johns

Just a reminder that we'll be meeting up at the Old Mill Inn in Maryculter at 7:30pm on Wednesday 7th August at 7:30pm (and thereafter at the same time and place on the first Wednesday of every month). See you all there. John

I can't wait either John

Wev'e been invited by another car club to attend their event at Alford (Transport Museum) on Sunday 4th August. Arrive from about 9:30am onwards. All the Subarus will be in a display area of their own. The small sprint track will also be in operation again Cheapest track event there is, as it costs a mere £5 for a few runs on the track. There will be the usual mix of other car clubs, trade stands, food vans etc on site to keep everyone entertained during the day. Hope for a big turn out this time John

Just a short note to remind everyone that the SIDC are at Kames track (close to Muirkirk in Ayrshire) this coming weekend (27th/28th July). Kames is a small sprint track, which is very inexpensive to hire and use (costs £20 per person per day). It costs nothing to come along and watch or join in with the party. You can take your car out on track if you wish, or simply come along to watch, have fun, and possibly get some passenger laps (remember to bring your own helmet though!). We are there on both Saturday and Sunday (starting from about 9am each day), and on the Saturday evening most of us shall be camping out on site (free of charge), and having a BBQ/party throughout the night. Just bring your own tent, food and drink and join in the fun. Should be a great weekend, and we'll look forward to seeing lots of you there. If you do intend to participate, numbers are restricted and we'd like to know in advance. Simply drop me an e-mail with the details of your car and driver(s). There are no restrictions on the numbers coming along to watch. Depending on interest, we may also set-up an Autotest type track in one of the car parks for additional fun (nothing timed or competitive - just a bit of fun driving around some cones!). Regards John

Vinny, not yet I'm afriad, but there are several garages which sell Super Unleaded. The Shell garage just a mile from the Hilton is owned and run by a local SIDC member who will also be taking part in the event. He is making sure that he has more than enough stocks of Super Unleaded for the weekend. Cheers John

AWD are holding another of their famous open days for SIDC members and Scooby enthusiasts on Saturday 3rd August SIDC members will be able to get free engine diagnostics (any make/model of Impreza) using their select monitors, as well as free tea and coffee They'll have all their staff on hand to discuss all aspects of Impreza ownership, from routine servicing (at reduced costs for SIDC members of course ), to the ultimate in modifications. It's certainly a great day out, and a chance to meet fellow enthusiasts, chat about cars, modifications, events etc. Hope to see lots of you there on the day John

No worries Ralph, just give me a shout before you come over and we'll sort something out for you BTW, for everyone else - last night's meeting was a great success, so it will be a regular meeting on the 1st Wednesday of every month at the Old Mill Inn, 7:30pm John

Ralph, if you start swimming now, then there's a slim chance you'll make it on time Be great to have you along to a meeting some day. Cheers John

With sufficient numbers in the Aberdeen area, we are going to start a regular monthly meeting, so that members can meet-up, chat, discuss future events etc. The first meeting will be held at the Old Mill Inn at Peterculter, on the South Deeside Road (right on the corner beside the bridge to Peterculter), at 7:30pm on Wednesday 3rd July. Should the venue prove successful (in terms of accessibility, parking, food etc), then we?ll hold one there on the first Tuesday or Wednesday every month, so that those who work offshore can make at least every 2nd meeting. Hope to see lots of you there. John

Just to let you all know that Wheels Around will also be present on the day, to help change over wheels and tyres etc. They'll also have slicks mounted on Subaru wheels for hire in both 16 and 17 inch sizes, as well as new tyres available to purchase on the night. If you would like to go home on new tyres at the end of the night, give them a call on 01764 662897, and they'll sort everything out for you. They can get any make/model of tyre at a couple of days notice, and usually at unbeatable prices. They have especially good deals on the latest Yokohama tyres See you all there on Thursday. John

We now have stocks of a colour flyer for the event, produced for us by our kind friends on the Island who are sorting everything out for us. Most of the stocks have gone to John baldock (SIDC Social Secretary), who shall be distributing them to the regional reps soon, and also handing them out to people at the National Day at Donington on the 7th July. They have all the necessary information about the event on their, plus some nice photos from parts of the Island, along with a booking form on the back. I'll send some out to dealers etc. in the next week or so. John

The next SIDC event at Knockhill is taking place on Thursday 20th June, with one of our ever popular 2 hour sessions. Action starts at 6pm (though you need to be there for 5pm at the latest if you are driving), and it will the usual open pit lane format giving maximum track time for your money. The cost is a mere £35 for SIDC members, or £40 for guests Places are limited to guarantee quality track time, so you'll need to book up quickly. If you are interested in taking part, drop me an email on john@sidc.co.uk John PS There will probably be the usual post-event curry as well

