TRUE GRIP MIDLANDS PEAK DISTRICT RUN
THE 2012 SIDC GOOD FOOD SHOW
Lots of hills, a collection of Imprezas, a bucket-load of giggles and some of the best driving roads in the UK - and it nearly didn’t even happen at all!
A report from a Rally day where it seams somebody’s become a little over affectionate of a certain German car manufacturer and how SIDC sought to rectify that.
20TH ANNIVERSARY Travelling alongside 300 other Imprezas to Prodrive’s UK HQ as we join type-r.co.uk’s celebration of the Impreza’s 20th anniversary PRODRIVE HQ, BANBURY
RALLY DAY AT CASTLE COMBE
MIDLANDS PEAK DISTRICT RUN
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FEATURES MIDLANDS PEAK DISTRICT RUN
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VF RACING AT DONNINGTON PARK
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RALLY DAY 2012 WITH THE MUFFIN MAN
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20TH ANNIVERSARY PRODRIVE MEET
PRE LOADING EDITOR, TRUE GRIP
True Grip is the official magazine of the Subaru International Drivers Club
CONTENT 3 Editor’s Intro 4R egional Organisers 5 C hairwoman’s Intro 6 Latest News 8 V F-Racing Update 12 F EATURE: Rally Day 2012 16 Auto Glym competition 17 The Muffin Man’s Adventures 18 F EATURE: Midlands Peak District Run
24 T rax 2012 report 26 2 0th Anniversary meet Prodrive
Well, after a particularly long and drawn decision-making process I now find myself lamenting the loss of my trusty 2005 GX Sport. This is the car that introduced me to the world of Subaru ownership and, importantly, SIDC. A car that’s seen me through thick and thin. One that has rescued many a weary traveller stuck in the snow [and once or twice from the pub] and despite everything, carried on regardless. A car that has seen me through the very best and very worst that life has thrown at me. A car that brought about a new way of life and ferried me diligently across the length and breadth of the country, from show to [photo]shoot and from the school run to commute [admittedly slightly less exciting]. From leading the charge down to Newquay last year, to fish and chip runs in the Cotswolds, my little GX proved herself over and over again. There was however one thing lacking [aside excellent fuel economy, cheap insurance and road tax] and that was power - whilst she’s been the single most reliable car I’ve ever owned [yes, I did say ‘she’ - her name was Hannah as many might already know], I’ve always hankered for more power, more nimbleness through the corners and a big kick in the back as I exit them. So, as you might well be thinking, I sold her. And her replacement... a 1997 VW Passat. Yeah, life’s a bitch ain’t it! ;) Watch this space though, we can’t exactly have a True Grip editor without a scoob now can we, it just wouldn’t be right! Apparently there’s some other stuff in this issue as well but I’ll leave you to discover that... Lastly, don’t forget you can buy True Grip in print through HP’s MagCloud at www.magcloud.com/user/truegrip
Stu Mason Editor, True Grip
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REGIONAL ORGANISERS THE RO TEAM
ENGLAND
SCOTLAND
DEVON (Joint) Terry Butcher – SpecT sirgeffrye@virginmedia.com 07703 696 188
CENTRAL SCOTLAND (Joint) Brian Smith - rallye 6 brian.smith22@btinternet.com 07979 708 118
Jamie Tonkins - j wrx tonkins jtonkins1@hotmail.co.uk 07725 738 658
Tam Mellon - tommytcut tammellon@hotmail.com 07847 131 660
DORSET, HAMPSHIRE & WILTSHIRE
DUNDEE
(Joint) Peter Lashbrook - plodster plashbrook@hotmail.co.uk 07411 990 858
Glyn McCrickard - BalliSTIc Glyn@sidc.co.uk 07739 036 929
Darren Coombs – Bailey73 bailey73@hotmail.co.uk 07854 521 728
Cathy Kerr - Midnight21 cathykerr@mac.com 07788 953 803
MIDLANDS (Joint) Rachel Keir – Little Vodka Goblin Rachel@sidc.co.uk 07766 002 293
Kenny Fyall – wrx Kenny Kenfyal@ymail.com 07545 550 363
GLASGOW/STRATHCLYDE (Joint)
Designed & Produced by: Stu Mason E: truegrip@sidc.co.uk www.stumason.com
SOMERSET
Dave Shanks - Scooby222 dave222@tiscali.co.uk 07768 230 461
GUERNSEY
INVERNESS / HIGHLANDS
LANARKSHIRE
Barry McGowan - badbaz badbaz@sidc.co.uk 07831 638 482
MORAY AND ABERDEENSHIRE
=============================
(Joint) Alan Addison – ScoUK sidc@scouk.net 07764 939 604
No local group in your area? Interested in starting one? Contact Dave Shanks, Regional Organiser Co-ordinator
David Lisle – davey | wrx davidclisle@hotmail.com 07912 057 418
Subaru International Drivers Club PO BOX 128, March, Cambridgeshire PE15 5BR
John McBay - Cruz104 blurxc1@tiscali.co.uk 07747 026 253
or email d ave222@tiscali.co.uk =============================
