gets it right Barrichello can be a stellar starter and BrawnGP will be hoping for a warmer race day to get their tyres working. There could still be fireworks at the front because Rubens will see it as a major opportunity to pull points back on Jenson Button.

Times
01 S. Vettel Red Bull 1:19.509
02 R. Barrichello Brawn GP 1:19.856
03 M. Webber Red Bull 1:19.868
04 J. Trulli Toyota 1:20.091
05 K. Nakajima Williams 1:20.216
06 J. Button Brawn GP 1:20.289
07 N. Rosberg Williams 1:20.361
08 T. Glock Toyota 1:20.490
09 K. Räikkönen Ferrari 1:19.010
10 F. Alonso Renault 1:20.741
11 F. Massa Ferrari 1:18.927
12 R. Kubica BMW 1:19.308
13 H. Kovalainen McLaren 1:19.353
14 N. Piquet jr. Renault 1:19.392
15 N. Heidfeld BMW 1:19.448
16 G. Fisichella Force India F1 1:19.802
17 S. Bourdais Scuderia Toro Rosso 1:19.898
18 A. Sutil Force India F1 1:19.909
19 L. Hamilton McLaren 1:19.917
20 S. Buemi Scuderia Toro Rosso 1:20.236

Source : Planet F1

Lewis refuses to blame Sutil for dismal qualy

2009-06-21T09:06:00.000+08:00

Saturday 20th June 2009

Lewis Hamilton is refusing to proclaim that he would have been on pole if it hadn't been for Adrian Sutil crash forcing him out of Q1 at Silverstone.

The McLaren driver, who was languishing down in 19th, was on a flying lap when Sutil crashed his Force India into the barriers at the Abbey chicane during Q1.

Because of the severity of the accident the session was red flag and the 24s remaining on the clock did not leave Hamilton - or anyone else - with enough time to put in an out lap and a flying lap.

Thus he dropped out of qualifying and will start P19 on the grid for his home race.

"I did the best I could today," said Hamilton. "I was pushing as hard as I could but our car is too slow. I gave it my all and there wasn't really much more I could have got from the car."

He also refused to blame Sutil's accident for his disappointing qualifying.

"I was pushing on that final lap - but it was nothing special. However, we live to fight another day and anything can happen in the race tomorrow.

"We'll keep pushing on and hopefully put on a good show for all the fans. The great thing is that I've had incredible support these past few days from the fans - they're the ones who are really helping me to get through it, so a big thank-you to all of them."

Meanwhile, team boss Martin Whitmarsh was left to lament Hamilton's lack of luck: "Lewis was a little unlucky to have his final quick-lap cut short by Sutil's accident.

"Today's result is not a surprise, but it demonstrates that we still have work to do to address MP4-24's weaknesses in high-speed corners.

"Nonetheless, we're already fully focused on the race tomorrow and mindful that we could still produce a strong result in front of the many thousands of passionate fans who will be cheering us on."

Source : Planet F1

Nismo's Nissan 370Z

2009-06-18T12:54:00.001+08:00

The 345bhp Nismo-tuned Nissan 370Z sports coupe goes on sale in the US

By Stephen Dobie

17th June 2009

The Nismo-tuned Nissan 370Z has gone on sale in America.

It’s an official addition to the Nissan range, rather than an aftermarket option, and is priced pretty competitively - 39,130 US dollars, which is the equivalent of just £24K. That’s cheaper than a regular, entry-level 370Z sets you back in the UK. It represents a rise of around £5,500 over the regular Zed car in the US.

That cash buys you a properly good looking thing. The bodywork is recognisably beefed-up, with much chunkier wheel arches, a redesigned front end, a rear diffuser (housing twin exhaust pipes) and a rather unsubtle rear wing. From some angles it has definite hints of Porsche 997 GT2 about it; never a bad thing in our eyes.

Power is up too, from 326 to 345bhp, with the engine mated to the six-speed manual gearbox with Nissan’s trick heel-and-toeing SynchroRev match control as standard. The suspension is tuned while there’s beefier brakes, which come housed in 19in RAYS alloys (wrapped in Yokohama rubber).

The interior is emblazoned with Nismo logos and red detailing and you get the obligatory numbered plaque to remind you how special your car is. For an extra few hundred dollars you can also get Nismo-badged carpet mats, a carpeted boot mat and some illuminated kick plates, too. Excellent.

Less excellent, though, is the fact that sales are US-only. Although by pestering your friendly local importer, there may be ways around that…

Source : EVO UK

FAIRLDAY Z 300ZX [CZ32] from JDM Option by Alvin

2009-06-18T11:39:00.006+08:00

This was posted at the JDM Option website. It's great to see a classic of the 90s being souped up to 500 horses. I used to admire this car - it's got that aerodynamic shape, 3.o liter turbo engine, it's just one of those classic Japanese supercars of yesteryear that was never really ressurected much like the Supras, RX-7s, NSXs.



Trial's Z32 was initially built as a full drag machine, but was later transformed into a street vehicle after receiving a fully reworked suspension. The true performance of the VG30DETT is awoken after increased displacement and upgraded turbos.


This is Trial’s second Z32 that they have acquired; on top of that, the shop has a Z33 and Z31 in the works. These guys are totally Z freaks and are the masters of modifying these two seater cars. At first, the vehicle started with a simple boost increase for a drag racing setup. Growing tired of the capacity of the stock turbos, they were replaced with twin GT2530 units. Soon after, a full engine build up was going underway, from oversized pistons, H-beam rods, and camshafts to name a few. With the new setup at 1.4 bar of boost, the engine creates over 600 horses on tap. On top of that, a NX nitrous system adds a 100 more horses to the existing numbers. Although the VG30s are weak at the top end and the rev limiter is set at 7500 rpms, this VG has plenty of low end torque to snap the driver's neck. The power can be realized after 2500 rpms. The stock transmission could not hold up to the overwhelming demands the engine was making. Here, a HKS 6 speed was mated to the setup. Not only is this vehicle very fast, but the exterior is worth more than a double take. An aero kit from Ab Flug was installed along with a vividly red paint job. Then the entire setup was accessorized with neon LED lights for the night life. The interior was coordinated from the seats to the door trim red and black. Not only is this Z very fast, but also a show stopper anywhere it goes.

A Wet Shot NX Nitrous System Injects 100 horsepower at Full Throttle! ENGINE SPEC VG30DETT 3.1 Liters 700hp@ 1.4 Bar Boost, Port & Polish / Tomei Camshafts (IN/EX 260 8.8mm lift) / JUN Valve Springs, Retainers / Tomei 1.2mm Head Gasket, 89mm Oversized Pistons, H-Beam Connecting Rods / Fully Balanced Crankshaft / HKS GT2530 x2, Strengthened Internal Wastegates, Power Flow / HKS Intercooler / 5 Zigen Piping / HKS Catalytic Converter x2 / Zees Exhaust / Three Row Radiator / HKS Oil Cooler / Bosch Fuel Pump x2 / Custom Collection Tank / Border Fuel Rail / 850cc x6 Injectors / Nismo Pressure Regulator / Blitz Spark Plugs / HKS F-Con Vpro, EVC3 / NX Nitrous System

	TURBOCHARGER Since one GT2530 turbine can create 320 horses, two units can easily surpass the 600 mark. Shown on the photo is the turbo on the left side and since the other turbo is hidden from view because of the steering rack and drive shaft, it is difficult to inspect.			INTERCOOLER An HKS front mount unit was chosen for this setup. Since the VG30DETT pipings are segregated by each turbo, the air is directed through the intercooler to the twin throttle body setup. The Ab Flug front bumper is matched with a built in fog lamp assembly.

	NITROUS OXIDE The nitrous injector resides right before the throttle body. With the flip of a switch, the jets can be automated at full throttle, or switched to manual mode where the nitrous switch lies in the hands of the driver. A 100 horsepower rush can be realized after the switch is pressed.			EXHAUST The Zee’s exhaust system is made of steel and chrome. The 100mm quad tipped exhaust protrudes from the rear of the vehicle.

DRIVETRAIN SPEC HKS Triple Plate Clutch, 6 speed MT/ Cusco LSD

	TRANSMISSION The Cusco tension rods are installed. The suspensions are DG-5 trial products and will be sold after the settings. The brake rotors, calipers, and pads are stock and they are enough for this vehicle.

Not Only is this Vehicle Fast, but the Small Details Cannot be Overlooked SUSPENSION AND BRAKES Quantum Suspension / F: Swift Springs (10kg) R: Bozz Springs (7kg) / F: Brembo F50 Calipers + Rotors R: Brembo Lotus Calipers + Rotors / Stainless Steel Hoses / PFC Pads / Line Lock

Rear Suspension		The vehicle was converted from a drag machine to a street spec vehicle. The Quantum suspension is combined with front 10kg and rear 7kg springs.		Front Suspension

INTERIOR SPEC Reupholstered Interior Trim / Water Print Center Panel / Victor Steering Wheel / Recaro SP-G / Apex Tachometer, Water Temp, Oil Temp, Boost / Blitz A/F Gauge / 5 Point Roll Bar / Floor Mats

	INSTRUMENT PANEL The giant tachometer and the boost gauge sit next to the A pillar in the driver’s side. The water and oil temp gauges are lined up in front of the passenger seat. The LED switch also was planted here, and the water print center panel was coordinated with the overall look.			SEAT The Recaro SP-G seats were chosen to hold and support the people in the car. The center console was matched with the same material of the seats. The 5 point roll bar can be seen on the rear of the vehicle.

