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PETRONAS opens the doors of SAUBER PETRONAS ENGINEERING, at Hinwil, Switzerland to see the development of the GP1 motorcycle engine.
Wednesday, August 22th, 2001

Hinwil, August 22nd, 2001 - At the opening of the 2001 FIM World Motorcycle Grand Prix season in Suzuka, Japan in April, PETRONAS unveiled its first high performance motorcycle prototype engine, for "GP1". At this occasion the prototype was launched by PETRONAS President and Chief Executive Tan Sri Dato´ Mohd Hassan Marican.
    Today in Hinwil, near Zürich, Switzerland, Mr. Osamu Goto, Director of the SAUBER PETRONAS ENGINEERING (SPE) Powertrain Division, introduced the "GP1" engine and outlined the concept and design of the four-stroke three-cylinder 989 cc prototype engine. Mr. Luca Guerciotti, Project Manager and Mr. Zaimizi Hamdani, PETRONAS Automotive Engineer – Powertrain Analysis, also gave additional information about the current status of the project.
    The "GP1" engine is derived from the latest motorcycle and Formula one technology. PETRONAS and SPE engineers are carrying out the design, development and testing of the engine under the management of Osamu Goto at the project centre in Hinwil. The PETRONAS engineers are attached to SPE, a Swiss automotive engineering technology company, being a 60:40 joint venture company as an extension of the Sauber PETRONAS partnership.
    PETRONAS commissioned SPE to design and develop the GP1. The Phase 1 development of the engine has been conducted on rigs and the dynamometer at the SPE facility. Overviews of the test results were discussed to demonstrate the potential of the "GP1" engine power unit which is currently exceeding 200 HP.
    The Phase 2 evolution of the "GP1" engine is currently being designed and will run on the dynamometer in September. The "GP1" engine will make its public debut in a chassis at the official roll out on the track at Sepang, Malaysia on 21st October, during the Malaysian leg of the motorcycle championship.
    The four-stroke three-cylinder 989 cc prototype marks another milestone in Malaysia’s national automotive industry. In November 1998, PETRONAS launched Malaysia’s first prototype commercial automotive engine which is currently in the production intent phase.

Osamu Goto
Director Powertrain Division
SAUBER PETRONAS ENGINEERING AG
(SPE)

Anybody who knows anything about motor-racing knows that Osamu Goto and high performance engines are synonymous. Ever since he began his career as an engineer with Honda R&D Ltd. in 1969 in Japan, Goto has been building a global reputation as a racing engine expert par excellence.
    So, it is not surprising that Goto is the management and technological talent behind the racing engine for the new GP1 motorcycle racing series currently being developed by SPE in Hinwil (ZH), Switzerland. A prototype of this engine was presented to the public in April 2001, and tests on the race course are scheduled for the autumn of this year. The new GP1 racing engine has been developed and manufactured entirely by SPE. "Our goal," Osamu Goto says, " is to have a competitive engine on our hands."
    The GP1 engine project has been a team effort and an important one for the Red Bull Sauber Holding joint venture with PETRONAS that provides services to many clients, including RED BULL SAUBER PETRONAS, the Formula 1 team which currently is fourth in the 2001 FIA World Championship of Constructors. As Goto points out: "18 PETRONAS engineers are working with us in Hinwil. After studying to university level, these people come and work for SPE for two years. They are totally integrated into one of our various engineering teams and they work on individual tasks. This is an important plus for PETRONAS as a joint venture partner with SPE because it assures sustained technology transfer."
    Other SPE projects include the development of lubricants and fuels, using SPE´s V2 research engine. SPE also recently concluded a project on engine and exhaust emission development for a new micro-car generation.
    When Goto-san, as he is universally known, began at Honda, his first job was in exhaust emission development. Honda re-entered Formula One with Williams in 1984, and Goto-san became Chief Engineer of F1 engine development. In 1987 Williams-Honda won the Constructors´ and the Drivers´ F1 Championship with Nelson Piquet. Honda then became a partner of McLaren. The result: Four consecutive Constructors´ World Championship wins. In 1994, Goto-san joined Ferrari Gestione Sportiva S.p.A. as Manager, R&D. He has been with SPE in his present capacity since 1997.

Sumber : Sauber Petronas

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