Making your visit to Fraser Island safe

Driving on Fraser Island can challenge even experienced drivers. Research has shown that tourists, especially young tourists driving four-wheel drive hire vehicles, have a high crash risk.

Beach driving is more dangerous than driving a vehicle on a road and requires high levels of concentration and skill.

Among the most dangerous aspects of beach driving are dealing with the washouts caused by tides, which can result in deep ridges in the sand, as well as the need to avoid incoming waves.

Driving a rented and unfamiliar four-wheel drive on a beach makes it easy to get into trouble. Speeding or driving with a vehicle full of passengers and with a heavy load on the roof can cause a rollover, resulting in serious injury or death.



New laws
A number of new road safety measures are being introduced on Fraser Island to make your visit safer. You need to know and follow these laws to avoid a fine. Ignorance of the law is no excuse.

• Speed limit signs have been erected on the beach (80km per hour) and in townships and on inland tracks (30km per hour).
• Signs listing new hire vehicle requirements will be in place at all barge drop-off and pick-up points from April 2010.
• Police patrols will increase to enforce the new speed limits.
• Random inspections of four-wheel drive vehicles are being carried out by government officials on Fraser Island and on the mainland near the entry points to the island. These are to check that vehicles comply with the new laws and are not overloaded.

From 1 April 2010, all hire four-wheel drive vehicles must:
• not carry more than eight occupants (including the driver)
• safely secure luggage inside the vehicle (no loads are allowed on the roof).

Heavy loads on the roof can affect vehicle stability and increase the chance of rolling the vehicle, particularly when driving on sand. Although these laws do not apply to private (non-hired) vehicles, it is recommended that all drivers consider passenger numbers and the weight of loads on the vehicle roof while driving on Fraser Island.

Fines
A driver breaking these laws risks a $300 fine and (for Australians) 3 demerit points. These laws apply only to hire vehicles. Private vehicles are exempt.

From 31 December 2010, all hire four-wheel drive vehicles used on Fraser Island must:
• have no side-facing seats
• have a maximum of eight seats
• be fitted with seatbelts which meet Australian Design Rules.

This means that four-wheel drive hire operators will need to modify or replace troop carriers that do not comply with these laws. Enforcement activities will be increased to ensure that all four-wheel drive hire vehicles meet these new laws.

Category: General Motoring News

DETROIT -- General Motors Co. will wind down its Hummer brand after a proposed sale to Chinas Sichuan Tengzhong Heavy Industrial Machines Co. Ltd. fell through.



Tengzhong was unable to complete the acquisition, GM said today in a statement. The Chinese company failed to win government approval of the sale, a source familiar with the negotiations said.

GM will honor warranties, provide spare parts and will support service for Hummers worldwide, the automaker said. GM has 153 U.S. Hummer dealers, spokeswoman Ryndee Carney said in an email.

The failed deal likely seals the fate of the last of GMs four unwanted U.S. brands. GM is winding down Saturn after its sale fell through in September. Pontiac is also being phased out. GM yesterday completed the sale of Saab to Dutch niche carmaker Spyker Cars NV.

GM is open to receiving other bids for Hummer as it winds down the brand, the source said. The sale of Saab arose out of a similar situation: Spyker entered a bid after a proposed sale of Saab to Swedens Koenigsegg Group AB fell through in November. The chances of resurrecting Hummer are viewed as slimmer than they were at Saab, the source said.

GM put Hummer up for sale in 2008, before the global financial crisis that dragged the automaker into bankruptcy.

In June of last year, GM said it expected to sell Hummer to the Chinese heavy machinery maker, which has no experience in the auto industry. Hummer's 67 percent sales decline last year was the steepest of any volume brand in the United States.

GM bought the brand in December 1999 from AM General, which has also continued to make versions for the armed forces.

Hummer entered the civilian market in 1992. Non government Hummer sales were averaging between 800 and 1000 units annually when GM bought the brand.

Hummers U.S. sales peaked at 71,524 in 2006, before demand was choked by gasoline prices that soared above $4 per gallon in 2008. Sales last year dwindled to 9,046.

From www.autonews.com

Category: General 4WD News

The Amatoya may be just a concept Warthog-inspired reconnaissance and fire-suppression vehicle, but with Apache-like seating and robotic water cannons it makes us want to see it douse some fires.



Designed by Liam Ferguson, the system is similar to an MRAP and is designed to fill in as a quick response vehicle smaller than currently used commercial trucks. We're not sure there's a large enough market to justify the creation of such a vehicle, but we dig the look and the ethos of reducing human vulnerability. Just swap out the water cannons for real ones and you've got a great assault vehicle.




Here's what the designer had to say,

Currently the role of site reconnaissance is predominantly carried out by light tankers or QAVs (Quick Attack Vehicles), typically these are modified single cabin commercial utility vehicles such as the Toyota Landcruiser. While the off road performance and maneuverability of such a vehicle is sufficient, its ability to actively suppress a fire threat is severely limited by the considerably small water supply (500lt) and distinct lack of survival engineering, fundamentally making it inadequate for its role.

CREW LAYOUT

Typically medium and heavy tankers require 5-6 crew members to be operated effectively. AMATOYA requires only 2. More military in its approach, reducing crew numbers per appliance will allow for greater dispersion of resources during a fire response.

Principal concerns when developing a vehicle of any nature are driver position, ingress/egress and vision angles. These elements become even more crucial in a vehicle purpose built for reconnaissance. A central, forward and high driver and ROSCO operator position akin to the Apache assault helicopter with generous down vision will assure functionality.