Editor: Stu Mason (stum450n) Deputy Editor: Rachel Keir (little vodka goblin) Advertising Sales: E: advertising@sidc.co.uk
Keira Procter – empty_heed keirap1@hotmail.co.uk
Steve Forrest - JD steveforrest222@msn.com 07781 165 177
Cover Image: Erm, errrr... the beautiful people of the Midlands regional SIDC
EDINBURGH/LOTHIAN’S
Nick Wakelam - Goofy Nick@sidc.co.uk 07980 005 579 Anthony Cridland – Criddy anthonycridland@gmx.com 07748 390 142
True Grip is the official magazine of the Subaru International Drivers Club
SCOTTISH BORDERS
Published by: SIDC, PO BOX 128, March, Cambridgeshire PE15 5BR Reproduction in whole or part is prohibited without prior permission of the Editor. Opinions expressed are those of the authors and not the SIDC. All contributions, whether they bear the names, initials or pseudonyms, are accepted on the understanding that the Author is responsible for the opinions expressed and that they do not necessarily reflect or comply with those of the publisher or editor. Although every care is taken, the publisher, designer and editor cannot be held responsible for loss or damage to material submitted. Whilst every care is taken to ensure contents are accurate, the publisher and editor assume no responsibility for any effects arising from errors or omissions. Acceptance of material is not a guarantee of publication in any particular issue, since space is often at a premium. The publisher and editor cannot guarantee to return original material and photographs. © SIDC 2012
PACE NOTES SIDC CHAIRWOMAN
As 2012 draws to an end, myself and the committee are reflecting on the show season now behind us and how, despite the shocking weather, well attended the events have been. We saw nearly 30 Scoobs at Japfest, an amazing 47 at Rally Day and close to 30 at Trax. It’s been absolutely fantastic to see so many new members coming along to these national shows too. At the beginning of October many members attended the Prodrive Anniversary event which saw several SIDC members being invited to be part of the “timeline”. It was tremendous to see so many Scoobs in once place for a final get together in 2012. More on this event will follow later in this edition. With 2013 literally around the corner we’re already working behind the scenes for the new show season – lets hope we see more sunshine next year! Should you wish to see anything new organised, or have any ideas about events, shows, meets etc then please get in touch and we’ll slot these into the events calendar. Over the course of 2012 we have been raising money for three charities - East Anglian/Hertfordshire Air Ambulance, Wallace & Gromit’s Children’s Foundation and our own Scottish Santa Cruise. The auction ran throughout August with a lot of interest in the items on offer. The raffle was held at Trax with lots of people receiving items on the day or through the post.
We hope to have final figures by the end of November but the rough tally so far is showing that we’ve raised over £1000 throughout the course of the year. A huge thanks to all those that donated items, bought raffle tickets and purchased items from the auction. The money will be going to three very worthy causes. In 2013 we’ll be choosing another charity to raise funds for so watch out on the forums for more info. We intend on having another three dates for Track Days at Knockhill next year after a very successful and huge interest in this year’s events. They’re likely to be in March, June and September again. More info will follow as we approach the New Year. Lastly, we have a little competition for you in this issue, so keep an eye out for your chance to win some Autoglym products. I’m looking forward to seeing you all throughout 2013. Have a fantastic Christmas and make sure those Scoobs get pampered over winter for next year ;o)
Kim French Club Chairwoman
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NEWS SUBARU OFFERS FREE WINTER HEALTH CHECKS FOR CUSTOMERS
Subaru UK have launched a free winter vehicle level check and top-up of essential fluids for all Subaru models at its nationwide dealer network. Recent research from the AA suggests that 80% of roadside breakdowns could be avoided if fluid levels were checked and topped-up regularly, and Subaru is offering this service to customers, absolutely free. The inspection, carried out by trained Subaru technicians, includes checking tyre pressures, and topping up engine and gearbox oil, the engine coolant and screen wash. A full visual health check will also ensure that cars are operating to the best of their abilities.
