The Last Airbender: Unfortunately, it won't be

As a homage to the cartoon series, The Last Airbender falls woefully short.

As a movie that stands on its own merits, M.Night Shyamalan's latest opus stands as a reminder to all budding film-makers as to how NOT to make a movie.

It all could have been so much better. The actors themselves show some promise. Noah Ringer does a decent job as Aang, the last airbender (his "Air Nomad" clan is extinct), the new avatar whose mastery of the mystic powers of "bending" make him the target of the imperialistic "Fire Nation", who are intent on conquering the "Water Tribes" and the "Earth Nation". Nicola Peltz is also authentic and believable as Katara, his "water-bender" companion.

And that's it. Jackson Rathbone's inability to deadpan his way through Soka's (Katara's brother) comedic antics surely left a lot of the humor on the cutting room floor and Dev Patel (Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation) looks unsure of himself in this role and lacks the intensity and fire required. A big shame, as this character is probably the true star of the cartoon series, more so in later seasons. It's an incredibly deep, complex and difficult role... and I wish Dev would grow into it.

Let's not blame them for all that is wrong with the movie. Clumsy narrative exposition interspersed with sporadic fight scenes and set-pieces fail to immerse you in the fantasy world that the design department so lavishly creates for Shymalan. At points, the movie presents you awesome vistas that show in short flashes between excrutiatingly long close-ups of actors looking dazed and confused. For a children's movie, the absolute lack of humor is a capital crime. Where the odd joke actually manages to avoid being cut from the final film, it falls flat due to the lack of comedic timing by both director and actors.

It's a shame that some of the fight scenes are so good. Because they merely serve to draw attention to the clumsy camerawork and cutting. There are flashes of brilliance, mind you, in the intricate choreography between Prince Zuko and Aang, but as these parts are lifted mostly whole from the source material and rely on excellent performances from the actors themelves, it's hard to credit Shyamalan with this feat.

Near the end, Shyamalan brings the move to a crashing close with a big set-piece battle. Hundreds of Fire nation ships sit idly by while dozens of extras flail their arms at each other in shots reminiscent of 70's popcorn Kung-Fu flicks. In the midst of this, we find Dev Patel looking perplexed in his final confrontation with his arch-nemesis, General Jao. Perplexed, surely, because the script asserts that this important piece of the story never actually happens... a change akin to having Gandalf face the fiery Balrog in the Mines of Moria and walking away while a wandering band of dwarves hack the hoary monster to bits.

At the end, Aang saves the day, in a display of power that promises much, but falls oddly impotent, washing away as the Fire Nation fleet and most of the audience flee in disgust. Some parents may leave with the feeling that they've given their kids a good show, but all the kids I've talked to so far hate the movie even more than I do.

As the movie ends with the half-hearted smirk of Aang's future antagonist, the Fire Princess Azula, who seems to be just as fearful as the audience at the thought of a sequel, we're left with the uneasy knowledge that it's a sure thing. And as Shyamalan is not only the director and writer of the film, but also the producer, it is almost certain that he'll remain be at the helm, to steer it even further off course than he already has.

Driving in Inclement Weather

Now that the dust has settled from Typhoon Basyang, it's probably time to address the issue of what to do when it's stormy out. Here's some tips:

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Before you drive:


1. If you know that a storm is coming and can avoid going out, stay in. Park the car in a spot where it is safe from flooding and falling branches or electrical/telephone poles. If you cannot find a high spot, disconnect the battery and jack up the front end to keep the engine and engine electronics as high as possible. If the rear carpeting on your vehicle gets wet, that's an inconvenience. If the electronics get wet, that's a problem.

2. If your trip is necessary, plan your route and know which streets are less prone to flooding. Also bring contingency money in case you get stuck somewhere and either have to wait it out or call for a tow.

3. Check your car before you leave. Ensure that you have more than enough fuel to make the trip, even if you get stuck in gridlock. Make sure that your car is in good condition, with a complete set of tools. Having a 24-hour tow service number saved on your (fully charged) cellphone is also a good idea.

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During the drive:


1. Drive slowly, drive gently. You can't avoid a falling tree at 140 km/h in the dark.

1. You should always, always know the flood-fording capacity of your vehicle.

If the fording height is not available from the manufacturer, lift your hood and find your airbox (where the air filter is). Look at the tubes connected to it. The the tube from the airbox that is open to the air is called the snorkel or intake tube.

The height of this tube indicates the theoretical maximum height of water you can ford in the car. A good rule of thumb is to NOT cross water that is less than six inches below the snorkel height, as bow waves from passing trucks and buses can raise the water level to the intake level.

