Came across this nice group of cars on Import NC thats been around since 2003.  They have everything from full drag to laid vip styled rides even the clean and classy style.  I am always happy to see car guys still sticking to the club/crew/team side of the auto culture it keeps it strong!

TEAM RPM Site

Fysh Clothing Co.

]]> http://brickellhonda.wordpress.com/2009/11/23/honda-leading-fuel-efficient-car-in-miami/ Mon, 23 Nov 2009 19:37:05 +0000 brickellhonda http://brickellhonda.wordpress.com/2009/11/23/honda-leading-fuel-efficient-car-in-miami/

On Friday, November 20, 2009, the Environmental Protection Agency announced its preliminary figures for the most efficient vehicles in 2009.  It was no surprise to hear that Honda Motor Co. has the most fuel-efficient line of vehicles in the United States. All Honda vehicles sold in 2009 are expected to average 23.6 miles per gallon in driving. Not far behind Honda were Hyundai and Toyota, each with 23.4 mpg and 23.2 mpg respectively. Honda has launched new vehicles for its up coming model year, such as the 2010 Honda Insight and followed by the 2011 Honda CR-Z hybrid. These vehicles are expected to be popular buys among young adults in urban cities, such as Miami. Honda also plans on keeping its reputation by future sales of a Honda Fit Hybrid. Honda is most known for its Civic and Accord models but has been determined to bring new model line ups to the market. There is no doubt Honda has made some good decisions that are evidently paying off.  Be sure to stop by your local Miami Honda dealership to see the latest model lineups Honda has to offer.

is that the blackwidow Kit?

Kondisi : mls, interior rapih, matic normal

“The Accord Crosstour combines the sophisticated refinement of a premium sedan with versatile characteristics of an SUV to create an entirely distinct concept within the crossover utility vehicle (CUV) segment. Leveraging the many benefits of a car-based platform, the Accord Crosstour starts with the top-level refinement of the Accord V-6 Sedan and further expands utility with a sleek-yet-functional profile for increased cargo space.” Says The Honda News Room.

The multiple roles of style and function filled by this new vehicle make it one of the most versatile on the market. Filled with luxuries and styled to perfection from bumper to bumper this vehicle commands attention while seats every passenger and cargo (dirty or clean with rear reversible floor panel) comfortably.

Below is the model, Trim level, Transmission, Manufacturer Suggested Retail Price and EPA estimated City, Highway and Combined gas mileage.
Accord Crosstour 2WD EX 5-Speed Automatic $29,670 18/27/21
Accord Crosstour 2WD EX-L 5-Speed Automatic $32,570 18/27/21
Accord Crosstour 2WD EX-L Navi 5-Speed Automatic $34,770 18/27/21
Accord Crosstour 4WD EX-L 5-Speed Automatic $34,020 17/25/20
Accord Crosstour 4WD EX-L Navi 5-Speed Automatic $36,220 17/25/20

Thomas' loves the new Crosstour!

Visit our website at Pa Honda

Honda has been a pinnacle company that makes excellent engines and quality parts that last the stand of time. Honda cars are well built and has a slight premium over it’s rivals in Japan like Toyota, Suzuki….etc. However they do not built mass market vehicles. It is the same with their two wheelers, Honda’s legendary motorcycle the Honda VFR has thorough bread built into it starting from the early 4 cams machines, this has spawn 7 generations of VFRs. You can read more about the VFR’s history over here.

You can see some of the excellent photos of the new Honda VFR1200F. Either you love it or hate it, either way, you might just enjoy it.

Unveiled at the LA Motor Show and now driven by Top Gear’s James May Honda’s FCX Clarity claims to be the world’s first production Hydrogen powered vehicle.

Article Extracts:

A 171-litre hydrogen tank feeds the gas into the fuel cell stack, where hydrogen and atmospheric oxygen combine to produce electricity, with water as a by-product. That electricity drives a 134bhp motor, with any excess power stored in a lithium ion battery pack, which feeds supplementary electricity to the motor if needed. Regenerative braking also charges the battery.

