Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/655581
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 20 MARCH 2016 XII Motoring Jerry Seinfeld Porsche collection racks up $22,244,500 at auction FIA imposes stricter pit to car radio rules JERRY Seinfeld cleared out a portion of his car collection this past weekend at Amelia Island. Gooding & Co. rolled 18 cars across the block, and 17 sold for a total of $22,244,500. The col- lection was estimated to rack up $28 to $32 million. Not surprisingly, the 1955 Porsche 550 Spyder took top honors, pulling $5,335,000. The 550 was the genesis of pure mid-engine Porsche racing cars, powered by the four-cam Fuhrmann engine. It's a car that most owners can expect to drive with reasonable success. The Porsche 917/30 Can-Am car, which was built for the 1974 season but never raced, cleared $3 million, falling short of the $4.4 million Seinfeld paid when he bought it at Amelia Island a few years ago. Only a few drivers could manage the 917/30 when new, in part because it could make as much as 1500 horsepower depending on tuning. A collector might field the 917/30 and em- ploy a professional driver to drive it at vintage events and exhibi- tions. Surprisingly, the prototype 2000 Carrera GT did not sell. a major reason the collection did not reach its estimate. Along with the McLaren F1, Carrera GT is considered one of the greatest supercars of all time. THE FIA (Federation Internatioale de l'Automobile) has moved to clarify the messages teams can relay to their driv- ers amid tighter restrictions over the use of pit to car radio. Restrictions were placed on teams in mid-2014 in an effort to stamp out the practice of coaching drivers through the course of a weekend. The role played by engineers on the pit wall had been seen to detract from the overall spectacle as drivers relied less on their own skill and intuition and more on their engineers' instructions. Ever since the regulations surrounding radio use have been gradually tight- ened, with the FIA now issuing a new list of topics that can't be discussed while the car is on track. Among the additions includes the type of tyre a competitor is using, remind- ers on track limits, and information on a rival's strategy. What teams are allowed to tell drivers is now limited to terminal problems, gen- eral car and weather information and other non-specific and non-performance enhancing messages. A note issued by the FIA also makes clear coded messages would not be tolerated and if any team was suspected of doing so it would be referred to the stewards of the meeting for investiga- tion. Charlie Whiting, the FIA Race Direc- tor, doesn't expect the changes to have much impact, but will place the empha- sis back on the driver. "I think the main point is that the driver should be doing things," Whiting said. "He should be driving the car and he should be doing the things a driver nor- mally is expected to do. "Over the last few years, there has been so much information given to the driver by the engineers to manage every aspect of the car, and we really honestly felt it had got to an intolerable level."