Many people have bought SUVs assuming they can ford deep water... only to be sorely disappointed when their car dies in the middle of a crossing that the carbureted taxi in front of them successfully completed.

2. When in doubt, don't. If you are not sure how deep the water is (because no one else is crossing) or are unsure if your vehicle will make it through, back out and find another way. Saving yourself a few hours of waiting is never worth destroying your vehicle or endangering your life.

3. A note for trucks with high ground clearance and/or snorkels. Just because you can ford water that's three feet deep, doesn't mean you should. If a drainage canal or river sweeps over a bridge, it may have the power to carry you off the bridge and out into the water. Your SUV may weigh two tons, but guess what? The passenger cabin is full of air, and that makes it float. Anything that floats can be carried away by a strong current.

4. If you are stuck in traffic or a low-lying area and it becomes obvious that the water will cover the car, disconnect the battery (and, if you can, remove the ECU (electronic control unit)), and make for higher ground. Having the battery disconnected will help prevent a short circuit caused by water penetration from frying your ECU. Congratulations, you've just saved around fifty thousand bucks in repairs.


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After The Flood

1. If your car forded the water successfully and experienced no cabin leakage, check all fluids and suspension parts. Water can still leak into your engine oil or gear oil, and it can contaminate bearings and CV Joints.

2. If your car has been inundated by flood, do not attempt to start it. Have it inspected by a mechanic or electrician. Change all fluids and dry out all electronic sensors and systems thoroughly before even attempting this. Some vehicles have water resistant ECUs. Others don't. But even if the ECU is water sealed, there's no guarantee that everything else is. This includes sensors in the engine bay, electronics in the dashboard and various electrical couplings throughout the vehicle.

3. You may also want to take apart your seats and carpet and lay them out in the sun to dry. If the flood water contained mud, you will want to take the vehicle to a professional to disassemble the dashboard and doors to clean out everything thoroughly.

Automotive Market Recovery is Both Encouraging and Depressing

Sales figures are in for the first half of 2010, and it appears that the market is starting to recover.

CAMPI stats page

US sales, first half, 2010


Sales are good for many manufacturers both locally and in the US, which is a good sign... but depressingly... worryingly, most of those sales are... you guessed it... for big vehicles.

Not that I'm against people needing or buying big cars. It's your money. Do what you want. But the plain fact of the matter is: People don't seem to have learned their lesson. Fuel economy matters. Fuel prices are not going to stay at this low level for long... and when oil goes back to the $100 per barrel level, as the Chinese economy picks up steam again, people are going to start panicking and bitching about it. Get over it. It's your own damn fault.

Just look at US sales. The Honda Jazz/Fit is down. The hybrid market is showing a small downturn. In local sales... the top three spots are all taken up by SUVs... one of which wasn't even available in diesel at the start of its run (the Tucson).

First Quarter Sales, Philippines, 2010

The electric contingent also seems to have lost some steam. Tesla just released its IPO this week. It went up and down faster than you can say "What-the-..." Not that Tesla has ever been more than two steps above vaporware, but general sentiment and interest in alternative energy vehicles is not as bullish as it once was.

I wish I could say that we've learned our lessons from the disaster that was 2008-2009. But apparently we haven't. And we seem bound to repeat this vicious boom-bust cycle all over again. Will people ever learn?

So... did you sleep through the 2010 F1 European GP at Valencia?

Red Bull's Mark Webber sure did, snoozing off the starting line and falling far back... before executing an airborne assault on a hapless DHL sign off the back of Hekki Kovalainen's Lotus.

I'm sure Fernando Alonso wished he had, after the heartbreak of being one of the only two drivers caught behind the resulting safety car. (The other being his Ferrari team-mate Felipe Massa). Needless to say, the Spaniard was livid, especially since McLaren's Lewis Hamilton, just a second ahead of him, took time out of deciding whether or not to pass the safety car to wag his tail at him. Just to, you know, piss him off. Because we all know Lewis and Fernando just love playing with each other.

Other than that, and an almost race-ending clash between the two wonder boys, Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel and Hamilton (boy, did he have an eventful race), it was the typical Valencia snooze-fest. To the point where people are talking about overhauling the circuit for next year. And not just people, but, y'know... people.

The most excitement, actually, was generated when Fernando Alonso had an apoplectic attack on air as Ferrari told him that finally, the stewards had decided to penalize Lewis for his borderline illegal overtake of the safety car (it would have been legal if he hadn't spent an extra millisecond mooning Alonso), and that Lewis's penalty had lost him exactly zero places.

And it only got worse, as other drivers who sped under the safety car got a mere 5 second penalty for this action. Alonso's fair-minded and faithful following of safety car rules landed him in ninth... promoted slightly to eight after the penalties were assigned. Maranello was not amused.

