One of the things that still worries people about owning an electric vehicle is the distance it can travel before recharging of the battery pack is needed and, more importantly, whether they will find a station to do the recharging. It’s called ‘range anxiety’ and while constantly advancing battery technology is extending the range, there is still that fear for many people.
Well, Chris Ramsey cannot afford to have range anxiety on his mission next year as he will commit to driving over 27,000 kms in the Nissan Ariya, a SUV powered only by electricity. Ramsey will be undertaking the world’s-first all-electric driving adventure from the magnetic North Pole to the South Pole.
Departing in March 2023, the Scottish adventurer and his team in an Ariya will travel across several regions and continents as they go from the ‘top of the world’ to the ‘bottom of the world’. He will be the first person to drive in a vehicle of any type on a single journey through North, Central and South America, before crossing over to Antarctica.
The route will negotiate some of the world’s most extreme, brutal, and yet beautiful scenery, from snow-covered glacial landscapes to treacherous mountain climbs and vast desert dunes. It will put the Ariya to many kinds of tests over varied and rough terrain as well as temperatures ranging from below 30⁰C to 30⁰C. Battery packs are sensitive to high and low temperatures so this will also be a test of their durability and reliability in extreme conditions.
In preparation for the freezing Arctic and Antarctic conditions, Ramsey’s expedition vehicle will be modified with a custom rugged exterior fit for extreme terrain with upgraded wheels, tyres and suspension. A second, unmodified Ariya will act as a support vehicle throughout the Americas.
One system which will help Ramsey on rough terrain is e-4ORCE, Nissan’s most advanced all-wheel control technology. The system accurately manages power output and braking performance for smoothness and stability. Its ‘intelligence’ can trace the intended driving line over a variety of road surfaces, including wet and snowy roads, without the need for changes in driving style or input.
Chris Ramsey with a standard Nissan Ariya fully electric SUV.
“We’re proud to announce our partnership with Chris Ramsey and the ‘Pole to Pole’ expedition team,” said Nissan Executive Vice-President, Asako Hoshino, Global Head of Marketing & Sales. “The high-profile, challenging and exhilarating adventure supports Nissan Ambition 2030, the company’s long-term vision to empower mobility and beyond with electrification as a central focus. The vision aims to deliver exciting vehicles and technologies that empower customer journeys and society.
This isn’t the first all-electric expedition for Ramsey, though. He’s been on other adventures in electric vehicles for over a decade. In 2017, together with his wife, Julie, Ramsey was in the first team to complete the Mongol Rally in an all-electric vehicle. The pair travelled over 16,000 kms through multiple locales over 56 days in his own Nissan LEAF.
Earlier, in 2015, Ramsey tackled the 2,616-km journey from John O’Groats to Land’s End and back again in a LEAF, completing the journey across England in 2 days using only publicly available and free EV charging points.
Since being established in 1995, the modern DeLorean Motor Company (actually legally known as DeLorean Motors Reimagined LLC) has continued business associated with the famous stainless steel sportscar featuring gull-wing doors that appeared in ‘Back to the Future’ in 1985. While it’s done pretty well with the business, it has decided to also produce a brand new car and has been teasing this new model for the past few years.
Various teaser images have been released from time to time and even the design studio, ItalDesign, showed a darkened image of a sportscar with the gullwing doors, suggesting the model would be the DMC-12 reimagined for the 21st century. Interestingly, ItalDesign (owned by Volkswagen since 2015) was founded in 1967 by Giorgetto Giugiaro who was the designer of the DMC-12.
Today, the company has released a number of images that show us the complete car, uncamouflaged, which will be known as the Alpha5. “The Alpha5 is a representation of the past 40 years of DeLorean,” said Troy Beetz, Chief Marketing Officer of DeLorean Motor Company. “There was this enormous responsibility to make sure we honoured the history of the DeLorean brand, but an even greater responsibility in curating its future…I think we did both with the Alpha5.”
