Summer edition Dec - Feb 2015
Rex Driver #60
www.wrxsa.com
33 Woodlands Tce, Edwardstown, SA, 5039 Contact Sean and Jo phone 8277 2222
eblen
COLLISION REPAIRS Contact: Dario Tonon
Manager
240 Brighton Road, Somerton Park, South Australia 5044 t 08 8294 2952 f 08 8376 1133 w eblencollision.com.au
Subaru Collision Repair Specialists Eblens have been in the automotive industry for decades and since our companies inception, we have repaired more Subaru's than any other crash repairer in Australia and continue to be the number 1 choice when it comes to Subaru smash repairers in Adelaide. One thing we’ve come to know about Subaru owners is that a high level of importance is placed on quality. At Eblens, we know what our customers want in a quality vehicle repair and this is why ALL of our collision repairs entail the following:
Eblen Collision Repairs / Team DDR Special !!! Eblen Collision Repairs is a major sponsor of Team DDR, and it’s young drivers Dan & Brad Day who are also WRXSA members.
In addition to our support of this V8 Supercar outfit, our clients who hold a ‘Team DDR Membership’ are eligible for $200 off excess of all insurance claims over $1500.00. DDR Members simply mention this special to save $200!
We source genuine Subaru parts Our technicians are specifically trained in all aspects of high tech repairs Highly trained staff, skilled & experienced in repairing Subaru models All repairs completed to manufacturer’s standard Absolute focus on customer satisfaction
Remember – it’s your car, it’s your choice. When it comes to hassle free, premium quality collision repairs, at Eblens, we’ll do it all for you!
PO Box 400, Unley, SA 5061
2014/2015 Elected Club Committee: President:
Incorporated in Adelaide, South Australia - May 1999
Sam Jongenelis Mobile: 0402 936 908
Certificate number: AA0024461E
Vice President:
Club Address: Impreza WRX Owners Club of South Australia Inc.
Web Site Address:
Spiro Koulianos Mobile: 0402 311 294
http:\\www.wrxsa.com
Secretary:
E-Mail Address:
Tania Langcake
Information: info@wrxsa.com Club Committee: committee@wrxsa.com Magazine: rexdriver@wrxsa.com
Membership: The Impreza WRX Owners Club of South Australia is a club for motoring enthusiasts with a passion for performance cars. Our focus is on performance oriented Subaru vehicles, including the Impreza WRX, STI, Liberty RS, Forester GT and BRZ’s, but membership is considered from owners of other vehicles.
Club Magazine: The Club magazine Rex Driver is published quarterly and distributed free to all members. Contributions are welcomed from Club Members and interested parties alike and may be submitted email to the Editor direct at: sethcoultas@gmail.com
Treasurer: Damien Hirst
Mobile: 0422 277 109
Membership Officer: Gareth Scanlen
General Positions: Brendan Moore (Cruise Master) Damien Hirst (Motorsport Co-ordinator) Nigel McGaffin (Events Co-ordinator) Andrew Kreiger (Webmaster) Rob Gromball ( Social Media) Kylie Singleton (Business Liaison) Jarrad McGaffin, Mitchell Bryres, John Tomazos
CAMS OFFICER Matt Knighton Use Club’s mobile number 0413 025 697 for other enquiries to other committee members
Club Patrons:
Layout & design
Cody Crocker, Team Subaru Sam Brand, BrandMotorsport
Seth Coultas (Magazine Editor) Email: sethcoultas@gmail.com
All contents © 2015 Impreza WRX Owners Club of South Australia Inc.
DISCLAMER: The views and/or opinions expressed in any/all articles in this magazine are not to be considered the views and/or opinions of the Club, editorial staff, or any committee member. While all care is taken in the preparation of this publication, the Club, its committee and its contributors accept no responsibility for the accuracy of the whole or any part of the magazine. The club wishes to highlight that that any modifications made to your car may void your factory warranty, and any racing / sporting events may void your insurance cover. Articles regarding either of these matters are for interest value only and are not recommended to our members.
We trust allBiz for all our Rex Driver printing needs. www.allbizsupplies.biz 125 O’Sullivan Beach Road, Lonsdale Ph: 8326 2899
Official Magazine of the
Impreza WRX Owners Club of South Australia Inc.
Contents CLUB RACING
SOCIAL
16
Old Willunga Hillclimb
10 2014 CAMS Award Dinner
18
OzGymkhana Round 1
20 Extreme Auto Expo
24
Port Adelaide Carrera
21 WRXSA Christmas BBQ 22 WRXSA Boxing Day Cruise 26 Matthew Fairweather Driver Profile
MOTORSPORTS 32
Rally America - Sno*Drift Rally & 100 Acre Wood
36 2015 Ben Simpson Memorial Cruise 38 WRXSA Ski Day 40 WRXSA Coastal Cruise
Special Feature 28
SA Motorsport Park Update
Front cover: Jason Bartsch Photo by Frank Kutsche - “Sticks & Stones”
REGULARS 1
Club Info Page
4
President’s Report
5
Editorial
6
2014 Club Championship Wrap up
8
2015 Club Championship Details
11
New Members Welcome
12 Member Profile : Jason Bartsch 14 Member Profile : Dylan Butler
34 ‘Classic’ Rex Driver 41 Rex Driver Advertising 42 Business Partners 44 Upcoming Events
ARTICLE & PHOTO ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Thank you so much to everyone that contributed to make this another fantastic edition of Rex Driver ! Without your support this magazine would not be possible : Damien Hirst Sam Jongenelis Jason Bartsch Dylan Butler Alin Daju Rob Gromball Jarrad McGaffin Tania Langcake Shane Sickerdick Frank Kutsche "Sticks & Stones" Justin Hanney Brendan Moore Garry Dodd Ben Hersey Dale Ireland Brad Halliday Photography Kevin Tria Photography Michael Gee Images Matthew Fairweather Subaru of America Lars Gange
if you would like to contribute or just send in some pics of your car contact me at sethcoultas@gmail.com.
3
Sam Jongenelis Club President
The Willunga Hillclimb team
Welcome to the first edition of Rex Driver for the year 2015. 2014 was capped off with an excellent turnout for the xmas bbq at its new location of Thorndon Park. The new location proved to be a hit with all that attended. Congratulations also to the winner of the 2014 club championship Jason Bartsch, and also to all other competitors who took home awards and prizes. A big thanks to Shaun Beshara and Eblens for providing the food for the day to. This year is set to be a bumper year for WRXSA. With a full calendar of events already set for the year and the motorsport championship underway, it’s a great time to be apart the club. We have already had the water ski day up at murray bridge which was a great day out for everyone who attended. I know I always thoroughly enjoy myself. With Brendan Moore taking over the cruise master role we can expect a bit of a shake up with times, locations and formats from now on. Look forward to seeing everyone out and about this year. There’s something for everyone. Sam Jongenelis
4
EDITORIAL
Seth Coultas
2015 is shaping up to be a jam packed year and as you read this the Club Calendars have been printed and distributed to those of you that have already purchased them. If you haven’t already grabbed one you had better hurry up as we only have a limited print run so get in now or risk missing out. Not only does the Calendar highlight Club Championship and general motorsport events we have also highlighted dates for the new club go-kart championship, cruises and social events for the whole year in there! Combined with some fantastic photos taken throughout the last year it is a bargain for only $10 and will guarantee that you don’t miss out on any of the action.
copy every quarter. The plan is also for the Club Magazine to be further supported by a regular monthly e-newsletter. This will be a quick update sent out to members letting them know in a more timely manner what is coming up and highlighting recent events. Finally reducing the number of printed copies will free up club funds for lots more exciting things including club run motorsport events such as the upcoming Collingrove day and an annual yearbook. If you would like to find out more please come along to the next club meeting, we would love to see you there. Despite things quieting down over Christmas there is still plenty of news and content for this edition of the Rex Driver. We celebrate our 2014 S&J Automotive Club Championship winners, and take a look back at the last couple of events for 2014, the Port Adelaide Carrera and Willunga Hillclimb. As always we have a nice selection of photos from recent cruises along with news from Rally America; and closer to home we have a special feature detailing all the exciting details for the SA Motorsport Park. Get excited people we are going to have a world class facility right here in SA!
