EVLN(hybrid enters 8000km marathon Sweden to Red Sea rally)

[Bruce EVangel Parmenter <brucedp@yahoo.com>]

EVLN(hybrid enters 8000km marathon Sweden to Red Sea rally)
[The Internet Electric Vehicle List News. For Public EV
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 --- {EVangel}
[See page for maps and images]
http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?click_id=42&art_id=iol1022662600886P626&set_id=6
READY TO RALLY: This Toyota Prius hybrid will be the first
to compete in a rally anywhere in the world.

High-speed hybrid set to tackle 8000km rally
May 29 2002 at 10:56AM

Two rallying amateurs will enter the motorsport record books
in June as the crew of the world's first petrol/electric
hybrid rally car.

Londoners, Nik Berg (32) and Tim Bampton (33) will compete
in a Toyota Prius, the world's first mass-produced
petrol/electric hybrid car, on a three-week, 8 000km
marathon from the north of Sweden to the shores of the Red
Sea.

Just as the car pioneers of the early 20th century proved
the capabilities of their newfangled machines by competing
on inter-city races across Europe, so the rally Prius will
travel through 10 countries in 20 days.

In that time they will tackle more than 40 special stages
totalling more than 720km on tar, gravel and desert.

They will tackle more than 40 special stages totalling more
than 720km.

The Midnight Sun to Red Sea Rally is sanctioned by
motorsport's governing body, the FIA, and that makes the
Prius the first hybrid car to enter a recognised motorsport
event.

The route will run from Ostersund in Sweden to Aqaba in
Jordan via the Baltic, through remote and seldom seen parts
of the Czech republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Bulgaria and
Romania and then along the Aegean Coast of Turkey and into
the Lawrence of Arabia deserts of Syria and Jordan.

The Prius is the first of a new breed of car, one that uses
less petrol and produces much cleaner exhaust emissions,
especially around town. Hybrid - it denotes a combination of
two power sources - will become more and more common as
Toyota and other manufacturers work to provide a sustainable
alternative to the fossil fuel-burning engine.

Toyota is the leader in hybrid technology and recently
celebrated the production of its 100 000th hybrid vehicle.

A 50kW, 1.5-litre petrol engine and a 33kW electric motor
power the Prius. The battery for the electric motor is
continuously charged by the petrol engine and by
regenerative braking so the car requires no external
charging. It's capable of 160km/h and 0-100km/h in 13.4
seconds and will run in the Group N (showroom) class.

Prius and its technology have won Toyota many awards around
the world but competition was never part of the plan for
this most eco-friendly of cars until Nik Berg thought of
entering one in the Midnight Sun to Red Sea Rally.

The Prius is the first of a new breed of car.

"I was looking for something different, a car that would
give a unique perspective on the event. A Prius was the
obvious choice and Toyota was keen to assist," said Nik.

The challenge of turning a fuel-efficient family car -
specifically a three-year-old version that had earned its
keep as a demonstrator for fleet customers and government
officials - was handed over to Silverstone-based race and
rally preparation experts Roger Dowson Engineering.

As this was the first competition Prius everything had to be
designed from scratch, including the internal roll cage and
a stronger front suspension. It was completed just days
before the team had to leave for Sweden but after a brief
shakedown session at the Silverstone Rally School.

Even with two motors it won't be the fastest car in the
rally but the aim is reliability and completing the
distance.

"This is a world first and the rally will be the toughest
test yet of this new technology, so just to finish will be a
victory," Nik said.

The rally will start on Monday, June 3 then head through
Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania,
Bulgaria, Turkey and Syria before reaching the Red Sea."

Berg is a freelance journalist and editorial consultant
specialising in motoring and technology and a former deputy
editor of BBC Top Gear Magazine and former Editor of BBC
Tomorrow's World Magazine.

His navigator, Tim Bampton (33), is a marketing and PR
consultant. He has a wealth of experience in motorsport,
most recently in F1 with Williams and Honda. He used to race
single-seaters and is learning to adapt to life in the
passenger seat!

HYBRID HEROES: Driver Nik Berg (top) and navigator Tim
Bampton
RALLY ROUTE: Long haul for rally cars.
HIGH-TECH, CLOSE UP: The standard Prius hybrid motor that
will be used in the rally car.
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