EXTERIOR SPEC Full Exterior Paint Job / Ab Flug Front Bumper, Side Skirts / Border Hood / Neon Lights / LED / Tri Force Zelda Magnum (F: 8J+32 R: 9J+38) / F: Dunlop D01J (235/40-18) R: Potenza RE540S (265/35-18)

	WHEELS & TIRES The rims are from Trial, called the Tri Force Zelda Magnum. The fronts are 8J+32, and the rears are 9J+38. Dunlop D01J 235/40-18 on the fronts and Potenza RE540S 265/35-18 on the rears.			REAR FENDER 20mm of each side were widened. This was to house the positive camber on the rear wheels, a technique used by many drag race shops.

	HOOD Border makes this vented hood, and the four ducts releases the trapped hot air from the engine bay. This is a big plus for the Z32 since this engine demands more cooling.

Hamilton does his bit for road safety

2009-06-18T10:28:00.003+08:00

With regards to the news item posted by Simon about the idiot in the Fairlady who lost control of his car and killed another motorist who was about to get married and for all you heroes out there who think you can handle your car while racing on public roads, think again. Your life and other's lives are not worth the heroics.

17/06/2009

Lewis Hamilton paid a visit to Portcullis House in Westminster yesterday, where he spoke to a number of MPs in support of the FIA Foundation initiative 'Make Roads Safe - a Decade of Action for Road Safety'.

Those present included David Ward (Director General, FIA Foundation), Peter Bottomley MP (Vice Chair, Parliamentary Advisory Committee for Transport Safety (PACTS), Lord Andrew Adonis (Secretary of State for Transport), Carey Oppenheim (Co-Director, Institute for Public Policy Research) and Louise Ellman MP (Chair, Transport Select Committee).

"When the FIA Foundation invited me to speak here today, and when they briefed me by telling me exactly how many people die on the world's roads every year - a total of 1.3 million - I was shocked," said the 2008 World Champion.

"So the message I want to send out to drivers is: take a step back and think before you act. You could easily make a mistake and lose a friend's life or your own life. It's about being sensible and making the right decisions on the road. If you want to have fun, go to a go-kart circuit.

"When you're on a circuit, the target is to be as fast as you can," he continued, "but away from a circuit, on the roads, it's all about safety. On the roads it's not just you out there - you have oncoming traffic, you have people crossing the roads, and you may have passengers.

"Speed limits are there for a reason, and I think everyone should stick to them - I do. Okay, everyone has made mistakes - I admit I have in the past. But you learn lessons from your mistakes. And then, when you become more aware of the implications of your actions, you take more care.

"So I want to use my profile as Formula 1 World Champion to do what I can to help raise awareness about global road deaths - and what can be done to prevent them.

"In the UK we've made great progress on road safety, but much more can be done. We need a global decade of action for road safety, to cut the number of deaths by half. It's an ambitious vision, but not an impossible one. And it could help to save millions of lives."

Article from Pitpass (http://www.pitpass.com):

Published: 17/06/2009
Copyright © Pitpass 2002 - 2009. All rights reserved.

F1 timing and track positioning for the iPhone

2009-06-18T09:58:00.002+08:00

This is damn cool application for the iPhone. For someone who thinks the iPhone is cool but wouldn't buy one, now I would just because of this F1 app.

16/06/2009

Soft Pauer Ltd has launched its official Formula One Timing and Track Positioning Application for iPhone and iPod touch users.

The unique application allows fans to simultaneously track the progress of all cars in real time on a dynamic track map which offers a variety of views of the circuit, including the unique ability to see a bird's eye view of the action. The data is taken directly from the official timing feeds generated at each circuit, giving the user unprecedented portable access to the information used by race engineers in the pit lane, with the added ability to track the individual driver of your choice. So for the first time, fans will be able to get a full, detailed picture of the racing action wherever they are.

Soft Pauer CEO, Otmar Szafnauer, who was formerly director of strategy and business planning at Honda Racing, says of the application: "We're very pleased to offer fans an added dimension to the experience of watching Grands Prix. We hope that they will take advantage of this new opportunity to get a full picture of the racing action wherever they go."

"I'm very excited by this application," said Bernie Ecclestone, "as it will allow fans to keep in touch with what is going on whilst on the move."

See the whole circuit in real time

The application converts the live timing data from the track into a graphically rich 3D circuit showing you the location of every driver in real time through the whole race weekend, whether they are on track or in the pits.

Zoom in to see the action

Zoom in and out to track the progress of the race around a particular section of the track.

Choose your driver

Designate the racing driver of your choice and the software will highlight your chosen driver on the detailed track map and depict all other data relative to the chosen driver, including lap time differences between your chosen driver and all others in the race.

Live timing screen

Toggle across to see the main timing screens that the team engineers use at the circuit.

Replay feature

After the sessions have concluded you have the ability to replay any session at any time you choose, or jump to a particular point within the session.

This means if you record the race and start the application as you replay the recording, you can enjoy the live timing alongside your video recording.

To run the application live, your iPhone will require a 3G phone signal or WiFi connection, and your iPod touch will require a Wifi connection.

Full specification and prices can be found on the iTunes store

British Grand Prix Preview

2009-06-18T09:55:00.000+08:00

Wednesday 17th June 2009

If Simon Gillett, the developer of the Donington Circuit is to be believed, then this is the last British GP at Silverstone for at least the next 17 years. That's the length of the contract he's been given to run the F1 grand prix.

He may not have time on his side or the necessary investment, but what he can rely on is a big audience.

In Turkey at the last round they couldn't attract punters in with a £40 weekend pass and £200 grandstand seats. This weekend Silverstone will be full to bursting with punters paying £180 for a weekend pass alone. Which makes the prospect of taking this grand prix off the calendar a total nonsense. Just as it has been in Canada,

Montreal and Silverstone may not have circuit buildings that look like a Disney-inspired industrial estate, but they do have something far more relevant. Fans.

This weekend they'll be packing out the Northamptonshire circuit in the hope of a Jenson Button victory. However armed with typical British pragmatism they won't mind if he comes in the top three and maintains his championship challenge. Most of them will have despaired of Jenson ever getting into a top class car and this weekend will be more like a celebration of the season so far than a need to see him on the top step of the podium.

The former WWII bomber training base is similar to Turkey in that it has a lot of high speed corners, such as Copse, Becketts and Stowe, but it also has the fiddly Brooklands and Luffield complex making it far more of a compromise on set-up.

As we've seen from wins in Monaco and then Turkey, Brawn can do fiddly and high speed tracks, but can they do high-speed with fiddly? Certainly both BrawnGP drivers have an intimate knowledge of the track, Rubens having competed there since his F3 days and Button competing there since before he could produce any kind of ginger facial offence.

Rubens will be keen to get his starting mechanism sorted out having messed up royally in Istanbul. Hopefully by now he'll have gained a sense of proportion and remembered that he had a dog of a start in Australia, yet blinders in Barcelona and Monaco to balance that out

The Red Bulls will be up there vying for the front row and a Mark Webber win would probably go down almost as well as a Button victory. Webbo's been getting the better of his team mate of late and could even overhaul Vettel in the championship race this weekend.

Toyota should also be a force to contend with, along with the resurgent (though not as surgent as most people expected) Ferrari and BMW teams. It's unlikely to be such a fantastic weekend for the McLaren team and they've been doing their best to dampen down expectations.

Dampening down the circuit might be the best method of securing a Lewis Hamilton podium, but the long-range weather forecast is predicting a dry weekend, with all the rain being stored up for the following weekend's Glastonbury Festival.

Renault are in exactly the same position as McLaren and Fernando Alonso's continued presence in the team is a bit like Button in reverse. All that potential wasted in a below-average car.

F1 fans tend to get engrossed in the sport they love, and all the F1 vs FOTA machinations have tended to obscure the basic fault of motorsport compared to football, or rugby or tennis. My wife asked me why Jenson Button was so good all of a sudden seeing as he'd been in F1 since 2000; "Aah," I replied, "he's only just got a car that's good enough."

"So," she said with the kind of withering clarity I've had to endure for quite some time, "it's not the driver it's the car. How is that a sport?"

I could have given her a very long and complicated answer, but the easiest way out was, "yeah." Had we adopted Max Mosley's Idea-of-the-Year circa 2001 where drivers swap teams each race, then actually we could have more of a sport.

Under that regime the very best drivers would be fighting at the front all season long and we wouldn't have waited nine years to see Jenson Button arrive at his home grand prix leading the World Championship. Given that F1 is reluctant to give up its traditions lightly he better enjoy it while it lasts.