KEY POINTS:

1) Carbon Dioxide emmissions from Hydrogen Production will be less than half compared with an average petrol car. The car itself produces no Carbo Dioxide during operation!!

2) Water is the only emmission!!

3) As there is only 1 moving part. Maintenance will be drastically reduced!!

4) Sports Cars will not die out!!

I tend to agree with them in saying that this is a more viable option than full electric cars. Although the infrastructure will still see this from swinging into full production. The show says that Califorinia is the only place that Hydrogen refuelling stations are available which is incorrect. Sweden have started a Hydrogen highway all around its coast with refuelling stations…so I think the Honda will find its way there!

Hydrogen is also the most abundant gas in the entire universe, it’s clean and now we know it can work!

The Most Important Car in 100 Years? I think they may be right on the button!

Have a Solar Day!

ok soooo some of you dig the vans and some of you hate the vans… but either way here’s more vans.

a bit of history first… in 1995 honda released it’s first odyssey van and it was a good van, but it was unconventional, it had 4 normal doors, all 4 doors had window’s that rolled down, it only had a 4 cylinder engine, and it wasn’t as wide, tall, or as long as much of the competition…. but there is good in this.

the new van only weighted 200lbs more then the accord(1995) and because of that it handled very well like the accord, stopped well, and also got good gas milage like the accord….. but north america didn’t like it that much and so the next version in 1999 followed suit of the rest of the pack, and gained ~700lbs!!!

so for some of us the 1st generation was the best mix between a sedan and a full sized “mini” van, but in japan the original style carried on still under the odyssey name, they 2nd gen was basically the same as the first with minor styling updates, but the 3rd gen was all new and received the newer K series 4 cylinder motors(2.4L with 160 or 200hp)

since i showed some pics of the first gen ody’s here in a recent post , I’ll just show modified 2nd and 3rd gens here.

kinda bonkers stuff, I know, but if your not having fun… then what’s the point

2nd gen ody’s

and here’s more of the 3rd gen ody, which had it’s roofline trimmed down compared to pervious versions.

In a matter of weeks, the driver market has upended itself.  The world champion has left his team and joined the 2008 world champion.  The 2007 world champion is out of racing, his spot taken by the 2005-2006 world champion.  A seven-time world champion is thinking of returning to the grid. 

Got it? 

No one was surprised when two-time world champion Fernando Alonso was announced at Ferrari.  Then, with Kimi Raikkonen seemingly ousted from the scuderia and Toyota announcing its withdrawal from the sport, Jenson Button landed at McLaren.  This earth-shattering news came just weeks after Button won the 2009 title for Brawn. 

My head is beginning to hurt.

At first blush, Button’s move seems hard to explain.  Brawn had thrown him a lifeline after Honda pulled the plug on its adventure in team ownership.  Brawn cleverly exploited the regulations in creating a double-diffuser that placed its car at the sharp end, landing Button his first world championship and a second consecutive British champion.

Button predictably increased his salary demands.  Brawn should have seen this coming, and to not have recognized Button’s increased worth was a mistake.  Perhaps Brawn thought Button would stay out of loyalty.  A quick glance at some of Button’s career moves suggests that he is less than reliable when it comes to cashing in on a promise.

My theory is that Button sensed a resurgent McLaren at the end of the year, once the other teams had caught up to Brawn and Red Bull’s “unfair advantage”.  We saw the title contenders close in on Button at the end of the year.  Possibly, Button calculated that Brawn would never meet his salary demands, whereas McLaren was happy to shell out for two British champions .  Button’s move is characteristic of his career trajectory, similar to his on-again, off-again move to Williams several years ago. 

