It is no secret that as a company we work with a number of F1 teams to produce their fire suppression systems. But we also love watching F1 as fans too and a new season is always good news. High hopes for a big title battle, lots of over taking and a good smattering of drama are always there, and we are very rarely disappointed.

The Champ

It is fair to say Hamilton has dominated the last few seasons which is both good and bad. Good because he is an amazing driver and he is British. But it is a little bad because things can get a little predictable. The same can be said for Mercedes as a whole and that certainly doesn’t look like its going to change any time soon. That being said, Bottas grabbed the first win of the season so let’s see how it all pans out.

Goodbye Charlie

It was so sad to hear about the death of the mighty Charlie Whiting. He was quite rightly described as the centre of gravity for any F1 season, race and the whole community. He cared deeply about the sport and took safety very seriously. He walked the tightrope of enforcing rules and understanding the drivers and the sport and it was and always will be a very tough job, one that will be hard to fill.

Outwashing

This is the term used to describe the air movement behind an F1 that make it very hard to get close and overtake. It has been said that much of the aero kit around the cars was designed to cause this and the new rules for 2019 are set to combat it. The idea will hopefully lead to the reduction in the loss of downforce as cars approach from the rear and more over taking!

Bring it On

Whatever the new season brings we will be enjoying it and we hope you will too. Racing is racing and there will be some bad moves, some amazing moves and a lot in between. There will be fuss about various teams using different bits of kit and a few drivers will no doubt fall out but it is all part of the fun and we are already loving it.

Seeing as it’s January, the motoring world is full of talk about what’s coming out this year. While a recent post talked about the EV market, we wanted to mention a few slightly more traditional cars on the horizon this year.

Toyota Supra

It’s finally here! The new Toyota Supra is coming out after many years of waiting. The previous model has gained iconic status, not for how it came out of the factory but for how easy it was to modify. There are various videos online showing people in old Supras pushing nearly 1000 bhp and leaving Lamborghinis for dust. It is perhaps a car for the “tuner” culture, but we all love a real road beast!

The new Supra is certainly not coming out of the box breathing fire like its modded predecessor but it does look very, very nice – see the video clip above. It was actually developed alongside BMW who were working on their new Z4 with Toyota so it will have some German underpinnings. We are pleased to hear it is going to have a 3.0 litre turbo charged straight 6, so it is certainly coming out fighting.

340 bhp as standard isn’t a bad start either. 0-60 seems to be in just under 5 seconds which isn’t as fast as it could have been but there may be other factors at play bringing the figure up. We can’t wait for the first one to arrive in the workshop asking for a full fire extinguisher system, so we get to have a good look.

Ferrari 488 Pista Spider

The 488 was stunning; it was even prettier than the 458 and we all thought that was probably as good looking as a new Ferrari was ever going to get. But now Ferrari are launching a Spider version. The folding hardtop roof will take 30 seconds to go down, which is a lifetime longer than the car will get to 60 mph…2.9 seconds!

The 710 bhp 3.9 litre twin turbo V8 means the stats are the same as the hardtop version even though it weighs 100 kg more. It is a stunning car and losing the roof really doesn’t damage the styling too much! I think we would still go for a hard top but the noise with he roof down must be sublime!

Porsche 911

Yes, the 992 is coming. It is wider, longer and taller and uses the engines from the previous model for the first model types coming out. But there is more power and more torque so that’s good news. But, the really big news is that the car has been designed to accommodate some kind of electric power train in the future. We are not sure when, but this is a big deal…the 911 is going to go EV, be it a hybrid or full fat electric.

We all know electric cars have been something that has been growing, but is 2019 really the year they start becoming normal rather than a novelty? Looking at the list of cars to watch out for this year, we think it might be.

Electric and Hybrids

While we deal almost entirely with sports cars in one form or another, from classics to modern F1 cars, we do also have an ear to the ground when it comes to general motoring news. Here at FEV UK, We love cars and we welcome new technology, though we do prefer it when it means cars go a bit faster! That being said, many of our customers who do track days and club racing use day-to-day cars to tow the trailers, so racers don’t always drive racing cars.

EVs to Watch Out For

The race is now well and truly on to create EVs that have long ranges but are also cool cars. Tesla basically produced the only cool EVs for quite some time but now the German brands are in on the action and things are hotting up!

