May 2003 by Yarney

SUBARU 4WD club OF

QUEENSLAND

inc

MAY 2003 Vol 24 No 10

Possum Bourne as we will all remember him - winning again - this time at Rally Queensland 2002. Photo by Gaven McGrath SC421.

SUBA NEWS

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PRESIDENT ’S REPORT Hi to you all in mighty Subaland, I hope all is well in your world. Well it’s May already, where has this year gone? And that means that it’s time to start thinking about if you would like to be on the Committee next year, because not all of us will be doing another year, so there might be a seat or two up for grabs. There have been some good trips lately, with Currawinya N.P., Barrington Tops and Morgan Park Raceway. I know that everyone who went had a really good time. Coming up is the beach trip to Double Island Point, Sunday 25th. Some will be camping up there on Saturday night, so if you want to come along give Camo or me a call. Should be fun. There’s been some word back about the Insurance and its looking good. Just waiting on a couple of things that needed to be checked out, then for the OK to go ahead. Should be sweet. Well that’s all from me this time. Until next time, may the six star Force be with you. BE COOL AND GO HARD!!

Rik Close SC328 PUBLISHING DEADLINE FOR

JUNE

MAGAZINE Articles being submitted for inclusion in the next magazine are to reach Greg Bryant at

35 Kilby Street Crestmead QLD 4132 or by e-mail to: subanews@subaclub.com

9th June 2003

by the Earlier than this would be much appreciated. Thanks!!

THIS MONTH’S SCOOP FROM THE EDITOR It’s close to three years ago that I was gently persuaded to take on the job of illustrious editor of this illustrious journal. And I must say, I have (for the most part) enjoyed the challenge immensely. But time marches on and I feel that my enthusiasm for the task is waning slightly. So with committee positions soon becoming available for nomination, I would just like you all to know that I don’t intend to re-nominate for the position. So if you like a challenge, have a few spare hours a month to perform miracles, and would like to add a few lines to your CV about your ability to perform desktop publishing, then this is the job for you. Of course, I am perfectly willing to lend a hand with any necessary on-the-job training. Give the idea some thought and let a committee member know if you’re interested. By the way, I didn’t mention the rewards – the editor is the first person to read all of the trip reports and see all of the photos (even the ones that for various reasons don’t make it into the magazine), and the editor is one of the most “ïnvolved” members of the club. Now for my g r i p e . There are currently a large number of trip r e p o r t s outstanding. I’m sure that I’m not alone in voicing the opinion that one of my favourite parts of the magazine is reading about what has happened on a trip – whether or not I had attended the trip. I’m sure that you have noticed in the recent past a couple of trips that have been covered with photos alone. And if I don’t receive outstanding contributions for recent trips then I’ll be putting together a couple of magazines that will only contain about 12 pages. Without the contributions from a small number of dedicated members, this magazine would be nowhere near its current quality. So PLEASE if you are asked to provide a trip report, or if you want some photos included that you took on a trip, then do it with gusto, with joy and with relative haste.

Greg Bryant SC480 3

WANTED YOUR Stories & Trip Repor ts Reports Photos Favourite 4x4 tracks Tips ‘n Tricks Cheap rep airs repairs Modifica tions Modifications y Gossip Juic Juicy Camping Recipes Suggestions Share ‘em with the rest of us. All contributions are most welcome.