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Haydn Davies, Marketing Director of Subaru UK, commented: “Winter brings more hazardous driving conditions, with cold temperatures, damp or icy roads and poor visibility. Subaru’s Symmetrical AllWheel Drive system is already designed to keep our customers as safe as possible whatever the weather, while an enviable reliability record helps keep owners mobile, too. At the same time we like our dealers to have regular contact with our customers so we hope many of them will make use of this latest offer.” Subaru UK’s latest offer for the season comes on top of the opportunity to store wheels and tyres at the dealer over winter, as part of the ground-breaking ETC aftersales package.
SUBARU ANNOUNCES PRICE CUT AND POWER HIKE FOR WRX STI With the September new registration rush just around the corner, Subaru UK has announced a mouth-watering price offer on its high-performance WRX STI model of just £26,995. An additional finance offer means the STI can be financed at under £300 a month. At the same time, Subaru UK has created a further engine upgrade for the STI so that customers can create a new highperformance All-Wheel Drive flagship, the WRX STI 340R. The new 340R power upgrade, which adds £1,599 to the price, is available alongside the 320R (with 320ps and 450 Nm) which was first launched to market last year. Both the 340R and 320R power upgrades can be applied retroactively without affecting a car’s warranty. Available immediately, the WRX STI 340R boasts 340 ps and 490 Nm of torque – substantial increases of 40 ps and 83 Nm over the standard WRX STI – making the 340R one of the fastest point-to-point cars on the road. The 340R will accelerate from standstill to 60mph in just 4.7 seconds, an improvement of 0.5 seconds over the standard WRX STI. There is also even stronger in-gear acceleration as a result of the improved torque.
SUBARU XV SCORES HIGHEST SAFETY RATING Subaru’s new compact crossover, the XV, has received the highest possible safety rating in crash safety tests in the USA. Subjecting the Subaru XV to moderate overlap frontal, side rollover and impact tests, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) awarded the car a ‘good’ rating, which is the top rank across all tests. Earlier in 2012, the XV was also awarded five stars in Euro NCAP safety tests with the highest score ever recorded for child occupant protection at 90%. As well as an all-steel unitary structure and a large number of standard-fit airbags for excellent passive crash safety performance, Subaru’s VDC system and Symmetrical AWD also contribute to world class roadholding in all conditions. Ultra high-tensile steel is also used for the bodyshell to improve rigidity while keeping the XV’s kerb weight down.
“The Subaru XV continues to rack up an impressive collection of safety accolades, and since the new compact crossover arrived in the UK at the start of the year, it has remained one of the safest cars on the road,” commented Darren James, Managing Director, Subaru UK. “Our brand statement is ‘Confidence in Motion’, and the XV’s active, passive and hazard avoidance technologies are the perfect embodiment of this.” TRUE GRIP 7
VF-RACING AT
DONINGTON PARK 20TH/21ST OCTOBER BRSCC EURO SALOON CLASSIC CHAMPIONSHIP ROUNDS 13 & 14
Just over two weeks prior to Donington, Vaughan took the car to Cadwell Park in order to put some more miles on the relatively new engine, and to test some changes that had recently been carried out. A new larger wastegate had been fitted in order to help regulate the boost levels more precisely, and hopefully overcome the issue of turbo hitting the pre-set boost limit and cutting the power. After a check, the final figures came out at a pleasing 576.9 bhp and 510 ft/lbs of torque. On circuit at Cadwell, the car started the day well, with no reported issues. However as the working temperature increased, and the exhaust gasses began to flow more freely, the car began to produce more boost, which as a result began to clip the boost cut Scoobyclinic engineers Andy Moore and Marc Hibbert were on hand to review the data log as soon as the car was returned to the paddock. More time spent TRUE GRIP 8
on the laptop resulted in a boost level that the car was comfortable with, albeit at a loss of some overall power. Although the boost was no longer an issue, there was now a problem with the speed input into the car’s ecu which was causing it to sense an over boost situation. With the speed input features disabled, the car ran to its full potential, and allowed for some R&D work to be carried out. In an attempt to reduce fuel temperatures during a race, a fuel cooler has been fitted, along with the associated pipe work. Ducts mounted in the rear quarter panels and an under floor scoop pull air into the cooler, which then exits through the redundant rear number plate location. To try and establish what worked best, some scoops were fashioned from old coffee cups, and liberal amounts of gaffa tape and the car was sent out on track. With the under floor vent disconnected the fuel temperature dropped by around
5 degrees, and with it re-connected the temperatures rose. It’s thought that this was because of hot air from the engine/gearbox being drawn in to it.