Audi are releasing the new e-tron SUV (see the video above) which will be a snip at just £70,000! But with a range of 250 miles and a thumping 402 bhp we think it might be worth it! 0-60 is under 6 seconds too! Anyone who assumes electric motors are slow is very wrong. The massive amount of torque they can deliver and the fact they don’t need gears as such means they provide a big, smooth power delivery.

To compete with the Audi, Mercedes are launching the EQC. While this may sound like the name of a government body, it is actually an EV SUV based on the GLC platform. It is also packing 402 bhp but will get to 60mph in just 5.1 seconds. No top speeds are being discussed but our money is on it being faster than the Audi.

Of course, the Jaguar I-PACE came out last year, so the German brands were either behind the curve or just wanted to see how the Jag did before launching.

There is also the long wait for the Tesla Roadster, which is meant to be out in 2020. With a reported 0-60 of 1.9 seconds the electric market will be well and truly part of motoring life when it comes out. F1 cars have been using hybrid tech for a few years now and it is clearly filtering down into the world of normal cars. Will we see a fully electric F1 in the next 10 years? Maybe….but it would be a shame to loose the engine altogether!

For people who follow F1, Kimi Raikkonen is well known for his short and often very succinct communication. In fact, he is also known for saying nothing at all half the time. While this image may not be what his friends and family see, it works wonders for ‘brand Kimi’ and provides the F1 pundits, ironically, with lots to talk about. But now Kimi has a haiku poetry book out and it’s selling far more than anyone would have thought.

Writing poetry?

OK it’s not exactly motorsport news but there is a little more to this than meets the eye. First of all, the book wasn’t actually all written by Kimi. Rather, it’s a collection of haiku – a very short form of traditional Japanese poetry – created using many of the Ice Man’s famous quotes. His communication habits are certainly clear and concise, much like a good haiku, and the fact he leaves literally nothing to interpretation has much in common with much of the poetry out there. He also insisted on some not being the standard length, in typical Kimi style!

Making money for charity

Of course, this isn’t some random money making scheme from an already very wealthy F1 driver. The book was actually created as part of a press kit, but the demand for it got so high that the profits are now benefitting an F1 charity that supports people who work in F1 and whose lives have gone off track. The unsung heroes of the sport, such as trackside teams and more, often need support and this book is helping to raise money for that.

Winnow your Words

The book entitled ‘Winnow your Words’ is now being printed in partnership with Autosport magazine and will no doubt carry on selling a big numbers. In fact, you can buy it here. But we were wondering what might come next? A Daniel Ricciardo Joke Book? Daniil Kvyat’s Book of Relaxation Tips? Perhaps Lewis might do a self-help book on how to achieve greatness…there are a lot of young drivers who might buy that one!

Away from the world of literature, motorsport pushes on with teams on winter breaks and testing, design and new tech always being pushed forward. We work with a number of F1 teams providing them with fire suppression systems right at the cutting edge of motorsport and what we learn and develop there feeds down into our track day and other systems. So if you would like to discuss your fire extinguisher needs get in touch today!

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According to doctors, the legend that is Niki Lauda was very close to death before he had his lung transplant last week in an Austrian hospital.

It turned out that Lauda’s lungs could no longer absorb enough oxygen due to inflammation of the alveoli, the small air sacs inside the lungs. This inflammation is a kind of auto immune response, meaning the body attacks itself. He was given drugs to suppress the reaction but they did not work well enough. After a spell in intensive care, the point came where the doctors said he needed a new lung. Without having to wait too long, thankfully Lauda was able to undergo a full lung transplant with a couple of days.

The Future

It will come as no surprise to any motorsport fan to hear that Lauda is a fighter and that it would take a lot to bring him down. In true Niki style, he is recovering well and with a bit of luck will be able to carry on just as he was before the problem. At 69 years old, it certainly takes some strength to go through that kind of health issue but we are pretty sure if anyone can take it in their stride, Mr Lauda can!

The Past

If perhaps there are people that didn’t know about his previous brush with death, Lauda was trapped in his F1 car on 1st August 1976 at the infamous Nürburgring. He had raised concerns about the safety of the track that day but raced anyway as he failed to get enough votes for a boycott. He was trapped inside his own burning car for over a minute. This not only severely damaged his skin on many parts of his body but also his lungs, as he was breathing in burning fumes.