As Ferrari and Fernando continue a conspiracy theory assault on the ears of all and any who will listen, the FOTA looks at clarifying safety car rules... but really... the whining has got to stop. As if Fernando or Ferrari are completely innocent of racing shenanigans in their long and colorful (but separate) histories in F1...

What price, economy?

A lot of people seem to consider greenhouse emissions consideration numero uno in guiding the direction in which automakers need to go in the future. As a happy coincidence, lower carbon dioxide emissions also equate to greater fuel economy.

And yet, the alternatives available to consumers to lower emissions and increase economy are either unpalatable to the common consumer or too expensive.

A car like the Suzuki Alto will get you up to and over the 30 km/l mark, but concerns over safety and useable space turn off buyers looking for something more like their Toyota Corolla.

A Toyota Prius will also do over 30 km/l, but it's twice as expensive as said Corolla, as well.

In Europe, buyers have long had the diesel option, yet locally, diesel cars are the exception, rather than the norm. While modern common rail diesel SUVs and compact SUVs are quite popular, diesel cars are less so. The trouble is that modern diesel cars cost more than their gasoline counterparts. Only Hyundai and Ford are bothering to attack this market. While Ford has the benefit of a local factory, which gets them tax breaks, Hyundai has to make do with CBU (completely built up) units from Korea.

Which is why the Elantra never really got off the ground. Will the i30 be any different? One would hope so. The i30 doesn't break any new ground as a motor vehicle per se, but the economy of that 1.6 liter diesel cannot be denied.

EDIT: As an aside: Why do people always seem to think that journalist review economy is any different from user economy? It's not like we go out of our way to game a car's economy to make it look great. Far from it, in fact. Most "motoring journalists" drive like maniacs.

Just because I get higher numbers than you doesn't mean I don't know anything about measuring economy (in fact, quite the opposite)... it just means my route is less congested than yours and that I drive gentler.

No two people will ever get the same economy. I don't get the same economy on different days. On the Focus TDCi, for example, I got as low as 7 km/l on one 3 kilometer school run (though this was done long after the review), averages of 11-13 km/l in traffic on our regular 20 kilometer commute, 9-11 km/l in heavy traffic on a 15 kilometer trip, and 20 km/l on the highway.

Some people see the highway numbers, do a run in rush hour traffic, taking an hour to go just two or three kilomters, and think we're pulling these numbers out of our butts. We're not. Your driving route sucks. Buy a bicycle and get over it.

Seriously... unless you're driving for little kids or old ladies... what's wrong with walking or biking?

How badly does smuggling hurt the Philippine car market?

This came up in an online debate a while back. And when the subject comes up, people always point to the 2003 numbers, which show that over 50% of "new" cars registered in the Philippines were not sold by the local Car Manufacturer's Association (CAMPI). Since I heard that, I figured I'd look it up.

Citation for article in question (link).

2003 was the first year after the ban on vehicle importation via the Subic Freeport. Thus the built-up stockpile of "legal" imports was still incredibly large. This helps explain the large numbers, in part. But more on that later.

Yet there are still complaints of "technical smuggling". So I decided to find out what the current figures are.

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CAMPI* production figures: (link)

1,219 Truck/Bus
2027 Light trucks (includes large SUVs, but also cargo trucks)
52708 LCV (light commercial vehicles, includes small SUVs and pickups)
30,262 AUV
46,228 Passenger cars

Total: 132,444

*does not include assembled Jeepneys, Multi-cab Jeepney conversions, products from smaller manufacturers (Norkis, Chery, Chana, Foton, Haima, ectera) and various "legal" grey market brand-new imports

If we exclude trucks and buses, which are exempted from the import ban, we get a figure closer to this:

CAMPI Total: 131,225

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LTO Registrations: 2009* (link)

2,833 Trailer
2,679 Bus
18,711 Truck

31,516 SUV
83,645 Commercial

46,038 Passenger Cars

Total: 185,422

*May not accurately reflect total number of "new" cars on the road due to delays in registration, double-registration, dropping of commercial plates for private and vice-versa, re-registration of carnapped vehicles with false papers, and the fact that some smuggled vehicles will not be registered.

If we exclude trucks and buses, which are exempted from the import ban, we get a figure closer to this:

LTO Registrations, Total: 161,199

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Discrepancy between LTO and CAMPI figures:

LTO: 161,199
CAMPI: 132,444

Difference: 29,974

Granted, neither figures are completely accurate, but it gives us a ballpark figure to work with.

