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Gert Huzink (Tatra Phoenix) lost 5.5 hrs in wednesday’s stage after he flipped his truck
Tatra feature in the February 2014 edition of Classic & Sports Car magazine, out today
Tatra. Andrew Roberts becomes well acquainted with four of the firm’s finest exports, a T87, T603 and brace of T613s, charting the models’ development from 1936 through to 1995. Each of these rear-engined leviathans boasts a thumping air-cooled V8 engine, but which is the more dynamic to drive? Dave Richards puts his foot down to find out.
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Tatragate India: Tatra ban lifted
NEW DELHI: The government is open to reviewing cases of blacklisted defence firms on merit as it prepares a new policy that will allow foreign defence firms to legally hire agents, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar has said.
He added that banned firms can be conditionally allowed to do business in the country. “Based on merit and necessity, one can think of lifting the ban to a reasonable level,” he said.
Parrikar said state-run Bharat Earth Movers Limited (BEML) has been allowed to supply spare parts for Tatra trucks, as long as it does not deal with the British subsidiary of the company that was banned following irregularities in its deal with BEML.
He pointed out that one should not just go by the name Tatra as there are 3-4 companies which make the trucks.
“The company which has been banned is Tatra UK and we have permitted BEML to deal with the original company which is owned by different people now,” he said, adding the condition is such that it should not have relations with “questionable individuals”.
“A restricted Non Objection Certificate has been granted to BEML, because we do need for defence purpose Tatra vehicles. It has become critical for certain applications,” he said.
Heavy vehicle maker Tatra was banned in March 2012 after then Army Chief General V K Singh’s allegations that he was offered bribe to clear sub-standard trucks supplied by the company to the Army.
Meanwhile, the Congress has reacted sharply to the defence minister’s statement.
Senior party leader and spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi said, “It is a serious issue, the government should call an all-party meeting to take the views of other political parties. This is not a matter that can be decided through the Defence Minister’s off-the-cuff remark.”
Defence procurement in the country has been hobbled by charges of corruption and of illegal commissions pocketed by middlemen. It became a political storm with the Bofors’ Rs64-crore kickbacks story with Rajiv Gandhi losing the 1989 election. Ever since, arms purchases had become hot potatoes as it were. The Tehelka sting operation about payments to politicians and army personnel in 2001 had led the then defence ministerJaswant Singh in the NDA government to set up a committee under BG Verghese to evolve a clear defence procurement policy (DPP). Thirteen years later, Singh’s successor in NDA-II, Manohar Parrikar, has revealed that a new DPP will be announced soon.
Parrikar has also indicated that arms agents, he uses the term technical representatives, will be allowed to participate in the process of purchases. Ministry sources, according to agency reports, have said that these technical experts will be allowed a fee but no commissions or bonus on the purchases. It is easy to quibble over the terms and argue that middlemen in arms deals are being allowed in through the back door. But the need to be less rigid and more practical in these matters is dictated by the exigency that critical arms acquisitions are getting unduly delayed because of the controversies created around major arms purchases.
As part of this new pragmatic approach, the minister has allowed public sector unit, Bharat Earth Movers Limited (BEML) to supply spare parts to Tatra trucks which involved partially lifting the ban against Tatra. UPA-II had imposed the ban after the then army chief and now minister of state for north-eastern affairs, VK Singh, claimed that Tatra offered a bribe to him. Parrikar has found a technical way out of the impasse saying that it was Tatra UK, a subsidiary of the mother company, which was banned and there is no restriction in dealing with the other units of the company. Again, it is possible to criticise him saying that this is but a fig leaf. It has been found that Tatra trucks are crucial for the army and it is to deal with this pressing need that the ban has been partially lifted.
Parrikar’s pragmatic approach is free of his party’s shrill rhetoric against corruption when it was in opposition, and his willingness to take decisions based on the country’s security needs. He is not taking the rigid position that any company which has been blacklisted will always remain on the list. He has given enough indications that there will be a review of those decisions. As a matter of fact, this makes a lot of sense because an erring foreign arms company should be penalised for breaking rules, and the penalties imposed should be punitive so that giving and taking of bribes will become counterproductive. It should not be kept away if its wares are crucial for the armed forces.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s plan to make India an arms manufacturing hub will take time to take root and become a reality. In the meanwhile, there is no escape from making huge defence purchases from foreign companies. The need then is to establish these purchases on a firm and clear footing. There is need for an open debate on the issue of arms agents and the commissions they get paid by the companies they represent. Ways have to be found to prevent the commission amount being factored into the final price.
http://www.dnaindia.com/analysis/editorial-dnaedit-pragmatic-parrikar-2048794
Miroslav Zikmund handed out the Order of Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk
On Oct. 28 every year, the day celebrating the establishment of an independent Czechoslovakia in 1918, the head of state of the Czech Republic recognizes individuals, both Czechs and foreigners, who have made a significant contribution to the country. Past recipients include European heads of state, from Queen Elizabeth II and King Juan Carlos to Jacques Chirac, François Mitterand and Ivan Gašparovič, U.S. politicians such as former presidents George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton and former secretaries of state Henry Kissinger and Madeleine Albright, writers like Karel Čapek and many others.
