Mad About Cars

The Ford Focus RS is due to go on general sale soon, with a price tag of £24,995. The car is keenly awaited by performance Ford enthusiasts, as it is the most powerful production Ford ever to be sold in Europe. Despite the car being front-wheel drive, the immense power is handled by an ‘Automatic Torque Biasing’ limited-slip differential along with ‘RevoKnuckle front suspension system’. The performance figures are staggering for a hot hatch, with an expected 0-60 time of less than six seconds, and with the car’s top speed likely to exceed 160mph. Power comes from a highly modified version of the Focus ST engine, the 2.5 petrol engine benefitting from a new camshaft and revised cylinder head to increase the power by an incredible 80bhp.

Like many of the world’s premier sports cars, the Focus RS has undergone extensive testing at the Nurburgring to ensure the handling of the car is a match for the immense power. The car comes with all of the usual refinements expected from such a car, with air conditioning, CD player and Xenon headlights. Other option packs will be available at extra cost, to include a leather interior, climate control and touch screen satellite navigation.

As one of the most radical cars to ever carry the RS badge, the new Focus RS will surely become a modern classic in the forthcoming years.    

Whilst Formula One is one of the most popular forms of motorsport across the globe, one area the sport struggles to gain mainstream popularity is in North America. Over the years the United States Grand Prix has been limited to something of a cult following with US racing fans, with IndyCar (and in recent years NASCAR) being far more popular.

After the inception of the Formula One World Championship in 1950, for the first few years the series incorporated the Indianapolis 500 as a championship race. However few Europeans contested the race, with different cars involved for the high-speed race.

Between 1959 and 1980, races took place at Sebring, Riverside and most famously Watkins Glen. However during the 1980s, races in America moved towards temporary street circuits in cities such as Detroit, Dallas and on two occasions the car park at Caesar’s Palace for the ‘Las Vegas Grand Prix.

Whilst these races often provided plenty of action, with mistakes being punished by a trip into concrete retaining walls, the circuits were generally unpopular with drivers, rather uninspiring in design and failed to catch the locals’ interest.

In 1989, the Grand Prix was held in downtown Phoenix, Arizona. The street circuit was unpopular, and public apathy hit an all time low in 1991 with just 18,000 spectators (and stories that a local ostrich festival had attracted a larger crowd)

Following such apathy, a Grand Prix was not held in the USA until 2000, when a newly designed road circuit at Indianapolis was introduced. With crowds regularly exceeding 150,000, it seemed Formula One would finally become accepted in the USA. However the farcical 2005 United States Grand Prix saw just six cars start the race following an argument over tyre safety, an incident that saw large scale anger from fans.

The event seemed to recover from the setback, but following a disagreement in terms, the event was dropped after 2007. Whilst the door is still open for Indianapolis to return, the increase of races in areas such as Asia and the Middles East means the United States Grand Prix will not take place for the foreseeable future.

With new car sales suffering badly due to the current economic crisis, now has become an excellent time for those looking to purchase a new car. Lower sales, and the difficulty of gaining credit, has led dealers to cut prices dramatically on the forecourts, with some impressive deals available.

The new Renault Laguna for example. In typical Renault style it has love-it or hate it looks, but it nonetheless a well equipped, comfortable car. At my local Renault dealer, a new, pre-registered, diesel version of the car was being offered at a mere £11,000.

Another car where discounts can be had is the Ford Fiesta. Recently updated with an all new model, there are still plenty of unsold examples of the unsold models waiting to be sold. With some haggling, up to a third can be discounted from the original list price.

Of course, the bargain hunting does not apply to the board. Certain manufacturers such as Mercedes, along with BMW performance ‘M’ division, continue to sell well, with demand remaining strong. But with sales offices across the country getting quieter as consumer confidence remains low, those with the funding, and who are partial to a little haggling, can now grab some real bargains in the new-car market.

The Indianapolis Motor Speedway is known as one of the world’s most famous racing circuits. Having hosted the world famous Indianapolis 500 since 1911, the circuit has in recent years also staged NASCAR, Formula One and Moto GP events.

