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MOUNTAIN-BIKING SPILL MAY HAVE


racing


COST WEBBER F1 TITLE PARIS: Mark Webber admitted last week that his chances of taking the Formula One world drivers’ title in 2010 received a huge blow when he drove the final four races of the season with a broken shoulder. The 34-year-old Webber revealed in his book Webber Up Front, published by the BBC, that his title challenge was hindered by the injury he suffered in a mountain bike accident before the Japanese Grand Prix in early October. “On the Sunday morning before


Suzuka, I got on a mountain bike for the first time since my accident in Tasmania at the end of 2008,” wrote Webber, referring to the time he broke his leg when he came off his bike and was hit by a car. “I was riding with a great friend of mine. Suddenly, he crashed right in front of me and I had nowhere to go but straight through the bike handlebars. I suffered what they call a skier’s fracture on my right shoulder.” Webber, who would have become the first Australian since Alan Jones in 1980 to be crowned world champion, still finished second in Japan behind Red Bull teammate and ultimately champion Sebastian Vettel, thanks to the inclement weather and help from team boss Christian Horner. However, the rest of the season saw a decline in the straight-talking Webber’s fortunes as the next race in South Korea saw him fail to finish, and his second spot in Brazil saw him go into the final race in Abu Dhabi behind two-time champion Fernando Alonso.


AFP


PIQUETS WIN LIBEL CASE OVER ‘CRASHGATE’


■ Porsche Cayenne is even offered with a hybrid power plant.


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f.y.i


subtle circular patterns, and the cushion- ing beneath is firm and supportive. The plastic used on the dashboard and other panels has a rich texture—meaning it feels expensive. The switches and control stalks don’t seem like they would break in your hands. The feel is very, very Euro car, and those from the pricey brands at that, too. In fact, the Fiesta’s wipers are activated with an upward tug at its control stalk and the lights are switched on via a knob, like in most European cars—BMWs, for one. Speaking of things Euro, the Fiesta— despite its global-car development and intent—is unabashedly Teutonic in ride quality, handling response and robustness of structure. It tends to bounce over the roads’ rough stuff but that’s something I like in a subcompact hatchback. I don’t want one that rides softly but rather one that’s frisky and perky. Plush is OK on bigger cars, but for small hatchbacks quick steering reactions, agility and fun handling should be the norms, to which the Fiesta delivers on all counts.


Flick the steering wheel and the car turns right now. On faster bends, it remains relatively flat, not tilting too much on one side. Quick changes in direction also fail to unsettle it. At cruising speeds, it’s stable and quiet. The car’s damping, though firm, is acceptable when it rolls over small potholes and debris. And over uneven surfaces, there isn’t a hint of chassis flex. Notwithstanding its entry- level hatchback status, the car feels as sturdy as sturdy gets.


The Fiesta Sport’s propulsion isn’t something to snipe at either. Rated to make 119 horsepower at 6,000rpm and 151 Newton-meters of torque at 4,050rpm, the twin-cam, 16-valve, 1.6-liter engine that has independent variable camshaft timing breathes easily and is capable of


lugging the car around briskly. Its power isn’t explosive by any stretch but it’s sufficient for stoplight sprints and for passing slower traffic. During the Fiesta’s Thailand launch gig, the car was driven at speeds north of 150kph without trouble. Too bad the Fiesta Sport’s six-speed, dual-clutch automatic transmission, which Ford brands as PowerShift, isn’t as glitch-free. The way a dual-clutch system is designed, a gear is always engaged and ready to report for duty when it’s called. For example; if the car is in first gear, second gear is already engaged by the transmission’s other shaft even as the shaft carrying first gear is receiving the power from the engine. So when it’s time to shift up, the shaft carrying second gear instantaneously takes over as the other shaft with the first gear unfastens itself from the engine—and starts to ready third gear. The process isn’t as confusing as it sounds, and everything is orchestrated by electronics. From the driver’s seat, it works like any other automatic gearbox with PRND settings, and there’s no clutch pedal to stomp on.


