Porsche Motorsport newsletter 2009-11-10

Porsche Motorsport newsletter 2009-11-10 Racing series   FIA-GT GT PCC PSC ALMS ENDURANCE Date 2009-11-10

Porsche Motorsport around the world

FIA GT Championship: Richard Westbrook clinches title with 911 GT3 RSR

With victory at the eighth and final round in Zolder (Oct. 25), Richard Westbrook from Great Britain secured the GT2 drivers' title of the FIA GT Championship. Westbrook and Porsche works driver Emmanuel Collard had won the first two races in their 911 GT3 RSR fielded by the Belgian Prospeed team and held the lead until the seventh round. At the finale, the Briton shared the cockpit with Porsche-Junior Marco Holzer, who impressed with his faultless drive. Collard shared the 911 with Porsche-Junior Martin Ragginger, saw the chequered flag in sixth, and concluded his season in third.

Italian GT Championship: Francisco Cruz-Martins is the new champion

The fight for the title of the Campionato Italiano Gran Turismo went on until the final race weekend. Fifth position at race one of two in Monza (Oct. 17 - 18) was enough for Portugal's Francisco Cruz-Martins to win the championship's top class with Autorlando Sport's 911 GT3 RSR. Team honours went to Autorlando Sport. Cruz-Martins shared the cockpit with Porsche works driver Sascha Maassen at all rounds with the exception of one race at Mugello.

International GT Open: Autorlando Sport team champion with Lietz and Roda

Triumph for Porsche teams at the finale of the International GT Open on the Circuito do Algarve (Nov. 8) in Portugal. IMSA Performance Matmut pilots Patrick Pilet and Raymond Narac won ahead of their teammates Richard Balandras and Jean-Philippe Beloc, with Richard Lietz and Gianluca Roda finishing third in an Autorlando Sport 911 GT3 RSR. The Italian squad wrapped up the Super GT title. Lietz and Roda took the drivers' vice-championship ahead of Pilet/Narac.

Spanish GT Championship: Jesus Diez and Antonio Castro GTS champions

Four wins and five further podium results from twelve races: Jesus Diez and Antonio Castro (911 GT3 Cup S) topped off this performance in the Campeonato de Espana GT on the Circuito do Algarve (Nov. 7 - 8) with the GTS championship. In the Super GT category, the highest class, Miguel Angel de Castro narrowly missed out on the title to conclude the season as runner-up with Drivex's 911 GT3 RSR.

Belgian GT Championship: First Motorsport wins team classification

Final spurt yields title: Francois Verbist and Bert Longin secured their second win of the season at the penultimate race (24 Oct.) and claimed the final podium spot the following day at the eleventh and last race of the Belgian GT Championship in Zolder with the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup S run by First Motorsport. With this, First Motorsport claimed the team title. Longin and Verbist concluded their successful season ranking third in the drivers' classification.

Long Distance Championship Nurburgring: Ten races, nine Porsche wins

Top results for Porsche on the world's toughest race track: Christian Mamerow and Dirk Werner won the ninth as well as the tenth and final race of the BF Goodrich Long Distance Championship Nurburgring (Oct. 17 and Oct. 31 respectively) with Mamerow Racing's 911 GT3 Cup S. Mamerow Racing clinched four overall wins in 2009. However, the team to take the most overall victories at the long distance races on the 24.4 kilometre combination of the Nordschleife and Grand Prix circuit was Manthey Racing. Supported by Porsche works drivers Timo Bernhard, Emmanuel Collard and Romain Dumas, the Manthey squad secured five wins with a 911 GT3 RSR. Since 1983, Porsche has reeled off 150 wins at the long distance championship - more than all other manufacturers combined.

24 hour slot-car race Nurburgring: Porsche-Juniors pushing it hard

On Nov. 7 - 8, Porsche-Juniors Martin Ragginger and Marco Holzer took part in arguably their craziest 24 hour race to now. On a six-track model autobahn at the Nurburgring they piloted a Porsche Cayman. The two juniors' talent impressed the slot-car professionals. However, repairs after an electrical problem took an hour and robbed the team of all hopes.

Asian Le Mans Series: Two podiums for Porsche

Strong Porsche showing at the premiere race of the Asian Le Mans Series in Japan's Okayama (Oct. 31 - Nov. 1). Marc Lieb turned the quickest GT2 qualifying lap in the Felbermayr-Proton 911 GT3 RSR to yield second place from the first 500 kilometre race with Wolf Henzler - three-tenths of a second behind the winner. At the second 500 kilometre race, Christian Ried and Porsche-Junior Marco Holzer saw the flag in second at the wheel of the sister Felbermayr-Proton Porsche.

Porsche Mobil1 Supercup: Jeroen Bleekemolen defends championship

Enthralling premiere of the Porsche Mobil1 Supercup on the Grand Prix circuit of Abu Dhabi: At the twelfth race of the series (Oct. 31), Jeroen Bleekemolen defended his title with third place in the 911 GT3 Cup of Konrad Motorsport. His arch rival Rene Rast brought home his sixth win. At the final race the following day, Bleekemolen notched up win number five, with Rast running a close second. New Zealander Matt Halliday won the Rookie Classification.

Carrera Cup Deutschland: Thomas Jager takes title at final

The fight for championship honours of the Carrera Cup Deutschland between two former DTM pilots, Thomas Jager and Jeroen Bleekemolen, raged until the ninth and final race on the Hockenheimring (Oct. 25). Finishing fourth, Jager (MS Racing PZ Hamburg Nord-West) pocketed the trophy after three wins and three more podium results in 2009. Bleekemolen claimed his fourth win to become runner-up.

Porsche Matmut Carrera Cup France: Renaud Derlot is the champion

Consistency and four victories gave Renaud Derlot (Graff Racing) the championship title of the Carrera Cup France. Derlot was celebrated as the new champion after the 13th of 14 races on the final weekend in Ledenon (Oct. 17 - 18). Triple champion Anthony Beltoise was narrowly beaten to the title by six points.

Carrera Cup Great Britain: Two come out on top

Porsche Cars Great Britain gave six young hopefuls the chance to fight for two 50,000 GBP race scholarships towards the 2010 Carrera Cup at a rigorous evaluation process in Silverstone. After two days packed with track tests, media training, interviews and physicals, 22-year-old Euan Hankey and 21-year-old Michael Meadows were confirmed as the winners of the Carrera Cup Great Britain Scholarship Programme.

Race notes: Notching up his fifth and sixth wins of the season, Christian Menzel defended his points' lead in Shanghai (Nov. 7 - 8) against Tim Sugden. Title decision pending at the finale in Sepang (5/6 Dec.). +++ Season start of the GT3 Cup Challenge New Zealand in Pukekohe Park south of Auckland. Title defender Craig Baird won the 100 kilometre race on Saturday (Nov. 7) as well as Sprint 1 on Sunday. Sprint 2 went to Matt Halliday. +++ Miguel Paludo is the old and new champion of the GT3 Cup Challenge Brasil. Vice-championship honours - like in 2008 - went to Constantino Junior.

-credit: porsche

 

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Scotland entry revealed

From Jouni Tikanen [ 6/13/2001 ]. Click to read all other Rally News.
 

This introduction is meant for both those who don't yet know World Rally Championship but can also give something to more experienced fans. It is a complement to the Rally Glossary in which certain things are explained in depth.

The WRC

If you're new to the FIA World Rally Championship (acronym: WRC), this

article is a perfect place to start with. Since I don't believe that too many genuinely new people find their way first into my site, I try to include a bit of more advanced material into this too. So unless you're real expert you might find something interesting here. Also note that while this article covers some basics, more info can be found at glossary of rally terms and if you still have questions after reading these, don't hesitate to ask on via the general message board. There will surely be someone there that will be glad to answer your question.

What is it all about?

Rallying is a form of motorsports that is run over ordinary roads rather than in specialized circuits used in Formula One or off-road environment used in endurance events like Paris-Dakar.

In distinction to rallycross in rallying drivers compete against the clock, not directly against the other drivers.

And in distinction to rally-sprints, stages used in rallying are much longer (up to 40 to 50 km, average being 10 to 30 km) and special co-drivers are used to call pace notes.

Under current rules, each competitor starts into the stages with two minute intervals (applies to works drivers only, private drivers start with one minute intervals) so under normal circumstancies competitors see each others only at the start and finish of the stage.

Who runs the show?

There are four important parties involved. First one is FIA, the ruling body. It's the same body that makes also rules for Formula One, for example. Their role is only to make rules and govern, they do nothing else. Commercial rights to the WRC has been sold to International Sportsworld Communicators (ISC) which is owned by David Richards. They do all promotion, filming and distribution in relation to whole championship.

Thirdly there are manufacturers or teams, who design, build and run cars in the championship.

They are required to enter two cars in every event (but can enter more if they wish) but may name different drivers in each event. There are rules for new teams who have option to contest 25% of events in their first year, 50% in second year and all in third and subsequent seasons. Fourth party are event organizers who are independent organisations around the world and it is their job to organise event under FIA rules. There are as many ways of accomplishing this as there are events, some are free for the spectators while some use tickets. Some attract up to 150 entries while some are restricted to 60 entries (a trend for smaller entries is FIA's current wish).

Click here to read the next page

 

Proton S16 'cheapest car' to be launched in December

The Proton S16 sedan will become Australia’s cheapest car when it goes on sale in December for $11,990 drive away.