Raikonnen’s disappearance from the grid next season is hard to explain, although rumors are floating that he will replace Button at the newly rebranded Mercedes F1 team, the three-pointed star having bought Brawn (and presumably thinking Button as well), being shocked to find out that longtime “partner” Ron Dennis had just bought Button for McLaren.  I saw that as a nice “f– you” to Norbert Haug for buying Brawn, and a middle finger firmly directed at Ross for sorting out the double diffuser first.

Now Eddie Jordan, of all people, is saying that Mercedes is in negotiations to sign Michael Schumacher.  The Schumacher-Raikonnen pairing was a near-miss when Michael retired, but it’s obvious from his aborted comeback of earlier this year that the fire burns.   Remember that his comeback was stopped cold by a neck injury.  This could be a pairing for the ages, or a disaster for either driver.

I questioned this story but wondered why Eddie Jordan would put it out without having some sense of the facts.  Eddie’s been known to stretch the truth (in fact, one might argue that’s what got him in to F1), but this is a big chunk of gossip to throw out there without a firm belief in its truth.  Eddie still likes his credibility.

It has all the makings for an incredible 2010.  Alonso in a Ferrari is mouth-watering.  With a decent car, Alonso could easily win his third title and bring the championship home to Maranello next season.  Notice I don’t mention Felipe; I’m sorry but his injuries are too severe for him to be the same driver who nearly won the title in 2008.  Michael in a Mercedes, alongside Raikonnen, is the matchup we all waited for when Kimi went to Maranello.  And two world champions in silver cars, rising above it all.

Honda: Cog – YAY

There are tons of rube goldberg videos on the Web, but none of them hold a candle to this ad by Honda. The dedication to make this ad flawless is obvious as it progresses. After 606 takes, the ad came out perfectly. Isolating each part, this spot is a great illustration of all of Honda’s car parts working together.

Another cool thing about the spot is that it builds on itself. The more you watch it, the more you’re drawn in to it. The sound effects are great, and even the steps of the rube goldberg are interesting to watch.  It accomplishes a hidden (not clearly defined in the spot) goal as well: showing consumers that Honda pays attention to detail, no matter how tedious it may be.

WWF: Tsunami – NAY

Copy reads: The tsunami killed 100 times more people than 9/11. The planet is brutally powerful. Respect it. Preserve it. www.wwf.org

WWF ads are usually very good, but it may have stepped over the line with this one by seemingly making light of September 11^th. Facts are facts. More people did die from the tsunami than the attacks on September 11^th. However, that doesn’t mean it needs to be pointed out. It doesn’t take a genius to understand that September 11^th is already a touchy subject. Not to mention the image depicted here is over-exaggerated and kind of makes you think “geez…”

What is also bothersome about this ad is that it has no clear objective. There are two types of advertising: general brand advertising and product/service advertising. Brand advertising doesn’t advertise anything other than the brand and or its position, mainly to just get the brand name out there or remind people of it. Product or service advertising highlights a specific part of a brand. This is a brand advertisement, so (technically) little would be lost if it was never created.

Spotted on CR.net

With an increasing number of holiday festivities being held in the home this year, we’re all looking for creative and cost effective ways to spruce up our table settings and create a look that will impress our guests. When it comes to setting your Thanksgiving table, options for the adventurous host are limitless. What are the hottest trends for you to bring to your table this year? Here are a few ideas that will take your Thanksgiving table from ordinary to extraordinary:

Color, Texture and Mix – Match:

In table linens and accessories, this year we are seeing rich, saturated colours. We are also seeing a lot of texture and the mixing and matching of patterns with solids. There are a lot of options out there to do something warm and inviting.

Color Trends

Warm tones have always been popular for Fall and that continues with some of the biggest trends in colour combinations this year. Some of those include:
- Deep Spice and Aubergine with muted Gold accents – Dark Chocolate with Blues and Gray accents – Olive Green, Aubergine and softer greens as accents – Dark Chocolate, Taupe and Natural

Tabletop Decor

- Use things that you already have in your home – pull out your 3 or 4 of your favourite vases of different heights. Use complementary colors of fresh flowers for a simple and stunning arrangement. Fill three or four vases and/or glass bowls with different colors and sizes of ornaments, fruits, leaves – anything with color and texture that will create visual excitement.

