This is the first in a series of technical articles that I am planning to write. I want to share what I have learned in more than 10 years of automotive tuning and with you.  RPM Arabia is not a simple e-commerce store; it is a destination for car enthusiasts, and sharing knowledge and ideas is what creates a strong community of enthusiasts. Since my background is primarily in mechanics I would like to start this series by talking a about engines and highlighting some basic concepts to better understand their performance.
 
We all talk about horsepower and torque when we compare cars, but few enthusiasts take their time to learn what’s behind these simple numbers. A car engine burns gasoline to turn a crankshaft, creating torque. The faster it can turn the more power it creates. That is because power is the result of the engine’s force (torque) and its speed (RPM). The actual formula to calculate power is: Power = (Torque x RPM)/5252

Think of torque as the strength of your muscles, RPM is your stamina or endurance, power is the result of both. If you can lift a 50 pound weight 1 foot from the ground and you can do it 20 times a minute then your power would be 0.2 hp.

In short, torque is the force produced by the engine and power is the work done by the torque over time and distance (RPM).

Now we will look at two examples to better understand the difference between torque and power.

Let’s compare two engines with the same torque but different power.  Imagine that you need to winch your car out of one of those abyssal pot holes that we have in Hidd; if you have two winches that can both move your car they will probably have the same torque. But if one of the winches can move your car 10 meters in 1 minute and the second one take 5 minutes, it means that the first one is spinning faster right? Hence it has more power!

Now let’s compare two engines with the same power but different torque, like a 400 hp Ferrari and a 400 hp diesel tractor. Even if the two engines have the same 400 hp their “character” is extremely different. The tractor can tow huge weights because it has a lot of torque, but it can’t reach high speeds because its engine is limited to low RPMs. The Ferrari can’t tow much, because of its limited torque but it can reach 300 kph because the engine can spin its wheels faster.

How does all of this translate into real world performance? There are a couple of interesting considerations to make, since acceleration is proportional to the amount of force pushing the vehicle forward:
-    Maximum acceleration in a given gear is obtained when maximum torque is obtained. If you have to launch your car from a stop in 1st gear (assuming perfect traction), you should rev the engine to its peak torque rpm and drop the clutch.
-    Maximum acceleration at a given speed is obtained by having the engine operate at maximum power. So if you are racing from a rolling start, say 30 kph, you should ideally have the car geared in such a way as to make maximum power at 30 kph in 1st gear.

So far we have only talked about peak power and peak torque, obviously this is important but it does not tell the whole story; it’s like bragging to your foreign friends that gasoline in Bahrain is really cheap without telling them that it has fewer octanes than a Mirinda ;) In part 2 we will analyze torque and power curves as presented on a dyno graph.

Early this morning, tuners and friends descended upon the University of Bahrain, Isa Town campus, to participate in the Bahrain Polytechnic Carnival & Car Show.  Many of the teams spent the warm, windy day assembling their displays and polishing their vehicles notwithstanding the constant and relentless sandy wind.
 
We saw more than 50 cars scattered through 8 different categories:
- 4x4, SUV and Pickup
- 2 Doors Sport (Japanese)
- 2 Doors Sport (American)
- 2 Doors Sport (European)
- 4 Doors Salons (Japanese)
- 4 Doors Salon (American and Japanese)
- Classic (Japanese and European)
- Classic (American)
 
As the sun set, a group of Harley riders, perhaps extending the HOG rally weekend, paid a quick visit to the car show.  Judging started around 4:30pm with several judges inspecting the engine and the exterior of the car.  Thanks to all of the participants who showed and made the day interesting and a special thank to the organizers for putting together such as success!

This month's GAZ magazine features a 2-page interview with me, RPM Arabia's founder Filippo Egizii. In the interview, we discuss the history of RPM Arabia, my personal background and where my love for cars comes from.

If you are interested in learning more about RPM Arabia I suggest you get a copy of GAZ magazine or download the pdf of the interview by clicking the image on the right.

Big thanks go to GAZ magazine and its editor, Adel, for supporting RPM Arabia.

The Bahrain International Circuit hosted the third open track session on Friday the 13th.  So many people turned up that the afternoon session on the track resembled more an evening drive on the Seef highway (how can you let an X6 on the track ???).

Nonetheless fun was assured, the usual "battles" took place, big engine big power Z06s vs the light and nimble Lotus and Catherams; as usual, in the end, the driver makes all the difference. Some of the usual faces were absent due to the Harley Davidson rally but others showed up with their new rides (congrats Rob) and some went home on a tow truck (sorry John, hope you sort out the electrical gremlin).

Next event will take place on December 4th as the third round of the Bahrain Circuit Racing Club, see you on the track!

The second CRC National Sprint Championship and the third and fourth round of the Batelco 2000cc Championship were held on November 6. The weather was perfect and lots of participants showed up; a few first timers (welcome Kareem!) and the usual faces took part to this event.

Not so perfect was the timing of the event. Though the organizers had practice sessions through the normal lunch break, the sun started to set quickly and cars were not allowed their second race heat unfortunately. Next time perhaps… But you can see from the pics that a lot of new cars, especially from Saudi, turned up for the CRC.

TGIF - time to let it loose on the track again!  The Grand Prix circuit at BIC was open for car and bike sessions all day and despite the hot weather and the invasion of flies, the turnout was excellent as usual.  The cars that attended ranged from full race 996 RSR to Ferraris to Corvettes to a stock Scirocco - make sure to check out the pictures for some sweet rides.
In addition to the regular madness, the guys from the Al Ghassan group had a promotional event for their upcoming Lamborghini-Lotus-Ducati dealership in Bahrain.  A nice display of their cars and bikes was topped only by the chance to test drive them on the track.
For me driving an Exige S around the BIC was much like meeting a childhood hero, it’s incredibly exciting but somehow it doesn’t meet all your expectations.  To be fair the car I drove had a broken 2nd gear syncro and was out of alignment, which resulted in massive understeer throughout the corners.  Nonetheless the car’s underlying ability to be an effective track weapon was evident.
 