The four-door sedan is powered by a 1.6-litre twin cam petrol engine, producing 82kW and averaging 6.3 litres/100km.

Proton Cars Australia general manager of sales and operations Billy Falconer says the S16 is a unique prospect and offers great value for Australian motorists.

“S16 will be the only new four-door sedan available in Australia for less than $16,000 and will outpoint low-cost hatches and three-door models by offering a 1.6-litre engine and great equipment levels,” said Mr Falconer.

But the sub-$12,000 price tag is for a limited time only, with the manual GX model due for an upgrade in July 2010.

Despite this, Mr Falconer says interest in the new baby sedan has been strong.

“Our dealer network has embraced the new S16 already and there is a two month waiting list on dealer stock.”

The GX manual will be joined by an automatic in February, both cars coming standard with power steering, drivers SRS airbag, remote central locking with immobiliser and alarm and a CD player.

The refreshed line-up in July will welcome the higher-spec GXR model, which scores dual SRS airbags and ABS as well as alloy wheels, reverse sensors and fog lamps.

Alister McRae newsletter 2009-11-10

Alister McRae newsletter 2009-11-10 Racing series   RALLY Date 2009-11-10

Busy two weeks for Alister McRae

The next two weeks will be flat-out in more ways than one for former British Rally Champion and works WRC driver Alister McRae. The Scot is competing in Rally China this weekend, the final round of the Asia-Pacific Rally Championship before literally boarding a plane to the UK the moment the event finishes, to contest the Rally of Scotland, his home event and final round of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge.

Following last month's positive outing in the works Proton Satria Super 2000 rally car, McRae is again driving the official Satria on both events. While the team suffered technical issues on the extremely rough stages in Indonesia, it has modified several key components for this weekend's event in China, which will use the same car as in Indonesia.

A one-day test prior to the start of the recce in China showed that revised dampers gave the car a more balanced and stable feeling over the rough test road while modified steering components have also been fitted.

While the conditions in China in the run-up to the event are wet, according to McRae, the roads appear to be harder and less likely to become rough than in Indonesia, with a compacted rocky base. However, despite this, he still feels it will be a tricky event.

"I've been to China for the rally three times before but never to this event in this region. Looking at on-board videos from previous years and the test road, while it looks to be a reasonably solid base, the roads are very narrow and twisty, so it's going to be hard work.

"The aim this weekend is to get a solid finish for Proton. The Mellors Elliot Motorsport team has done a fantastic job of developing new parts in light of what we learned in Indonesia and I'm looking forward to the weekend. I hope that perhaps the weather will improve, it'll stop raining and we'll have a clean run to show what the car is capable of and get a solid result.

"It's not going to be easy though; there's a very strong top ten this weekend. There's Cody Crocker, Katsu Taguchi, Emma Gilmour, Dean Herridge, David Higgins, Jusso Valimaki and Juha Salo, so I think there will be some good scraps."

The event begins with a superspecial stage in the evening of Friday 12 November, before two full days of action on Saturday and Sunday. The first cars are expected to finish the event at around 4pm on Sunday afternoon, which is where Alister's next round of activity begins.

As soon as he has completed the event, he begins a five-hour drive to Shanghai to catch a plane to the UK, to arrive in Perth, Scotland just in time to begin the recce for the final round of the IRC, the RACMSA Rally of Scotland. He will again be driving the Proton Satria S2000 but this time, on home soil and the prospect understandably has him excited.

"I'm really looking forward to competing at home again," he said. "I've done some of the stages that make up the event as they formed part of the McRae Stages rally and some were also part of the British Rally Championship when I competed in the mid 1990s.

"MEM is putting the finishing touches to the car for Scotland in the UK now and hopefully, we'll have a chance to carry out a small test before the event but realistically, I think it'll be little more than a shakedown, because of the tight deadlines with me arriving. Again, this car will use the revised components and a few more changes as we move forward in what is effectively the car's first year of competition and development."

The event begins with a double-run of the superspecial stage at Scone Castle on the evening of Thursday 19 November before two days of action in the Scottish Forests on Friday and Saturday 20 and 21. The first car is expected over the finish ramp at Stirling Castle at around 4.30pm on Saturday 21 November.

-credit: alistermcrae.com

Proton Launches Australia's Lowest Priced New Car - S16 Delivers Economy ...

MILPERRA, AUSTRALIA – November 10, 2009: Proton has launched Australia's lowest priced new car with the arrival of the 1.6 litre Proton S16 sedan, which will go on sale December 1st with free on road costs providing a retail price of $11,990 drive away.

Proton originally forecast the S16 as potentially Australia's lowest priced sedan however with favourable currency trends the S16 will now be the lowest price new car available here.

The Proton S16 is a four-door sedan powered by a 1.6 litre twin cam engine with a full suite of standard equipment including AM/FM/CD audio system, power steering, air conditioning, remote central locking with immobiliser and alarm, drivers SRS airbag and seating for five, including 5 cup holders.

According to Proton Cars Australia general manager sales and operations Billy Falconer the S16 represents exceptional value for money in a package that redefines the entry level for new car buyers.

"S16 will be the only new four door sedan available in Australia for less than $16,000 and will outpoint low-cost hatches and three-door models by offering a 1.6 litre engine and great equipment levels," said Mr Falconer.

"Proton is known for its Lotus engineered ride and handling and strong styling and will now also be known for its market leading value.

"Our dealer network has embraced the new S16 already and there is a two month waiting list on dealer stock however customers can book a test drive ahead of the on sale date.

"Miss Universe Australia 2009 winner Rachel Finch will be the face of the new Proton S16 and will be featured in TV commercials and print advertising campaigns," he added

Along with a low purchase price the Proton S16 will be economical to own and run with excellent fuel economy sipping an average of just 6.3 litres/100km as per ADR 81/02 while producing 82kW at 6,000 rpm from its 1.6 litre Campro IAFM engine.

As a four-door sedan the S16 offers exceptional space efficiency particularly compared with entry-level three door hatches in a similar price range.

S16 boasts a capacious 413-litre boot significantly bigger than many larger and more expensive rivals.

Like all Proton passenger cars the S16 will be covered by a full three year unlimited kilometre warranty along with three years free roadside assistance and a seven-year anti-corrosion warranty.

It will be available in five colours including solid white, solid red, mountain blue, tranquility black and genetic silver along with a range of accessories including body kits, spoilers, alloy wheels, boot liners and reverse sensors.

The Proton S16 will be launched in GX manual form only however a GX auto variant will arrive in early 2010.

The initial S16 GX will only be available for a limited time in its current spec at the price of $11,990 drive away.

July 2010 will see the introduction of the new S16 GX with increased specifications and also a GXR variant both in automatic and manual form, which will include additional features such as dual SRS airbags and ABS as standard on all variants. The high spec GXR will also have alloy wheels, reverse sensors and fog lamps as standard

End of road for GM-DRB tie-up to distribute Chevys?

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 10 — A two-year partnership between General Motors (GM) and DRB-Hicom to distribute the US carmaker’s Chevrolet brand in Malaysia could be terminated by next month following an apparent breakdown in relations between the two parties.

According to car industry executives, the disagreements between the two are widely known. Indeed, in September a local daily reported that GM had terminated the partnership, but the report was refuted by DRB-Hicom in an announcement to the stock exchange.

But the car executives said that they had heard that GM had made up its mind last week.

Whether the recently announced National Auto Policy (NAP) has anything to do with influencing GM is not clear.

The NAP allows foreign carmakers to manufacture cars — either by themselves or through contract manufacturing — without any equity restrictions, which means GM could conceivably begin assembling its cars in Malaysia — or, say, pay Proton Holdings to do it — without any bumiputra partner.

Even so, that would apply only to GM’s best-selling brands and not, say, the Captiva sports utility vehicle which sells too little to justify being assembled locally.

That would still require GM to team up with a suitable Bumiputera partner who would be eligible to apply for the necessary Approved Permits, the import licences that are required to bring in completely built-up vehicles.

Analysts note, however, that the latter scenario would hold true if GM only intended to sell in Malaysia. “If it wanted to make Malaysia its regional hub, that’s a completely different story,” a car industry executive told BT.

For its part DRB-Hicom, which is controlled by tycoon Syed Mokhtar Al-Bukhary, seems to have done well only in those areas where its foreign partner both controls and manages the joint venture.

In its Suzuki business, which is doing well, DRB-Hicom has moved to a minority stake from a majority interest. In Mitsubishi, DRB-Hicom has a 48 per cent stake.

Even at Isuzu, the conglomerate has had to accept a minority interest where it used to run the show previously. The new joint venture is said to be profitable.

DRB-Hicom’s most successful joint venture is with Honda where it has a 34 per cent interest. It also assembles Mercedes Benz at its plant in Pahang in operations that are largely managed by the Germans, say car executives.

Even so, analysts do not think its split with GM will harm DRB-Hicom significantly. Slightly less than a thousand Chevys were sold in Malaysia last year. — Business Times Singapore

 

Wilks aiming for win on IRC return

Wilks aiming for win on IRC return In association with Monday, November 9th 2009, 06:09 GMT

Guy Wilks has promised a no nonsense approach to his maiden Skoda Fabia S2000 drive on the Rally of Scotland later this month - with the double British Rally champion planning to push for victory on the Stirling-based event.

Wilks is no stranger to the Intercontinental Rally Challenge, having competed in a Proton since the middle of the season, but the Darlington driver is not phased by having a new car for the final round of the series in a fortnight.

