View Full Version : Morning Reads: 2 October 2007
Today’s Birthdays / Calendar (http://www.bmwmoa.org/forum/calendar.php?do=getinfo&day=2007-10-2&c=1)
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BMW in the News
insidebikes.com ( http://www.insidebikes.com/news/archives_2000/news_details.asp?id=5441)
New BMW HP2 Sport
“All credit to BMW for having the determination to go racing with the Boxer twin, …The downside is the price; £14,500 is a huge ticket for a sportbike which is still some 40bhp down on the class-leading machines”
TED (http://www.ted.com/index.php/pages/view/id/5): Ideas worth spreading
TED Blog (http://blog.ted.com/),Conferences (http://www.ted.com/index.php/pages/view/id/7), Themes (http://www.ted.com/index.php/themes), Talks (http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks) and Speakers (http://www.ted.com/index.php/speakers)
Page 2:
BMW Press: News and press releases from the official BMW sources
News:
motojournal.com ( http://motojournal.blogspot.com/2007/10/paris-debriefing.html)
Paris Debriefing with link to more than 200 pictures from the Paris show.
londonbikers.com ( http://londonbikers.com/news/f03ea82f-9935-47c8-9b16-d080993dc1e0)
Ducati launch Black Hypermotard 1100 and Monster S at Paris Show
honda.com ( http://world.honda.com/news/2007/2071001Motorcycle-Models-for-Europe/)
Honda announces 2008 Motorcycles for Europe at Paris
bikenewsonline.com ( http://www.bikernewsonline.com/2007/09/florida-proposes-reckless-motorcycle.htm)
Florida Proposes Reckless Motorcycle Law
cyrilhuzeblog.com ( http://www.cyrilhuzeblog.com/2007/10/01/roland-sands-exhibition-at-big-twin-west/)
Roland Sands Exhibition at Big Twin West
Faster and Faster ( http://sameerkumar.blogspot.com/2007/10/bestiale-project-more-radical-mv-agusta.html)
The Bestiale Project: A mor ‘radical’ MV Agusta Brutale 910
moto.caradisiac.com ( http://translate.google.com/translate?u=http%3A//moto.caradisiac.com/Harley-Davidson-La-XR-1200-arrive-et-donne-son-tarif-556&hl=en&langpair=fr|en&tbb=1&ie=iso-8859-1)
Harley Davidson: The XR 1200 arrives and gives its tariff
http://m1ka.smugmug.com/photos/182526939-M.gif Packer News (http://www.packers.com/ )
jsonline.com (http://www.jsonline.com/index/index.aspx?id=44)
Packers Plus Online
The News-Record – Gillette Wyoming (http://www.gillettenewsrecord.com/news/)
Bike Reviews:
motoinsight.it ( http://translate.google.com/translate?u=http%3A//www.motoinsight.it/blog/honda_transalp_2008.html&hl=en&langpair=it|en&tbb=1&ie=utf-8)
Honda XL700V Transalp 2008
Blog Update (http://www.bmwmoa.org/forum/showthread.php?p=225349&posted=1#post225349)
Foreign Language Blogs (http://www.bmwmoa.org/forum/showthread.php?p=225351&posted=1#post225351)
Motorcycle Repair and Care:
bmwmotorrad.co.za ( http://bmwmotorrad.co.za.temp.glodns.net/bikes/workshop/tech/articles/windshield.html)
The Workshop: Aftermarket Accessories: Electric Windshield
Over Heard in New York | Voice of the City (http://www.overheardinnewyork.com/)
Riding Skills:
Bikes in the Fast Lane ( http://blogs.motorbiker.org/blogs.nsf/dx/new-french-motorcycle-safety-ad.htm)
New French Motorcycle Safety Ad
M.R. Traveler
US Forest Service Fall Color Hotline (http://www.fs.fed.us/news/fallcolors/)
na.fs.fed.us (http://www.na.fs.fed.us/spfo/pubs/misc/leaves/leaves.htm)
Why Leaves Change Color?
If you want the latest leaf color reports ...
