Brands Hatch Circuit, UK 　Round 1 and 2 of the British Formula Renault Championship were held at Brands Hatch Circuit in Kent The 2008 season of Formula Renault UK got underway at Brands Hatch Circuit. 19 years old Ryuji Yamamoto, entered for the second season with Nissan NISMO Scholarship backing, started the first race in the morning from 10th and finished in sixth place, a scant 0.009 seconds behind the fifth-placed finisher. Starting 8th in the afternoon race, he drove consistently to finish 5th. In the first race, he set the fastest lap of the race—a good start to the new season.

Brands Hatch is a circuit with many ups and downs, located approximately 32km south east of London. It is a very traditional circuit, and played host to F1’s British Grand Prix until 1986. The Formula Renault races use the short course at 1.1986 miles (approx. 1.918km) per lap.

Yamamoto qualified for the first race in 10th. However, he was only 0.294 seconds from pole position, with an identical time as the 9th-place starter, and 0.02 seconds behind 8th. It was an even closer race than last year.

At 10am, the 24-lap race began. Alexander Sims (UK), starting in pole position fell behind, while Yamamoto grabbed a good start to finish the first lap in 9th position. He then had tail-to-nose three way battles with rival from last season, Adriano Buzaido (Brazil) and Sho Hanawa (Japan). Yamamoto continued to keep 0.1 to 0.2 seconds ahead of his rivals who are ahead of him. On lap 13, all three were side-by-side on the home straight, then Yamamoto passed both rivals at the roller coaster-like down hill first corner after the straight and moved up to 7th.

On the 16th lap, Yamamoto moved up to 6th with recording his best time, a 47.507. He then upped his pace every lap from there. On lap 17, he set an even faster time of 47.341. On laps 19 and 22, he recorded faster times yet again, shrinking the 5 second gap between him and Chris Loaan (UK) to 0.7 seconds, while waiting for a chance to pass. In the end, he took the chequered flag a mere 0.009 seconds behind Chris, but enjoying this race and the confidence he gained from this intense race is a huge step.

In the second race there weren’t as many changes in the order, but Yamamoto battled with Sims, who took pole position in the first race and Jordan Oakes (UK), who started from 4th in the qualifying race. Mid-race,Yamamoto passed Oakes on the 16th lap, to go up to 5th spot. He hung on to the position and took the chequered flag.

Ryuji Yamamoto: “We learned after analyzing the results of the practice sessions and qualify that lower tire pressure makes for better machine balance during the race, so we set the pressure low for the first round. The car in front seemed to have good grip from the start (since he had high tire pressure) but I fought hard to drive at a faster pace. In the latter parts of the race, our tactic was proved correct and we were faster about a second per lap, so I was able to drive calmly. The battle was intense, but it was a great race. It’s a much better start of the season than last year, when I began with a retirement. I feel like I can keep this up this season. I came in 6th and 5th today. If I make an effort to constantly complete the races, I think I can reach the top step of the podium soon.” NISSAN Driver Development Program (NISSAN D.D.P.) In 2006, Nissan, Toyota, and Honda established a new formula car series (single-seater machines, like in F1), Formula Challenge Japan (FCJ), with the vision of educating young drivers to become world class competitors. At the same time, Nissan and the two other makers started a scholarship program for several drivers. In 2006 and 2007, Nissan supported 4 drivers.

The inaugural season of FCJ in 2006, saw Yamamoto 2nd overall, having scored the same number of points as the champion (the difference being the number of wins). Same as last year, he received an Advance Scholarship, a program unique to Nissan, to participate in the Formula Renault UK championship in Britain this year as well. This category uses formula cars built from a chassis made by Italian racing car maker Tatuus, with a 2000cc in-line 4 cylinder production engine of Renault. It is positioned one rank lower than F3 and is the same “middle formula” as FCJ.

For the 2008 season, Nissan/NISMO provides scholarships to 4 young drivers, carrying on from the previous season, supporting their participation in FCJ.

Source: Nissan Motor Co. Ltd.

A scale model of Nissan’s highly distinctive Pivo electric concept and several other of the company’s environmental technologies will be showcased at the “The Science of Survival” exhibition which opens Saturday April 5 at the prestigious Science Museum in London.

The thought-provoking and interactive exhibition explores how our lives could be affected by environmental changes and resource availability by 2050. The exhibition was developed in consultation with scientists and researchers and is co-sponsored by Nissan.

Throughout the exhibition, innovative objects gathered from around the world and fun, hands-on games and design activities enable visitors to explore how science and technology could be used to help us live more sustainably.

The quarter scale Pivo will be on display in the “Moving” area of the exhibition where visitors can discover new vehicle fuels for the future including electricity, hydrogen and biofuels made from plants. The zero-emission concept, which features a fully rotating cabin eliminating the need to reverse, was first unveiled at the Tokyo Motor Show in 2005.

Also on display in the same area - Nissan’s compact laminated Lithium-ion Battery for electric vehicles, its Super Motor and part of a resin outer body panel. Super Motor offers greater power in a smaller packaging compared with conventional motors and has application potential for electric vehicles, as well as gasoline/electric hybrids and fuel cell vehicles. The resin outer body panel demonstrates how use of lighter body material could help save fuel in the future.

The Science of Survival” concept complements the Nissan Green Program 2010 which is focused on three core areas related to the environment: reducing CO2 emissions from Nissan’s products and activities around the world, reducing other exhaust emissions and accelerating recycling efforts.

The five-year exhibition is expected to visit 20 venues around the world and welcome about 4 million visitors.

Founded in 2005, “The Science of…” is a partnership between The Science Museum, London and Fleming Media of the UK. Its two previous exhibitions, “The Science of Spying” and “The Science of Aliens,” are well recognized for their innovative and creative approach to learning.

Source: Nissan Motor Co. Ltd.

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Satisfaction in the used car market is at a high, according to a new survey compiled by British Car Auctions (BCA).

The BCA Market Report 2007 found that 72% of used car drivers said that they were currently “very satisfied” with their purchase and a further 24% were “quite satisfied”.

According to Auto Express, these figures represent the highest level of satisfaction recorded in the used car market, which could mean that now is the time to buy for many looking for new vehicle.

According a recent survey by What Car in UK, Toyota Corollas was the most dependable used car among 26 auto makers & their 133 different models of vehicles. What Car the car media in UK- enlisted the top ten used cars build in UK in this reliability survey among used cars in UK, according to their performance?

The only non- Japanese car to hit the list of top ten used car was the German built BMW 3 Series Compact at number six.

Made in India auto-rickshaws better know in the world as tuk-tuks, could soon be ssen on the streets of London if an application by a company to run a fleet in the West End is successful.

Tuc Tuc Ltd, the brainchild of entrepreneur Dominic Ponniah, has been running a fleet of same auto-rickshaws in the seaside town of Brighton since July 2006.

The fleet, imported from Pune, runs on compressed natural gas (CNG).

Now the company is all set to introduce the vehicle in London.

Transport for London, the organization responsible for transport matters, is considering an application for a fleet of auto-rickshaws to operate in the West End.

The auto-rickshaws imported by the company from India have a stronger chassis, cushioned headrests, reinforced exits and seat belts to improve safety.

They also have TV screens showing news and ad.

Each auto-rickshaw allowed to operate in Brighton was tested to satisfy the requirements of the vehicle and Operator Service Agency.

Transport for London is expected to consult local councils and the Metropolitan Police before granting permission.