Already confirmed earlier was the fully electric powertrain that the Alpha5 will have. The DMC-12, went on sale in 1981, had French engines (from Citroen and Peugeot) which were underpowered, but the performance hinted by DeLorean for the new car will allow it to take on electric sportscars like the Porsche Taycan.
It will be able to go from 0 to 100 km/h in around 3 seconds, with the top speed electronically limited to 250 km/h. As to whether it will have four or two driving wheels, that will be known later. For now, DeLorean will say it has a battery pack of 100+ kWh and will be able to go up to 480 kms. But for sure it will not be able to travel through time like the DMC-12 in the movie.
It would have been tempting for the designers to reimagine the DMC-12 more closely but the wedge form that was the in-thing in the 1980s would look dated today. So it is mainly the louvres at the back and the gullwing doors that connect to the past while the rest of the car is the typical sleek and aerodynamic form of sportscars today.
While the DMC-12 was futuristic in its day (and still is), it had poor quality with a lot of problems that owners had to live with. The Alpha5 should be a lot better built with modern manufacturing techniques and the strict safety regulations will also ensure that it has to be strong and have all the required safety systems.
From what Autocar UK has learnt, the car will be built in Italy. Since ItalDesign can also handle low-volume manufacturing, perhaps they will make the car. The British magazine was also told that there will be 88 units offered initially and this particular number references the speed at which the DMC-12 as a time-travel machine could go back in time in the movie – 88 mph (142 km/h).
The global debut of the Alpha5 will be at the Pebble Beach Concours d’ Elegance in California in August this year. However, production is expected to start only in 2024.
Alpine, a brand within the Renault Group, is celebrating the 100th anniversary of the birth of its founder, Jean Redele, with the world premiere of a limited-edition. Appropriately called the A110 GT J. Redele, the sportscar was unveiled at the celebrations at the brand’s birthplace in Dieppe, France over the weekend.
Based on the A110 GT model, the limited-edition model is finished in Montebello Grey, a colour that Redele was known to be particularly fond of. In keeping with trends, it is exclusively painted with a high-gloss black roof.
The exterior also features diamond-cut black 18-inch Grand Prix alloy wheels, through which exclusive silver brake calipers are visible. Inside, the black leather interior and elegant grey stitching throughout the cockpit emphasise the synergy between the Montebello Grey paint scheme and the dark styling elements.
The powertrain is similar to that used in the A100 GT which has a 1.8-litre 4-cylinder engine. The engine’s calibration was improved last year to raise maximum power to 300 bhp at higher engine speeds (6,300 rpm), add 20 Nm (340 Nm torque from as low as 2,400 rpm) and reach the maximum speed in 7th gear.
The driver has 3 modes – Normal, Sport and Track – to suit different conditions or driving preferences. Another new feature added is that when initialising the Launch Control procedure, one of the cylinders is temporarily disabled to release more racing-style sounds.
With its optimised aerodynamics and kerb weight of not more than 1,140 kgs, the A110 GT J. Redele is claimed to be able to accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in 4.2 seconds, and reach a maximum speed of 250 km/h.
Plenty of stopping power comes from the Brembo high-performance braking system while strong grip is provided by Michelin Pilot Sport 4 tyres (205/40 R18 at the front, 235/40 R18 at the rear)
Referencing the anniversary year, only 100 units will be produced for sale. Each car will have a numbered plaque bearing the signature of Jean Redele.
In the early 1970s, Alpine was one of the top brands in rallies, especially the Monte Carlo Rally.The original Alpine factory in 1970.
Just as the race was preparing to start, rain came down heavily, creating additional levels of stress. There was uncertainty about which tyres to start on, made worse by the fact that the street circuit is used by normal traffic at night, so it was a bit greasy too.
The formation lap was to start behind the Safety Car so everyone was required to be on full wet tyres. However, as the rain got heavier, there was a delay extending the start time to 16 minutes later than scheduled. After the cars moved off on the formation lap, the rain got even heavier and the red flags came out, so the race was suspended even before it started. There were remarks that the rainfall was unusually great… a climate-change message?
