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Robert Kubica returns to F1 after horrific rally crash in 2011

Robert Kubica will be returning to Formula One for a series of private tests with the Renault Formula One team at the Circuit de la Comunitat Valenciana Ricardo Tormo. The Polish driver has already completed 115 laps in the 2012 E20 F1 car that is powered by a Renault V8. Several evaluations were done during the tests with various fuel-loads to gauge which setups yielded the best results.

It’s been six years since Kubica set foot in a Formula One car, with the last outing being his pre-season test in the Renault R31 at this very circuit in February of 2011. Unfortunately, he had to forgo his seat for the 2011 race calendar because he was seriously injured in a rally accident before the start of the season.

Kubica, who after recovering from these injuries, subsequently tested several racing cars including single-seater and competed in a professional rally series. That said, his path to recovery has been anything but easy, he even claimed several years ago that making a return to F1 would be nearly impossible.

Speaking of his involvement in the test session, Kubica said, “For me, it has been an important day from an emotional point of view. It has been a long time away from the paddock and I have been through difficult periods, I kept working hard and a few years ago I felt it was impossible. It is not easy after six years, but I knew I could do the job and I can be satisfied. I appreciate the opportunity. Renault gave me my first F1 test in 2005, so I appreciate another test this time around.”

Whether his contributions will eventually lead to a race seat in the next few F1 seasons is still not clear but his solid form has proven one thing – he hasn’t lost touch with the sport. And to return to form after being his horrific accident that left his right forearm partially severed, says a lot of his tenacity as a driver. Though Kubica felt it was impossible to make a full comeback, his hard work and determination have proven otherwise.

Stonic to be the most customisable Kia ever

Kia has revealed a concept compact crossover SUV called the Stonic, that incorporates European design and is inspired by the form and function of much larger Kia SUVs. The low slung roofline, angular contours muscular side profile lend it a muscular look that should appeal to the adventurous type.

The signature tiger nose grille is much narrower than what can be on the automaker’s current crop of vehicle, which especially true with the chrome outline that has been given more prominence than the rest of the assembly. The long sweeping DRLs underline the underside of the headlights, a similar arrangement seen on the current generation Sportage. At the rear, the Stonic features angular rear taillights that blend with the the rear bodywork. It also features a two-piece rear bumper integrated with the vehicle’s twin exhaust tips setup.

The cabin is said to be of European styling as well, which incorporates smooth surfaces and geometric design forms. It will feature cutting edge tech that will be smartly positioned to maximize space for occupants and a floating HMI (human-machine interface), which blends smartphone access with the car’s various systems.

According to Kia, the Stonic will go on sale in the second half of this year and will be the most customisable Kia ever made, both inside and out. This should hint at an extensive options list that will be made available to customers to customize the vehicle according to his/her own taste.

Bentley breaks two records at Shelsley Walsh Hill Climb

Over the weekend, Bentley broke two records at the Shelsley Walsh Hill Climb with its 600bhp Bentayga, much to the surprise of the crowd that was gathered. Driver of the Bentayga, Vicky Parrott, belted the car the entire way to secure the first ever ladies hill record for an SUV with a time of 35.53 seconds.

This feat comes exactly 80 years after Bentley last held a ladies record at the hill climb, which was in 1927. Serving as icing on the cake, the automaker also broke the overall hill record for an SUV and also won its class which included vehicles such as the supercharged Land Rover Discovery SI6 and Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV.

Speaking of the remarkable feat, Parrot said, “I have driven on many circuits but this is my first visit to Shelsley Walsh and what a fabulous place it is, very narrow and daunting but this Bentayga is some serious machine and has enabled me to set a new women’s record, so I am very grateful to Bentley for giving me this opportunity … oh and also for the loan of the special Bentley racing overalls with the name of a certain David Brabham embroidered onto the waist band!”