Source : Planet F1

Illegal Racer Cause Death to Bridegroom to be By Simon

2009-06-16T12:39:00.004+08:00

Today, early in the morning I saw a news item in the local newspaper - bridegroom-to-be just 27 years old and he is getting married soon in 11 days killed in a road accident due to being hit by another driver who was racing with another car.

This incident happen in Malaysia - Kuantan to Kemaman road where the 18 year old driver driving a Nissan Fairlady was racing with a Nissan Skyline.

According from the news, the driver of the Nissan Fairlady lost control of his car and crashed onto a Proton Wira and caused the death of the 27 year old bridegroom-to-be ~ ( Condolence to his family).

Well what I could say? I don't know what they think , it's really dangerous to race a car at public road. Why don't they test the car at Sepang F1 Circuit during open track?? Just cost RM 200, it's definitely safer.

People from Singapore can travel so far just for the open track and don't say its far, you're in Malaysia.

Anyway SAID NO TO ILLEGAL RACING

The Matt Black Nissan GTR 35 by Simon

2009-06-15T07:11:00.024+08:00

Well guys, after Alvin posted the Lamborghini Orange color GTR 35 from Zele, what about the Nissan GTR 35 Matt black ???

This color is really exotic and was spotted at Sepang F1 Circuit during HPC (High Performance Challenge) few months back.

Heard from some of the people, this kind of paint really hard to take care. Orange GTR really stunning look but Matt Black GTR - Wow ... look very solid , aggressive .. but for myself I love bling bling style~~ I will choose the Orange GTR ~~

This car with 3.8L VR38DETT twin-turbo V6 - pumping out 480bhp and Nissan claims the GT-R 35 can reach a top speed of 192 mph (309 km/h)Well what I could say?? A MONSTER !!!

With a price tag around RM600K, there are a lot of choice of cars can be chosen for example BMW E92 M3.

For me I still prefer Nissan GTR because I like Forced Induction - TURBO, after few laps in Sepang F1 Circuit in this car - I can say that = Marvelous!!!

Definitely a lot of girls will hop inside the car ~~ especially either with Matt Black or Lamborghini Orange....but wait !!!

Hehe I guess whatever color it is , still a lot of girls hooked up, because IT'S NISSAN GTR!!

But I guess the girls will go out of their mind if I push this car hard on the freeway~ haha ~

Anyway any girls wanna have a ride with me in this car just contact me, LOL

Enjoy reading
Simon

The 530WHP Monster Mitsubishi Evolution 7 by Simon

2009-06-14T14:21:00.029+08:00

Mitsubishi Evolution 7 that's been modified up to 536WHP Monster.

Well....you don't get cheated by the outlook, actually it was Evolution 7 convert to Evolution 8 body kit.

Modified by local workshop in Kuala Lumpur Malaysia.

Fully rebuilt engine with Tomei aftermarket parts together with 4G64 stroker
Well the stories behind ~

Previously this car was running in Stock Engine , the owner was satisfied with the performance of the stock standard engine just with some aftermarket parts and boost up to 1.5Bar ....

But........ until 1 day the engine blown , root cause - was using the wrong type of engine oil . I don't want to mention whats the brand of the engine oil but its totally fuXX up , as just barely few hours he changed the engine oil ......the engine blown after the owner was driving at the freeway in Malaysia . End up with the new plan to rebuilt the engine ....

We bring in the Tomei parts all the way from Japan .

Tomei 86MM Forged Piston and Tomei Forged Conrod fitted in with 4G64 Crankshaft as part of the stroker kit with ACL Racing Bearing. With this , We upgrade the Turbine to Garrett GT35 AR70 with 0.86mm Rear housing The exhaust manifold was custom made from Thailand to fitted in with this turbine together Tial 44MM with 1 bar spring wastegate and using with HKS Racing Type 2 Blow off valve

Also not forgotten the engine head, Port polish with 45 degree triangular style , with Oversize Valve and Valve Guide ,

Brian Crower 288" cam fitted in with Brian Crower Titanium retainer

Greddy Trust Oil cooler for the engine oil cooling system and the original Skyline GTR intercooler was used.

The fuel line was upgraded to the bigger size to 10mm .
We also not missed out the Fuel Regulator from SARD - Type RJ.

Dont be suprised, we just using the Mitsubishi Airtrek head cover as the original head cover was damage.

For the fuel system , Sard 1000cc injector was fitted in with Sard 265LPH in tank fuel pump and SARD external fuel surge tank with 2 Bosch 044 fuel pump .

.

The intercooler piping system was custom made by the specialist and the for the exhaust system, stainless steel 3.5" Piping was used together with HKS Hi Power muffler.

For the electronic system , Apex'i Power FC D'Jetro was used for the as engine control unit system and HKS Twin Power for the ignition system , The owner also fitted the Innovate Motorsports Wideband for easy air fuel reading and easy tuning.

For better power and cooling , AEM Water/Methanol spray system also fitted in. After the engine running in for 2 months , We took the car for tuning and dyno session.

And the proud the tuner was the owner himself.

Weather in Malaysia quite hot and humid.. AFR was set to 11.5 ratio.

Owner tried to push it up to 500whp, Ignition timing was set to almost perfect and the Air Fuel itself was tuned to the best

After a few run , we got 476 wheel horse power, the owner still not satisfied with the power itself
At last 536 wheel horse power was the best result with boost at 1.92bar at 8500rpm ......
that was fun but scary!!!

Owner was satisfied with the performance , the Exhaust manifold was glowing red color as it's damn hot ......

Here is the dyno chart , click the image for bigger view.

Thanks for reading
Simon Lai

MONSTER ORANGE R35 by Alvin

2009-06-14T08:07:00.005+08:00

This is for you fans of Godzilla or better known as the Nissan Skyline. This one though is the latest R35 version but in Lambo Orange. It was spotted at the Naza Automall showroom in PJ. The paint job was superb though you could see at the joints of the roof the paint is an aftermarket work but a damn good one at that.

At first we thought it was painted after it was bought because we've never seen or heard of the R35 having this color and the exhaust was an aftermarket titanium twin pipe. But a video on Youtube showed another one in Japan with the same color but with a different front bumper. A search online showed that there is a company offering the GTR in orange with souped up specs, the company is called Zele. The Naza GTR was different from the Zele GTR but a check on the Zele website reveals that they are an independent Nissan Skyline specialized dealer in Japan and produce performance parts for the car.

2009 Mazda 3 - A Layman's Review by Alvin

2009-06-13T12:56:00.028+08:00

Mazda has recently launched the new Mazda3 in Malaysia and it is available for booking now. I had the chance to go for a test drive recently, albeit a short one, to see how it is. Looking at pictures and specs on paper doesn't give justice to the car. This review aims to size up the car from a layman's perspective, so I will try to be simple and straight to the point.

To be honest, I never considered Mazda before this because lets be honest, it has not exactly set the car industry alight with its looks or performance or anything for that matter. The only Mazda that was interesting before was the Mazda RX-7. Even the successor the RX-8 was a letdown because it had only 245hp on tap and mostly came in with an auto box.

This Mazda 3 though is different. It is competing in the compact segment and for a car in that category competing with the likes of the Honda Civic or Toyota Altis, it has a lot to offer. Firstly, is the looks. Again, for a Mazda it looks great though I'm still divided over that huge front air intake. I don't know whether Mazda are trying to copy Peugeot or trying to beat them. But the overall design is one of nice flowing lines with tight curves and pronounced wheel arches. The 17" tyres on the 2.0 Sport model looks particularly good. It comes in 2 flavours - a 1.6 ltr normal version and the 2.0 Sport model.

The interior is also superb, with nice flowing lines, choice of materials and colors. The steering wheel is not too big and is quite fat to fit nicely in your palm plus is has all the requisite buttons such as audio control buttons, cruise control (2.0 Sport), paddle shifters (2.0 Sport) and buttons for the MID (Multi Info Display - more on this later). The gear shifter sits in a nice gate a-la Mercedes style and the gearbox includes a manual mode.

The gearbox incidentally is a 4 speed auto on the 1.6l version and the 2.0 Sport gets a 5 speed auto with manual shifting option for both. But the 2.0 Sport version gets extra shift paddles behind the steering wheels for up-shifting and a set of extra down buttons on the wheel itself for down-shifting. Weird. It seems that Mazda wants you to be able to shift gears manually with 1 hand.

The rest of the dash is quite nice, not outstanding as I might have to reserve that label for the up-coming Chevrolet Cruze when they launch it here. The pictures are on the net if you care to search for it, believe me you won't be disappointed. The audio system has a built in 6-CD disc changer, MP3 support, an auxiliary in jack and 6 speakers (2.0 Sport). There is a small screen on the dash a-la BMW's i-Drive for the MID or Multi Info Display. This MID is basically the on-board trip computer which is standard on most cars nowadays but with something extra. It has a service interval indicator for the next engine service and a tyre rotation indicator telling you when the tyres needs to be rotated around.