The circuit is a 2.5mile ‘oval’ (although rectangular in shape, with four quarter-mile turns, two 1/8 mile short straights (known as ‘short chutes’) and the front and rear straights, both 5/8 of a mile long.

The track was founded by a conglomerate of businessmen, headed by famous entrepreneur Carl Fisher, initially as a testing ground for American cars.

After several early race meetings, Fisher devised a 500-mile endurance race to be held on Memorial Day 1911. The Indianapolis 500 was born, a race that would capture the imagination of drivers and fans worldwide.

The track was originally lined with crushed stone and tar, but due to several fatalities the track was repaved with 3.2 million paving bricks, giving the track it’s nickname ‘The Brickyard’. Although the track was since covered in tarmac, 3 feet of original bricks still remain at the start/finish line.

The track fell into disrepair during World War 2, as racing was suspended whilst America went to war. It was expected the track would be sold for re-development, but Indiana businessman Tony Hulman bought the circuit and refurbished the track into one of the world’s premier racing venues. Although Hulman passed away in 1977, the circuit is still managed by his family.

1994 saw NASCAR make it’s debut at Indianapolis, it was the first time since 1919 that any other race apart from the Indianapolis 500 had taken place at the circuit. Later, in 2000, a road course was completed, utilising the Speedway’s first corner and main straight with a purpose built road course in the circuit infield. This circuit hosted the United States Grand Prix from 2000 to 2007. The race was notably one of the first major US sporting events after the 9/11 attacks, but was also noteable for  a large-scale boycott in 2005 regarding tyre safety issues, which left only six cars on the grid.

Formula One left the circuit in 2007, but in 2008 the circuit saw MotoGP take place at the circuit, the first time motorcycles had raced at the track since its inception in 1909  

For any car-mad youngster, there can be few greater thrills than watching their father compete and win in Formula One, and it has been the catalyst for many a young driver as they aim to follow in their father’s footsteps.

Unfortunately many of these young hopefuls will never fulfil their dream, but for a select few over the years, they have emulated their dreams to compete in Formula One. The concept of children following in their father’s footsteps is nothing new, with children immersed in the sport from an early age. ‘Racing families’, such as the Unser and Andretti families are nothing new in the United States, but in even in Formula One there have been a few shining examples.

One of the most famous of these was Damon Hill. Son of former world champion Graham Hill, Damon lost his father in a plane crash in 1975, with most of the family fortune being spent on compensation payouts. Therefore the young Hill had to scrape a living as motorcycle courier in his early years, showing some promise as a motorcycle racer before switching to cars. After a tentative start, his talent took him to Formula One with the Williams team, where following Ayrton Senna’s death in 1994 he was catapulted to team leader. During the mid-1990s Hill had a close (and often bitter) rivalry with Michael Schumacher, but took the world driver’s title in 1996, the first son of a Formula One world champion to do so.

Hill was joined by Jacques Villeneuve in 1996, another son of a famous driver. Gilles Villeneuve was considered by many as one of the most naturally talented drivers in Grand Prix history, his premature death in 1982 stopping him from realising his true potential. Jacques Villeneuve came to Formula One from a successful IndyCar career, and his arrival in Formula One was regarded with major anticipation. He came close to the 1996 title before clinching the title in 1997. Sadly, he was unable to re-create his early career form with the BAR team, founded in 1999 by his close friend Craig Pollock.

In recent years, two more drivers with world-champion fathers have entered Formula One. German driver Nico Rosberg has always enjoyed a close relationship with the Williams team, where his father Keke was the 1982 world champion. At just 17, Rosberg tested with the team and since 2006 has driven for the team (after winning the GP2 series in 2005). Rosberg has impressed many within the sport, and is signed to Williams until 2009.

Son of three-time world champion Nelson Piquet, Nelson Piquet Jr. signed for the Renault team for 2008. Despite a best finish of second in the German Grand Prix, many error-strewn races led to rumours he would be dropped. However, Piquet will continue with the team for 2009.