For those members that have not been at the recent monthly club meetings there is a lot to update you on. Firstly the committee has initiated a complete overhaul of the clubs website (wrxsa.com) that will bring us into the modern internet age. We want to make it as useful and informative as we can so that members and supporters of the club can find out what the club has been up to and what we have to offer in the future. In conjunction with this we will be migrating the Rex Driver magazine to a more online distribution method. This will happen once the new website is robust enough to handle it and for Catch you later. those that are happy to pay a little extra on top of their club membership there will still be the option for a printed
Seth Coultas
2014 S&J Club Championship Winner: Jason Bartsch
Grand Champion 1st Place Winner:
Jason Bartsch – 06 STI – 121 points Well done for Jason in his first year with WRXSA, What a fantastic experience it was to compete in the club championship this year. Never would I have taking out impressive Personal Bests points in his white thought I would be good enough to walk away with the 2006 STi. Next year’s championship should see a great trophy. Just goes to show how fair the new points challenge for Jason to improve his already quick PB’s system is. New comers are definitely in contention. or even break some club records! Well Done Jason! Anyone in the club that is considering entering motorsport next season I strongly recommend it. Not Grand Championship runner up: just for the racing thrills but also for the people. Such Damien Hirst – 99 STi – 116 points great like minded people out there in the community. Long running Club Motorsport identity Hirsti had a Big thanks to S&J Automotive for their ongoing club support, not to mention the 2 ultra last minute retunes I great challenge of resetting some new club records this needed throughout the season. Huge thanks also to year. With Jason Bartsch pushing through, it has given Driven motorsport for sponsoring me and the 'goose', Hirst a run down to the wire with only points apart. many a late nights where spent in the workshop getting the car ready for race day. Parts we needed had a habit Club Rookie Of The Year: or rocking up Friday afternoon. Dylan Butler for getting Dylan Butler – 02 WRX – 96 points me to join the club and pushing me to compete. His With many newcomers this year in Club encouragement was just what I needed to get my foot in Championship, it was quite the challenge with Personal the door. Zoe Rule for coming out to every event to Best points at each event. Dylan Butler takes Rookie of cheer me on / pit crew / team manager / courier / mechanic / auto elec / parts supplier... the list goes on. the year for most impressive driving with minimal She is amazing and I couldn't have done it without her. modifications and a good total of points from entering Thanks also to all the club members for making it such many events, even the Mallala Sprint on his first year. a friendly and welcoming group. Jason Bartsch
Class winners: Total points of all rounds entered Standard Class:
Tania Langcake – 96 points Standard Class is the real grassroots entry to motorsport and keeping a WRX in true form is a challenge itself when pushing for Personal Best times. Tania Langcake has done well in the Club Championship to take out Standard Class and run in the top 5 all year. It should also be noted that Tania Langcake was the only club member that competed in all 12 rounds of the club championship this year. This is an amazing effort and that dedication is something that should be commended. Well done Tania!
Modified Class:
Jason Bartsch – 121 points Jason Bartsch went right up on the limits of the Modified rules with 275kw and 2inch wider tyres, he has shown there’s still plenty to come with his current setup. So we look forward to what he has in store next year!
Race / Associate:
David Rowe – 19 points With minimal Race entry competition this year, Associate has been combined with Race Class to give David Rowe in his EVO 7 the Class win over Richard Paul’s 99 WRX. 2015 Club Championship will see more RACE entries to give the Club a bigger field of challenges. The Grand Champion is calculated based on the best of nine rounds and must include one of each discipline, those being Hill Climb, Sprint and Khana. The class winner is the total of all rounds with or without disciplines. Awards are Club Championship Trophy and set of Hankook Tyres plus Wheel Alignment for the Grand Champion winner. Grand Championship runner up receives a trophy. Class winners receive a trophy and S&J Automotive Voucher; and finally a trophy is awarded to Club Rookie of the year!
FINAL CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS Competitor Jason Bartsch
RD9 7
Damien Hirst
RD10 RD11 RD12 18
10
13
121
23
10
18
116
Dylan Butler
8
27
7
12
96
Tania Langcake
6
9
9
15
96
Brendan Moore
5
16
84
Damien Anderson
19
54
Russell Badenoch
17
44
Hugh McLauglin
16
40
Nigel McGaffin
18
Ben Hersey
And bigger thanks to 22 WRXSA members coming out and giving club motorsport a go! A great achievement to the club for a new number of members participating. 2015 will be even bigger and better, so support your club and sponsors and get ready for an fun actioned packed new year starting with Round 1 Gymkhana on the 15th February. Damien Hirst
39 38
Andrew Kemmler
18
37
Glenn Breugem
18
31
Seth Coultas
13
Matt Knighton
Garry Dodd
18
29 10
David Rowe 18
15
Paul Bugala
18
15
Hamish Scott Richard Paul
24 19
Remo Siliciano
Karn Schumacher
31 29
9
Jarrad McGaffin
A big thanks go to our Club Championship sponsor, S&J Automotive for their support and prizes.
TOTAL
14 9
9 9
WRXSA CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP 2015 CALENDAR: 15th Feb OZGymkhana 8th March Motorkhana BigW 28th March Mt Alma Hill Climb 19th April OZGymkhana 17th May Collingrove 21st June Motorkhana Mallala 5th July Phillip Island 2nd August Collingrove 16th August OZGymkhana 27th Sep WRXSA Collingrove day 24th October WRXSA/MGEC Mallala Twilight 22nd November Motorkhana Mallala 29th November Old Willunga Hill Climb 13 Rounds Total 5 x Hill Climb 3 x Gymkhana 3 x motorkhanas 2 x Sprints Best of 9 rounds for Grand Championship – means you can drop your 4 of worst – must have one of each discipline included (4)
Best total points for class wins – no disciplines SPONSORSHIP AND PRIZES:
WRXSA 2015 CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP SCORING Over the years we have had different ways of scoring the championship. For 2015, WRXSA will be using a unique combination of Personal Best (PB) and Outright Results (OR), both totalled together to give you an overall for each round per club championship class. Classes will also even out the scoring to give every car and driver a chance to earn points. This generates a fair system for both the novice and the experienced as beginners can benefit the PB’s and experts can rely on being fastest on the day. Personal Best Each Club Championship entrant is to submit their personal best for each round prior to participating. Scoring will be calculated on point per second of bettering your PB. Scoring will be based on the number of total WRXSA entrants per round not per class. For beginners without a PB, your score will be calculated between the two fastest runs on the day. Points for PB scoring will begin at 5pts for last person and upwards per position will gain 1pt for every additional entrant. Example, 4 WRXSA entrants: 4th=5pts, 3rd=6pts, 2nd=7pts, 1st=8pts. Outright Results Also scored from each event, is your outright result. Points are allocated for final results of each round, outright, not per event’s class. Points are calculated from 1pt for last person and upwards per Club Championship entrant. Example, 4 WRXSA entrants: 4th=1pt, 3rd=2pts, 2nd=3pts, 1st=4pts. Combined Score Both scores are combined to give each Club Championship round’s result. Example, using the above examples, an entrant finishes in 1st place with best PB and 2nd overall outright, would total 11pts. Each combined score is recorded and tallied in the class you have nominated. Two runs would be a minimum to be able to calculate and earn points for the club championship. One run only will be placed last position for the round results. DNF/ DNQ from start of event will be placed last for the round results. If numerous DNF/DNQ, will be equalled last points. Entered but failed to start an Round event, will be excluded from Round results.
Our WRXSA Club Championship is once again Exceptions proudly sponsored by S&J Automotive for 2015. For Wet events, in case of heavy rain throughout entire day, only S&J Automotive are putting $2,000 worth of vouchers outright score will be calculated. up for grabs in the Club Championship. These vouchers Disciplines can be used for anything you might need from S&J 13 Rounds of Club Championship. 9 of your best will be counted Automotive workshop. Main Prize 2015 Club Champion winner = $1200 S&J Automotive Voucher + Grand Champ WRXSA trophy Runner up to Club Champion & Class winners = $200 S&J Automotive Voucher + WRXSA trophy Rookie of the year = WRXSA trophy 13/13 achievement = WRXSA Medallion
with ability to drop 3 of your worst. 3 disciplines are required to be eligible for Club Champion, 1x Sprint, 1x Hill Climb and 1x Khana. Changing of vehicle permitted but one per event per class. Club Championship Classes Three Classes are used as a handicap for each car. Club, Modified and Race/Associate class. This separates the daily street car to the purpose built track cars. Your combined score will be awarded to you and the class you have nominated for.
2015 Club Champion Winner Highest scoring full WRXSA member at end of all 13 rounds will be crowned Club Champion. Prize: $1200 S&J automotive Workshop voucher used on anything you may need at S&J
WHEELS/TYRES – Road Tyres & R-specs. No semi grooved or slicks. Wheels to be no more than two inches wider than OEM & Wheels must retain inside the body arches.