The Shelsley Walsh Speed Hill Climb is the oldest motor sport venue in the world still in use. It was opened in 1905 and till this day, still has its original track layout. Though there are a few rival venues that sport similar history, the Shelsley Walsh Speed Hill Climb is still the favorite of many fans.

New Honda Jazz launched for Malaysian market

Honda has finally launched the facelifted version of its every popular city car, the Jazz. No drastic changes have been made for the updated car, which features subtle styling changes that include a new chrome front grille and a rear bumper. But this time around, Honda has made the Mugen pack, worth RM5,670 available as an optional extra. The package consists of front, sides, rear lip spoiler and tailgate spoiler that are of a sporty design.

That said, the Mugen pack will only be made available to order in October of this year but if you purchase the new car now, you can opt for the Urban (RM1,580) and Utility (RM820) packages to add a unique touch to the cheerful Jazz.

Two versions of the Jazz were launched simultaneously. There’s the standard petrol powered car and the halo one, the Jazz Hybrid, which is touted as the only such car in its class. The petrol car uses a 1.5-litre i-VTEC mill and CVT transmission found in its predecessor but its electrified brethren comes with a more sophisticated powertrain.

Under the hood is a brand new 1.5-litre DOHC i-VTEC engine that is mated to a (Shift by Wire) seven-speed dual clutch transmission and its integrated electric motor. This combination, according to Honda, will offer respectible power delivery and sporty character that is relatively unheard of in this category. Juice for the electric motor is supplied by a new Lithium-ion battery pack that can store more electrical energy than the one in the previous generation car but with half the size.

When pushed to the limit, with both the petrol and electric motor being active, the Jazz Hybrid is able to deliver a total output of 137bhp and 160Nm of torque which is similar to what a 1.8 or 2.0-litre naturally aspirated engine is able to offer. All this power will be made available by the Sport Hybrid i-DCD unit once the S button is pressed, making power delivery a bit more peppy than its petrol powered equivalent. But, when driven frugally, the car is said to be able to offer a fuel consumption figure of 4.0-litre/100km.

The regular petrol powered Jazz comes in three different variants, S,E and V, which isn’t the case with the hybrid one (only one version is available). The E and V variants get DRLs, touch panel auto air-conditioning, reverse camera and 6.8-inch infotainment system. The top spec V car gets a bit more stuff such as dual-tone color alloy wheels, paddle shifters, cruise control and half leather seats.

The Jazz Hybrid however, gets a 3D Speed Meter design information display that shows Energy Flow, Sport Meter, Fuel Economy, Drive Info, Customization and Eco Display, as well as the same preimum stuff found in the base Jazz.

Safety tech for the cars include standard Brake Assist (BA), Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS), four airbags (6 airbags for V variant), Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA), Emergency Stop Signal (ESS) and Hill Start Assist (HSA).

As for body colour options, the Jazz comes in Modern Steel Metallic, Lunar Silver Metallic, Carnival Red, Taffeta White and Crystal Black Pearl whereas the New Jazz Hybrid will be available in Lunar Silver Metallic, Modern Steel Metallic and White Orchid Pearl.

The regular base car is priced at RM74,800 for S variant, RM81,000 for E variant, RM88,400 for V variant and the Jazz Hybrid is priced at RM87,500 (on the road with GST). All variants come with a 5-year unlimited mileage warranty but the Hybrid gets gets an additional 8-years warranty for its battery pack.

If you would like to know more, visit the automaker’s local website and make an informed decision on whether the Jazz is the right car for you.

TVR to launch first car in September at Goodwood

TVR is back, and will be unveiling its first sports car at the upcoming Goodwood Revival, which will take place from September 8th to 10th of this year. Created in conjunction with Gordon Murray design, the 1200kg car is said to be powered by a 5.0-litre Cosworth developed V8 engine.

It will offer 400bhp per tonne and as such, should be able to cover the 0-100km/h dash in under 4 seconds. Little less is known about it for now, but the automaker has gone on to say that it will be a ‘sure-fire’ hit when it is eventually unveiled.

