On This Day in Formula One - 16 June #F1Magic

On This Day in Formula One - 14 June.

On This Day in Formula One - [13 June]

On This Day in Formula One - 12 June

1889

The birth of Otto Merz, a mechanic turned chauffeur, who was a driver in the motorcade when the Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated in 1914, later moving into racing where he won the 1924 German Grand Prix.

1966

John Surtees drove his Ferrari to victory in the Belgian Grand Prix after taking the lead from Jochen Rindt on the 24th of 28 eight-and-a-half mile laps. In dreadful weather Jackie Stewart crashed on the first lap and was rushed to hospital with multiple broken bones, and only seven of the 15 starters made it to the end of the lap. Graham Hill spotted Stewart lying upside down in his car in a ditch and stopped to pull him out as petrol poured over him. Although Hill was mechanically fit to continue, he had lost so much time rescuing Stewart he decided he had too much time to make up and so retired.

1983

Rene Arnoux led the Canadian Grand Prix from start to finish to beat Eddie Cheever by 40 seconds. Keke Rosberg finished fourth, his Williams-Cosworth the first non-turbo car to score points in the season, and he might have done better had he not been blocked by Andrea de Cesaris for several laps.

1988

McLaren's dominance continued with its fifth win in five races at the Canadian Grand Prix, Ayrton Senna beating Alain Prost by 5.6 seconds. "I'm very satisfied to have beaten the driver I regard as the best in the business," Senna grinned afterwards. The real contest was for third and lower which was won by Thierry Boutsen in a Benetton-Ford. The real courage came from Derek Warwick who a day earlier had crashed his Arrows at 100mph - he finished seventh and at the end was so bruised and exhausted he had to be lifted out of his cockpit.

1993

A stand-off between teams and FISA on the eve of the Canadian Grand Prix left both parties angry. FISA issued an inflammatory document claiming many teams' technological developments were illegal and attempted to curb them for the following season. "It only inspires a hardening of attitudes at a time we are all looking for a compromise," warned Ron Dennis.

1994

Michael Schumacher's fifth win in six races at the Canada Grand Prix opened a 28 point lead over Damon Hill which was never overcome. Hill's hopes were dashed when he got stuck behind David Coulthard - "I was getting a bit cheesed off but I don't think I could have caught Schumacher," Hill admitted. Coulthard was less impressed. "I eventually waved Damon through in response to team orders," he said, "but I think I was entitled to race my way. I'm disappointed Damon spoke to the press before me."

2005

Kimi Raikkonen took advantage of a double retirement from Renault to win a dramatic Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal, Giancarlo Fisichella and Fernando Alonso retiring from the lead within six laps of each other. Juan Pablo Montoya jumped a red light at the end of the pit lane and was disqualified from second, giving Ferrari a double on the podium as Michael Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello finished second and third. Jenson Button's hopes of third were shattered when he bounced over the kerbs at the final chicane and slammed into the wall. "The problem I had in the hairpin was I ran wide and I didn't realise how much rubbish got on the tyres because coming into the chicane I just had huge understeer," he shrugged. "That was it really. I should have gone across the green stuff but I thought if I did that I would have to let Michael pass and I didn't want to do that. I'd rather crash in third than finish fourth really."

Information obtained on ESPNF1.com 

On This Day in Formula One - [11 June]

'Open Goal' - By Jake Davis

This fantastic weekly F1 Toon was designed and created by Jake Davis Creative. Prints are available in sizes A4, A3 and A2. Commissions are also available. If you would like to order a PRINT of this fantastic F1 Toon feel free to contact him via:

                         E-mail - davisjake@hotmail.co.uk

                         Twitter - @JakeDDCreative

On This Day in Formula One - [10 June]

On This Day in Formula One - 09 June.

Information obtained on ESPNF1.com Compiled and edited by Myself. 

On This Day in Formula One [08 June]

Information obtained on ESPNF1.com Compiled and edited by Myself. 

On this Day in Formula One [04 June]

Information obtained on the ESPNF1 website. 

Canadian Grand Prix Broadcast Times (South Africa Only)

These Broadcast Times have been obtained through the Supersport Online (TV Guide) 

'Jule's in Monaco's Crown'

This fantastic weekly F1 Toon was designed and created by Jake Davis Creative. Prints are available in sizes A4, A3 and A2. Commissions are also available. If you would like to order a PRINT of this fantastic F1 Toon feel free to contact him via:

                         E-mail - davisjake@hotmail.co.uk

                         Twitter - @JakeDDCreative

TRACK PROFILE - FORMULA ONE GRAND PRIX DU CANADA 2014

QUIZ - 2014 CANADIAN GRAND PRIX

Cape Speed set their sights on the 2014 Formula Student UK competition.

The Cape Speed team with CPUT Vice-Chancellor, Dr Prins Nevhutalu who attended the unveiling of their Formula Student racing car.

Image by: Candes Keating

A group of Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) engineering students named Cape Speed, will compete in the International Formula Student event at Silverstone, UK in July. CPUT’s Formula Student programme brings together students from different disciplines with a goal of building a single seat race car for participation in the prestigious Formula Student UK competition.

 

Cape Speed's 2014 Formula Student car.
Image by: Enver Van Boom

Formula Student is run by the Institute of Mechanical Engineers at the Silverstone circuit and backed by industry and high-profile engineers such as Ross Brawn. The competition challenges universities across the world to design and build a single-seater racing car and compete in a variety of static and dynamic events, which would demonstrate their understanding and test the performance of the vehicle. The aim of the competition is to equip Mechanical Engineering students with the skills to become Formula One race engineers.