Now, CAMPI is composed of 18 automakers, yet there are no separate figures for Chery, CATS, Chana, Foton, FAW, Greatwall, Norkis, Motor Image and other small players are not yet included in the 2009 report. Also not included are locally assembled vehicles and legal brand new imports sold by distributors like Pitstop, Emperor and other concerns.

Let's say CATS has sales of around 200-400, Motor Image around 600, Chery maybe around 600 or so. Foton, FAW, Chana, Norkis and Greatwall are too small (right now) to matter... but maybe sell around 200-400 altogether. Add legal brand-new imports by small shops and OFW-imported vehicles, and a conservative estimate of these "non-smuggled" registrations is around 3000 vehicles. (may be higher, but NOBODY posts statistics regarding returning OFW vehicle importation and backyard assemblers)

Difference: 26,974 (approx.)

Which is a large number, certainly, but far from the over 100,000 vehicle discrepancy from 2003.

CAMPI 2003 Figures (link)

Part of that huge discrepancy is undoubtedly due to the legality of Subic Imports. Sales of legally imported Subic vehicles did not stop in 2003 after the ban, since there was a large backlog of these vehicles on importers lots.

Part of it can also be attributed to the difference in make-up of the CAMPI. Ford-Mazda only joined recently, and they're good for around 8000 units a year. HARI was admitted in 2004 and they're good (currently) for around 11,000 units a year. Before HARI was incorporated... and even today, imported brand-new Starexes were a hot item on the market.

Hyundai Automotive Resources, Inc. History (link)

It's interesting to note that 2003 was an especially good year for AUVs, with 2003 sales exceeding that of 2009 sales by nearly 9000 units (for this purpose, the absence of Ford doesn't matter... all three major AUV manufacturers are CAMPI members). Those with keen memories will recall that the AUV tax exemption pushed many people to drop passenger cars in favor of AUVs at that time, and Honda was selling the 10-seater "AUV" CR-V at this time, also. 2003 was just before the dropping of AUV tax exemptions.

I will try to find a way to get proper statistics from the LTO for 2003, since they don't break down registrations by motor vehicle type in their online statistics. It would be interesting to know how much of that 90,000 unit figure is composed of ban-exempt trucks (2009: over 20,000 trucks registered were NOT built locally brand-new) and how much was sourced from legitimate brand-new importers and manufacturers who were non-CAMPI members.

As it is, I can only give a guess-timate that around 20,000 of those 100,000 vehicles were (ban-exempt) trucks, around 7000 were Ford-Mazdas, around 6000-7000 were probably HARI. That leaves a discrepancy of maybe 70,000 vehicles or less.

Which, granted, is a huge number. But unless the LTO releases accurate records or someone goes through those records one by one, the number of "SUV-ics" included therein will remain unknown. An even bigger unknown is how many of those were smuggled and how many were properly declared. We may never know.

Encouragingly, it points to the government's current drive being somewhat effective at restraining the informal trade of vehicles, if the numbers have dropped to nearly 1/4th that of 2003 levels. ;)

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Hence:
CAMPI Sales, 2009 (non-truck/bus): 131,225
LTO Registrations, 2009 (non-truck/bus/MC): 161,199

Difference: 29,974

Non-CAMPI manufacturer sales: 2000+ (an even more conservative estimate)

Thus: 27,974 units, approximately, not sourced from manufacturers, includes locally assembled "backyard" units, OFW imports, legal brand-new grey market units and smuggled units.

This is 15% of all "brand new" LTO registrations.

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It's unknown whether smuggling and the Subic import phenomenon depressed the local market, delayed recovery, or merely indicated that people simply did not have the budget to buy brand new vehicles after the Asian Economic Crisis of the 90's. And, indeed, brand new registrations are still a fraction of total registrations (taking into account the new 3-year LTO cycle).

Encouragingly, though, it suggests that the government's drive against smuggling may be having a positive effect, but unless statistics gathering is made more comprehensive, we might not know the total cost of smuggling on our local car industry, and whether calls for stricter anti-importation measures are really necessary, or detrimental to the fortunes of local assemblers, traders and consumers.

2010 Montreal GP, ey?

After last weekend's exciting romp across Montreal, I think the FIA would do well to propose that at least half of next year's F1 races be held on freshly-paved track. The 'green' surface of the Giles Villeneuve circuit provided for one of the most exciting races ever, with drivers struggling for grip on the high-speed, low-downforce track and wearing down even the notoriously durable Bridgestone "hard" prime tires down in just over a dozen laps.

It was a sweet victory for Lewis Hamilton, his maiden win and McLaren's first 1-2 of the season. He did it all last weekend, setting a blistering pace in qualifying that the other front-runners struggled to match, and performing a "hero lap" to clinch pole after his early time was eclipsed late in the third session of qualifying as the track rubbered in... on a car running on fumes and on the wrong end of the wear curve on the "soft" option tires.

