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Qualifying looked to be interesting and generally followed practice with a wet session. Jamie Chadwick topped the sessions all weekend and produced a clear pole with a 1:58.894 and nearly 2 seconds faster than second place Fabienne Wohlwend.  The race was shown live on Channel 4 and although didn’t run smoothly, proved to be entertaining. There were lots of complaints on social media about poor sound quality and lack of coverage in the USA. The lack of live or recorded qualifying is also disappointing as this can be some of the more interesting highlights of a driver’s ability and the reason behind this competition. The start was very fast, with lights on, lights out speed. Most did get a good start and Jamie was quite a distance ahead after the first corner. The race had turned out to be a dry race, although damp areas were present off the racing line. The first lap brought a deal of excitement to the event, with Jamie locking up and running wide, allowing Sarah Moore to take the lead from 3rd place. A crash on turn 6 between Megan Gilkes (CAN) and Emma Kimilainam (FIN), brought out the safety car. Megan miss-judged her braking on a damp line and T-Boned Emma. Following the race re-start, Alice Powell (GBR) came through from 6th place to a P2 position and pushed Jamie to the end. Jamie looked in control all the way except for her mistake on lap one. The 18 year old Spanish contestant, Marta Garcia looked exceptionally strong and managed P3 for her first podium. The mid-field had some good, close racing, with several drivers making up good positions from a poor qualifying. Overall, the race was exciting and close and produced a good display of the drivers' talents. The next race is Zolder in Belgium, and each driver gets a different car and engineer so it’s all down to the driver. A few cars did have issues, both before and during the race, and it is hoped these are ironed out before the next race. A lot of social media comments related to the car identity, and I agree it is very difficult to tell which car is which. It would be better for the drivers to have different colours and just keep the car body as their own for each race to help with identification. I do hope the people that make the decisions are looking at the followers' comments. Big race numbers are not enough. 
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What you can expect at this now larger show. Sponsored by Leasing.com and in association with Drivetribe. May 16th -19th at London Excel. Leading Brand cars and at least two UK public first views, with Over 25 of the biggest car brands in the UK will be represented, from the mainstream to the wild. Hyundai will be using the event as the UK show debut for its new performance-influenced SUV, the new Tucson N-Line, along with the award-winning IONIQ and Kona for customers to experience and test drive at the event.  Mitsubishi will be bringing along the recently revised Outlander PHEV, while Jaguar and Land Rover will be well-represented through their Pendragon dealerships – among the stars of the show will be the stunning Jaguar XE-based Project 8.
Other brands not to be missed include Audi, Citroen, Kia, Ford, Isuzu, Nissan and Tesla.  In Hall 1, the best EVs on the market will be exhibited on ‘Electric Avenue’, our area dedicated to the latest plug-in cars available in the UK. We will have the newest models on show including the New Smart For Two Electric, the Renault Zoe, Hyundai Kona and Jaguar iPace.  Our ‘Built in Britain’ zone is where you will find some of the most amazing exotica at the show, all of it home-grown. Among the prestigious names on display will be Aston Martin, Rolls Royce and Bentley, along with more specialist manufacturers such as Caterham, Noble and the bonkers BAC Mono – effectively a racing car for the road. In Hall 2, the Supercar Paddock and BIG area – where some of the most monstrous cars in the country will be exhibited – are the main features, along with Imperial Cars, which will be bringing along a fantastic range of vehicles from prestige models to affordable superminis, many of which will be available to test drive at the event.  Also there will be the Marketplace – a variety of suppliers who will be demonstrating their latest products and ideas, from new in-car tech from Theo through to cleaning products and model cars. After all, what’s a day out at a show without a souvenir to take home? In Hall 2, visitors will additionally find some of our interactive areas such as the Great London Motor Show Lego build and the amazing live artwork of Popbang Colour, where Twitter sensation and artist Ian Cook will be creating works of art throughout the show, using remote control cars on a huge 10-metre canvas. It promises to add to an amazing day out for all the family. The Live Stage which is a part of all shows nowadays features the usual guests including Show President Tiff Needell, Wheeler Dealer Mike Brewer, columnist and writer Mike Rutherford and Car SOS presenter Fuzz Townshend, the Live Stage will see some fantastic special guests. Other guests include electric car adventurers Arkady Fiedler and Marek Kaminski, who have each driven a Nissan LEAF around the world, along with motorsport guests including rally driver Catie Munnings and female race ace Charlie Martin.  The Live Arena The headline act will be the Paul Swift stunt show, which is one of the most exciting things on four (or sometimes two) wheels. The stunt team, famous for running Ford’s Display Team, will be present at the show on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday, with two breathtaking, action-packed precision display sessions per day. Paul is remaining tight-lipped about exactly what the team will be up to at the event, though he has admitted that a London bus and taxi are going to be involved. He said: “The Paul Smith stunt driving team are renowned for putting on a breathtaking display, and we’re definitely not planning to disappoint at the London Motor and Tech Show. There’ll be something a bit different this year, too. Something new – but if you want to know what it is, you’ll have to go.” Other Live Arena attractions will include:
With an amazing lineup of Supercars confirmed for this years Supercar Paddock at the leasing.com London Motor & Tech Show, a combined value of over £5 million of cars will be on display to amaze visitors.Not only will you be able to see some of the rarest and most desirable cars in the world in one place, you will also be able to check out some of them in action in the Imperial Cars Live arena too. Our fantastic line-up of stage content, arena action and exhibitors has already been announced and the final part of the must see event has now been confirmed. In amongst the multimillion Pound line-up will be….