These 2 features stand out because it is not found on any other car in its class so far. Other than that you have all the standard indicators for fuel, mileage, etc. The air conditioning in this car is another standout for its class - it is a dual zone unit. The air con vents on the sides are round and able to be turned around 360 degrees. There is an additional item on the rear bench - 3 built in hooks with covers for installing child safety seats. Another outstanding feature not found in cars of the same class is the rain sensor. This car comes with a rain sensor as standard on the 2.0 Sport model. Plus all 4 windows are able to be opened via the key fob for ventilation and they have an anti-jam feature built in. And another one - the rear view mirror is auto dimming!

The rear seats are split 60:40 with the mechanism operated with a button. It is so easy to fold the seats as the button is easy to push and releases the seats without fuss. The rear seats offer enough space and legroom even with the front seats adjusted for a tall driver. The boot is surprisingly spacious too with a capacity of 430 ltrs although the access might be a bit hard for large or oddly shaped items as the opening is quite small.

Now the engine. Mazda has always been at the low end of the engine power stakes. In Japan, for a long time Honda has always outclassed the others when it comes to engine power with the same capacity, non-turbo of course. This new Mazda 3 powerplants are a bit disappointing for someone like me who values power. So the 1.6l power of 103hp and 145nm and the 2.0l power of 145hp and torque of 182nm is quite disappointing, and it shows in the drive. In fact, I was quite dismayed at the 1.6l power of 103hp, that's lower than the Proton Gen2's 110hp.

Now the drive. Nothing much to say as I only managed to drive for 4km. The engine as expected is under-powered to say the least. A stab on the accelerator pedal does not bring on the power as I expected. But then again I have a heavy right foot. It should suffice for the mostly sedate family drivers out there. It is smooth and creamy though and quiet.

The suspension is MacPherson struts at the front and E-Type Multi Link at the rear. The ride is pliant and smooth. Shame I wasn't able to test the cornering abilities and see how it performs when thrown in to a nice corner.

The headlamps are another class first. Where can you find a bi-xenon setup on a 2 litre compact sedan? This one is xenon for low and high beam. The rear light cluster is a bit messy but has LEDs. Nice and bright.

Overall, the new Mazda 3 is a superb offering from Mazda in its price segment. Normally, I wouldn't bother about Mazda and up until the test drive, I was convinced that the Civic is the best buy based on features and price (the Civic was RM3000 cheaper). But the problem is that Mazda did not publish or make available all the features of the Mazda 3 anywhere. Would you believe that I couldn't find the information that I wanted from anywhere on the Internet including the Mazda website? If I didn't go and see the car fior myself, I wouldn't have found out that it had those anti-jam windows feature.

But after seeing the car in the flesh and driving it, I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a 2.0l family sedan. Consider the following features beyond what Honda, Toyota or Nissan are offering in the same class:

CBU unit
Bi-Xenon headlights
Rain sensor
Anti-jam power windows all round
Ability to open and close all 4 power windows via key fob
Dual zone air conditioning system
Auto dimming rear view mirror
6 airbags
MID with service interval and tyre rotation indicator

The price? RM111,017.50 OTR for the 1.6L and RM131,537.90 OTR for the 2.0 Sport. The 2.0 Sport is only RM3,000 more than the 2.0 Civic and consider this - the bi-xenon headlights alone could cost RM6,000 - RM7,000 and you could imagine what a great deal this car is.

I would definitely recommend it to anyone. For more details, please contact Eric of Bermaz Motor at 012-6583888.

Ferrari: We won't race unless conditions are met

2009-06-13T12:55:00.000+08:00

Friday 12th June 2009

Despite being included in next year's line-up, Ferrari have again insisted they will not race unless FOTA's conditions are met.

Earlier this week Ferrari told the FIA not to sign them up unless they are willing to abide by the conditions laid out by the Formula one Teams' Association in their May 29th block entry.

Those conditions include the scrapping of Max Mosley's proposed 2010 regulations and the budget cap as well as the signing of a new Concorde.

However, motorsport's governing body claim they have a contract with Ferrari, forcing them to compete in Formula One until 2012. And as such, Ferrari's name appeared as an unconditional entry when the FIA published the 2010 entry list earlier today.

The Italian marque, though, are sticking by their threat not to race, adding that Mosley's planned rules 'violate' any previous contract Ferrari had with the FIA.

"Ferrari submitted on 29 May 2009 an entry to the 2010 FIA Formula One World Championship which is subject to certain conditions," said the statement. "As of today, these conditions have not been met.

"Notwithstanding this and despite Ferrari's previous written notice to the FIA not to do so, the FIA has included Ferrari as an unconditional participant in next year's Formula One World Championship.

"For the avoidance of any doubt, Ferrari reaffirms that it shall not take part in the 2010 FIA Formula One World Championship under the regulations adopted by the FIA in violation of Ferrari's rights under a written agreement with the FIA."

Ferrari are not alone in their stand as Red Bull Racing and Toro Rosso, who were also unconditionally entered as a result of their 2012 deal with Bernie Ecclestone, insist they too will not race.

"Following the FIA's publication of the entry list for the 2010 FIA Formula One World Championship, Red Bull Racing would like to make it clear that its entry was submitted as a conditional entry, consistent with those of all other FOTA members," said Red Bull's statement.

"Red Bull Racing remains committed to FOTA and fully endorses all its principles."

Toro Rosso released a similar statement.

Source : Planet F1

All ten teams included but five are provisional

2009-06-13T12:53:00.000+08:00

Friday 12th June 2009

All ten of the existing Formula One teams have been included in next year's line-up but that doesn't mean the war is over.

Despite submitting conditional entries as part of the FOTA application, Ferrari, Red Bull and Toro Rosso have all been put down for next year's Championship as the FIA believe they have a binding contract with the three teams to race until 2012.

Ferrari, though, have already made it clear that they won't race unless motorsport's governing body accept FOTA conditions, which including running next year's Championship under this year's regulations.

So at least one battle remains there.

Meanwhile, McLaren, BMW, Renault, Toyota and Brawn GP have also been included in next year's entry list, however, the FIA have urged them to drop their conditional entry before next week Friday.

"These five teams have submitted conditional entries," said the FIA statement. "The FIA has invited them to lift those conditions following further discussions to be concluded not later than close of business on Friday 19 June."

Those 'discussions' relate to FOTA's conditions for entry into next year's Championship, which Ferrari, Red Bull and Toro Rosso are also standing by.

Should those five outfits - and Ferrari if they take the FIA to court over being forced to race next season - fail to reach an agreement with FIA President Max Mosley over the regulations they will be replaced with new teams.

But in the mean time the three new outfits chosen to complete the 13-team grid are Manor Grand Prix, Campos Grand Prix and Team US F1.

2010 Entry List
Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro Ferrari
Scuderia Toro Rosso STR TBA
Red Bull Racing Red Bull Racing TBA
At&T Williams Williams Toyota
Force India F1 Team Force India Mercedes
Campos Grand Prix Campos Cosworth
Manor Grand Prix Manor Cosworth
Team US F1 Team US F1 Cosworth
Vodafone McLaren Mercedes* McLaren Mercedes
BMW Sauber F1 Team* BMW Sauber
Renault F1 Team* Renault
Panasonic Toyota Racing* Toyota
Brawn GP Formula One Team* Brawn TBA

* These five teams have submitted conditional entries. The FIA has invited them to lift those conditions following further discussions to be concluded not later than close of business on Friday 19 June.

Source : Planet F1

The New Mazda 3 Sport!!! by Simon

2009-06-11T18:56:00.013+08:00

Today

Went to Mazda showroom and test drive the brand new Mazda 3 Sports

Well the perception from me and Alvin towards Mazda cars totally change

The new Mazda 3 Sports totally a good buy and comes with alot of functions and gadget

They come with 2 specs 1.6 liter 4 speed auto and 2.0 liter 5 speed auto and its totally Imported
CBU!!!

This its the review from the Mazda 3 sport 2.0Litre specs....

Me and Alvin tested the 2.0L car and not too bad , It had a great handling and suspension system.

It come with paddle shifter with Direct Mode , Rain Sensor , BI XENON headlamp!! WOW!!, Multi Information Display (MID)!?!? Reminder for tyre rotation, maintenance reminder , status and everything is there!!! well with progamming capability. Don't forget about the Autocruise system, I can enjoy driving with my leg up during long distance trip ~

This car also equip with Auto Dimming Interior Rearview mirror!! Means you no need to worried that some driver's ( we call them NOOBS! ) driving behind with Hi Lamp on...the rearview mirrow help to dimmed the lighting reflected from the car behind . Haha!!

Oppss It also come woth Driver's Footlight (Blue Color) ,

Come with One Touch Power windows with anti - pinch function for 4 of the windows...

What I like its come with comfortable Leather steering wheel,gear know and brake lever ,Audio system with 6 CD changer with MO3 & WMA capability & 6 speakers also come with 17Inch allow wheel with 205/50/17 tyres

Dual Zone air cond system?!? Yummy , means it can control different temperature for passenger and driver side .. Means if you driving your girlfriend around and she feels cool and you feels hot ,haha it can adjust the hotter temperature for passenger side and still you still enjoy cool breeze from the driver side

Well the Ingition key?? equip with noot release and power window control function

If would happy to travelling around with this car , It have 60/40 foldable rear seats with 430 Litre Cargo Space!! alot of stuff can store inside the bonnet itself ~Maybe a 42 inch LCD TV??

