PZG302

Lee, What about wheel alignment? Have you had one done on those wheels and what is the spec? For damper adjustment start off in the middle and if after the first session it feels real wallowy go up one or two adjustments in stiffness and then leave it. You won't have the consistency to make any meaningful changes to the car as you get more comfortable with both the car and the track. Have a read of this, it will take you around Lakeside the quick and safe way, http://www.mx5clubqld.com.au/wp-content/uploads/A-Lap-Of-Lakeside-Park.pdf Take your time getting comfortable with the car, be happy if you get anywhere near 70 seconds, any thing under is a bonus. Do your own thing and don't get sucked into chasing someone else to get quick.

The Qr300 is on this weekend and the team refueller has had to pull the pin due to some unfortunate family circumstances. If anyone in Brisbane can help out it would be appreciated. All you need to do is fill the car with fuel using a jiggler hose and not spill any when it's full on the Sunday. If you can make Saturday as well, then you get to enjoy our company for two days as well as see some great racing. Other than that, you will need to be able to hang and take shit being hung on you, have fun and enjoy. Obviously a ticket will be provided for you. If you have a race suit that would be even better, as my spare suit will have to be hurriedly patched up if required. If anyone is interested give me a bell on O429 zero six four 112 by tomorrow evening. Thanks, Matt

No idea, but would be standard track hire rates for the day or half day. The club also is willing to subsidise the track days for the one or two a a year that may just break even or not quite get there in terms of making a dollar, but they are turning a good profit. They also welcome non club members who pay an extra $20 over members or if you pay on the day, member or not, its $165. The days are run where non members are generally by invitation, or known to members rather than opening it up to open slather which keeps the dickheads down to a manageable level so we may get one or two cars in a year badly damaged, rather than every event for some hirers, and that means no delays on the track. Since I have been doing track days with the MX5 club over the last 5 years or so I know of only one write off, and about a dozen cars that have been damaged, but still driveable, at Lakeside. I'm not sure it is a problem, but most in the club who do the track days are more than happy to be track day warriors and big fish in a little pond rather than step up to more organised events like supersprints and door to door racing. There are a few who are doing the midweek street sprints as well as the track days and one or two also do the open sprints run by QR. It works for the club and makes a bit of money for them. I'm sure if the Zed club wanted to, if they made an approach to the MX5 club to have a run at one of the track days they would be welcomed as it all helps with costs.

The mx5 club has no problems making money on their events. 6 track days a year at both lakeside and qr. Qr days generally half day and lakeside at least half are full day. They get 45 to 60 cars at each day and a minimum of 5 runs in a half day event and at least 10 runs on a full day lakeside event. Cost is $120 for members and the club a good profit over the year. They run 4 groups from the quick street cars and race cars, sub 64's at lakeside. Quickest cars are in the 58's and the odd rocket in the 55's if one of the 2b rocket ships come out for a test session. The fourth group is for first timers and cars doing generally 70seconds and up at Lakeside. The group's work well and the cars sort themselves out pretty quick so no-one is held up, unless you want to have a play. The days are held on a monday which doesn't seem to worry people as the dates are known well in advance so a day off work can be organised.

the 17th is on the QR calendar as general practice day for the Top Gear meet on the 18th.

I've known Carlos for many years and one of my best mates worked there for a few years. He has some good bits, but like everyone less and less as the parts dry up. Not sure if he still has his 2 seater 280 rally car. Well worth the call to see what he has.

Where does rolling starts come into the fact that the FHR device will protect you in an impact? There are other things that are hit besides a car stuck on the line. Personally, for the benefit as part of a safety system the FHR is a good thing, I have one, I have also bought a more suitable seat to make best use of it in the new car, why, well look at the photo below..... Thanks, I think, to Shifting Focus who was in the right place at the right time, pity I wasn't. And this was the result..... Also the reason why I spent near 5 times on the cage for the S14 than I spent buying the shell, and why I don't get in trouble for spending on this area of my racing. I was lucky in that impact, 140km/h into the tyres and all I got was a sore shoulder and some stiffness on the Sunday and for the next couple of days. I have also written off a car at Amaroo, a Turner Sports 1300 (square rigger like a Lotus 7) where suspension broke and I hit a concrete wall at around 180km/h. In that crash my head went back and the back of my helmet hit the panel enclosing the rear of the car. I have also fire marshalled for over 10 years in the 90's and early 2000's at all levels from club meetings to F1 and any improvement in driver safety I am all for. "Those in ivory towers" as some put it, do have a clue about driver safety and are bringing in measures to make our hobby as safe as possible. I bet Jackie Stewart would have loved to have been inconvenienced with all this safety gear back in his prime where he was losing good friends every weekend.....

And I'm now in trouble, too many cars not enough space. I just bought this as a donor car...... It will supply all the fiddly bits I need for the race car and some bits to sell off like interior and brakes/suspension. Also gives me a spare engine and gearbox to tuck away under the house. I will also have a full set of panels to use as molds for the ones I'm getting made up and a couple of extra to sell to get some dollars back on the purchase. Hopefully it will arrive in the week after easter, just getting quotes on shipping it up from the mid north coast of NSW. The price? A couple of hundred more than a front cut or wreck from Pickles, even when the cost of shipping is taken into account. So once the rear cradle is finished I will be able to get the shell off the rotisserie and back to a roller.

Just like any other metal, go nuts with the rust kill. Don't do the inside with kill rust though...... It might be worth getting a por15 kit or similar to treat the inside to make sure all is good.

