TSF All Star J Fly Racing Audis topped the official practice sessions in Taiwan

By Johan Laubscher

The TSF Asia All Star Challenge is taking place at the Penbay International Circuit in Taiwan this weekend. Four Audi entries from J-Fly Racing have been entered and they are showing good pace so far.

J-Fly Racing, being run and prepared by Absolute Racing, is fielding four Audi R8 LMS entries this weekend. Their arsenal includes three older Audi R8 LMS cars in the GTM class and one Audi R8 LMS ultra in the GT3 class. All four entries are being fielded for the GT Master Cup.

The first car will be driven by the 2013 Audi R8 LMS Cup champion, Adderly Fong. The second car will have Carlo Van Dam and Benjamin Lee behind the wheel. The third car will be driven by Alex Chang and Evan Chen. The team’s Audi R8 LMS ultra will be driven by Jeffrey Lee alongside factory Audi driver, Rahel Frey.

Friday kicked off the official weekend proceedings with a GT Master Cup free practice session in the morning before the lunch break, followed by the official practice session later in the afternoon.

The free practice session saw three of the Audis taking part and showing good pace. Carlo Van Dam and Benjamin Lee set the fastest time with their #017 Audi R8 LMS. The #666 Audi R8 LMS of Alex Chang and Evan Chen was third fastest, followed by the #77 Audi R8 LMS ultra of Jeffrey Lee and Rahel Frey in fifth.

The first official practice session was held later on Friday afternoon. Another Audi topped the times sheets. The #77 Audi R8 LMS ultra of Jeffrey Lee and Rahel Frey set the fastest time within the one minute forty second lap time bracket. It was an Audi 1-2 at the top, as Adderly Fong set the second fastest time with his #068 Audi R8 LMS. The #017 R8 LMS of Carlo Van Dam and Benjamin Lee set the fourth fastest time of the session. The #666 Audi R8 LMS did not take part in this session.

Qualifying will be held on Saturday, followed by the races on Sunday. We wish the best of luck to J-Fly Racing (Absolute Racing) and their drivers.

Photo credit: 

Absolute Racing

Adderly Fong - 方駿宇
J-Fly Racing

Read More..

Lexus HS 250h Gets Five Star Rating for Safety

The NHTSA has awarded the 2010 Lexus HS 250h a five star rating for both front impact for the driver and right front passenger positions and side impact for the driver and left rear passenger positions.

The safercar.gov website shows the HS 250h gets five stars except for the rollever test in which it received four stars.

Press Release from Lexus follows:

TORRANCE, Calif. (Jan 6, 2010) – The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) awarded the Lexus 2010 HS 250h, the world’s first dedicated luxury hybrid, a rating of five out of five stars for both front impact for the driver and right front passenger positions and side impact for the driver and left rear passenger positions.

The New Car Assessment Program (NCAP), a consumer information program created by NHTSA, rates vehicles to determine crash and rollover safety. The crash test ratings are gathered during controlled crash and rollover tests conducted at the NHTSA research facilities. The announcement was released on the NHTSA website www.safercar.gov.

According to Lexus, the body structure of the HS 250h plays a key role in the fundamental safety characteristics. To help protect the driver and passengers, the body is designed to be strong but strategically resilient to help absorb and distribute energy in the event of a crash. High tension steel components are carefully located in the body structure, doors and other areas to help ensure strength in key areas.

Also incorporated is a standard class-leading 10-airbag Supplemental Restraint System (SRS) with dual-stage front airbags and knee airbags for driver and front passenger, side curtain airbags, and both front and rear seat-mounted side airbags to help protect front and rear passengers in certain types of severe frontal or side collisions. The front passenger’s twin-chamber airbag helps disperse the forces applied to the passenger immediately after deployment. Additionally, front and outer rear seatbelts incorporate pretensioners with force-limiters to help protect occupants in the event of certain severe frontal collisions. Active front headrests are also standard.

The HS 250h, which went on sale in August 2009, has an impressive 187 total system horsepower and has achieved EPA estimated fuel economy ratings of 35 mpg city and 34 mpg on the highway for a combined 35 mpg utilizing regular 87-octane gasoline - an 80 percent better city mpg rating compared to the average near luxury car.

Read More..