My beef with the Fiesta Sport’s system is that it tends to get jerky on some occasions, like when the car is crawling in traffic. This glitch—more like a hiccup— happens when the gearbox gets caught in an awkward moment while it’s in the process of shifting up and you lift off the throttle, making it revert to the lower gear. This causes the car to lurch, and suddenly you feel like a fumbling newbie or a ham-fisted driver. The thing doesn’t always happen, maybe three times during a half-hour of traffic crawling, but it gets your attention every time.


So, be a man and get a manual, even if in the Fiesta’s case that would mean going for the smaller 1.4-liter engine.


MESS IN SINGAPORE GP LONDON: Nelson Piquet Jr. and his former world champion father are to receive “substantial” damages after suing Renault for libel in a British court case linked to Formula One’s “Crashgate” affair. The Piquets accused Renault of issuing a false statement concerning the duo in September last year, suggesting they had lied about their role in the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix. Piquet Jr. had stated he was ordered


to crash by team bosses in order to help then teammate Fernando Alonso win the race. Renault was later given a two-year suspended ban from Formula One when the case was heard by the World Motor Sport Council, a ruling which gave the Piquets grounds to sue for libel in British courts. The Piquets’ lawyer, Dominic


Crossley, said in a statement that Renault had apologized in court for their treatment of the pair. “They were both treated appallingly


by Renault F1 when they dared to reveal the scandal to the governing body, and Piquet Jr. was abused terribly throughout his absurdly short career in F1,” Crossley said.


Renault issued an unreserved


apology, saying the 2009 statement condemning the Piquets was inaccurate and that the driver had been telling the truth.


AFP


MINI COUNTRYMAN WORLD RALLY CAR PASSES


SHAKEDOWN TESTS MINI driver Kris Meeke gave the MINI Countryman World Rally Car top grades after a two-day shakedown on asphalt roads in Sardinia, Italy, that was held early this month. Beyond some rudimentary test mileage completed in the UK, the Countryman had never been vigorously driven on asphalt before the Sardinia drive. “The car was great,” said Meeke. “The feedback from the chassis was perfect and that’s something which is much more pronounced on asphalt. I have driven a lot of cars in the last few years and I can tell you this one has been born very well. I’m really pleased. I just want to get on and drive it more and more.” Meeke also conducted some tests on


gravel, adding to the asphalt shake- down, which enabled him to established a base set-up for the car’s suspension. For his part, the MINI team’s


Manila Bug-in Volkswagen Beetles of various vintages preen at the naval parade grounds in Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City,


during the recent celebration of Volkswagen Day in the Philippines. VW clubs all over the country gather every December for competition, parts and memorabilia sale and camaraderie. More than 200 Bugs attended this year’s event.


technical boss, David Lapworth, who was present throughout the test, said; “We made a few sensitivity changes to see how the car reacted on asphalt but we ended the test very close to where we had started in terms of set-up— which is very good.” The test also allowed MINI its first


opportunity to test Michelin’s asphalt tire. Lapworth said that they tested the soft and hard asphalt tires in wet and dry conditions but didn’t reveal details on the team’s findings on it.


FAST TIMES


■ An engineer works on Goodyear’s “spring” tire.


● AWARDS ● SPECIAL PROMOS ● ANNOUNCEMENTS ● MILESTONES


»PORSCHE CAYENNE HAULS AWARDS IN EUROPE, US THE Porsche Cayenne has received the Golden Steering Wheel 2010, an award that’s the


product of a poll among the readers of Auto Bild and Bild am Sonntag, as well as the personnel of 26 other car magazines in Europe, according to PGA Cars, the Philippine distributor of Porsche cars. The Cayenne, which topped the awards’ SUV category, was cited for its attractive design, extreme functionality, high performance and driving pleasure typical of a Porsche. Porsche had previously won the Golden Steering Wheel in 2000 with the 911 Turbo, in 2005 with the Carrera GT and in 2009 with the Panamera. In the US, the Cayenne was voted as SUV of the Year by Motor Trend, PGA Cars said, adding that the vehicle emerged as the best among the 15 new models that were evaluated by the prestigious publication. The criteria for the award were based on a vehicle’s design, technology, fuel efficiency, safety, value stability and performance. PGA Cars noted that the awards validate the Cayenne’s phenomenal commercial


success worldwide. For more information, visit PGA Cars Porsche Center Phils. 201 EDSA, Mandaluyong City or call 727-0381 to 85.


