Rauno Aaltonen: Learning a circuit and rally versus race driving

This is an extract of an interview with Race and rally legend Rauno Aaltonen.

Finland’s celebrated motor sport driver, Rauno Aaltonen, won many events and along with local Australia hero Bob Holden, in 1966 finished first in our famous touring car race at Bathurst’s Mt Panorama, in a tiny Mini Cooper S.

Rauno is now 83 years old, still has an international racing licence and remains thoughtful and crystal clear about the right approach to racing and to life. I recorded a chat with him for the Overdrive – cars, transport and culture radio and podcast program. The full interview and selected segments can be found on the web site drivenmedia.com.au.

Bob Holden had secretly worked on their car: nothing illegal just blue printing to the precise specifications. The top nine places in the race were Mini cooper Ss but the Aaltonen/Holden vehicle won by over a lap. Rauno explains why, even with harder tyres, they were just as fast and didn’t have to change wheels as much.

Hello and welcome to Overdrive, a program that take an expansive look at the world of cars and transport.

I’m David Brown

News

1. Hispano-Suiza - goes racing (1:38)

2. Maserati awarded world’s best event in 2020 (2:47)

3. Mitsubishi Motors provides first teaser of the all-new Outlander (3:54)

4. Introducing the Jaguar Vision Gran Turismo SV: the ultimate all-electric gaming endurance racer (4:57)

5. Hyundai Motor Updates ‘Strategy 2025’ to Accelerate Transition into Smart Mobility Solution Provider (5:59)

Interview

We hear a personal car story from our traffic engineering expert Alan Finlay; after 21 years of a convertible sport car ownership he has now moved on. (7:12)

Vale – John Jamieson

A reflection on the passing of a road safety expert who’s values and commitment were an example to us all (15:28)

Interview

And we posted, on Facebook, a photo and brief story on a classic vehicle. We review some of the considerable comments that flooded in. (18:43)

You can find more information at Driven Media or previous programs are available as podcasts on

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So, let’s start with the news

Originally broadcast 19 December 2020

For the least few months, we have watched the new car sales in Australia recover particularly with SUVs and utes.

The top five selling cars cover two utes and three SUVs

But what is happening with the second-hand market

David Low, Marketing Manager at Gumtree Cars

Hello and welcome to Overdrive, a program that canvases issues related to cars and transport.

I’m David Brown

News

1. Gum tree and second-hand vehicles (1:39)

2. Triton (2:30)

3. This breakthrough electric vehicle never needs to be plugged in (3:29)

4. Green numberplates launched, research predicts a boost in EV sales (4:29)

5. Bentley’s first EV kicks off the brand’s bold reinvention (5:31)

Interview

• We talk a lot about new car sales but how is the market for second-hand cars going. We talk to David Lowe from Gumtree Cars (6:35)

Motoring Minute

• Audi S4 (12:31)

Interview

• One of Overdrive's desired transport Policies is to “Make Buses Sexy”. Brian Smith is doing a big project in Canberra to achieve just that. He tells us why it is a rewarding but tough task. (13:42)

Motoring Minute

• Audi SQ5 (21:52)

Quirky News

• And we continue with Brian Smith in a lighter chat on a report that tries to understand why children like to look at garbage trucks. (23:00)

You can find more information at Driven Media or previous programs are available as podcasts on

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0ah6JZN8LTYURIfNs1IIBs

iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/overdrive-cars-transport-and-culture/id1001084679

Go to

Our Facebook page OverdriveCity https://www.facebook.com/OverdriveCityDrivenMedia/?modal=admin_todo_tour

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Our YouTube site https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKyx5sv6cgF4URRmNq2JiXg/videos

So, let’s start with the news

Originally broadcast 12 December 2020

Hello and welcome to Overdrive, a program that contemplates issues related to cars and transport.

I’m David Brown

News

• Mitsubishi PHEV (1:34)

• Kia Sorento (2:31)

• Hino Hybrid (3:28)

• Car Sales for November 2020 (4:28)

• New roadwork vehicle cuts noise and dust (5:35)

Motoring Minute

• Audi A5 (6:44)

•

Interview

• Alan Zurvas gives us the rundown on the latest dashcam (7:55)

Motoring Minute

• Audi Q7 (17:26)

Interview

• We continue our series with motoring journalist and author John Smailes on his latest book Speed Kings Austria and New Zealand’s quest to win the Indy 500. This week Geoff Brabham’s unusual style to make sure he takes the first corner flat out at over 400 km/hr. (18:36)

You can find more information at Driven Media or previous programs are available as podcasts on

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0ah6JZN8LTYURIfNs1IIBs

iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/overdrive-cars-transport-and-culture/id1001084679

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Originally broadcast 5 December 2020

How do you overcome the psychological difficulty of keeping your foot on the accelerator when you enter the first corner at the Indianapolis 500 doing 400 km/hr or more.

Apparently, Geoff Brabham had the technique of putting his left foot on top of his right foot to make sure he didn’t lift off.

This is another story from John Smailes new book “Speed Kings – Australia and New Zealand’s quest to win the Indy 500”.

You can hear the extract about this story at

The whole interview is at

The book would make a great Christmas present

PS

I have no financial benefit from this book – I just think it is a great read.

America is proud of its big sporting events.

In traditional sports like US Opens in golf and tennis

Their unique approach to football in the Super bowl

And in motor racing the Indianapolis 500 on a banked circuit a style of competition that is at the heart of their racing.

But it is not just American good old boys who have been inspired by this event.

John Smailes, journalist and author on motor racing in Australia, has written a book on the Indy 500 from the perspective of the Australian and New Zealanders who have ventured there.

And Antipodeans have made an impact including at the very beginning.

John’s book is titled “Speed kings: Australia and New Zealand's quest to win the world's greatest motor race”

If you can’t beat them, join them

According to a survey by the Bosch company, nearly 90% of motorcycle riders use their smartphone to prepare for or follow-up on trips. A third of those polled admitted to using their smartphone while riding.

Motor cycle riders have to look at their dials for safety reasons such as keeping within the speed limits but also they need other information such as navigational directions.

Distraction and frustration can build up if you have to keep swapping between screens for different information.

Bosch has developed a split screen display that, they say, will allow riders to keep relevant information in constant view.

The device has a 10.25-inch screen that links to your phone systems and will debut on a 2021 BMW sport-tourer, the first production bike to display a full-color navigation map in the instrument cluster.

Testing car design or trying to train drivers with computer simulation, has not had the real feel of driving a car.

Volvo test drivers are now getting behind the virtual wheel, wearing a full-body haptic suit and a mixed-reality headset

Haptic means relates to a sense of feel and haptic feedback creates the illusion of feeling an object of a force within the virtual world. “Feeling” the steering wheel or a seat that simulates the sideways force when driving around a corner for example.

Volvo has real images of roads, road signs and nature, that they can then add in virtual objects such as other cars, wild animals, or pedestrians, to test driver reactions.

The full-body suit has 10 inertial sensors and bio-sensing which can measure user’s stress levels, heartbeat and eye movement, to give a good understanding of how the user is feeling in a certain traffic or safety situation.