- Your guests are all unique – why not celebrate their individuality? Use different patterns and/or colors of napkin rings that match their unique personalities. Are they simple or sophisticated? Fun or formal? Unpredictable or conservative? Show them you care with a little customization to complement your table linens.

- Candles are always a dramatic and cost effective way to make a statement – use votives at each place setting with a name card and emphasize beautiful table linens for a classy and simple look. Or go more dramatic and cluster your favourite candle sticks of varying heights and looks as a centerpiece. Use colors that complement or match your dishes, glasses and table linens.

- Nothing brings subtle sophistication to your table like a well-selected runner. Use one the length of the table plus 12 inches to hang over the edge (usually a 90″ or longer) as the perfect centerpiece. If you are using a solid tablecloth or placemats, make sure to jazz it up with a festive pattern. If you have a patterned look already, use a vibrant solid runner that picks up on one of the colors in your runner.

- Use 2 napkins instead of one with a napkin ring. With a solid napkin inside, and a more decorative napkin on the outside.

When setting your table, just remember: do what feels right for the mood. A casual gathering calls for a relaxed setting. A formal meal should feel that way at the table. Either way, it doesn’t take much to elevate your in-home dining experience. Replacing an old tablecloth with something fresh an exciting, and adding a few simple table accessories can go a long way to impressing your guests. It’s that time of year when family gatherings abound and everyone spends countless hours congregating around the dinner table. With the hours spent preparing the perfect meal, make sure you don’t forget to finish it off with the perfect setting.

Livvy and Paul are the  ones who really got me excited on Hondas and they sourced me various bits included the mugen kit for my civic, their devotion to the marque is truly astounding . In the few short years i have known them  they have  3 EP3 civic type R’s one being a rare AE30 edition and  2 DC5’s one in blue and championship white running various different colored recaro combinations to keep them happy for a short while.

Things changed after the DC5’s with Paul deciding  old school was the way to go with dare to be different Phoenix yellow JDM DC2 integra type R sourced from japan. This was lavished with my favorite wheel of all time the drool at the mouth bronze mugen MF10 and a spoon carbon front spoiler to name but a few of the mods.In my opinion this was nearly my perfect car apart from it not having the ultra rare  option of the oh so marmite love them or hate them yellow recaro seats.

The lure or what some people say is a real drivers car/hard core race car with number plates the import only EK9 type R got the better of the pair. This lead to livvy spending many a night scouring the Japanese auction sights in pursuit of a example worthy of ownership.

A rare phoenix yellow EK9 RX  (scream initial D) was found rather than the run of the mill but still sexy as hell championship white version. This was imported by slow boat to the UK.

This again to me was perfect example of the model which was given the full Paul  TLC package with choice mods but this soon replaced by an also  hard to come by silver EK9 for Livvy to use as a daily driver which she is busy restoring and modifying.I am told after talking to livvy last night stop the press-  Paul has become the owner of the most sought after  example- the race base EK9 type R which is has been located and is waiting shipping from Japan. i will post pics on it’s arrival.

In the mean time here are a couple of pics of cars which have sadly left their paddock. soooooo jealous guys……

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Came across some pictures by Mr. Justin Moore on Import Atlanta.  Some cool pictures of 2 ladies and their rides!

