Matthew Marsh from Hong Kong is the 2004 Porsche Infineon Carrera Cup Asia Champion. He took the series crown at the Macau Grand Prix meeting in a tense ten-lap encounter with championship rivals Charoensukhawatana Nattavude of Thailand and Charles Kwan from Hong Kong.
Marsh withstood massive pressure in the race to take the crown in the decider to this 11-race series. Marsh took the lead off the startline from the pole sitter Rizal Ramli and led in the early going. Ramli hit Marsh up the rear at the Melco hairpin on lap one and later passed him on the approach to Lisboa Bend. Ramli went on to win the race in a time of 32 mins 29.365 seconds.
Matthew Marsh then came under pressure from Darryl O'Young who succeeded in passing, only to fumble his approach at Melco and clout the barriers, letting Marsh back into second place. O'Young got going again and eventually finished seventh
Championship rival Charles Kwan really woke up in the second half of the race, passing Nattavude and setting the fastest lap of the race in his last Macau appearance. He is retiring from sprint racing after many years but may appear with Matthew Marsh at Le Mans next year. Nattavude eventually finished fourth
The championship leader going into the final round, Charoensukhawatana Nattavude, never really got to grips with Marsh and watched his slender one point lead melt away as he conceded the last podium position to Charles Kwan.
The race finished under the safety car as Scott Miau had a car- destroying accident across the start finish line on lap eight.
Final points:
Matthew Marsh 179
Charoensukhawatana Nattavude 176
Charles Kwan 162
Razil Ramli 152
Saturday, November 20, 2004
Hamilton wins qualification race for Macau Grand Prix
Lewis Hamilton grabbed the lead on the opening lap and remained unchallenged throughout the 10-lap encounter. The Briton eventually finished 2.2 seconds ahead of Nico Rosberg, with Alexandre Premat third.
Hamilton got away well from his second place on the grid and instantly tucked into the slipstream of pole position man and Manor Motorsport team-mate Robert Kubica. He managed to draft past on the outside as the pair approached Mandarin Bend and, as Kubica lifted, Hamilton swept into the lead, which he held onto through Lisboa Bend.
“It was very scary,” said Hamilton of the decisive move. “Robert was covering the inside as I got the tow. I pulled up to the left side and was passing him but not enough to get past him and we could not go through side-by-side. So I hoped to make him scared and lift, and he did that - although I went through sideways.”
Kubica's hopes of making an instant response were dashed when the Safety Car was called out following a series of incidents on the grid. Richard Antinucci had got away slowly from third place on the grid and was clouted from behind by Nelson Piquet Jr., while further back there was a much bigger accident as Eric Salignon slammed into the back of the stalled Kazuki Nakajima before spearing off into the barrier. Also involved in the incident were Marchy Lee, Ho Pin Tung and Rodolfo Avila.
The Safety Car remained out until the start of lap five, as Salignon needed assistance to get out of the car, but as soon as the race restarted Hamilton made a brilliant getaway to pull clear of the field. Behind him, Kubica came under instant pressure from Rosberg and lost second place on the run into Mandarin.
With Hamilton looking unstoppable at the front, Rosberg was happy to settle for the second slot that will ensure him a front-row start position for Sunday's 15-lap race, while behind him Premat took third after diving past Kubica into Lisboa on lap six.
Kubica duly finished fourth, with fifth-placed finisher Jamie Green's bid to wrest that spot from the Polish driver in the closing stages failing to come off. Behind Green, last year's pole position man Fabio Carbone finished sixth, ahead of Loic Duval, Lucas di Grassi, James Rossiter and Danny Watts
Hamilton got away well from his second place on the grid and instantly tucked into the slipstream of pole position man and Manor Motorsport team-mate Robert Kubica. He managed to draft past on the outside as the pair approached Mandarin Bend and, as Kubica lifted, Hamilton swept into the lead, which he held onto through Lisboa Bend.
“It was very scary,” said Hamilton of the decisive move. “Robert was covering the inside as I got the tow. I pulled up to the left side and was passing him but not enough to get past him and we could not go through side-by-side. So I hoped to make him scared and lift, and he did that - although I went through sideways.”
Kubica's hopes of making an instant response were dashed when the Safety Car was called out following a series of incidents on the grid. Richard Antinucci had got away slowly from third place on the grid and was clouted from behind by Nelson Piquet Jr., while further back there was a much bigger accident as Eric Salignon slammed into the back of the stalled Kazuki Nakajima before spearing off into the barrier. Also involved in the incident were Marchy Lee, Ho Pin Tung and Rodolfo Avila.
