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Formula E/Round 3: First-ever win for TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team

Mexico City was the venue for the third round of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship yesterday, with 22 drivers whizzing around the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez track in the all-electric single-seaters. A perfect mix of long, fast straights and a technical infield section produced intense races and high drama for the 40,000 spectators who turned up.

The circuit in Mexico City, part of which passes through the Foro Sol stadium, has new artwork that represents the modern, progressive, innovative values of Formula E’s race locations. The patterns draw on the rich cultural history of Mexico and combine this with modern-day artistic influences featuring a diverse tapestry of colours and patterns celebrating traditional techniques such as weaving, ceramics and mosaics, in a modern way.

Fresh from a third place finish in Round 2 (which was run at the same venue as Round 1 in Saudi Arabia last month) and a strong opening weekend for his new team, ROKiT Venturi Racing’s Lucas di Grassi would be the one to watch in Mexico. The Brazilian has made two trips to the top step in Mexico City, most recently in Season 5 after his first win two seasons earlier. Teammate Edo Mortara is looking to continue his fine opening weekend form and stay at the top of the drivers’ standings after winning the second of two races in Saudi Arabia.

Mortara’s win followed reigning World Champion Nyck de Vries’ victory in Round 1, as the Mercedes-EQ team immediately got to grips with the all-new Duels qualifying format. De Vries and teammate Stoffel Vandoorne dominated to take a one-two finish in the opening race of the seaon. The German manufacturer, which will leave Formula E after this season, sits just a point behind its customer outfit in the Teams’ World Championship, so Mercedes power is currently the benchmark.

The race
The competition was as close as it has ever been in the championship. Pascal Wehrlein led team mate Andre Lotterer in a historic 1-2 for the TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E, with the pair finishing 9 seconds ahead of the other cars, and both driver and team sealing their first ever victories in the championship. It was a perfect race for Porsche, with Wehrlein leading from Julius Baer Pole Position and fending off standings leader Mortara early on. The pair did drop into the pack behind the Swiss-Italian and Jean-Eric Vergne (DS TECHEETAH) for a brief period but gained a mighty energy advantage on the rest while still matching the leaders’ pace.

Into the final 15 minutes, Wehrlein and Lotterer picked their moment and passed Vergne and then Mortara for the lead. As they crossed the finish line, they were well ahead of the rest and could more than making amends for the heartbreak in Puebla in last season.

“It was very important for me [to win here], I have raced here a couple of times in the Championship and been close so many times. Here in Mexico last year was heart-breaking to finish in P1 but then get disqualified. It was payback this weekend and it feels amazing,” said Wehrlein.

Vergne was able to take third, with teammate da Costa battling to fourth after a number of skirmishes. Mortara did enough to hold on to the Drivers’ World Championship lead with fifth – the Venturi more marginal on energy than the Porsches and DS’ as the race wore on.

Reigning champion de Vries managed to end in sixth, a second ahead of Envision Racing’s Robin Frijns. Sebastien Buemi (Nissan e.dams) showed a stronger turn this time out to take eighth and points, just ahead of teammate Maximilian Guenther and Jake Dennis (Avalanche Andretti). Mortara thus heads the Drivers’ standings by 5 points over de Vries, with Wehrlein jumping to third with the Round 3 race win.

From Mexico City, the championship moves back across the Atlantic Ocean to Italy, where Rounds 4 and 5 will be run in Rome on April 9 and 10.

Formula E: Mercedes-EQ dominates opening round but ROKiT Venturi Racing grabs lead after Round 2

Porsche 911 reimagined by Singer, now available with turbocharging too

The Porsche 911 which was launched in 1964 remains one of the classic sportscars of all time, with its original concepts maintained (apart from air-cooling) to this day. It is obviously a collector’s item and much sought after and for those who want find one, there’s now an option from California-based Singer Group – the Porsche 911 reimagined by Singer – Turbo Study.

First restoration with turbocharging
While Singer has been offering reimagined 911s for the past 13 years, this is the first road-going one with turbocharging. The Turbo Study is a response to requests from owners for restoration services that incorporate turbocharging. More than 70 owners have reserved bespoke restorations enabled by the study.