A TRIBUTE TO POSSUM BOURNE 1957—2003 During the Easter trip to the Barrington Tops we were all surprised when my CDMA phone beeped into service as we were climbing the steep climb up to Gloucester Tops on Saturday afternoon. The short SMS message had been sent by Gaven McGrath on Friday, saying Possum had been seriously injured in a car accident. At the time Gav was not answering his phone so I left a message. We initially thought it must have been a testing accident for the Rally of Canberra being held on the following weekend. It was not until Sunday lunchtime when we were at one of the highest points of the Barrington Tops that I was able to ring Gav and get the full story. The sad news was that Possum had a recce accident in New Zealand at the “Race To The Sky” annual hillclimb event held on Snow Farm Road in the Cardrona Valley near Queenstown. While driving down the hill by himself in a current MY 03 Forester, his vehicle was hit in the driver’s door and A pillar area by a Jeep Cherokee driven by Mike Barltrop, who was hospitalised with a broken leg. The Jeep was the last car of a 10 car convoy being lead up the hill on a recce run. In thick dust and with both cars said to be travelling at 60km/h or less, the Jeep was apparently on the wrong side of the road, which lead to the accident. With his concerned wife Peggy looking on, rescuers took over an hour to remove Possum from the car; he was then airlifted to Dunedin Hospital suffering head and chest injuries and with two broken legs. In hospital, Possum’s condition was classified as critical and he was placed in a drug-induced coma. With his family and friends by his side, he remained in that condition until the end of the following weekend (Rally of Canberra). On medical advice following brain scans showing the seriousness of his condition, it was decided to slowly reduce the life support system. He passed away in the early hours of Wednesday morning. At the Club’s April GM and sausage sizzle Greg Bryant announced the sad news about the life support, which Kathy had phoned in from home after hearing a news report. Earlier in the evening at the sizzle Blair Palmer had told us he had heard from his father over in NZ that Possum’s recovery prospects were not good. Possum grew up on a north island dairy farm. His real name of Peter was replaced with his nick-name of “Possum” following one night when he rolled his mother’s Humber while avoiding a possum on a nearby road. His wife Peggy, who hails from South Africa, sons Taylor 8, Spencer 4, and daughter Jazlan 3

A TRIBUTE TO POSSUM BOURNE 1957—2003 survive him. His rally career began driving a 1979 Mk 1 V8 powered Cortina. In the early 1980’s he progressed to Subarus, initially driving a 4WD twin carb RX coupe (our equivalent model here was the MY series single carb 2WD GLF coupe). He competed in local NZ rallies as well as the world round Rally NZ. His next Subaru was a new L series RX Turbo that arrived in 1985. By now, he had backing from Subaru Japan and was able to compete in international rallies such as Rally Australia and the Safari Rally in Kenya. In the early 1990’s when the new Liberty RS Turbo was released he bought a Prodrive built Group A version. Now with increased backing from Subaru Australia and other sponsors, his team (Possum Bourne Motorsport, based at Pukekohe just south of Auckland) was able to run a two car RS Turbo team, a production Group N for Australian driver Rob Herridge and a more modified Group A for himself. The cars were painted in bright yellow with blue splashes along the sides, bonnet, and roof. At the time this colour scheme set a trend and was copied on many different cars, even Rik Close’s radio controlled Brumby. In 1993 Possum had a big accident at Rally Australia which killed his navigator Rodger Freeth, who was a friend and business partner. Since then all his cars have carried the number plate ROJ in memory of Rodger. This accident put a temporary delay to his future rally plans. It was not until the mid 1990’s that he was able to gain enough funding, using a lot of his own money as well as that provided by his faithful sponsors, to buy from Prodrive again. This time it was Subaru’s newest rally car, the WRX Group A sedan. This time the colour scheme was Prodrive/ WRC blue with yellow splashes. Possum driving the WRX went on to become the most successful combination ever in Australian rallying. As victories and championships followed and WRX sales soared, Subaru increased their support; a second Group N WRX was prepared by Possum’s Team and was driven by New Zealander Greg Graham. Possum eventually rolled this first WRX, requiring a re-body before competing in it again. As this was happening his Motorsport preparation and performance business was expanding. He also drove a 555 sponsored, Prodrive prepared and maintained WRX Group A in the Asia Pacific Championship; which he won in 93 and 94. In the late 1990’s the Group A sedan was replaced by another Prodrive prepared 2 door WRX built to the new World Rally Car (WRC) rules. Then up and coming