"This is a great opportunity for me and I'm really looking forward to driving for Skoda UK," he said. "The fact that we are competing on home soil in front of the British fans makes it a really special occasion and I'll definitely be going all out for the win."

Wilks' Skoda will be prepared by Belgian firm Rene George Rally Sport, but it will run to the same specification as the factory cars which have won in the hands of Juho Hanninen and Jan Kopecky this season.

Skoda UK is backing the drive and the Czech firm's UK brand director Robert Hazlewood said: "The Skoda Fabia Super 2000 has proved itself to be one of the best performing cars in the IRC and delivered fantastic results for our motorsport team. We are thrilled that Guy is competing for us and expect to see him pushing hard for the lead."

Win a WRC passenger ride and a VIP trip to a World Rally Event with Castrol Click here to read Peugeot's IRC blog   ADS BY GOOGLE

Italdesign-Giugiaro hired for Persona Replacement

Proton MD Datuk Syed Zainal Abidin has revealed in an interview with Business Times that the Italian design company contracted to develop Proton’s next C-segment sedan is in fact Italdesign-Giugiaro SpA.

Giugiaro (founded 1968) has designed a lot of vehicles in the past, including the Mk1 Volkswagen Scirocco (not the modern one that’s just launched in Malaysia). It even had a big part in the development of the R56 MINI. Here are some of Giugiaro’s recent work:

Ssangyong C200 Concept and Suzuki SX4

The Business Times report revealed that a clay model of the car already exists at the design house’s headquarters in Turin, Italy. It definitely has to be, considering the new Persona replacement car was previously mentioned to be out by 2012, after the Waja replacement in 2010 and the Perdana replacement in 2011.

The car will be engineered to meet tougher European and North American standards. Proton’s North American entry is still a hazy area at the moment but there was talk earlier this year that Detroit Electric would be helping with getting the cars registered with whatever authorities there are there. Not sure what happened with that whole project.

The Exora introduced new technologies in Protons that were not used before – more sensors for the airbag system and a Body Control Module. Datuk Syed Zainal says the new C-segment Persona replacement will implement these new features and add even more features to bring the new Proton up to international standards. Proton is currently in talks with various vendors on what can be implemented.

It is also in exploratory talks with some parties including a Chinese company (Europestar, SAIC-Roewe?) on collaborating on an SUV, and in talks via Lotus with a South Korean battery company and an electric motor supplier regarding EVs (what happened to Detroit Electric?).

No Proton, no car industry?

NOV 8 — Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, the man behind Proton, infers that without the national car company, there would be no car industry in Malaysia. Can that really be true? And can it really be so simple? No Proton equals no automotive industry? After all, it wasn’t as if Malaysians only walked before the Saga came along.

On the flipside, we also have people who continue to spend time trying to determine if, had there never been a Proton, we would not be better off than where we are right now. The answer from them, as I’m sure you can imagine, is often a resounding yes.

The problem is, however, people generally suck at determining causality. Whether you choose to view it as an inherent human flaw or endearing characteristic, people are prone to seeing what they choose to see. Sometimes even to the point of doing so in the face of contrary evidence.

Often, people confuse an accompanying sign or condition as the cause of an occurrence. Take for example the classic lesson in determining causality: Do storks bring babies or do babies bring storks?

Following the end of the second World War, population in Western European cities rose steadily. As it happens, this was accompanied by a similar increase in the population of storks in these areas. To the casual observer, it would appear that there is a strong correlation between the rate of growth for humans and a similar rate in storks.

Having observed that link, you’re tempted to ask whether there are more babies because there are more storks or more storks because there are more babies. The answer, of course, is neither.

What happened was post-war Europe saw a migration trend towards built-up areas, which resulted in higher urban population densities and increased birth-rates. So although there was an apparent connection between the numbers of babies and storks being born, the cause of both was determined to be the increased rate of urbanisation.

Storks, therefore, didn’t bring more babies. People did. The same went for storks. With a growing populace came the need for additional housing, which subsequently provided more nesting area for the storks. Which meant babies didn’t bring more storks. Again, people did.

Once someone points out the actual causality, the earlier assumption that there is causality in the correlation between the number of storks and the number of babies becomes preposterous. Yet people had no qualms spending time trying to determine causality where there was none.

Having revisited correlation and causality, is Dr Mahathir still right? Would Malaysia really have no automotive industry if the national car policy was not implemented back in the 1980s? But before you even go there, it’s important to define what constitutes an automotive industry.

Dr Mahathir likely (I’m guessing) considers an automotive industry to mean automotive manufacturing — cars and parts. The inference then is that sans Proton it would not have been possible for the ancillary industry to take root and flourish. The probable logic being with no national car company to supply parts to, nobody would bother to set up companies to supply parts.

Of course, you could also choose to define an automotive industry as everything that concerns vehicles minus the manufacturing. There’s still a lot of money to be spent — and made — long after buyers sign on the dotted line.

If you take the first definition, then Thailand serves as the counterpoint of just how possible it is to have not only an automotive industry, but a thriving one at that, without the hassle of setting up your own national car company.

Detroit of the East may be a little flattering for Rayong, but there is no hiding from the reality that Thailand has far surpassed Malaysia as the preferred destination for foreign car manufacturers planning to set up shop in the region.

At nearly 1.5 million vehicles, Thailand’s vehicle assembly plants churn out three times as many vehicles as their Malaysian counterparts do, all the while supplied by parts suppliers who never had a national car company to supply to. So no Proton means no automotive industry, still?

If you prefer the definition that omits the manufacturing side of things, then Singapore provides a prime example of a thriving automotive industry that has little involvement with factories and assembly lines.

Before you dismiss the little red dot as an automotive industry, know that Singapore car sales practically match our own, with over half a million cars sold a year in the tiny island-state. Half a million cars that need spare parts, accessories, car care, prestige parts, and more. There must be money in all that.

Not only does Singapore not have a national car company, it doesn’t even have all that many roads to drive on. Not even remotely as many kilometres upon kilometres of shiny highways as we do. So no Proton, no automotive industry still?

This is not to say Dr Mahathir’s inference is categorically wrong; it could really have been that Malaysia was so hamstrung that without the catalyst of Proton’s inception, we would have continued grinding away in neutral while our neighbours passed us by. Who knows for certain if that truly was not the case? Now, at least we’re in first gear, even if our neighbours are still passing us by.

My intention is to point out that without Proton or a national car company or protectionism, it would have still been possible for Malaysia to have a successful auto industry. Our neighbours to the north and to the south show us that this is so. Just because we have Proton doesn’t render all other possible outcomes null and void.

The only thing that is truly certain if we did not have Proton, is that there would be no Proton. Nothing more, nothing less.

Anything else and you’re just making things up.

The Diary: Martha Kearney

A proton bomb and an artillery shell are waiting to explode at the bottom of my garden. They are joining the Graveshaker and Howling She Devil in my husband’s box of tricks for our bonfire party this Saturday evening. Do you think, by any chance, that firework manufacturers have the male customer in mind when they choose the names for their pyrotechnics? Personally, I used to like the pretty little Snowdrop, with its white sparks – but that certainly doesn’t light my husband’s fuse. To accompany the display, he’s bought a giant polystyrene skull of Easter Island proportions (half-price after Halloween) to perch on top of his shrine to fire.

We broadcasters like to comfort ourselves after making mistakes on air with the thought: “Oh, the listeners or viewers love it when we make a mess of things.” I hope they do after a recent edition of The World at One. I read an introduction to an interview with army chief of staff General Sir Mike Jackson, who turned out not to be there. The producer had tried to tell me in my headphones just before we went on air. She thought the reason I hadn’t flinched was that I was super-cool. If only. In fact what happened was that she had pressed the wrong “talkback” button as the Sellotape with my name on it had slipped. Do you think Nasa has these problems in their control room?

Mind you, incidents like that were pretty run-of-the-mill at the first radio station I ever worked for – LBC in Gough Square just behind Fleet Street in London. I remember one news bulletin being interrupted by a woman entering the studio with a vacuum cleaner. This week I met up with some of the other women who worked there for a meal and to exchange some reminiscences. Many are far too scurrilous to repeat but I do love the story about the presenter (once a nationally known DJ) who used to fall asleep regularly on air during his live phone-in. The producer used to have to dash into the studio to wake him up. At least that’s never happened to me on The World at One.

Several of my male friends have taken to cycling in a symptom of the kind of midlife crisis that used to be reserved for fast cars and trophy wives. One has eight bikes, including a gold one that is “too good to ride”. All he does is stroke it and lift it up by one finger to show how light it is. Then there’s the Lycra. Another friend is a GP and a watchword for his conservative attire. Yet at the weekends he proudly squeezes himself into black-and-yellow cycling gear and terrorises the Suffolk countryside by turning into his alter-ego The Wasp.

I have a bike myself and, after I’ve checked several weather forecasts to be sure there won’t be a drop of rain, do enjoy going out for the odd ride, needless to say, not dressed in Lycra. My main problem in cycling, though, hasn’t been the dress code but the aches caused in my backside after any length of time in the saddle. The aforementioned male friends all claim that those pencil-thin leather saddles are really comfortable “once you get used to them”. In the same way, I suppose, that prisoners of the Inquisition got used to the Iron Maiden.

