ACE CAFE RADIO

    mercredi 15 juillet 2015

    ERC, Rally Estonia : A toute allure / full speed ahead!


    Les trois leaders du Championnat d’Europe des Rallyes FIA, Craig Breen, Kajetan Kajetanowicz et Robert Consani, sont attendus au départ de l’auto24 Rally Estonia, 6e manche de la saison, où ils seront opposés aux véloces pilotes estoniens.
    En 2014, l’Estonien Ott Tanak avait remporté ce rallye à la vitesse moyenne de 126,8 km/h sur sa Ford Fiesta R5 ! L’auto24 Rally Estonia est donc plus rapide que les Rallye de Pologne et Rallye de Finlande en WRC…
    La 6e manche du championnat ERC emmène donc les concurrents sur les pistes en terre ultra-rapide du sud-est de l’Estonie, vers Otepää, Elva et Tartu, pour 16 spéciales endiablées et 202,86 km chronométrés. La plus longue, Ristimae (34,91 km) sera à parcourir deux fois d’affilée samedi.
    L’auto24 Rally Estonia, une épreuve très populaire, a rejoint le calendrier ERC l’an passé et a reçu un prix pour son organisation. C’est l’ancien pilote WRC Urmo Aava qui est à la tête de l’équipe organisatrice. Cette année, 66 engagements ont été acceptés, dont 7 Ford Fiesta R5, 3 Peugeot 208 T16, 2 Citroën DS3 R5 ou encore 14 Juniors.
    Le leader du championnat, Craig Breen (208/Michelin), a laissé passer l’occasion de creuser l’écart au Rallye d’Ypres (abandon) alors qu’il se battait pour la victoire. L’Irlandais, qui va enchaîner avec le Rallye de Finlande deux semaines plus tard, aura donc pour objectif de devancer son plus proche rival, le Polonais Kajetan Kajetanowicz (Fiesta), qui va découvrir cette épreuve.
    Mais attention aux très véloces pilotes estoniens qui évoluent régulièrement en WRC comme Karl Kruuda (DS3 R5), Martin Kangur (Fiesta R5), Sander Parn (Fiesta R5) ou encore Timmu Korge (208 T16), 3e l’an passé. Le multiple champion finlandais Juha Salo sera aussi de la partie sur une Peugeot 208 T16, sans oublier les pilotes de Mitsubishi Lancer comme Alexey Lukyanuk (2een 2014), Rainer Aus ou encore Egon Kaur qui auront leur mot à dire sur ces spéciales.
    A suivre également les jeunes prodiges Ole-Christian Veiby (Citroën DS3 R3) et Teenu Suninen (Skoda Fabia S2000) venus s’échauffer en vue du Rallye de Finlande.
    C’est une bataille à plus de 115 km/h de moyenne qui attend les 14 concurrents Juniors. Emil Bergqvist (Opel Adam) est leader de la série devant Chris Ingram (Peugeot) et Marijan Griebel (Opel Adam). Tous les animateurs de ce championnat sont attendus en Estonie.
    La Qualifying Stage est programmée vendredi 17 juillet avant la cérémonie de départ et la Superspéciale dans les rues de Tartu, la 2e plus grande ville du pays. L’arrivée est prévue dimanche 19 juillet en début d’après-midi.
    The 2015 FIA European Rally Championship’s pace-setters Craig Breen, Kajetan Kajetanowicz and Robert Consani are amongst the drivers who will line up for the sixth round in Estonia where they will face opposition from the talented locals.
    In 2014, home-grown Ott Tanak won the auto24 Rally Estonia at an average speed of 126.8kph in his Ford Fiesta R5! That makes it even faster than the WRC clashes in Poland and Finland!
    The ultra-fast gravel event in the southeast of the country near Otepää, Elva and Tartu features a menu of 16 stages totalling 202.86km. The longest – Ristimae (34.91km) – will be contested twice in succession on Saturday.
    This highly popular fixture joined the ERC calendar in 2014 and promptly earned a prize for the quality of its organising team which is led by former WRC driver Urmo Aava. This year, 66 entries have been received, including seven Ford Fiesta R5s, three Peugeot 208 T16s, two Citroën DS3 R5s and 14 Junior runners.
    The championship leader Breen (208/Michelin), whose programme will continue with Rally Finland, failed to extend his cushion in Ypres where he retired while battling for the win. His main mission will consequently be to finish clear of his biggest title threat Kajetan Kajetanowicz (Fiesta), from Poland, who will be contesting the event for the first time.
    A number of speedy locals could upset the Irishman’s plans, including WRC regulars Karl Kruuda (DS3 R5), Martin Kangur (Fiesta R5), Sander Parn (Fiesta R5) and Timmu Korge (208 T16) who came third in 2014. The multiple Finnish champion Juha Salo has entered a Peugeot 208 T16, and there will be Mitsubishi Lancer experts like Alexey Lukyanuk (2nd in 2014), Rainer Aus and Egon Kaur.
    Others to watch include youngsters Ole-Christian Veiby (Citroën DS3 R3) and Teenu Suninen (Skoda Fabia S2000) who will be looking for match practice ahead of Rally Finland.
    The 14 Junior entries are led by the championship leader Emil Bergqvist (Opel Adam) who currently figures in front of Chris Ingram (Peugeot) and Marijan Griebel (Opel Adam). All the competition’s top drivers will be in Estonia.
    The Qualifying Stage will take place on Friday, July 17, followed by the start ceremony and a super-special in the streets of Tartu, the country’s second-biggest city. The rally will end early on Sunday afternoon.