As with all Singer’s restoration services in collaboration with owners of the 911, the Turbo Study takes the Type 964 generation (produced between 1989 – 1993) of air-cooled cars as its starting point. The study features a new evolution of the ‘Mezger’ air-cooled flat-six. Now in 3.8-litre form, the engine has twin turbochargers with electric wastegates. Bespoke air-to-water intercoolers are mounted inside the intake plenums.

The ‘shark fin’ on the rear fender is reimagined as an intake and supplies cold air to the engine bay to optimize combustion and cooling performance. The use of forced induction enables power outputs starting at 450 bhp. The availability of turbocharged torque allows for effortless speed-matching on hilly terrain to flat autobahn, together with deep reserves of overtaking ability. A higher power output may also be specified by the owner, with a more overtly sporting focus provided by a sports exhaust system and appropriate damping characteristics.

AWD or RWD
The study draws on all-wheel-drive experience that has been developed in-house since the first AWD Classic Study restoration, undertaken in 2014. In recent years, this experience has been brought together with research into turbocharging and high-performance ride and damping expertise. Customers can specify rear-wheel-drive and all-wheel-drive for the Turbo Study.

An owner may decide to specify the AWD configuration to enhance sure-footed deployment of power and torque in all seasons and surface conditions. The RWD configuration allows owners to pursue an alternative sporting focus, if preferred. In both cases, an optimized 6-speed manual transmission underlines the driver engagement that Singer is renowned for.

Advanced materials for bodywork
A bespoke carbonfibre body maintains the careful balancing of iconic DNA with cutting-edge engineering and material science. While inspired by the turbo cars of the mid-1970s, the bodywork is reimagined to optimize aesthetic and functional performance. As always, the use of carbonfibre allows reduced mass and enhanced stiffness, further sharpening dynamic responses.

The car in Wolf Blue shown in the pictures is actually a customer’s car, customized using the results of the Turbo Study to reflect a personal vision. This owner has pursued a focus on high-performance, luxury grand touring capabilities. The interior has a Malibu Sand theme with Black Forest wood accents.

Singer Vehicle Design All-terrain Competition Study (ACS)

McLaren Racing reveals 2022 F1 car as well as Extreme E and IndyCar challengers

The MCL36 is McLaren Racing’s new Formula 1 car for the 2022 world championship which sees significantly changed technical regulations. The new regulations – which include a switch to 18-inch wheels – have forced the engineers to completely overhaul their designs but the FIA expects that the racing will become closer and more exciting for fans.

With aerodynamics being crucial to performance, Formula 1 cars are designed with features to generate as much downforce as possible. At the same time, this must be achieved without sacrificing performance so it’s a challenge which engineers faced when developing the MCL36.

Gulf Oil racing car inspiration
The new bodywork, described as having ‘speed and elegance… very vibrant’ by McLaren CEO Zak Brown uses similar colours as before but with a different livery. It has ‘Fluro Papaya’ as the dominant colour which will certainly make the car easily identifiable on the track. The blue (lighter than in 2021) is similar to that used by Gulf Oil in its racing cars before, and the racing link with the oil company goes back to 1968.

More sustainable fuel
McLaren will continue to use the Mercedes power unit in the MCL36 which, apart from being improved, has been retuned to run on E10 fuel instead of E5. This is the most significant regulation change of the hybrid era began in 2014. The change is part of the FIA’s move towards making motorsports a sustainable activity and fuels must use sustainable ethanol. The engineers have had to optimize the combustion process but just how well the engine will run on E10 fuel will only be known during official pre-season testing towards the end of this month.

The drivers are the same ‘Commonwealth pair’ as in 2021 – Daniel Ricciardo from Australia and Lando Norris from Britain. Ricciardo, who finished 8^th in the Drivers’ Championship last year, began racing in 2011, while Norris, aged 22, entered F1 with McLaren in 2019.

*Lando Norris in the McLaren Racing MCL35M at a round of the 2021 F1 World Championship.*

McLaren Racing finished fourth in the championship last year with their highest points finish since 2012 that included one race win during the year. They have 20 world championship titles to their name and will be trying just as hard in 2022 to add another. The new regulations are helpful, in a way, in levelling the playing field again as each team has to now start to make their car more competitive from essentially the same ‘base’. The promise of closer racing could also be advantageous for some drivers.

