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RE: Pony cars in NASCAR?
am sure there would be the same outcome if a part-time V8 supercar racer came to race a NASCAR Sprint Cup car. BTW even Ron Fellows finished ahead (56th to 57th) in NASCAR Sprint Cup points over Boris Said in their two NASCAR road races.
No. Boris stated he was racing the best sedan roadracers in the world. Coming from Boris that is some statement. From past experience Australian and New Zealanders have had not much trouble getting competitive on US tracks.Most who have gone from here and NZ did not race sedans in the US i.e. current drivers David Brabham; Ryan Briscoe; Scott Dixon; Will Power . There is one p/time Owen Kelly who driving for Dale Earnhardt Jr with Late Models on ovals was 4th in the late model points chase. He was and is a roadracer primarily . Marcos Ambrose was a roadracer who jumped into the deep end in NASCAR with zero oval experience and has survivedBoris did state that Philip Island and Bathurst were nothing like anything in the US.
Boris Said, #67 Supercheap Auto Racing Holden Commodore VE:
"Holy Cow, Bathurst's a lot more of a challenge than I thought. It's incredible and just too hard to describe. I always thought I was a pretty good driver, but the mountain just humbled me today ... and these locals are just great race car drivers to go the speed they do. The Supercheap Auto Commodore's in one piece and that makes for not a bad first day, but I'd like to go faster. It's like climbing Mt Everest and I'm slipping a little at the moment, although I can't wait for tomorrow. If I could race here every week that'd be just fine with me."
http://www.supercheapautoracing.com.au/news/supercheap-autos-ingall-and-morris-top-five-on-day-1-internationals-neal-and-said-love-the-bathurst-experience/
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RobertRyan
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11/26/09 09:11pm |
Around the Campfire
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RE: Police cars
There is a new Chevy police car coming also. It is a stretched version of the Pontiac G8.
GM revives the Chevrolet Caprice
Actually a stripped version of the Holden Statesman. Same wheelbase as the Holden Ute.
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RobertRyan
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11/25/09 11:43pm |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: Pony cars in NASCAR?
A V8 Supercar must have a front-engine design and rear-wheel drive. Every car is powered by either a 5.0 L Ford "Windsor" SVO or 5.0 L Small Block Chevrolet race engine (depending on the make) which is capable of producing between 460 and 485 kW (620 — 650 bhp) of power
Closer to 650hp now and cars must weigh 3000lb
Reported to be approximately AU$600,000 per car and AU$130,000 per engine. Teams spend up to AU$10 million per year running their two-car teams. TEGA introduced a salary cap of AU$6.75 million in order to keep costs down in 2007, called the Total Racing Expenditure Cap (TREC). It was scrapped after only one season.
Now they have the Car of the Future (COF), they are looking at other Manufactuers as well, but the cars will be same underneath. Unlike the NASCAR COT, thse will be very recoginisable cars from the various manufactuers. They are heavily stressing commmon parts for a lot of the cars.Looking at cutting car costs to about 1/2 of todays expenditure. TREC was scrapped because the teams could not agree on what V8Supercar wanted.
A track Like Bathurst is very unlike anything in the US as a result US roadracers and others have extreme difficulties getting their head around the place.
Boris Said a well known US Roadracer and "roadcourse" ringer looked like a complete novice around the track when he ran their last year. No ,he was in a competitive car(the sister car qualified 10th out of the set 32 car grid). His time would have put him 52nd in the combined V8Supercar and Fujistu V8Supercar grid(Fujistu think Nationwide).
He also ran in a Mini Cooper for the Mini Challenge race and did not distinguish himself in that generic category.
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RobertRyan
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11/25/09 09:08pm |
Around the Campfire
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RE: Pony cars in NASCAR?
There is a racing series for production based V8 powered Ford and GM sedans. Trouble is it's in Australia. V8 Supercars
They are growing as a series.V8Supercar has its last race at the new Sydney 500 street circuit. They are looking at a race at a new track being built in Singapore. As well they race at the street circuit at Hamilton in New Zealand and the new tracks Dubai and Bahrain in the Middle East.Marcos Ambrose came from V8Supercars. He overtook Jimmi Johnson for the lead at the Homestead race...then everying went pear shaped for him
http://www.v8supercarevents.com.au/sydney/default.htm
News of V8Supercars going to Dubai
http://www.yasmarinacircuit.com/en/press-releases/75/australias-legendary-motor-racing-series-comes-to.html
The Dubai Track
http://www.yasmarinacircuit.com/en/photogallery.html
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RobertRyan
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11/25/09 04:52pm |
Around the Campfire
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RE: No more Dodge Sprinter
Cool looking! Impressive! Any one have some stats on this van?