Many thanks to John Stevenson and Stan for sorting out another top day at Kames yesterday The weather didn't look promising, and coming from Aberdeen we had lots of rain on the way down. However, despite a few brief specks of rain through the day, the track stayed dry until the end of the day at 4pm. Some very impressive cars on display, and also on the track Good mix of cars as well, and nice to see an Integrale being used for what it was designed to do. Just how sideways was that Chevette !! Loved the name "Teem Baazoot" on the back of it Looking forward to the double header weekend at the end of July now. Thanks to all. John

We are a few drivers short for the karting event this coming Saturday (18th May) at Raceland. We have a few teams who are urgently looking for one or two drivers to complete their team (one of which has won the event in the past!). It's a 4 hour endurance event, using brand new twin engined karts on the 930m outdoor track. Cost is only £50 per driver. If you are interested, then please e-mail me at john@sidc.co.uk Cheers John

Paul, the only place that does competitive track insurance seem to be Egger Lawson (Competition Car Insurance). Speak to Nik or Georgina on 0115 941 5255, and they'll get you sorted out. The premiums start at about £55 for about £5k of cover (enough to repair 95% of track type accidents). Having driven around the track at Jurby, I would say that you would have to be trying some to get the car into a position where you could do any damage. Around most of the track, there are large areas of grass (about 12 inches high) before you even get close to the tyres. The only place where there isn't is at the end of the main straight, where you brake and turn in for a 90 degree right hander. In this case, there is a row of hay bales (I think) at the end of the straight, but this is about 30 - 40 feet after the turning point for the corner, so you have quite a bit of tarmac run-off before you could get into trouble. Even travelling at 3 figure speeds, it is very unlikely that anyone could go 40 feet past the normal braking point for the corner, and even then if you manage to turn about 45 degrees to the right, there is a long grassy area towards the corner of the airfield. I've never been to Bedford, but it's probably similar in that it's very unlikely that you could damage your car badly, even if you spun off somewhere, as there is no armco within easy reach of the track. Cheers John

Yes, we've got a few things in the pipeline for the next few months We'll be trying to sort out a Treasure Hunt event. Emphasis more on fun and navigational skills (min 2 people per car), and not on speed. Likely end up with a pub supper at the end. Likely to take in large parts of Fife, Tayside, Stirling etc. We are also planning a multi-activity day, where you'll do clay pigeon shooting, karting, off-roading, quad-bikes etc, followed by a very nice BBQ. Paintball is a possibility. Looking for suitable venues, dates etc. Also in the pipeline are presentations/talks by local police forces, on things like road safety, awareness, observation etc. Designed to permit you to drive more safely, and aware of hazards. Likely to be scheduled before winter. May involve rides in police pursuit type vehicles, for demonstrations on commentating on driving, observation etc. We are also going to set-up regular local meetings, which will be monthly/bi-monthly depending on interest. We already have sufficient numbers for events around Edinburgh, Aberden and possibly Glasgow to make this viable in those areas, and just need some feedback from owners in other areas to get things started. Speak to the regional rep in your area, or John Baldock who looks after all the regional organisers for the club. We are also planning a big charity event, and will be going for lots of publicity in local press around Scotland, local radio etc., with the aim of raising lots of money for charity. These are in additional to the events at Kames, Knockhill, karting etc. The regional organisers are going to meet every three months from now on, to plan and co-ordinate events across Scotland for the next 3 to 6 months etc. Hope everyone will be happy with the events we have planned. If not, then please get involved and tell us what you would like us to arrange John

Dave, we currently have about 30 cars/55 people (might be a few more now) booked up () and paid to take part. One of the hotels (Mount Murray) is already provisionally full up, though there is always the possibility of a cancellation. The Hilton still has plenty of rooms available, and there are a couple of other hotels we can use when the Hilton fills. Booking just now (only a £50 deposit on credit card) has another advantage, in that you have first choice of the ferry crossings, and can choose the times that suit you best. If you leave it for another month or two, then there's a chance you won't have the luxury of a choice. I'm now getting lots of e-mails on a daily basis from people asking about this event, including those from Europe as well, and I get the feeling this event is going to be very well attended John

Any other suggestestion for events would be greatly appreciated The regional organisers are meeting on the 30th to discuss future events etc. Cheers John