OPEN CLASS MODELS - All Subaru, WRX, STI, Forester GT, Liberty GT & RS, SVX, RA’s, Type R’s and BRZ turbo. Unlimited modifications allowed. Roll cage allowed. R-spec, Semi grooved or Slicks allowed. Aero allowed. All Engine modifications are unlimited, including engine swaps. CLUB CLASS Any power output permitted. MODELS - All WRX, Forester GT, Liberty/Legacy GT & RS, and SVX. STi’s must retain original ECU, no aftermarket ECU or ‘CHIP’ allowed on STi motors. ASSOCIATE CLASS All other makes which hold a WRXSA Associate membership BRZ’s non-turbo allowed. Impreza RX non-turbos allowed. RA or including Subaru’s. Full WRXSA membership with a different TYPE R’s NOT permitted. Make still places you in Associate Class. If you own a WRX and REGO - All must be Street registered. Dyno graphs may be hold an Associate membership instead of Full membership with requested. the club you will be placed into Associate Class. ECU – Free, except STi. See above. (Not including ‘tuned by STi’) There are two Associate categories, Street Associate and Open MOTOR – Bolt-on accessories are Free. Internal components can Associate. Both categories must have at least two cars scoring be changed. Up to 199kw at wheels. All models to retain original points of at least 3 rounds for the year to be valid for end of sized capacity. STi forged motors permitted with factory ECU. championship trophies or one trophy will be presented to overall TURBO – Only factory Turbo permitted on any model, TD05, Associate Class winner. There will be a Overall Associate Trophy TD04, VF28, VF35, VF43, VF52. Boost level Free. Induction as well as trophies for each Associate Class. Free. Intercooler Free. STREET ASSOCIATE EXHAUST - Full System required. Aftermarket permitted turbo All other makes eg. Mitsubishi, Audi, Suzuki back. As per Modified Class rules. FUEL – Free including E85 and Anti Surge Fuel systems. OPEN ASSOCIATE SUSPENSION – Free except no Coil Overs, Struts must be All other makes eg. Mitsubishi, Mercedes, Suzuki retained. As per Open Class rules. DRIVELINE – Free. STi Gearbox and Diffs permitted. Clutch/ Flywheel Free. Gear sets Free. BODY – Standard, STI Spoilers allowed. No Roll cage. No Aero. No Flares. The Motorsport Co-ordinator has rights to determine your class if BRAKES – Callipers to remain Standard. But Pads, Rotors, Lines happens to be any incorrect or false entries. Rules are subject to are Free. adjustments but not to be changed until all rounds are completed WHEELS/TYRES – Road Tyres any type any width or height. No for the year. The Motorsport Co-ordinator’s will calculate scoring R-specs. No semi grooved or slicks. as per rules per each full WRXSA member. The Club (Please note that WRXSA Club Class may differ to other event Championship is aimed at club level fun and enjoyment among organisers Club Class/Road Registered. WRXSA Club Class is club members. Any Protests can be brought to the motorsport cosolely for purpose of Club Championship) ordinator, the WRXSA members section of the forum or a committee meeting. Using social media for complaints is unacceptable and could forfeit your Club Championship entry or MODIFIED CLASS MODELS - All WRX, STI, Forester GT, Liberty/Legacy GT & even WRXSA membership. RS, SVX, RA’s & Type R’s, BRZ’s non turbo allowed. REGO – current or expired ok but must have rego papers no more Events not on WRXSA Club Championship Round Calendar that than six months expired. you participate in will not be included in any way towards the ECU – Free WRXSA Club Championship. If an event on the WRXSA Club MOTOR – Free up to 279kw at wheels. Dyno graphs may be championship is cancelled by event organiser or WRXSA Club requested. motorsport coordinator, the round will be dropped from Club TURBO/INDUCTION – Free Championship calendar and no other events will be included to EXHAUST - Full System required. Aftermarket permitted turbo make up the loss of a round. back. FUEL – Free including E85 and Fuel system. SUSPENSION – Free. DRIVELINE – Free BODY – Standard, STI Spoilers allowed. Front lip allowed. No Roll cage. No Aero. No Flares. BRAKES – Free 2015 WRXSA/S&J AUTOMOTIVE CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP CLASSES
CAMS Awards Dinner Congratulations to the WRXSA team that received their trophies at the 2014 CAMS Awards Dinner. Garry Dodd was loaded down with Motorkhana and OzGymkhana awards, and both Brendan Moore & Dylan Butler claimed trophies for OzGymkhana; they were joined by friends and partners that made it a night to remember.
Garry Dodd’s haul from the 2014 CAMS Awards Dinner. SA Motorkhana Champion & Series Winner. Motorkhana Nationals Class Winner. OZGymkhana, 2nd Outright, 1st Modified AWD
This is something that actually means a lot to me. To finally get out and have a go and end up 3rd outright in the state against some decent drivers in decent cars when I'm in my little street car (nugget). It feels good. A couple weeks and it will be time to prove to myself that it wasn't a fluke. Bring it on! Brendan Moore
Congratulations to WRXSA members Jess & Nigel Mcgaffin who celebrated their wedding in style.
Welcome New Club Members! Fellow members please make new members feel welcome at future events. We hope they will enjoy their time in the club, and wish them the very best.
507 Zoe Rule 508 Damien Brand 509 Nick Pourgiezis 510 Daniel Shields 511 Greg Hudson 512 Dylan Thomas 513 CJ McDonagh 514 Anthony Defazio 515 Jacob Richards 516 Eric Lampard 517 Matthew Branch Welcome aboard!
1st Place
WRXSA
2014 Club Champion!
The Goose White 2006 Subaru STI Engine Closed deck block CP forged pistons Manley I beam forged rods Arp 630 head studs Walbro 300 fuel pump Street fighter 1000cc injectors Parallel fuel lines with cosworth fuel rails Tomei fuel pressure reg Koyorad aluminium radiator Perrin intake Process West top mount intercooler Garrett gtx 30/71r turbo in IHI housing Exforce equal length headers, 3" down pipe and stainless steel exhaust Perrin engine mounts and pitch stop mount Extreme ceramic button clutch
The Operator I am truly honoured to be asked to do a write up in Rex driver magazine. Here is a little about me, I work in the commercial construction industry. Currently building the new Royal Adelaide Hospital. It's a fairly new career for me, prior to this I worked almost 8 years in the mining industry. I'm not scared of a hard days work. I'm proud that everything I have is thanks to the hard work I've done.
I am a genuine car enthusiast. I've always been a fan of Japanese cars. I haven't owned many cars. My first car was a Nissan Gazelle, then a van, then a r33 skyline. I was hopeless at trying to drift it so I set it up to handle as best as possible. On my weeks off I would do regular hills runs. All my mates where working so there wasn't much else to do. This all came to an end one day when, like most skylines it was stolen. I had my heart set on a R34 GTR. It had always been a dream car of mine. My impatience got the better of me and I started thinking about other cars that would be good in the hills. Evo and STI sprung to mind. I didn't even get a chance to look at any Evos. In fact I only drove one Suspension STI, I didn't need to waste my time with any others it knew 'the MCA red coilovers Whiteline anti lift kit, front and rear sway bar, front and rear strut goose' was coming home with me. braces. For years it was fairly standard. Just an exhaust and tune. 210kw was all I needed. I'm a firm believer that you don't need big Brakes power. If you aren't using absolutely everything you have, then Rebuilt brembo callipers you don't need more. I think the most important aspect of your DBA 5000 2 piece rotors (front) t3 4000 (rear) car should be the way it handles and the way it stops. The most Ferodo ds2500 pads for street important being your tyres. Ferodo ds3000 pads for track Hel Braided brake lines It wasn't until I finished mining that I got more involved with the Motul 660 fluid car 'scene'. It started with going on a few car cruises. Then meeting some like minded people. It wasn't long before I joined Wheels WRXSA. Talked into it by good mate Dylan Butler. Then... 17x9" SSR GTV 02 in Hankook RS3s. Everything changed. Finally I had an opportunity to live out my dream of getting my car on the track. Tune Ecutek tune by Sean at S&J making 275kw on e85
The Sport My first event was Collingrove hill climb. I had never had so much fun in my car. It's a tight, narrow course that demands full concentration. With it being such a short run, everything has to be spot on. I ended the day with a 36.06 which I found out is a very respectable time. I was so pleased that my car could preform so well. From then on I was hooked. I wanted to do everything. Every race one could enter I did. By then end of the season I had completed 13 events and 2 track days. The trip to Philip Island with WRXSA was a highlight of the year. Such a great bunch of people made it a memorable trip. The actual track is world class. It was such a surreal experience to drive on a track like that. I highly recommend it. Other highlights include taking out first place in the club sprint class at the SA Hankook Time Attack. Placing second outright at a state OzGymkahna round. Achieving a 34.7 at Collingrove and a 1:18.6 at Mallala. Coming 20th at the Willunga Hill Climb in a field of 120 was a great way to round out the year and secure first place in the WRXSA championship. The club championship itself is fantastic. It would be great to see more members have a go at it. It is such great competition and the friendly rivalries we have between the drivers is awesome. At first I didn't think I would stand a chance at winning but with the way the points are calculated it can really favour new and improving drivers. I would like to thank all the drivers and especially the committee members that put it all together. Thanks also to the club sponsors. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank my sponsor, Driven Motorsport. Jon, Megan and Jamie have helped me out so much throughout the year. Many times I thought the car wouldn't make it out to the next event. Jon understood just how important racing was to me and made sure he did what ever it took to get my car ready. The Goose evolved so much throughout the season each time coming out of Driven better, stronger, faster. S&J have also been very good to me. With endless good advice and a couple very last minute tunes.