NY 800-225-5697
VT 800-837-6668
MA 800-227-6277
ME 800-777-0317
RI 401-222-2601
CT 800-282-6863
The Best Fall Foliage Sites in America (http://www.travelnotes.org/Travel/sep16.htm)
Today’s RoadFood.com ( http://www.roadfood.com/)
Woot
Todays Woot ( http://www.woot.com/Default.aspx)
The Blog ( http://www.woot.com/Blog/Default.aspx)
xkcd (http://www.xkcd.com/) A webcomic of Romance, Sarcasm, Math and Language
Sluggy Freelance (http://www.sluggy.com/)
Bike Candy:
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http://m1ka.smugmug.com/photos/202473451-L.jpg
via: thekneeslider.com ( http://thekneeslider.com/archives/2007/09/29/suzuki-biplane-and-crosscage-concept-motorcycles/)
THE END ( http://static.userland.com/images/surprise/exit.gif)
BMW Press: News and press releases from the official BMW sources
BMW Group
An emergency call system ( http://www.bmwgroup.com/e/nav/index.html?../0_0_www_bmwgroup_com/home/home.html&source=overview)
Article about an intelligent emergency call system for Europe
World of BMW News
Fact and fiction (http://bmwmotorrad.co.za.temp.glodns.net/bikes/workshop/tech/articles/windshield.html)
BMW GroupPress Club:
PressClub Germany
BMW motorcycle model year 2008. New safety and special equipment packages. New colors and special equipments
Munich. To model year 2008 again some model care measures flow into BMW motorcycle program. The new colors and special equipments can be ordered immediately with all BMW motorcycle dealers.
Translation by Google Translator
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Rolls-Royse Motor Car PressClub
ROLLS-ROYCE ANNOUNCES NEW COUPÉ
Rolls-Royce Motor Cars has confirmed that a series version of the two-door, four-seat experimental car, 101EX, will be launched in 2008. Production is scheduled to begin next summer. It will be hand-built at the company’s manufacturing plant in Goodwood, England.
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This model will complete the Phantom family line-up alongside the Phantom, Phantom Extended Wheelbase and Phantom Drophead Coupé.
The new car will be an elegant two-door, four-seat coupe that builds on the extraordinary driving experience offered in the Phantom and Drophead Coupé. It will use an all aluminium construction similar to the rest of the Phantom family. However, it will be a unique car in the Phantom family, designed around the desire to create the worlds’ foremost transcontinental tourer.
Outright power will be identical to the other Phantom models – an impressive 453bhp and 720nm of torque – however the coupé will be subtly tuned with more emphasis placed on the driver. The body will be shorter than that of the Phantom sedan and there will be revisions to the suspension and chassis set-up.
Rolls-Royce Chief Designer, Ian Cameron, said, “With this car we wanted to emphasise the performance potential of the 6.75litre V12 engine and the effortless experience that it delivers. Whilst never overtly sporty, Rolls-Royce is a brand that has always offered owners a powerful and refined drive combined with, as Sir Henry Royce described it, a bit of fizz.”
Ian Robertson, Chairman and Chief Executive, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, said, “This new model represents an important milestone in the company’s history. It completes the Phantom family and judging by the customer reaction to 101EX, we are confident of its success. Our challenge lies in meeting the exceptional levels of customer demand for the Phantom range and in preparing Goodwood to meet the needs of future new cars.”
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The new coupé will be priced between the Phantom and Phantom Drophead Coupé. Further information will be released in the coming months.
Motorsports PressClub
Race Review: Photos and press releases from the Japanese GP
Practice:
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BMW Sauber F1 Team - Japanese Grand Prix - Practice, Friday - 28.09.07
Weather: Dry and sunny, 25-26°C Air, 41-47°C Track
Fuji (JPN). The Formula 1 circus was excited by its first visit for 30 years to the picturesque landscape of the Japanese Alps and the race track at the foot of Mount Fuji. However, the first two practice sessions were less spectacular for the BMW Sauber F1 Team drivers: Robert Kubica was sixth and tenth quickest while Nick Heidfeld was 13th and 15th.
Robert Kubica:
BMW Sauber F1.07-03/BMW P86/7 (T-car F1.07.04)
1st Practice: 6th, 1.20.297 min/2nd Practice: 10th, 1.20.069 min
"It is quite a nice track. I enjoy driving here though it is very tricky with a lot of blind corners, so you don't see the apex on four or five of them. There is also a lot of braking and acceleration. We have done some long runs this afternoon, and now we just have to fix a couple of set up issues and then we will be okay."