The race didn't always go his way. Ferrari's Fernando Alonso was on his tailbone for almost the entire race. Those option tires wore down very quickly, and he saw the lead cushion he built up over the Red Bull Racing cars evaporate as Mark Webber overtook him down the main straight... As Mark Webber's Red Bull Racing car zoomed past, Lewis dived into the pits and changed onto the prime tires, and Alonso did the same.

Alonso beat Lewis out of the pits by fractions, and Lewis raced him to the line. He eventually had to settle behind the Spaniard as they chased down the Red Bulls. It soon became evident that the hard tires on the Red Bulls were wearing out incredibly quickly, and they also had to pit. When the dust settled and all the pits had worked themselves out, Mark Webber was in the lead on a long stint in the hards, having made up places all the way to first after a gearbox penalty dropped him from P2 to P7 on raceday; Vettel's RBR had fallen afoul of Jenson Button's Mclaren, the Brit making up time for graining his tires early on in the race; and Lewis Hamilton had overtaken Alonso on a daring dive behind Sebastian Buemi, who was actually racing them for position (Indeed, the Torro Rosso's performance in this race would be headline material if it weren't for all the other drama going on).

Mark Webber had built up a thirteen second gap, but unfortunately would be forced to go onto the soft tires at his next pit stop. He heroically tried to preserve his tires, but it soon became apparent that nothing of the sort would be possible. They were cut to ribbons. Hamilton and Alonso zoomed past him, and after his pits, he had to settle for a distant fourth place. Button, through canny tire conservation, caught up with Alonso and Hamilton, and through backmarker traffic, in which the Spaniard struggled to keep up with Lewis, Button pounced, taking second place from Alonso.

With Hamilton and Button sewing up first and second and Alonso in third, Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel had to settle for fourth and fifth. Vettel, in frustration, asked if he could at least go for "fastest lap", but was informed that his gearbox was on the brink of failure, and that he'd have to take it easy to the checkered flag.

Elsewhere in the order, chaos reigned. Renault's Vitaly Petrov suffered two drive-through penalties, one from a jump-start and one from a collision. Felipe Massa in the other Ferrari fell afoul of a Force India sandwich. Renault's Robert Kubica and Mercedes GP's Michael Schumacher traded paint as Kubica tried to overtake Michael, who was coming out of the pits. Both Saubers failed, and a lot of nose-cones were replaced in frantic pitstops.

After a disastrous start, and an even more disastrous collision with Schumacher, Massa managed to earn some distinction for performing perhaps the best overtake of the day, going three abreast into a chicane. The Force Indias, after falling back down in the order, with Liuzzi replacing his nosecone twice, managed to clinch ninth and tenth by passing a struggling Schumacher... whose many battles and collisions earned him the nickname "Dick Dastardly". I think it'll stick.

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Red Bull Racing downplayed the loss, as many both inside and outside the organization are aware that Montreal is perhaps the track least suited to an RBR that relies on good aerodynamics. In fact, going by the slow motion replays showing relative tire wear, the Ferrari appears to be the car best suited to the high-speed circuit. And yet, McLaren has been pushing them hard for the last few races, and in Turkey, was able to push Vettel to the edge. In this race, McLaren's performance was utterly dominant, with the car a clear two to three-tenths faster than anything else given the same track conditions in qualifying. Whether that results in absolute parity on tracks which favor the RBR is unknown, but the signs are surely pointing in that direction.

Chevrolet Captiva: Who needs Sat-Nav?

Yeah, like you're actually going to do that while taking the kids to school.

Going by what automakers lend us as test units, you'd think that all people are interested in nowadays are SUVs or crossovers. In a country characterized by seasonal typhoons, flash floods, man-eating potholes and cheap diesel, there's probably a good reason for that. But for me and my three and a half person household (I count as two, my daughter counts as half), there's such a thing as too much space.

Of course, I'm not going to complain about shoulder room here. No, that's a topic for another time. But driving with a SatNav-equipped Chevrolet Captiva for a week has got me thinking:

Who needs SatNav?



Granted, it's convenient if you're going someplace you don't know. But how often do you do that? Five to six days a week, we're driving to the same old places. Once a week, we'll go out and do something fun. Probably at the mall, which you can see from kilometers away... maybe leagues away at night when the neon goes on.

Maybe once a month, or, when financially constrained, once every few months, we'll go out on vacation. At that point, SatNav might be useful.

So would a map.