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A TRIBUTE TO POSSUM BOURNE 1957—2003 young driver Cody Crocker was brought into the team as a permanent member to drive a new Group N WRX in the ARC and Rally Australia and NZ. The WRC WRX was replaced by another Prodrive built (but this time leased) P2000 WRC, which was the latest improved version. Again in 2000 he won the Asia Pacific Championship. This car became Possum’s favourite all time rally car. His original WRC car was kept, and was converted into a lightweight, high horsepower car that he drove to victory in the 2001 Race To The Sky Hillclimb, which was one of his favourite events. For the 2002 season the rules were changed, replacing the spectacular but expensive WRC cars with the Group N production car class. Possum was initially against the change but to his credit he went with the new rules and contested the series driving a new MY 01/02 WRX. He went onto win the Championship to claim his 7th straight ARC series, which is a record. This success lead to him competing in this year’s World Rally Championship in the Group N class, with support from Subaru Australia and Japan and all his usual sponsors. He finished in 5th place in Sweden, but unfortunately retired in NZ with engine problems driving the latest MY 03 WRX. In the late 1990’s Subaru Japan presented Possum with a special black STi edition WRX for his services for rallying Subarus. It was stolen but later found with only minor damage. In 2002 he celebrated 20 years rallying Subarus. Also many of his sponsors had supported him for years, including Pirelli tyres, which have done so for 10 years. As a Club we first met Possum in the early 90’s at Rally Queensland driving the RS Turbo. While waiting at the yellow clock board to come into time control on the Club’s stage, Forest Drive, he would usually get swamped with posters, caps, shirts and car bits (such as inner guards that had fallen off in the creek crossing just after the start on an early run), to sign his autograph. It was never a problem to him when he probably should have been studying his pace notes like some of the other drivers. He knew that this was mostly the only opportunity that officials like us had on stages out in the forest. Also while he was Queensland we invited him on 3 occasions to be a guest speaker at special rally nights, the first being in 1996 at our then meeting spot at the Polish Club in Milton, the second was in 1998 at Subaru City Breakfast Creek, and the

A TRIBUTE TO POSSUM BOURNE 1957—2003 third was in 2002, again at City Subaru. For the last two nights the newly formed WRX Club was involved; the nights were a great success with standing room only. He always found time in his busy schedule for these nights; he would roll up with his slides and speak and answer questions for a few hours covering his interesting career. Cameron Neilsen was able to video the first two nights; the Club has decided to compile them and present them to the Bourne family as mementos.

Possum driving through the creek on Forest Drive, Rally Queensland 2000. Photo by Kathy Mullaly SC480. Thousands of people attended Possum’s funeral held in Pukekohe. Some of his cars and career mementos were on display outside the hall, his coffin was painted in WRC blue, while his son Taylor bravely was one of the speakers. While the New Zealand Parliament was sitting, a minute’s silence was observed as a mark of respect. Subaru Australia also held a memorial service in Sydney. Included in the tributes that flowed in from fellow drivers, team members and fans all over the world, was this from David Lapworth, the director of the Subaru World Rally Team, who said: “Possum in his way was instrumental in making the whole thing happen with Subaru; his enthusiasm in the 1980’s was one of the things that made Subaru get involved in the WRC”. Career Highlights: 1991 New Zealand Championship 1993, 1994, 2000 Asia Pacific Championship 1996 – 2002 Australian Rally Championship 2001 Race To The Sky Hillclimb

Club members John & Julie Shera and Robin & Marion Laban will be doing a Simpson Desert trip again this year in the June School Holidays (28th June to 13th July). Possible itinerary would be via the QAA Line, the French Line, the WAA Line and Dalhousie Springs to Mt Dare, then back via the Rig Road and K1 Line. If anyone is interested, give John a ring on 07 5546 0381.