Owners EnclosureThe London Motor & Tech Show had been advertising for owners of unusual, but exceptional cars to take centre stage in the ‘Owners Enclosure’ with the offer of free tickets and a chance to be selected ‘Car of the Show’. Although nothing is guaranteed the following cars have been selected to represent ‘Owners Cars’ at the show. A very diverse selection of ‘Owners Cars’ have been selected to take part in the show ‘Owners Enclosure’ in Hall 3 and these cars will be judged by Mike Brewer, Fuzz Townsend, Tim Shawe and Tiff Needell for ‘Car of the Show’ Mk2 Vauxhall Cavalier Calibre VW Jetta - Fast and furious replica Golf Mk1 Mercedes Pagoda Sl250 Toyota Hiace Custom van Suzuki Swift Hillman Imp Van Subaru Impreza BMW M535 Porsche 996 Supercharged
Tickets are available HERE
The W Series first practice at the 2.842 mile Hockenheim circuit just completed with the following times set by all 20 drivers including the two reserve drivers of Vivien Keszthely and Sarah Bovy who both turned in very competitive times. Only Esmee hawkey failed to run due to a clutch issue with her car. The second practice is due shortly.   The all-female W Series have announced their 18 finalists out of the 28 competitors with 4 reserves. Following 4 days of trials, driving the Tatuus F-318 F3 car around the Circuit de Almeria racetrack in Spain On day 3 race director Dave Ryan was confident that 12 of the competitors were sufficiently skilled to move to being selected. This allowed more time for the 16 that were left to prove themselves.  The final list of finalists are:-: Jamie Chadwick, UK Sabre Cook, USA Marta Garcia, Spain Megan Gilkes, Canada Esmee Hawkey, UK Jessica Hawkins, UK Shea Holbrook, USA Emma Kimilainen, Finland Miki Koyama, Japan Sarah Moore, UK Tasmin Pepper, South Africa Vicky Piria, Italy Alice Powell, UK Gosia Rdest, Poland Naomi Schiff, Belgium Beitske Visser, Netherlands Fabienne Wohlwend, Liechtenstein Caitlin Wood, Australia These are the four reserves for W Series: Sarah Bovy, Belgium Vivien Keszthelyi, Hungary Stephane Kox, Netherlands Francesca Linossi, Italy The 5 girls from the UK all got through.  Although they must be upset, the following didn’t make it :-
Natalie Decker, 21, USA Grace Gui, 27, China Natalia Kowalska, 28, Poland Milou Mets, 28, Netherlands Shirley Van Der Lof, 31, Netherlands Alexandra Whitley 25 Australia  The 2019 F1 season is officially underway with 8 days of testing in Barcelona, Spain. It’s time for me to have a moan about something I really enjoy. The testing does not normally give a lot away where comparing the reliability or speed of the top teams is concerned, but does tend to show who the underdogs are. Yet again, this year does not look to be good for the Williams Team. Already they have announced their new car is not ready and MIGHT not be done until Wednesday. Not a good outlook for the team that finished bottom last year.  Lots of teams have had special pre-season launches to reveal their car liveries, although I don’t know why. They either launch with just digital images of what they hope to produce, or launch with liveries displayed on last year’s car.