Besides, getting lost is half the fun, isn't it? I've found the neatest restaurants, the most curious little shops... the most interesting backyard museums, exhibits, yard sales, whatever... just by getting lost.

In the meantime, on my daily commute, I will be driving on the exact same roads I always drive, even though the SatNav wants me to get off the highway several kilometers too early (despite being told to prioritize highway routes). And I will end up at the exact same places, even if the SatNav keeps telling me my office is in the middle of a cemetery, for some reason.

Oh well.

Aside from these small niggles, the Captiva was a nice, if utterly inoffensive car. Not my cup of tea. I like my cars obnoxiously loud, stiff and rudely powerful.

Ocean's Thirteen... the Subic jinx

Someone up there must really have it in for me.

Every time I drive up to Subic, something interesting happens.

More specifically, every time I drive to Ocean Adventure Park in Subic, something interesting happens to me.

Ocean Adventure just happens to be the only open-water marine park in all of SouthEast Asia. It features dolphin shows, a sea-lion act, diving shows, etcetera. And it lies just a dozen kilometers or so away from Subic Freeport.

The first time I passed through the area, simply to scope the place out, I was driving a Hyundai Getz test unit... a diesel one... and that car had a host of issues... bad diesel... wobbly engine mounts, tires worn almost bald.

The second time I went, on a lark with some friends, my Ford Lynx developed third-gear pop-out. Sure, it had been grinding third gear for the previous 60,000 kilometers, but I think the dozens of full-bore third-gear downshifts on the highway as we cycled between 80 and 225 km/h had something to do with it. And we never got to go inside... we simply went down to Meat Plus at the Freeport for breakfast.

Third time's the charm. This time, I joined a package tour, and spent the trip there in restful bliss on a nice, big bus. Left with my wife and kid at five in the morning, and had a wonderful time. Sure, we were herded like cattle between shows, and packed like sardines at the venues, but it was fun. Enough fun to drain my digital camera's batteries at the end of the day.


Oh... who lives in a pineapple under the sea?


Relaxing trip!


Coincidentally, the Mini club were doing a Baguio run at the same time. Nice.


The diving act was rather nice...


Batman decides to escape the heat with a quick dip...


Lots of superheroes at the park. here's Superman taking a bath...


One serious advantage of an open-water park over a place like SeaWorld is that tricks like this are easier to pull off given the extra space. Both this and the previous trick were performed by a Pilot whale.


Many of these dolphins were saved from fishing nets.


That was a looooong day trip.

What was I saying again? Oh, yeah... third time's the charm. The bus had developed a knocking sound on the way to Ocean Adventure Park. They "fixed" it at the Subic Freeport, a few kilometers away. On the way home, the knocking came back... and the bus dropped its propeller shaft just a hundred meters short of the Subic-Tipo toll road.

Ouch.


Fixed?


Apparently not.

Turns out the knocking sound was a worn linkage, which they attenpted to repair by welding more material onto the ends of the rods. Now, obviously... or at least obvious to anyone who's shorn a drive-axle while drag-racing... that's not going to work. At least not very long. And yup, the repair lasted all of twenty kilometers.



The back-up shuttle picked us up at the new Total gas station (conveniently located right beside the exit... in the middle of nowhere) at nearly nine in the evening. We got home at around midnight.


Whatinheck is a Daewoo Classia?


Terrible location for a station... thank goodness it was there.

I suppose next time I go to Ocean Adventure, I'll suffer an engine-blowout? Gotta make sure it's not my car we're using next time, then.

For those who aren't absolutely jinxed, though, I'd recommend the trip if you're in the Subic area. It's an interesting way to spend a day.

2010 Ford Fiesta Launch

I suppose I've been remiss in not writing about the Turkish GP, but the shock of what happened during the race has kept me off this subject for long enough that even Webber and Vettel seem to have put the incident behind them... or maybe not...

http://f1.gpupdate.net/en/formula-1-news/236241/red-bull-bury-the-hatchet/


If that actually looks like sincere contrition on Vettel's face, I'm a monkey's uncle. In the meantime, the forums and blogs are abuzz with conspiracy theories that Mark's jedi mind tricks managed to warp time and space so that it only appears that he's driving straight down the track and Vettel is running into him, instead of the other way around. Sneaky Aussie...

Anyway, good boost for Hamilton, who, at this point in the season, seeems to be the only one even close to Red Bull's pace.



In the meantime, we attended the Ford Fiesta car launch the other day. And by launch, we mean sneak-sneak-sneak preview... with the car hermetically sealed so that we can't smudge the paint. It'd be a bad sign, considering Ford showed the previous Fiesta a few years ago (and actually let you stick your nose up to the heavily tinted windows on the right-hand drive test car) but never followed through... BUT... Ford has committed to selling the car.