It have 145HP at 6500RPM on the engine , it quite powerful but too bad its 11HP different from the Honda Civic 2.0 I-VTEC but still the function and the system much more better than Honda.

It just some lagging gear changing when using the Pedal shift , If the engineer adjust the sensitivity for the throttle respond of this car , I think its Perfect. And still this a good family Saloon car !!

The Left Photo is the cockpit for 2.0SDN

This photo is the 2.0SND interior (front)

this is the 1.6SDN ~~ interior

Alvin at the rear seat....quite comfy he said ~~ haha
.

The photo shown is the MID system with Service Due,Tyre rotation and Bla bla bla alot

Service due , Check it out ~~~

Tyre Rotation also can ?!?!?! yes need to set loh~

The Photo beside MID showing the current fuel for the car ~~ ermmm means still can travel to
Penang with the fuel load ~~the tank is not full ok !!!

Interested can call Eric Tan at 012-6583888 or E-Mail at bttan@mazda.com.my
Address

Bermaz Motor Trading SDN BHD
Lot 9 Jalan 219
Federal Highway
46100 Petaling Jaya Selangor

Thanks Eric from Mazda showroom for all the information and test drive ... here its the specs

This Photo below is the 1.6SDN

Well the 1.6 model its quite nice but there is no paddle shifter , front fog lamp, no 17" rim...but still marvelous for the price at RM112K on the road ~~ wowow

This the is the engine bay for 1.6SDN and its neat

Simon

IT'S THE CAR, STUPID!

2009-06-08T18:29:00.004+08:00

I'm going to attempt to explain one of the most intriguing and least understood aspects of F1 racing, which some people may understand, some will not and some others don't care. I'm not very technically adept nor have I been watching F1 for 20 years. I am very interested in the goings on in F1 and try my best to read up on any material that I can get my hands on, plus I try to have discussions with like minded people as much as possible.

There have been many arguments lately about drivers and their ability to drive a modern F1 car to the limit and perform seemingly incredible and heroic feats on the track. So much so that fans of certain drivers or teams have become fanatics who cannot see any wrong in their heroes no matter what. They also always see wrong in other drivers and teams and always find excuses to run them down.

I have been following F1 since the Senna days but only started being a fanatic the season before Lewis Hamilton joined i.e. 2006. That's because I was part of a group of people offering F1 simulators for corporate rental. We developed the simulators ourselves and used the official F1 game at the time - F1 Challenge 99-02 with the requisite mods to simulate the current seasons.

A simulator or simulation is different from a game, so F1 Challenge is not the same at F1 2006 on the PS2. With a simulator you have total control over the car i.e. you can change almost all the settings like the real car and the tracks dimensions are actual i.e. they were mapped based on the real tracks. Plus the physics employed were real too, you can't just turn the wheel in a corner and let the car drive itself. You have to continuously adjust to get the perfect line, if not you'll lose vital tenths.

Playing around with this simulator gave me an insight into the intricacies, detail and difficulty of F1 I never realized before. It is so difficult to even improve on 1/1000th of a second if the car setup is not right, your reflexes are not right and the other conditions are not right. But when all the conditions are right, it seems like you are just gliding on water, everything is just smooth. You can telegraph your thoughts to the car and it will almost drive itself and produce a stunning lap time.

It is this "talent" for the driver to be able to dial in into the car that impresses us and makes us look at them as gods. But there are days when even they can't "dial-in" and sometimes the car just doesn't want to cooperate. When the car is designed in such a way that it is difficult to set-up or doesn't flow with the driver's style, it will produce an excuse for fans to ridicule those drivers or teams that they don't support.

I have noticed that these seasonal issues crop up when something changes - either driver or rules change. For example, why is it suddenly that Jenson Button is winning every race in sight when the last 2 years he was sucking exhaust fumes at the back? And why is it that Lewis Hamilton can't even make it into Q2 of qualifying when the last 2 years he was defying the laws of physics to push the car around the track to win? Luck? A bit but I don't think so.

It's the car, stupid! Yes the car. Think Schumacher was a racing god? Sorry to deflate your pride there but it was the car. On our simulator when we want to set the best times on most tracks, we always use the Ferrari F2004. That was the fastest car of that year and maybe the best of the batch in which Schumacher won his 5 world titles.

How can Button win 6 out of 7 races this year so easily and serenely? It's like he's cruising around to victory everytime. The Brawn car had the benefit of 15 months of development as Honda decided to scrap development on the 2008 car and concentrate on this year. They had lots of time to look at the new regulations and think of solutions. It's not just the double diffuser, if it was just that, how come Red Bull were so competitive from day one without a double diffuser?

Plus Brawn had all the resources of Honda to develop the car - a lot of cash, 2 wind tunnels, CFDs, the lot. The car now is powerful (courtesy of the Mercedes engine), aerodynamically almost perfect, technically sound, smooth to drive, easy on the tires and well balanced. With a car like that, any driver on the current grid can become world champion. At least 50% of the equation in winning a race is the car. With the right car even Nelson Piquet Jr could become champion.

So ultimately, all F1 drivers are good, if not they wouldn't be there driving F1 cars. Their main limitation is the car that is available to them. All other issues could be ironed out with the team and resources available.

THE STATE OF MCLAREN

2009-06-08T18:27:00.002+08:00

Currently the state of McLaren is not good and it does not look good either for the rest of the season. The car is not performing at low, medium or high downforce tracks, in short it is not performing at all.

The last few races we could see that Lewis is doing everything he can to wring out every inch of performance from the car and Heikki too but somehow when it matters most i.e. during qualifying and the race, it lets them down. The back is so twitchy that on-board footage of Lewis or Heikki driving it looks like a wrestling match between the driver and machine.

I said it weeks ago that McLaren should forget about this season and concentrate on next year. They need to put resources where it matters as this season is too late for them. Brawn GP and Jenson Button has run away with the championship. It's a battle between Brawn and Red Bull. Now even Lewis has admitted it to the world.

And talking about his despair, it is revealed clearly this year that not only does the driver matter but the car is ultra important. Yes Lewis arrived in 2007 at the wheel of a good car and he was lucky but he is also a good driver as he beat a 2 time world champion in the same equipment. The same cannot be said of Nelson Piquet as we can see at Renault this year. That also shows how important the car is as Alonso being the good driver he is, is still unable to match the Brawns or Red Bulls.

This is a good lesson for Lewis and McLaren. I suggest they put their heads down and work on next years' car. Heikki might not survive to next year, so Lewis' teamate might be Rosberg which I prefer. That would be interesting.

As for todays' race, it would be a straigh fight between the Brawns and Red Bulls. I'm rooting for Vettel, hopefully he can pul the cat out from the bag. The Red Bull car is a solid piece of engineering - fast, well balanced and reliable, just the tools one needs to win races. The Brawns are also fast, well balanced and reliable so this should be a good show.

Alvin

Turkish GP: Button Puts His Name In History Books

2009-06-08T00:57:00.001+08:00

Sunday 7th June 2009

After his pass on Sebastian Vettel on the opening lap, the Turkish GP may have been a boring race for Jenson Button, but it's one that puts his name in F1's history books.

Button, who overtook Vettel on the exit of Turn 9/10 when the pole-sitter ran wide, strolled to victory at the Istanbul Otodrom, handing him his sixth grand prix win of the season.

And that put Button in F1's history books where he joins the names of Alberto Ascari, Juan Manuel Fangio, Jim Clark and Michael Schumacher in having won six of the first seven races.

Vettel, meanwhile, also lost out to team-mate Mark Webber after opting for a three-stop strategy. But his inability to overtake Button for the lead cost him dearly and he eventually finished 0.7s behind Webber. Jarno Trulli claimed fourth place ahead of Nico Rosberg, whose flying start, saw him leap up from ninth place.

Felipe Massa, Robert Kubica and Timo Glock completed the top eight.

Race Report
As the cars lined up on the sun-drenched grid, the track temperature was up to 49C with an ambient temperature of 32C (up from 28C on Saturday). Though the inside line into Turn 1 had been swept, Jenson Button and Mark Webber were taking no chances and angled their cars towards the outside as they lined up in P2 and P4.

Only Fernando Alonso elected to use the green-walled (option) soft tyres in the opening stint.

When the red lights went out, the potential threat from Rubens Barrichello in P3 evaporated. His Brawn GP bogged down and the rest of the field flooded past him into Turn 1.

Jarno Trulli was very racy off the line and was dicing with Mark Webber throughout the lap. He got past him into Turn 1 but Webber had him back before the end of the opening lap.

Felipe Massa cruised up the inside to get ahead of team-mate Kimi Raikkonen into Turn 1, but lost out to a combative Nico Rosberg later in the lap.

Kimi Raikkonen and Fernando Alonso were also dicing on the opening lap. Alonso got past, but Raikkonen's front wing tagged the back of Alonso's tyre in the final chicane giving him aero problems from Lap 1.