No Moore Missed Photography

Original Thread on ImportAtlanta

Quando eu vejo minhas Quatros Rodas antigas e leio os testes de longa duração relatados na edição, não é raro vir à minha cabeça a seguinte pergunta: Por onde andariam esses carros hoje? E os carros que passaram em casa, por onde estarão? Sempre tem um modelo que deixa saudades, ao contrário de outros, e revê-lo é algo muito desejável. Na rua, sempre olho a placa dos carros que sejam identicos aos que passaram por aqui, até hoje já consegui rever alguns ex-carros, sendo um Uno EP 1996 o mais frequente de rever por ai…

Ontem, me dirigi à concessionária por dois motivos: Primeiro, ver como está indo a novela do veículo que integrará a “frota” do blog, e segundo estudar a negociação de um segundo veículo, que daqui a alguns meses também poderá contar com avaliações periódicas aqui…

Quando ao primeiro motivo da visita, foi me apresentada uma lista com a fila de produção da fábrica para os veículos vendidos naquela concessionária em específico. Meu carro é o quarto nessa lista, portanto pode ser produzido em 1 ou 2 semanas, com entrega imediata. Acho que em 3 semanas então o blog começa a ter o ritmo normal de atualização.

Bom saber disso, mas estou me desviando um pouco do objetivo do post… Como dito, há a intenção de, nos próximos meses, comprarmos mais um carro além desse. Trata-se de um carro que será interessante avaliar aqui, mas ainda não é nada concreto. Em determinado momento, fui fuçar no show room, ver um modelo equivalente mas usado, 2008, e passo batido do lado de um Fit antigo cinza… Não liguei para ele, nao procurei saber o modelo nem nada, apenas passei do lado…

Voltando, de repente a placa grita para meus olhos. E aquela sequência me espantou, era bem familiar, era a sequência que, por 3 anos, via todos dias… Sim, aquele Fit era o meu antigo Fit! Do jeito que eu deixei, 87.000 km rodados, novinho, e já vendido para seu terceiro dono… Se não tivesse sido vendido, eu faria uma campanha para recomprarmos e o teste de longa duração dele prosseguir… Foi uma experiência interessante reencontrar o carro, 6 meses após sua venda, e no local mais inesperado possível, naquela concessionária que eu tenho ido direto ultimamente…

Agora o Fit está sendo preparado para seu terceiro dono… que seja uma excelente experiência para esse proprietário, que certamente irá aproveitar muito do Fit.

bagi anda yang mau kirim mobil ada baik nya anda mengambil langkah-langkah berikut:
> pastikan anda memeilih jasa pengiriman mobil yang resmi dan cari tau legalitas perusahaan,dan berkujunglah ke kantor jasa pengiriman tsb, sebab apa yang anda kirim adalah sesuatu yang berharga.
> jaminan pembayaran jasa pengiriman Mobil anda di usahakan atas nama perusahaan tsb karna ini menujukan salah satu perusahaan yang berbadan hukum.
> siapkan documen mobil anda yang akan dikirim dan jangan lupa selalu documen tersebut ( STNK ) di fotokopi karna stnk asli di kirim bersama mobil kecuali anda kirim Cy-Cy ( antar kepelabuhan asal dan ambil di pelabuhan tujuan)
> rapikan barang-barang kecil seperti kaset,vcd,remote tape,kacamata,atau yang lain nya dan masukan kedalam dus dan di peking rapi
> Jangan masukan barang barang yang berbahaya(Mudah cair) kedalam mobil untuk mengindari terjadinya kerusakan pada mobil anda.
> beritahu kepada petugas jasa pengiriman tentang keluhan mobil anda dan memebri keterangan bila ada kunci rahasia pada mobil anda supaya pihak jasa layanan bisa lebih siap melelukan pengiriman mobil anda.
> isilah BBM kendaraan anda secukupnya
> saksikan dan catat atau di foto ketika serah terima mobil anda kepada pihak jasa pengiriman,dan anda juga wajib mendapatkan document berita acara serah terima mobil.
> mintalah polis remi asuransi pengiriman mobil anda biasa nya 2 hari Paling lambat setelah pengiriman
> kirim berita acara serah terima Mobil kepada pihak penerima mobil (Kota Tujuan) karna ketika mobil di terima di tujuan pihak penerima harus hati-hati dan teliti dan di sesuaikan dengan berita acara serah terima dan bila ada yang kurang atau rusak segeralah ajukan cleam kepada pihah jasa pengiriman dan di saksikan oleh petugas Jasa pengiriman
( yang antar )

