our Panasonic Toyota Racing team
Exclusive NEOPLAN Starliner for the Panasonic Toyota Racing
Team Ralf Schumacher names the coach "Olympia"
"The last time I was on a bus was when I was at school",
admitted Ralf Schumacher, who was visibly attracted by the
24 tonne NEOPLAN flagship and went on to say that that may
change in future. After a trial lap at the Cologne-based Formula
1 stable the racing driver was very impressed by the unusual
styling, the exclusive fittings and the "superb torque"
of the 12.8 l MAN engine.
The handover of the 13.9 m Starliner SHDL to the Panasonic
Toyota Racing Team was the highlight of a big event for customers
organised by NEOPLAN Bus GmbH and attended by 33 bus operators
from all over Germany. Kai Ebel competently guided the guests
through the programme – Formula 1 fans in Germany will
know him from his live racing reports on German TV.
The Panasonic Toyota Racing Team has for many years now been
entrusting transport of racing vehicles and service tasks
to products from the MAN Nutzfahrzeuge Group. Now a NEOPLAN
Starliner is joining the fleet. The cooperation between an
innovative bus manufacturer and an organisation dedicated
to motorsport was explained in detail by Toyota Motorsport
President John Howett and Marketing Manager Andy Fuchs: team
sponsors bring 5,000 guests per year to Cologne to find out
about the development and production of the Formula 1 racing
cars. For this an exclusive, comfortable vehicle is needed
that at the same times meets requirements as an ambassador
for the brand. The NEOPLAN Starliner is just that –
an absolute premium product among the de luxe coaches. Beside
that, they continued, experience with MAN – NEOPLAN
belongs to NEOMAN Bus GmbH, a subsidiary of the MAN Nutzfahrzeuge
Group – is already very good. 19 MAN trucks, for example,
are used to handle the racing team's transport and logistics.
NEOPLAN Managing Director Joachim Reinmuth too regards the
"Coach of the Year 2006" for Toyota not only as
a "magnificent means of transport" but also as an
excellent marketing instrument. Indeed, the NEOPLAN Starliner
will be used at a wide range of events as a 3-D advertisement
for both partners.
The guests were amazed as they went on tours through the
various departments of Toyota Motorsport – sterilised
entrances and an unbelievably clean floor even in the engine
assembly area. All components are stripped down and measured
right down to the last detail after the races and built up
again complete with new parts for the next ones. It's ear-splitting
but exciting: for every NEOPLAN group of visitors the technicians
started an off-schedule trial run. Toyota Motorsport GmbH
employs a total of 680 people, all highly motivated and emotionally
tied to the team around the two Formula 1 pilots (Schumacher/Trulli).
Ralf Schumacher quickly won over the visitors from NEOPLAN
by answering the many questions on engineering and strategy
in detail and with great commitment. Most of the guests did
not know, for example, that high forces (up to 5 G) are the
greatest stress factor during acceleration, cornering and
braking.
After a final discussion came the actual highlight of the
day, the christening of the Starliner with the name "Olympia",
after which Joachim Reinmuth symbolically handed over the
keys to John Howett. Nomen est omen: here "Olympia"
does not stand just for contests, but also for victory. Ralf
Schumacher proved that he had been on the winners' rostrum
fairly often by staging a classic champagne shower amid the
united applause of the guests.
The NEOPLAN Starliner, whose body bears the faces of Ralf
Schumacher and Jarno Trulli and the logos of the team sponsors,
is supported by Cologne bus operator Weinzierl and used by
agreement. This traditional company with 55 employees is a
long-standing NEOPLAN customer and runs a fleet of 20 buses
and 15 coaches.
NEOMAN Bus is the Bus Division of the MAN Nutzfahrzeuge Group.
The company develops, produces and markets buses and coaches
of the MAN and NEOPLAN brands. In fiscal year 2005 NEOMAN
Bus with 8,000 employees sold more than 6,000 buses and chassis,
thereby generating a turnover of some € 1.2 billion.
Technical data of the vehicle:
Length: 13,990 mm
Width: 2,550 mm
Height incl. air-conditioner: 3,970 mm
Clearance circle: approx. 22,350 mm
Wheelbase: 6,550 mm / Front/rear overhang: 2,920 / 3,050 mm
Height of centre aisle: 2.05 m
Engine: MAN D 2876 LOH, 353 kW/480 hp
Capacity: 12,816 cm³ / Max. torque: 2,300 Nm
Gearbox: 12-speed MAN TipMatic with automatic shift
Axle ratio: i=3.36
Easy-Start moving-off aid
Electronic Stability Program ESP
Steering: ZF Servocomtronic power steering
Tank capacity: 480 l, filling from right and left
Electrics: TEPS
Permissible gross weight: 24,900 kg
Seats: 36+5+1+1 (2 back-to-back seats and five-seater club
corner with single seats and four-star seat spacing. Storage
box between back-to-back seats with integrated playstation.
Information inside: DVD system with flat screens at front,
in front of door 2 and on storage boxes. Switch for changing
over from laptop to video. Integrated DVB-T module for digital
TV reception while vehicle is stationary.
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