However the major mistake happened at the front. Polesitter Sebastian Vettel exited Turns 9/10 and ran wide past the run-off and briefly onto the grass on the left. He didn't lose too much speed but Button was past in an instant and through into P1.

So the order at the end of a hectic opening lap was: 1.Button, 2.Vettel, 3.Webber, 4.Trulli, 5.Rosberg, 6.Massa, 7.Alonso, 8.Kubica, 9.Raikkonen, 10.Nakajima, 11.Kovalainen, 12.Barrichello.

Jenson Button set about opening a gap to Vettel at about 0.3 to 0.4 of a second a lap with a series of fastest laps. By Lap 6 he had a 2.9 lead. Meanwhile his team-mate was stuck behind Heikki Kovalainen's McLaren and the Brazilian was showing no patience in his fight back to the front. On Lap 6 he was looking down the inside of the Finn into Turn 9 but thought better of it. On Lap 7 he overtook the McLaren through the final chicane, but then Kovalainen nailed him going back into Turn 1.

On Lap 8 he decided he was going to try and get past without a sufficient gap and barged into the side of Kovalainen in Turn 9. The Brawn came off worst and immediately relegated him from 12th to 17th. Barrichello hadn't stopped there, though, and five laps later he tried to get through an even smaller gap with the Force India of Adrian Sutil. Coming into the final corner he launched his Brawn the way he had done so successfully (and aggressively) in Australia and lost his front wing endplate.

The resulting damage meant that he had to pit ahead of schedule. He had earlier reported that his Brawn GP car had lost 7th gear, a result, Ross Brawn revealed, of over-torquing the clutch at the start. From that point on Rubens was reduced to the role of unhappy spectator in the GP.

By Lap 12 Button had reduced the Fastest Lap to 1:27.799 and opened up a 5.2 gap to Vettel. The Red Bull driver had to stop two laps earlier than Brawn, so Button was always going to have an edge. When Vettel stopped on Lap 15 Button's lead was around six seconds, but the Red Bull was stopped for just 6.2 seconds indicating a three-stop race.

Vettel was followed in by Trulli on Lap 16, Button and Massa on Lap 17 and Webber and Rosberg on Lap 18. All were on two-stoppers. When the stops had panned out on Lap 21, the order was: 1.Button, 2.Vettel, 3.Webber, 4.Nakajima (not stopped), 5.Rosberg - now ahead of Trulli, 6.Trulli, 7.Glock (not stopped), 8.Massa, 9.Heidfeld (not stopped), 10.Kubica, 11.Alonso.

Fuelled much lighter than the Brawn, Vettel closed in quickly and brought Jenson's 3.9 second lead down to 3.7, 3.2, 2.4 and then 1.6 in subsequent laps. To make his strategy work he needed to get past Button quickly, but although Jenson's lead was down to 0.2 by Lap 25, the Red Bull could not follow in the dirty air and had to stay behind till Vettel's second pit-stop on Lap 28.

Team-mate Mark Webber was on a two-stop strategy and could run at the maximum of the car's potential and so Vettel was now in danger of staying behind Webber after his third and final pit-stop. Though Button had been closed down by Vettel, he was still running faster than Mark Webber and had the race totally under control.

Lewis Hamilton had been fuelled up from 16th on the grid and was losing a lot of time in the four-apex Turn 8. As his 32-lap fuel load ran out he was able to set the fastest final sector time which would only be beaten by another KERS car, Kimi Raikkonen, in the closing stages of the race.

Hamilton enjoyed a bit of wheel-to-wheel action with Nelson Piquet after he emerged from his pit-stop (which Piquet won), but neither Mclaren looked like they were going to get anywhere near the points and didn't.

On Lap 35 the positions were: 1.Button, 18.3 seconds in front of... 2.Webber, who had 8.5 seconds on... 3.Vettel who was 5.9 seconds in front of... 4.Rosberg, who was just 3.5 seconds in front of...5.Trulli, who had 6.9 seconds on 6.Massa. 7, Nakajima, 8.Kubica, 9.Alonso, 10.Glock, 11.Raikkonen.

When the second pit-stops wound out between Laps 40 and 43, Rosberg found himself pitting three laps before Trulli and in that time Trulli was able to take back the 4th place he'd lost early on. The three-stopping Vettel didn't need to come in till Lap 48, but he wasn't able to close the gap and get in front of Webber and crossed the line on Lap 49, 3.7 seconds down in third place. And started to charge.

Despite admonishments from the Red Bull engineers to conserve the car and that "Mark is faster", Vettel was able to set the fastest first sector of the race and closed the gap down to 1.2 seconds, proving all that to be just coded talk for "please slow down and don't try and overtake". The gap came down to 1.6 seconds on Lap 55 but on a similar fuel load the only chance of P2 was if Webber made a mistake, which he didn't.

The only chance of a battle in the closing stages was between Robert Kubica in 7th and Timo Glock in 8th. Glock had run as high as 6th before a very late final stop that saw him hang on to a points paying position. Though he was 0.6 behind Kubica on Lap 49, nine laps later he was in exactly the same position.

Jenson Button cooled off his car in the final laps and did some grandiose swerves down the finishing straight towards his 6th win in the first 7 races; matching Jim Clark and Michael Schumacher. Pole position had never been denied a win in Turkey, but Button and Red Bull's own strategy had seen to that.

The Ferrari's promise from Saturday practice faded away in the race and it was more of the familiar Brawn, Red Bull, Toyota dominance. The team to really step up a gear in Istanbul was Williams who would have had two cars in the points had Kazuki Nakajima not endured a disastrous final pit-stop where a front left wheel trim wouldn't go back on, relegating the Japanese driver to 11th place.

With Rubens Barrichello retiring his Brawn on Lap 48 - their first of the season - Button's win gives him a 26 points lead in the driver's championship and finally one that best reflects his driving superiority this season.

Results
01 J. Button Brawn GP 1:26:24.848
02 M. Webber Red Bull + 6.714
03 S. Vettel Red Bull + 7.461
04 J. Trulli Toyota + 27.843
05 N. Rosberg Williams + 31.539
06 F. Massa Ferrari + 39.996
07 R. Kubica BMW + 46.247
08 T. Glock Toyota + 46.959
09 K. Räikkönen Ferrari + 50.246
10 F. Alonso Renault + 1:02.420
11 N. Heidfeld BMW + 1:04.327
12 K. Nakajima Williams + 1:06.376
13 L. Hamilton McLaren + 1:20.454
14 H. Kovalainen McLaren + 1 laps
15 S. Buemi Scuderia Toro Rosso + 1 laps
16 N. Piquet jr. Renault + 1 laps
17 A. Sutil Force India F1 + 1 laps
18 S. Bourdais Scuderia Toro Rosso + 1 laps
Did not finish
19 R. Barrichello Brawn GP + 11 laps
20 G. Fisichella Force India F1 + 54 laps

Source : Planet F1

TURKISH GP 2009 RESULTS

2009-06-08T00:44:00.004+08:00

To be honest, I was expecting a more interesting race than what transpired. Three reasons why I didn't enjoy the race at all.

Number one - which is obvious to people who know me - because McLaren and specifically Lewis Hamilton had no chance at all of scoring any points. And I was right about that, plus the fact that the TV director hardly focused on Lewis or Heikki at all.

Number two is because my other choice of winner - Sebastien Vettel, made a mistake early on in Lap 1 whereby he let Jensen Button overtake him after making a mistake and almost running himself off the track. All that after he stole pole from Button yesterday. The race could have been his but he lost it at the start.

Number three - Jensen Button winning again. As he himself said it, he has become a "right boring bastard". The races nowadays are just that - boring. It reminds me of the Schumacher and Ross Brawn era when Schumacher won 17 out of 18 races. What's the point of watching.

Othe than that, it was good to see at least 1 Brawn car slip to the back and not scoring points when Barichello had his anti-stall kick in at the start and demoting him to 13th then later he just retired. Reason unknown at this time.

All said and done, Red Bull were a serious threat to Brawn GP if only they had not made the little mistakes they did. Imagine if they had Ross on their pitwall.

Alvin.

Vettel to make first pit stop before Button (Turkish Grand Prix fuel weights)

2009-06-07T16:28:00.004+08:00

Vettel will have to stop for fuel before Button in tomorrow's race

Sebastian Vettel may be starting from pole position but Jenson Button is carrying more fuel than the Red Bull driver.

Button’s Brawn is fuelled around two laps longer than Vettel and Mark Webber, fourth on the grid, is fuelled even further. Fuel weights in full below.