    LAS BARDENAS

    Shooting Photos / Vidéos dans le désert des Bardenas en Espagne pour la marque Gentlemen's Factory.

    LAS BARDENAS from Apache Films on Vimeo.

    Packard Bentley - the 42 Litre "Mavis" special.

    Footage of Chris Williams' Packard-engined Bentley special in the paddock on its debut at the Pageant of Power in 2010.


    Lords of Atlas - Alcan 5000

    The Baja 1000 was a challenge for our Triumph Tigers, the Alcan 5000 was a on a whole different plane. Rocks replaced sand, cold replaced heat, bee stings and river crossings replaced peace and quiet. And we crushed it.

    Team ICON RAIDEN turned Alaska inside out and upside down - traversing glaciers, blasting roads, and experiencing the grandeur and scope Alaska has to offer. 



    BUILDING YOUR DREAM IS A BEAUTIFUL THING



    “I wanted to experience what they experienced, and I didn’t know any other way to do it except by trying to build a car like they had,” says Peter Giacobbi, builder and owner of this incredible 1959 Ferrari 250 TR recreation.
    That’s right: recreation. A master fabricator, engineer, and builder, Giacobbi made this car in order to understand what his boyhood heroes like Juan Manuel Fangio and Graham Hill experienced when driving cars like the Ferrari 250 TR.
    His favorite design on any car ever, the project swung into high gear after finding a handmade aluminum body for a ’59 TR that had been sitting for decades. From there, Giacobbi began to figure out what he needed in order to complete the car.
    “I made everything look as close as possible…I copied the chassis, found the correct tail lights, had the instruments made…” “There are some things that are different from the original. It was impossible to find a good 3 litre motor, so I used a 4.4 and modified the aesthetics to look like the 250…” he says.
    He says that the car is very exciting, especially considering that it weighs 2,300 lbs and has 400 horsepower. “These cars are very hard to drive…It’s pure seat of the pants,” Giacobbi says.
    “I drive it as much as I can, I drive it down to the local coffee shop usually once or twice a week,” he says. But on any road—headed to any destination—his respect for racing greats is apparent, saying, “They’re not only heroes, they’re supermen to have driven at the high speeds for the distances they did is an absolute miracle.”
    Drive Tastefully®