 

Cape Speed made their debut at the 2012 Formula Student competition when they made history by becoming the first team from Africa to complete the 4-day event which included scrutineering and an endurance event. The team was ranked 65th out of 132 overall and came 27th out of 132 for the endurance stage of the event.

 

The car has been named Prins, after
 CPUT Vice-Chancellor, Dr Prins Nevhutalu.
Image by: Enver Van Boom

On the 27th of May, Cape Speed launched their 2014 Formula Student racing car which features a carbon fibre chassis and a fuel efficient engine. The car was designed and manufactured by students based at CPUT’s TIA Adaptronics AMTL research unit and the car was named Prins, after CPUT’s Vice-Chancellor, Dr Prins Nevhutalu.

 

The Formula Student UK 2014 competition will take place from the 9 - 13 July 2014 at Silverstone Circuit. 

TRACK PROFILE - Formula 1 Grand Prix de Monaco 2014

2014 Monaco Grand Prix - QUIZ

TRACK PROFILE - Formula 1 Gran Premio De Espana Pirelli 2014

2014 Spanish Grand Prix - QUIZ

Do you love Formula One as much as I do? Well if your answer is "YES" give this Quiz a try! Feel free to tweet the answers to @JunaidSamodien_ or leave your answers in the comment section below. #F1Magic #SpanishGPMagic 

Do you know where your car was made?

South Africans really love their cars – it is plain to see in everyday life here, but if you require further evidence you can look to the steady increase in the number of people with car insurance, this despite the costs of our cover being among the world’s most expensive. The global automotive industry has come a long way since the humble horse and carriage in the 1800s, and globalisation has played a huge role in the success and competitiveness of car manufacturers around the world.

Cars have become a part of what we do every day. They are intricately entrenched in our lifestyles and we often take them for granted, but how often do we don’t stop to think where they actually come from?

One of the most popular car brands among South Africans is the Toyota Hilux, with 2 739 sold here in the month of September 2013. Toyota originates in Japan and has its headquarters in Tokyo. In South Africa, all Toyotas are made at Toyota’s headquarters in the Kwazulu-Natal – these are then transported to Toyota dealerships across the country. Another popular vehicle is the VW Polo, selling 2 634 models (September 2013) and the Polo Vivo (2435 sales). VW comes from Germany and is still currently made in Wolfsburg, Germany. Locally, the VW factory is situated in Uitenhage, an industrial town 35 km outside Port Elizabeth in the Eastern Cape. VW is then also transported to VW dealerships all over the country.

Because car making comes with so many different factors, manufacturers are always looking for new and innovative ways to get ahead of the competition. Many are using the popular Just-In-Time (JIT) system, to make sure their cars get onto the showroom faster. The JIT system means the parts arrive only when they are needed. This reduces inventory and production costs, but it relies on supply and demand. The system of inventory requires an accurate forecast in demand, keeping assembly lines complete and making sure finished vehicles are shipped as soon as they are done.

This means that because Asia currently has the best industrial mix of low-cost technology and affordable labour, it is a firm favourite when it comes to the manufacture of motor vehicles. This is why most brands of vehicles have factory plants there.

Other hugely popular vehicle brands in South Africa are Ford, BMW and Mercedes. While the Ford it is a product of General motors, an American firm, it was likely assembled in Asia. Silverton, Pretoria is the manufacturing home of all Ford vehicles in South Africa. BMW and Mercedes Benz are German products. BMW is headquartered in Munich, Germany and is locally based in Rosslyn, near Pretoria. Mercedes Benz has its headquarters in the German city of Stuttgart, while its local plant is in East London, Eastern Cape.

Peugeot and Renault are French vehicles and if you’re lucky enough to drive a Ferrari, your car was most likely hand crafted in Italy. Hyundai, Kia and Daewoo come from Korea, while Honda and Mitsubishi have their origins in Japan.

Cars and vehicles have evolved so much in the last century; we have gone from the horse and carriage to multi-million rand luxury vehicles. People have also changed their preference in automotive transport, and instead of expensive super cars, which only the extremely wealthy can afford, they are moving toward more practical vehicles. For example, the newest innovations in car manufacturing are cars that can park themselves – Ford and Honda are among the first to do this. It cuts parking time and is especially popular among women and new drivers who haven’t yet mastered parallel parking.

According to consumerreports.org, the top car manufacturers include: Ford, Toyota and Honda. They rank higher than luxury cars such as Cadillac and BMW, due to their constant innovations in making driving easy and safe, especially for the family. As stated before, there are so many aspects that go with manufacturing a car in conjunction with JIT, and 74% of total motor vehicles are those owned by private motorists and the remaining 26% amount to public and commercial vehicles such as buses and trucks. 

Most of the world’s cars come from China, with 14 485 326 produced in 2011 alone (worldmeters.info). This can be attributed to the fact that the average car has over 30 000 unique parts. Most of the additional pieces, such as seat covers, music systems, lights, mirrors and new electronics such as hands-free kits are made and installed in China. It’s cheaper and faster for the industry to perform operations in this way, and the quality remains fairly good.

South Africans spend a lot of time in their cars and are willing to spend a lot of money on them. It is wise to get your car covered by a decent insurance policy so that if something happens to it you’ll be safe in the knowledge that you can restore it to its former glory.