The Safety Car remained out until the start of lap five, as Salignon needed assistance to get out of the car, but as soon as the race restarted Hamilton made a brilliant getaway to pull clear of the field. Behind him, Kubica came under instant pressure from Rosberg and lost second place on the run into Mandarin.
With Hamilton looking unstoppable at the front, Rosberg was happy to settle for the second slot that will ensure him a front-row start position for Sunday's 15-lap race, while behind him Premat took third after diving past Kubica into Lisboa on lap six.
Kubica duly finished fourth, with fifth-placed finisher Jamie Green's bid to wrest that spot from the Polish driver in the closing stages failing to come off. Behind Green, last year's pole position man Fabio Carbone finished sixth, ahead of Loic Duval, Lucas di Grassi, James Rossiter and Danny Watts
Friday, November 19, 2004
Kubica locks up pole in Macau F3
The final practice for the Macau F3 Grand Prix has come and gone - the Manor Motorsport team from Sheffield have locked up the front row with Robert Kubica on pole position and Lewis Hamilton alongside. In third place is the American driver Richard Antinucci. Fourth place was taken by Nico Rosberg, Nelson Piquet Jnr fifth and Jamie Green sixth. The final qualifying session held in bright sunshine produced a fast pace with Kubica circulating this 3.8 mile circuit in a time of 2 mins 12.155 secs. Hamilton who was fastest yesterday relied on his time from the previous session to secure second place. The prospect of a fast qualifying race on Saturday and the final on Sunday raises the possibility of a lap time in the 2 mins 11 second bracket.
Journalists at the track are lamenting the lack of access to the legendary Pizzeria Toscana, put off limits by the organizers for their own use. One of the greatest facilities at any race track anywhere, is lying idle most of the time while those working at the track lack proper catering facilities. This is doing nothing to enhance the reputation of this great race.
Journalists at the track are lamenting the lack of access to the legendary Pizzeria Toscana, put off limits by the organizers for their own use. One of the greatest facilities at any race track anywhere, is lying idle most of the time while those working at the track lack proper catering facilities. This is doing nothing to enhance the reputation of this great race.
Thursday, November 18, 2004
Marsh on the case at Macau
I'm in Macau at the Grand Prix backing-up Hong Kong driver Matthew Marsh who is bidding to win the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia at the final round of the series......
Matthew Marsh, from Hong Kong, was the fastest of the championship contenders in the first practice for the 2004 Porsche Infineon Carrera Cup Asia Championship held yesterday. He set a time of 2 mins 35.771 seconds, second overall to Darryl O’Young, the Canadian driver in the Team Jebsen entry.
Final qualifying will held later today and the series will be settled at the final round as a support race to the Macau Grand Prix on Sunday. After an 11-round series at circuits all over Asia, Macau’s demanding Guia street circuit will decide the winner. As these 400 bhp Porsche 911 GT3 Cup racing machines take to the track for Sunday’s 10-lap final round three drivers are in contention to take the title.
Charoensukhawatana Nattavude of Thailand, in the Fuspeed Racing machine run by former-racing driver Adrian Fu of Hong Kong, holds a slender one-point lead going into the final round. He was three seconds adrift of Marsh in first practice but can never be counted out.
In-form driver Matthew Marsh of the A-Ha Racing team is determined to take the fight to Nattavude and claim the crown. Marsh comes to Macau on a winning streak having won four of the last five rounds. He was stripped of victory in the round held at the inaugural Chinese Grand Prix at Shanghai in September for a startline infringement and has been hungry to make amends.
Marsh said “I was disappointed with my performance yesterday. Macau, more than any other event, because of the limited track time, is about surviving and reacting correctly to unforeseen events. I did not do this correctly. I hope to go at least a second quicker this afternoon.” Marsh was held in the pitlane at a crucial time due to a problem with an onboard airjack.
Reigning Champion, Charles Kwan of Hong Kong in the Team Infineon-Novellus machine, is also an outside contender for victory. As one of Asia’s most successful racing drivers he has much experience of the Guia Circuit, having won here many times. He suffered accident damage in practice yesterday, the car requiring overnight repairs.
Both Marsh and Kwan were racing together at Zhuhai last weekend in a Ferrari 360 Modena in the China round of the FIA GT Championship. Off the track they are the best of friends. Marsh said “It was mega competing at Zhuhai. I had never raced a Ferrari before and I hadn’t experienced the Italian approach to motor racing. I think we proved that we were not there to make up the numbers. We intend to race at Le Mans flying the flag for Hong Kong.”