Club Merchandise For Sale Polo Shirt with screen printed logo on pocket Polo Shirt with embroidered logo Polo Shirt with embroidered logo on pocket Baseball cap with embroidered logo Embroidered cloth badge Name tag Windscreen Sticker Window sticker Gear bag Tow hooks (assorted styles, each) Snatch strap Bow shackles, each

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Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s On... Sunday 24th May Trip Leader Meeting Place Meeting Time Details

Double Island Point Cameron Neilsen mob. 0438 926 012 Barge car park â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Tewantin 9 am for 9.15 am departure Day beach trip. BYO lunch, swimming gear, recovery gear. Low tide approximately 11 am. Note: There will be some people wishing to make this a weekend camping trip - if interested, call Rik Close.

Saturday 7th June to Sunshine Coast Gymkhana, Yandina Monday 9th June Trip Leader Rik Close ph. (07) 5445 4057 mob. 0402 415 569 Meeting Place Cooloolabin Road, Yandina - follow the signs Meeting Time From Friday evening on Cost $10 weekend pass plus $5 camping fee. Entry fees $5 per event or $20 all events. A 3rd party insurance extension (to be organised beforehand) is required if entering events. Details Armchair to mud up to your armpits 4WDing. The event is fully catered (on-site canteen). BYO boots for the mud and water. No showers. First event noon Saturday. Saturday 14th June to Rally Queensland Sunday 15th June Trip Leader David Martin ph. 3262 5665 mob. 0429 121 996 Meeting Place Cutters Camp off Stirling Crossing Road, Imbil (camp site as used for the last two years) Meeting Time Various - from 7 am Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday Details Man a new special stage, Araucaria, for 4 stages of the rally. Members required to assist in controlling the stage. Officials are required for start control, road blocks and SOS points, flying finish and stop control. Bush camping at Cutters Camp in the Imbil forest, toilets supplied.

Future Events Saturday 28th June to Simpson Desert Sunday 13th July Trip Leader John Shera ph. 5546 0381 Details Club members John & Julie Shera and Robin & Marion Laban will be doing a Simpson Desert trip again this year in the June School Holidays (28th June to 13th July). Possible itinerary would be via the QAA Line, the French Line, the WAA Line and Dalhousie Springs to Mt Dare, then back via the Rig Road and K1 Line. If interested, give John a ring.

Please Note: Ron Penfold’s trip to Cape York has been cancelled (possibly postponed for 12 months)

JOHN FRENCH

PTY LTD

Serving Subaru Since 1973 * Subaru Turbo Specialist Technicians * Over 40 years combined experience * All servicing and repairs including wheel alignment * Every Customer a V.I.P. * 10% parts discount to club members

80 Annerley Road Wolloongabba

Phone: 3391 6055 Service: Sergio La Monaca Parts: Jim Lavery

“Big enough to cope, Small enough to care.”

Trip Report - Tuff Trucks - September 6-9, 2002 Sunday Following another cold night, we awoke to a magic Spring day with not a cloud in the sky. A leisurely breakfast, followed by another of Alex’s disappearing acts on his bike, and we were ready for some more action. Unlike the day before, when we were in place a full 90 minutes before the competition started, we arrived at the competition area just before the first competitor was about to jump out of the blocks. There were two events on today’s programme – the Frametwister and the Mini Wirabai. We opted for a spot at the back of the Mini Wirabai course, which allowed us to look down and see about 2/3 of the Frametwister course as well. The Frametwister was the least natural of the event’s courses, being made up of logs, a couple of tractor tyres, a pit full of old tyres, a couple of deep trenches, more logs and a final really deep trench. Huge tyres and long travel suspension were a must for this one. The Mini Wirabai, on the other hand, was totally natural. This course is probably the closest thing I’ve seen to the famous Rubicon Trail in the USA (but shorter). It was a true test of man and machine. Whilst the vehicle needed to be highly modified, the driver and navigator also had to work well as a team to choose the best line and to ensure accurate wheel placement. The previous day’s courses looked tough, but paled into insignificance compared to this one. Here was a course that tested a vehicle to its absolute limits – to its breaking point even. And breakages there were; one differential, one drive shaft, one panhard rod, two steering arms and a failed hydraulic rear steering setup. Not to mention two spectacular rollovers. And all of the breakages and rollovers (except one) occurred before the toughest part of the course, which was a massive steep rock ledge. Only one vehicle was able to negotiate this ledge without the use of a winch cable, the most highly modified vehicle of them all – Team Swampa. And even this team didn’t complete the course, breaking the hydraulic rear steering in sight of the finish line.