The Lady I still can't believe the level of support my girlfriend Zoe gives me. She didn't miss one event all season. Even came all the way to Philip Island just to watch me race. In fact I don't think she even missed a cruises. It's just perfect to have someone in your life that is just as passionate about cars as you are. Doesn't hurt that she is an apprentice auto electrician and had more tools and knowledge about cars than I do. I'm excited and encouraging to see her on the other side of the fence this year. Taking on some Motorsport in her 99 wrx 'Duck Duck'. The Future I am really looking forward to next season. With a few more mods planned and some semi slick tyres I'm hoping to me more competitive and beat some personal bests. There are a couple of events I missed out on last year that I want to give my all to. If any members have ever considered having a go at motorsport I strongly encourage you to get involved. You don't need a fast car to have fun. It's a great sport with wonderful people. Hopefully I'll see you out at the track. Jason Bartsch
So I think my obsession with Subaru began when I was about 13 or 14. I remember being down at Glenelg and spotting a band new white V5 2 door and hearing that famous boxer rumble, I turned to mum and dad and said “did you see that? I want one of them when I grow up”. Growing up around the same era that the fast and furious movies were released it was hard not to be into import cars and the thought of owning a nice well presented Subaru had always been a dream. As a youngster everything, including schooling had always played second fiddle to my dreams of playing first class cricket but after a accident with my wrist when I was 18 that was put on hold and unfortunately I was never able to get back to where I was before the accident. So after a few more years of top level cricket in Adelaide and a few years of working on getting my golf handicap down as low as i could (6) I lost all interest in sport.
into S&J for a tune and bigger TMIC to get rid of that bit of lag I was getting with the FMIC. As much as I love the look of a FMIC the EJ20/VF34 combo just struggled a little bit down low and now with a new setup this was dramatically reduced. By the end of 2013 I had my CAMS license and entered my first motorsport event, Collingrove. It’s safe to say I was hooked after my first day out.
Late 2013 and early 2014 what not a good time for the ‘Dirtbag’ as I started having overheating issues to which we suspected I had the common stretched head stud issue. It was around this time that there had been a bit of talk going on about a little workshop in the northern suburbs call Driven Motorsport. Upon a quick look at their Facebook page I noticed that they were currently rebuilding a EJ257. I sent a message to the owner of this car to see what their work was like and to see if he was happy with how things had gone and if he was happy with how his car was now going to which I got nothing but rave reviews. Going on nothing but the feedback I had Then we fast forward a few more years to November/December from the owner of this white 2006 STi I went in and had a chat to 2012 and I’m finally on the hunt for a WRX. With next to zero knowledge on Subaru what so ever I really didn’t know what I was Jon (from Driven) and by mid January 2014 the Dirtbag was booked looking for, but after a month of searching carsales and gumtree, I in to have a freshen up and some stronger head studs to prevent found something that I liked. Low kms and looked the way I wanted this from happening again. This was the start of a very good and it to look at that point in time. I saw it on a Sunday, test drove it on strong relationship with the crew at Driven Motorsport. the Monday and picked it up on the Friday. I guess you could say it was love at first site. I finally had myself a MY02 Subaru Impreza WRX, a bit different to my childhood dream of a V5 2 door but I still had one and I was happy. After a quick visit to S&J to see if there was any goodies attached I was happy to hear Sean tell me there was a VF34 bolted in there along with the 3”TBE and at that time it was running a FMIC. After joining SSSA on Facebook and a few talks with now president Sam I sent in my membership form and was keen as a bean to meet like minded members with a passion for their subis. Doing a little bit of research of my own and wanting a bit more power I booked
With the car all fixed and not having to worry about overheating I was pretty keen on getting stuck in to the WRXSA club championship for 2014. I missed the first 4 rounds due to needing to replenish the bank account we were underway and I’d even managed to drag the owner of that white 06 STi out to Collingrove for his first motorsport event. For those who haven’t clued on yet that guy I messaged about Driven Motorsport was Jason Bartsch. Mid season I was lucky enough to be offered sponsorship with Driven and while I was acting calm and collected on the outside I can tell you I was jumping for joy on the inside. This was followed a few weeks late by another offer from Professional Cut & Polish. Makes keeping the Dirtbag clean a lot easier.
The 2014 WRXSA Club Championship was made up of 12 rounds of which I competed in 8. About half way though I felt as though my car wasn’t performing to its full ability and i wanted to work on my handling. With some advice from Jon I placed a order for a set of MCA Blue coilovers. As far as handling mods go this is by far the best thing that I have done to my car. The confidence I have gained just from installing these and getting some entry level semi slicks is amazing i feel quicker everywhere and I think a lot for people will tell you the same thing. To date I have nothing but highlights. I’m yet to have to pull out of an event due to mechanical issues or retire (runs and hug a tree). My first Ozgymkhana was a blast, during the whole series I only missed round 1 and was the winner of my class (modified AWD up to 2500cc) for the 2014 series. This was totally unexpected. My First time out at Mallala was a total blast and with a goal in mind of getting a 1:25/1:26 I was more than happy to come away with a mid 1:24. Capping of a great season I managed to finish 3rd in the club championship and take out the rookie of the year award. BUT the best thing about being involved with Subarus is the friends that I have made over the last 2 years. There are a select few who I know will be friends for life and I’m very grateful to have these people around me. With the 2015 season set to be underway by the time you guys and girls are reading this I hope to see a lot of you either on a cruise, at a tech night, bbq family day or out watching / competing in some motorsport. Wishing everyone all the best in 2015, stay safe and happy boooooooosting. Dylan Butler
Damian Brand setting the fastest WRXSA time up the hill.
Photos By: This was Nigels 2nd Willunga hillclimb and that familiarity helped him take out the 4WD Street Class.
It was great to see the Old Willunga hillclimb return for 2015 as a dedicated event and not just part of the Adelaide Hills Tarmac Rally (which was not run this year). It was no easy task for the organisers, Ultimate Motorsport Events, to get the required local council approval; just one part of the process required hundreds of letters to be mailed out to all the residents of Willunga (not just those near the road closure).
Seeing as this was the first chance that most competitors have had to tackle the course as a closed road there were a few surprise's waiting to catch out unwary drivers. These included bumps, tree roots and guard rails that can get alarmingly close if you are not careful!
However the thrill of driving a closed road quickly disperses those butterflies you feel at the start line It was all worth it in the end though, at least for the worrying about what lies ahead. We all enjoy a spirited drive and many of us are quite familiar with this section competitors and spectators; what we were given was the longest hillclimb track in South Australia, not too far of road; but nothing compares to having the from Adelaide and with quite a few spectacular opportunity to push the limits the way you can at an spectator points. event like this. Seth Coultas
Remo Siliciano, fast enough to get 3rd in his class.
“Round 1 is now done and dusted and considering the weather and extreme heat, to come out of it with the car in one piece is a win in my eyes. Unfortunately I wasn't too happy with a majority of my driving and there were a couple little things with the nugget that made life a bit more stressful but 5th in provisional and an 8th in the shootout is still respectable. At the end of the day it was just great to get out and hang out with some amazing people again. Can't wait for April already!” Brendan Moore
The first round of the year is traditionally a hot one, summer still has a firm grip on Adelaide and with 40 degree temperatures expected there were a few people concerned with how the cars would handle it. Thankfully the temperature only got into the high 30’s (still bloody hot) before a cool change came through making the end of the day a lot more pleasant.
anything can happen in racing! Damien attacked the 6th and test with a vengeance claiming the fastest time while Jason shocked everyone with his best performance of the day getting the 4th fastest time and pushing Paul Seidel out of 7th and the shootout!
