Red Bull Racing at Khardung La

At 17582 feet, Khardung La located in the Ladakh region of the Indian state of Jammu & Kashmir, is one of the highest motorable mountain passes in the world. Driving at such heights is a thrilling experience in itself. Now imagine driving an F1 car through these high Himalayan roads. That is exactly what Red Bull Racing did a few days ago. As a prelude to the Indian Grand Prix, RBR took their F1 car out for a run through Khardung La. With the success they have had this season, it looks like RBR has ample time to try out new things without worrying too much about the constructors title, which they are fully confident of securing. In any case, here is the uncut video of RBR RB7 through Khardung La.

The Indian Grand Prix – An exciting time for India

On 30th October 2011, India shall witness its first ever F1 grand prix. In a country which is currently the second fastest growing automobile market and the seventh largest producer of automobiles globally, this is indeed an important event. Sadly though, motorsports in India has failed to expand at the same rate as the automotive industry and has remained a niche. The Indian Grand Prix would surely serve as a big boost to motorsports in India and put India on the global motorsports map.

The Buddh International Circuit is set to be one of the most challenging circuits on the F1 calendar and also be an exciting race to watch with ample overtaking opportunities. Apart from the main event there will also be two support races in the form of JK Racing Asia Series (formerly Formula BMW Asia) and the MRF Formula Championship. Being an Indian who currently lives USA, it is unfortunate that I wouldn’t be able to attend the inaugural grand prix of India. But I do hope to attend it next year when I return to India. As for now, I shall be watching the race on TV but for those of you who want to attend the race live but haven’t yet purchased your race tickets or packages, here is the link to the official ticketing website – http://in.bookmyshow.com/sport/formula1/

Time to get the Wheels rolling once again!

Hello folks! Its been more than an year since I last updated this blog. Things have changed a during this past year. I graduated from college in June of 2010. After graduation, I started working with Michelin and I have learnt a lot about tyres since then. I also moved to United States in September last year and would probably return to India in May/June 2012. Meanwhile, the blog has continued to receive some readers along with a few comments. I have been planning to kick start this blog again for a while now, but somehow I could never find the time to do so. Then a few weeks ago, I broke my left leg and become immobilised temporarily. This gave me an opportunity to revisit this blog and get it started again. This time though, I sincerely plan to keep it moving and not become dormant like it has in the past.

A New Porsche

After Porsche’s successful foray into sports SUVs (Cayenne) and sports sedans (Panamera), the company recently unveiled its new offering for the Russian market. Designed for off road usage and usage on snow, the car would soon be launched in other countries. With this new product, Porsche has once again adhered to its commitment of sporty offerings across all vehicle segments. To complement the launch of this new car, Porsche has introduced a whole range of sporty merchandise based on the car.

Lexus F

When you talk of Lexus you talk about high levels of luxury, refinement, reliability and customer service. Ever since the Lexus brand was introduced in 1989, it was because of these virtues that Lexus was able to challenge the dominance of traditional luxury brands such as Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Audi and Jaguar and very soon, it had established itself as one of the largest selling luxury car maker. However, unlike the aforementioned marques, sportiveness and high performance are some characteristics that Lexus cars were never really associated with. While BMW has the M division, Mercedes has AMG, Audi has the S/RS models and Jaguar is sporty in itself, Lexus never had anything of such sorts. Not any more, now there is Lexus F.

The Lexus F marque is a high-performance division of cars produced by Lexus. Why F? F stands for Flagship. It also refers to the Fuji Speedway, the site where Lexus performance vehicles are developed in Oyama, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. The F logo is in fact inspired by the 27R, the first corner of the Fuji Speedway circuit. The F marque made its first appearance at the North American International Auto Show in January 2007, with the Lexus IS F. The IS F (pictured below) is a high performance version of the Lexus IS series of luxury cars. It features a larger, more powerful engine than standard IS models, improved suspension and brakes, body design enhancements, and other vehicle changes. The car had been designed by a separate skunk works team in a manner distinct from typical Lexus engineering practices.

The second car to wear the Lexus F batch is the Lexus LFA. The car first appeared in 2005 as the LF-A concept, followed by a second LF-A in 2007 (alongside the IS F at the North American International Auto Show) and a third roadster concept in 2008. The production model, rechritened as the LFA, was finally unveiled at the Tokyo Motor Show in October 2009 and wore a Lexus F batch. This car is Lexus’s first foray into the domain of supercars. Lexus has built the LFA as a halo vehicle, a racing prototype and as a technology demostrator. The car features a new V10 engine and a carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) body. CFRP materials account for 65 percent of the LFA’s body composition by mass. The LFA is scheduled to go into production in late 2010, with a projected run of 500 vehicles followed by a circuit tuned variant in 2012. With an estimated price tag of $350,000 – $375,000 USD, the car is meant to compete with the likes of Lamborghini Gallardo, Ferrari 458 and the Porsche 911 Turbo and GT models. Pictured below is the production model of the LFA.