Simon
Source from F1 Fanatic UK

Qualifying	Name	Weight	Fuel (kg)	First stint (laps)
1	Sebastian Vettel	649.5	44.5	15
2	Jenson Button	655.5	50.5	17
3	Rubens Barrichello	652.5	47.5	16
4	Mark Webber	656	51	18
5	Jarno Trulli	652	47	16
6	Kimi Raikkonen	658	53	18
7	Felipe Massa	654	49	17
8	Fernando Alonso	644.5	39.5	13
9	Nico Rosberg	660	55	19
10	Robert Kubica	664	59	21
11	Nick Heidfeld	681.5	76.5	27
12	Kazuki Nakajima	680.4	75.4	27
13	Timo Glock	689	84	30
14	Heikki Kovalainen	665	60	21
15	Adrian Sutil	668.5	63.5	22
16	Lewis Hamilton	696.5	91.5	33
17	Nelson Piquet Jnr	689.6	84.6	30
18	Sebastien Buemi	686.5	81.5	29
19	Giancarlo Fisichella	688.5	83.5	30
20	Sebastien Bourdais	701	96	35

TURKISH GP QUALIFYING

2009-06-06T23:24:00.002+08:00

Well what can I say. It was both an exciting qualifying session and a disappointment as Lewis Hamilton did not even make it into Q2.

Lewis and Heikki both looked good during Friday practice 1 and 2. In fact, the almost dominated and stayed at the top of the timesheets on Friday and Saturday. Then when qualifying started, Lewis' car looked ragged, going all over the place. It's like the car with fuel just doesn't want to behave with the setup previously. Lewis was eliminated from Q2 and Heikki didn't fare too well either being left out of Q1 and holding on to P14.

The only excitement was during the dying seconds when Vettel took pole from Button. That was priceless. I was sure Button would take pole and sure enough he did after the chequered flag but then Vettel came barreling down the track and somehow grabbed pole with a tenth over Button. Great stuff.

It would seem the race will be between the Brawns and Red Bulls with the Toyota of Trulli and the Ferraris thrown in for good measure. I'm putting my money on Vettel though as I think the Red Bull has the pace to win and Vettel is so refreshing after seeing Button winning so many races. Go Vettel!

Qualifying: Vettel pips Button to pole

2009-06-06T23:22:00.001+08:00

Saturday 6th June 2009

Sebastian Vettel brought an end to Jenson Button's spate of pole positions as he crossed the line 0.105s ahead of the Brawn GP driver at the Istanbul Park circuit on Saturday.

Vettel, who hadn't shown much pace in the weekend's final practice session, came good when it really mattered to take the coveted grid slot, with a 1:28.316. It was the Red Bull driver's second pole of the season and once again highlights that he is Brawn GP's biggest threat.

As for Button, he had to settle for second place on the grid with his team-mate Rubens Barrichello finishing behind him. Mark Webber and Jarno Trulli were next in line, having qualified ahead of the two Ferraris, Kimi Raikkonen in front of Felipe Massa.

Meanwhile, defending World Champion Lewis Hamilton failed to make it through Q1 as his McLaren lacked the pace and stability needed around this high speed track.

Qualifying 1
The characteristic close grid had tightened over the three practices with the gap between first place and twentieth at 1.9 seconds in first practice, 1.7 in the second and 1.4 in the third.

In bright sunlight at the Istanbul Otodrom the ambient temperature stood at 28C with the track at 46C. The track temperature was critical because Bridgestone had supplied their hard and soft compounds for the race weekend. Any warmer than 46C and they estimated that the harder tyre would be the fastest, any colder and it would be the soft.

Nick Heidfeld set the first meaningful P1 time at 1:28.794 in the revised BMW with its new double deck rear diffuser. This was edged steadily downwards as a succession of drivers took P1: Raikkonen, Trulli, Nakajima, Massa, Rosberg, Vettel, Nakajima on his second quick lap, Raikkonen (out for a second time) and then Jarno Trulli at 1:27.529

Having done little to the threaten the top five places in the timesheets over the whole weekend Sebastian Vettel then set the timing screens alight with a P1 of 1:27.330.

Nelson Piquet was enduring another torrid weekend with his Renault, appearing on cameras drifting sideways like a rally car in the fearsome Turn 8. It would be a consistent problem for both Renault drivers through the qualifying period.

As the clock ticked down to three minutes, the danger positions were: 11.Alonso, 12.Heidfeld, 13.Kovalainen, 14.Glock, 15.Sutil, 16.Hamilton, 17.Piquet, 18.Buemi, 19.Fisichella, 20.Bourdais.

Lewis Hamilton was finding his McLaren very difficult to drive and whereas the Brawn of Jenson Button looked extraordinarily smooth, Hamilton looked twitchy and uncommitted through Turn 8.

He failed to get into the top 15 on his final run just as brake failure on Nelson Piquet's cars put him into the gravel and out. In the closing seconds it was less about moves at the back of the field and more about moves at the front as the Brawns of Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello sprung up to P2 and P3 respectively.

So out of qualifying went:

16.Hamilton
17.Piquet
18.Buemi
19.Fisichella
20.Bourdais.

Hamilton was the only major casualty of the session which saw a return to form for the BMWs.

Qualifying 2
With the track temperature dipping to 44C the green-walled soft tyres became more prominent as the tyre of choice. Nico Rosberg set P1 at 1:27.672, Felipe Massa reduced this to 1:27.462 on soft tyres. Rubens Barrichello took P1 with a 1:27.418 and Jenson Button hammered it down to 1:27.322.

Despite two purple (fastest) sectors Sebastian Vettel could only manage P2 on 1:27.333. He went round for a second lap to try and improve, set two more fastest sectors in S1 and S2 and then promptly dived down the pitlane.

As we got to the three-minutes-to-go mark there was just 0.25 separating P1 and P10.

The danger positions were: 7.Heidfeld, 8.Rosberg, 9.Raikkonen, 10.Alonso, 11.Nakajima, 12.Glock, 13.Kovalainen, 14.Sutil, 15.Webber (who had had to ditch his first timed run after running wide at Turn 8)

In the last few minutes everyone, including P1 man Button, took to the circuit for a final run. Across the line they came. Mark Webber made himself safe by grabbing P3, Kimi Raikkonen took P3, Timo Glock could only manage a disastrous P13, to rub this in team-mate Jarno Trulli took P1 with a 1:27.195, seconds later that was deposed by Vettel with a sensational 1:27.016. Alonso squeezed into P9, Rosberg took P8 and Heikki Kovalainen cemented McLaren's misery in P14.

So out went:

11. Heidfeld (just 0.5 off P1)
12.Nakajima
13.Glock
14.Kovalainen
15.Sutil

Kovalainen's exit was not surprising, but it was rare to see Timo Glock fall so short of Jarno Trulli, while the big news was that Robert Kubica had actually got his BMW into Q3 for a change.

Qualifying 3
The track was back to 46C for the final session and so drivers could choose to do one banzai lap on softs, one slow and one fast lap on softs, or two/three fast laps on hards.

Kimi Raikkonen set a tentative P1 with a 1:29.405, which Jarno Trulli sailed inside with a 1:28.858. On his first run Button could only set the P2 time before Sebastian Vettel claimed P1 with a 1:28.801.

Rubens Barrichello went out late with the idea of reeling off three timed laps - the last intended to be the fastest. After the first hot laps the positions were: Vettel, Trulli, Button, Webber, Alonso, Raikkonen, Massa, Barrichello, Kubica and Rosberg.

Fernando Alonso had an off-track excursion at Turn 8 like his team-mate which meaned he wouldn't keep his P5 for much longer. Rubens jumped to P7 but had another lap left.

Kimi Raikkonen took P2 as his fuel level reduced, but team-mate Felipe Massa looked curiously sluggish. Webber jumped into provisional pole which lasted for several seconds before Jenson Button crossed the line with a 1:28.421, Trulli couldn't better it and came home in P3 while Rubens crossed the line in P2.

All eyes switched to Sebastian Vettel's Red Bull as he set the fastest first sector, but went slower than Jenson in S2. Coming into the final turns he was still ahead, though, and crossing the line he clinched pole by 0.1 of a second. Making it a Red Bull, Brawn, Brawn, Red Bull mirror across the first two rows.

Ross Brawn was quick to admit that they were fuelled to Lap 17 and early indications are that the Red Bulls are fuelled to around Lap 15. Which means the Brawn cars are potentially still the quickest out there.

For the race; Jenson Button has been quicker off the line than Vettel this year and has the inside line for a Turn 1 that comes up very quickly. However Button will know that Barrichello has pulled two great starts on him this year and will be keen to get ahead. Certainly there is the potential for an all-out race between the top three drivers in the World Championship when the red lights go out tomorrow.

Times
01 S. Vettel Red Bull 1:28.316
02 J. Button Brawn GP 1:28.421
03 R. Barrichello Brawn GP 1:28.579
04 M. Webber Red Bull 1:28.613
05 J. Trulli Toyota 1:28.666
06 K. Räikkönen Ferrari 1:28.815
07 F. Massa Ferrari 1:28.858
08 F. Alonso Renault 1:29.075
09 N. Rosberg Williams 1:29.191
10 R. Kubica BMW 1:29.357
11 N. Heidfeld BMW 1:27.521
12 K. Nakajima Williams 1:27.629
13 T. Glock Toyota 1:27.795
14 H. Kovalainen McLaren 1:28.207
15 A. Sutil Force India F1 1:28.391
16 L. Hamilton McLaren 1:28.318
17 N. Piquet jr. Renault 1:28.582
18 S. Buemi Scuderia Toro Rosso 1:28.708
19 G. Fisichella Force India F1 1:28.717
20 S. Bourdais Scuderia Toro Rosso 1:28.918

Source : Planet F1

The Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution 7

2009-06-05T23:52:00.020+08:00

The standard and modified Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution 7

The Japanese made Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution 7 was introduce in year 2001 based on CT9A Platform with 2.0L Turbocharged Engine (4G63) output at 276hp (205kw) on engine itself and torque was increased again to 284 ft·lbf (385 N·m. Come with 5 speed Manual and also marked the first time an automatic drive train was introduce within this model line up - GT-A

The original Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution 7 was quite comfortable and stable ride. With 276HP on the engine, driving down the road in Kuala Lumpur Malaysia consider a quite powerful 4 door sedan car with a boot!!!

