bthere: Inflight Magazine Brussels Airlines

IN GEAR

Text Ted Macauley

Prepare for some high-speed action in the world of motorsports this month

Letter of the law
Driving across the continent has never been easier, but beware the pitfalls of not knowing the law

Cruise control may be a welcome adjunct for any luxury car, but use it on a traffic-congested motorway in Belgium and you are breaking the law.

That is just one of the many pitfalls facing unwary motorists as they criss-cross the continent, but a little knowledge can be a big money-saver in avoiding fines. For instance, the French traffic cops crack down hard on radar detectors – any motorist found using these devices will face on-the-spot fines, and may be escorted to the nearest cash-point to get it.

In Germany it is an offence to overtake a school bus while it is letting passengers off. While in Austria and the Czech Republic you are required to drive with dipped headlights at all times.

In Belarus, Russia and Romania motorists are in trouble if they drive a dirty car. And don’t even think of entering Bosnia and Herzegovina with a damaged motor unless you have any damage certified at the border so that the certificate can be produced when the driver leaves the country.

In Portugal it is an offence to carry a bicycle on the back of your car. Cross over to Spain and if you wear spectacles you must carry a spare pair.

Park where you shouldn’t in Greece and the police will confiscate your number plates. As for sounding your horn, don’t do it at night in Bulgaria or near a hospital in Cyprus.

Drinking and driving, understandably, is a no-no just about everywhere – but in Macedonia not only the driver must stay sober, but the front-seat passenger, too.

In Denmark you have to slow down to a crawl when the roads are wet so as not to splash pedestrians – and forget trying to race a tram to a crossing in Norway, they have right of way.

Peugeot looks to big guns for Le Mans
Peugeot will field a strong line-up at Le Mans, with the 24-hour endurance race their top target

Four international drivers, Nicolas Manassian, Stephane Sarrazin, Pedro Lamy and Marc Gene will contest all seven rounds of the series.

They’ll be joined by ex-Formula One world champion Jacques Villeneuve for the Le Mans 24 Hours in June.

French-Canadian Villeneuve says: “I am so much looking forward to what will be a huge and exciting challenge.

“I’d love to be the first driver in history to have won the F1 world title, Indianapolis, the Champcar Championship and then the Le Mans 24 Hours.”

The 354-kph Peugeot 908 challenger will be given a major two-day test in Valencia. “The Le Mans 24 Hours is our main aim,” says team manager Serge Saulnier, “and Valencia will be crucial for us before that all-important date in June.”

Pleasing design

Peugeot call it the P.L.E.A.S.E. design competition, and the youngest ever winner, Mihai Panaitescu, has triumphed over 4,000 entrants.

Now the 20-year-old Romanian design student’s dream concept car, Flux, will be built by the company and exhibited at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September.

He pocketed a prize of €6,000 and his car will also feature in a future Xbox360 game.

Entrants were instructed that their vision of a fun vehicle for the future should give “Pleasure through its Lightness and Efficiency while remaining Accessible through its Simplicity and Environmentally-friendly design”.

Motorsport Diary