Summer’s on the way and hopefully we’ll be able to get a little pleasure driving done before the autumn sets in. To add to the fun Fidanza, Americaʼs leading performance flywheel specialist, has a direct replacement lightweight aluminium flywheel to improve the performance of the classic Triumph Spitfire 1500 and GT-6.
The Fidanza 172551 aluminium flywheel replaces the heavy standard flywheel and improves the power-to-weight ratio thus making the engine more responsive and improving performance and acceleration.
The Fidanza aluminium flywheel is made from high-quality machined 6061 T6 aluminium with a 1050 steel friction surface, CNC machined fastener holes and chamfers with military grade fasteners. The friction surface of the flywheel (shown with its green protective coating in the image) is a replaceable steel plate, so when the surface eventually becomes worn it can be replaced without requiring a new flywheel.
Every Fidanza flywheel application is a unique design that has taken into account the overall balance, critical clearances, tensile strength, heat dissipation and optimum weight saving that strikes a careful balance between reducing the original weight and maintaining a smooth idle for day-to-day street driving.
The classic air-cooled, rear engined VW Beetle was always a noisy beast and heat from the rear engine could make rear seat passengers quite uncomfortable. As with most classic cars from this era, insulation from road noise was the preserve of the likes of Rolls Royce and Bentley; drivers of ‘everyday’ cars just had to learn to live with it.
Now, heat and noise management specialists DEI has come up with a kit that tackles all these problems head on to give classic Beetle owners a ride more akin to modern cars.
The kit features DEI’s premium D-Mat™ insulation paired with Boom Mat sound-damping material to address both heat and noise problems. The ultra-lightweight D-Mat layer covers firewalls, headliners and other areas with a superior heat barrier, while the peel-and-stick Boom Mat material eliminates unwanted engine and road noise and damps vibrations.The kit’s components are CNC-cut for precise fitment and ease of installation.
DEI kit no. 51420 is suitable for both the standard VW Beetle (1950-’72) and the Super Beetle (1971-’72). The kit retails at £138.19 from DEI’s website but is subject to shipping, import tax and handling charges.
To keep up with the very latest DEI product introductions and company news connect with DEI on Facebook or Twitter or subscribe to DEI’s You Tube channel.
Burton Power has a high quality reproduction of the alloy bellhousing originally fitted to Ford Escort RS2000 and Mexico Mk2 models. The bellhousing can be used to facilitate the following combinations: • Ford CVH to Type 9 5 speed gearbox or Type E 4 speed rocket gearbox • Ford SOHC Pinto to Type 9 5 speed gearbox or Type E 4 speed rocket gearbox • Ford Pre-Crossflow OHV Kent to Type 9 5 speed gearbox or Type E 4 speed rocket gearbox • Ford Crossflow OHV Kent to Type 9 5 speed gearbox or Type E 4 speed rocket gearbox • Ford Cosworth BD Series 16v to Type 9 5 speed gearbox or Type E 4 speed rocket gearbox • Ford Zetec E 16v to Type 9 5 speed gearbox or Type E 4 speed rocket gearbox • Ford Lotus Twin Cam 1558cc to Type 9 5 speed gearbox or Type E 4 speed rocket gearbox
The bellhousing has provisions for both left and right hand starter motor and is suitable for RHD and LHD models.
Retail price: £212.50 inc. VAT with free UK delivery.