Trip Report - Tuff Trucks - September 6-9, 2002

The event winners, the Dobbin Engineerung team, exhibiting fantastic articulation on Sunday’s Mini Wirabai course. Photo by Greg Bryant SC480

One highlight of the day was watching Team Cheezy on the Frametwister. They had done well to negotiate ¾ of the course, when they came across a semi-circle of log steps, which led into the final pit. After a couple of attempts, you could see the driver’s adrenaline get the better of him. So he planted the right foot and made it in no time up the log steps. Pity that he was only on two wheels – the two left wheels! And as he turned to drive into the pit, the vehicle rolled into the pit and onto its roof. He hopped out and threw his helmet into the air to the tumultuous roars of the crowd. Before we knew it, it was 3.30 pm and time to break camp. Alex went for one last ride on his pushbike as Rik and I put everything into the back of the Mazda. We left Milbrodale at about 4.30 pm and headed for Barrington, our stopover for the night, via Singleton and Dungog. A quick stop at Dungog for supplies included the purchase of a “Dungog Special” for Alex – the closest thing we could find to a tuff truck. The trip to Barrington was a drive through

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Trip Report - Tuff Trucks - September 6-9, 2002 pretty hills and valleys and wasn’t without its moments. Like when I had to lock up the rears to miss by inches a calf that was standing in the middle of the road. By the time we reached Barrington, it was well and truly dark. I remembered that there was a camping reserve just over the bridge – but we couldn’t find the entrance to it. So we had to drive back to Gloucester to find out its exact location. Having found the entrance, we set up camp whilst Alex once again rode his bike. Isn’t he a great help? With the tent up, we settled down to a couple of cool ales and dark’n’stormys. We decided it was way too cold to do anything like cooking dinner, so we had an early night. Monday We awoke to another magic morning, but it was a bit cooler than the previous couple. We had a couple of coffees whilst we waited for the dew to dry out before we packed up the tent and were on our way. We headed back to Gloucester to purchase a map detailing the forest trails in the area for my upcoming trip to Barrington Tops (Easter 2003). Then we were off on the road from A competitor struggles on the Mini Wirabai course. Photos by Greg Bryant SC480

Trip Report - Tuff Trucks - September 6-9, 2002 Gloucester through Nowendoc and Walcha to Uralla. This is a great drive with really pretty scenery around the Upper Manning River. Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a couple of excellent camping reserves along this road at Gloryvale and Bretti, and if you want a change of scenery next time you drive from Brisbane to Sydney then you must try this route. We left the river valleys behind and made the long, steep climb up the range through Giro State Forest. Dave would be almost foaming at the mouth at the sight of so many forest tracks meandering away from the road. But time was of the essence, and we had to keep motoring. Another day perhaps, eh Dave? Once on top of the plateau, it was plain sailing all the way to Uralla, where we stopped for a quick bite to eat. Back on the New England Highway, we headed for home. No dramas, except for a suicidal koala that decided to play chicken with us just near Willowbank. Luckily, it survived to play chicken another day. And we made it home in time to get to the club committee meeting that night. Such dedication! This was a weekend jam packed with exciting off-roading experiences. It was a long way to travel, but what we saw was simply awesome and well worth the effort. Thanks Rik for organising the trip â&#x20AC;&#x201C; maybe next year a few more members might join us!

