Toyota FT-86 TRD

Posted on 11.2.2011 13:00 by Simona Filed under: Toyota | coupe | Accessories | sports cars | future cars | Toyota FT-86 | Cars | Car Reviews | Toyota

We still have to wait a few more weeks until we finally get to see the production version of the Toyota FT-86 sports car, but more and more details are sneakily surfacing on the internet. The newest tidbit of information comes from the FT86Club and states that Toyota Racing Development (TRD) will offer a pretty aggressive package for the upcoming sports car.

The new package by TRD will supply a new front spoiler, side skirts, a new rear diffuser, a bootlid spoiler, and a new set of 18" aluminum wheels to jazz up the highly anticipated sports model. The interior will also get a few modifications in new sports seats, a new shift knob, a push start switch, and a sports metering system.

As for the performance updates, the recently leaked 2.0-liter flat-four engine will be joined by a full-length adjustable suspension set, a monoblock caliber kit, a new sports exhaust system with two pipes on each side for a racy look, a door stabilizer, tower bar, sports air filter, sports oil filter, and upgraded brakes. These additions may or may not add a performance boost, but the standard engine produces 197 HP at 7,000 rpm and 150 lb-ft of torque at 6,600 rpm, so expect output to be somewhere along the same numbers.

The new Toyota FT-86 TRD is undoubtedly a response to the recently announced b>BRZ STI Concept; which model would you prefer?

gallery: 2012 Toyota FT-86

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gallery: 2012 Subaru BRZ Concept STI

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Toyota FT-86 TRD originally appeared on topspeed.com on Wednesday, 2 November 2011 13:00 EST.

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Ronnie Peterson Vitaly Petrov* Alfredo Piàn Francois Picard

Why are the FIA bringing out their toolkits?

By Matt Carver

It's been two months since Sebastian Vettel was crowned as the Formula 1 world champion of 2010, after what was arguably the most enthralling and closely-fought championship in recent history. But bizarrely, the sports governing body, the FIA, have decided that it needs 'spicing up' with a whole raft of new technical regulations.

Even without these supposed enhancements, the setup for the 2011 season looks stronger than ever. The live TV broadcasts will now be in High Definition, there will be five former world champions on the gird, the teams are closely matched, and worldwide viewing figures are very strong. So this begs the obvious question: If it's not broken, why are the FIA bringing out their toolkits?

The answer can be found in a simple, four-syllable word that sparks a lot of debate: Overtaking.

The Return of KERS

For 2011, the Kinetic Energy Recovery System (KERS) will again be available to all the teams, after its banishment for 2010 following an uninspiring implementation in the previous season. For those unfamiliar with the concept, a KERS unit is essentially just a large battery which harnesses a reserve of energy from heavy braking. This energy can then be fed though the drive train at the press of a button for an 80bhp boost for several seconds per lap.

It was originally intended as a 'push-to-pass' button to aid overtaking, but the unit itself was heavy and had a strong destabilizing effect. The cars that were fitted with KERS were more unstable and thus slower for the majority of a lap, but had the extra muscle on the long straights. So it quickly became more of an overtaking deterrent than an aid, and there is no reason to believe that it will be any different next season.

The Controversial Moveable Wings

The big concern for next season is the introduction of moveable wings, which will allow a chasing car to greatly reduce its aerodynamic drag, allowing for greater top speed, but only when closely following a competitor. This is hugely controversial, for the simple reason that it hands an artificial advantage to the chasing car, effectively handicapping the leading car for having superior track position. The problem here is that it appears to violate a fundamental rule of fair racing. Surely you can't artificially penalize a driver for having track position just to make it more entertaining. This is no different from telling Usain Bolt that whoever wins the silver medal is now allowed to use performance enhancing drungs, but only until he starts winning, then he will be back on the protein 'shakes so that it doesn't get boring.