After half a dozen or so laps to get a good amount of heat into the tyres, and to make a note of where the circuit was at its worst, it was time to press on.
The car ran well for rest of the track day, and so with a plan of action in hand, the car was shipped back to Scoobyclinic for the necessary modifications.
As is the way, it was one of Vaughan’s last laps that netted him his fastest time, which ended up being good for 4th overall. A result the whole team was pleased with considering those ahead.
QUALIFYING: Having only ever visited the famous circuit for numerous track days, the weekend’s event would be the first ever competitive outing at the team’s home track. Missing out on the last event at Anglesey, the team had now lost their 3rd place in class position, and sat in 4th place going into the final two rounds.
Qualified: 4th in class - 4th overall Fastest lap: 1.22.584 on lap 12 of 13
With an early qualifying slot, the track conditions were less than perfect with a lot of moisture present creating a slick surface when combined with the aviation fuel that falls from the airport traffic. Due to this, it was a last minute decision on tyre choice, with the intermediate Toyo R888’s and the slicks both to hand. With 31 cars on circuit and the track temperature still low, it would take several laps to ensure that the tyres were up to temperature in readiness to attack for a fast lap. TRUE GRIP 9
ROUND 1: Following the safety car around for 1 lap, as the pack came down to the grandstand area, everyone began to bunch up behind Prebble and Robinson in anticipation for the start. Onto the start/finish straight with the lights out for the rolling start, everyone thundered down to “Redgate”. Out in front and charging hard, Prebble found the grip to be somewhat lacking at the first corner, and promptly fell off the track and back to sixth place, with a number of other drivers doing the same as they were caught out by the conditions. As a result Vaughan moved up to 3rd behind Robinson and Cockell and proceeded to pull out a lead over those chasing. Although not able to make any challenge for the lead, the Subaru was keeping in contention with the leading pair. All was going well until 4 laps in, when coming down the pit straight all drive in 5th gear was lost. The resulting speed differential meant he was unable to keep those coming up behind him at bay. A lap and a half were run using the remaining gears, but it was obvious this wasn’t going to work, and the car was retired. Fastest lap: 1.15.584 sec on lap 3 of 5
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Despite frantic phone calls, it soon became apparent that the Subaru wouldn’t make it out for the second race the following day, and the team began to prepare for the journey home. When all looked lost and all avenues were exhausted, in a show of extreme generosity, fellow Subaru racer Danny Precious offered the keys to his Impreza in order for Vaughan to compete in race 2. After discussing this move with the Clerk of the Course, and all other fellow racers, it was agreed that Vaughan could race, and would start from the back of the grid. ROUND 2: With horrendous track conditions, it was touch and go as to whether or not any racing would take place. With cold temperatures and low lying fog, the course officials looked like having to call off the event. Having lost over 3 hours worth of track time, the timetable was drastically altered. Each race was reduced to 13 minutes, and the two qualifying sessions were limited to 3 laps behind the safety car. Having never driven Danny’s Subaru before, Vaughan had to quickly join the rest of the grid who were already waiting in the assembly area. Starting in last place, Vaughan followed the rest of the grid around two green flag laps. With the safety car off into the pit lane, the grid rolled towards the lights and the race got underway.
