johns

What have you ordered now Marc ?

Dave, add Brian Jamieson to the list as well. He came along the last time. Will post up to try and get some of the Elise owners along as well. John

Pete, You have mail John

David, consider the place reserved for Snap On tools John

Fee, he's already been in touch I think (Adam ?), and all sorted now John

Welcome along Fee It's not every day you see two black Type-Rs together. We'll hopefully see at some of out future events. John

Higgy, there were 20 slots available, and they all sold out within about 3 days of going into the shop! Get your friend to drop me an e-mail. There is a very small reserve list at the moment, so there's a very good chance they could be taking part. Cheers John

Dougster, it may well be. We're trying to sort this out at the moment, as the chap that normally does it isn't available for the 26th. John

Rob, same set-up as last year You might have some competition for the best track car this year though John

Forgot to mention that places on track will be strictly limited to 40 cars. If you want to have the chance of using your car on track, you are strongly advised to get there before 10am

The SIDC have booked Grampian Transport Museum in Alford (20 miles west of Aberdeen on the A944) for our 2nd National Day in Scotland. Some of you will have been on drives recently that came very close to where this venue is, so if you want to enjoy some fantastic roads again, then this is the event to come to. Last year I think we had something like 100 Imprezas over the course of the day, and a big turnout is expected again this year. We've got full use of the facilities, which includes the large grass display area, the covered grandstand overlooking the track and of course the sprint track itself We've got the facility booked for the whole day, though the track won't open until about 9:30am and will close about 4pm. We'll have a show and shine competition with nice little trophies available in the following categories: Best Classic Best New Age Best Modified with another trophy for the best overall car at the show. I'm sure the competition will be even tougher this year than it was last year, with many excellent entries. Like last year, we are hoping to have a variety of trader and dealer stands there on the day, as well as food vans etc. Best of all, this event is free of charge!!! The only charge will be if you want to take your car out on track, where the cost will be a mere £10 for as many runs as you can fit in during the day. Only one car is permitted on track at a time. We are also hoping to have a bouncy castle for the kids (again free of charge!), and possibly face painting as well. Last year we had permission to camp out overnight on site (there are some strict rules that need to be observed), and it shouldn't be a problem if anyone wants to camp out again this year. We'll also be looking for volunteers to assist with the set-up on the Saturday, and the running of the event on the Sunday. We need a few marshalls, people to stand at the gate directing people where to park etc. Last year we had a rota system where people did something for an hour or so, then enjoyed the rest of the show. We'll also need people to help tidy up afterwards. Now here's the other bit that you can help with: To help with the costs of the day and to keep the event free, we are offering trader stands during the day for only £50. For this, any trader may come along and sell/advertise their goods on site. Most last year did a roaring trade. If you know any dealers or traders who may be interested in attending, then please contact them and let me know. Payment can be made on the day if they prefer. The best slots on the top of the grass bank overlooking the track (where most people spectate from), will go to those traders/dealers who book up first Last year was a fantastic day out, and I'm sure this year will be no expection. John PS Apologies for the late(ish) notification of this event, but I wanted to get the preparations for some other events and things out of the way first, as it can be hard work trying to juggle the calls/emails for many different events at the same time.

1 - kart_man 2 - Spooks 3 - IanJ 4 - JohnS 5 - Alan D (neighbour who went last time) Just saw this thread, so will reserve a couple of places. Will confirm these later in the week. John

Most of the hand held radios that you can get that don't need a special licence to operate have a very limited range in a car. We used them successfully on the Catalunya Rally trips, and they were very good for what we used them for then, but the range was limited to about 1Km and sometimes much less if there were hills/corners in the way. We split into different groups, and the lead car in each group used CB radios to keep in touch. These were good for up to 5 to 10 miles if conditions were good. The only downside is that the needed a big stick on aerial on the roof to work effectively, but none of them fell off or marked the cars in any way. The leader of each group would then communicate with the rest of their group via the hand held radios. Most of the time we used them to say we were stopping at the next fuel station, take the next junction on the left, watch out for a hazard up ahead, and in some circumstances that the road ahead was clear, even though it was twisty which permitted cars behind to overtake when the visibility wasn't 100% safe for overtaking. Be warned though, that this last option seriously upsets other drivers on the road who aren't aware that the people travelling in a group are in constant communication, and following some hassles, we stopped using them for this purpose. In Scotland, we have found that the most effective communication between cars/groups is by using a mobile phone, ideally the passenger in each car and it's good to get everyone in each group to swap numbers (program them into the phones) before they head off. Make sure at least one person has the numbers for the group ahead/behind as well. John