    Une nouvelle ère pour le WRC en 2017 / A new era for the WRC from 2017


    En 2017, le nouveau règlement technique du Championnat du monde des Rallyes FIA va profondément modifier le look des World Rally Cars qui seront également plus puissantes et plus spectaculaires. 
    Réuni à Mexico en fin de semaine dernière, le Conseil Mondial de la FIA a approuvé les changements du WRC en 2017, un nouveau règlement technique défini en concertation avec tous les acteurs de la disciplines (constructeurs, marketing, promoteurs, organisateurs…).
    Les nouvelles World Rally Cars seront basées sur des modèles de série d’une longueur supérieure ou égale à 3,90 mètres, ce qui offre des opportunités supplémentaires aux constructeurs sur des segments des voitures citadines et compactes très fournis.
    Les WRC actuelles font déjà parties du segment des voitures citadines - Hyundai i20 (4,03 m), VW Polo V (3,97 m), Ford Fiesta (3,95 m), DS3 (3,95 m). En revanche, la Toyota Yaris est plus courte (3,75 m) et, a priori, ne pourrait donc être utilisée pour le retour de la marque en WRC.
    Les constructeurs pourront également homologuer leurs World Rally Cars à partir du segment des voitures compactes (exemple : Toyota Auris, BMW Série 1 et 3, DS4, Honda Civic, Audi A3, Seat Leon, Opel Astra…).
    Le look des World Rally Cars sera différent et plus radical grâce à des appendices aérodynamiques plus protubérants. Par exemple, le pare-chocs avant pourra « avancer » de 60 mm et comporter des éléments aérodynamiques. Le pare-chocs arrière pourra dépasser de 30 mm, l’aileron arrière sera plus imposant, ainsi que le diffuseur arrière (qui pourra dépasser de 50 mm le pare-chocs) et les seuils de portes. Visuellement, on se rapprochera des Groupe B qui ont marqué le WRC dans les années 1980.
    Les World Rally Cars seront aussi plus puissantes et performantes. Elles seront toujours motorisées par un 1600 cm3 turbo à injection directe, mais la bride d’admission passe de 33 à 36 mm ; la pression de turbo reste 2,5 bars. On estime que la puissance sera d’environ 400 chevaux. Le poids du véhicule sera réduit de 25 kg et la largeur de châssis sera augmentée de 25 mm.
    Bernard Niclot, Directeur technique de la FIA, a déclaré : « Ce règlement vise trois objectifs principaux ; rendre la voiture spectaculaire, tenir compte des coûts et garantir, sinon renforcer, la sécurité. Les voitures seront exceptionnelles, cela ne fait aucun doute et de petites améliorations, toujours importantes, ont été réalisées en matière de sécurité. Je pense que nous avons atteint nos objectifs tout en conférant encore davantage de valeur ajoutée au WRC. »
    « Ce nouveau règlement annonce une nouvelle période passionnante pour le Championnat du Monde des Rallyes de la FIA. Les voitures de 2017 seront non seulement plus spectaculaires mais aussi plus puissantes et plus performantes », a reconnu Malcolm Wilson, directeur de M-Sport. «  Le concept me rappelle vraiment les grands jours du Groupe B et avec les excellentes mesures de sécurité instaurées par la FIA, c’est un nouveau chapitre très prometteur que l’on ouvre pour le WRC. »
    « Certes, les voitures auront un aspect complètement différent et la coque sera profondément remaniée mais un certain nombre de composants clés peuvent être améliorés et repris de notre voiture actuelle. D’un point de vue financier, le développement de certaines pièces peut être renforcé et toute l’équipe a vraiment hâte de commencer à plancher sur ce nouveau projet. »
    Si les nouvelles voitures seront fin prêtes à partir de 2017, les WRC homologuées entre 2011 et 2016 demeureront admissibles dans le Championnat du monde des Rallyes FIA mais ne seront pas mises en conformité avec le Règlement Technique 2017. L’homologation d’une World Rally Car 2017 ne sera achevée qu’après qu’un constructeur se sera inscrit au Championnat pour Constructeurs 2017.
    New technical regulations due to come into force in 2017 will have a radical effect on the look and performance of next-generation World Rally Cars. 
    Last week’s FIA World Council meeting in Mexico approved a number of changes to the WRC’s technical regulations from 2017 following discussions with the discipline’s chief players (manufacturers, marketing, promoters, organisers, etc.).