By “Redgate” Vaughan had taken 6 places, but the unfamiliar gear ratios in the 6 speed gearbox meant the car bogged down on the exit, which dropped him to the back of the pack again. Back on the attack and by the end of lap 1, Vaughan was up to 12th from a starting position of 23rd! Next up it was the Clio of Andy Jordan and the Civic of Chris Boon, but before a move could be made disaster struck for Andy Robinson in the Ford Falcon and Dave Cockell in the Escort Cosworth. The resulting accident brought out the safety car for 3 laps, leaving only 1 lap to race to the flag. On the restart, the grid thundered away to make their last lap count. Vaughan was able to overhaul the Clio before the chequered flag was shown, and narrowly missed climbing a further position with Boon crossing the line just over half a second ahead. (Post race a disqualification of a higher placed car promoted Vaughan to 10th place) Finished: 6th in class - 10th overall Fastest lap: 1.23.420 sec on lap 6 of 6
Vaughan to compete in race two, of which a huge note of thanks has to be given to Danny. Well, the 2012 season has now come to a close for the team, and with it comes a long list of “thank yous”! Massive thanks go out to Kev and the whole team at Scoobyclinic, who throughout the year have worked tirelessly in order to ensure Vaughan makes it to the track. For over a decade, the relationship between Vaughan and SC has grown and helped to develop one of “THE” best race Impreza’s on the track today. No matter what direction the project takes throughout the winter period, SC will be there all the way. To all of our other sponsors, supporters and friends again thank you for your support and continued belief in the team. Scoobyclinic Goodridge Alan Dart PPG Gears Demon Tweeks Opie Oils Total Impreza
Revolution Wheels Brian at Damar Supertech Valves Japspeed Racing Logic UKScoobies SIDC
SUMMARY: A weekend of highs and lows with some great racing thrown in for good measure. When all seemed lost, Danny’s generosity and trust allowed TRUE GRIP 11
SIDC GOOD FOOD SHOW AKA: RALLYDAY 2012
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Rallyday marked its twelfth year in style on August 18 with 2003 World Rally Champion Petter Solberg (solely responsible for the WR1‘s baby blue hue) pulling out all the stops to give the fans a truly memorable day at Wiltshire’s Castle Combe Circuit, home of the UK’s Premier Rally Show. Well to be honest, I didn’t see PS or any of the celebs due to the cracking fun we were having in our own SIDC compound, eating muffins and waiting on goofy to make more bacon sandwiches! If I were to describe Rallyday by numbers it’s like this: 47 Subarus in attendance 1 BMW (hidden behind a gazebo) 65 members on the stand 9 cars had travelled a combined 6660 miles to join the fun – not so sure about the 666 though!! 26 people were involved in supplying food for the day 320 rashers of bacon were supplied 72 muffins were demolished within 1 hr of arrival
1 man was wearing a kilt skirt 1 parking attendant in high-viz managed to herd a bunch of disobedient Subaru’s and x1 very disobedient Beemer 16 members braved the dedicated track session; I counted them all out, and I counted them all back. Ok let’s deal with the elephant in the room – I know some of you will be thinking ‘oi you, what you doing writing when you don’t own a Subaru?’ Well to be honest I didn’t expect to sell the WR1 within 2 weeks of advertising, and I am still a huge enthusiast and club supporter. That and you just know I will be having another Subaru soon enough, as once you’ve gone Jap then there’s no turning back ☺. Rallyday is such a cracking day out and on arrival in the white Beemer I was genuinely shocked by just how many of us there were on the SIDC stand! The gazebos looked great and all the new clothing range was on show and ready for sale. A few motors had to be moved so we could tuck the Beemer away as I
would have ruined the look of the stand – seeing so many Subaru’s lined up all in perfect position is always something to savour. First things first, time to finally meet the Scottish crew who I’ve been having some banter with for the last 3 years! With the help of a translator I was all hugged out in 10 minutes, it was like meeting up with family you’ve not seen for a very long time. The vibe around the stand and members was so positive and everyone was up for a cracking day, there were benches and seats everywhere for members to sit and chill out whilst getting to know people they’ve not met before. Looking at the food mountain under the gazebo you definitely knew that you weren’t going to be hungry on the day, but someone needed to step up to the hotplate and start cooking – well I couldn’t as I was suffering muffin fatigue after cooking all night and needed to pass out my fresh muffins. MORE TRUE GRIP 13
I was very grateful to Goofy (Nick) on the day as I felt he was my personal chef, either that or he was too polite to stop me from eating his bacon baps lol! The muffins went well and were all gone within an hour - they always work well as an intro and icebreaker. Those who know me just dove in and munched away, already knowing what there was and what they wanted! Some took 2 or 3, tucking them away in their motors like squirrels getting prepped for winter. Those who’ve not met the muffin man held back for all of 30 seconds. Unfortunately the whisky frosting never saw the light of day due to me sampling too much of the good stuff when cooking (oops!). Still the cream cheese frosting worked well and the new recipe for a lighter muffin worked really well, just added a tsp of baking powder to give it some lift and lightness .