The fact that Jason did so well on the final test was a good sign leading into the shootout as this was the layout that would be used for the elimination rounds. I had a strong consistent day and was 3rd fastest on But it had been a hard fight for him to get to that two of the days tests, with times were never slower position. As his own car “Goose” was having the than 7th fastest; this kept me in 3rd or 4th for the engine rebuilt he was driving his girlfriend Zoe’s whole day and was enough to give me the Modified recently purchased GC8 WRC “Duck Duck”. Not being 4WD Class win and 3rd place going into the shootout. in his own car and not having driven “Duck Duck” in a competitive environment created a rather steep Just four seconds behind me in 5th place was learning curve for our 2014 Club Championship Brendan Moore. Brendan was hot on my heels all winner. His first run placed him in 16th but steady day, also getting 3rd fastest on one of the tests, but a improvement throughout the day saw him climb up couple of slower runs pushed him down to 10th and into the top 8 after the second to last test, which he he needed to work back up the ladder from there. was able to retain despite Damien leapfrogging him in his charge back up the leader board. After a very strong start including the fastest time on “The green stuff the second test Damien Brand was almost knocked should be inside the hose! After two runs out of contention in the 5th test when he hit a at OzGymkhana I pothole and got a flat tyre (one of his tyres came off was 6th of 48. In the the rim!). He limped to the finish and quickly set third run my upper about repairing the issue but the damage cost him a radiator hose succumbed to the good 30 seconds and pushed him from 2nd to 9th, years of hidden less than 1 second behind Jason Bartsch. Going into rubbing on a fan, the 6th and final test of the day it looked like Damien and split putting would have to push Jason out of the top 8 shootout green Subaru blood everywhere.” which would have been disappointing considering the Ben Hersey great effort Jason had put in; but as they say,
Tania Langcake was out for the very first event in her newly purchased GC8 rally car and after some mechanical issues on the first run that cost her at least 20 seconds; she started to become more familiar with the feel of the car and made some strong improvements over the day finishing in 31st outright. Less than a second behind her was Rob Gromball who started the day quite well and had a solid mid field position but a mistake on the 5th test cost him 30 seconds and saw him finish up in 32nd place. Rob shouldn’t feel too bad though the 5th test was clearly the hardest of the day with 8 other drivers also getting wrong direction penalties. Matt Knighton had a great start to the day, getting a top 10 time on the second test but as the temperature soared Matt suffered and after lunch was feeling quite crook. This did not help his concentration and his results in the afternoon reflected this.
At the end of 6 tests four WRXSA members made it into the shootout, me (3rd), Brendan (5th), Damien (7th) & Jason (8th). Unfortunately Brendan and I were knocked out in the first round; and against all odds Jason made it into the top four but was unable to claim an outright podium position. However this was still an outstanding achievement considering he was not driving his usual car and Zoe’s little GC8 WRX “Duck Duck” has considerably less power and handling modifications than Jason’s “Goose”. This result should be enough to prove to everyone that Jason is a driver to watch out for, regardless of the car. Damien Brand was the star of the day however, with extremely fast times in each elimination round he was able to keep Darren Masters at bay and take the outright win! Congratulations again Damien!
After the first round we shouldn’t read too much into it but the OzGymkhana Championship standings are Ben Hersey also started the day very strongly with top Darren Masters leading on 57 points, followed by 10 times on both the first and second tests but a hole Bradley Clements on 55 and Damien Brand and myself in his radiator hose put him out of the competition equal third with 52 points. Despite Damien choosing to after the 3rd test. Despite attempts by the WRXSA represent the SEAC club (he has been a long standing team to patch the hole and find a local replacement member with them so we can’t be too bitter), WRXSA part Ben was forced to limp home early. To everyone’s still managed to accrue enough points to put us in the relief the copious amount of duct tape held and Ben lead for the Interclub Challenge great work guys and made it home without incident. We look forward to girls! seeing him back in action next time. Seth Coultas
WRXSA representing at the Extreme Auto Expo
To check out many more great photos follow Kevin Tria on Facebook at “Kevin Tria Photography”
WRXSA Christmas BBQ
Perfect weather for a BBQ , and a great way to cap off the year!
WRXSA Boxing Day Cruise
Photos by Alin Daju
While it may have had a date clash with our Christmas BBQ a few club members took the plunge and entered into the inaugural Port Adelaide Carrera where a section of the docklands was transformed into a 1.5km urban sprint course. Our members Damien Hirst, Matt Knighton, David Rowe and Nick Pourgiezis joined a very exciting 125 car field that included some rare and exotic masterpieces. Anticipation for the event was so high that the initial field of 100 cars was filled in just 3 days. Event director Stuart Benson said that the event was partially inspired by the Singapore Rally Championship. “There are plenty of people in Singapore with a passion for tarmac rallying but, given the lack of usable roads in the country, they create tracks in open public spaces instead. Our intention for the event was to bring the excitement of tarmac rallying right
into the city so that its easily accessible for spectators.” The course itself was a little rougher than some drivers were expecting and quite dusty, especially when drivers went a bit wide on the corners. This made for some very exciting viewing (and photos). Looking at the layout it was reminiscent of a slightly more open OzGymkhana course with tight turns and lots of cones to dodge.
It was run in two directions to create 5 stages of racing with the fastest times in each direction being taken and combined to determine the outright standings. All in all competitors came away feeling that it was a successful event and I’m sure may of them will be hoping that it is the first of many that will be in and around Adelaide.
WRXSA Results: 9th - David Rowe 14th - Damien Hirst & Matt Knighton DNF - Nick Pourgiezis Other Subaru’s 3rd - Matthew Fairweather 13th - Paul Knopka 17th - Philip Bunker 30th - Brenton Bailey Outright Winner: Craig van Diemen (Evo viii)
Matthew Fairweather
Damien Hirst
Matthew Fairweather Photo by Michael Gee Images
Matthew Fairweather gained quite a bit of attention from fellow Subaru enthusiasts when his mad looking WRX claimed 3rd outright at the Port Adelaide Carrera. I got in touch with him after the event and he was happy to explain the amount of work that was required to get the car to where it is now:
the lean side at 12.5:1, adjusted this after the session to 11.8. Brakes were ok but not optimal. Adjusted the bias further towards the rear getting better and better the further I went. Suspension geometry felt great, very confidence inspiring. I found I could drive the wheels of it without any unexpected under or over steer. This was also a thumbs up for the new - The WRX 5 speed transmission was changed out for an STi 6 coilovers and associated settings (less bump than rebound speed unit, this included a rear 1.5 way mechanical LSD, all drive dampening). If anything it was slightly biased to understeer in the shafts, hubs and adaptor rings for the speed sensors. A 50% slow speed corners (less weight transition) which would equate lighter than OEM flywheel was fitted along with a 6 puk clutch. to slightly too much front camber. I may reduce from the current The electronic center differential which controls front to real all 3.5 to 3 degrees negative. wheel drive torque bias is now controlled by an aftermarket This change would also suit low speed AutoX style events like controller (MAPDCCD). This is loaded with 5 differing maps which Port Adelaide. High speed corners (over 130km/h) were great, on alter the cars dynamics depending on lateral and longitudinal G rails. Power level was fun, broad power band, no noticeable lag at force, braking, all. Big improvement over the previous setup. The lower gearing left foot braking, throttle position, rpm and ground speed. I was ratio's took a bit of getting used to. I wanted to select 2nd when supplied with tarmac maps from another race WRX with similar 3rd was required. I also got to the top of 5th on the straights. This specs. will be great for short tracks but again I need to polish my gear - Front and rear lateral and trailing arm chassis mount choices as it's not second nature at the moment. points were raised to correct Roll Centre errors encountered whilst lowering COG (Center of Gravity). Problem being that when Tested the anti-lag on a quite part of the track. Even on low boost you lower a car you usually induce regressive camber (reduction it broke traction through first, gripped in second. Felt great. Pedal of camber during suspension compression). This in turns reduces box was great, was worried the pedal were too close together tyre contact area and hence grip. On the same token, bump steer however had no issues catching my feet together. correction arms where fitted to the steering rod ends. - A Wilwood 6 pot 355mm front brake kit was fitted along with For my second session, more boost, now at 26psi. Power level brembo 2 pot STi items to the rear. These were also connected to now to the point I couldn't drive the wheels of it. Had to be a newly installed pedal box. This meant the ABS system had to be reserved at mid corner to stop loosing my line. Having said that, removed to enable independent front to rear brake bias control. the loss of traction showed how well the centre differential Pedal Box master cylinder size was calculated taking into account; controller was operating. I could get the car unsettled with only brake calliper piston area, disc very minimal rotation, very easy rotor size, brake pad friction coto recover. More so than my GTR. efficient's, vehicle corner weight Braking getting better, unsure on vs induced braking weight how much I could push it before transition, pedal box ratio (6:1), lockup (no ABS now) still training bias bar position and pedal effort. my foot modulation. Adjusted bias Clutch .7, Rear brakes .75, Front further Brakes .625" rearward. AFR's were lean again - The original Koni Coilovers were and were corrected. Found my replaced with BC external passenger side rear tyre to be reservoir losing pressure, about 5psi per coilovers (10kgF, 8kgR) session. - 17" wheels with A048 tyres were changed to 18" x 250 with Third session, time for high boost Michelin N1 Porsche Cup full (34psi). Yikes! car sounds like a slicks. 