    The new cars will be based on production models with a length equal to or more than 3.90 metres. This will provide manufacturers will additional opportunities over the current compact city cars which include the existing Hyundai i20 (4.03m), VW Polo V (3.97m), Ford Fiesta (3.95 m) and DS3 (3.95m). It excludes the shorter Toyota Yaris (3.75m), however.

    Manufacturers will also be able to homologate World Rally Cars based on models like the Toyota Auris, Series 1 and 3 BMWs, DS4, Honda Civic, Audi A3, Seat Leon, Opel Astra, etc.

    Meanwhile, their visual impact promises to be more spectacular thanks to the use of aerodynamic parts which extend further around the body. For example, it will be possible to extend the front bumper overhang by 60mm and incorporate additional aero devices. Similarly, the rear bumper overhang can be increased by 30mm, while a bigger rear wing, bigger diffuser (which will be able to protrude 50mm past the rear bumper) and bigger sills will be authorised. Visually, the new cars will resemble the Group B machines that marked the mid-1980s.

    Power and performance will also be upped. Engines will still be 1,600cc turbocharged units with direct injection, but the air restrictor will be 36mm instead of 33mm. With turbo pressure still capped at 2.5 bar, power output is likely to reach around 400hp for a minimum weight reduced by 25kg and chassis width increased by 25mm.

    “There were three main objectives with these regulations: make the car spectacular, be mindful of costs, and maintain, if not increase safety,” notes FIA Technical Director Bernard Niclot. “The cars will be striking, there is no doubt about that, and there are small but always significant improvements in relation to safety. I think we have achieved our targets in helping to add yet more value to the WRC.”

    “These new regulations mark the start of an exciting new era for the FIA World Rally Championship,” says M-Sport Managing Director Malcolm Wilson. “Not only will the 2017 cars look a lot more spectacular, but we will also see an increase in power and performance. The concept really does remind me of the Group B days. When you combine that with the fantastic safety measures that the FIA have worked to implement, this marks the start of a thrilling new chapter for the WRC.

    “Although the cars will look completely different and there will be some substantial work on the bodyshell, a number of key components can be enhanced and carried over from our current car. From a financial point of view, a number of parts that we are currently working to develop can be taken a step further and the whole team is really looking forward to getting started on this new project.”

    WRC cars homologated between 2011 and 2016 will continue to be eligible to compete in the world championship without having to comply with the 2017 regulations. The homologation process itself is dependent on the carmaker being registered for the Manufacturers’ championship.

    What Does It Mean To Be An Automotive Enthusiast?



    by
     

    I’d like to take a trip down memory lane, to a time where you had your first automotive experience. For some, it may have been the first time they took a ride in their grandfather’s hot rod and the feeling of what seemed to be a massive leather bench seat hugging their hips; the sound of the engine cranking and the excitement of the pilot responsibly hitting the gas pedal waiting for you to explode in a giggle-fit of joy. For others, it may be as simple as the first time their parents took them to a car show, where their eyes were exploding with every ounce of automotive culture that surrounded them; picking and choosing from their favorites of the show…
    As in my case, it may have even started a bit late, like when I first got my license and simply fell head over heels with the freedom that accompanied four tires and a laminated picture ID.
    MJones_Beetle-18
    It didn’t matter what was jolting your shoulders to the back of the seat on that first ride, and it didn’t matter that your favorite car of the show was most likely not anywhere near tasteful – because we were innocent. We were children floating through the experiences with an open mind; following nothing but the feeling in our gut without the concern of being ridiculed for what was right or wrong.
    MJones_Beetle-12
    So let’s go back to that innocence – just for these few moments, at the least. And in the case of this 1965 Beetle, let’s forget the whole ‘stance’ thing ever happened. Let’s also forget the function wars; the ‘my car is better than yours because of its ride height’ apparel; the plethora of blogs and shops solely dedicated to camber specifications and the general separation that is amongst our community due to this specific type of style.
    MJones_Beetle-5
    Forget all of it. Let’s be kids again. Let’s be genuine adults and enthusiasts rather than rampaging adolescents hiding behind the fortitude of our wireless internet providers. Even better, let’s be artists. Because at the end of the day, that’s exactly what we are.
    MJones_Beetle-35
    As hard as it is for the gearheads and fabricators to swallow, every piece you cut, weld, and mold is you being an artist in the purest form. Those of you who are more cultural observers and simply attend meets to check out the scene, you are curators waddling through a vast pond; picking and pointing out whatever sends an emotional shiver down your spine.
    MJones_Beetle-20
    And for the ones like Erik Stevenson – the owner of this near-50-year-old ratty hunk of metal –you are creators; cautiously picking your pallet, modifying your details to the nth degree as you dig through junkyards in effort to recreate that initial feeling of innocence. That first automotive ‘high’ so to speak.
    MJones_Beetle-15
    Fellow artists, that high is the reason this car is on Speedhunters. It may lose to a tricycle in a speed bump battle, and it may very well be hardly even drivable (though it is). But beneath that testerone, 9-5 caffeine-enraged shell of yours, you know there’s the innocent child in you that can’t deny how freaking cool this Bug looks. It’s a rolling performance piece that some of us will absolutely adore, and others will regret they ever wasted their time stepping into the venue. So in the spirit of this fluffy chatter, let’s continue to take a step back and view the artistic direction and decisions that our artist chose to make in creating this piece, rather than instantly writing it off without understanding.