Miroslav Zikmund got the Order of Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk (1st class, for outstanding contribution to the development of democracy, humanity and human rights). Born Feb. 14, 1919. Writer and traveler. Along with Jiří Hanzelka, he visited more than 80 countries, wrote some 20 books and promoted the former Czechoslovakia and Czech-made Tatra cars in the world. Both travelers condemned the invasion of Czechoslovakia by the Warsaw Pact troops in August 1968, and this is why they were banned from traveling and publishing. After the fall of the communist regime in 1989, Zikmund made his first journey to Australia, and he also traveled to Siberia and Sri Lanka again. President Václav Havel bestowed a medal of merit on Hanzelka and Zikmund in 1999.
President Zeman handed out the Order of the White Lion, the Order of Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk and medals of heroism and merit to a wide spectrum of individuals
On Oct. 28 every year, the day celebrating the establishment of an independent Czechoslovakia in 1918, the head of state of the Czech Republic recognizes individuals, both Czechs and foreigners, who have made a significant contribution to the country. Past recipients include European heads of state, from Queen Elizabeth II and King Juan Carlos to Jacques Chirac, François Mitterand and Ivan Gašparovič, U.S. politicians such as former presidents George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton and former secretaries of state Henry Kissinger and Madeleine Albright, writers like Karel Čapek and many others.
Miroslav Zikmund got the Order of Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk (1st class, for outstanding contribution to the development of democracy, humanity and human rights). Born Feb. 14, 1919. Writer and traveler. Along with Jiří Hanzelka, he visited more than 80 countries, wrote some 20 books and promoted the former Czechoslovakia and Czech-made Tatra cars in the world. Both travelers condemned the invasion of Czechoslovakia by the Warsaw Pact troops in August 1968, and this is why they were banned from traveling and publishing. After the fall of the communist regime in 1989, Zikmund made his first journey to Australia, and he also traveled to Siberia and Sri Lanka again. President Václav Havel bestowed a medal of merit on Hanzelka and Zikmund in 1999.
http://www.praguepost.com/czech-news/42322-complete-list-of-award-recipients-of-oct-28
Tatra and other rear-engined saloons
Tatra works autocross racer Alois Havel (69) has passed away
Sad news from Koprivnice. On October 25th former autocross buggy racer, Alois Havel (69), passed away. R.I.P.
What work, too outcome ‘or’ bad luck only use the word apology inability ‘. These are just two adages that likes to use motor-cross racer Alois Havel, who rode in machines with an engine factory.
And in 1981 the circuit in New Pace then fulfilled the dream of all domestic motor-cross enthusiasts – Czech racer first win in the series of European Champion.
Overall European title for individuals with Alois Havel never had, three times finished in second place. He has always been a bit quicker biggest rival, German Willi Rösel. One year, however, seems determined only problematic disqualification for allegedly shortening the track to race in Austria, due to which Havel lost twenty points. At the end of the season fell behind the winner of sixteen points.
However, three times won the European title in the national team, in 1981 and 1983 won the Golden Steering Wheel for the best Czechoslovak athlete in autocross and rallycross. Last year Zdenek Vojtech received an award for lifetime contribution to motorsport.
The funeral will be held Wednesday at Kopřivnice
“Gone too soon, for next year he was only seventy. Very sad news, “responded Charles Rosenkranz, former director of the Tatra Museum, an expert in the history of Kopřivnice and people associated with it.
“Lojza, it was childhood autocross. I remember him pulled from Frenštát Automobile Club in Koprivnica. Then he could work in a factory racing buggies. It was a great autocross personality, “said Rosenkranz about a man who came from a nearby village Quiet, but recently lived in Kopřivnice.
Last farewell to Havel Alois will be held Wednesday, October 29 at 14:00 pm in the funeral hall Cemetery in Kopřivnice.