The battle for victory at this prestigious event will be far from a three-car race. Malaysia’s Rizal Ashram Ramli, a former Formula 3 racer in Europe and fourth in the championship with the Crest Jaseri Racing team, has made a strong impression this year with his no-nonsense, attacking style and now faces the challenge of adapting to the Macau street circuit.
Another newcomer to the series, Team Jebsen’s 24-year-old Darryl O’Young, has really made his mark in the region’s premier sportscar series. After topping the timesheet yesterday the youngster hopes to make the podium on race day.
Nigel Albon makes a one-off appearance at Macau after losing out on the championship title last year by just four points. His return to the series this year for the final round will add another factor for the championship contenders.
END
Matthew Marsh, from Hong Kong, was the fastest of the championship contenders in the first practice for the 2004 Porsche Infineon Carrera Cup Asia Championship held yesterday. He set a time of 2 mins 35.771 seconds, second overall to Darryl O’Young, the Canadian driver in the Team Jebsen entry.
Final qualifying will held later today and the series will be settled at the final round as a support race to the Macau Grand Prix on Sunday. After an 11-round series at circuits all over Asia, Macau’s demanding Guia street circuit will decide the winner. As these 400 bhp Porsche 911 GT3 Cup racing machines take to the track for Sunday’s 10-lap final round three drivers are in contention to take the title.
Charoensukhawatana Nattavude of Thailand, in the Fuspeed Racing machine run by former-racing driver Adrian Fu of Hong Kong, holds a slender one-point lead going into the final round. He was three seconds adrift of Marsh in first practice but can never be counted out.
In-form driver Matthew Marsh of the A-Ha Racing team is determined to take the fight to Nattavude and claim the crown. Marsh comes to Macau on a winning streak having won four of the last five rounds. He was stripped of victory in the round held at the inaugural Chinese Grand Prix at Shanghai in September for a startline infringement and has been hungry to make amends.
Marsh said “I was disappointed with my performance yesterday. Macau, more than any other event, because of the limited track time, is about surviving and reacting correctly to unforeseen events. I did not do this correctly. I hope to go at least a second quicker this afternoon.” Marsh was held in the pitlane at a crucial time due to a problem with an onboard airjack.
Reigning Champion, Charles Kwan of Hong Kong in the Team Infineon-Novellus machine, is also an outside contender for victory. As one of Asia’s most successful racing drivers he has much experience of the Guia Circuit, having won here many times. He suffered accident damage in practice yesterday, the car requiring overnight repairs.
Both Marsh and Kwan were racing together at Zhuhai last weekend in a Ferrari 360 Modena in the China round of the FIA GT Championship. Off the track they are the best of friends. Marsh said “It was mega competing at Zhuhai. I had never raced a Ferrari before and I hadn’t experienced the Italian approach to motor racing. I think we proved that we were not there to make up the numbers. We intend to race at Le Mans flying the flag for Hong Kong.”
The battle for victory at this prestigious event will be far from a three-car race. Malaysia’s Rizal Ashram Ramli, a former Formula 3 racer in Europe and fourth in the championship with the Crest Jaseri Racing team, has made a strong impression this year with his no-nonsense, attacking style and now faces the challenge of adapting to the Macau street circuit.
Another newcomer to the series, Team Jebsen’s 24-year-old Darryl O’Young, has really made his mark in the region’s premier sportscar series. After topping the timesheet yesterday the youngster hopes to make the podium on race day.
Nigel Albon makes a one-off appearance at Macau after losing out on the championship title last year by just four points. His return to the series this year for the final round will add another factor for the championship contenders.
END
Friday, October 29, 2004
Friends across the pond
On Thursday on the Drivetime Show I talked to two guests on the phone in North America. From Ottawa Eric Eggleston, Canadian singer and frontman of the Eric Eggleston Band who recently appeared live at Graceland, in Memphis Tennessee.
I also talked to Chaplain Clive Anderson, an Englishman in Biloxi, Mississippi where he is working with the relief effort assisting victims of Hurricane Katrina get
their lives back on track. I wish him a safe journey home.
I also talked to Chaplain Clive Anderson, an Englishman in Biloxi, Mississippi where he is working with the relief effort assisting victims of Hurricane Katrina get
their lives back on track. I wish him a safe journey home.
Friday, September 24, 2004
Call off the search
My pal Jack Kellett missed out on winning a new Honda hybrid car in the UK as his Honda Insight had only covered 97,000 miles. The Honda UK press release follows:
Honda finds Britain’s highest mileage Insight driver
Call off the search! After a campaign to find the driver of Britain’s highest mileage Honda Insight or Civic IMA, the company has found its man.