for further details contact Burton Power on 0208 554 2281 www.burtonpower.com
The B-G Oil Bottle Shelf offers a neat and tidy storage solution for multiple oil/fluid bottles in the workshop, garage, truck, trailer, or van. The B-G Oil Bottle Shelf is manufactured from mild steel with a durable silver-grey powder coated finish and can store up to ten 1 litre bottles or three 5 Litre bottles, or a combination of each. The B-G Oil Bottle Shelf can be attached to the wall of a workshop, truck, van, or trailer by its keyhole mounting points. Price: £59.99 inc. VAT www.bg-racing.co.uk
For more details contact Brown & Geeson Ltd. +44 (0) 1268 764411 or visit their website: www.b-gdirect.com
The B-G Folding Mobile Work Stand is the perfect convenient workmate to have around the workshop or garage. The four swivelling castor wheels make it easy to manoeuvre into place before locking it in position with the two braked castor wheels. It’s divided working surface then helps keep tools and parts organised. The B-G Folding Mobile Work Stand provides an ideal work surface to keep tools within easy reach when working under the bonnet or under a vehicle lif. It also comes with the added benefit of folding down for easy transport or storage. The high-grade mild steel construction and clever folding design gives it a working capacity of 30kgs., but overall weight is minimised so that it can easily be transported prior to being unfolded for use. The durable silver-grey powder coated finish makes it suitable for both indoor and outdoor use. The B-G Folding Mobile Work Stand is ideal for use in workshops, garages, at the racetrack or for mobile mechanics. A 400mm x 300mm Euro Bin (BGR276EB) can be fitted on the supports between the legs for storing cleaning equipment, parts, and consumables. Price: £239.99 inc. VAT www.bg-racing.co.uk
For more details contact Brown & Geeson Ltd. +44 (0) 1268 764411 or visit their website: www.b-gdirect.com
The B-G Aerosol Can Shelf offers a neat and tidy storage solution for multiple aerosol cans in your workshop, garage, truck, trailer or van. The B-G Aerosol Can Shelf is manufactured from mild steel with a durable silver-grey powder coated finish and is able to store six standard sized cans. The B-G Aerosol Can Shelf can be attached to the wall of a workshop, truck, van or trailer by its keyhole mounting points. Price: £41.99 inc. VAT www.bg-racing.co.uk
For more details contact Brown & Geeson Ltd. +44 (0) 1268 764411 or visit their website: www.b-gdirect.com
This racing series really lives up to its name: Extreme E kicked off its premiere season with a spectacular start in the desert of Saudi Arabia. Guests on site and TV viewers around the world experienced a completely new dimension of electric motorsport – fascinating images, fierce duels and some drama included. For ABT CUPRA XE, the event in Al-Ula turned into a real rollercoaster ride of emotions. After a violent accident during qualifying, the team completely rebuilt the e-CUPRA ABT XE1 overnight, experienced even more drama in the shootout race and ultimately still scored valuable points.
ALULA, SAUDI ARABIA – APRIL 03: Claudia Hurtgen (GER)/Mattias Ekstrom (SWE), ABT CUPRA XE, driver switch during the Desert X-Prix at AlUla on April 03, 2021 in AlUla, Saudi Arabia. (Photo by Steven Tee / LAT Images)
The spectators experienced the biggest moment of shock of the weekend in qualifying on Saturday morning: Mattias Ekström had just handed over the race car to Claudia Hürtgen after a fast lap. The German was on her way to a top time when a technical defect occurred in the front section of the single-spec car on a fast passage of the roughly eight-kilometre circuit. The race car rolled over several times and finally came to rest on its side. “At that moment, as a race driver, every second feels like a whole hour. I felt something broke in the car and from that moment on I was just a passenger,” said Claudia Hürtgen.
While she got out uninjured, the accident gave the mechanics a long night shift: 24 hours, interrupted only by a shower and a scant hour’s sleep, it took until the e-CUPRA ABT XE1 was rebuilt and driven out of the tent on Sunday morning. But the next drama was already waiting: in the so-called shootout race for important points, Claudia Hürtgen was hit by a competitor while in the lead and had to end the race. “I think everyone clearly saw that this move by our competitors was nonsense,” said Mattias Ekström, who as the starting driver had initially built up a clear lead.
At the end of the long-awaited start to the Extreme E adventure, Team ABT CUPRA XE is now left with 13 championship points – and plenty of experience. “The series is still like a start-up that now has to develop,” says Mattias Ekström. “The beginning was promising, and now we have to take the next steps as a team and as a series. As soon as we are home, the first debriefings are on the agenda so that we can show our true strength in Senegal. Our goals were, are and always will be: wins.”
The next event on the Extreme E calendar is scheduled for May 29 and 30 in Senegal. This will be followed by three more races in Greenland, Brazil and Argentina until December.
Showdown in the hot Saudi Arabian desert: This weekend (April 3–4), the new Extreme E electric off-road racing series will kick off its first season in Al-Ula. The Desert X Prix marks the start of a total of five events that will take the nine teams to Greenland, the Amazon region and Patagonia, among other places. Among them: the ABT CUPRA XE team with its drivers Claudia Hürtgen and Mattias Ekström, who will be sharing the cockpit of the 550-hp e-CUPRA ABT XE1, just one spectacular aspect of the series.
The Desert X Prix will be held over two days with the qualifying heats on Saturday and the final races on Sunday. In each case, four or five cars will compete against each other in a direct duel on a circuit with an approximate length of ten kilometres. There will be a driver change at the halfway point in the race.