But I made a wonderful discovery this year on a short break to Le Touquet, on the northern coast of France. While we were there, we hired bikes with the most comfortable saddles I have ever experienced. These couldn’t be further from the Masoch model beloved of my friends. In fact I would describe them as the La-Z- Boy of saddles, fully padded and perfectly suited to my Miss Marple style of pedalling, which is at the other end of the spectrum to The Wasp.

I once spotted the wife of a Conservative MP dressed in full ball gown cycling out of the House of Commons. “Just off to Buckingham Palace!” she cried. I certainly wouldn’t risk cycling either to a posh event or wobbling home afterwards. So I went by cab to the National Liberal Club, a splendid late 19th-century neo-Gothic building just off Whitehall, to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the London Review of Books.

I had that awful moment when I arrived and didn’t recognise anyone I knew, so had to pretend to be very interested in the panelling of the library. Eventually, some old mates turned up and I ended up meeting an eclectic group of people, including the poets Hugo Williams and David Harsent and a Serbian academic who is a cousin of Radovan Karadzic.

There was also one of those scenes that form a familiar motif at literary parties. I witnessed a Booker judge apologising to an author for not including him on the shortlist. I am judging the Guardian First Book prize at the moment so will have that particular guilt trip to face soon.

There was one very dramatic moment at the LRB party. I was utterly surprised when writer and political campaigner Tariq Ali leapt athletically on to a table and thrust his arm into the air. Luckily this wasn’t the start of a long political denunciation of our Liberal surroundings but a vote of thanks to the LRB’s editors. I remarked on that to one of the Review’s staff on my way out. “Oh he always does that at our dos,” came the reply. “He’s a serial table climber.” No harm in keeping your hand in, I suppose, in case the barricades are piled up again.

That same evening, I also went to a reception at Lambeth Palace. No one leapt on the table there – possibly deterred by the stern glances of various archbishops of Canterbury through the ages, whose portraits line the walls. I had a brief chat with the current holder of the office, who told me that he’d hosted parties every night that week for several charities. This reception was for a charity called Five Talents, which provides microfinance for people who want to start small businesses in the developing world.

I will always remember interviewing a woman from Nigeria who had been given a small amount of money to buy some chickens who ended up employing several of her neighbours in a flourishing business. I am full of admiration for anyone from whatever background who can make a success of a small business. I used to harbour a secret fantasy about setting up a chutney business. Not after this week. I never thought I would miss a marrow. Normally we have far too many of the things as delicate little courgettes turn into boring tasteless marrows as soon as you turn your back. But at least they do bulk up the chutney. This year we grew a new type of yellow squash that was so inedible that I couldn’t even risk it in heavily spiced chutney. My recipe does get more and more ridiculously lavish every year, so something that is intended to use up spare apples has become a concoction involving balsamic vinegar and posh dates. Delicious except that lacking a marrow, I got the proportions wrong and it’s far too liquid. I don’t think the market is ready for a pouring chutney.

Martha Kearney is the presenter of ‘The World at One’ on BBC Radio 4 and of BBC 2’s ‘Newsnight Review’

Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. You may share using our article tools. Please don't cut articles from FT.com and redistribute by email or post to the web.

Martha Kearney

A proton bomb and an artillery shell are waiting to explode at the bottom of my garden. They are joining the Graveshaker and Howling She Devil in my husband’s box of tricks for our bonfire party this Saturday evening. Do you think, by any chance, that firework manufacturers have the male customer in mind when they choose the names for their pyrotechnics? Personally, I used to like the pretty little Snowdrop, with its white sparks – but that certainly doesn’t light my husband’s fuse. To accompany the display, he’s bought a giant polystyrene skull of Easter Island proportions (half-price after Halloween) to perch on top of his shrine to fire.

We broadcasters like to comfort ourselves after making mistakes on air with the thought: “Oh, the listeners or viewers love it when we make a mess of things.” I hope they do after a recent edition of The World at One. I read an introduction to an interview with army chief of staff General Sir Mike Jackson, who turned out not to be there. The producer had tried to tell me in my headphones just before we went on air. She thought the reason I hadn’t flinched was that I was super-cool. If only. In fact what happened was that she had pressed the wrong “talkback” button as the Sellotape with my name on it had slipped. Do you think Nasa has these problems in their control room?

Mind you, incidents like that were pretty run-of-the-mill at the first radio station I ever worked for – LBC in Gough Square just behind Fleet Street in London. I remember one news bulletin being interrupted by a woman entering the studio with a vacuum cleaner. This week I met up with some of the other women who worked there for a meal and to exchange some reminiscences. Many are far too scurrilous to repeat but I do love the story about the presenter (once a nationally known DJ) who used to fall asleep regularly on air during his live phone-in. The producer used to have to dash into the studio to wake him up. At least that’s never happened to me on The World at One.

Several of my male friends have taken to cycling in a symptom of the kind of midlife crisis that used to be reserved for fast cars and trophy wives. One has eight bikes, including a gold one that is “too good to ride”. All he does is stroke it and lift it up by one finger to show how light it is. Then there’s the Lycra. Another friend is a GP and a watchword for his conservative attire. Yet at the weekends he proudly squeezes himself into black-and-yellow cycling gear and terrorises the Suffolk countryside by turning into his alter-ego The Wasp.

I have a bike myself and, after I’ve checked several weather forecasts to be sure there won’t be a drop of rain, do enjoy going out for the odd ride, needless to say, not dressed in Lycra. My main problem in cycling, though, hasn’t been the dress code but the aches caused in my backside after any length of time in the saddle. The aforementioned male friends all claim that those pencil-thin leather saddles are really comfortable “once you get used to them”. In the same way, I suppose, that prisoners of the Inquisition got used to the Iron Maiden.

But I made a wonderful discovery this year on a short break to Le Touquet, on the northern coast of France. While we were there, we hired bikes with the most comfortable saddles I have ever experienced. These couldn’t be further from the Masoch model beloved of my friends. In fact I would describe them as the La-Z- Boy of saddles, fully padded and perfectly suited to my Miss Marple style of pedalling, which is at the other end of the spectrum to The Wasp.

I once spotted the wife of a Conservative MP dressed in full ball gown cycling out of the House of Commons. “Just off to Buckingham Palace!” she cried. I certainly wouldn’t risk cycling either to a posh event or wobbling home afterwards. So I went by cab to the National Liberal Club, a splendid late 19th-century neo-Gothic building just off Whitehall, to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the London Review of Books.

I had that awful moment when I arrived and didn’t recognise anyone I knew, so had to pretend to be very interested in the panelling of the library. Eventually, some old mates turned up and I ended up meeting an eclectic group of people, including the poets Hugo Williams and David Harsent and a Serbian academic who is a cousin of Radovan Karadzic.

There was also one of those scenes that form a familiar motif at literary parties. I witnessed a Booker judge apologising to an author for not including him on the shortlist. I am judging the Guardian First Book prize at the moment so will have that particular guilt trip to face soon.

There was one very dramatic moment at the LRB party. I was utterly surprised when writer and political campaigner Tariq Ali leapt athletically on to a table and thrust his arm into the air. Luckily this wasn’t the start of a long political denunciation of our Liberal surroundings but a vote of thanks to the LRB’s editors. I remarked on that to one of the Review’s staff on my way out. “Oh he always does that at our dos,” came the reply. “He’s a serial table climber.” No harm in keeping your hand in, I suppose, in case the barricades are piled up again.

That same evening, I also went to a reception at Lambeth Palace. No one leapt on the table there – possibly deterred by the stern glances of various archbishops of Canterbury through the ages, whose portraits line the walls. I had a brief chat with the current holder of the office, who told me that he’d hosted parties every night that week for several charities. This reception was for a charity called Five Talents, which provides microfinance for people who want to start small businesses in the developing world.

I will always remember interviewing a woman from Nigeria who had been given a small amount of money to buy some chickens who ended up employing several of her neighbours in a flourishing business. I am full of admiration for anyone from whatever background who can make a success of a small business. I used to harbour a secret fantasy about setting up a chutney business. Not after this week. I never thought I would miss a marrow. Normally we have far too many of the things as delicate little courgettes turn into boring tasteless marrows as soon as you turn your back. But at least they do bulk up the chutney. This year we grew a new type of yellow squash that was so inedible that I couldn’t even risk it in heavily spiced chutney. My recipe does get more and more ridiculously lavish every year, so something that is intended to use up spare apples has become a concoction involving balsamic vinegar and posh dates. Delicious except that lacking a marrow, I got the proportions wrong and it’s far too liquid. I don’t think the market is ready for a pouring chutney.

Martha Kearney is the presenter of ‘The World at One’ on BBC Radio 4 and of BBC 2’s ‘Newsnight Review’

Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. You may share using our article tools. Please don't cut articles from FT.com and redistribute by email or post to the web.

Formula One Insider - Toyota Drops Out... Who's Next?

Formula One Edition

November 6, 2009

TOYOTA OUT. RENAULT NEXT?

Toyota announced this week that it will be pulling out of Formula One racing, effective immediately. While that is not a death blow, it certainly is distressing because you never really want to see manufacturers pulling out of the game. The decision was based on the fact that the F1 team was costing them too much considering that sales have not been what the company expected. It's obviously a reflection of the condition of the auto industry worldwide (Toyota is expecting a $3.8 billion loss for the year, but posted a $242 million profit for the quarter).