After being pulled out, many thought he would never race again but Lauda fought and pushed for a fast recovery and actually ended up racing again in the same season when most people had totally written him off. Just 6 weeks after his crash and after many operations to clear his lungs and rebuild his face, he finished 4th in the championship despite not being able to see very well and still being covered in bandages. They even made him a special helmet that was bigger to accommodate his dressings.

We are very pleased Niki is doing well; he is a true hero and a true fighter. He is also someone who came very close to perishing in the fire we work so hard to keep drivers safe from and, because of that, he will always have a special place in our hearts.

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It will come as no surprise that we are pretty keen on motorsport safety here. We love the thrills and even the danger of the sport but feel strongly about safety playing a critical role in keeping the sport alive and well in all its forms. So it was really interesting to find out about the new British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) safety truck…it’s a beast!

The Idea

While the BTCC series has support vehicles already, there was potentially a need for something more. They use a Porsche Panamera at the moment to get a doctor to a scene quickly and a Ford Galaxy to ferry any heavier cutting equipment and the like.

But Alan Gow, the series boss, was inspired by the American NASCAR and IndyCar idea of using a big powerful truck to get heavy things and more people there quickly! Seeing as the idea for the truck came from the US, it seemed only fitting for Gow to order a thumping great American truck rather than “a pathetic local one”, as he put it.

The Truck

The truck itself is an F-250 with a 6.8 litre Ford V8 in it. That is a lot of power, and for good reason. The truck has to carry a huge amount of gear and 4 people, which it can do easily. But the added bonus of all that lovely torque is that it can also be used to tow a car out of a ditch or into a different position, if a driver is trapped for example. The Galaxy was good but ultimately the F-250 holds a lot more and can still get there fast. The 250 was a little more expensive though at over £200,000!

The Kit

The truck carries a lot of equipment to cover many different issues. It obviously has a great deal of medical support equipment and other useful things like self-heating blankets, tarpaulins for privacy and towing ropes. But it’s some of the more heavy duty tools that are really exciting.

Ideally, the safety team like to dismantle a car to get someone out, but in some cases cutting is the quickest and best way to get a driver out. To that end the truck is packed full of battery powered Holmatro tools. These include saws, rams and cutters. There are also a lot of spare batteries onboard.

It is great to see investment in safety going on across motorsport and this is certainly a big move towards an even safer BTCC series. If you would like more information about our fire suppression systems, then please call 01243 555566 or get in touch with our friendly team here.

A few weeks ago, we were all shocked to hear about a crash at Cadwell Park where a historic Crossle ended up on its roof and on fire. But thanks to quick thinking spectators and a fellow driver no-one was seriously hurt.

Nelson Rowe is a double historic Formula Ford champion, so is no stranger to racing, but everyone gets caught out from time to time. He ended up flying over the top of Cameron Jacksons’ Lola only to finish on his roof. The engine caught fire immediately and Rowe was still trapped in the car.

Callum Grant saw the incident and stopped his car to help. Sadly he was not able to roll the car over himself. He was quoted as saying Rowe’s eyes were closed but he was shouting “get me out”. After the incident, Rowe said he was awake the whole time and could smell the petrol. He felt something wet on his leg but, thankfully, it was just the fire suppressant that was triggered as the car rolled.

Two spectators jumped the fence to run and help Grant get the car back on its wheels. Grant complimented them on their bravery as they were only wearing T-shirts and shorts and certainly nothing made of Nomex! Once the car was righted, Rowe was able to free himself and, with some help, got clear of the car. One of the spectators then ran back to grab a Marshal fire extinguisher to help put the fire out.

Rowe was later spotted drinking tea with his wife and daughter in pretty good health, though he had cracked his helmet and singed his race suit. He is said to have recovered well and only suffered some minor stiffness. Grant, on the other hand, was in somewhat of a state of shock and once back on the grid was sat down under some trees with veteran racer Don Hardman. However, when the race was back underway he went on to take a very emotional 3rd place.

This kind of incident really shows how important fire extinguishers are, not only in racing but also for any road going performance or historic car. The direct plumbed in systems we offer allow the suppressant to be released straight into the engine bay and can give the driver precious minutes to get out, as we saw in this accident.

Of course, for a lot of levels of motorsport this type of system is compulsory but getting the right system and the best suppressant is important. You may have to have one, but you can choose to have the best there is! If you would like more information or to discuss installing one of our systems into your racing car get in touch today.