*2022 Arrow McLaren SP Team IndyCar racing cars*

IndyCar and Extreme E challengers
Also unveiled at their base in England was the team’s IndyCar and Extreme E challengers. In addition, the livery of team’s esports programme, McLaren Shadow, was also shown to the world. The team also presented the 2022 Arrow McLaren SP team of Pato O’Ward and Felix Rosenqvist who will start their 2022 IndyCar campaign at the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, Florida, on February 27.

*Emma Gilmour and Tanner Foust will race with this all-electric rallycar in the Extreme E series this year.*

The McLaren Extreme E all-electric off-road racer will be used for the second season of the all-electric off-road series which began last year. The drivers will be Emma Gilmour from New Zealand, and 4-time US rallycross champion, Tanner Foust. Gilmour, who has also taken part in the WRC, becomes the first female McLaren racing driver, in-line with the team’s commitment to showcase and inspire diversity in motorsport. The McLaren Extreme E team will be on the starting line for the first round of the 2022 Extreme E Championship at the Desert X-Prix in Saudi Arabia next weekend.

A McLaren F1 racing car for just RM799.90!

Aeronautical innovations used for exclusive rear wing for Lexus LC

Car designers have long turned to the aeronautical industry for ideas that have led to innovations. In particular, the shapes of car bodies have been heavily influenced by aircraft because of the pursuit of airflow efficiency. Features today like spoilers and rear wings have their origins in aircraft design although with ‘reversed’ effects where instead of lift, the objective is to gain downforce.

For high-performance sportscars, downforce is important to keep the car as stable as possible at high speeds. This has seen all types of rear wings being installed, some very ‘distinctive’ though with questionable benefits. However, for a new rear carbonfibre wing that was developed for the Lexus LC Coupe, the company formed a long-term collaboration with world champion air race pilot Yoshihide ‘Yoshi’ Muroya to gain advances in aerodynamics that would enable them to design the rear wing.

Long and unique collaboration
Since 2016, Lexus has been reaching for the skies in a unique collaboration with Muroya, winner in 2017 of the Red Bull Air Race World Championship series. In this rare cross-industry partnership, the carmaker benefits from aeronautic technology while the air race pilot leverages Lexus’ automotive breakthroughs.

With the principal aim of winning air races, Lexus and Muroya worked together to develop championship-winning aircraft using the technology, craftsmanship and experience from Lexus. The Lexus design and engineering team has helped develop flight technologies in areas such as aerodynamics, cooling and ergonomics.

The collaboration has produced notable innovations, including a control column grip for Muroya’s cockpit that incorporates Lexus’ sensitivity technologies and a new turning manoeuvre for the aircraft based on aerodynamic data from Lexus.

The new rear wing
For 2022, the Lexus LC will sport a new carbonfibre reinforced plastic rear wing developed together with Muroya. This lightweight, highly rigid and sleek wing maximises aerodynamic performance and makes for more agile driving.

The design draws its inspiration from the wing-tip vortices that influence the design of winglets on jet aircraft. During demanding test flights with Yoshihide Muroya, Lexus engineers analysed his plane’s drag-reducing winglets and the associated vortices that are normally problematic. In the Lexus wind tunnel, engineers found that vehicle dynamics on the ground could be improved by turning the wing upside down and adding winglets.

*The upside-down wing was thoroughly tested and analysed in computer simulations as well as wind tunnel studies (below).*

Once computer and wind tunnel tests were completed, Lexus’ elite team of designers, engineers and Takumi artisans set to work milling an aluminium prototype. Like Muroya’s race plane wings, it was later produced in carbonfibre reinforced plastic (CFRC). Laminated in carbonfibre and epoxy resin with a hollow core, after baking in an autoclave, the woven texture is visible through the lacquered finish.

Downforce without performance loss
Long and lean, the LC’s new wing is nearly 2 metres wide, yet very durable and warp resistant. According to Lexus Takumi master driver, Yoshiaki Ito, the winglets sharpened the LC’s handling, but without using drag-creating downforce, resulting in better performance without sacrifices. The Lexus team called the car the LC Special Edition Aviation, to highlight the background to the development of the rear wing.

