What do Formula1 stars like Lewis Hamilton, Nico Rosberg and Timo Glock have in common?
They were all past champions in GP2, a recognized feeder series for F1. Even runners-up Heikki Kovalainen (2005), Nelson Piquet Junior (2006) and Lucas di Grassi (2007) were offered roles as test drivers in the year following their achievements – all for Renault F1, interestingly. Both Piquet Junior and Kovalainen eventually made the graduation to a race seat. +Continue Reading
In case you haven’t noticed, a brand new lane just opened up on our roads. This is not the result of any road widening exercise, but due to a group of motorists who have vacated the lane in question.
What new lane, you wonder? Is it some elusive, secret lane that will magically materialise when you flash your high beam three times in quick succession? Not really. If you found yourself travelling on the innermost lane, yet moving ahead more speedily and smoothly than the traffic in the supposedly faster outer lanes, bingo. It’s almost as if you were driving in a left-hand drive country, where the left lane is for overtaking. +Continue Reading
For those of you who didn’t know, 2010′s Formula One season will see the “return” of Lotus to the grid after a 15-year absence. In all likelihood, the Lotus of 2010 will be quite different from the feisty team that started life as a car maker in t1~ late 1950s, an English outfit led by its legendary founder, Colin Chapman. In all, Lotus chalked up seven championships, 79 race wins and 107 pole positions.
In true Chapman tradition, Lotus formula race cars always tended to be unconventional. The Type 25 entered for the 1962 race was the first F1 car to have a stressed monocoque chassis. The Type 49 was the first racer whose engine also served as a structural component to the chassis. +Continue Reading
Honda’s first production petrol-hybrid, the Insight, made its appearance here 10 years ago to motoring journalists and a small bunch of earth-loving folk. It was a mini celebrity of sorts. After all, few have seen an electric-petrol car in the metal, save for those who were at the 1997 Tokyo Motor Show and saw the Honda J-VX concept.
This subcompact hatchback, which measures less than 4m long and weighs a scant 838kg, was the first Honda to feature its proprietary Integrated Motor Assist system. This is basically a clever electrical motor that adds 13bhp to the 70bhp produced by the 1-litre, 3-cylinder engine, and charges a series of commercial grade D-size nickel-metal hydride batteries behind the seats. +Continue Reading
It was extremely pleasant to drive, with more than adequate performance in city driving and a range of approximately 160km. Its only problem, like all pure electric vehicles, is that each re-fueling duration is six to eight hours, a far cry from the 10 minutes or so for a normal vehicle.
Despite great strides in battery technology, especially over the last three decades, the energy storage density of the best of its kind is still no match for the internal combustion engine’s liquid fuel. +Continue Reading
Don’t take chances with your life and that of others on the road. You can drink and be merry – but do drink responsibly, which means the “correct” mode of transport for you “spirited” shindig. Here are the recommended options:
1) Take a taxi there and back. If you wish to save on cab fare, you could take a bus or train there and hail a taxi at the end of your festivity. Besides staying on the right side of the law, you also don’t have to worry about rush hour traffic, parking problems and carpark charges. +Continue Reading