Chris, we've heard nothnig but praise for the driving courses run by Andrew Walsh (see details in the trackday section further down). he runs them at Crail in Scotland, or North Weald near London. Cost is about £80 - £90 for a full day's tuition, with the track/instructor shared with up to 3 other drivers. You get to learn exactly what you want/need from the day, but focussing on handling, braking, driving techniques, skid control etc. Everyone who has done the course so far has had huge grins on their faces at the end of the day. John

We have been plannnig the ultimate karting event for some time, and many of you are probably aware of the details. For those of you that aren't, there is still time to get involved Date: Saturday 18th May, 10am Venue: Raceland karting centre on the outskirts of Edinburgh Event: 4 hour endurance race in teams of 6 drivers. Multiple driver changes and fuel stops. Karts: Brand new twin engined (2x200cc) race karts, capable of 70+mph Track: 930m outdoor track, lots of gradient changes, and a good combination of slow, medium and very fast corners. Format: Arrive, sign-on and get changed into race gear. Overalls, helmets and gloves are supplied. Pre-race briefing, giving details of karts, format of race, etiquette etc. 30 to 45 minutes practice session, up to team captain to decide who drives for how long. Followed on by the main event - a 4 hour race to the finish. Whichever team has done the most laps, or is in the lead by the end of the 4 hours wins. It's up to each team how to split the driving between drivers, and when the fuel stops (several required) will be done. Racing will be done in teams of 6 drivers, and a fair handicapping system based on driver weight and experience will be used to keep things closely matched The cost - a mere £50 per driver, or £300 per team, discounted from the normal rate of £450 per team for this length of event. You can enter a whole team, several teams, as individuals (we'll put you in a team), or with one of more friends (we'll put you all in the same team). To enter, simply send me an email, and I'll add you to the list and send you out a booking form. You need to post back the booking form, with a cheque made out for the number of drivers you are entering and your place is confirmed. As you can imagine, places are very limited (maximum of about 15 teams), and will go on a first-come first served basis. See you all there. John

Greg, you'll find there are lots of events within about 60 minutes drive from Dundee this year. Next one is the karting on 18th may. As Derek has mentioned, the regional organisres are meeting on the 30th to come up with some more local events with year, so any suggestions would be warmly welcomed from any members out there John

John, I'm meeting all the regional organisers on he 30th April. If you just post them all out to me, I'll distribute by hand and save some postage costs John

We've now got a full preview of the event up on the SIDC website atIsle of Man Event. There are links to a number of pages with additional information. The gallery section has additional photographs, plus information on a number of attractions on the Island. We hope to fill the gallery section with more good photos from the Island, and use it as a permanent gallery after the event as well Could you please review the web-site comment, and post up any comments (positive or negative), with any additional information that would like to find out about. Many Thanks in advance. John

Fishy, it should be possible for you to make your own arrangements if you wanted to. You could then just pay the same fee (to be decided) for local members who won't need any of the travel and accommodation etc., and just wish to take part in the events. Camping - it was discussed when we were over there, but as the savings were marginal (due to the excellent hotel rates), we thought that most people would prefer to simply enjopy the luxury of a hotel for the weekend If you do just wish to make your own arrangements, then I'd suggest you give Magic Holidays a call, who could advise you on ferry times, prices, local event fee etc. Hope to see you there 1/2 cwt - we'll look forward to iy John

Attached are suggested menus for our gala dinner at the Hilton. We can mix and match things from any menu if we wish, and even come up with other suggestions. There will be vegetarian options available for all courses regardless of the choices of main courses. Any thoughts ? I?d probably go for something like Manx broth, roast beef of the chicken en-croute for main, and any of the desserts (or all ) I?m also (very) partial to smoked salmon as a starter, so would possibly suggest that as an alternative, but I?m not sure what everyone else thinks ? John Menu 1 Pate Maison - a smooth pate served on a garlic crouton and dressed with a mango coulis Roast Rib-Eye of Beef - served with a rich red wine sauce, accompanied by a selection of fresh vegetables and potatoes Twin Chocolate Torte - a light white and dark chocolate torte served with a caramel cream Coffee and Mints Menu 2 Manx Broth - a hearty soup served with a fresh bread roll Chicken en Croute - a plump chicken breast covered in lemon grass flavoured mushrooms then wrapped in puff pastry and served with a mushroom and cream sauce accompanied by a selection of fresh vegetables and potatoes Strawberry Tartlet - served with an apricot coulis and dressed with whipped cream Coffee and Mints Menu 3 Crown of Melon - a full half of ripe melon filled with fruits of the forest and served with a fruit coulis Roast Loin of Pork - cooked to perfection and served with a refreshing cider sauce accompanied by a selection of fresh vegetables and potatoes Bread and Butter Pudding - home made and served with fresh cream Coffee and Mints