Those side windows are large
It is the Trakkaway 830 from Australia.
Trakkaway 830 Motorhome.
A Trakkaway Van review
I would like to add E-Series /G Series Chevrolet Vans were used here, but without much success.
A 2002 Winnebago Leisure Seeker , now replaced by an IVECO Van chassis.
Australian Winnebago Leisure Seeker using a E-Series Ford chassis and a 6.5 Litre diesel.
Australian Coachmen Concorde review
http://www.caravanandrv.com.au/caravanandrv/images/300x130_crv/winne_leisure_seeker_rv.jpg
http://tcimages.net/DisplayImage.aspx?PD=18491992&S=ISS&wmin=rvpoint
Current Winnebago Leisure Seeker using IVECO Chassis.
Current Winnebago Leisure Seeker using IVECO instead of Chevy Van chassis
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RobertRyan
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11/23/09 04:02pm |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: No more Dodge Sprinter
What can be done a 27ft Ducato Motorhome.
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a186/RobRyan7/Trakkaway830_022.gif?t=1259014423
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RobertRyan
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11/23/09 03:10pm |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: No more Dodge Sprinter
The Ducato is considerably more stable than the Sprinter, but does not carry as much.
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RobertRyan
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11/23/09 03:06pm |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: dumb roo questions
Ok, I've never heard of a Roo RV. I noticed Rockwood makes them. Are they from Austrailia or something. A friend of mine just got back from a month in Australia and said Roos are thick down there. He even called one a wuzzaroo. I asked, "what's a wuzzaroo?" He said, "That's a roo that got hit by a car mate."
Anyway, is a Roo a model name or style of unit?
Just an interesting name from Rockwood. They are not made here.
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RobertRyan
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11/22/09 12:25pm |
Hybrid Travel Trailers
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RE: A BIG IF
Think not. Cummins has lot & lots of joint partnerships all over the world. They are truely a world wide company. They make a good product or they wouldn't be where they are.
Cummins get a lot of their larger Diesel and Industrial engines built in England and India.
Holset based in England concentrates on the development of the turbo technologies for Cummins.
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RobertRyan
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11/19/09 12:43pm |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: A BIG IF
I think that rumor about Dodge losing Cummins began when Ford bought out Cummins some years ago. That was the story back then that they owned Cummins so they would be using them.
Ford does not own Cummins. They are an Independent engine company. Years ago Ford a 10% stake in the Company, but Cummins bought out that stake.
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RobertRyan
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11/19/09 12:35pm |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: A BIG IF
If dodge, or RAM, dropped cummins and put a fiat diesel in their heavy duty trucks they would instantly lose about 90% of their sales. The cummins motor is the biggest selling point of the truck. Fiat might make a fine diesel, I don't know, but from a sales perspective it would be stupid for them to get rid of the cummins, and chrysler knows it.
The great irony is FIAT designed a lot of the curent Cummins RAM engine. They even made blocks for it for a while. When FIAT and Cummings had their divorce. IVECO called their 5.9 Litre diesel a Tector to distinguish it from its Cummins sibling.
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RobertRyan
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11/18/09 06:39pm |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: A BIG IF
Nothing is happening to Cummins. Chrysler Group LLC (the company that I am a development engineer for) announced that they will be around for the foreseeable future in the current light 2500/3500, medium 4500/5500 and possible new heavy duty (semi) trucks
They will be IVECO based with Convential rather than Cabover designs.
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RobertRyan
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11/18/09 01:24am |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: Interesting prototype in Texas, Cricket
A lot of Campertrailers in Australia are very different to what you will see in NA.
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a186/RobRyan7/kingston1.jpghttp://gearpatrol.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/track-trailer-tvan.jpg
http://www.kimberleykruiser.com/images/EA5V9118rt1_small_000.jpg
A Truck Camper
http://www.jalopnik.com/assets/resources/2006/08/innovan_1.jpg
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RobertRyan
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11/14/09 05:18am |
Folding Trailers
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RE: Interesting prototype in Texas, Cricket
You Aussies seem to have the best campers for "real" camping. Do most folks down under do what we now call "boodocking"? Do y'all have any of those garish "RV Resorts"?
A Lot of boondocking or free camping , balanced with Caravan and Motorhome parks . We do not have very basic RV specific parks like I know you do in some parts of the US , from what I am told. There are some very well run places and a Motorhome Village in Casino is the closest to a "RV resort". I suppose in the future more of these will spring up. RVing in Australia is still way behind the boom times of the 1970's, but it has become more diversified.