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I’d like to say I saw everything the show had to offer but I’d be lying, we had such a laugh on the stand and it was great to catch up and chill out in the sun. What I did see was fantastic, a huge collection of classic and modern motors with a few highlights for me being the Lancia Stratos in full rally colours, Chevette HSR’s and Metro 6R4’s all in abundance; cars to make the most modest car enthusiast a little wobbly at the knees and that was before getting to the Audi Quattro’s also in full rally colours! The Rally Raid arena was such a laugh to watch and if I’d had more time then I’d have definitely joined the queue to take a passenger ride with all those who’d had the pleasure looking a little wobbly as they left the Wildcats! Watching the SIDC dedicated track action was awesome, especially watching Wasbo (Brian) totally forget that there was a chicane at the end of his first lap lol! The driving was respectful and looked such fun,
hopefully I will be in position to join next year but it was great to watch and take pictures. This has to be one of the best shows I’ve attended, and I’d thoroughly recommend anyone who has not attended before make this one for the diary in the future.
There is a lot to do, a lot to see and a huge club presence. I really hope we can get somewhere near the same attendance next year, although I think a few of us will be repaying the Scottish members with a trip to their local roads for the Highland Fling 2013.
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WIN ONE OF FOUR
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A good few muffins were consumed this year. With attendance at Rallyday and Trax planned, a kitchen strategy was required and actioned – with finding the perfect muffin cases priority number one involving a lot of sampling and making of my own muffin top lol! Oddly, finding the right muffin case is not as easy as you’d think and then trying to remember where you bought the best ones from is even more of a nightmare! Rallyday went well and is covered elsewhere in this fine magazine Trax however, was a little different. As it was on the Sunday there was a little more time on Saturday to cook and prep so some homemade Cornish pasties were knocked up – it’s okay, no letters of complaint to the editor please, the baker of the pasties is, indeed, proper Cornish and the recipe passed down from 3 generations. I am therefore perfectly allowed to refer to them as Cornish Pasties!! Unfortunately not everyone could have one at Trax but I don’t mind saying so myself - they were proper job my ‘ansome! But we also had some delights to go with the Guinness and Blueberry muffins with Goofy bringing some of his famous cheesecakes, and stunning they were as well. I can see that SIDC is going to have quite a foodie reputation for 2013 and rumours are around the web that non-Subaru’s are allowed into the club as long as the owners bring food lol. As I type I’m currently in negotiations to get another Subaru (lasted long didn’t it). Luckily for me Crossroads Subaru like a muffin or four, so tempting them with baked goods for my winter runner may not be out of question!
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MIDLANDS PEAK DISTRICT RUN The latter half of 2011 saw Nick (Goofy) and Mark (my predecessor) joining forces as Regional Organisers to cover the whole of the Midlands area, many hours were spent compiling an event filled calendar to take them through the whole of 2012 and the Midlands looked like it was going to become a thriving region once again.
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Unfortunately, within the first couple of months of this year Mark had to step down due to personal reasons – to quote Nick, “Batman had lost his Robin”. At the time I was still living in Bedfordshire but tried to give Nick as much support as possible; those of you who know us both will probably agree though that once I moved to the Midlands it was almost a ‘given’ that I would step up and take on the joint RO role and that’s exactly how things have panned out. Due to the changes, Nick and I found ourselves in a position where some of the planned events either had to be cancelled or postponed but we tried as much as possible to replace
the cancelled ones with something of equal appeal. One of the events that I felt should definitely still be included in the calendar was the Peak District run as I had visited the area before (albeit only once) and knew it would make a fantastic day out for us all. It was decided to postpone for a couple of months though so that we had enough planning time to ensure we made the most of the stunning and beautiful views. As luck would have it this worked in our favour as somewhere around the end of April/beginning of May we had a telephone call from Europa Subara in Sheffield who had seen that we were planning the run and were offering us the use of their dealership as a starting point for the day, an offer that was seized with both hands!