Frustrated in the pits waiting for the rain to stop, Alfa Romeo ORLEN’s Valtteri Bottas sent this tweet out to the world.
While safety considerations were understood, the teams were frustrated that they had to sit still waiting. As the rain suddenly ended 55 minutes after the race should have started, the race Director sent a message to the team to be ready to start in 10 minutes. The track was still wet, there were still dark clouds but it seemed that the race could get underway. A second message informed that the race would start at 4:05 pm – 65 minutes after the original scheduled time.
“For us, the preparation is before the start of the race and then the teams have the full allocation of tyres in blankets and can decide at the last minute what they want to do and the decision is up to the teams. The real problem here is the level of grip because we are on a street circuit. It is not the temperature because we tested the tyres in this temperature, but it is the level of grip that is really low. If the sun is coming out, the track is going to dry out very quickly, so it is another important choice for the teams’ strategists,” said Pirelli’s Motorsport Director, Mario Isola.
The 20 cars cautiously followed the Safety Car driven by birthday boy, Bernd Maylander, around the wet circuit. Two laps were completed as the race got underway with a rolling start. But even before the start took place. Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll had a rear puncture and Williams Racing’s Nicholas Latifi slid into the barrier.
Charles Leclerc had sprinted off and was holding the lead with his team mate Carlos Sainz protecting him from Red Bull’s Sergio Perez and Max Verstappen who were just seconds behind. Scuderia Alphatauri’s Pierre Gasly, in spite of a slide, set the fastest lap in the early stages. But just two laps later, on lap 9, Leclerc used the advantage of clear air to set a faster lap time.
By lap 12, the two Ferraris and two red Bulls were 8 seconds away from the rest, with McLaren’s Lando Norris and Mercedes-AMG’s George Russell duelling carefully for 5th place. Russell’s team mater, Lewis Hamilton was trying to move forward but it was hard to get past Alpine’s Fernando Alonso.
Hamilton came in on lap 16, switching to intermediate tyres. He managed to get back out in time to lose just one position to Alpine’s Esteban Ocon, slotting into ninth place. Meanwhile, Russell was asked to manage his tyres, possibly till slicks could go on. Right after Hamilton, Perez dropped out of third place and came in on the next lap for intermediates as well.
On lap 19, both Leclerc and Verstappen came in and took on intermediate tyres. However, Haas F1’s Mick Schumacher who also came in took on hard tyres, much to everyone’s surprise. The order then was Sainz in the lead, still on the first set of tyres, followed by Perez and then Leclerc.
As the 20th lap approached, Hamilton and Ocon were dicing and on one occasion, had contact. The Mercedes-AMG driver was uncertain if his car was damaged but did not report any unusual condition.
On lap 22, it was time to go to hard compounds and both the Ferraris quickly shot into the pits. Perez took over the lead as Sainz returned to the track behind him and Verstappen slotted into the space ahead of Leclerc.
Yellow flags appeared on lap 26 as Schumacher crashed and the Virtual Safety Car was activated initially and then the Safety Car went out. With Schumacher’s departure, both Haas cars were out of the Monaco GP as Kevin Magnussen had retired earlier. Sainz too had a heart-stopping moment as his car slid towards the barrier but there’s probably some rally DNA from his father and he managed to save the car from crashing.
As Schumacher’s car was being cleared, it was found that the barriers were quite severely damaged and more time was needed to make repairs. The decision was made to put out the red flag (which the Red Bull boss predicted) and stop the race, and the drivers headed back to the pits. The running order at that time on lap 29 was Perez, Sainz, Verstappen and Leclerc. Six seconds away from the Ferrari driver was Russell in fifth place.