Demikian saran darikami semoga bias berguna bagi anda yang mau kirim mobil
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I have no reason to have a great love for Tony Cochrane, the head honcho of V8 Supercars Australia. In my mind, he and his organisation have done a major disservice in the bigger picture of motorsport in Australia. Instead of the mixture of makes, models and years we used to have in the Australian Touring Car Series (ATCC), we have a bunch of purpose built beasts that have as much in common with their namesakes as Honda Formula 1 cars last year had to an Accord, a Mercedes McLaren with an “S” class or a Toyota F1 with a Corolla Seca. (I accept this is MY opinion and not necessarily that of anyone else. I appreciate tens of thousands love the V8s and think F1 is as boring as continental drift and that’s all that matters in real terms).

In case you didn’t know,  a V8 Supercar is a custom built hybrid American NASCAR – no more and no less. The only part that is from either marque is the engine and the shape of the lightweight body panels. As Dick Johnson once remarked earlier this year, “to make it a Holden we change the motor and the panels”. And even that is debatable in comparison as to what the public can buy.

Compare this to the UK and European Touring Car series where any driver can win on any given day, and the entrants are an assortment of everyday cars suitably homologated from a whole bunch of manufacturers – Vauxhall (Holden), Ford, Honda, Peugeot, Seat, Renault, Volkswagen, Audi, Mercedes, Toyota, Nissan and more. Rivalry is just as intense between fans and the racing much, much closer, and to me, more exciting. I could BUY one of these cars, but not a V8 Supercar sadly.

I also don’t agree with Cochrane’s almost blackmail approach to the fans and Government in Western Australia by demanding the Barbagallo circuit (nee Wanneroo Park) be upgraded by figures approaching $27 million dollars. This is the man who personally makes millions out of V8 Supercars as a business. Nice if you can get it; everyone pays to be a part of his circus – fans, teams, drivers, sponsors and promoters. It’s no secret Cochrane models himself on F1 supremo Bernie Eccleston. Apparently he even owns the TV rights and has on-sold those to Channel 7. As I say, nice if you can get it. Technically, if I as a journalist go to a V8 meeting, I cannot shoot video and use it.

But this piece is not intended as a hate case against Cochrane or V8 Supercars in general. Please read on.

I have been to most of the circuits in Australia many, many times. I have represented my own magazine Australasian Camcorder, as well as other publications including The Australian, The West Australian, The Sunday Times, IBM magazine, the Gold Coast Bulletin, VideoCamera magazine, PixelMag, WISH and many others at Eastern Creek, Oran Park, Sandown Park, Lakeside, Bathurst, the Gold Coast, Winton, Symmonds Plains and of course Barbagallo. In fact I was the WA correspondent for the publications Motoring Reporter and Auto Action for over 8 years in the 70s and 80s. In short, I am an “old timer” of the motor support photo/journalistic world and been freelance ever since.

Back then, I had a season media pass and could go anywhere on the circuit I wanted. I had signed a disclaimer saying I accepted that motor sport was dangerous, and if I got hurt, or there was damage to my equipment, that was my problem. These conditions were cheerfully accepted as this was a part of the job. It was exciting.  There were risks that got the adrenaline running and you worked hard to get the ‘money’ shot that could pay handsomely. And give major kudos and credibility. I got my fair share, and it was a fun living. In WA, after the meeting on a Sunday, you’d have a few drinks with the drivers at the Espana Tavern down the road from the circuit (now THERE were some stories that will never be told), get some quotes from them and team management, head home, bang out the story on a Remington typewriter, and get to the airport by midnight to get the story (on paper in duplicate) and photo negatives in an airbag to Sydney on the red-eye midnight flight.