A little bit of progress to report, but no pics. I had some dollars squirreled away for the rear end to be set up in the new year but as per usual the workshop I have chosen had a bit on and the job got pushed back a bit, and as a result the scope blew out a bit to do the job once and right and get some extras. Basically the rear sub-frame is off at Option One up here in Brisbane for the following to done: * Braced and welded where required for strengthening * R32 alloy uprights fitted for the rear * All suspension arm replaced with rose jointed adjustable arms * Standard VLSD replaced with 4.3 and new KAAZ 2 way LSD centre * My existing R33 GTR rear brakes fitted up to make sure it all fits as it should * Solid bushes and mounts to bolt back onto the shell At the same time I am getting all the front suspension replaced with rose jointed adjustable arms so I can get the shell off the rotisserie soon so the ute can fit back in the garage. I will be throwing a set of standard struts in the car to get it rolling again until I can get a fistfull of cash together to see MCA and get myself a set of these...... http://mcasuspension.com/red-series/ I am still trawling the usual sites for mechanical bits to get a stock of motor and turbos going before I built, so I need to clean out the rest of the L series stuff I have to make some room. I will have to fit the fuel tank back into the car and run the fuel lines and brake lines before the rear cradle goes back in so I will be looking at getting some new tube for both the brake and fuel lines and a flaring tool for the brake lines. Again, might as well do the car once and right. As the fuel tank goes in I will see what I can do for the standard pick up and look at making it sit in one central spot to fill a surge tank so I can foam fill the tank. Even though the tank sits up under the car and it would need a huge hit to get to I still want to protect myself after one big hit in the Zed where the fuel tank was ripped out of the car. I am also looking at a pretty good deal on some very lightweight panels and more will be revealed in due course, but at the moment going through the slow process of sourcing some sacrificial panels and getting molds made up to suit bonnet, boot and guards. If they come out like I hope then I won't have to paint the hanging panels.

I know a bit about the inlet manifold on Evan's motor It's also a shame that the exhaust is not a viable fix on Evan's motor as well. i know it is a unique bit of kit built by arguably one of the best exhaust guys in the country.

And if someone actually had the cash sitting spare and could fly down South pretty quickly, what would happen then??

Sorry to go OT, but Evan, if you do look at getting rid of the inlet manifold I want first right of refusal, even though I don't have an L series engine at the moment.

I also like the security of having a physical disk to store on as well. With teh cost of storage becoming ridiculously cheap these days, get a 1TB or 2TB HDD for less than $100 and dump all the photos on that and put on the shelf. When SSD drives become cheap throw it all on them. I have yet to see a cyber attack succeed on a drive that's sitting on my book shelf.......

Richard if you want to look at the profiles I have you're welcome to wander around. One is a bad ebay spec but the others may be more suitable.

What, you wanted a big brake to slow you down through the Chase??

Depends on the tools. Hand tools, usually trade tools direct or Repco or Supercheap if on special for the right brands. For more serious stuff, my rotisserie of ebay, engine crane from Radum, or similar. For cheap power tools and consumables like flapper discs, Bunnings.

Well, there's three of us from the darkside that can bunker down in adjoining garages.....

The best F1 noise I ever heard was the last V12 Ferrari at Adelaide when I was working as a fire marshal at Brewery Bend. I had to take the ear plugs out to hear the Fezza at full noise through the bend for one lap. It was worth the bleeding ears The V10's sounded awesome, as did the Cosworth V8's before they went V10 and then back to 8's for the previous tech regs. It will be interesting to see if the noise grows on you. From watching the telecast, the ICE doesn't sound that good, more like a Dunnydore with no mufflers, but hearing the turbo whistling away and the tyres protesting is great. I would say the notes will change during the year as development continues, though we are stuck with this noise until the current development halt is lifted. F1 is the only category I have worked at over more than 10 years as a fire marshal/FIV driver where I had to wear ear plugs. Even with plugs the V10's sounded tits, better than the 8's. And it was tough having to look after the Ferraris on Saturday and Sunday as a senior pit lane fire marshal........

Demon Tweeks are also very competitive on price. I got my HANS club II with posts for my helmet to my door 3 days later for the same price as the earlier heavier club spec that was on special by the local suppliers in the first round of group buys last year.

So no one else is having a crack at this then........ Even the hairdressers are going to have a crack

Can fit posts in sa2005 and later helmets. If your helmet is over 5 years old with a lot of use it maybe worth looking at upgrading anyhoo, just for safety sake. I get no grief in updating the helmet, just why do I need the $400 paint job.... There are just some things the womenfolk don't understand......

Watch some members arc up about the Nanny state now....... From July this year Frontal head restraint devices will be mandatory at all international and national circuit races, road events and off road events, except where specifically exempted due to the type of vehicle and from 1st January 2015 all state circuit races, road events and off road events, except where specifically exempted due to the type of vehicle. here is the link to the full article....http://www.cams.com.au/media/news/latest-news/cams-to-make-frontal-head-restraints-mandatory At this stage it does not include speed events, sprints and hill climbs , but if your car is fitted with the equipment to allow the proper use of a FHR then I would be looking at using one now. I would say it is only a matter of a couple of years and they will be mandatory for all events where a vehicle is fitted with a cage, race seat and harness. I would also like to see a ban on the use of open face helmets in motorsport, I have seen first hand what happens in a big crash where your face hits bits of car, that would have otherwise been protected by a helmet and visor.

Thanks Aub. Will check the calendar and if I am going to have a go will throw my entry in in the next couple.of days.

Aub, a couple of questions: 1. Are other cars eligible? Can I put in an entry and run the 5? and 2. For registered cars is a 3rd party insurance extension required? On legal advice the mx5 club requires all registered cars to have an extension fir track days no matter where we are running. The HRCC(QLD) also requires this for their events as well. Could be a busy weekend for me, I may also be out at Morgan Park on the Sunday instructing for a track day.