Greg Bryant SC480

Trip Report - Nanango Stock Route - September 14, 2002 Lisa and I are new to the Subaru Club our first outing being this trip through the Nanango Stock Route and surrounds. After sampling a coupla coffee rolls from the Kilcoy bakery we teamed up with the Bayside Offroaders Club and quickly hit the dirt. Dave had given us one of the clubs radios and so we were listening in on the conversation between him as the tail car and Ron up the front. I think there must have been 16 or 17 cars at the start with about twenty having come and gone by the time we left for home on the Sunday. We were a bit surprised to see so many Landcrusiers when we got there, the only Subaru’s being Dave’s brumby and our standard L series, although I was told this was a bit of a regular trip that most had already done before. Saturday was a pretty good day. Lisa and I were prepared to have a go at almost anything. I think we may have even surprised a few of the Bayside mob. The trip was really dry so most obstacles tended to be ruts and rocks instead of mud. (We suffered some gravel rash). Everyone appeared to agree when we stopped off at the “familiar” stops, an old truck wreck at the beginning of the seven-mile diggings and also at a point where some of the original road construction still stood. After pulling in to camp about 4pm we set up, met some interesting people from the Bayside lot and had a blazing fire. I think every one under about 18 must have had there own satellite fire around the main one so we had a Lot of heat happening, hence it was not a cold night. Sunday saw us packing up camp, and heading further along the Stock route. We covered some of the same track that we had passed over last night, and Lisa was scared. We made it up the scariest one unscathed. We heard reports that someone had trouble. We were keen to let everyone know that it wasn’t us, but our radio would only receive messages and would not let us send out. More dust, but the tough tracks were over. Lots of cruising through the scrub. We spent a lot of the time with the Air conditioner on, as we didn’t want to eat everyone else’s dust, very dry on the roads. Lunch was beside a quiet creek, that would have been quite picturesque, had there been a little more water and a little less cow manure in it.

Trip Report - Nanango Stock Route - September 14, 2002

The convoy on the Old Coach Road. Photo by Stephen Hislop SC521.

The afternoon inspired us with the promise of an ice cream when we got to Esk. However, we stopped at another of the watering holes along the stock route, and said hello to the cows. It was here that we had our only mishap of the adventure. One poor soul locked the keys in their car. Would you believe that between 16 vehicles there wasn’t a car thief in sight? Mobile phone reception was non existent, except for Dave’s CDMA? So a call to RACQ was put in. Then we had to wait for them to find us, being off the beaten track and all that. The group started to drift apart then as various cars made their own way home. Then, the vision we had been waiting for. An old Holden Ute emblazoned with the words we had been waiting for. RACQ. The dude got out of the car with his manuals, and started flicking through the pages to the relevant page for the car in question. I didn’t realise it was to be such an ordeal. They are trained professionals aren’t they? Actually if I had a hat like Les Higgins I would have to eat it too. The RACQ got in quicker than any of us were ever going to. A good weekend all round.

