johns

The run down (100+ miles) should be more than enough, with some cornering thrown in. The initial 5 minute warm up session will remove anything that's left on the surface, and roughen up the surface a bit, after which be prepared for silly levels of grip (assuming it's dry of course!).

If so, are you likely to be attending the Knockhill event on the 7th October ? If yes to both, then could you please get in touch. We've got someone who wants to take part, but would need a lift to the event, as their car is currently at Knockhill. I'm sure plenty of passenger laps could be offered in exchange! Cheers John

Fee, I'll check with KH after this event. Normally they can offer us additional slots, but they tend to be last minute cancellations. It would most likely be towards late November, so there would be no gauarantees on the weather, apart from it being cold and most likely wet! John

I must be in the running if there are. Currently in Babo, which if anyone can find is in the Papua province in Indonesia (Bintuni Bay area). Basically, it's a runway cut out in the middle of the jungle that was previously used in WWII. At least an hours flight from anywhere that could reasonably be classed as civilisation John

I've been in continual Impreza ownership since Feb 97, though my current car dates from March 02. Don't know if you are any older than me Alan - you certainly don't look it []

Hi Kinghorn, welcome to the forums. Don't know anyone with a white Type-R for sale at the moment, but there are a few good cars for sale in the area. John

Awful and very sad news indeed. I'd met Paul many times over the past 5 years or so at many events, including the great karting events we had at Raceland where he was part of the "Crailthrashers" team. He was a top bloke, and will be very sadly missed. My thoughts are with his family and friends. John

Given that the car is quite fast already, then I would suggest the next step would be to fit better brakes (eg AP 6 pot kit with 330mm discs). These will allow you to make full use of any future mods, and actually drive more confidently knowing that you will always have consistent braking power. If you already have decent brakes, then possibly look at getting the suspension done (drop links, bushes, anti roll bar, anti-lift kit, before looking at replacing the struts & springs). Again this will make you faster/more confident on most roads and/or track, and allow you to benefit fully from any future power upgrades. If you have any spare change from the above, then I'd suggest booking yourself on our next track event at Knockhill [], make full use of the (free) instruction available, and learn to safely expoit the limits of what you have already. John

Cheers []

STi make a similar (genuine Subaru) part, but it's likely to be a few pennies more. In theory, you could make one up yourself with some fuel resistant rubber sheets and some steel plates. It simply keeps some fuel around the suction area on the base of the fuel pump for a few seconds under heavy cornering. Just a basic baffle type arrangement.

I'm sure that Andy F's Scooby could give it a run for it's money down the 1/4 mile (or certainly the early part of the 1/4 mile). He perhaps doesn't quite have the same levels of power, but it's got better traction.

Gav, that's superb. I know that many members use yourselves, Eden, S&S etc, and all get great service. No reason at all why you can't offer the same deals on membership etc, and I'd be happy to modify the flyers etc to suit each dealer. It can only be a win-win situation for everyone if we all work together [] John

Just a short note to say a big thanks to Russell and Craig at Wallace Performance for sorting out a couple of issues I had with my car since last weekend. On Sunday, a check engine light came on and engine became much less responsive off boost/full throttle. I suspected the lambda sensor, and phoned them on Monday to see what diagnostic tools they had. Russell told me to pop around at any time, and they would read the error code from the ECU and diagnose the fault. They are less than 5 minutes drive from my work, so I popped around straight away. I would have normally gone to T&C up in Altens for this sort of thing, but with the roadworks on Market Street, it would have taken me about an hour each way, which is time I didn't have to spare. As expected, it was the first sensor that had failed (not bad going as my car has done almost 60k miles now!). We tried fitting a replacment pattern Bosch part (many thanks to Kev from T&C for wiring info etc), but it was a different type of sensor (even though they looked identical). I ordered a replacment part from a dealer (with SIDC discount and free postage), and it was fitted this lunchtime, and I don't have that nagging orange light on my dashboard. Whilst the car was on the ramps, I mentioned that my alignment must be quite a bit out, as my two front tyres (now on the rear) were well scrubbed on the inside edge, but still had 4 - 5mm of tread everywhere else [] Russell mentioned that they had the laser geometry checking equipment, which also allows you to set-up the camber, and they could quite easily sort that as well for me. A few of the nuts and bolts were well rusted in place, and it took Craig some time to free them up without damaging any threads, but he got them all loose in the end. A short while later, and the camber and tracking were set-up correctly. The correct sensor arrived in the post today (the front one is actually known as an air/fuel ratio sensor, not a lambda sensor, and it's part number 22641AA042 if anyone needs it for future reference). Took the car back around at luchtime (un-announced), left the keys with them and headed off to a nearby van to grab some lunch. By the time I came back from the van with my lunch, the car was on the ramps. By the time I had finished eating (which wasn't long!), my car was reversing back out of the garage, and away for a short test drive, sensor fitted and working. During the test drive, Craig noticed that steering wheel wasn't exactly centred (must have moved a bit when freeing up the rusted bolts), so it was back on the ramps, laser equipment set-up, and some fine adjustments made, and another short test drive before he was 100% happy with it. Result: One happy customer with a car back in fully working order. Now just waiting until Saturday, when I get two new tyres fitted to replace the worn ones (going to try the Michelin Pilot Sport PS2s this time). Having learned my lesson, I'm now going to get the wheel alignment checked/adjuted on an anual basis. I blame the pot holes on the road near my house (still a building site!) for knocking the alignment out over a period of time. John