Campertrailers on the whole are more designed for "boondocking" than any other sort of RV. The Slideon or as you call it Truck Camper is not as prevalent as they are in the US.
Casino Village RV Resort.
http://www.casinovillage.com.au/
http://www.cmca.net.au/pages/design/images/uploaded/Village1.jpg
http://www.around-oz.com/images_mh/freeway_reviews/ron_penfold/ron_09602.jpg
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RobertRyan
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11/14/09 04:36am |
Folding Trailers
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RE: Interesting prototype in Texas, Cricket
At over $50,000 USD for the off road model, The Ecotour would be a hard sell in this economy.
Although reasonable in ours.There was another new Pop Top Caravan maker at the last Caravan and Camping show in Melbourne a month ago. The New RV makers appear like mushrooms after it has rained in Australia. Some die off but there is usually another one to take its place.
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RobertRyan
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11/12/09 07:31pm |
Folding Trailers
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RE: Interesting prototype in Texas, Cricket
I really like the Australian expandable, the EcoTourer. I don't believe anyone imports them yet and probably with shipping they would be pricey.
They certainly would be. The AUS Dollar is approaching parity with the US Dollar , probably exceeding that in the new year. So importing them would not make sense. Ecoutour Campers were orginally going to be imported by Aliner. Now a licenced production run would make more sense. I do not know if Aliner is still their US partner.
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RobertRyan
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11/12/09 12:21pm |
Folding Trailers
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RE: Interesting prototype in Texas, Cricket
Traimanor make some nice trailers, but they always look bulky to me. I suppose its because the top is bigger than the bottom when opened. I really like the Australian expandable, the EcoTourer. I don't believe anyone imports them yet and probably with shipping they would be pricey.
Aliner was going to bring them in at one stage, but that is the last I have heard of it. Avan makes Aliners A shaped Caravan in Australia under licence..so who knows? Maybe they will make the EcoTourer, seeing they have some sort of Australian linkup. There are a few like the Ecotourer around Australia and others are being introduced.Like this tiny Casita type Caravan for two.A Karakampa
http://www.karakampa.com.au/picture/img_2455.jpg?pictureId=2882834
An Avan Sportsliner based on a A Liner model
http://www.avan.com.au/images/img0044.png
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RobertRyan
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11/11/09 08:59pm |
Folding Trailers
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RE: Australia travel
you don't hit camels, kangaroos, horses, goats and drop bears because they can make a mess of your vehicle
Not killer Drop Bears? We do not tell Tourists about them, too terrifying. They and Bunyips are bad this time of year. I know a US friend said Sasquatch season is not far away, so they have similar problems.:B
Seriously Australia on the coastand about 200-500 miles inland can be like Hawaii, Western Europe or the US. In the "Dead Heart" it is like a vast Utah or Nevada, with somewhat more vegetation than the US desert areas.
Average coastal area
http://home.vicnet.net.au/~apslvg/newsletters/photos/batemansBay3.jpg
Historical Tourist Village of Tilba
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/20/Centraltilba.jpg/800px-Centraltilba.jpg
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c3/Historical_town_of_tilba_-_NSW03.jpg/800px-Historical_town_of_tilba_-_NSW03.jpg
Dead Heart Australia
http://www.abc.net.au/reslib/200703/r132606_442636.jpg
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RobertRyan
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11/11/09 01:52pm |
Around the Campfire
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RE: The new Dodge van?
The Iveco Daily is a closer match in size, weight, and capacity to the Sprinter that Dodge is losing. The Ducato is more like a heavy-duty commercial minivan, a market every manufacturer covers in Europe, but we don't have it here.
Looks like they went with the Ducato, not a great choice in that role. The other van will be a Fiat minivan like the Ford Transit Connect.
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RobertRyan
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11/10/09 11:15pm |
Class B - Camping Van Conversions
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RE: Global Ford Ranger won't come here
One thing many forget is that many people do not have the need or the room for a fullsized truck. Even a mid sized is small enough for many garages and city streets and easy parking lot maneuvers. Think user friendly. My wife loves to drive my truck so long as it isn't to work, the grocery store or the mall or any other place she has to park it.
Part of the appeal of all Asian sourced Pickups are they easy to drive for women. That is why the Hilux (like the Tacoma based on the Prado chassis, but unlike the Tacoma has a 3000lb payload) was the best selling "car" in Australia for two months earlier this year.
This is a review from a South African online Womens Magazine of the Thai Ranger Pickup or "Bakkie" in South African.
South African Womens Magazines review of a Thai Ranger.
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RobertRyan
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11/10/09 01:14pm |
Tow Vehicles
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