Categories
News WRC

From Argentina to Australia, no bull

Volkswagen service park, 2013 Rally Argentina

As the setting sun brought a close to Rally Argentina a meticulous process of cleaning and packing began. And with that comes an insight into the logistics of the WRC.

This year’s calendar sees the teams globetrotting from race to race. Already they’ve been to Europe, Scandinavia, North America, Europe and now, South America. The next few rallies keep the teams in Europe until September when they head down under for Rally Australia.

For Volkswagen, at least, the service park used in Argentina will be shipped to Australia. Sebastien Ogier’s website brings up to speed on that process:

While Sébastien Ogier, Jari-Matti Latvala and Andreas Mikkelsen were out hunting best times on Saturday, the Service Park was being meticulously packed up. Under aggravated conditions, at that – observed by Australian Health Department officials, as a large portion of the equipment will be shipped directly Down Under, where the final flyaway rally of the season will be staged in September.

Australia imposes stringent quarantine conditions to prevent the influx of disease. At the top of the most-wanted list: strains of the deadly bovine foot-and-mouth disease. This is virtually omnipresent in Argentinean soil. Thus the Australian delegation insists upon absolute cleanliness. “All our equipment has to be clinically clean,” says Ralf Arneke, who is responsible for Volkswagen Motorsport’s mammoth logistics operation. “Only when the officials do not find a speck of dust or the tiniest stone do they affix their seal.”

Volkswagen Motorsport sends seven containers packed with equipment on tour. Using compressed air, vacuum cleaners, cleaning materials and even paint brushes the containers and their contents are painstakingly cleaned. “We go as far as partially stripping test cars to make cleaning easier,” explains Arneke. At times the Australians have even grabbed a steam cleaner themselves to ensure that clean is absolutely clean for safety’s sake.

[Source: sebastien-ogier.com]

Categories
Formula 1 News

Here’s your second look at F1 movie ‘Rush’

Rush movie trailer

It’s only a few days since the first official preview of Ron Howard’s F1 movie Rush came to light and already we’ve got a second clip to see.

As you can see from the recreation of the Nürburgring starting grid captured in the still image above the attention to detail from Howard appears first class. We just have to hope the balance between Hollywood blockbuster and bona fide F1 flick is right.

The advertised premiere date is 20 September 2013, we’ll have to wait and see if that includes Australia as well.

UPDATE: Ron Howard has just completed a Q&A session with fans via twitter, you can read what was asked and what was answered HERE.

Categories
Formula 1 News

Here’s your first look at F1 movie ‘Rush’

Trailer for Ron Howard's F1 movie Rush

This is the first official preview of Ron Howard’s F1 movie Rush. One of the hardest things for Howard to achieve will be capturing realistic racing footage. There will be some sequences that won’t look genuine, but if the recreation of Niki Lauda’s crash at the Nürburgring is anything to go by, Howard and his crew have done a fantastic job.

We’re not sure if we’ll see anything new between now and the movie’s release in September, but with the soundtrack appearing recently as well, perhaps a slow trickle of details will further increase the anticipation of Formula 1 fans around the globe.

[Thanks to Dylan for the tip]

Categories
Formula 1 News

Soundtrack from the F1 movie ‘Rush’

Here’s some music from Ron Howard’s movie Rush, about the 1976 Formula 1 championship battle between Niki Lauda and James Hunt. The music was created by noted composer Hans Zimmer.

If you like what you hear you can download the track for yourself via the movie’s official website.

Rush is scheduled for release in September. When we learn more about its Australian release we’ll let you know.

Categories
Mazda News Safety Issues

Over 1500 Mazda6 models affected by recall

2013 Mazda6

Mazda Australia says 1531 Australian delivered new Mazda6 models are affected by a recall which numbers 15,000 vehicles worldwide.

According to Mazda there is a potential fault with the DC/DC converter, positioned beneath the front passenger’s seat, that in worst cases could cause a fire. Mazda will replace the convertor at no cost to the customer.