Some have actually touted this as being a break for the smaller teams, because they would not have as many manufacturers themselves to contend with. BMW and Honda have pulled out within the last year, but there are others obviously still on the grid. Ferrari is out there, as is Mercedes, which is buying into the defending champion Brawn GP team. Lotus is coming in next season as one of the new entrants, and Lotus Cars' parent company, Proton, is one of the partners.

Renault is the team that is in something of a limbo right now. On the heels of a scandal of major proportions involving former team principal Flavio Briatore and the pre-arranged crash of Nelson Piquet Jr. at Singapore last year, Renault, who employed Fernando Alonso (+225 to win next year's driver's title at BetUS), who has already skipped over to Ferrari, is pondering whether it wants to continue in F1 in 2010, and will come up with a decision by the end of the year. If they continue, they will have to come up with a ay to replace major sponsor IMG, which has pulled out.

The Toyota pullout was surely good news for one team in particular - the Sauber team, which lost the BMW support but picked up financial backing from Qadbak Holdings, was poised to be an "alternate" team, to be inserted in case somebody else pulled out, barring a special ruling that would have allowed 14 teams on the grid. This opens up possibilities for them.

Not so fast though, says the FIA, which will offer a legal challenge to this decision, based on the fact that it came after Toyota had already committed to staying in F1 through the 2012 season.

At the very least, they're going to use it as leverage.

The FIA is using the departure of Toyota as a way to facilitate more conversation on the subject of budget caps. This is not unlike baseball, in that the teams in the smaller markets probably wouldn't mind having a salary cap, but teams like the New York Yankees, Los Angeles Dodgers and Boston Red Sox wouldn't hear of it. Well, think of Ferrari as the Yankees, Red Bull as the Dodgers and McLaren as the Red Sox (okay, Brawn GP is in there somewhere). The "haves" don't want to even the playing field with the "have-nots."

This battle was fought earlier in the season, when the FOTA (Formula One Teams Association) threatened to pull out en masse and start their own circuit. Ferrari blames FIA for the Toyota situation, saying that the organization has "waged war" against major car manufacturers.

At the same time, Ferrari would like to get the rules changed to allow each team to have a third car, because they are contemplating a return of Michael Schumacher in that car for 2010 (as much has been confirmed by Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo).

It's the silly season, and drivers are now looking for rides. Kamui Kobayashi, who did well in a couple of races for Toyota as he subbed for the injured Timo Glock (100/1 for next year's title at BetUS), is hoping to wind up with the new Lotus team. Kobayashi finished fifth in the season finale at Abu Dhabi, and is almost certain to find a ride somewhere based on his confident efforts. The principals of the Toyota team say they'll help him in any way possible to find a seat.

The Williams team, which used Nico Rosberg (+1200 for next year's title at BetUS) and Kazuki Nakajima this past season as drivers, will have Rubens Barrichello and Nico Hulkenberg in the cockpit in 2010. Barrichello finished third in the world championships with the Brawn GP team this year, while Hulkenberg is the champion of the GP2 series and has been a Williams test driver.

Bruno Senna, nephew of legendary F1 driver Ayrton Senna, will enter Formula One next year as a driver with the new Campos Meta 1 team. Senna would probably have been a member of the Honda team, had it not pulled out before the start of last season.

By the way, here is the initial list of future odds to win the Driver's Championship next season, as posted at BetUS Sportsbook:

Without protection we would not have a car industry — Mahathir Mohamad

written by The Pencil, November 05, 2009 wow, this is just the way of saying that "NAP is not my fault please refer to the correct people"

Yes its true that a homegrown auto industry needs some sort of protection against bigger brands in the start, but that does not mean that they need to be protected INDEFINITELY. Come on, more then 20 damn years in the industry and proton is still giving us half past six products?

in fact, the protons of yesteryear are better built than the protons of now because no proton now is built with passion, or even a keen eye for detail. Loose parts on the first week of purchase, missing items like a boot plug, and even the fact that the centre that sold the cars can't even have the common courtesy to aligned the wheels and steering wheel properly. Many of my friends who have bought new protons like the satria neo and persona all have their own set of complaints - all within the first month of purchase. What kind of competitiveness is that?? How can you win the hearts of the world when you cant even win the hearts of the local nation?

And to add insult to injury, its not like the protons are anything 'affordable'. 50k for a normal sized sedan. wow, thats some load of cash. How can the lower income bracket people afford our local cars?

A small history lesson:
The VW Beetle was herald the 'people's car' in Germany when it was first launched. It was built tough and long lasting and could be bought easily by anyone. That is a 'people's car' where it serves the nation.

Proton seems to be the opposite: give us crap at expensive prices, so we spend more to maintain the crap buying expensive parts, whittling our already dry pockets due to the initial purchase of the car. Best part is, most of us are stuck with that one purchase for more than 10 years due to hire purchase loans.

Highlights From SIRI's Q3 Conference Call: Revenue Grew to $630 Million Record ...

November 5, 2009 12:29 PM EST

SIRIUS XM Radio Inc. (Nasdaq: SIRI) reports Q3 EPS of breakeven, ex-items, 2 cents better than the consensus of a $0.02 loss. Revenues rose 3% to $630 million, above the consensus of $608.7 million. Shares are currently up 3%.