I have also been involved over the years in the production of many events in my capacity as the PR Manager of CBS Records (now Sony Music), a director of an import company with product launches as part of its day-to-day running and even motor sport events on a National scale. One of my (to me) major events was actually a motor sport event at Barbagallo in the early 80s which as I understand it, has still the largest spectator crowd achieved for a local event involving no Eastern State or International drivers.

Because of this, I believe I can look at the Barbagallo situation with its potential loss of the V8s reasonably impartially as a spectator, but also critically as a journalist and someone with experience over 30 years in these matters.

Two years in a row, I have walked out of the V8s at Barbagallo in disgust. Not at the V8 Supercar’s organisation handling of the event, but the local handling. Last year (2008) it was agreed that I would pick up my accreditation pass at the circuit. To those not aware, media personnel need a special pass allowing them to have privileged access to areas of the circuit for interview and photographic rights. This also involves wearing a special vest so that you are immediately identifiable by the marshals (who are volunteers) and security personnel (privately contracted for money). Sadly and somewhat amazingly, in 2008, no-one at the circuit knew where I had to go, talk to or where to park to obtain these items so after two hours of wandering from official to official, I gave up and went home. Without this specialised access, you simply cannot do your job as a journo.

This year was a bit different. V8 Supercars kindly sent me a season pass (to circumvent the above situation) so problem solved in that area as I didn’t have to pick anything up. Except at Wanneroo today. Oh it was no problem getting into the circuit and parking. Even access to such places as the grid before the start was not an issue. Once the race had started however, every 10 metres or so, some security grunt or another (who oddly all look alike – you know, big, brawny, bald, wrap around black sunglasses and beard/moustache combo) would demand to see the plainly obvious pass around my neck, and of course I was wearing the highly identifiable special media vest/bib. This can be seen at 100 paces. So effectively, it was a case of give someone a uniform and they have to prove they have earned it.

But wait. To park my car, I had to go through three checkpoints showing my media pass. And then be directed by another person as to where to park. Imagine my surprise then when over the circuit –wide PA system, my registration number is called out saying the “black Monaro rego number such-and-such is illegally parked and unless moved immediately, will be towed away”.

With a recently purchased hotdog in hand, I raced back to the car, explained to the security person I had been told to park there, and then waited for a higher up security person to come and say I still needed a special windscreen sticker. Remember I had passed three check points to get to this point.

This higher up security person directed me back to the main office to get this pass. No. They don’t do this, and don’t know who does. They directed me to an accreditation office. This was closed. I checked three more officials and they all shrugged. Parking elsewhere was full apparently.

As an aside, let me tell you about the hotdog. It was so bad as to be inedible. Seriously, I swear it was left over from last year.  Or possibly the year before. And at $4.50 not exactly a bargain. And cold.

It was all too hard; after a wait in a queue of about 20 other blokes to go to the toilet, I went home. 140km away.

Let me give a comparison. At the first ever A1GP race in Australia at Eastern Creek, the media, who after all are the people who actually promote these types of meetings, write about them, praise them, supply images, TV shows, magazines and generally give the public who can’t get there all the information they are hungry for, were treated like kings and queens. We weren’t a bother, we were an asset and to be looked after acordingly. Security gorillas weren’t a hassle; they were there to help in fact and drive us around in golf carts to get the best shots, bring us drinks, umbrellas if it rained, open doors when we were weighed down by heavy equipment and more. All done cheerfully and with a smile. The PR Company in charge were UK based. All the staff was from the UK. I wonder if that was the difference.

Marshalls were also looked after. After all, without these tireless volunteers, race meetings cannot function; these guys and girls wave flags, drive rescue trucks, provide medical aid, supervise traffic and much, much more. They were fed and watered, special shelters were designed and built by the promoters to keep them out of the direct sun and rain, and rosters made up to give them breaks.

This was, out of hundreds of motor sport meetings of all classes I have been to, the very best. And the way it should be.