Welcome back Steve! would you believe that I got my first Impreza saloon not long after our first child arrived. The 4 doors mean easy access for getting child seats in the back (yes they all fit fine!). The big boot has plenty of space for a pram, plus all the other bits and pieces you need. You also gain the space behind the front seats for storage as well until the kids reach the age of about 7 or 8 when their legs have grown long enough, but by that time they are travelling "light" so to speak. The wagon is more practical for rear storage, but there's only been a couple of times in 8 years of Impreza ownership that I thought I could do with a bit more boot space, and that was when buying large items that weren't kid related (like DIY stuff from B&Q), 28 inch TV etc John

In theory, yes fitting a different back box will affect your warranty. However, dealers are very unlikely to turn down a warranty claim on say most things if you have a different back box fitted, though they kight take a different viewpoint if you tried to claim for a new centre section/cat as it may be possible that the replacement contributed to the failure of the original part. Scoobyworld do indeed offer SIDC members discount on many parts Check out the members section on access details to this part of their website. John

I'd strongly recommend a standard P1/STi back box if you can pick one up 2nd hand. It's only a fraction louder than the standard twin pea shooter, but then again it gives only a fraction more power (if any). You'll need to get one from a 92 - 00 car though, as the 01 onwards cars have a slightly different fitting I believe. Lots of people here will have one of the above sitting in their loft/garage gathering dust. Alternatively, go for another standard replacement, which dozens of members on here might have sitting in their garage. Most of them get given away for free/pint of beer/assistance with something or other, but the most I've seen one sold for was about £25 for a standard one, and £50 for an STi/P1 version. John

Can count me in, depending on availability

Just to let you all know that there's a track evening at Knockhill tomorrow night from 6pm to 8pm. It's being organised by Tut (Elise owner who attends most of our track days). Looks like there's going to be about 50 - 60 Elises there, as part of a big weekend event taking place around Scotland. There's at least one or two Imprezas taking part tomorrow night, and there may be some scope for a few more. I'll be there anyway, so feel free to come along and watch etc. If you want to take part, you'll need to e-mail Tut in advance tut@n1tut.com, and you can pay in cash on the day. Cost is £50 for the two hour open pit session. Hope to see a few of you there. John

Shouldn't be any problems attending. SHould be a good day out with fast cars and good driving standards. John

You really want to look at the timing/fuelling as well as just increasing the boost. I'd recommend fitting a knocklink if you plan to increase the boost as well, just to give you adavnce wanring that you might have pushed things too far. John

Sounds like most of you enjoyed the day out Sorry I couldn't make it down. Set off on Sunday morning but got a phone call when I got near Dundee and had to head back home again I'll do my best to try and make sure we get some track time sorted out for next year. Thanks to all of those who were able to make use of the free entry tickets. John

And it's now all sold out If anyone else is interested, then just drop me an e-mail (not a PM!), and I'll add you to the reserve list. Cheers John

I was number seven hundred and something. Made this thread a sticky, as it's very important that as many people vote as possible. John

Daz, yes you can do it in your 205GTi. It must have a rear view mirror IanJ - no charge for additional drivers. All drivers must be present and sign on at the drivers briefing before the event starts. John

Ian, they aren't as good as full harnesses for keeping your upper body in place. However, they do have an advantage over harnesses in that they don't take up any space in the rear of the car, take 5 minutes to fit/swap to another car and if you use it on the road, it means you can still use reach most things in the without having to undo the harnesses (e.g. pay in a car park, collect a drive-through meal etc). I found it was good for holding your lower body in place, meaning you needed to expend less energy keeping your body in place during cornering and especially under braking. You don't notice much difference for the first few laps, but I found that after a longer session, I was less tired. Like a lot of these things, you notice it more after you have taken the device off and go back on track for a session. It's not a huge night/day difference, just more of a subtle help. John