In October. Ouch.

To make up for the long wait, Ford has bribed us auto-journalists with toy Fiestas.

I love it.





In the meantime, we've got a zillion launches to attend this week... including the new Cayennes and the facelifted Nissan X-Trail. There's simply no rest for the wicked.

2010 Monaco GP, Formula 1

An eventful GP this weekend, and for a lot of reasons.

Red Bull Racing went into Monaco on a high after having won at Spain, and they continue their streak of pole positions here with an impressive dominating performance in qualifying, with only Robert Kubica's Renault on the same pace. Fernando Alonso could only watch passively during qualifying, as his ultra-quick Ferrari, which was the only other car as quick as the leaders, bit the dust in the last practice session. He would be starting from the pits.

RBR's Mark Webber ran a wonderful race from the start, putting his stamp on the race by pulling away from his team-mate Vettel, who outdragged Robert Kubica into the first corner. Massa's Ferrari and Hamilton's McLaren pulled up the rear of the front-running pack at the start. Schumacher, Rosberg, Button and Hulkenberg lost out in the scuffle, but the pack was away from the first corner safely. Unfortunately, chaos ensued as Nico Hulkenberg, experiencing problems with his wing and clutch, shredded his Williams along the barriers in the tunnel. Fernando Alonso took this opportunity to pit on the very first lap, from 24th, to change from the soft option tires to the harder prime tires, which would get him all the way to the checkered flag.

Jenson Button's championship lead went up in a puff of smoke behind the first safety car, his McLaren burning itself out in the sluggish air and heat behind the safety car, McLaren's first engine failure of the season.

As soon as the green flags came out, Alonso began cutting up backmarkers, doing daring overtakes on less experienced F1 drivers into the downhill chicane out of the tunnel, sometimes on successive laps, making his way up to 16th. Alonso's pace prompted all the mid-pack drivers to change strategies, as they realized that they might not have enough time to pit and stay out in front of Alonso. A flurry of early pitstops ensued, but it was all for naught, Alonso was back in the top ten after the first round of pits, then up to P6 when everything sorted itself out.

This would trouble the top five little, however, as after the pittops for the front-runners worked themselves out, status quo remained, with Webber comfortably in the lead and piling on lap after blistering lap in front of Vettel. Perhaps he was trying to prove something.

And we would see Mark do this over and over again, as the race was punctuated by safety cars. While some of the backmarkers and lower-midfileders had to park their cars in the runoff or in the pits with mechanical problems, there were a number of spectacular failures. Barrichelo, en route to a fine result in the other Williams, having worked his way to 6th in the first lap scuffle, had his rear suspension disintegrate on him, bringing out another safety. He's sure to be docked some money on his paycheck, as he threw his steering wheel out into the track on disgust, where it was picked up by a passing HRT car.

By the 40th lap, everyone was comfortably where they would be till the end of the race, and the results seemed set in stone, but a loose drain cover forced another safety car. By this point of the race, Mercedes executives must have been jumping for joy. The sonorous exhaust note of the new gullwing Mercedes SLS AMG is sure to have sold at least a few dozen cars. After the third restart, Webber again pulled out a lead, and Vettel came under attack from Kubica. Alonso was also trying to put pressure on Hamilton, who was suffering from a brake issue (and quibbling with his pit wall about it). Yet near the end of the race, it became apparent that none of these battles would pan out. Vettel started picking up pace and despite Hamilton dropping pace from Massa due to his braking issues, Alonso didn't have the tires to take him on.

And then, with four laps to go, an incident between Trulli and Chandok almost ruined Mark Webber's race. Right at Rascasse, with Webber pulling up behind them, Chandok ran slightly wide, and Jarno made a move to pass the HRT on the inside line, which just happened to be several inches narrower than his Lotus. Wheels touched, and Jarno's car went over Chandok's head, taking a few layers of paint off of Chandok's helmet in the process. A horrified Mark Webber later stated that he thought that Trulli's car had taken Chandok's head off, since he couldn't see it. As it turns out, Chandok had seen the Lotus jump into the air, and ducked just in the nick of time.

The safety car finally came in at the end of the very last lap (selling a dozen more SLSs...), allowing the runners to cross the finish line at racing speed. Alonso's tired Ferrari moved a few millimeters too wide crossing the safety car line and Michael Schumacher took a bold lunge up the inside to just steal sixth place from him.

A place that he had to return, as despite new ruling allowing racing after the safety car line at the pit entrance, the old rule enforcing the "no racing until the finish line" was still in force in the event that the safety car comes in on the last lap. The 20 second penalty demotes Schumacher to 12th. Mercedes is appealing the decision right now.