The race was suspended for 19 minutes and resumed with a rolling start. The running order when the red flag had come out was Perez, Sainz, Verstappen and Leclerc. Six seconds away from the Ferrari driver was Russell in fifth place. The forecast was that there would be no more rain for the remaining 44 laps of the 77-lap race – but there was also the possibility that time might run out at the 2-hour limit.
The four frontrunners sped off but this time, Russell and Norris were also closer, just a few seconds further back and ready to take advantage of any slip the Ferrari or Red Bull ahead made. Behind Norris was a big 15-second gap to the next car.
Perez had the advantage of clear air but the race was not going to run for 77 laps and was likely to have only 29 laps remaining. Hamilton was again stuck behind Alonso and trying to take over 7th place. The Alpine driver seemed to be losing the pace although the team’s engineers said nothing was wrong. Still, it was difficult for Hamilton to get past on the narrow track.
Understanding that the race was shortened, Norris was beginning to plan for a more aggressive effort to take the fifth place from Russell before the race ended. The main consideration was whether the tyres could take the increased efforts and last for another 20+ laps – and Pirelli said that there was an outside chance of rain before the race ended.
And it was not only the Mercedes-AMG driver being frustrated by Alonso but others as well and the gap from the front got wider and wider. In fact, when Hamilton asked how far ahead the front-runners were, his team suggested that he not think of that and instead think of how far they were behind – which was about 30 seconds! By lap 51, Perez was already seeing the backmarkers not far ahead.
As Perez closed in on the lapped cars ahead, Sainz began to put the pressure on. Encountering traffic would make things tricky for the Mexican Red Bull driver who had to look ahead as well as watch behind. Verstappen and Leclerc were about 2 seconds away, also in a position to grab a better spot if the opportunity came up.
The pressure on Perez was very great as the Ferrari was right behind, almost under his wing. His tyres were not in great shape and at that point, no one was certain what the outcome of the race would be. The four leaders came up behind Alfa Romeo ORLEN’s Zhou GuanYu who got out of the way quickly to let them pass.
It was clear that with 5 minutes remaining, the front drivers were giving everything that had as there were moments when they looked like they would lose it. Sainz was pushing Perez and Verstappen was also pressuring from behind. Latifi was also in the way but moved aside and then there was some space to the next cars so the leaders began to push harder.
The clock stopped at lap 64 and Perez held on to his lead through 19 corners to cross the finish line and win the 2022 Monaco GP. Sainz was not letting up and neither was Verstappen so it was that order of finish, with a disappointed Leclerc coming up behind in fourth.
Genesis has announced its debut in Sony Interactive Entertainment’s Gran Turismo 7 (GT7) sim racing videogame series as an official manufacturer partner of the Gran Turismo World Series, an online global motorsport championship. GT7 is developed by Polyphony Digital Inc. and was recently released on PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4 consoles.
The luxury brand of the Hyundai Motor Group will make available to championship competitors the Genesis X GR3 and G70 GR4 concept vehicles, as well as the G70 Sport Sedan for the Manufacturer’s Cup.
“Genesis is pleased to be presenting the dynamic G70 sport sedan and our ambitious GR3 and GR4 concepts in Gran Turismo 7,” said SangYup Lee, Executive Vice-President and Head of Genesis Global Design Centre. “This platform allows fans of racing to get behind the wheel and discover the bold designs and performance ambitions of Genesis as we continue to explore the brand’s entry into motorsport.”
The X GR3 and G70 GR4 are concept vehicles which were shown last year when Genesis revealed the vehicle design process at an ultra-modern experiential installation called ‘The Performance of Design’ during Monterey Car Week. The two concept vehicles were part of a trio of models developed in collaboration with the creators of the Gran Turismo videogame series.
The X GR3 is based on the Genesis X Concept shown last year and reinterpreted in the Gr.3 racing specification. It is powered by a 3.3-litre V6 twin-turbo engine with 555 ps.