The Nightmare Scenario

Let's take Spa for example, the much-loved host venue for the Belgian Grand Prix. There is always plenty of overtaking at Spa, mainly due to the layout of the first few turns. The tricky first hairpin leads uphill through the staggeringly fast Eau Rouge bend, onto a lengthy straight, leading down to a tight right hander. It's hard to see how any driver could sufficiently defend their position through this section against a competitor who has artificially increased top speed. This could lead to the nightmare scenario; A driver with a narrow lead may decide to deliberately concede position before starting the final lap, as the advantage of the movable wing could be more beneficial than having track position. This would be a farce in every sense of the word, and could damage the sport's competitive integrity.

There can be no doubt that on some occasions, overtaking in F1 can become almost impossible. In Hungary last year, Vettel was forced to spend more than twenty laps simply staring at the back of Fernando Alonso's Ferrari, despite being significantly faster. Alonso's championship hopes eventually faded as he spent the last 40 minutes of the season finale waiting in vain for Vitaly Petrov to plough his Renault into the Abu Dhabi tyre wall. But on other occasions, the wheel-to-wheel action was spectacular. In Turkey, The two Mclarens where bumping wheels for the lead at turn one, just a few minutes after the Red Bulls were bashing each other into the scenery. Robert Kubica provided plenty of excitement whilst scything through half the field in Singapore, and the Japanese fans at Suzuka were amply entertained by Kamui Kobayashi flinging his BMW Sauber past anyone and everyone at the hairpin.

Surely this should lead us to one inevitable conclusion. It is the layout of certain circuits that appears to be curtailing the action. Only time will tell if alterations to the cars themselves will have the desired effect.


This original article "Formula 1's Risky New Regulations" is written by Matt Carver who is a Contributing Writer at Suite101.

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Marussia Virgin MVR-02 Launch pictures (7th of February)

Marussia Virgin Racing unveiled their 2011 challenger at BBC Television Centre in London on 7th February 2011.

The Virgin MVR-02 is designed by Nick Wirth for the 2011 Formula One season. Like its predecessor, the Virgin VR-01, the MVR-02 is designed entirely with computational fluid dynamics (CFD), with Nick Wirth's Wirth Research design studio doubling their CFD capacity ahead of the 2011 season.

As compared to its predecessor, as well as many of the current F1 challengers , the new MVR-02 presents a lower nose design, while also featuring a tighter rear section. As far as the livery for the 2011 F1 season goes, Virgin's partnership with Marussia Motors reflects in a slightly different color scheme, with some white added to the front of the car's nose.The air intake on the front nose has been designed to resemble the one on Marussia's road car, the Marussia B2.

Technical specifications

Chassis	carbon-fibre construction monocoque and nosebox
Suspension (front)	carbon-fibre wishbones with titanium flexure joints, aluminium alloy uprights, Penske dampers
Suspension (rear)	as front
Engine	Cosworth CA2011 2,400 cc (146.5 cu in) 90� V8, limited to 18,000 RPM, naturally-aspirated, mid-mounted
Transmission	Seven-speed semi-automatic gearbox with reverse gear, Aluminium construction, "seamless shift", electronically controlled hydraulic differential
Weight	640 kg (1,411 lb) (including driver)
Fuel	BP
Tyres	Pirelli P Zero
	BBS Wheels (front and rear): 13"

Link

Virgin MVR-02 ? Exhaust Positioning (Scarbsf1's Blog)
"One detail of note on the car was the exhaust system. Already the buzz word at every launch, the exhaust mates the simpler diffuser to help produce downforce. In Virgins case they have extended the exhausts to blow over the diffuser. Nick Wirth did confirm a Renault style front exit was simulated, but the more conventional approach has been adopted on the launch car at least."

Marussia Virgin MVR-02 Launch pictures

Photos � Marussia Virgin Racing

Felice Bonetto Jo Bonnier Roberto Bonomi Juan Manuel Bordeu

Sebastian Vettel: ?We?ll see a good race on Sunday??