Speaking of the planned public launch, Les Edgar, Chairman of TVR said, “We are incredibly excited to be unveiling the new car at the Goodwood Revival. It’s the first time a global launch of a new car has occurred at the event, and it seems an entirely appropriate place for us to do it, with the marque’s motorsport heritage and an enthusiastic audience of dedicated car fans – and in our 70th anniversary year. After a series of secret private viewings organised for the benefit of existing customers for the new car, we know that we have a sure-fire hit on our hands, and very much look forward to seeing the public reaction in September.”

The new TVR, when launched at Goodwood, will be showcased along with a number of special classics from the glory days of the brand. The launch celebration is being carried out in September to commemorate the marque’s 70th anniversary, that’s right, TVR is now 70 years old.

This news has us excited because TVR has always been known as a sports car maker that loves to defy convention. It’s sole purpose of existence is to create absurdly powerful driver-focused cars that require serious concentration and lightening quick reflexes to tame.

Stay tuned, and we will let you know more about the car as soon as we find out.

Amazing facts that you might not know about the SRT Demon

The Dodge Challenger SRT Demon is probably the most powerful drag focused muscle car you can buy. It has a monstrous 6.2-litre HEMI V8 that delivers 840bhp and 1044Nm of torque but shares only 38% of its parts with the less powerful Hellcat V8. It has a new crankshaft, pistons, connecting rods and supercharger.

Built at the Saltillo Engine Plant in Mexico, the Demon’s engine cylinder heads are machined on dedicated CNC machines to ensure perfect production. The engine block is deck plate honed to minimise bore distortions. And once completely assembled, the powerplant is dyno tested for 42 minutes under load up to 5,200rpm before it is approved for use.

Here are some facts about the engine:

– Forged alloy steel crankshaft with 90.9-millimeter stroke and revised balancing

– Induction-hardened crank bearing surfaces; individual journal optimized main bearing clearances

– Forged high-strength alloy pistons; 30-micron increased piston to bore clearance

– Powder forged connecting rods; upgraded shank and big end; revised ultra-high tensile fasteners

– Flow doubled on piston cooling oil jets

– Revised design valve springs

– 33 percent increase in oiling for valve springs and rocker tips – lubrication and cooling

– Single-groove collects on valve stems for improved stability

– Fuel injector pressure increased 27 percent

– Oil pan and windage tray optimized for high acceleration – tested up to 1.8g

The car is fitted with a TorqueFlite 8HP90 Eight-speed automatic transmission that is able to change gears in just 400 miliseconds. And the Demon’s drivertrain consists of a limited slip differential that that has a 20% thicker prop shaft than the Hellcat’s, made of high strength, low alloy steel tube and high strength steel stub shafts. The strengthened internals are able to cope with the mind blowing acceleration launch forces of up to 1.8 g.

Unlike some muscle cars, the hood scoop on the demon is functional and is the largest of its kind for a production car at 292 square centimeters. It is part of a high flow, low restriction intake system that helps deliver cool air into the supercharger – the air-flow is rated at 33 cubic meters per minute. A another feature worthy of mention is the SRT Power Chiller. It redirects air conditioning refrigerant from cabin to chiller unit, which reduces charge air temperature by -8 degrees Celsius.

https://youtu.be/MkeKWmuxyow

During a 1/4 mile drag run, a Demon’s engine sucks in 4.9 cubic meters of air, which is the equivalent to the lung capacity of 816 humans combined. Putting that into perspective, in just 244 meters, the car sucks in as much volume of air as that found in its cabin – that’s a lot.

In order to keep the high performance engine cool, the Demon has a very efficient cooling system that is able to remove as much as 258kW of heat from the engine when running at the limit. That same amount of heat can boil nearly 950 ml of water in just 1.2 seconds.

A remarkable car by any standards, the Dodge SRT Demon is only available to purchase in North America for now. It’s an amazing technological achievement for drag racing, but for anything else, it falls well short of the mark.