MORE
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Sunday 22nd July was upon us before we knew it and I found myself waking two hours earlier than necessary because I was so excited about the day ahead. Many hours had been spent planning the day and now (hopefully) we were about to enjoy the fruits of our labour. We were expected at Europa at 10 am but due to being a little ‘over eager’ I found myself sitting across the road from their premises at
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around 9.15 am, my efforts to kill some time were soon made far easier as ScoobieFloz spotted me parked up and pulled over for a chat, once we saw Nick (Goofy) drive past and pull into Europa we decided we could follow suit. Before we knew it Europa’s forecourt was pretty much packed with Imprezas, they had even arranged for Pro-R to bring along a couple of their cars for the morning - it was, as always a pleasure to catch up with Richard and Steve but try as I might I couldn’t convince them to join us for the actual run (I think they were daunted by the prospect of me showing them up with my exceptional driving skills around the Peaks really lol)! There was also a BRZ in the showroom awaiting collection by its lucky new owner which we all had a good look around (never a good idea when you’ve just sold your house – the temptation to buy one was almost too much) and as Europa are also a Mercedes
dealership I’m sure you can imagine that there were some pretty fine examples of both marques for us to drool over. I must say at this point I cannot express how grateful I am to Europa for the efforts that they put into the day, from the moment we arrived nothing was too much trouble, copious amounts of tea and coffee was available and they laid on an amazing spread of croissants and pastries for
breakfast – perfect preparation for a day in the Peaks. John even checked through our route before we left to make sure we knew where we were going and offered the services of Steve to lead us out of Sheffield and get us onto the correct roads (and boy did we need him as not only is Sheffield busy at the best of times but I had also managed to chose the date when there was a 3 day festival going on in the city)! Anyway, onto the run itself – for those of you that have visited the Peak District I am sure you will understand my inability to describe the striking scenery we were to find ourselves amidst, mile after mile of the most incredible landscapes from open moorland to winding valleys were witnessed each one as beautiful as its predecessor. Chris (Woodhouse), Nick (Goofy) and I all had radios in our cars to enable us to keep all of the cars together and I lost count of the amount MORE
of times I picked mine up to just utter the words “oh god, look at that view”. Now, as I’ve already said although many hours had been spent planning the route, one thing I failed to check was the amount of cattle grids we were going to encounter much to Floz’s despair – he’d had a little “incident” exiting Scoobyclinic the day before and his front bumper was pretty much holding on by a wing and a prayer (and a couple of strategically placed cable ties), the bets were on to see if it would still be in place at the end of the 60 mile route (thankfully it was). Oh and I feel I must just mention that one of our members fell deeply in love that
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day, with a sheep on the moors, apparently “she had lovely eyes” but I won’t mention his name to save him embarrassment (it’s ok your secret is safe Joff... oh damn, sorry)! In true Midlands style we took a few ‘detours’ along the way and caused a little bit of mayhem, one through a village with the tiniest roads crammed with cyclists and quaint little gardens full of scarecrows (I’m hoping they were for a competition and not a permanent fixture), there were a lot of unimpressed looks thrown our way there but I think the funniest moment was at the end of the run when we were
heading for the Ladybower Inn but ended up in a already jam packed car park at the Ladybower reservoir instead, I got the distinct impression that the hikers, cyclists, countryside loving people did not take kindly to us blocking off the entrance and exit for 10 minutes whilst we worked out where we’d gone wrong and generally causing carnage oops!!!! After retracing our tyre tracks we found the inn and parked up for a well needed drink and a good chat, sitting outside to enjoy one of the very rare sunny days we have had this year. Not content with visiting just one pub, we left the Ladybower for a
short drive to Eckington to visit The Fox & Hounds pub where Nick(88)’s good lady wife Claire had kindly offered to make us all free chip butties which were ravenously devoured in a matter of minutes, couple that with the ‘priority’ parking on the pub lawn and we couldn’t have asked for better hospitality (if you ever find yourself in this neck of the woods and fancy a bite to eat the Fox & Hounds won’t disappoint beautiful pub, food and views you couldn’t ask for anything more). Finally, as afternoon slipped into early evening, one by one we said our goodbyes and headed off in different directions with me being the last to leave at around 6 pm – well it was a pub after all, did you expect any different from the Little Vodka Goblin?