Big thanks go out to Tim Birkin for taking me out for an exciting ride in his 2000cc challenge DC2 Integra Type R. We wish him best of luck for the next race!


See you all on November 6 for the second round of the CRC National Sprint & Batelco 2000cc championship!

October 2nd was the first racing weekend for the Bahrain's National Sprint and Batelco 2000cc championship; as usual the event took place at the Bahrain international circuits' inner track.

The morning started out with the 2000cc qualifying sessions, due to the hot weather and the long summer break most cars were running more than 2 seconds off their best time but it didn't take long for the top guys to get back below the 1:20 mark.

Both 2000cc races were dominated by Mustafa Al Kahan who took his K20 swapped Civic to the top spot of the podium, scoring also the fastest lap for the day.

The National Sprint saw a large turnout of new drivers along with the usual aficionado. Particularly welcome was the return of Loay's supercharged 350Z which hadn't been seen on track for a while.

Finally, after a long, long summer, the racing season has once again started in Bahrain.  The BIC opened the pit lane on Friday, 25 Sep 2009, to allow amateurs and professionals a chance to drive on the GP track for the first time after the summer break. 

The day was moderately warm and several people, old faces and new faces, turned up to get track time – a very prized commodity for those enthusiastic enough to come out each weekend.

Since the BIC moved the Caterham Challenge to Saturday, the Friday Open Track sessions are now longer – 30 minutes instead of 20 minutes.  What does this translate to?  More fun! 

The morning session had around 10 drivers, including the race-ready Ford Escorts and Lumina Challenge vehicles, and Porsche 996 RSR, Ferrari Scuderia, and Corvette among others.  It was a very quiet morning; however, the afternoon session became busier as more people showed up.

As you can see in the picture gallery a great variety of supercars attended the open track day, from a brand new Corvette ZR1 to a Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera; that is what always makes open track days at Bahrain International so juicy!

CRC hosted its second AutoX event at the BIC on 11 Sep 2009.  Competitors had lined their very clean and shiny cars into three tightly packed, neat rows for spectators to admire. 
 
The main differences between this and the last AutoX were the number of competitors, the types of cars, and the only female racer.  Due in part to the cash payouts, the competition was stiffer than previously – roughly 30 competitors, almost double from the last event.  Also competitors arrived with far more exotic cars including several Porsche GT2’s, a Viper, and a ZR1 to name a few.  And for the first time this Ramadan, a female competitor entered the race! 
 
Registration started at 9pm with the practice session starting at 9:30pm.  The actual race started at around 11pm.  Each racer took about 1 minute to traverse the track – from pulling up to the start to crossing the finish line.  Several competitors had problems with the first corner as it was sharp and actually curved backward.
 
Though the event was exciting as usual, additional excitement arose when a showdown between Sheikh Salman, COO at the BIC driving his Porsche GT3 RS, and youngster Fahad Algosaibi, driving his Caterham, heated up the night.  It started with Sh. Salman clocking the fastest time followed by Fahad putting up a faster time.  In the next several heats, Sh Salman and Fahad battled it out for the fastest lap time. 
 
One could see and hear Sh Salman’s competitive streak on the track – he pushed harder, braked harder, threw his car into corners, and hit the throttle harder.  Fahad also was pushing the limits in his Caterham, striving to be quicker and in the corners cleaner.  The crowd watched this spectacle of who would take the fastest lap of the night.  In the final run, Sh Salman sped to the finish line, clocking a time of about 41 seconds, which young Fahad was not able to beat. 
 
Awards were handed out, winners beaming with a little extra cash in their pockets!
 
Since the AutoX event has become popular, the CRC announced that they would start an AutoX series this season.  This is exciting news for the racing community!

Tonight’s event at Parking 6 was Auto X, a very organized and tightly run event hosted by Bahrain’s CRC.  Around 20 competitors entered the competition and were placed into 5 categories based on engine size and modifications.

Registration time was set for 9pm.  When we arrived, most drivers had registered and their cars lined the inner perimeter of the track area.  A range of cars could be seen – Mazda, Infiniti, Mitsubishi, Renault, Honda, Nissan, and Porsche – with a mix of tuned and stock cars.  Roughly 100 spectators were on hand to watch.

The goal for the racer was to figure out the layout of the track and achieve the best time in his category.  Orange cones marked each gate and drivers were required to drive within the gates – two seconds were added to the final time for every gate touched; a driver was disqualified for missing a gate.  The track was very technical and tested the ability of the driver more than the pure horsepower and speed of the car, evident in the spread between the fastest and slowest cars at roughly 15 seconds.  Racers partook in 7 heats – 4 practice and 3 race.

As each racer was told to “Go!”, he sped off on a short straight before hitting his brakes to enter the sharp left-right and then pressed lightly on the gas to get through a long left turn followed again by a sharp left-right into a long left turn.  He exited this second left turn braking hard and throwing his wheels sharply into the almost 90 degree right turn which preceded the L-R-L slalom.  Out of the graceful slalom, he entered a right hairpin and hit the gas for a second before braking again and heading into a 360 degree turn around a light pole.  Coming out of this turn, the racer hit the gas, playing a balancing act between too much gas and losing control and just enough gas to straighten the car and glide to the finish. 
The fastest car finished this race in 41 seconds. Cash prizes were awarded to the top three winners in each category.