Original with full time 4wd with AYC system ,this car can take the corner like a roller coaster.

Here comes the 2 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution 7 mod with modification and exceeded 480HP on the Engine

Before that , the owner of this car already push the stock turbine up to 1.7BAR of BOOST!! with Aftermarket ECU and Fuel pump . The owner still not satisfied with the performance and he hungry for more!!!

Now this car can consider as a Mild Modification without touching the original 4G63 Engine Block and its produce 480HP!!!

OK, Now we talk about the process of the modification ,

At first , we searching for turbo kit system , well this really a headache as we have to search a turbine that suitable for this 4G63 Engine. If the turbine is too big , it will cause turbo lag and if the turbine is small, its unable to push a high horsepower on the engine ~ DAMN!!!!

Finally we found HKS GT3037S turbo kit at N1 Racing Sunway and this was secondhand!! Well although it was Used item but the turbo kit really in a very good condition .....and come with HKS Exhaust Manifold system and 44mm wastegate

This HKS turbine design with AR60 Front Housing and rear housing Measure at 0.84mm can consider a big turbine mean for 450HP and up, this might cause turbo lag , In Hong Kong , same car model with the same turbine , they mod and dyno at 630HP!!! Are you sure?

This modification , we change the injector from 560cc to 800cc manufactured by SARD Japan and powered with SARD 265LPH In tank fuel pump with Walbro 255LPH External fuel pump

The engine head also powered with Tomei 270" Pro Cam with Brian Crower Oversize valve (1MM) and Titanum Retainer. The Engine Head was port polish to ensure a better flow system together with Tomei 1.5mm Metal Gasket to get a perfect compression for high boost without damage the engine

HKS Twin Power was added in for a better ignition system , HKS Spec R intercooler system and HKS Racing type 2 Blow off valve also not missed

Then engine block,throttle system , Intake system still remain original and still VIRGIN!!

The engine Management system - Apex'i Power FC L'JETRO

At JC Racing Asia - we send the car for dyno and tune by KIM one of my friend
we felt so nervous...wondering how's the car will perform??? can it really achieve high horse power as expected ?

The answer is YES!!!!!

End up with roughly around 550HP on engine and 426HP ON wheel
Boost at 1.5bar !!! with stock internal !!! that is magnificent!!!

I took the car for a run at one of the highway ~ well...this car perform very well..but turbo lag really irritating me otherwise it's really good to drive around

The respond from 4200RPM the turbo only kick in ~~ and full boost at 6300RPM~ means I have to pull at least 8000RPM to get power

ehh this is Alvin favourite car too~~~!!

Simon

Prac Two: Heikki sets the pace for McLaren

2009-06-05T23:28:00.000+08:00

Friday 5th June 2009

Heikki Kovalainen showed massive signs of improvement in Turkey on Friday as the McLaren driver topped the timesheets, albeit by only 0.006s over Fernando Alonso.

Kovalainen hit the front of the timesheets prior to the halfway stage of the session and quickly set about extending his lead over the chasing pack. And although Alonso put in a late charge, the Spaniard found himself 0.006s off the pace.

Robert Kubica went someway towards putting his Monaco disaster behind him as the Polish driver finished in the third place.

However, it must be noted that all the drivers up and including Nick Heidfeld in 16th place were separated by just 0.7s.

Report: Friday's second practice got underway with the track temperature already sitting at a very warm 43'C and cloud cover building over the circuit. Seb Buemi, Kazuki Nakajima and Nico Rosberg were the first drivers out on track with Buemi and Rosberg both staying out for a second lap. Buemi crossed the line with a 1:38.417 which was easily beaten moments later by Rosberg, who took 7.8s off the Toro Rosso driver's time.

Nelson Piquet soon overhauled them both while Nakajima went third quickest ahead of Jarno Trulli, Timo Glock and Giancarlo Fisichella. Heikki Kovalainen was next into the P1 slot before Piquet returned to take it off him by 0.039s.

Rosberg became the first driver to take to the run-off area as he went wide at Turn 1. Kovalainen edged Piquet to hit the front of the pack but was soon beaten by his team-mate Lewis Hamilton while Robert Kubica went third ahead of Jenson Button. Fernando Alonso and Piquet slotted in second and third quickest while Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen and Felipe Massa were eighth and 12th.

Jarno Trulli improved to second place, 0.033s off Hamilton's pace with Mark Webber taking P4. Kovalainen joins the list of those struggling to stay on track but goes on to take third place on his very next lap. Kovalainen was the next to go P1 with Nakajima slotting in behind him.

Sebastian Vettel's running was brought to an early end when the Red Bull racer's RB5 came to a halt on the side of the track at Turn 2. The German was third quickest when he stopped.

Hamilton put his car into an impressive slide as the McLaren driver lost control coming out of Turn 1. Three laps later, using the softer rubber, the Brit put his MP4-24 into a massive spin. He was, however, able to continue.

Kubica improved to second place as he Polish driver made good use of his new updates, which include a double-decker diffuser. Bourdais runs wide at Turn 1. The drivers appearing to be having a great deal of problems with that corner, with many taking to the run-off area.

Alonso moved up to second place behind Kovalainen, 0.201s off the McLaren driver's pace. Rosberg, Trulli and Glock tussled amongst themselves for the final top eight positions while Massa made his way into the top ten in 10th place.

Nakajima spun at Turn 1 but stayed out on track while Massa had to take to the run-off at Turn 12 after failing to slow his Ferrari down in time for the left-hander. He too was able to continue.

The session ended with Kovalainen in the P1 slot, just 0.006s ahead of Alonso. Kubica was third.

Times
01 H. Kovalainen McLaren 1:28.841 37 laps
02 F. Alonso Renault 1:28.847 35 laps
03 R. Kubica BMW 1:29.056 35 laps
04 K. Nakajima Williams 1:29.091 37 laps
05 S. Vettel Red Bull 1:29.202 4 laps
06 J. Trulli Toyota 1:29.207 41 laps
07 N. Rosberg Williams 1:29.257 40 laps
08 R. Barrichello Brawn GP 1:29.305 35 laps
09 M. Webber Red Bull 1:29.383 39 laps
10 N. Piquet jr. Renault 1:29.401 38 laps
11 F. Massa Ferrari 1:29.416 38 laps
12 J. Button Brawn GP 1:29.430 33 laps
13 L. Hamilton McLaren 1:29.435 31 laps
14 T. Glock Toyota 1:29.518 40 laps
15 K. Räikkönen Ferrari 1:29.520 33 laps
16 N. Heidfeld BMW 1:29.550 40 laps
17 A. Sutil Force India F1 1:30.081 33 laps
18 G. Fisichella Force India F1 1:30.091 38 laps
19 S. Bourdais Scuderia Toro Rosso 1:30.295 39 laps
20 S. Buemi Scuderia Toro Rosso 1:30.629 37 laps

Source : Planet F1

TURKISH GP 2009

2009-06-05T23:22:00.001+08:00

The Turkish GP is here again this weekend. Both Friday practices were over today with some improvement from the big name teams of McLaren, Ferrari and BMW. The surprise were the Brawns were off the pace and Vettel had some soft of mechanical failure on his car.

I am pleasantly surprised that McLaren have made by the current standards a huge improvement compared to Monaco 2 weeks earlier. I was thinking that they would be having a problematic time at the low-medium downforce and fast flowing Istanbul track but so far they showed not only do they have pace but the grip is also there. The notorious and incredible turn 8 did not really throw them around.

For a more detailed report, I will re-publish the report from Planet F1 following this.

Alvin.

WELCOME

2009-06-05T23:03:00.003+08:00

Hey everybody and welcome to our latest blog. As you can probably see by now, this blog is about cars. Yes, we love cars in most shape, form and specs.

This blog is managed by 2 guys who are nuts about cars. Alvin and Simon who both are just your average Joes trying to make a living in KL while having dreams of owning cars like the BMW M3 or Lamborghini Gallardo, will post here their dealings with their most beloved topic - cars.

The views posted here will be on the layman's terms - simple, uncomplicated, honest and easy to understand. It is based on a petrolhead or kakimotor's views of the world of cars and motorsports. These includes car reviews, first impressions, test drives, opinions and actual hands-on car mods (when and if we get the chance).

We invite all to visit and use our blog and to leave comments but please make sure to be constructive instead of destructive. And no profanities please.

Thank you and enjoy.

Alvin.