4" fender flares were fitted all round to enable fitment. Boeing 747 coming onto boost. Savage midrange, couldn't full Wheel Track has increased substantially to 1860mm throttle during a corner without smoking all 4 slicks. Oil temps - The previous Garrett 2876R turbo was replaced with a Borg coming up to 130 degrees after a few hard laps. Certainly need to Warner EFR (Engineered For Race) 6758 turbocharger and MOTEC install my oil cooler. Oil pressure still happy at 83psi on Nulon ECU retuned. Exhaust dump also increased in size to 4" 15w50. Fuel surge now occurring at anything under 3/4 of a tank, - Kelford 274/278 camshafts were fitted along with shimless STi previously 1/2. Increased traction is causing the fuel to slosh buckets and BC valve springs. around to a larger extent. Already have a new fuel system with - Engine bottom end was replaced with an off the shelf Subaru anti-surge tank to install. Forged item - Anit-Lag was programmed utilising -23 degrees at 4500rpm for Put some slime in the rear tyre to seal it, unfortunately this 30psi result free revving. This is automatically deactivated at resulted in bad vibration at 150km/h +. Tested anti-lag, getting 1km/h ground speed (launch) silly now, flames and smoking tyres through 1st and 2nd. Adjust - Air Fuel ratio was enriched from 12.5:1 to 11.8:1 to support the pedal box bias fully rearward. Almost did a 360 on the first lower exhaust temps for endurance events and oil temperature corner (rear brakes locking up) adjusted 4 clicks back towards the stability. front for the "sweet spot" Calculations showed at 0.7 G force - Fuel Injectors were changed from Bosch 1600cc units to E85 deceleration that 29% rear bias was optimal. Found in testing this specific Injector Dynamics 1300cc units. The 1600cc units are disc was slightly higher, possibly due to the additional grip of the rather than pintle tyre which eventually rust shut with E85. The ID slicks. 1300's are stainless internal and pintle type. Decided to call it a day with the rear wheel vibration. In all very happy with how the car performed with such massive changes. Results of Mallala testing prior to the Port Adelaide event: Only adjustments being to the Air Fuel Ratio and brake bias. For my first session I screwed the turbo boost down to min (16psi). Matthew Fairweather Oil pressure was good, 85psi Max and stable. Air fuel ratio was on
In mid-January the Peregrine Corporation submitted their Development Application form to the Development Assessment Commission and with it made public a lot more details on the SA Motorsport Park. The application included 85 pages of drawings covering site layout and individual building. Also submitted was the final 150 page planning statement that provides a detailed description of the proposed $80 million development and its impact on the surrounding area. There is a lot of very exciting information to unpack so let’s get started! Motor Racing Circuit (B) Perhaps the most exciting part of the development is the new motor racing circuit. What has been presented is a flexible layout that allows for 3 main configurations, Short (3.2km), Medium & the Long GT layout (7.2km); along with the ability to run a 4th configuration that allows for 2 small circuits that can be run independently and concurrently. All the layouts will be built to high international standards, licenced by the FIA, FIM, and meeting all the requirements of CAMS & Motorcycling Australia. The various layouts will be available for a variety of purposes, including club racing, time attack events, driver training, corporate days etc. To facilitate the 4th configuration there are 2 sets of Pit Facilities and Marshalling areas. The most frequently used circuit will be a similar length to some of Australia's best known tracks, such as Phillip Island and Sydney Motorsport Park. The seven kilometre long “GT� circuit will be the most unique configuration, and is unlike any other permanent track in Australia. Not only will it be the longest (Bathurst is 6.2km), it will also be an extremely challenging course with many turns, elevation changes and long straights making this track design something very special.
The course has been designed to make the most of the existing site contours and the plans indicate a 14m difference from the highest to lowest points of the circuit. There are even a few localised sections where the circuit drops / climbs up to 8m over a distance of only 200m. This should add an extra dimension to circuit racing that is currently lacking at Mallala.
Initial speed profiling analysis has been done on the main circuit and all indications are that this track will be FAST. Not only is this a high speed track but there is a huge variety of turns in the design, making for plenty of overtaking, and turns that will challenging even the bravest of drivers.
There will be designated viewing areas around the circuit which will include built up mounds & small elevated grandstands. Pit Buildings: The main pit building will also be world class, located on the main straight and measuring 230m long it will include space for 32 double bay pit garages, 1st & 2nd floor open viewing platforms and other corporate facilities, function rooms, race control area & support offices.
Drag Strip (C) The drag strip is located within an amphitheatre styled facility. It will be of world class standard with its own race control building, grandstand seating (with shade sails), terracing and natural grass mounds for viewing. The drag strip is being designed and built in consultation with the Australian National Drag Racing Association (ANDRA), to meet Group 1 drag racing standards. This will allow for all forms of drag racing in the country including the Top Fuel machines, capable of completing the quarter mile distance in under 5 seconds. No current quarter mile Group 1 events are held in South Australia. It will also be available for State and Club activities as well as weekly or fortnightly street machine events. The facility will also feature a 60m x 15m burnout pad. This will be located in front of the main grandstand seating area. This is almost a standalone function but will be contained within the dragway.
Rally School / Rally Sprint (D1) The existing rally track will be expanded into a 2‐3km circuit. It will be purpose built for rally school, rally sprints and other off‐ road events. It consists of a series of short dirt/gravel tracks that will provide for multiple configurations and will be used predominantly for Rally School; Rally Training; Rally Sprint; Off‐road testing; Khanacross; and Private Hire. Rally Cross / Motard (D2) - Rallycross events will be held in a ‘stadium’ style arena located adjacent to the drift track facility. The rallycross track will consist of 50% bitumen and 50% dirt. The track will be a purpose built circuit with a length of approximately 1km with bitumen and dirt sections. The track will also feature jumps, water features and a joker lane (specific to Rallycross racing). The Rallycross competitors will utilise the facilities of the adjacent drift circuit, including the garages, carports and briefing/scrutineering building.
Drift / Gymkhana / Skid Pan (E1) The drift track is a purpose designed circuit with large skid pan and ring roads allowing multiple configurations. The drift track in total will feature approximately 1.6km of competition track, generally 6m wide and will provide for alternative configurations. This design also allows for the possibility of running 2 drift tracks simultaneously. It was designed in consultation with various local drift competitors and several overseas competitors. This area will also feature garages and carports for use by competitors. Karting Facility (F1) This will be a “fun” go kart track facility which will feature go‐kart racing for all ages and general facilities and amenities such as a café and viewing areas. The expected users will be families attending motorsport events, as well as local residents and other visitors to the motorsport park. The track will be an indoor/outdoor layout of approximately 600m. It can be changed into multiple configurations and there will be a separate “junior track” for smaller children. The building will accommodate the internal section of the go‐kart circuit. It will also accommodate reception and administration office area, visitor lounge, café/kiosk, toilets, karting pits/workshop.
Expo Building
VMAX (G1) The Airstrip will also be used for VMax events. This is a new concept to Australia, which is available in Europe and the US. VMAX will attract motorsport enthusiasts, exotic car owners and anyone who wants to test their car’s top speed in a safe environment. VMax is essentially a 2km straight road allowing drivers to push their cars to the limit with regards to power and speed.
Hotel / Motel (J1) The hotel building facility will provide up to 100 hotel‐style accommodation rooms and will include the SAMSP administration office. The hotel complex will house a restaurant and bar facility as well as function rooms for a range of events. The hotel rooms will be designed to suit a 3/4 star rating. The hotel building will be built in modules with the opportunity to expand, Stage 1 will feature approximately 30 rooms; and further stages could see the hotel expand up to approximately 100 rooms.