Stephen and Lisa Hislop SC 539 19

RALL Y NEWS RALLY WRC – Rally New Zealand Rd 4 – The WRC returned to NZ in April this year instead of the usual date in July because of a date reschedule for the whole Championship. The roads are usually wet, hard packed and fast and are regarded as some of the best rally roads in the Championship. The Subaru team had an encouraging event with Petter Solberg finishing in 3rd place after having trouble with his run flat tyres. He also had a small time delaying spin. Team mate Tommi Makinen finished in 7th place after gaining a speeding penalty between stages; he was also not entirely happy with his car’s set up. The Peugeot Team continued their winning way, with their 7th win from the last 10 championship rounds. Marcus Gronholm finished in 1st place after recovering from a rollover. His team mate Richard Burns followed in 2nd place. The Ford Team was running the new improved 03 Focus. Lead driver Marko Martin set some fastest stage times early in the event but was stopped with hydraulic problems. The best placed Citroen driver was Sebastien Loeb who finished in 4th place. All 3 team cars had windscreenfogging problems. Colin McRae crashed, while Team mate Carlos Sainz finished well down the order after crashing through a fence. Group N – There was a large field of entries for the Group N production car class, with Subaru debuting the new MY03 WRX STI for Japanese driver Toshi Arai and also for Possum Bourne. It was a successful debut, with Subarus filling the top two places. Possum retired with engine problems on the first day, leaving Arai and Cody Crocker (driving his MY 02 model) to battle it out. The win went to Arai after Cody was slowed by 2 punctures in the last stages of the rally. Points: Drivers - 1 Burns 26, 2 Gronholm 20, 3 Loeb, McRae 17. Manufacturers – Peugeot 49, Citroen 44, Ford 26, Subaru 22.

HEARD THE NEWS Finally Found One -- Sunshine Coast member Doug Tilley has been searching for months for a good genuine Liberty RS Turbo. He especially wanted one fitted with the factory sunroof, which are harder to find. He finally found the one he wanted in nearby Nambour - a good original 93 model in gunmetal grey. Wannabe Brumby – Proton has recently released the small front wheel drive only ute called the Jumbuck, hoping to fill the market place the Brumby held. According to a recent Wheels magazine drive report it’s got a long way to go. First it is not a 4WD, it’s underpowered and uses the higher 95 octane fuel, the gearing is too high and the gearbox feel is vague with poor synchromesh. Overall the whole car lacks refinement and value. The article finished off by stating you are better off buying a decent second-hand Brumby.

RALL Y NEWS RALLY

APRC — Rally of Canberra – Rd2 – A subdued Team Subaru contested the rally after Possum Bourne’s serious recce accident at the Race To The Sky Hillclimb in NZ the week before. The two Subaru Team cars of Cody Crocker and Dean Herridge had stickers attached saying “Doing It For Possum”. The rally is sponsored by Subaru Australia, who supplied all the course and back up cars. The Subaru Festival, held in conjunction with the Rally, was open for the first time this year to all Subaru owners. Compared with previous years, entry numbers were down, as a number of international teams did not enter. The Mitsubishi Australia Team was also a late withdrawal because they needed to solve a fuel pick up problem before the next ARC round (Rally Queensland). The rally started in fine conditions but the odd shower during the day changed conditions to wet and slippery. One of the first cars out was the Hella sponsored WRX of Simon Evans who had gear selector problems. The last super special stage of the day at the new venue at the old speedway complex east of the City became very slippery. Finnish Mitsubishi driver Juha Kangas, driving for the Tasmanian based Les Waldken team, led for all of day 1 and half of day 2 when he rolled out of the event. This promoted Cody Crocker to the lead, which he held on to the finish, followed by Scott Pedder’s Mitsubishi in 2nd, and Dean Herridge in 3rd place. The team devoted the win to Possum. A highlight of the event was the speed and sound of the 2 car Japanese factory Suzuki Ignis 1600 Team. The Atkinson brothers from Queensland drove their 2WD Ignis to 10th place.