Nick Heidfeld:
BMW Sauber F1.07-08/BMW P86/7
1st Practice: 13th, 1.20.728 min/2nd Practice: 15th, 1.20.462 min
"The track is a lot of fun and is much nicer, wider and more fluent than I thought it would be after I saw the sketches. It is very uphill and downhill and on several corners you can't see the apex, in particular this is because we are sitting so low in the cars. I didn't like the car's set-up at all in the first session as the rear was very nervous. It was better in the second, but we still didn't get the balance right. Because of a problem when shifting into seventh gear, I had to stop driving 15 minutes before the end of the session."
Willy Rampf (Technical Director):
"It is challenging to come to a circuit which you only know from doing simulations. We have slightly amended the set-up that we started with. Today we were focussing on the race set-up. Our "dry runs" were successful: our best lap time and top speed where only approximately one percent away from our estimated figures."
Qualifying[/b[
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[b] BMW Sauber F1 Team - Japanese Grand Prix - Qualifying, Saturday - 29.09.07
Weather: Foggy with a wet track, 14°C Air, 20°C Track.
Fuji (JPN). It was mixed fortunes for the BMW Sauber F1 Team drivers when the cars took to the wet track for qualifying for the Japanese Grand Prix at the Fuji Speedway. The track conditions meant the team used Bridgestone extreme wet tyres only in the beginning of Qualifying 1 and then wets. Nick Heidfeld was fifth fastest while Robert Kubica was tenth. Qualifying was the first time the drivers had done any running as the third free practice session was cancelled. This was due to visibility problems that meant the medical helicopter could not be used, although when the fog lifted slightly the cars were sent out, but only completed an installation lap.
Nick Heidfeld:
BMW Sauber F1.07-08 / BMW P86/7
Qualifying 5th, 1.26.505 min (3rd practice: No time)
"I am very happy with fifth. I hoped at the start I had a slight chance of catching one of the Ferraris in the wet conditions, but it didn't work out. Qualifying wasn't easy, but in general the grip level of this circuit in the wet is pretty good. During the final laps I couldn't improve, as the last set of new tyres degraded too quickly. The weather forecast currently varies, but if I had my choice I would wish for a race under wet conditions."
Robert Kubica:
BMW Sauber F1.07-03 / BMW P86/7 (T-Car F1.07-04)
Qualifying 10th, 1.27,225 min (3rd Practice: No time)
"It was not very good for me at all during qualifying. Unfortunately we missed some experience of running in the wet. I had graining and I don't think our timing was right in qualifying three. We now have to see how the weather is tomorrow, although on today's performance I would prefer dry."
Mario Theissen (BMW Motorsport Director):
"The weather conditions today were very unusual. Nevertheless we have the usual picture for the first five starting positions. With Robert not everything went perfect in Q3, but Nick did well in all three qualifying sessions. The weather predictions for tomorrow are not clear. We have to prepare for a wet race and for a drying track. I think we can expect different race strategies tomorrow and, therefore, an interesting race."
Willy Rampf (Technical Director):
"It was an unusual Saturday. After only being able to work on a dry set-up on Friday we did not have the chance to work on a wet set-up in today's third free practice. Nevertheless we got both cars into the top ten again. The fact that not everything works perfectly under these conditions is obvious if you look at Robert. Nick on the other hand has a good starting position. Because of the expected weather for Sunday we can look forward to an interesting race."
Race{/b]
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BMW Sauber F1 Team - Japanese Grand Prix - Race, Sunday - 30.09.07
Weather: Very wet, 17-18°C Air, 22-23°C Track
Fuji (JPN). The first Japanese Grand Prix at the Fuji Speedway for 30 years will be remembered as spectacular and incident packed. The BMW Sauber F1 Team drivers didn't have easy races with Robert Kubica finishing seventh and Nick Heidfeld 14th, after stopping on the track with one lap to go in sixth.