Fittingly the most travelled driver of the UK’s cleanest petrol electric car works in the Wind Farm Development Industry as a Development Director for GAMESA energy UK.
Matt Partridge, 32 from Nailsworth, Gloucestershire contacted Honda after reading about the campaign.
“I knew there could not be many 100,000 mile Honda Insights around, so I kept my fingers crossed and called the company” said Matt. “I can understand why Honda has done this, because in 103,000 miles the IMA technology has been faultless – the car is still running its original battery and I’ve never had a breakdown.
Because of the Insight’s “green” credentials, Mr Partridge will have prevented more than 13 tonnes of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere over the car’s 100,000 miles, compared with that produced by a standard 1.6 litre hatchback). That’s equal to 17 times the car’s weight. But he’s not only helped save the environment – he’s saved more than £4500 in petrol costs!
Honda had offered a Civic IMA as a free replacement for the 100,000 mile motor, but in a surprise twist, Mr Partridge opted for another Insight. “ It was a generous offer from the company, but I love the little coupe so much that I just wanted another one,” he said.
Honda is currently the only maker of two petrol electric cars on sale in the UK – the Insight and more recently the Civic IMA. Both feature Honda’s Integrated Motor Assist (IMA) system which uses a powerful electric motor to boost the power and efficiency of a small petrol engine, capturing energy normally wasted as heat in the brakes and re-using it to save fuel when accelerating.
Since 2000, the company has sold 75,000 petrol electric cars worldwide with Britain one of the most important markets. Right now Honda is selling more Civic IMAs in Britain than it is in Japan, with the model being the top selling petrol electric (hybrid) model here last year.
Honda finds Britain’s highest mileage Insight driver
Call off the search! After a campaign to find the driver of Britain’s highest mileage Honda Insight or Civic IMA, the company has found its man.
Fittingly the most travelled driver of the UK’s cleanest petrol electric car works in the Wind Farm Development Industry as a Development Director for GAMESA energy UK.
Matt Partridge, 32 from Nailsworth, Gloucestershire contacted Honda after reading about the campaign.
“I knew there could not be many 100,000 mile Honda Insights around, so I kept my fingers crossed and called the company” said Matt. “I can understand why Honda has done this, because in 103,000 miles the IMA technology has been faultless – the car is still running its original battery and I’ve never had a breakdown.
Because of the Insight’s “green” credentials, Mr Partridge will have prevented more than 13 tonnes of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere over the car’s 100,000 miles, compared with that produced by a standard 1.6 litre hatchback). That’s equal to 17 times the car’s weight. But he’s not only helped save the environment – he’s saved more than £4500 in petrol costs!
Honda had offered a Civic IMA as a free replacement for the 100,000 mile motor, but in a surprise twist, Mr Partridge opted for another Insight. “ It was a generous offer from the company, but I love the little coupe so much that I just wanted another one,” he said.
Honda is currently the only maker of two petrol electric cars on sale in the UK – the Insight and more recently the Civic IMA. Both feature Honda’s Integrated Motor Assist (IMA) system which uses a powerful electric motor to boost the power and efficiency of a small petrol engine, capturing energy normally wasted as heat in the brakes and re-using it to save fuel when accelerating.
Since 2000, the company has sold 75,000 petrol electric cars worldwide with Britain one of the most important markets. Right now Honda is selling more Civic IMAs in Britain than it is in Japan, with the model being the top selling petrol electric (hybrid) model here last year.
Sunday, August 15, 2004
Boats and Trains
I've been over in Europe so time to catch up on the local transport scene. The Buffalo News brings news of the June launch of the high-speed ferry between Milwaukee and Muskegon, Michigan. The two-and-a-half hour journey replaces a five hour road trip. The Lake Express can carry up to 250 passengers and 46 cars.
The high-speed ferry across Lake Ontario between Toronto and Rochester, New York has also started. I am planning a trip on The Breeze shortly.
Meanwhile passenger rail service between Toronto and Bracebridge, Ontario has resumed after more than a decade when the train did not stop at the resort town. The Toronto Star has the story here.
The high-speed ferry across Lake Ontario between Toronto and Rochester, New York has also started. I am planning a trip on The Breeze shortly.
Meanwhile passenger rail service between Toronto and Bracebridge, Ontario has resumed after more than a decade when the train did not stop at the resort town. The Toronto Star has the story here.
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