More cars from the Lexus F stable are expected in the future, starting with the GS F in 2011-12. Lexus has also created an F-Sport line up of performance parts and kits for its cars. Initially offered for the IS 250 and IS 350 sedans, the line was expanded to the two-door IS C models, along with the entire GS line in 2009. Looking at all this, it must be said that Lexus is trying hard to reinvent its image from just being a luxury car maker to a manufacturer of high performance and luxury vehicles. Through the F marque, Lexus hopes to make its cars more appealing and more exciting to drive. How much impact will the marque have on the Lexus brand remains to be seen. Even with the F marque, there is something which Lexus still lacks, which its European rivals don’t. Brands such as Audi, Mercedes, BMW and Jaguar have a long history associated with them and a rich racing heritage. While Lexus has had a small success in motorsports (Super GT and Rolex Sports Car Championhip), its European rivals have won all major trophies and championships and continue to be active and strong contenders in various forms of motor racing. But if Lexus has successfully fought them in the past, then surely it could do it once again.

Wheels is back!!!

It has been a few years since I last updated this blog. However, in spite of the inactivity, Wheels has continued to receive a lot of visitors and comments, because of which, I have often considered about kick starting the blog again. Now the time has finally come. Wheels is back would once again deliver exciting news and views from the world of automobiles and motorsports. So gear up for some interesting read and keep supporting Wheels.

French Grand-Prix: Ferrari back in the title hunt

With Kimi Raikkonen and Felipe Massa finishing first and second in French Grand-Prix at Magny-Cours, Ferrari is now firmly back in the title hunt for the constructors championship. Sadly, I couldn’t watch the race yesterday. McLaren’s new star, Lewis Hamilton, finished third about half a minute behind the Ferraris.

The scarlet cars opted for a two stop strategy whereas the McLaren’s chose 3 stops. Initially, Massa led the race but after losing first place during his second pit stop, he wasn’t able to overtake his team mate who had been out for a little longer thanks to the heavier fuel load. Further back Robert Kubica and Nick Heidfeld grabbed another nine points for BMW Sauber with fourth and fifth places, the latter having some gripping duels with McLaren’s Fernando Alonso. The world champion, who started tenth after his qualifying woes, was out of luck, finishing seventh (after a long second stop) behind Giancarlo Fisichella’s hard-driven Renault, so his two points leave him now 14 adrift of Hamilton, who moved up to 64. Massa’s second place leaves him third in the world championship on 47, but Raikkonen jumps closer with 42. The final point went to Jenson Button and Honda, who turned in a solid performance that confirmed that the RA107 has improved. It was the first point of the season for both.

Silverstone marks the midpoint of the world championship, and McLaren currently have 114 points, Ferrari 89. Everything is still out there to play for and being a Tifosi, I support the Ferraris.

Check out- F1.COM for more.

To all the visitors

Thank you for visiting this blog. This blog is new and it needs your support. Please leave your comments and let me know what you feel about this blog. If you have any suggestions, do let me know.

Your support is invaluable. Keep reading Wheels.

The Ultimate Sedan

Most professionals like the idea of owning a sedan for everyday use. You can drive in it to your office, go shopping, visit the club etc. But if you want to hit the racetrack, go grand touring or just do some sporty driving, a sedan doesn’t fit into the picture. But if you want one car for all this, what do you drive? Do you still drive a sedan? If I had to answer this question, I would say yes. And the car I would be driving would be the BMW M5.

What is so special about this car? To start with, its a BMW sedan and its got all the comfort and refinement you expect from a BMW. But then, this is no ordinary BMW. The current BMW M5 is the world’s fastest production 4-door sedan with a top speed of 205mph, bettering cars like the Ferrari F50 (after an ECU modification to eliminate the factory programmed 250km/h limiter). Four generations of the M5 have appeared and all of then have been remarkable.

The first M5 made its debut at the 1984 Amsterdam Motor Show. It was the product of demand for an automobile with the carrying capacity of a sedan, but the overall performance of a sports car. Based on the E28 5-Series, it utilized the 535i chassis and an evolution of the engine from the BMW M1. The M5 was hand-built by Motorsport technicians and was the fastest production saloon (sedan) in the world. The next one, the E34 M5 was produced from 1988 to 1995. It was produced at BMW M GmbH in Garching, Germany and like the previous M5, was entirely hand-built and utilized the 535i chassis(E34). Assembly was done either by a single M employee or a team of M employees and generally took about two weeks. The engines were also built by hand by BMW M technicians. After this came the E39 M5. This was again the fastest factory line production sedan that time in the world. However, unlike previous M5s, this one was not hand-built at the BMW M GmbH factory; it was produced on the same assembly line as the normal E39 5-series at the Dingolfing factory in Germany.