Robert Kubica: 7th
BMW Sauber F1.07-03/BMW P86/7 (T-car F1.07.04)
Fastest Lap: 1.29.021 min on lap 32 (4th fastest overall)
"Unfortunately the beginning of the race was very risky and for me the decision to race was a bit too early, as it was difficult to see 50 metres in front. Anyway we had some problems with the water coming into the air filter and into the engine, so I lost a position at the start because I had no power in the engine. With the higher revs it cleaned up and I overtook the two Renaults. I was doing a good pace but unfortunately I touched with Lewis Hamilton, had my pit stop, then a penalty, which I was surprised to get. I was running much quicker than him and in corner 13 or 14 he was doing a completely different line or made a mistake, so he was completely wide. I stayed on the inside, he cut into the apex and I was there and unfortunately we touched. I think it was a race accident. On the re-start after the second safety car I had the misfire problem again with the water so it cost me time again as I had to stay behind Rubens Barrichello. Then the finish was the fight with Felipe Massa, which was a bit risky. He overtook me before corner six, then I overtook him back and then into corner ten if I had turned normally he would have hit me and I preferred to finish the race. He pushed me out, I tried to overtake him on the last corner but he went wide and there was more grip off the track and he won the position. We made a bit of action and in the end we laughed."
Nick Heidfeld: 14th
BMW Sauber F1.07-08/BMW P86/7
Fastest Lap: 1.29.084 min on lap 28 (6th fastest overall)
"In my opinion the race should not have been started under these weather conditions. For me it was a very difficult situation when the safety car came in after 19 laps. My radio didn't work and I had a misfire. Because the decision whether the safety car comes in or not is made during a lap, the team couldn't even tell me on the pit board. So I always tried to see the safety-car which wasn't easy. Fortunately I saw when it switched off the lights to come in. Due to the misfire I was only in sixth gear on the straight which means I was relatively slow. That was very dangerous because the drivers behind me could hardly see me. I tried to find a line where I would be as safe as possible. That's why Kimi Räikkönen could pass me on the left hand side. I was just happy we didn't crash. But then Jenson Button crashed into my car and damaged it. First I wanted to pit but then decided I could drive the car somehow. Basically my race was ruined with the accident. In the end I still could have finished 6th, but then my car broke down."
Mario Theissen (BMW Motorsport Director):
"As is usual with wet races this one was very dramatic and our drivers where not left out of this drama. Nick lost his chance of a good result on the first lap after the Safety Car pulled off due to a collision. Later Robert also had a collision and dropped back due to a drive-through penalty. Both then fought their way back into the points. On the penultimate lap Nick stopped with a technical failure, which we are investigating. It was a race to forget for our team. Congratulation to Lewis Hamilton who seemed to be totally unaffected by what was happening around him on the track, and drove his car home safely. He took a big step in the direction of the championship."
Willy Rampf (Technical Director):
"It was an extremely disappointing race. We lost our good grid positions right after the Safety Car pulled off. Nick was hit off from behind and Robert had to brake because of that. Anyway they both fought back and made up some positions. Just before the end of this spectacular race we were sixth and seventh, but then Nick had to stop because of a technical problem. In the final metres Robert had to let Felipe Massa pass after a hard fight."
BMW Sauber F1 Team - Chinese Grand Prix - Preview
Chinese Grand Prix.
5th - 7th October 2007
16th of 17 World Championship races
Preview.
Munich/Hinwil, 30th September 2007. Only a few days and a good three hours' flight separate the Japanese Grand Prix, that has just ended, and the penultimate World Championship race of the season in Shanghai this Sunday. From the picturesque setting at the foot of Mount Fuji, Formula One now heads for a booming metropolis.
Nick Heidfeld:
"Turns one, two and three are among my favourite sections in the race calendar. You approach the first turn at high speed, go into it flat out, but then the corner increasingly tightens up and you have to shift right down to second. Making a clean exit will be even more interesting next year when we'll be driving without traction control again. Overall I'm rather fond of this circuit. Although it's so new, the track layout has a natural feel and a character about it. The paddock and the grandstands are also very distinctive and absolutely huge in size.
"The same goes for a number of buildings in downtown Shanghai, but the ultramodern skyscrapers, hotels and restaurants along the Bund are just part of the picture. In a lot of districts and in the surrounding areas you'll come across grinding poverty. This year my family will be joining me for the Asian tour and I hope we'll find a little time to visit the nicer sides of the city together."