Highlights From SIRI's Q3 Conference Call:
SIRIUS XM affirmed its year 2009 guidance of over $400 million in pro forma full-year adjusted income from operations.
(CEO) We were also pleased this quarter that we grow subscribers and improved churn. Our subscriber base is large, loyal and satisfied, and is expanding again with a net addition of over 100,000 subscribers in the third quarter.
ARPU continues to grow because of the steps we've taken to improve the economics of this business.
Our revenue grew this quarter to a record Q3 revenue, the best ever in Satellite Radio history of $630 million.
Combining revenue growth with expense reduction allowed us to generate 106 million of adjusted EBITDA in Q3 of this year versus negative 37 million for the same quarter last year, a swing of $143 million.
Similarly, free cash flow for the quarter was $27 million versus negative 98 million, a substantial positive swing of approximately $125 million.
Today, we are conforming guidance for the year at over 400 million of adjusted EBITDA. The two satellite radios combined ended 2007 with an adjusted EBITDA loss of $565 million. Before the merger the two companies lost $565 million. After the merger, the company is going to report over $400 million, $1 billion turnaround in two years.
Simply put, our fixed cost base would not materially change whether we are serving 18.5 million, 20 million or 25 million subscribers or even 50 million subscribers for that matter.
The quarter highlights also include an improvement is self paid churn, which dropped below 2% for the first time this year at 196 for the third quarter it represents significant progress from the 2.2 reported for Q1 this year.
We ended the quarter with approximately $380 million in cash with only 82 million of debt due by the end of this year and no maturities next year.
The great thing about our relationship with the automakers is that they are very effective ways for us to market to potential customers. With penetration currently at 55% and conversion rates at 46.8%, we can be highly confident that new subscribers will be joining us as they are introduced to our service.
In addition, we just recently begun to aggressively pursue the used car market and believe that there is a tremendous opportunity to convert already installed, but dormant satellite radios into paying subscriptions.
Cash operating costs for the first nine months of 2009 were down almost $0.5 billion, or almost 25% from last year. We know how to squeeze cost out of the system, and you should look forward to more of that in the quarters to come.
We assumed a conservative estimate for 2010 of 11 million cars and light trucks. In that scenario, we will finish 2010 with an increase in net ads, our revenues growth mid-to-high single digits, we're forecasting growing adjusted EBITDA over 20%, and we will not only be free cash flow positive, we will increase Sirius XM free cash flow over the 2009 results.
In the first nine months of this year, we have now generated, $347 million of adjusted income from operations, a positive swing of 550 million from the first nine months of 2008.
Cash operating expenses year-to-date were $465 million lower than 2008, even if you isolate the impact of lower growth sales resulting from the automotive industry's slump, cash operating expenses were lower by $375 million in just nine months.
With the slight decline in churns in Q2, and an increase in auto sales, we were able to resume subscriber growth in the third quarter adding approximately 102,000 net subscribers to finish the quarter with 18.5 million.
Both our self-paid and commercial subscriber bases have increased since the end Q2, 35,000 and 67,000 respectively.
Our self-pay base was 15.5 million at the end of Q3 compared to 15.2 million a year prior, our paid promotional base is about 3.1 million at the end of Q3 compared to 3.7 million at the end of Q3 of '08 lower by nearly 700,000 subs due to the dramatic fall of with the North American auto sales.
We are particularly pleased with the uptick in our conversion rate in the third quarter moving up to approximately 47% from the 44 to 45%, we have been seen in the previous summer months.
Total revenue grew approximately 3% or $17 million versus the same period a year ago to 630 million primarily driven by a 3% increase in ARPU plus the collection of additional music recovery fee revenues, which are not included in our ARPU.
We achieve this revenue growth despite 1.7% decline in average subscribers versus the same period last year.
SIRIUS XM continues to deliver positive adjusted EBITDA reaching 106 million this quarter. The big driver was a 19% reduction in cash operating expenses bringing it down to $126 million lower than Q3 last year.
Satellite and Transmission declined 26%, programming 29%, Sales and Marketing 32%, G&A 36% and Engineering 8%. Revenue sharing royalties up 2%, slightly less than our revenue growth rate as we saw improvement from the renegotiated GM contract, which partially offset the effect of higher OEM mix and the higher performance royalties versus year ago.
The build of that XM 5 is largely complete and we expect to launch it on a Proton rocket next summer. Completing the refresh of the SIRIUS constellation will be the launch of SIRIUS 6 in late 2011, which will also go into geostationary orbit. Satellite CapEx excluding capitalized interests to support these programs is expected to be approximately 170 million in 2009; 220 million in 2010 and 125 million in 2011.
(Q&A) Couple of questions on the car market. So, one, I was wondering if you could give any sort of metrics on the kind of performance you're getting out of your programs with used car sales? And any sort of good ways to think about how big an opportunity that can be over time? And then you said there are about 600,000 unpaid trail subs at the end of this quarter. Can you give an indication of what that number looks like at the end of may be second quarter and first quarter also? Thank you very much. (A)On the used cars, we are learning quite a bit and frankly the way we forecast the number is, we've gone back and looked at how many cars have been built with satellite radio inception today. We then use kind of a industry-standard curve for when those cars transition. So for instance after four years, we know almost close to 55% to 60% have moved to the second owner. We then overlay that on what's been built, we look forward what things going to be built and we predict both the industry going forward year by year. I can tell you the industry between now and 2014 gross extensively. Our challenge in 2010 is to get our arms around effectively predicting how bif that market is and how to reach those subscribers. And I think you will hear more us in the quarters to come on that particular on. Dave, do you want come on the pay trails? (A)So on the pay trial, the figures that I have handy are a year ago as supposed to sequential quarters. So, what we should think about it is that a year ago we had little bit less than 400,000 unpaid trials and for the growth it's been a little bit more than 200,000 since a year ago. I think, you can expect that most of that growth came on as the automotive industry began rebounding from the lows that it hit at the end of last year, beginning of this year.
Question on the network architecture situation, how long do you think it will be before Sirius is using some one constellation of satellites to service the entire customer base? And has that timeframe changed since you first kind of started contemplating the original merger? (A)The answer to the second
question is that it hasn't changed. When we contemplate the merger and then when we finally announced that and began explain to people what was going to happen, one of the things that we told them is to not expect a -- really any meaningful satellite efficiencies from getting to one constellation for
really long time. And the way that we explained it is that it takes a long time to make changes in what the automakers put in cars. And so we have -- once you pick, I'd say, you were to decide to pick to go to one system, you -- once you made that choice, it will take a few years to roll it into production, and then a few years for them to actually ramp it up and get it through all the -- alter their plants. So it end up with several years before you begin really a meaningful transition of what's in the field, many of [indiscernible] cars in the field. So we've already got the spending out of the way for second-generation
satellite constellations in basically the next 24 months. And then those assets are good until beyond 2020. So we will face the decision from a spend perspective really and sort of about 7, 8 years time and what we want to do with respect to two versus one constellation. So the timing is still -- still what it was -- the time of the merger and it's still pretty far out. But what it does allow us to do is that there were near term savings so that by making the decision for Sirius to operate with two a geostationary satellites instead of three KEO [ph] satellites, that we basically cut one satellite and save a spare, because XM had already build a spare. So relative to the plans we have pre-merger, it takes about 400 million of CapEx out of the near term.
First one follow up on what was just being talked about. Do you use the same repeater system with the new Sirius to geostationary satellites in additions to the XM geostationary satellite? (A)That's a great question. And here also since the merger our engineers have been hard at work and really done, what I consider to be is very clever engineering. We are fully integrated now, the repeaters networks and in fact, we expect going forward to actually be able to operate repeaters that allow us very efficiently to
broadcast both streams. So, we're still working on the numbers, but we're confident that our repeater expenses are under control, and we'll not -- would not grow the way you would expect them to grow if you went to an all GEO versus HEO constellation.
And so do the elliptical orbiting satellites find the back up to the geostationary orbiting rather than the other way around in fact --? (A)I thank what happens is the lives of these are so difficult to predict, and we're actually at a very great situation, where we have a lot of options as to how ultimately that works, but I'll go back to David's comments, we are going to end up with two geostationary Sirius satellites, two geostationary XM satellite, and a spare that we will launch next summer in the middle which gives us a lot of flexibility. (A)Sure I think the way that you should think about it is that, right now since we turned out in Sirius V in September, we're operating there effectively a two GEO -- two HEO, one GEO operating configuration, we're likely to stay in that configuration until at least 2013, and then sometime between 2013 and 2015, which is roughly when the HEO, the first generation HEO constellation reaches it's end of life, we'll flip over to the two GEO mode supplemented by the expanded trust or refuse.

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NAP policy excludes the everyday man

I refer to the letter New NAP policy terribly unjust.

In isolation, the policy to inspect vehicles over 15 years of age is sensible. But as always, the policy-makers have failed to consider the welfare of its citizens. If you break down these types of policies to its core, basically, a National Transportation Policy is needed.

Beyond all the emotional values of owning a car, these policies should be about how to transport people from point A to point B in the most efficient and safest way possible. In Malaysia, personal transportation via cars and bikes are the norm.

Ask any person, especially those in cities, on what proportion of their monthly income goes towards transportation. I guess that most Malaysians would drive cars. I would also hazard a guess that, in the Asia-Pacific region, Malaysians pay the most for their transportation as a proportion of their income, if you delve into the total cost of getting from A to B.

Economically and environmentally, isn't this a waste? Who is the National Automotive Policy meant to protect? I doubt that it's you and me, the common rakyat. If you read the policy in detail, its meant to protect Proton and the car distributors.

In the long term, protecting both is unfair and unsustainable. There's no logic in protecting a car- maker who can't survive in export markets and car distributors who rely on APs (approve permits) for their income.

The NAP forces the public to continue to rely on personal vehicles for their transportation and narrows down their options.

What about those that can't drive because of their age, income and even capability? I've been hit by an eighty-year-old in an E-Class Mercedes Benz. He told me that his driver didn't want to work overtime and the taxi service, being so unreliable, had refused to send him to his destination.

Or perhaps consider the motorcyclist who has to throw his body in between the deadly mix of cars and buses to get from point A to B because we didn't give him a viable public transportation option. Mind you, with this number of motorcycles on the road, there isn't even a dedicated lane on most of our roads to keep them safe.

Why is it once poorer countries like South Korea now have supremely efficient transportation systems? It's possible to now travel, by subway, from one end of Seoul to the other in less than one hour.

For a city with a population of 23 million-odd people, that's remarkable. Yet, car ownership is not inaccessible like it is in Malaysia. People can drive if they want, from point A to point B but the government has given them the option of taking public transportation.

Our National Automotive Policy? Possibly not for you and me.

Rahal-Letterman End Debut Season With Two Wins

American Le Mans Series regulars Rahal Letterman Racing returned from Japan with another win in their debut season, victorious in the first of the Asian Le Mans Series.

The team, headed by former Indycar driver Bobby Rahal, pared down its entry from the two BMW M3 GT2 cars normally fielded in the ALMS to a single car effort, with the driving duties shared between Dirk Muller and Tommy Milner.

The team started the race at the Okayama circuit from fourth in the nine car strong GT2 class, but German Muller made his way up to second in the early stages of the three hour race. He then handed the car over to Milner at approximately half distance, and the 23-year old American took the lead, passing Wolf Henzler in the Felbermayr-Proton Porsche after 73 laps in what was one of the many times the lead swapped between the cars.

With an eye on the close battle the team chose only to fuel the car, with Milner staying behind the wheel and the same set of tyres remaining on the car.

The choice saved crucial time in the sort term, but Milner started to lose time to Marc Leib, who had replaced Henzler in the Porsche as they also opted for fresh tyres.

With the extra grip Lieb had caught the BMW with a paltry eight minutes left in the race and began to harry the back of Milner’s car.

Despite this the Porsche driver came up short with Milner claiming RLR’s second win of the season (after Mid-Ohio) by only 0.2 seconds.

“This was a tough race,” said Milner afterward. “As we didn’t change tyres during the pit stop I knew it would be a close finish. Marc Lieb put me under pressure, and I had to fend off his first attacks in order to keep my chances alive. I managed to do that.”

“This is a fantastic result. In qualifying we didn’t achieve the maximum, so it was important that Dirk gained some ground after the start,” added Rahal himself. “Our fuel economy and the pace of the car were very good. During our second pit stop we didn’t change our Dunlop tyres. Tommy then drove the race of his life. The Porsche managed to close the gap, but just couldn’t get by.”

Rahal Letterman have confirmed they, and BMW, plan a full ALMS season in 2010, starting with the 12 Hours of Sebring on March 20th.

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Proton Committed To India Entry, Plans To Conclude Partnership By Early Next Year

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CHENNAI, Nov 4 (Bernama) -- Proton Holdings Bhd is committed to enter the Indian car market, and optimistic it can conclude partnership talks with the potential partner by early next year or earlier.

"We don't want to set a time but we hope by early next year everything can be resolved, and if that is the case, manufacturing can start by 2011," Proton's managing director, Datuk Syed Zainal Abidin Syed Mohamed Tahir, told Bernama early this week.

He said Proton was confident its ongoing discussion could enter the next stage and there was no doubt of it entering the Indian car market.

Syed Zainal Abidin said Proton had been sending its cars to India for testing on Indian roads for the last one-and-half years.

"So we have a lot of feedback in terms of what needs to be done to our cars.

"The question is to find the right partner to get the facility and the manufacturing running," he said.

He was in India as part of the trade and investment mission headed by Minister of International Trade and Industry Datuk Mustapa Mohamed.