“We were one of the first teams to sign up, because we believe in the innovative concept of Extreme E,” says Hans-Jürgen Abt, Managing Partner of ABT Sportsline. “After many months of intensive preparation, it’s now getting serious and the adventure begins. It’s great that ABT is once again involved as a pioneer right from the very beginning.”
Claudia Hürtgen: “Even after 25 years, it feels like the first race”
Claudia Hürtgen summarizes her thoughts ahead of the season opener. “Even after 25 years in motorsport, it feels like it does before the first race,” says the only German driver in the field. She adds that formulating expectations is difficult. Hürtgen: “The car, the team, the race format and the surface, everything simply is new for us. We’ve prepared intensively and are now looking forward to the race finally getting underway.” For the Aachen native, who is one of the most successful racing drivers in Europe with successes in various touring and sports car championships, as well as several endurance races, among other things, the issue of sustainability also plays a major role alongside racing: “Of course, I’m a racing driver first and foremost and want to win races, but on the Extreme E tour, we are also learning in detail about many of the consequences of climate change.”
Mattias Ekström: “Extreme E is like a best-of of motorsport”
DTM, Rallycross or the Dakar Rally: Mattias Ekström has experienced and won a lot in his career. And yet, everything is different now. “I’m familiar with electric cars, races on sand and door-to-door battles, but I’ve never experienced everything together like this. Extreme E is therefore like a best-of of motorsport for me,” says the Swede, who is considered as one of the best and most versatile racing drivers in the world. He was part of ABT’s DTM team from 2001 to 2017. He celebrated two titles with them, and in 2016, he won the drivers’ title of the FIA World Rallycross Championship. For the past year, Ekström has been an ambassador for the CUPRA brand. “When the names CUPRA, ABT and Ekström come together, there is no need to discuss goals at length: We are all racers and want to fight for trophies,” says Ekström. And also to raise awareness. “Together with the Extreme E family, we want to show people where the world is suffering or has already suffered.” Schaeffler and Stone Island join the team as new partners
A long-standing and successful partnership is entering its latest instalment: Automotive and industrial supplier Schaeffler is also accompanying its involvement in Extreme E together with ABT Sportsline. The two brands have already formed a successful team in the Formula E electric racing series since the championship was founded in 2014 and are now also combining forces in the DTM with the entry of a race car for Schaeffler brand ambassador Sophia Flörsch. Schaeffler’s logo is present on the e-CUPRA ABT XE1 and on the overalls of Claudia Hürtgen and Mattias Ekström, among other things.
Sporty and fashionable around the world: When the ABT CUPRA XE team travels to events in the desert, Greenland or Patagonia, they do so in style: Stone Island bedecks the entire team with clothing for the trips. The Italian leisurewear label stands for extensive research in the fields of fibers and fabrics, as well as innovative design. The brand has redefined the concept of sportswear and achieved cult status.
Fully electric: e-CUPRA ABT XE1 ahead of its race debut
This weekend, the e-CUPRA ABT XE1 will be presented for the first time in its final design and in real racing action. With its 400 kW (550 hp), the all-electric SUV accelerates from zero to 100 km/h in just 4.5 seconds and masters gradients of up to 130 percent. The car was designed by Spark Racing Technology in France, while the standardized battery technology is supplied by Williams Advanced Engineering from the UK. The highlight: As a world first, the car is charged by a zero-emission energy source using hydrogen fuel cell technology. The system uses water and the sun to generate hydrogen, which can be used to charge all of the race cars independently from the grid. The only byproduct is water, which is used elsewhere on site.
Prominent competition: Lewis Hamilton, Nico Rosberg and Jenson Button
The competition that ABT CUPRA XE will be facing could hardly be more illustrious: Reigning Formula 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton and 2016 world champion Nico Rosberg have brought their own teams to the starting line. As is also the case for the 2009 F1 champion Jenson Button, who will also be behind the wheel himself. They will be joined on the grid by such well-known names as Carlos Sainz, Sébastien Loeb, Timmy Hansen and Johan Kristoffersson.
Racing for a Reason: The challenges of the Al-Ula region
Extreme E is not just about motorsport, it’s also about racing against climate change. The series and teams use each event to draw attention to particular challenges facing the region. The Desert X Prix takes teams to Saudi Arabia, home to the world’s largest contiguous sand desert, and there to the Al-Ula region. The terrain is breathtaking and at the same time unforgiving with its extreme conditions. The effects of climate change here include rising temperatures and more frequent and prolonged droughts, as well as deforestation, overgrazing and unsustainable water use. About 12 million hectares of productive land become infertile every year, due to desertification and drought alone.