Sebastian Vettel says he enjoyed his first acquaintance with the Buddh circuit today, although like everyone else he found the dusty conditions difficult. Vettel finished FP2 in India in second place, just 0.088s off pacesetter Felipe Massa. ?It?s interesting, a … Continue reading →

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Aston Martin V12 Vantage AMWH by Galpin Auto Sports

Posted on 11.1.2011 13:00 by Kirby Filed under: Aston-Martin | coupe | Supercars / Exotic cars | SEMA Auto Show | Aston-Martin V12 | car tuning | Cars | Car Reviews | Aston Martin

For all the excitement surrounding the 2011 SEMA Auto Show, the lack of European exotics present is one of the things that we think should be changed. For their part, Galpin Auto Sports - yeah, those boys from Pimp My Ride - want to change that, or at least hope to, by bringing a tricked out version of one of Britain’s best supercars, the Aston Martin V12 Vantage AMWH, to Las Vegas.

As one of a total of 12 vehicles being brought by GAS, the V12 Vantage AMWH comes with a bevy of exterior modifications, to go with a subtle performance upgrade. To begin their project, GAS dressed the British supercar in a flat-matte paint finish with matching black-painted trim pieces on the grille and the window surrounds. The American tuner also gave the car plenty of carbon fiber material, including on, but not limited to, the mirrors, the rear diffuser, the interior door panels, climate-control vents, and strut braces. Rounding out the exterior modifications for the V12 Vantage are a new set of 20" matte black wheels.

In terms of the slight performance improvement, GAS added a Flowmaster exhaust system that added 10 horsepower to the V12 Vantage’s 517-horsepower 6.0-liter V12 engine. Do the math and that totals to 527 ponies for the stealthy British exotic beast.

gallery: 2010 Aston Martin V12 Vantage

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Aston Martin V12 Vantage AMWH by Galpin Auto Sports originally appeared on topspeed.com on Tuesday, 1 November 2011 13:00 EST.

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Vettel wins the 2011 Malaysian Grand Prix

Sebastian Vettel won his second consecutive race this year after another dominant performance on the Sepang International Circuit, making it two out of two for both him and his Red Bull Racing team in 2011.

Although the winning margin wasn?t as big as in Australia two weekends ago, the reigning world champion did not look in trouble at any time while in the lead, crossing the finish line a little over 3 seconds ahead of McLaren?s Jenson Button. And just as it happened at Albert Park, the last step of the podium was taken by a Lotus Renault driver, only this time it was Nick Heidfeld who got to enjoy that position.

Vettel kept 1st place from pole position early on and built a comfortable time margin ahead, while Heidfeld started off great and jumped from 6th to 2nd by the first corner, ahead of McLaren duo Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button. Renault enjoyed a great race start, as Vitaly Petrov also jumped a few positions to 5th place, ahead of Ferrari duo Felipe Massa and Fernando Alonso.

Mark Webber?s nightmare was again the race start, as he lost no more than 5 positions and dropped to 8th overall.

While Vettel did his race undisturbed in the front, positions in the back changed after the first round of pit stops, where Heidfeld and Massa lost a huge amount of time and returned to the track in 6th and 7th respectively. The two McLarens and Fernando Alonso were easily the beneficiaries going into their 2nd stint, as the trio started putting in fast lap times and threaten Vettel?s leading position.

Alonso moved quickly to pass Jenson Button for 3rd place, before the second round of pit stops messed with the leading pack once more. The Spaniard lost plenty of time in the pits ? while staying more on the track and pitting last ? and returned to the track behind Hamilton and Button.

Again, while finally closing down on the two McLarens, the field began their 3rd pit stop entries, causing Alonso to further lose some positions to Petrov and Webber, while Button and Hamilton switched positions behind Vettel.

Once Petrov and Red Bull?s Webber pitted (the latter for the 4th time on Sunday), Alonso began closing down on Hamilton and, with some 10 laps to go, set up the stage for the most exciting duel of the afternoon. It didn?t last for too long however, as the Spaniard ? whose rear wing stopped working after his 3rd pit stop ? clipped the rear of Hamilton?s car when trying to overtake him and damaged his front wing.

As he was forced to pit for the 4th time, he returned to the track in 7th place, behind teammate Felipe Massa. Hamilton, however, also hit trouble late in the race and, after losing two positions to Heidfeld and Webber, decided to pit and take on a new set of tires.

While Vettel and Button ran undisturbed for 1st and 2nd, Heidfeld had to really struggle to keep his position ahead of Webber, despite having the advantage of using KERS (which neither of the two RBR drivers used on Sunday).