"Of course, in light of the current economic crisis, we are re-looking our strategy," he said, adding that Proton has been talking to a few parties, including Hero group.

Syed Zainal Abidin said it was a question of time and finding the right business model.

"It is just that now, with the current situation, we need to reassess our strategy and hopefully we will be able to conclude something because India is a very important market," he said.

He said Proton was looking for a partner with high experience in the Indian motor vehicle industry not only in manufacturing but also sales and distribution.

Syed Zainal Abidin said Proton would not bring completely built-up (CBU) units into India.

He said it would bring in completely knock down (CKD) units with high local contents as the component industry in India was well-developed.

"Our business model in India is not CBU. I don't think we can survive long term on CBU as it will be costly," he said.

Syed Zainal Abidin said Proton was looking for a partner with manufacturing and localisation expertise as it did not have it in India.

"So we are looking for partner that can support us and help us on that," he said.

He said Proton was also looking at an existing distribution network.

"India is a big market. I don't think it is worthwhile, and more difficult, to establish our own distribution network.

"It is more logical to tie up with a company that already has one," he said.

-- BERNAMA

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1MRT To Prepare Two F1 Cars For Lotus F1 Racing

November 04, 2009 11:20 AM

1MRT To Prepare Two F1 Cars For Lotus F1 Racing

By: Ramjit

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From Zulhilmi Supaat

NORFOLK, (UNITED KINGDOM), Nov 4 (Bernama) -- 1Malaysia Racing Team (1MRT) Sdn Bhd will assemble two Formula One (F1) cars for the Lotus F1 Racing Team before the 2010 World F1 Championship season opening in Bahrain in March next year.

The company's chief operating officer, Keith Saunt, said the chassis of the cars were being manufactured in Germany and the nose, side-impact structures, gearbox parts, front and rear suspension would be ready by end of this month.

He said his team needed eight weeks to assemble all the parts before the cars were ready for testing in February.

"By end of November, 14 of our experts will assemble all the parts here, at the Lotus F1 racing plant, and by February next year, the cars will be ready for pre-season testing at the Sepang circuit," he told Bernama here Tuesday.

A group of Malaysian reporters, together with Youth and Sports minister Datuk Ahmad Shabery Cheek visited the Lotus F1 racing facility at Hingham, here, Tuesday.

The team will be based here before moving to its new headquarters at the Sepang International Circuit, which is expected to be ready in two years.

Saunt said the new ruling of the Federation of International Automobile (FIA) required the F1 team for 2010 to prepare only two cars for any race.

Previously, an F1 team needed three cars -- for the first driver, second or test driver and a reserve car.

"All together, we need about 220 crew members at the plant here in Hingham before the car can be ready for the grid at the Bahrain circuit in March," he said.

Saunt said the team needed 30 to 35 pit crew members, including the publicity corps which would travel with the team for the whole 18 series of the F1 world championship around the globe.

He said that at the moment, the biggest challenge was to find the best aerodynamic parts surface, especially for the nose and wings of the machine.

"That's why we keep on testing the parts at the wind-tunnel in Italy, to get the best aerodynamics structure for the car."

The Lotus F1 racing plant, located at Racing Technology Norfolk (RTN) here is just 20km from the Lotus Group Hhadquarters.

The two-storey plant with a ground floor area of about 50 sq metres houses, among others, the offices for the management and office space for 70 designers involved in the project.

Saunt said that as the plant had been abandoned for 20 months without any project, it would take a minor adjustment to update the facilities with the latest technology.

On the ground floor, there were several machines including two modern autoclaves big enough for the largest of F1 carbon components, pattern shop, quality and inspection department, sub-assembly for gearbox, hydraulics and electronics.

Meanwhile one of the 1MRT directors, Datuk Kamaruddin Meranun, said the company would support whatever it takes to make the Malaysian F1 cars a reality.

"If the FIA's regulation needs us to prepare four cars, we will prepare four cars. All we want is the best machine that will make the country proud.

"That includes the daily testing at the wind-tunnel in Italy which cost us lots of cash. But we want the best aerodyamics parts for the cars, one of the aspects that will ensure that we'll be a winning team, not just a participating team," he said.

1Malaysia Racing Team is a privately-funded project jointly owned by Tune Group and Naza Group.

Tune Group is jointly owned by 1Malaysia Racing team principal Datuk Seri Tony Fernandes and Datuk Kamarudin Meranun as the team's director.

Other directors of the team are the Naza Group chief executive officer SM Nasarudin SM Nasimuddin and Zahri Ismail.

Lotus Cars is currently owned by Proton Holdings Berhad which took over the British sports and racing carmaker in 1994.

-- BERNAMA

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Asian Le Mans Race 2: Lola-Aston Martin Scores A Dominant Victory

Posted by: MSulka on Sunday, November 01, 2009 - 10:20 AM Vettel Leads Red Bull One-Two At Abu Dhabi Grand PrixSebastian Vettel has won Formula One's 2009 Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi in spectacular style.Courtesy of Red Bull/Clive Mason/ Getty Images

By Mike Sulka

Red Bull F1 driver Sebastian Vettel has put his mark on history with a spectacular victory at the inaugural Formula One Abu Dhabi Grand Prix held at the Yas Marina circuit. For Vettel, it was his fourth win of the 2009 Formula One season - his last win coming at the Japanese Grand Prix - and fifth win and ninth podium - of his 42-race F1 career. Teammate Mark Webber brought home second, and locked up the one-two sweep for the Red Bull team.

In addition for Red Bull, it is their sixth win and their 16th podium - 8 by Vettel, 8 by Webber) of the 2009 Formula One season. Coming into the year, the team had a total of 3 podiums since their debut in 2005. It is also the teams fourth one-two finish of the 2009 season. The previous one-two finish was at the German Grand Prix with Webber leading the way. Vettel led three of the one-two finishes. Red Bull also have the most wins since the British Grand Prix with five wins in the last ten races of the season.

Vettel was able to get past Lewis Hamilton during the first set of pit stops by staying within one second of the McLaren but carrying two laps extra of fuel. Though Hamilton would ultimately DNF due to a right rear brake issue, Vettel beat Hamilton on the race track, let no one take that away from him.

"It was a fantastic race as we had a very good start, " said the Red Bull driver. "I was able to stay close to Hamilton, and the car was a dream today. That was the secret." Read more... (6665 bytes more)

Import of used parts to end June 2011

The hot topic for last week was the new National Automotive Policy Review, a so-called ‘facelift’ for the National Automotive Policy that was first born on the 22nd of March 2006.

The NAP review is a disappointing one, with the prices of cars to be pretty much the status quo for a long time to come. In fact, the prices of hybrid cars are sure to go up once the 50% excise duty rebate ends. But there are parts of the NAP that have significant negative impact on us as motorists, one of which is the announcement that the import of used parts will be prohibited from June 2011 onwards.

Car companies and parts manufacturers do not survive on just selling you your car, which is a sum of parts from various OEMs. They also earn a significant portion from the sale of replacement parts, which you will inevitably need as parts are not designed to last forever. Not sure if the word greedy is justifiable but sometimes these new parts can be priced quite exhorbitantly. Which means used parts are very popular and are pretty much key to the sustainability and/or viability of keeping an old car running.

Banning the imports of used parts and the halfcuts which contain them would mean if your City’s CVT transmission dies, you are unable to source a good condition used one from a Honda Fit Aria halfcut that had been scrapped in Japan due to the country’s scrap policies. It means that when my Proton Perdana transmission finally dies and is beyond a refurbishment, a used one sourced from a Mitsubishi Eterna will not be an option – I will have to buy a 2nd hand Proton one or a NEW one, which I probably will not be able to afford as I am not the Perak or Terengganu Mentri Besar(s).

Of course, these situations will not happen right after June 2011 as there is bound to be existing stock in the country, but that will run out sooner or later. And then what? We cannibalise each other’s cars for used parts, whether willingly (scrap) or not (theft)?

And then there is the total disregard for the livelihoods of the chop shop businesses which have been run for decades and suddenly have their main source of income taken away from them. I visited a few chop shops and interviewed their owners over the weekend, curious to see how they were reacting to this piece of bad news.

One chop shop did not even know that such an announcement had been made. Danny of Soon Loi Sdn Bhd in Batu 11 1/2 Cheras said that he had been unaware that the government was planning such a thing and he and his wife was clearly in shock. I felt really bad watching their reaction. At first they were talking normally and keeping their cool but after awhile you could see they were quite emotional about it.

Their chop shop is a family business and has been running since the 70s. Danny is now the 2nd generation, taking over from his parents. He said chop shops have been around since before he was born and did not understand why the government suddenly wanted to stop the import of used parts.

The government’s justifications for this move are ’safety and environmental’ concerns. From my view I see it more as yet another way to discourage us from using our old and hardy classics, instead driving us to buy new budget cars instead of that RM20k Toyota Corolla AE101 which alot of people are much more comfortable driving as a daily driver than a new car. The common sentiment is that old cars tend to last longer and have better plastics than new cars today and in many cases I find that to be true.

According to Danny, the parts in his stock consist of over 80% overseas imports and only about 20% local parts. I asked him what was he going to do when the new rule is implemented. He said he could not do anything but to look for local cars to ‘cut’ instead of getting halfcuts from overseas.

From a consumer perspective this means certain ‘upgrades’ such as fitting a Cortina 4-speed with a 5-speed manual from a Ford Sierra would be impossible as the Sierra was never really sold here. From the chop shop owner’s perspective, business will be A LOT tougher than usual. To quote his wife’s exact words, “Mati loh!”