About sports career Alois Havel was established in 2013 Czech Television documentary called Wallachian putter Lojza Havel (document here)
Though he never won the overall European title for individuals, Alois Havel finished in second place three times. He was beaten by his biggest rival, German Willi Rösel. He came closet to the title whem he was runner up just 16 points behind Willi Rösedespite being disqualified earlier vthat year in Austria for allegedly shortening the track in Austria, loosing twenty points. However, he won the European title for teams with the national team, in 1981 and 1983 winning the Golden Steering Wheel for the best Czechoslovak driver.
The funeral will be held Wednesday at Kopřivnice
Tatra among the 10 ugliest cars in Britain (according to the Telegraph)
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Press
Has Tatra finally made it to the classic-car big league?
The Czech marque is emerging from the shadows, and collectors are taking note
Until recently, Tatra, at least in the eyes of most western collectors, was one of those weird brands from behind the Iron Curtain. Most early Tatras could easily be mistaken for a prop from “Metropolis” or some early Jules Verne screen adaptation that melded art deco design with a steampunk aesthetic. Few U.S. car collectors had ever seen a real Tatra in the metal.
The recent feature of a special class for Tatras at the 2014 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance seemed to be the culmination of a journey for the marque on this side of the Atlantic. That, plus a number of high-profile appearances in addition to a serious gain in Tatra numbers in North America over the last few years, has arguably propelled the marque into a spotlight, even if a temporary one.
Full article: http://autoweek.com/article/classic-cars/has-tatra-made-it-west-collector-car
ZUZANA
ZUZANA 2 is an advanced wheeled 155mm self propelled gun howitzer developed by KONŠTRUKTA-Defence and produced by ZTS – ŠPECIÁL primarily for the Ministry of Defence of the Slovak Republic.
The artillery system is a new version of the 155mm / 45 calibre ZUZANA self propelled howitzer which entered into service with the Slovak Army in 1998. ZUZANA 2 is capable of conducting multiple round simultaneous impact (MRSI) operations.
The howitzer was demonstrated at the International Exhibition of Defence and Security Technologies (IDET) 2011 held in Brno, Czech Republic and at the International Defence Exhibition (IDEB) 2014 in Bratislava, Slovakia.
More: http://www.army-technology.com/projects/zuzana-2-155mm-self-propelled-gun-howitzer/
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Events & Meetings, Press
Ronald Adams, former Tatra director, will receive 120,000 Kč in compensation
Ronald Adams, former U.S. director of the Czech-based Tatra lorry marker, will receive 120,000 Kč in compensation for the prosecution he faced over suspected bribery from the Czech state, Justice Ministry spokeswoman Kateřina Hrochová told the Czech News Agency today.
Adams demanded 5 million Kč in compensation for the prosecution, which he said adversely affected his personal and professional reputation.
He previously said he would give the compensation sum to nonprofit organizations that fight corruption in the state administration.
Adams may turn to a court if he wants to claim the rest of the sum from the Justice Ministry.
Adams was charged with bribery in August 2012. A court definitively acquitted him last year. The police suspected Adams of offering a bribe to the Czech Republic’s then–Deputy Defense Minister Martin Barták in 2009 in exchange for the ministry ordering a further supply of Tatra products to the Czech military.
Ronald Adams, former U.S. director of the Czech-based Tatra lorry marker, will receive 120,000 Kč in compensation for the prosecution he faced over suspected bribery from the Czech state, Justice Ministry spokeswoman Kateřina Hrochová told the Czech News Agency today.
Adams demanded 5 million Kč in compensation for the prosecution, which he said adversely affected his personal and professional reputation.
He previously said he would give the compensation sum to nonprofit organizations that fight corruption in the state administration.
Adams may turn to a court if he wants to claim the rest of the sum from the Justice Ministry.
Adams was charged with bribery in August 2012. A court definitively acquitted him last year. The police suspected Adams of offering a bribe to the Czech Republic’s then–Deputy Defense Minister Martin Barták in 2009 in exchange for the ministry ordering a further supply of Tatra products to the Czech military.
According to Adams, the court clearly said neither the police nor the state attorney could exactly define what crime he committed and how he did it, and that the state attorney’s office should not have filed an action against him.
As a result, all harassment and restrictions to which he was exposed during the investigation, detention and the court proceedings were unnecessary and unlawful, Adams said.
He said the indictment and prosecution relied exclusively on untrustworthy testimonies of people who face criminal prosecution themselves. His detention, prosecution and trial were based on a purely expedient criminal complaint, he added.
Read more: http://www.praguepost.com/czech-news/41759-friday-news-briefing-sept-26-2014#ixzz3Ehwi5mCL
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