Robert Kubica:
"After Fuji we go straight to China. Last year's Grand Prix was pretty interesting for me with qualifying wet and then touching with Robert Doornbos at the start of the race. I gained a lot of positions but then when the track was drying we put the grooved tyres on too early. Quite a nice track with, again, a very long straight. Maybe there is an overtaking possibility at the end of the long back straight. This is very long, but it is not easy because before the straight there is a really quick right hand corner and it is always difficult to follow the cars very closely there."
Mario Theissen, BMW Motorsport Director:
"After the race in Fuji, it's straight on to the Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai. Back-to-back events like this put quite a strain on the whole team - all the more so when the two consecutive races take place in Asia. It's the logistics personnel above all who feel the pressure. We are looking forward to the penultimate race of the season.
"The sheer size of the Shanghai complex is unmatched and the track layout is challenging. From the point of view of BMW as a car producer, as well as all our partners, the Chinese Grand Prix holds tremendous commercial interest. It's a market with massive growth potential. In 2006 BMW recorded over 40 percent growth compared with the previous year. BMW also has its own production plant in China where BMW 3 Series and 5 Series models are built."
Willy Rampf, Technical Director:
"Shanghai is an interesting and challenging track. It offers overtaking opportunities and has safe run off areas. The circuit is characterised by some very long low and mid speed corners, which causes high tyre degradation. For a good race pace it is important to get the mechanical set-up right in order to make best use of the tyres over a distance. Another important factor is the aerodynamic efficiency because of the combination of the long straight with the twisty infield."
For facts and figures please see the attached document.
Following the exclusion of the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes Team from the Constructors' World Championship, the BMW Sauber F1 Team is in second place in the standings on 92 points after 15 of 17 World Championship races.
History and background:
Shanghai is situated in the vast delta formed by the Yangtze river as it empties into the East China Sea. China's leading industrial metropolis is as compelling for its size as for its lack of space. Some 18.7 million people live in the administrative area of Shanghai, 9.4 million of them within the city limits. The administrative area covers 6,340.5 square kilometres, of which the city itself takes up just 550 sq. km. In terms of overall cargo handling, the port topped the world league in 2006 with 537 million tonnes of goods.
Driving times from the centre of this booming metropolis to the race track are hard to calculate. Depending on the traffic situation and hotel location, it can range from 30 minutes to two hours.
The Shanghai International Circuit complex reflects the sheer magnitude of the city itself. The drivers' paddock outclasses those at any other Formula One race track and demands a lot of walking.
Opened in 2004, the circuit was built under the direction of Hermann Tilke on a 5.3-square-kilometre area of swampland and completed in a matter of 18 months. Concrete piles between 40 and 80 metres long were driven into the ground, then covered in metre-thick styrofoam and finally earth.
The track layout includes seven right-hand and seven left-hand turns. The longest straight is not the start/finish section but lies between turns 13 and 14 - a full-throttle stretch measuring a good 1.3 kilometres.
The layout is inspired by the Chinese character "Shang", which translates as "high" or "above". Traditional Chinese style elements were also integrated into the architecture of the futuristic pit lane and grandstands.
LAUNCH DATE 2008:
The BMW Sauber F1 Team will launch the BMW Sauber F1.08 on 14th/15th January.
[b]BMW Sauber F1: Website (http://www.bmw-sauber-f1.com/en/index.html)
BMW Motorsport (http://bmw-motorsport.com/ms/en/index.html)
BMW Yachtsport (http://bmw-yachtsport.com/ys/en/index.html)
BMW Golfsport (http://bmw-golfsport.com/gs/en/index.html)
BMW Oracle Racing (http://bmworacleracing.com/en/index.html?track.refer=)
BMW Sport website ( http://bmw-sports.com/en/index.html)
BMW in the News
insidebikes.com ( http://www.insidebikes.com/news/archives_2000/news_details.asp?id=5441)
New BMW HP2 Sport
“All credit to BMW for having the determination to go racing with the Boxer twin, …The downside is the price; £14,500 is a huge ticket for a sportbike which is still some 40bhp down on the class-leading machines”
Wow at 178 kg, an R1200 at less than 400 lbs at dry weight - weight being the most important criteria I view in a new motorcycle, and COG comes next. Adding A and B, and good suspension and tires means a great handling machine, and then with ABS brakes and all the rest! Just might be worth climbing into the almost $30,000 price tag over any other R, but I hope that low-weight feature trickles all the way down the line.
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