I tried looking for a more premium chop shop and found Happy Auto Parts in Sungai Besi which specialises in continental parts. This is near the Auto Bavaria Sungai Besi showroom. There were plenty of BMW E34 front clips there, and there was even an E39 pre-facelift front clip. The owner CM Tan also operates a workshop in the same premise so at least he has something to fall back on when his chop shop business runs dry. Being a specialist BMW used parts center, 100% of his inventory are from overseas.

CM Tan says that the business of a chop shop is not easy to do. You have to build your relationship with your overseas suppliers over a long time – this can be years and years. According to Tan, sometimes even when you find some good cars to be clipped, it doesn’t mean the overseas supplier will sell them to you. There are so many chop shops from so many countries fighting for these cars.

You also need to have a trained sharp eye to judge what cars are suitable to be clipped and he claims that with the 1 week warranty that most used parts have, the return rate for a lemon clip can be so high that you can potentially even lose money on it, or just break even.

He likened the government’s new rule to telling medical students that have given their life to training to be a doctor for many many years that they suddenly are banned from practicing medicine. He has been in this business all his life, what else can he do?

It’s really quite unfair, when you consider that in another segment of the industry, Open AP holders have gotten hints of the system being scrapped for many years now. Only when this NAP review was released have the government somewhat put their foot down and said the system will be terminated by 31st December 2015.

That’s over 5 years of lead time for them on top of the many ‘hints’ that they’ve been getting for quite sometime now, and the RM10k per AP to be charged from 2010 onwards was to go to a special Entrepreneurship Fund that will help these ex-Open AP holders diversify into other businesses.

So much lead time for these Open AP holders to move on to other things, and so much help for them to start new businesses (on top of the money they’ve been earning from the APs so far), but on the other side of the spectrum, used parts dealers only get less than 2 years! I asked both CM Tan and Danny what they would be doing now that they’ve learned about the news – would they bring in more inventory so that stocks would last longer while they figure out what to do with their lives?

They feel it is hard for them to make a decision like that as the government and/or relevant ministry has not released any hard details on how and when exactly this used parts import ban would take place.

It remains a small paragraph in a long document for now, but one that will cause them sleepless nights until the picture is made clearer for them.

Aston Martin wins Asian series race two in Japan

Aston Martin wins Asian series race two in Japan Racing series   LMS Date 2009-10-31

By Nancy Knapp Schilke - Motorsport.com

Stefan Mucke and Harold Primat turned Saturday's defeat into victory on Sunday by taking the lead in the second race of the newly formed Asian Le Mans Series even though on Mucke's second stint, he dashed in for a quick splash of fuel with 10 minutes left on the clock.

"During my first stint the car got better and better each lap and the tyres gave me the confidence to overtake and get out in the lead," said Mucke. "Harold did a great job in the middle of the race and then I took over for the final stage. The car was a pleasure today and I am very happy with the win."

Starting fourth on the grid for the second of the two races held on the 3.703 km (2.3 mile) Okayama International Circuit, Mucke left nothing to chance by contending for the lead in the early going, overtaking first Nicolas Lapierre before setting his sights on Christophe Tinseau and pole sitter Jonny Cocker.

"The car was brilliant to drive and the Michelin tyres were perfect. The team made some minor changes to the set-up last night and it was as if someone flicked a switch and everything just came together," Mucke said.

Once in the lead, Mucke was unstoppable and even with the driver change, they stayed in front with Harold Primat then starting his stint. Just past the midway mark of the three hour sportscar endurance race, the Aston Martin LMP1 team was holding the overall lead.

"I'm so happy! This is my first win in sports cars and I am very pleased that it was with Aston Martin Racing," smiled Primat. "Stefan gave me the car in P1 and I had a consistent stint with no problems at all. I don't think anyone was expecting us to be the fastest car on the track today, we surprised everyone including ourselves. The track conditions definitely helped and the car and the team worked really well today."

Breathing down on Primat was yesterday's winning team with Shinji Nakano at the wheel of the Pescarolo Judd, having taking over for Tinseau for the Sora Racing team. Nakano was followed by Friday's pole winning team from Drayson Racing along with Team ORECA-Matmut and the two Audis from the Kolles camp.

After showing their speed when Jonny Cocker took the pole, the Drayson Lola Coupe Judd had problems in both races this weekend. Just 10 laps after sitting comfortably in third, Paul Drayson was seen dropping down the leaderboard, leaving just five teams to stay on the lead lap to battle for win.

Lord and Lady Drayson's team manager, Dale White, had already planned on a two-stop strategy. "Our Judd engine is super efficient and our Michelin tyres were superb throughout so we could finish with one less fuel/tyre stop than the competition and that combined with our consistently strong pace was enough for first place in the Michelin Green X Challenge. A brilliant result."

With less than an hour remaining, it was now up to Mucke to bring the Aston Martin home for the victory. He did amongst much celebration, even taking four and not three pit stops but this time they did not lose ground making a repair.

Placing second today, the team from France, Sora Racing takes the points lead. Tinseau and Nakano pushed the entire race but at the end, the Pescarolo Judd was not a match for the winning team, over one minute off the pace at the checkered flag.

Tinseau was not taking a Sunday drive but did need to make a quick pit stop for fuel and in the closing laps with Loic Duval bearing down on him, looking to close the eight second gap. There was not enough time remaining on the clock and the Oreca-AIM team had to settle for third. In the first of the two races, Duval and Lapierre finished second.

While Drayson and Cocker did drop back to fifth, Cocker put on a show to catch up to Oliver Jarvis in the Kolles Audi R10 TDi. It became the battle of the two "green" P1 cars in the final hour. In his charge to make up nearly a 25 second gap to fourth, Cocker took the fastest lap honors with a time of 1:20.561.

With less than four minutes in the three hour race, fourth place became a sprint race with Jarvis hanging on but Cocker finally was on the rear wing of the Audi, looking for the place to pass. Drayson Racing ended with fourth when Cocker made the move on the final lap.

"Absolutely fantastic end to the weekend," smiled Cocker. "To come away with two poles, two fastest laps and to be the winner of the Michelin Green X Challenge shows how much the team has achieved in such a short period of time. The race went well for me. The car and the Michelin tyres were fantastic. Now we can start to concentrate on building on our performance in preparation for next year."

Jarvis and teammate Christian Bakkerud had to settle for fifth, adding to their third in Saturday's race.

In LMP2, it was a hands down victory for the Oak Racing team. Truly they could have taken a slow pace Sunday drive except for its always good to maintain racing mode so one does not make a costly error and for overall honors. The pole winning Pescarolo Mazda took the win on Saturday and combined with their four wins in the European Le Mans Series, they now have six total for the year.

Matthieu Lahaye, Jacques Nicolet and Richard Hein did not have smooth sailing toward the end when Hein had to come if for repairs; it cost the team three laps but with their rivals far back on the leaderboard, they had the spare time.

The Ibanez Racing team of Jose Ibanez, Damien Toullemonde and Frederic da Rocha lost a lot of time just prior to the 90 minute mark to make repairs to their Courage AER.

Aston Martin ended up with a double victory when the Hitotsuyama Team Nova took the LMGT1 honors. It was a fitting end for a complex start in the Asian series inaugural weekend. Takeshi Tsuchiya had the fastest time in qualifying in the team's Aston Martin DBR9 but when the rear wings did not comply, the time was wiped, putting them to the back of the grid. They attempted a comeback on race one to again steal the show but he and co-driver Akihiro Tsuzuki were only able to take second.

Today's race two gave the Japanese drivers the goal they were seeking, the top step of the podium. They sailed to the lead and never were contested, taking the win with one lap to spare.

Behind them was the battle for second between the Larbre Competition team and race one's JLOC winning team. It was an amazing final hour with Stephane Lemeret in the Saleen S7R giving chase to Hiroyuki Iiri in the Lamborghini Murcielago. The two had a gap of nearly 15 seconds with Iiri in the JLOC Murcielago having the edge with his teammate Atsushi Yogo looking on from the team's pitbox.

The same was said for Lemeret's Larbre teammates' Roland Berville and Carlo van Dam. When the checkered flag flew, it was a gap of just two-tenths of a second between the two with Iiri taking second.

Dominik Farnbacher and Allan Simonsen won the LMGT2 class victory in the Hankook Farnbacher Ferrari 430 GT by over one lap ahead of the second-placed Felbermayr-Proton Porsche 911 GT3 RSR team. The win adds to their third place in race one.

The real contest was in the early laps with Saturday's winning team taking the early lead before mechanical problem saw the American-based Rahal Letterman Racing BMW E92 M3 end up losing three laps. With Tommy Milner and Dirk Werner out of competitive action for the win, the Farnbacher Ferrari team won hands down.

Christian Ried and Marco Holzer were unable to mount a challenge and had to settle for second in their Porsche.

Team Daishin's Takayuki Aoki and Tomonobu Fujii were nearly a lap down to the Porsche in their Ferrari 430 GT. Both Japanese racers normally compete in the SuperGT series.

The first two races of the Asian Le Mans Series is now in the books, the second meet will be next week in China at the Shanghai International Circuit.

On a side note, the rain that was predicted for this weekend stayed away until after the Asian LMS race ended but just in time to get things wet prior to the World Touring Car Championship races!