Owners will be contacted by Mazda to arrange the repair and a free loan vehicle will be provided while their car is off the road. Owners can also call Mazda Customer Support on 1800 034 411 for more information.

Categories
Motor Shows News

2013 Australian International Motor Show cancelled, 2014 may follow

Jaguar F-type at the 2012 Australian International Motor Show

The future of motor shows in Australia has been thrown into turmoil with word coming through that this year’s Australian International Motor Show has been cancelled. It was scheduled to be held in Melbourne from 28 June–7 July. The 2014 show in Sydney, to be held at Homebush while Darling Harbour’s Convention Centre undergoes renovations, is also under threat.

Russ Tyrie, AIMS event director, explained the decision to News Limited: “We have made the decision not to proceed based on the consensus view of the auto industry to focus limited marketing budgets on specific activities rather than an industry motor show.”

The article expands on this putting the costs of exhibiting at the show into a broader context:

In 2008 Mercedes-Benz rented the Mount Panorama race circuit for an entire week for less than it would cost to exhibit at the Sydney show. It invited VIP guests for track test drives and says it sold more cars than it would have done at the motor show.

At the 2012 Australian International Motor Show in Sydney attendance numbers were just 135,500, down from a peak of 320,000 in 2001. Similarly, 160,000 attended the most recent show in Melbourne, well down on its best figures of 257,000 achieved in 2004.

Declining participation from manufactures, citing increasing exhibition costs, had forced the Melbourne and Sydney shows to join forces to host the Australian International Motor Show in alternate years.

That theory still hasn’t worked with an anonymous manufacturer spokesperson telling News: “The exhibitor costs were getting out of hand and there are better and more effective ways to spend the money.”

Russ Tyrie added, “Decisions on future shows will be made by the committee based on market research and exploring opportunities as to how this event can best meet the needs of the industry and the public.”

[Source: News.com.au]

UPDATE 26 March: An official statement has been added below.

Categories
Motorsports News

Got €125m, the Nürburgring could be yours!

Nurburgring for sale!

Yes, the Nürburgring is for sale. Everything. The failed NüroDisney complex, the Grand Prix track and, worst of all, the famed Nordschleife circuit.

The government is hoping to recoup as much as it can from the €400 million that has been spent at the Nürburgring in recent years. Full private ownership, with no government involvement, is imminent. And the asking price is said to be just €125 million.

Should fans of the track be worried? Potentially, yes. We’ve covered the story more over at AUSringers, but here’s a taster from Dale Lomas, owner of the Bridge To Gantry website and employee for car rental business Rent4Ring:

I’m pessimistic. There’s no way the government can hang on to something like the ‘Ring. The EU are all over it. From the EU’s point of view, the German government has been caught red-handed spending taxpayers’ money on a private project to the benefit of only a handful of ‘businessmen’. Domestically the Nürburgring is competing with other circuits like Oschersleben, Hockenheim and Lausitzring. Within the EU it’s butting heads with greats like Le Mans, Silverstone and Monza. When Government-owned businesses are competing against the private industry, it all has to be above board and 100% transparent. The only thing clear about the Nürburgring in the last few years is that it’s swallowed over 400 million euros of taxpayers’ money. That’s not fair, is it? It doesn’t matter that it was wasted on a bunch of crap like the rollercoaster and the boulevard.

They are going to sell it. They’re going to wipe their hands of the whole sorry mess, take a paltry cash sum (offers are in the region of only €125 million for the whole thing) and by doing that they’re going to throw the whole region to the wolves of independent capitalism. All I can hope for is a fair and equal battlefield, where the local hotels and businesses like Rent4Ring get to offer their products on an equal footing to the new track owners… wish us luck!

[Source: Bridge To Gantry | Pic: racetours.co.uk]

Categories
Formula 1 News

Mark Webber slams Lance Armstrong

Mark Webber, Red Bull Racing

Mark Webber has used his final column for the BBC, for the time being, to unload his thoughts on Lance Armstrong. The 36-year-old Aussie reveals he sought inspiration form Armstrong around 1999–2000 while reflecting on his grandfather’s battle with cancer.