»CATS MOTORS INC. GETS CONSUMER AWARD DEALERSHIPS of CATS Motors Inc., the Philippine distributor of Mercedes-Benz, Chrysler,


Dodge and Jeep vehicles, recently received the Silver Bagwis Award and Consumer Welfare Desk Accreditation from the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI). The DTI gives the award as recognition to business establishments that uphold consumer rights and that engage in responsible business practices. The award was given to CATS President Felix Ang by DTI Provincial Director Area 2 Arnaldo del Rosario at the CATS showroom in Greenhills, San Juan.


»FOTON HOLDS ‘PALITAN’ FEST IN NUEVA ECIJA FOTON Motor Phils. (FMP) announced it recent held its Palitan Fest promo in its show-


room in Santa Rosa, Nueva Ecija, where customers availed of garage sale-style of trading in old vehicles for brand-new Foton models. FMP said that besides offering high trade-in rates, on-the-spot loan approvals, flexible payment terms and affordable prices, guests also received discounts and limited-edition FMP collectibles. FMP noted that its customers were mostly businessmen who require commercial


vehicles for goods and services. “They simply wanted to replace their old trucks and pickups to relieve themselves of increasing maintenance costs,” said Foton Nueva Ecija General Manager Jaymee Pascual. According to FMP, Foton Nueva Ecija opened in December 2009 and has since been rapidly progressing.


»GOODYEAR, NASA CITED FOR ‘TIRE THAT WON’T GO FLAT’ GOODYEAR Phils. said that Goodyear Tire and Rubber


Co. and the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) have been cited with the R&D 100 Award for an airless tire capable of transporting large, long-range vehicles across the surface of the moon or Mars. The recognition was given at the 44th Annual R&D 100 Awards recently held in Orlando, Florida. Goodyear said the tire, developed last year, is


constructed out of 800 load bearing springs and is meant to carry significantly heavier vehicles over much greater distances than the wire mesh tire previously used on the Apollo Lunar Roving Vehicle. The new “spring” tire allows for broader explora- tion and the eventual development and mainte- nance of planetary outposts, as well as some


possible applications on Earth, according to Goodyear. “This tire is extremely durable and extremely energy efficient,” said Jim Benzing,


Goodyear’s lead innovator on the project. “The spring design contours to the surface on which it’s driven to provide traction. But all of the energy used to deform the tire is returned when the springs rebound. It doesn’t generate heat like a normal tire.” According to Goodyear engineers, the new tire was developed because conventional rubber pneumatic tires used on Earth have little utility on the moon.


»SUZUKI TO MOUNT GRAND INVASION EVENT SUZUKI Phils. Inc. (SPI) announced it will be staging this year’s edition of its Grand


Invasion event that will be held at the Mall of Asia on December 16 to 19. SPI said the event will feature Suzuki’s full model range, the Suzuki Apparel line, free


servicing, check-up and oil change for motorcycles, a stunt show the company’s stunt-riding team, the Raider Breed Wars drag race, a mini concert and a dance competition. A grand motorcycle motorcade by around 300 riders will also be held, as well as a safety riding summit that will be led by no Senator Ramon “Bong” Revilla, author of the country’s Helmet Law.


gloveBOX COOL RUNNINGS


PERFORMANCE PARTS • TOOLS LITERATURE • ACCESSORIES


Prestone Coolant Concentrate prevents engines from overheating, and using it (mixed with distilled water) allows engines a higher boiling point. Coolant Concentrate also has inhibitors that helps keep metal parts resistant to rust and corrosion while also keeping rubber parts in good condition. Mix equal parts of Coolant Concentrate and distilled water and the engine can reach temperatures of up to 129 degrees Celsius; 60-percent Coolant Concentrate and 40-percent distilled water can achieve 132 degrees Celsius; and 70-percent Coolant Concentrate and 30-percent distilled water can achieve 136 degrees Celsius. Coolant Concentrate and Prestone


Ready-To-Use are available in auto supplies and hardware stores.


APPENS T


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