But the big headline is Mark Webber's dominating performance at Monaco, and both Red Bull drivers now have a joint share of the driver's championship lead. Red Bull Racing is also now leading the constructor's championship by a healthy margin, taking over from McLaren. Ferrari's strong showing, despite Alonso's misfortune, puts them ahead of Mclaren by five points. Alonso is also now third in the driver's championship, overtaking Jenson Button, whose unfortunate turn puts him in fourth.

An Exercise in Breaking the Unbroken

I'm pretty sure every gearhead on the planet will have heard the news by now that Ferrari has broken the seven minute barrier for production road cars at the Nurburgring with its 599XX.

No, wait... I meant to say.. the seven minute barrier for production-based road cars... since the 599XX is a limited edition only technology test-bed.

Well, what I really meant to say was... the seven minute barrier for production-based, non-road legal cars... since the 599XX isn't road legal, either. And it's not homologated for race use and doesn't meet the restrictions for any current race class.

Was there a point to all this, really? Someone wake me up when Nissan breaks that record with a 1000 horsepower GT-R with a carbon-fiber body and slicks.

Sex, Lies and Statistics

It perpetually astounds me when people cite numbers like horsepower, power-to-weight ratio, displacement, lateral g’s, top speed and 0-60 times as reasons to declare a car “desirable”.

You can’t fall in love with statistics. Numbers are meaningless.

Repeat after me: Numbers are meaningless.


Numbers like 36-24-36. Ideal numbers, maybe. I can’t get excited about a number like that, because it’s an objective measurement, not a metric for beauty. That number could describe anyone from Charlize Theron to Oprah Winfrey. (seriously)

In the same way, performance numbers for a car are relatively meaningless. Granted, anything that can hit 60 mph from a stop under six seconds is bound to be brisk. But there’s brisk and there’s exciting. A 747 taking off is brisk. A rodeo horse leaping out of the gates is exciting.

A top speed of 250+ km/h sounds great... but if you’re doing it in a 7-series, it can be downright boring. Doing just 150 km/h in a rickety-rackety little Alto will have your life flashing before your eyes.

Maybe it’s a bit hypocritical of me to be saying this, as one who goes to great pains to record acceleration and economy numbers in his regular work reviewing cars. But I measure these things only for completeness. I’m more interested in the driving experience than the numbers.

It’s the things that can’t be described by numbers that define the motoring experience. What you see, feel, touch and smell... these are the things that matter.

It’s with this in mind that I enjoyed my time with the new Mazda Miata immensely. The pre-facelift NC was slightly... disappointing. It didn’t sound right. The steering felt numb. The car cornered like a champ, but felt ever-so-slightly soft and waffly. Granted, it got a lot of things right. It felt quick on the highway, even at legal speeds, it was tightly screwed-together and it looked and felt the part.

But even though it was better than the older NA and NB cars by every conceivable metric (over two seconds faster to 100 km/h, more powerful, more grip, better lap times), by the one metric that really matters, the experiential metric, it fell somewhat short.

This new car solves all that. Through a host of mechanical upgrades, the new Mazda Miata becomes more organic than its predecessor. It corners better, it communicates better and it sounds better.

You could make a thousand horsepower and still get the sound wrong. A Veyron is many things, but it’s not necessarily musical, not in the same way a Pagani Zonda is musical. And that musicality makes it much more desirable. Now an MX-5 can't approach the tunefulness of a V12 supercar, but it's a wonderful sound, nonetheless, and makes it more desirable than before.

It’s desire that separates the new MX-5 from the old. The old car was one you could respect, but the new one finally stirs the loins the way a sportscar should. It’s sharp, yes, but it’s not just that. The steering chatters at you now, the front and rear ends of the car feel better tied together, more in harmony. Mazda constantly harps on about jinba ettai, the horse and rider ethic that the MX-5 represents, but the old horse was slightly aloof. This new one is as talkative as Mister Ed. It has personality.

It’s personality that makes a car. It’s personality that keeps me and hundreds of thousands of enthusiasts driving our old cars despite the bevy of new models that come out on the market each year. Not that I haven’t found any new cars with personality, but after each first date, we’ve never really gotten past first base. I’m still looking. Car and driver compatibility is something that can’t be conveyed by numbers or statistics. Something that you’ll only find out by going out and driving the car yourself.

Which is a good reason to go out now. Take advantage of the car show season, go out there, test drive and check out your choices. Just like dating, test drives are unpredictable. It may not be that 36-24-36 stunner you end up driving home with, but that mousy-haired little number sitting in the corner of the lot might just steal your heart away.