Access is via two gull wing doors, an optimal solution to accommodate the unconventional bodyside form. The distinct lack of a traditional b-pillar will provide uninterrupted views for the ROSCO operator situated above and behind the driver.

SURVIVABILITY

Cabin temperature and vehicle survivability are central to the AMATOYA concept. Existing approaches in survival engineering on fire tankers consistently appears as augmentation rather than integration. Methods are passive, typically reactive and often incapacitate the appliance when in use. A key example is the use of curtain heat shields, while effective, when employed render the appliance out of operation.

To create a homogenous directive towards survivability AMATOYA incorporates state of the art clear aerogel laminated insulation in the windows and bodywork, a dedicated auxiliary water supply to operate a highly efficient, intelligent temperature controlled spray down system, military grade sacrificial thermo ceramic intumescent paints, and a mechanically injected large displacement diesel engine specifically engineered for the unique conditions experienced on the fire ground.

These measures will assure that even in the case of an extremely prolonged and high intensity burnover the vehicle will not only maintain cabin integrity, but opposed to existing appliances AMATOYA will remain fully operational.

SUPPRESSION ABILITY

A Remotely Operated Suppression Cannon Outfit (ROSCO) coupled with a generous 1800lt + 400lt auxiliary water supply, offers a unique dynamic to vehicle operation. Current suppression techniques require large crew numbers (at least 5 per appliance) to perform through intermittent periods of strenuous labour to have any form of impact on a fire. The ROSCO system utilizing IFEX3000 impulse technology is not only a hugely efficient means of fire suppression, but vitally will eliminate crew members being subjected to the elements and stresses of extended high intensity work on the fire ground, while constantly maintaining vehicle mobility. A highly rated thermal imaging camera along with directional spot lights will assist in hotspot location to determine the most effective direction of attack.

OFF ROAD PERFORMANCE

AMATOYA represents the pinnacle of specialized performance in the fire appliance design field. Off road capabilities reflect enthusiast 4WD methods, including generous approach, departure and over ramp angles, suspension travel, ground clearance and minimized turn circle.

Central tire inflation (CTI) and run flat tire (RFT) technology coupled with beadlock tires will allow an extensive band of dynamic pressure control to aid in traversing the complex terrain often encountered on the fire ground.



MANUFACTURING

The vehicle adopts many conventional fabrication techniques associated with low production run specialized vehicles. The point of difference which separates this concept from existing appliances is the proposed monocoque steel body, comparable to military MRAP vehicles. A conventional fire tanker is built body-on-frame from a standard cab chassis truck base. While this approach is successful, the lack of integration results in certain performance issues. Body roll due to the on board water supply is an notable problem, however by creating a fully integrated solution, water reservoirs can be strategically located central and low in the vehicle to dramatically improve the centre of gravity.



from Jalopnik.com

A blown turbo-charger has forced the retirement of the remaining Garland MotorSports Isuzu D-MAX ute competing in the 2010 Dakar Rally.

Swedish duo Pelle Wallentheim and Olle Ohlsson started the 12th stage of the event in 51st place after a disappointing day yesterday but had made up ground to 23rd after 21km of competition.



However around the 40km mark, with absolutely no warning, the turbo blew, relegating the crew to the side of the track until other competitors had passed and they could crawl safely to a checkpoint.

We had been going so well and then this happened, said Wallentheim, admitting he was feeling quite empty.

It was a new turbo. The team changed it on the rest day over the weekend as part of a planned maintenance schedule for the second part of the event, so it shouldnt have been a problem, but we dont know what has caused it. We are just devastated – so much hard work for all of us and no result.

Wallentheim and Ohlsson returned to the 21km checkpoint, which was where the special stage met the local highway. Several members of the Garland MotorSports team were there, taking charge of the stricken D-MAX to transport it through to the overnight camp.

It was heartbreaking news for the crew after a solid year of work, especially as team boss Bruce Garland and co-driver Harry Suzuki had to retire from the competition this time last week when a freak accident smashed their radiator.

Obviously well be trying to work out what happened with the turbo, said Garland, because we’ve never had a problem like this before.

A few days back the guys got a lot of dust through the engine. That may have had something to do with it, but I honestly dont know, and wont know, until we’ve had a chance to strip it down.

For now, well just clean up, pack up and head back to Buenos Aires. Its beyond disappointing, given how well we did last year, but this is Dakar and things happen. Its a cruel sport and this is the toughest event of them all.

Stage 12 was a massive stage, 790km in total, including the special (competition) section that was 470km long. Just 59 cars of the 134 that started the event in Buenos Aires (of a total field of 362) started today.

When it finished, it was the VW Touareg trio at the top of the order: Carlos Sainz, Nasser Al-Attiyah and Mark Miller. The same trio are leading the event, with two stages remaining before the official finish in Buenos Aires on January 17. Of last years podium, (Giniel De Villiers, Miller, Robby Gordon), defending champion De Villiers (VW) is seventh and Gordon (Hummer) eighth.

The Garland MotorSports/Tubus Racing teams have contested the 2010 event in Isuzu D-MAX 4x4 utes, built in Garland’s Sydney backyard. The standard 3.0-litre turbo-diesel production engine has been slightly tweaked for better performance, especially for the high altitude sections of the event. It has maximum torque of 600Nm – up 66 per cent on the standard roadgoing D-MAX ute – and peak power of 180kW, which is 50 per cent more than the standard vehicle. They were competing in Class T1.2, which is modified 4WD diesel.


There are regular event updates on the SBS website (www.sbs.com.au/dakar) every night at 6:00pm AEDT to January 18 and then a one-hour Dakar review from 11am to 12noon on Sunday, January 24.