Category: Motorsport

Team Vodafone has been doing a lot of research about running a V8 Supercar on E85 ethanol fuel and finally come out with the results.

“We went on the net and we've done a lot of myth busting,”, TeamVodafone engineer Campbell Little said.

“We contacted an awful lot of people asking what problems they had and everybody would say 'be careful of this' or 'be careful of that', but no one said you could not run it,” he said.

With some calculations, the team knew it would consume up to 30 per cent more ethanol than it would in regular Shell 98 and figured it would produce more nitric oxide in the process due to increased combustion temps from the higher compression ratio.

“If we want to substantially increase the compression of the engine you would get more (nitric oxide),” Campbell said.

“But because we have chosen to run it on a very conservative compression ratio, by limiting the compression ratio we limit the fuel's ability to burn.”

After changing the injectors, the engine was left at the standard compression ratio of 10:1 which yielded some very interesting results.

Craig couldn't tell the difference between that and a petrol engine. It could be as simple as that for most of the race teams (to use ethanol fuel). It was (also) four degrees at Willowbank and it started easier than a petrol engine.”

Category: Motorsport

In what was a straight line drag race between the new F6 and HSV Clubsport, Drive.com.au has recorded the results of the race at the Oran Park circuit and posted up for all the world to see.

I don’t want to spoil the winner, but let’s just say the 0-100 times were identical and the only .1 of a second separated the two at the end of the track. If you’ve got the space, the 3:03 to watch the clip is well worth the view thanks to a close finale.

Click HERE to be transported to the Drive.com.au video page.

Category: Holden News

Jack Daniel’s racing driver Todd Kelly is confident the latest modifications done to the two race old JD VE Commodores will give him the edge to excel in the Darwin heat and edge ahead of the field.

After finishing in fifth position at the Clipsal 500 enduro round in Adelaide, Todd has his sights set firmly on the back on the Blue Oval brigade in order to chalk up an win for the red team.

"After a lot of hard work everything's starting to come together for the Jack Daniel's team," Kelly said.

"The new Jack Daniel's Old No. 7 Brand Commodore is a good car; we've qualified in the top 10 both times out (Perth and Sandown) and would have had a better Sandown result than eighth had we not got turned around in Race 1.

"We've kept working away and we've got even more new bits for it, so I'm curious to see where we'll stand - if the recent trend continues it'll be better than eighth."

Hidden valley has seen some mixed results for the young driver with Todd taking out the 04/05 seasons in back to victories.

"I know how to get around the place reasonably quick and we all love going back to Darwin, it's a terrific event with a great atmosphere.

"We don't want to make too much noise about things, but we've been plugging away and I'm going there quietly confident."

Category: On The Street

It’s been red arrows pretty much all round on the US car market with many of the top sellers posting a heavy down turn in sales, Hummer being the biggest looser. Well known for their ‘will run over a two story house, then a bus, then a school filled with kindergarten kids’ type vehicles, Hummer posted a massive sales drop of almost 55% from the same time last year. Other brands that became massively disappointed where Chrysler with a 36% drop, Jeep with a near 33%, Mitsubishi with 35%, Saab with over 51% and Ford with almost a 20% sales reduction. Chevrolet experienced a slight loss of around three and a half percent.

Of the 33 brands reported, 23 had experienced a down turn in sales while of the biggest winners, Mini, was on top of the charts with a massive 40% increase in sales from last year. Audi, Honda, Volkswagen, Hyundai, Kia and Mercedes-Benz have all recorded an increase of over 10% while Mazda and Suzuki posted smaller increases.

As groups, the Ford Motor Company suffered a 19.1% blow while GM only suffered with a 8.3% downturn in sales. Toyota broke the 10% mark with 11.5% loss and Chrysler bit the bullet with a 28% overall loss in sales.

Keeping in mind the sales month this year was slightly shorter than the previous year with only 24 days versus last years 27. Brands posting a small loss could have in fact yielded a slight increase, so all data regarding small losses/gains should be taken with a pinch of salt.

Category: On The Street

Anybody who went along to MotorEx last year would know just how massive the show is, and the level of cars that are on display. Held under the one roof are Australia’s most prestigious show cars that cater for just about all levels of taste.

Still not sure what we mean? Check out this YouTube preview that will give you an insight into the world of MotorEx and be sure to grab a camera, grab some mates and head down to the Sydney Show grounds this weekend to see what all the fuss is about.

Click HEREfor the YouTube video