4WD Adventure Park (D4) The proposed 4x4 Adventure Park will make use of the existing quarry, and surrounding off road tracks, over an area of approximately 35‐40ha. It will feature rock The site may feature a swimming pool, challenge obstacles; steep incline, descents tennis court, jumping pillow, barbeque and other similar facilities. and off camber sections; water features and obstacles; sand traps; and off‐road trails. Spectators will be able to view the adventure course from a range of locations including adjacent to the quarry or the surrounding off road tracks. Recreation & Watersports (G2) A watersport park is proposed to be established in the permanent water body located to the south‐east of the motor racing circuit. The watersport park will be supported by public amenities and ancillary infrastructure.
The expo building will feature a large open plan floor for displays and events with multiple configurations; hospitality options will be available and/or the opportunity for caterers to operate from within the building; and a frontage to the large reserve area, providing opportunities for events to be based inside the expo building whilst utilising the outside grassed areas. The external areas will be used for “show and shine” events and general club runs and club weekend activities. OTR Petrol Station & Food Services (L1) The On the Run Complex will be located at the corner of the Dukes Highway and the Mallee Highway. Air-strip (A4) The airstrip will be located on the existing drag strip in the northern portion of the site and will be upgraded to become a runway with a length of approximately 2 kms. The runway will cater for small chartered type aircraft up to a weight of 5.7 tonnes, which will cater for the typical 12‐seat charter market. Envisaged users of the runway will be in relation to motorsport activities, and possibly local rural activities. A pilot school is also envisaged. The airstrip will also have a large hangar located on site and will cater for up to 6 small aircrafts such as the commonly used King‐Air 200.
Cycling Trails & BMX Tracks (G3) A network of cycling trails and BMX tracks will traverse the site from its north‐ western corner to the motor racing circuit. Caravan Park (J2), Cabins (J5)& Camping Ground (J3) The caravan and camping grounds will be administered from the hotel complex. Stage 1 will include approximately 6 permanent cabin structures, 4 two‐ bedroom and 2 three‐bedroom units which can sleep up to 5 people (Party Cabins!), with the ability to increase that number to 20 as demand requires. The camping and caravan grounds have a large land allocation allowing for flexibility dependent on future needs.
Motorsport Park Staff Dwellings (A5) The masterplan proposes the construction of 7 dwellings to cater solely for staff working on the site. All units will be single‐ storey and two‐bedroom and will be built to the north of the subject land, adjacent the proposed Adventure Park.
Hotel / Motel
Cabins
Expo Building (K1) The expo building will be a 5000sqm building that will provide a facility for a range of displays, conventions expos and will serve as a large function centre. It is envisaged that this facility may also be home to a rejuvenated historic car auctions facility. The expo building could be used for motorsport clubs; car and bike manufacturers; corporate events; agricultural farm displays; food/wine festivals; and expos / conventions.
Additional Roads An Event Traffic Management Plan will be implemented in order to “coordinate the short term traffic control measures required for event management when anticipated crowd numbers of 3000 or greater are expected”.
There will also be a total of four new access points to the site, two primary access points located at the corner of the Dukes Highway and the Mallee Highway to service the On the Run site, Hotel and Caravan accommodation, Drag Strip and small scale event areas; and two secondary access points off the Dukes Highway and the Mallee Highway to service the Business and Industry area and Motor Racing Circuit.
Timeframe The question we are all asking now is given the extent of the works which will be required to complete the development, how long will it take? Peregrine expect that construction will begin in July with the initial priority being on access roads and services like water & power. Obviously it is still early days but with any luck the motorsport park will be operational mid to late next year.
In a recent interview with the Advertiser Mr Shahin said “We have not set out to make a good track, we want to make a great track.” “South Australia has given us every opportunity and to be able to give something back to South Australia in the form of this motorsport complex is a terrific opportunity to repay some of the great things this state has offered us for 30 years.’’ The Advertiser has also revealed that V8 Supercars management is considering a second event at Tailem Bend to join Adelaide’s Clipsal 500 in 2016. The design of the circuit has included input from five-time V8 Supercar Championship winner, Mark Skaife “Tailem Bend is a mixture of Phillip Island, Bathurst, and Oram Park. It will be a really fast and really committed racetrack as well as a great facility for South Australia.”
So there it is, the future of SA Motorsport, for me at least its a very exciting time to be a motorsport enthusiast, what we have been presented with is more than I could have hoped for! A circuit design that is comparable to the best in the world and facilities to support events that have not been seen in Australia since the 70’s along with brand new events. What more could you ask for? Seth Coultas
The 2015 WRX STI made a perfect Rally America National Championship debut at the Sno*Drift Rally, with Subaru Rally Team USA driver David Higgins winning all 17 stages on his way to a dominating victory. The defending Rally America Champion Higgins, with co-driver Craig Drew, overcame the Sno*Drift Rally’s treacherous snow and ice covered roads with aplomb, running trouble free and full of confidence by the performance characteristics of the new 2015 WRX STI rally car prepared by Subaru technical partner Vermont SportsCar.
attention to detail and preparation” explained David Higgins. “The engineering and improvements that have gone into the new chassis are as evident on a rally stage as they are on the street. I think it’s a brilliant car and I can’t wait for the rest of the season!” The Sno*Drift Rally was held on over 120 miles of snow and ice-covered roads in northern Michigan. Constantly changing weather and road conditions make this rally one of the most challenging in the series. Rally America rules also prohibit the use of spiked or studded ice tires at Sno*Drift, placing a premium on road traction and making Subaru vehicles not only grip levels treacherously swept the podium but also variable. “The Sno*Drift Rally locked out the top five overall positions at the is always such a challenge to even finish and stay on Sno*Drift Rally, a testament to the road gripping the road. It's one of those events that the biggest performance of Subaru Symmetrical All Wheel Drive on challenge is not the other drivers but the stages the most demanding of road conditions. themselves. The conditions are always changing and the grip levels without spiked tires are so low and “It's really impressive to run a full race with a brand always different from one corner to the next,” explains new car and not have any problems or setup changes David Higgins. whatsoever. It's a testament to Vermont SportsCar’s Photos by Lars Gange courtesy of Subaru of America
David Higgins and co-driver Craig Drew took their second straight win of the 2015 Rally America Championship season driving their 2015 Subaru WRX STI to victory at a snow and ice laden Rally in the 100 Acre Wood. The typically high-speed Salem, Missouri based event turned treacherous as a mix of snow and ice blanketed the gravel roads. Higgins, handled the difficult conditions in his stride and led from the start, winning all but one of the event’s stages. "These were some of the toughest conditions I've ever driven on," explained Higgins at the podium. "There was a mix of everything. At a snow rally you at least know you are dealing with ice or snow, but here we also had gravel, frozen gravel, icy gravel and everything in between to go with the snow. Our 2015 Subaru WRX STI was perfect again and Craig did a fantastic job on the notes. This was a huge challenge." Named after the storybook home of Winnie the Pooh, The Rally in the 100 Acre Wood is set in the foothills of the Ozark Mountains of Missouri. Representing round two of the eight round 2015 Rally America Championship, the rally typically features very high-speeds on smooth and flowing
gravel roads that are a favourite of many rally drivers. Wintery conditions at this year’s event left the gravel roads covered in sheets of ice and frozen gravel, and a late rally snow storm further complicated matters, forcing the cancellation of several stages as medical crew vehicles were unable to move into location due to deteriorating road conditions. A spin on an extremely icy section of road during the second day cost the duo some time, and the stage win, but they had already accumulated a sizable gap to their pursuing rivals, going on to win by over five minutes. For the second straight event Subaru vehicles swept the podium; "We concentrated really hard on the recce to note the slippery spots," said co-driver Craig Drew. "I've never seen anything like this before, it was so slippery in places. We built a good lead on Friday and were able to take it easy on the final day, that was the plan. I'm really looking forward to a dry gravel rally now!" 2015 Rally America Championship continues with the scenic Oregon Trail Rally on April 24-26th. Photos by Lars Gange courtesy of Subaru of America