If, like Red Bull, the launch livery is only for the sake of the launch and will be almost a replica of last year’s design when the races actually start, why go to all the trouble of announcing a launch in the first place? To save all this disarray, if the cars were launched all together, on the Sunday before Pre-season testing. The day’s itinerary could be decided using last year’s finish position, with the last place showing their new car and new livery first and so on up the board. That way, the world’s media can at least be in the right place at the right time for everything.  Do F1 bosses really think the teams need to boost advertising for F1 before the event? If you like cars, you already know what F1 is and either love it or hate it. If they wanted to attract new viewers, I’d suggest they don’t start with Melbourne each year. Last year’s race probably put more people off than it attracted to the sport.  Moan over, time for a few positive things. Ferrari has got a new Team Principal in the form of Mattia Binotto, who, let’s hope, can communicate with the fans, as well as running the team.  McLaren have replaced just about everyone - which will make following their progress interesting. The MLC34 will be into its second season with a Renault engine, which I suspect will also be a benefit. The best part about 2019 F1 is the new driver mix between new and experienced drivers. It could make the early races interesting as they find their feet. The chances of late season upsets with the rookie drivers showing show how good or bad they really are is exciting on so many levels.  The new Ford Focus ST will be available this summer and looks like it has found the top of its game.  Now available with a 2.3l petrol engine, using a twin scroll turbo and producing 280ps and 420 n/m torque, or a 2.0l turbo diesel engine, producing 190ps and 400 n/m torque. Like the current ST, it will be available in 5 door and estate versions, but an optional Performance Pack is available.
The car should be a better drive this year, with an electronic limited slip differential to help traction and cornering for the first time, as well as a rev-matching short shift six-speed gearbox or a seven-speed auto.
The rev-matching software electronically blips the throttle to match engine speed with gearbox speed for smooth changes. Both gearboxes have paddle shift. New for this year’s model are selectable driving modes with 'wet/slippery' mode for that extra grip, ‘normal’ mode for your usual drive and ‘sport' which improves throttle response, exhaust note and steering feedback.
The performance pack adds another mode, ‘track', which adjusts most of the electronic stuff like the LSD and throttle mapping to suit the driving scenario. It even controls the electronic sound enhancement, although I am not sure if I would rather have an exhaust valve and side pipe with flames for this bit. You also get launch control with the performance pack for a sub 0-60 in less than 6 seconds. Exterior colour options chosen to emphasise the Focus ST’s dynamic styling include exclusive Ford Performance Blue and Orange Fury, alongside Frozen White, Magnetic Grey, Race Red, Ruby Red and Shadow Black. Bold alloy wheel options include 18-inch Dark Sparkle and Magnetite designs, with a 19-inch wheel also offered in Magnetite
The range of driver assist technologies are included and provide:-:
The ST is fitted with the Synch 3 infotainment system which is excellent. After having owned the current model for a while, I can’t wait to have a look at this one.   Koenigsegg AB have announced forming a strategic partnership with NEVs (National Electric Vehicles Sweden). NEVS will take a 20% stake in Koenigsegg with an investment of EUR 150 million. This will allow increased growth in their hyper car market with an emphasis on electrification. The two companies are also starting a new joint venture with a 65/35% stake. Koenigsegg providing intellectual property, technology licenses and product design worth $80 million. The partnership will access extensive automotive skills from the area around Trollhattan and the home of SAAB. NEVS capacity for production in Trollhattan and China and through their majority owner Evergrande’s wide distribution and ownership in one of China’s largest car retailers.  First 3 day qualifying round results The new W Series, all female F3 race series has just completed its first three days of qualifying selection. This was carried out at the Wachauring at Melk in Austria. The drivers spent a couple of days getting to know each other and getting fitted out in race suits etc. It is a little unclear how many initially took part, with 60 names on my list taken from the W Series website. The CEO, Catherine Bond Muir, mentions 60 odd contestants from 30 countries and the website says 54 took part (54 was the original number). The contest of selection was judged by Alex Wurz and contained 10 modules, including driving Ford Fiesta STs and Porsche Cayman S around the snowy track. The modules also included tests and the drivers' ability to present themselves to media etc. The 28, selected from 15 countries, are highlighted here and it is great to see all the UK entrants got through, showing the quality of British drivers. The next stage is in March at Almera, Spain, driving the new W Series Tatuus Formula 3 car. From these trials, 20 drivers will be selected, with 18 competing and 2 in reserve.
2018 Ford Mustang Ecoboost at Sandicliffe Ford, Nottingham in Orange Fury. 
  On our recent visit to Sandicliffe Ford, Nottingham to view the latest Ranger Raptor we couldn't help having a nose around a few of their other cars.Mustang Bullitt  The trim is now chrome and is devoid of any badges other than the large Bullitt sign on the rear.
Fitted with new style wheels and an active exhaust
Other upgrades include Michelin 255/40 ZR 19 Pilot Sport S tyres and a golf ball gear stick.  |
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