I have also had excellent experiences at Oran Park (now no longer on the V8 Supercar calendar sadly), Eastern Creek, Sandown, Symmons Plains and of course Bathurst. Not to the level of that A1GP, but at least, making life reasonably comfortable. But Barbagallo seems, for some reason, to be different.

The left hand doesn’t seem to know what the right hand is doing. One person says “park there” and the next says “you can’t park there”. You can’t access the inside of the circuit without a marshal’s say so – and only at two points and when there is no racing on. Even when you can, access points are extremely limited, so it is almost impossible to get any unique shot. And the latest innovation – accepted it is series wide and not just Barbagallo – you cannot go into the pits without wearing a full blast driver’s suit for fire protection. That’s worth $1800+ and of course, must be purchased from V8 Supercars.

The catering is horrible, circuit access is dismal, circuit viewing point navigation difficult and a whole bunch of people wearing hi-viz jackets say continually, “you can’t do that/you can’t go there/where is your pass”.

So in the context of one Mr Cochrane wanting extra facilities to bring his – admittedly popular – V8 circus back to Barbagallo, I feel it goes a damn sight deeper than simply upgrading the pit facilities. Yes Barbagallo has done an amazing job since the halcyon days of the late 70s and early 80s. Old timers will remember the Marlboro Holden Dealer Team of Brock, Harvey and Negus getting a 1-2-3, Jim Richards breaking the lap record in the rain in the Big M Falcon, Peter Williamson locking his keys in the Toyota Celica and just making the start, Alfie Constanza and Johnnie Walker in the F5000 race, locals Dick Ward in his amazing Fiat Abarth, Graeme Hooley and Tim Slako in Torana A9Xs taking it up to the factory teams and the staggering Lotus Elan of Trevor Hines walloping Toranas and Falcon Phase IIIs under braking into the last corner before pit straight (we were allowed to stand there then to take photos – and that was the very best spot on the circuit and no-one was EVER hurt). And I still somewhere have a shot of someone rowing a boat down the pits after a spectacularly heavy downpour!

But the mind set of the management/committee/promotions people seems to be on the wrong track. Pardon the pun. I do remember – and here’s a scoop – a company I worked for in the late 70s seriously, SERIOUSLY thinking of putting a major long distance race on at Wanneroo Park, as it was then, with over a million dollars prize money. I was sent to Bathurst to see how that was done, as it was the pinnacle in Australia of motor sport. Drivers were interviewed (and they loved the idea and the circuit), sponsors were attracted, but in the end, it died.

Why?

Because my bosses decided that the circuit management couldn’t handle it. They were amateurs in a big boy’s world. I have to say, 30 years later, despite all the best intentions, it still seems the same. I don’t blame them. This is BIG business. And being so close to Asia it could be HUGE business – bigger than any Eastern States circuit could even dream of, but they simply don’t seem to have the acumen, the will or the nous to pull it off.

Any influx of Government funds as suggested will not help in the long term. With correct thinking, Barbagallo has the opportunity to be a major player in world wide motor sport if it is done right, but it has to be looked at as an overall picture with a five year and ten year plan + and not as a bandaid package just to make sure the V8s come back each year.

Are we too far from the mainstream? Is Bahrain? Abu Dhabi? Shanghai? Singapore? Even Adelaide or Darwin? Of course not.

We need to start from scratch with the original circuit as a template and build from there. State of the art access, parking, accommodation, camping, driver training facilities even an entertainment precinct should all be considered. Why not include a velodrome, rallycross circuit, BMX track, motocross, drag strip and so on. There is enough land.

So in principle I agree with v8 Supercars and Tony Cochrane. Barbagallo is a fabulous layout, but is let down by an infrastructure that is old and tired. I suspect a smidgeon of the old West Australian “we know what we are doing and the East should keep out of our business” attitude, but the same problems and the same questions and lack of answers were being asked 25 years ago!

Is anyone prepared to accept the vision of the possibilities and get it fixed once and for all? Or will this go the way of the World Rally Championship and countless other events?