Massive thanks to the following people who helped make the day hugely enjoyable: John Wordsworth and all of the staff at Europa Subaru plus Richard & Steve from Pro-R for giving up their Sunday morning, Nick and Claire at The Fox & Hounds, Eckington for the reasons stated above, Chris Woodhouse & Verity for agreeing to take the lead at the very last moment, Verity and Paulina for being our official photographers for the day, and finally... Nick (Goofy) just for being himself as ever!
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2012
THE 6TH AND FINAL SHOW IN THE 2012 ADRIAN FLUX AUTO SERIES
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Trax 2012 was one of those shows that despite my very best intentions, I barely managed to stray far from the club stand. Not because the show wasn’t excellent (as it invariably is) but because, as often tends to be the case when SIDC get together, the members, friends of old and banter on the stand were more than enough to make for an absolutely fantastic day. I would love to tell you about the rounds of the British Drift Championship but I can’t because I was distracted by Tony’s concoction of chicken tikka and cheesecake. I would happily tell you about all the cars on display but again, I was sidetracked by the Muffin Man’s Cornish Pasties. The Monster Energy Gymkhana GRiD was missed due to Nick’s fantastic bacon rolls and the Power & Style
Awards were missed thanks to Little Vodka Goblin making me laugh so hard that I spilled my coffee. So, as you can see, I’ve little to report from the event - there’s loads I could tell you about the day, the banter, the jokes and the ‘secret addition’ to somebody’s cup of tea but then, y’know... I would have to kill you [sorry!]. How about you just enjoy the pictures instead eh! :D TRUE GRIP 25
SUBARU IMPREZA
20TH ANNIVERSARY PRODRIVE BANBURY
October 22nd 2012 marked the 20th anniversary of the Subaru Impreza and the Type RA and to celebrate this very special occasion Type-RA.co.uk invited Impreza owners from all over the country to participate in the 20th anniversary event at Prodrive headquarters in Banbury on Oct 7th 2012. Prodrive are moving their HQ in 2013 so this was possibly the last chance to attend an Impreza event at the original home of Subaru motorsport in the UK.
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The event featured an Impreza timeline display along the front of the Prodrive headquarters featuring two cars from each year of the Impreza’s 20 year history. Priority was given to cars that are as close as possible to standard factory specification. To ensure only 300 Imprezas attended, a V-Limited car sticker was provided to all registered vehicles attending. These stickers were individually numbered from 000 - 300 with number 13 not issued [as per Subaru tradition]. Entry to the event cost just £10 which included the cost of the V-Limited stickers with any profits donated to Mission Motorsport charity. The night before the event a number of us planned to stay at a local hotel a stones-throw from Prodrive’s Banbury HQ - the hotel when we arrived though looked more like a Subaru dealership! A 22b here, a Type R there, P1’s, UK & JDM STis, WR1s, WRXs, GLs and GXs. All there for the same reason... it was clear we were set to experience something very special indeed!
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I have to say at this stage that if I get woken in a morning [especially when I’ve paid out for a room] I’m generally not a happy bunny but to wake to a dawn chorus of flat fours, now that was music to my ears! Having taken FULL advantage of the breakfast bar and having caught up with a few of my fellow travellers, we headed over the road to Prodrive... On the day Prodrive opened their Heritage Centre giving visitors the opportunity explore in detail the fine lines of the Prodrive P2, the
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rugged, chiselled looks of Colin McRae’s Group A 555 Impreza and Richard Burns’ Safari-winning car as well as motoring legends from the MG Metro 6R4 Group B Rally car right through to the Aston Martin Racing DBR9 Le Mans car [the latter of which was displayed in all its glory outside, in front of the Heritage Centre]. The Centre’s shop was open through the day offering unique items of motorsport memorabilia and Prodrive performance products.
I’m not entirely sure what 300 cars looks like but I could’ve sworn there was at least twice that on the day - everywhere you looked there was an Impreza of one form or another and the timeline itself was really something to behold indeed! Photos, coffee and banter seemed to be the order of the day and in all honesty, I couldn’t tell you much more than that (other than that the burger van didn’t turn up on the day), I’ll just have to let the pictures tell the story for themselves...
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