Extreme E live on ProSieben MAXX with Daniel Abt as an expert
Extreme E has succeeded in attracting renowned television partners all over the world. For example, the BBC, Eurosport, FOX and Sky will broadcast the final races on Sunday. In Germany, ProSieben MAXX will be broadcasting live from Saudi Arabia on Sunday, April 4, starting at 12 noon. Daniel Abt will also be part of the broadcast as an expert. ABT partner CUPRA will present the broadcasts and accompany the commitment with a specially produced commercial under the slogan of: “Don’t limit your challenges. Challenge your limits”. A complete list of all channels can be found here: www.extreme-e.com
GridPlay: How the fans can support ABT CUPRA XE
The best starting position in the final could be a deciding factor – and that lies in the hands of the fans. From March 31 until 60 minutes after the start of the “Crazy Race” on Sunday, fans can vote twice a day via the Extreme E website or on Twitter using the hashtags “#GridPlay #ClaudiaHürtgen” or “#GridPlay #MattiasEkström”. Once the votes are aggregated, the team with the most fans gets to choose its starting position. An additional strategic element: The teams that do not reach the final also play an important role by passing on their votes to a team of their choice.
Happy Birthday: Number #125 as a tribute to the company’s anniversary
ABT will be racing with the number 125 this season. “Our company is celebrating its 125th birthday in 2021. We also want to celebrate this with the special number at our races all over the world,” says Hans-Jürgen Abt. ABT was founded in 1896 as a horse smithy in Kempten and is now in the hands of the fourth and fifth generations. “From horse-drawn carriages in the Allgäu winter to high-tech electric SUVs in the desert, that shows the impressive development of our company in over a century,” says Abt. Mattias Ekström has already been part of the ABT family for two decades. “I have raced with many different numbers in my career. My favorite, of course, will always be number one, because that shows that you have achieved something great in the previous season,” says the Swede. “To choose the number 125 for the birthday celebration year is a great idea and shows what a special meaning tradition has in the ABT family. Now, we also want to have something to celebrate at the races this year.”
Their great popularity has transformed the ABT Power Days into a firm tradition, dating back many years. From 29 April to 11 May this year, customers will once again be able to enjoy a 20 percent price saving that applies to all ABT Power and ABT Power S performance upgrades*. Particularly large savings can be made on premium models such as the current RS 6. Fitted with ABT Power S, instead of 600 HP (441 kW), it delivers a staggering 700 HP (515 kW). Alongside this particular highlight, performance upgrades are available for many other Audi, VW, Seat, CUPRA or Skoda vehicles. At the heart of every ABT Power performance upgrade is the specially developed ABT Engine Control (AEC) unit. The power upgrade from ABT Sportsline is characterised by its outstanding quality and comprehensive protection. Further information at: www.abt-sportsline.com/abt-power-days.
The promotion applies to vehicles that are under two years old. If you would like to benefit from it, visit the company’s headquarters in Kempten or any of over 100 participating ABT dealers throughout Germany. The only other condition: The product must also be installed there within the specified period. Appointments are available now and customers from Austria, Switzerland, Finland, Spain, Poland, Russia, Ukraine and South Africa are also eligible to take part in their respective countries.
A small excerpt from the whole range to awaken anticipation: With ABT Power S, the 4-litre diesel SQ8 with 435 HP (320 kW) is boosted to 510 HP (375 kW) and the Q5 2.0 TDI leaps from 204 HP (150 kW) to 235 HP (173 kW). A browse of the ABT Online-Configurator reveals a seemingly limitless range of “upgradable” vehicle models of all classes, group brands and body shapes, such as the Golf VIII GTI with the 2.0 TSI engine, which, thanks to ABT Sportsline goes from 245 HP (180 kW) to 290 HP (213 kW). Need more space? The most powerful VW T6.1 now delivers 226 HP (166 kW) instead of 199 HP (146 kW). A new addition to the range is ABT Power for the CUPRA Formentor, which reaches a peak power of 370 HP (272 kW). The standard model delivers 310 HP (228 kW). Another interesting vehicle is the Skoda Scala, which ABT Sportsline currently tunes as a special model for the Czech vehicle manufacturer. Of course, the extra power for the 1.5 TSI can be retrofitted as an option: Instead of 150 HP (110 kW), the data sheet then boats 190 HP (140 kW).