HEARD THE NEWS Camping Forester - Subaru Australia had a prototype camping converted MY 03 Forester on display at the recent Melbourne Motor Show and at the Subaru Festival at the Rally of Canberra. Its main features include removable storage bins that replace the rear seats; a mattress covers these bins; a water tank is fitted into the rear quarter panel; and the side windows are covered by clip on silver covered material. Fitted across the rear is an alloy framed lift-out stove and sink unit. For extra room an optional tent annexe can be fitted to the tailgate. Trakka Camper Conversions have performed the transformation. The expected cost is around $3000- $3500 and it will go into production if there is favourable public response. This is not a new idea - club members have been doing similar conversions to their Subarus for over 20 years for a fraction of the above cost. Good Publicity - In this month’s May issue of 4x4 Australia magazine, Suba Extreme received an impressive 4 page feature covering John Petersen’s original red MY 97 Forester. Also included in the article were details of the company’s history, plus their current and future new products. Adding TTo o The Collection - 6 Star Motors’ Auto John Schliff has just purchased a rare 89 Vortex XT Turbo constant 4WD. The gearbox is fitted with a switchable centre viscous diff lock. It locks front to rear drive 50-50, which is great for off road work. This gearbox was Subaru’s first constant unit. It was replaced in the Series 1 Liberty by a similar unit, which had an improved viscous centre diff fitted. However, the locking part was unfortunately missing; which continues to this day. Pole Position - Peter Nixon (Niko) attended this year’s Subaru Festival during the Rally of Canberra, after driving his MY 97 Evo WRX wagon via the wet back roads through the Barrington Tops and the Blue Mountains. After spending a few dollars on a car wash he was determined to gain a good position at the annual aerial photo shot for the hundreds of WRX’s that attended the Festival on the lawns in front of old Parliament House. He was able to manoeuvre into the middle of the front row – good work. Trim, TTaut aut and TTerrific errific – Club member and Forester owner Phil Woods is a TV star. He appears with his young son Caleb in a Lite and Easy TV advertisement promoting their diet program.

MARKET PL ACE For Sale: Spare Wheel Carrier to suit MY wagon. Will fit if needed. $50. Phone Shane on 3861 5181. For Sale: 3" Lift Kit to suit MY. $100. Phone Shane on 3861 5181. For Sale: Spare Wheel for Subaru Impreza 175/70R14. Very good condition. $50. Phone Peter Geary on (07) 3266 8273. For Sale: MY83 Touring Wagon. Good for spare parts. Also for sale a set of 14” Sunraysia rims. Contact Ron and Pauline Greentree by email at rpgreentree@bigpond.com For Sale: Parts for Subaru Outback: 1. Sumpguard. Professionally made steel sumpguard which extends from the front of the engine to the rear of the gearbox, complete with mounting bolts etc. $250. 2. Spare wheel. Steel wheel with Falken tyre - at least 20% tread. $50. 3. Cross bars for roof rack. Genuine Subaru cross bars for roof rack. $75. Will sell singly, or the lot for $300. Phone Errol Bailey on 0419 727 109. For Sale: 2000 GT Forester. Silver, 89000 km. Log book, tinted windows, paint + interior protection, electronic rust protection, top of the range alarm with full closure (electric windows + doors) with glassbreak sensor, Unichip and boost controller, boost gauge, 3“ turbo back exhaust, WRX turbo, Finer filter, dynoed at 140 kW at the wheels, JVC high powered head unit + 12 stacker, Hertz speakers, King springs, Suba Xtreme alloy nudge bar & sump guard, new Pirelli P6000 tyres fitted 4 weeks ago, reversing sensor system with digital distance readout, interior fluoro’s, undercar lighting kit, Shu Roo’s, Narva artic blue bulbs, GFB plumb back BOV. Always run Amsoil engine, gearbox and diff oils and filter. Car was basically used as a demo vehicle for my business and has only been offroad about 3 - 4 times. Perfect Condition. $32000 ono. Phone Rob Brunetti on 3869 1154 or 0408 984 000. For Sale: Cargo Barrier for Liberty wagon with sunroof from 1998 onwards. Genuine Subaru part (code SG023). No fittings. Blue in colour. Phone Jocelyn Collier on 3257 7026.

MARKET PL ACE PLACE For Sale: 2 Roof Racks to suit MY98 Forester. $150. Phone/fax Jan Watts on (07) 5474 8028. For Sale: In Dash Gauge Pack. $250 ONO. Phone/fax Jan Watts on (07) 5474 8028. For Sale: Sports Steering Wheel and Boss Kit to suit MY. $70. Phone Shane on 3861 5181. More Market Place on Page 23

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