“CLASSIC”
Celebrating Over 15 years of Rex Driver! Summer 1999 Targa Rex Tasmania “The Club is now also considered to be a real entity by the other interstate WRX Clubs. This is thanks to our strong attendance at the Targa Rex Tasmania. During this driving experience we met many fellow REX enthusiasts such as ourselves, who were all keen to hear how our club was progressing.” Sean Jenner (Club President) Melbourne Auto Salon “After entering the hall, it was clear to see that it should be called the WRX show. With almost half the entries being Rex’s it must have been hard for the judges to choose the best car” Amanda Beaty Small Car Sunday “At the recent Euroect / Car Toys Small Car Sunday (which 3,000 people attended) we took out the trophy for the “Best Club Display”. This was no easy feat considering the number of larger well established clubs present on the day. We did not have the most cars, or the cars with the biggest wheels, loudest exhausts, or highest wings, but we did have something tha many other clubs did not. We had commitment, enthusiasm and innovation which all helped us towards achieving this award.” Sean Jenner
Return of the STI “A fresh boat load of 400 STi’s have just landed, but this time based on the 4-door sedan. Lacking some of the visual impact and uniqueness of the STi Version 5 2 -Door Coupe sold earlier this year, the 4-Door is still capable of delivering a knock-out blow. The car is based on the current Japanese Spec STi Version 6. The STi tuned engine features a bigger Teflon coated turbo running 17 pounds boost, forged piston, hollow inlet valve stems, sodium-filled exhaust valves, STi exhaust and ECU. On Japanese 100 octane fuel the engine will produce 206kW @ 6500rpm and 353Nm @ 4000rpm, however here in Oz, power is down a little due to our 95 octane fuel - bring on the Shell Optimax. A new feature not seen on the 2-Door is the Invert Strut Suspension (as used on rally cars), which reduces the unsprung weight at each wheel thus improving suspension responsiveness. Other trick items include an aluminium bonnet, a wing big enough to obscure the flashing lights on a following Police car, a 4.444 final drive and close ratio gear box, STi tachometer with a 7900rpm redline, carbon-fibre strut brace and a 180km/h speed limiter - DOH! The only option is the colour choice, which is limited to white or blue steel mica - decisions, decisions. Sean Jenner
2015 Ben Simpson Memorial Cruise For 10 years the annual Ben Simpson Memorial Cruise has been raising awareness of youth suicide & remembering those that have gone before us (from all causes). Ben’s father started this cruise after his much loved and only son Ben, aka dr1ft_pig13 suddenly & traumatically took his own life and it has been run annually ever since. In 2010 the cruise objective was broadened to include all forms of bereavement. This Mega cruise has now been dedicated to the memory of ALL those who are no longer with us. The cruise is open to all ages, makes & models are welcome. While this was the last cruise under this name it will continue in future years as the Youth Suicide Awareness Meet & Cruise Don’t hold it inside Talk to someone Tell someone how you feel You are not alone
WRXSA SKI DAY Photos by Alin Daju
“It's been a very long time since I had to photograph manually holding 3kg of equipment in my hands in a 40+ day. Next time will do better and will get more people. ” Alin Daju
“Had a hell of a time, thanks Sammus for the boat usage! Donuts4dayz” Rob Gromball
“Just giving a shout out to our club committee - they organized and plan the events. Today's ski day at Murray Bridge shows that our club is more than cruises and motorsport! Was a great family day out. Special thanks to Sam Jongenelis for the boat and Tania Langcake for catering. (Honey chicken squares were perfect!) Keep up the events!�
Thanks Alin for the great photos, they really capture what a great day it was out there; and thanks again to Sam for taking everyone out. Seth Coultas
Jarrad McGaffin
WRXSA Coastal Cruise
“It was a great day, with the perfect weather. It looked to me like WRXSA PR campaign will all the cars slowly driving thru all the beaches” Paul Bugala
Not everyone braved the beach at the end, but those that did had a ball and raised a few eyebrows at the same time. Photo by Tania Langcake
“The looks on the some of the faces of the 4WD folk when several performance Subies were plugging through the soft sand was classic! Loved it, but my clutch didn't ” Brendan Moore Brendan Moore having some fun in the soft stuff.
Photo by Shane Sickerdick
Advertising Rates
Club Sponsors / Partners
Platinum Partner - $480 (annual) Includes: 4 x full page ads in Rex Driver Naming rights to cruises or charity events etc… Website Advertising Forum & Facebook Group access Copies of the Rex Driver publication. Gold Partner: $250 (annual) Includes: 4 x 1/2 page ads in Rex Driver Website advertising Forum & Facebook Group access Copies of the Rex Driver publication
Effective 2013/2014
General Advertising / Single Issue Full Page Colour: $100 per issue Half Page Colour: $60 per issue 1 /3 Page Colour: $30 per issue All advertisers will receive a copy of Rex Driver Publication
Silver Partner: $150 (annual) Includes: 4 x business card sized ads Forum access Copies of the Rex Driver publication
WRXSA committee reserve the right to change prices subject to consultation by the committee. Material Requirements:
PDF or JPG files preferred for advertising. The editor reserves the right to select the location of advertising space. Articles submitted by members can be submitted in Word or Publisher format, however desired fonts must be supplied or a substitution will be applied. Please ensure all photos submitted are high resolution so they can be fully appreciated. No responsibility is accepted for error occurring in the printing of material which is incorrectly supplied. The editor reserves the right to reject any advertising material deemed inappropriate for the Rex Driver publication.
41
WRXSA Business Partners PLATINUM
Support the partners that support WRXSA!
PARTNERs
Full handbook servicing using genuine Subaru parts; Stockists of all MRT Performance parts & accessories; ECUTEK tuning and diagnostics ; Full range of performance upgrade packages from mild to very wild; Heavy Duty Brake & Clutch upgrades ; Subaru Gearbox specialists.
Address: 33 Woodlands Tce, Edwardstown S.A. 5039 Contact Person: Sean or Jo Day Phone Number: 8277 2222 Email: sandj@internode.on.net Website: http://www.sjautomotive.com.au/
Danny Phillips at Southside Tyrepower 159 Main South Road, Morphett Vale 5162 (08) 8186 0622 or 0401 311 320
Matt Stanton at Kensington Park Tyrepower 382 Magill Road, Kensington Park 5068 (08) 8431 5856
WRXSA Business Partners Page GOLD PARTNERs
SILVER PARTNERs
Support the partners that support WRXSA!
Don’t forget to mark these dates in your calendar!
THE WHITE KNIGHT WANDER Sunday 15th March - 5:30pm departing by 6pm Starting: Tea Tree Plaza Shopping Centre Carpark Finishing: Burnside Village Carpark So the dust has settled (or beach sand) from our first official cruise of the year and it's time to update everyone with the next cruise on the books. This one is a new cruise put together by Shane and timed to take advantage of the final weeks of daylight savings.
The meet point will be in the south western corner of the TTP carpark adjacent Smart Rd & Reservoir Rd roundabout. It will be of a moderate distance cruise at 87km's and will make its way up North East Rd to Gumeracha, on to Lobethal, Oakbank, Littlehampton, through Hahndorf and finishing with a tunnel blast on its way to the end point at Burnside Village. It will be a great way to take in the last bit of daylight savings and enjoy the company of your fellow club members.
2015 WRXSA Club Calendars While we are already a few months into the year I am happy to say that the 2015 WRXSA Club Calendars are finally ready, there are limited numbers available and for those that haven’t already requested or paid for your copy you had better get in quick. Details on purchasing are on the forum and Facebook page. For only $10 you get some great pictures to hang on your wall, dates for Motorsport & Club Championship events and for the first time we have planned ahead and also noted club event dates including cruises and social events! If you are tired of missing out on events because you forgot the date, this is the calendar for you!
Hope to see you all out there!
MOUNT ALMA MILE CRUISE SUNDAY 29TH March - 9am departing 9:30am Starting: Marion Shopping Centre Carpark Finishing: Mt Alma Mile Hillclimb Event Another new cruise to round out March 2015, this time a nice Southern spin down to watch fellow club members contest Round 3 of the 2015 S&J Automotive WRXSA Club Championship at the Mt Alma Mile Hillclimb. Meet point will be at the usual Boxing Day Cruise meet point in the South Eastern Corner of Marion Shopping Centre on the corner of Diagnonal and Sturt Rd. Understandably an early start, but you will be rewarded with 99km's of straights and twisties through Clarendon, Wickhams Hill Rd on to Myponga, Yankalilla and Inman Valley Rd to finish with some of this states premier hillclimb action. Come along and enjoy a lovely, morning, countryside drive and support your fellow club members as they race up the hill. See you there!
WRXSA Club Meetings Every 2nd Tuesday of the month Astor Hotel 437 Pultney Street Everyone is encouraged to come along to our monthly club meetings and catch up with your fellow club members. We kick things off with dinner at 6pm followed by the meeting at 7pm, usually finishing up around 8:30. Upcoming Dates: 14th April 12th May 9th June 14th July
Danny Phillips at Southside Tyrepower 159 Main South Road, Morphett Vale 5162 (08) 8186 0622 or 0401 311 320
Matt Stanton at Kensington Park Tyrepower 382 Magill Road, Kensington Park 5068 (08) 8431 5856