“One of my biggest heroes, and one of the biggest influences on my life, was my grandfather. The last year and a half of his life was torturous. He had the most brutal finish to his life with cancer, and that knocked me around because it knocked my dad around. I was 14,” said Webber.

But rather than simply use the Lance Armstrong story, Webber looked deeper. In 2001 he made contact with the staff at the Indiana University Medical Centre who helped Armstrong through his recovery.

“Curiosity got the better of me. I wanted to see the people who had treated him and ask some questions about how he was, knowing full well I’d probably get as far as the reception and that would be it.

“But two days later I got a phone call from Latrice Haney, the nurse who worked very closely with Lance. She’s the one Armstrong describes as a real angel—it’s one of the things he did get right as she was a lovely, kind-natured person.

“She was super-professional throughout and said he had been very tough; he’d really fought the cancer hard,” wrote Webber.

After Mark gained entry into F1 and his profile grew, opportunities to meet Armstrong soon came.

“Then, through friends of friends, I got to spend some time with Lance, did some rides with him and went to his ranch when I was in Texas after the 2004 Brazilian Grand Prix.

“It was such a big thing for me at the time. I jumped into Dead Man’s Hole with him and some of his mates; it’s a place he describes in the book as making him feel alive after his cancer survival.”

Categories
News

Life in the slow lane?

Queenstown, New Zealand

A short word to let you know that I plan to scale back AUSmotive for a while. That may mean you’ll see no updates for a week, or it might mean you see regular articles being added as per normal. I’m not really sure.

After almost five years of running AUSmotive out of love, and certainly not money, while also working full time in a totally unrelated field, I need a longer term break.

For now, though, thank you to all of you who have been regularly checking in to the site over the years and, hopefully, I’ll be back bigger and better at some stage in the future.

Liam
AUSmotive Editor/Founder

[Pic: Noah Hawthorne Photography]

Categories
News Subaru Toyota

Subaru BRZ/Toyota 86 named Wheels COTY

Subaru BRZ

The Subaru BRZ/Toyota 86 twins have been awarded the Wheels Car of the Year award. It joins a host of other awards collected by the Toybaru, including the Carsguide top honour.

Wheels editor Stephen Corby acknowledged the success of the Subaru–Toyota partnership, “Seldom do joint projects produce something remarkable like this.”

The magazine went on to describe some of the key attributes for the winning pair: “Never before has pure driving pleasure been so accessible. Affordable, remarkably rewarding to drive, efficient and safe, the collaboration between Toyota and Subaru left the competition behind and drove—with just a dab of oppo—onto the Wheels COTY podium.”

Categories
Motorsports News

Robert Kubica reveals F1 return unlikely

Robert Kubica

While driving an old WRC-spec Citroën C4 in the Rally di Como in Italy, Robert Kubica has revealed he is currently unable to drive single seater racecars, making a return to Formula 1 virtually impossible.

In a brief interview from Reuters posted to the BBC Sport website, Kubica said his focus is to get his “health and body back into the best condition.”

The former F1 driver will turn 28 in early December and stated he still hopes to compete in “high-level championships in rally or on a circuit.” However, “big limitation” to the movement of his right arm, injured in February 2011, means single seaters are not on his radar for now.

This is one of the sadder stories from F1 in recent times. All things being equal you’d think a fit and able Kubica would have already notched up a couple of wins at the wheel of the Lotus E20.

[Source: BBC]

Categories
News

Taking a short break

Queenstown, New Zealand

A quick note to say your usually reliable AUSmotive editor will be taking a short break. We apologise for the lack of updates in the last few days. Normal service should resume in around a week from now.

Just a shame the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Black Series is expected to be revealed while we’re away. C’est la vie!

[Pic: Noah Hawthorne Photography]