Felipe Massa finished in 5th place, ahead of his teammate Alonso, while Hamilton returned to the track in 7th place after his 4th stop. Sauber?s Kamui Kobayashi scored a great 8th place, at the end of a race that say him overtake Michael Schumacher a handful of times, while the German had to settle for 9th place.

Rookie Paul di Resta (Force India) managed his second point-scoring performance in F1 in 2 races and finished in 10th place, ahead of his much more experienced teammate Adrian Sutil.

-By Ovidiu Panzariu


The Race as it happened via f1livetweets




2011 Malaysian Grand Prix Race times

Pos	No	Driver	Team	Laps	Time	Grid	Pts
1	1	Sebastian Vettel	RBR-Renault	56	Winner	1	25
2	4	Jenson Button	McLaren-Mercedes	56	+3.2 secs	4	18
3	9	Nick Heidfeld	Renault	56	+25.0 secs	6	15
4	2	Mark Webber	RBR-Renault	56	+26.3 secs	3	12
5	6	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	56	+36.9 secs	7	10
6	5	Fernando Alonso	Ferrari	56	+37.2 secs	5	8
7	3	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren-Mercedes	56	+49.9 secs	2	6
8	16	Kamui Kobayashi	Sauber-Ferrari	56	+66.4 secs	10	4
9	7	Michael Schumacher	Mercedes	56	+84.8 secs	11	2
10	15	Paul di Resta	Force India-Mercedes	56	+91.5 secs	14	1
11	14	Adrian Sutil	Force India-Mercedes		+ 1 Lap	17
12	8	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes		+1 Lap	9
13	18	Sebastien Buemi	STR-Ferrari		+1 Lap	12
14	19	Jaime Alguersuari	STR-Ferrari		+1 Lap	13
15	20	Heikki Kovalainen	Lotus-Renault		+1 Lap	19
16	24	Timo Glock	Virgin-Cosworth		+2 Lap	21
17	10	Vitaly Petrov	Renault		+4 Lap	8
Ret	23	Vitantonio Liuzzi	HRT-Cosworth		+10 Lap	23
Ret	25	Jerome d'Ambrosio	Virgin-Cosworth		+14 Lap	22
Ret	21	Jarno Trulli	Lotus-Renault		+25 Laps	20
Ret	17	Sergio Perez	Sauber-Ferrari		+33 Laps	16
Ret	11	Rubens Barrichello	Williams-Cosworth		+34 Laps	15
Ret	22	Narain Karthikeyan	HRT-Cosworth		+42 Laps	24
Ret	12	Pastor Maldonado	Williams-Cosworth		+48 Laps	18

Fastest lap:
Mark Webber Australia Red Bull-Renault 1m 40.571s lap 46

Championship points:

Drivers? championship				Constructors? championship
Pos	Driver	Points		Pos	Team	Points
1	Sebastian Vettel	50		1	Red Bull	72
2	Jenson Button	26		2	McLaren	50
3	Lewis Hamilton	24		3	Ferrari	36
4	Mark Webber	22		4	Renault	30
5	Fernando Alonso	20		5	Toro Rosso	4
6	Felipe Massa	16		6	Sauber	4
7	Nick Heidfeld	15		7	Force India	4
8	Vitaly Petrov	15		8	Mercedes	2
9	Sebastien Buemi	4		9	Lotus	0
10	Kamui Kobayashi	4		10	Virgin	0
11	Adrian Sutil	2		11	Williams	0
12	Michael Schumacher	2		12	HRT	0
13	Paul di Resta	2
14	Jaime Alguersuari	0
15	Nico Rosberg	0
16	Jarno Trulli	0
17	Jerome d?Ambrosio	0
18	Heikki Kovalainen	0
19	Timo Glock	0
20	Rubens Barrichello	0
21	Sergio Perez	0
22	Narain Karthikeyan	0
23	Vitantonio Liuzzi	0
24	Pastor Maldonado	0

Rodney Nuckey Robert OBrien Pat OConnor Jackie Oliver