    BMW R100RS by Cytech


    BMW R100RS_cafe_racer1
    Words by Ian Lee.
    Somewhere along the way BMW Motorrad missed an opportunity. An opportunity to build a real factory café racer. A bike which would make the heart race faster. To continue the tradition that was born in the R90S, that of BMW saying ‘hey guys, look, we can build exciting bikes’. Don’t get me wrong, the R100RS of the mid seventies was a nice bike for its time. But it could have been so much more. Luckily, Donovan Muller of Cytechcould see the potential in this 1977 BMW R100RS, and utilising factory componentry, has managed to produce what might have been. And it would have been good.
    BMW R100RS_cafe_racer2
    The idea to build a BMW cafe racer came about after ‘many months of research and large amounts of tequila’. The current owner commissioned Cytech to build him a bike, with the decision made to aim for the one litre capacity, to have dual disc front and spoked rims. Luckily, a 1977 model R100RS was stumbled upon, the poor bike having been subjected to being customised and bobbed. The owner and Donovan of Cytech could see the ‘pure BMW cafe racer’ in the rough bike, and got to work.
    BMW R100RS_cafe_racer3
    Taking the bike back to bare bones, the frame and custom subframe were powder coated. While the power plant was out, it was stripped down, the engine casing was sandblasted, and the flywheel machined down. Once these simple yet productive processes were carried out, it was treated to a full rebuild and fitted with a deep dish sump. The Bing carbs were given a work over, and K&N pod filters fitted in place of the factory air box.
    BMW R100RS_cafe_racer4
    Utilising as many factory parts as possible, Cytech has kept the Beemer ‘looking like a bike that came off the production line, not chopped, hacked or highly modified but more of a thoroughbred’. The factory rims have just been polished up, the factory hubs sandblasted. Still sporting its original forks, they have been spruced up with a set of Wilbers progressive fork springs, and a custom front fender. Clip ons have been fitted, but the original controls and handlebar mounts have been used. At the tail end, a set of Wilbers adjustable rear shocks help support the custom seat produced for the build. Rolling on Metzeler tyres front and rear, the power comes through the rebuilt factory gearbox to the original diff assembly. So much BMW goodness.
    BMW R100RS_cafe_racer9
    To keep that factory look, a BMW fuel tank is fitted, albeit modified with a Monza fuel cap. The colour scheme for the bike is ‘Tequila Sunrise’, a colour reminiscent of the factory R90S paintjob. To keep with the sporting look of the airhead, the exhaust is made up of stainless headers feeding into upswept trumpet style tail pipes.
    BMW R100RS_cafe_racer8
    Low and lean, this burnt orange Beemer is exactly what the customer ordered, with Donovan explaining: “the bike and the dream became a reality, looking better than imagined and rides like a beast.” Your loss BMW.
    BMW R100RS_cafe_racer5
    via PIPEBURN

    AfricaEcoRace 2015


    Tatoo.......