The carbonfibre rear wing spoiler is available (in limited numbers) exclusively with the new Lexus Bespoke Build programme. This is a special personalisation programme for customers buying a LC or LC Convertible. The vehicle will be built by an elite team of ‘Takumi’ master craftspeople at the and such units will be distinguished with a personalised interior badge installed on the centre console.

SISMA Auto opens premium multi-brand 3S centre in Shah Alam, Selangor

Following the move by Jaguar Land Rover (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd (JLRM), a joint venture between SISMA Auto and Sime Darby, to consolidate its retail operations in Malaysia, SISMA Auto has announced the opening of SISMA Auto Hub, a new premium multi-brand 3S centre to buy, sell or service any brand of luxury car.

Located at the former Jaguar Land Rover 3S centre in Glenmarie, Shah Alam, Selangor, the new SISMA Auto Hub Glenmarie has a 14-car showroom and a 16-workbay service centre.

While SISMA Auto still retains significant interest in the Jaguar Land Rover business as a joint venture partner in JLRM, it now plans to leverage its more than 25 years as a franchise dealer for Jaguar, Land Rover and Volvo to offer the same premium 3S experience for any brand of luxury car.

Continuing to grow
The company aims to continue to grow with the Volvo Cars brand in Malaysia and has started construction of its flagship Volvo 3S facility in Sungai Besi, Kuala Lumpur. The 50,000 square foot facility spread over 4 floors, represents a significant expansion of SISMA Auto’s Volvo business. It is expected to commence operations by the end of 2022.

Aside from Jaguar Land Rover (Malaysia) and SISMA Auto Hub, the company currently operates two Volvo outlets – a sales showcase at Bukit Bintang and Service and Selekt Centre in a Glenmarie, next to the SISMA Auto Hub.

“We believe that a premium 3S experience should be available to all luxury car owners. At SISMA Auto Hub, our highly trained team will provide the same level of exceptional service that you have come to expect from SISMA Auto,” said Syed Khalil bin Syed Ibrahim, Managing Director of SISMA Auto.

Jaguar Land Rover (Malaysia) to consolidate business operations and become sole importer and dealer

Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant Formula One Team reveals AMR22 racing car for 2022 F1 season

The Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant Formula One Team is the third of the F1 teams to show its new racing car which will be used in the 2022 championship The car retains the overall green bodywork with new sponsor’s logos all over. The sponsors this year include Aramco, the Saudi Arabian oil and gas company which is one of the largest companies in the world.

Designated the AMR22, it is totally new to meet the significant changes in technical regulations for the sport. These include aerodynamic aspects – which are expected to allow for more overtaking – as well as a switch to larger 18-inch tyres that give a new look. However, as the new regulations will be around a while, the design of the car will continue to evolve and might even have changes when the first round starts.

The Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant Formula One Team will continue to have 4-time World Champion Sebastian Vettel and Lance Stroll (whose father is Executive Chairman of the company) as its drivers.

Aston Martin returned to F1 racing only last year and after a difficult season, finishing seventh in the world championship. But it is no stranger to GP racing as Aston Martins raced in the top-level category 100 years ago, starting with the 1922 French Grand Prix.

*Sebastian Vettel in the AMR21 during the 2021 season which the team finished overall seventh in the world championship.*

Aston Martin says that data from the 2021 season demonstrates that the global platform of Formula 1 is heightening brand desirability and product familiarity for Aston Martin as the sport enjoys growing popularity worldwide. Its website traffic increased by 15% when there were races on, compared to non-race Sundays. This increased to 25% on weekends where the company supplied the Vantage and DBX as Official F1 Safety & Medical Cars.

Lawrence Stroll, Executive Chairman of Aston Martin Lagonda, said: “The return of Aston Martin to Formula One has been a monumental moment for the brand, with transformative impact for our performance credentials and global awareness. Through the race team and our status as the Official Safety and Medical Car of Formula One, we have been able to showcase our product and test new technologies on the world’s greatest circuits.”

Official testing will take place at the Bahrain International Circuit over 3 days on March 10-12. The first round of the 2022 Formula 1 World Championship season will also be at the same circuit on March 20.

F1 tyres to go from 13 inches to 18 inches in 2022 (w/VIDEO)

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SISMA Auto opens premium multi-brand 3S centre in Shah Alam, Selangor

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