Coming to the current M5(E60), its one hell of a sedan. On the outside, it may look like an ordinary 5series except for the M batch and the side vents but thats where the similarity ends. The M5 is powered by a naturally aspirated 5.0 L BMW V10 engine(S85) redlining at 8250 RPM with a peak output of 507 PS (373 kW/500 bhp) and 383 ft-lbs of torque. Unlike some other BMW engines which utilize BMW’s variable valve timing system, the Valvetronic, to infinitely vary valve lift in order to eliminate the throttle plate, this engine has 1 individual throttle body per cylinder. This gives it quicker response. Other key features include a stiffened aluminum chassis and a 7-speed SMG III manual transmission.The V10 engine is a masterpiece. It is a 5-litre DOHC 40-valve double VANOS V10 engine It was inspired by BMW’s formula 1 racing division and shares many components and technology that powered the BMW Williams F1 cars. The transmission is another technical marvel. As I mentioned earlier, its a 7-speed sequential manual gearbox, a manual gearbox without a clutch pedal and an automatically operated clutch. The gearbox comes with F1 inspired peddle shifters. There is also a floor shifter present. The gearbox may also be operated in an automatic mode but this is not that well refined. Other F1 inspired technologies include launch control, dynamic stability control and the option of changing to the speed at which shifts are completed (there are 11 shift programs in total forming what BMW calls Drivelogic).

On the inside its got everything you expect from a mid-size luxury sedan and a lot more. Leather sports seat, a nice stereo unit, sat-nav, its all. It comes with the BMW iDrive system, a computer like system, which is used to control most secondary vehicle systems such as climate control, navigation and communication system etc. Another striking feature is a  “M” button on the steering wheel which offers access to three modes: P400 (limiting the engine to 400 hp for daily driving use), P500 (unleashes the full 507 hp) and P500 S (for full power and sharper throttle response). P400 is the default start-up mode, the P500 modes are preselected using i-Drive and then activated from P400 using the “M” button.

Performance is breathtaking, 0-100km/h takes 4.7 s. Top speed is 250 km/h (155 mph) with limiter; 330 km/h (205 mph) without it. Peak power of 507 PS (500.1 bhp/372.9 kW) comes at 7750 rpm. With peak torque of 520 nm (383 ft. lbs.) at 6100 rpm. Ride quality is remarkable. The M5 is not cheap and costs around £63,495 in the UK. But its surely worth every penny. Kudos to the M5, the ultimate sedan.   

What happened to the Subaru Impreza???

I always loved the Subaru Impreza especially the WRX STi version. I loved it for its looks and its performance. I loved it for what it was (and still is), a rally car for the road. Ever since the first Impreza came out in 1993, it always got better with every update. But looking at the 2008 Impreza, can this still be said? Has it gotten better this time as well? If you ask me, the answer is a clear NO. And all it takes to say no is just one look.

Just look at it and you would see why I think so. Does it look like an Impreza from any angle? It may still be an Impreza under the hood but come on, looks do matter when it comes to cars (and girls). The stying has definitely lost its flare. Subaru says that it wants to attract a broader range of customers but I don’t quite see how they plan to do so with such a design. Where is the masculinity in the design that is supposed to be there in a rally car? Where is the aggressiveness? The new Impreza is more of a poser trying to look mean yet elegant but failing to do so. Last time around, Subaru showed their chief designer the door for the controversial front end styling of the current Impreza. And this is what they come up with. Don’t get me wrong, the new styling isn’t bad but its just not an Impreza anymore. Also, the design of the hatch reminds me of the Chevrolet Optra CRV/Optra5/Buick Excelle HRV/Suzuki Reno, something which one would never want an Impreza to be. Another change is that the next Impreza WRC would be based on the hatch. The 2008 Impreza would be availabe as a sedan as well as a hatchback. Again, I don’t see why they want to do this. Almost all cars in Gropu-A WRC are already hatchbacks. Why does Subaru not want to continue with a sedan based rally car? Why does it want to follow others and lose its uniqueness.

For the sake of this wonderful car and all Impreza lovers, Subaru should reconsider the new design. The current Impreza design isn’t that old and maybe they could carry on with it with some technical upgrades till they come up with a car which deserves to be an Impreza. The new car maybe quicker and much better to drive but its not an Impreza. This new design could be launched as a new car but not as an Impreza. Otherwise, bad days for the Impreza lie ahead.