Well done Craig, sounds like a very productive meeting [] We've had a few people do flyers etc in the past, and I can easly print on A4 using a colour laser printer. Don't have time at the moment to do the creative design work though. Happy to print if someone else can do the design etc. John

I'm sure Col will have some photos of you, but he's away on training courses this week, so his website won't be updated until the weekend or sometime later. John

As per title, the next SIDC Knockhill event will be on Saturday 7th October from 9am to 1pm. Places are now available to purchase in the club shop at http://shop.sidc.co.uk/index.cfm?cat_id=8 The last event on Saturday was sold out weeks before, and we had a reserve list of 10 people in the week prior to the event. It's likely that this one will also sell out quickly, so I'd recommend that you book up quickly to guarantee your slot! John

As has been mentioned before, the biggest issue in the Aberdeen(shire) area is that many of the owners work offshore. This means that at any time, around 50% of them aren't available to attend any meets/events. The past few months are also traditionally difficult to sort out events for, as it's peak holiday season (as well as shutdown seaso offhsore), and even just a week's holiday means that you can't attend any events for two weekends. The other thing that affects me (and likely others as well), is that it's often difficult to attend events at relatively short notice, as my calendar is filled up with other things that I've planned with the family. It's much less of a problem with regular events like the Old Mill Inn, plus events like KH and Alford which are planned months in advance as I can get to the calendar first [] Other less active members may only check the forums once every few weeks, so may not find out about events until it's too late. BTW, were you aware that the new karting place will be opening soon in Aberdeen (www.kartstart.com), so perhaps we should try and arrange an event there in the coming months [] John

Glad you all enjoyed the day[] Great to meet so many new faces, as well as lots of regulars. I did say to everyone attending that the weather would be fine, but wasn't expecting it to turn out that good! I must admit, I was somewhat worried arriving at Knockhill at 8am to find it covered in thick fog, but it slowly lifted until the track opened, after which the heat from the cars seemed to burn it off in record time [] Good to see Craig Mac on track at last - car was running very well from what I saw and heard (I knew you would like being on track), as was Peter's until the smoke problems (glad to hear that the car is fine). Well done to Spooks also for going out on track at last, though you did take a lot of persuasion from quite a few people before finally venturing out. Out next event at Knockhill is on Saturday 7th October - another 9am to 1pm session, and you'll find slots available to purchase in the club shop now. Be quick, as I'm sure this one will sell out very quickly indeed! Cheers John

http://ukie.accuweather.com/adcbin/ukie/uk...d=2&whent=5 Dry to start for most of the morning, a shower around 11, then dry again until the end. Should be fantastic! John

True, but there have been lots of people dropping out over the past few days for various reasons, and I've been filling the slots from the reserve list and making some people very happy indeed [] Currently, the reserve list is empty, so there is a very good chance that there would be one or more slots available tomorrow morning. I would recommend arriving early and attending the briefing. That way, you can get straight out on track, instead of having to get an individual briefing later. Remember, to go out on track you will need to wear a long sleeved top or jacket or fleece or whatever, as long as your arms are covered. If you are driving on track, you'll need to bring your driving licence. John

It won't be cancelled due to some rain. In fact, it's often the most fun if the track is damp in places, as you can go quickly enough to give you a thrill, as well as sliding around the corners (after a bit of practice). The forecast for tomorrow is actually mostly dry, though there's a chance the track will be damp to start off with, with some showers later in the morning. With ambient temps of 15 - 17 degrees, a dry line will form very quickly. This is actually the best possible scenario, as cars start off taking it gently due to the damp track, and build up over time as the track dries until they are at full speed. Then if it rains later, now they are in tune with the track and their car, they can have a bit of fun in places. If the rain gets REALLY heavy, and there's an inch of standing water on the track, then they may close the track for ten minutes for safety reasons (ie there will be so much spray, that the marshalls can't see from one post to another). They are very used to rain at Knockhill, and it does drain off very quickly once it stops. See you all tomorow morning. John

The Aberdeen meeting point is the Portlethen Asda car park for about 6:15, departing at 06:30 prompt. There are already about 6 or 7 elises/caterhams etc meeting there for the run down, aiming to be in Dundee for about 07:30, and KH at about 08:10 after a re-fuel at Dundee or Kinross (SUL). John

Agreed. About 10% is the most you'll get off, but well worth every penny. You won't believe the difference in driver confidence and stopping distances you can get with decent brakes, especially from high speeds. John

I'll try and get there for a while today. Been on holiday this past week and playing catch-up, and suffering a bit this morning with it being my wedding anniversary yesterday. Hope to see some of you at some point, so give me a shout if you see me wandering around looking lost [] John

I'm pleased to announce that Jon (AKA JC Scoob) has kindly accepted the offer to become the Dundee/Tayside/Angus RO [] He'll be starting to sort out events in the area now on a more frequent basis, and helping the other ROs at other events when he can. I'm sure you'll join me in welcoming him on-board so to speak, and offer him your full support. His profile on the forums will be updated in the next few days when Willie/Cam get a chance to log on and make the changes. Jon - if you can update Frenchie (our new RO co-ordinator) with all your details by emailling her on ro@sidc.co.uk, or post up your details on the thread in General forums. Stephen will also update the list of ROs on the website once he's been given the keys and 50p's for the meter by Willie & Cam [] Cheers John