The G70 GR4 Gran Turismo, is a California-built 420 ps racing car derived from the Genesis coupe. It is a completely reimagined G70 sport sedan for competition with a GT-inspired racing package. Building on the existing G70 model to create a bold, yet elegant, high-performance racing car, it showcases the motorsport intent of the brand.
Other concepts under study are the GR1 Alpha_DB, GR1 Bravo_GB, and GR1 Charlie_ET, all of which are potential designs for a future Vision Gran Turismo Concept that will be an elite racing car.
After the Spanish Grand Prix a week ago, Formula 1 is in Monte Carlo this weekend for the seventh round of the 2022 World Championship – the Monaco Grand Prix. This is among the oldest events and this year is the 68th time the event has been held as a championship round. It was on the original calendar in 1950 and has only been cancelled once – in 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic forced authorities to stop all public gatherings.
The Monaco GP is probably the most famous race of each season and for a while, its major attraction was being a street circuit. Because it uses public roads, the track is narrow with many tight turns. It is a challenging track with no run-offs, just concrete walls and barriers. Overtaking is nearly impossible, putting the emphasis on qualifying – but the drivers have always loved it.
Somewhere in there is the Formula 1 racetrack that has been used since 1950.
There is a high risk of incidents, and the Safety Car has often influenced the race outcome at this track in the past. However, as with the other tracks so far, the new generation of F1 racing cars this year will also present new challenges as their behaviour and performance will be different.
“Winning a race there in 2008, I felt like I was at the top of the highest mountain of the world,” said Mercedes-AMG’s Lewis Hamilton. “So many different things need to come together for that to happen and it is a track where you just can’t leave anything on the table.”
“Usually after that race, you are mentally destroyed for a good couple of days,” Hamilton said. Other tracks require a mix of physical and mental strength but, in Monaco, the focus is much more on the mental side, due to the levels of concentration needed to lap the circuit.
“Monaco is a circuit that’s probably the highest in concentration and mental focus,” he explained. “The street circuit nature, the fact it is quite short and there are not very long straights. It’s not a massively physical circuit because we are not doing really high speeds through corners and pulling the g-forces you would somewhere like Barcelona. But your mind is having to work so much faster.”
The cornering speeds and gears used by the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS team drivers.
Over just one lap in Monaco, there’s little time for drivers to rest, taking multi-tasking to the next level. Balancing the brake, throttle, steering, dealing with the forces and feeling what the car is doing through their body, and also paying attention to their surroundings – there’s a lot for drivers to deal with over a lap that is just 3.337 kms in length.
And then you have to consider the drivers making switch and steering wheel changes as they lap the track, too. With few straights, there aren’t many opportunities to take their hand off the wheel and make those adjustments. So teams have to really consider whether it’s worth the risk of drivers making switch changes, and also ensure they head out on track each time with the correct settings, to minimise the workload.
When it comes to the track layout, the circuit is dominated by slow and medium-speed corners, including some of the lowest corner speeds on the calendar. The slippery street asphalt (which is opened up to traffic each evening) and slow speeds mean that the energy going through the tyres is low, with minimal wear and degradation, but quite a high degree of track evolution each day.
All this means that a one-stopper is the norm in Monaco, but there’s quite a wide pit-stop window and the timing of the stops can be influenced by Safety Cars, which are very likely around the tight confines of the circuit.
The cars run a special high-downforce configuration for Monaco in order to maximise grip at low speeds, with combined grip generated both mechanically from tyres and aerodynamically from downforce. This is obviously the first time that the new generation of 18-inch Formula 1 cars has raced at Monaco though, so the teams will have a lot to learn about how they react in these unique conditions, with the weather on the Mediterranean coast sometimes hard to predict at this time of year.
“Monaco is often described as one of the most unpredictable races of the year,” said Pirelli’s Motorsport Director, Mario Isola. “We might see some different strategies this year, with some drivers picking harder compounds to begin the race to target running a long first stint, given the difficultly of overtaking. Others may choose a more traditional approach by starting on the softest compound, at a race where strategy can make a real difference.”
