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If there's one thing I've learnt there is NO SUCH THING as "piece of piss" or a mechanical job that is easy. I have been burnt SO many times. Whenever someone more mechanical than me (ie, everyone except soccer Mums and we won't start going on about them again) tells me it will take X amount of time and trouble, I always take X and double it - then sometimes I'm about right. I would happily pay the $60 - if it were my diff ofcourse. Then again, my last diff repair cost over $500 so I think you're lucky!!

And it was absolutely pouring with rain. It was fun, but it stopped being fun because my shoes and socks were soggy, my car kept fogging up (damn those olden day cars without air con), and my fuel pump stopped working due to excessive water in the boot. But the upshot was it was SLIPPERY and FUN!!!!

I went through this exact dilemma early this year. I decided to get a tow car when I was driving home in a really hot, nearly broken rally car with no radio, ear plugs AND ear muffs with a MASSIVE hang over. Not nice. I purchased a 1993 Holden Jackaroo for $12K but with a few kms on the clock. I have never ever regretted this decision. Sure, it's slow up hills but it's been worth it in a million different ways. I can chuck tyres, whole engines, bicycles, dogs (!) - virtually anything in the back and I don't care. Motorsport (rallying especially) requires bringing tonnes of spares and the Jackaroo still has acres of space for camping gear. It's not so great around town and the fuel economy isn't the best (opt for diesel if you get the chance), but for the price I was looking at, it's been the best option. As for trailers, I have been borrowing my partners but that gig will be up soon when he starts rallying again. I have been looking at second hand ones. My friend just got the bargain of the century - apparently there is a guy at Beenleigh that sells nearly new trailers for $1500 and they're really light. Rob's right, you really need to focus on how heavy your trailer is + the weight of the car you're towing and then see what is available. It's complicated huh?

Yup, it was then and there I decided to sign her up for 2005!! :thumbsup: Re: the almost roll over - it kinda feels like I am telling everyone about this HUGE fish that got away. I still can't believe we got out of that scratch free. I think it happens so quickly but your brain switches into a different mode or something. I just remember the sequence of thoughts so clearly. Especially the "so this is what it feels like to roll" thought. It's funny, they always say that there are navigators that have been in a roll, and navigators that are yet to be in a roll... but I've never even come close as a navigator in 3 years and probably 30 events! Maybe my roll-over karma is reserved for me as a driver then.....oooh scary thought. Then again, Redwarf has never even looked like he was going to crash, let alone roll. I'll just file that incident under E for experience.

Datgirl Racing Report – KCF Rallysport Rallysprint Round 3 - 30th October 2004 The final round of the KCF Rallysport Rallysprint was held on Saturday 30th October 2004 in Jimna State Forest. Datgirl Racing preparation had been less frenetic than previous events with only some cooling system issues to sort and replacement of shattered drive shafts (thank you John Spencer!) that I had destroyed at a motorkhana the week earlier. So, thanks to my ever patient and extremely generous partner Paul, lots of the work had been completed on time. The day before the event the Datgirl Racing red rocket spent some time at the Redwarf Motorsport headquarters finalising some issues. Despite the last minute panic, preparation leading up to the event generally was excellent and made for one much more composed driver. Even the morning of the event we got to the event according to plan. However, during the reconnaissance of the rally stages, the temperature shot through the roof along with my heart rate! We pulled over and before we knew it, there were 3 other cars pulled over beside us, the bonnet was up and the problem diagnosed. Very hot radiator fluid pouring out the back of the engine was not a good thing. Viv Gees (living rally legend), Peter Whalley and son agreed that it was nothing more terminal then we by-passed the heating system and we were on our way. Consequently, we were running late and could not check the notes we had written for stages 2, 4 and 6 (which are the same route). Stage 1 – A short 6km FAT stage with heaps of twisty flowing roads. Highlights – the biggest roller coaster hill you could ever imagine into a spectator point and an awesome blind sharp right up a very steep road. We LOVED this stage because the roads were the BEST. Stage 2 – The longest stage of around 12kms – Starts at the top of a mountain and around the side of a very steep hill that you are scared of falling off! Highlight – Ponderosa spectator point, which is extremely difficult to get right and some extremely fast sweeping lefts and rights in the middle and at the end. We started out on this stage okay but had some cooling problems where the temperature gauge was reading 80 degrees but there was hot water spatting onto the windscreen for some reason… we decided to ignore it and press on. Stage 3 – I can't remember anything too interesting about stage 3 except that we decided to do some fun stuff at the spectator point. Apparently we caused a little bit of a stir by waving our arms out the window going down the roller coaster and blowing kisses to our friends and family at the bottom!! Although I do remember that Tracey's notes were extremely good and her on-time delivery was almost perfect. And that we absolutely nailed that blind sharp right up hill! Stage 4 – This stage is almost all I can remember from the rally now! This is because I had the biggest moment in rallying IN MY LIFE. It started with some sweeping lefts and rights that were perfect on the notes. Tracey was calling really well and I must have been committing to the notes more than I thought I was capable. Tracey called a "5 Right" which means is fairly fast (6 being the fastest, don't back off). So I picked another gear and put the foot down. Big mistake!! It was the part of the course that we did not get to check the notes on and the corner was much tighter than it should have been. For some reason (that I still can't figure out), we swung around where it looked like we going to t-bone the bank. My exact sequence of thoughts (yes, it does happen in slow motion) were as follows (excuse the swearing but this is what happened!): · oh no, we're going to crush the front of the car into the bank AGAIN, why do I always do this on the driver's side; · yay, the bank is sloped enough and we're going up it! · oh sh*t I'm looking at the sky, my feet are off the pedals and there's only one rear left wheel on the ground · So this is what it feels like to roll · This is going to be expensive · This is going to hurt · Holey cr@p, we're not going over · Mel dammit get some feet on the brakes – anything, SOMETHING (NOT the accelerator)! · Oh no, we're going up the other bank on the other side of the road; · PHEW, we've washed off enough speed, found the brake pedal and stopped · Hope those Septators got that on film "Eek eek eek" I squeaked and was about to start freaking out. But then Tracey said (in a dead cool voice): "…. and 3 right into caution dip"….! So I picked first gear and away we went. A friend of mine emailed me later to say, "Saw some action, especially that red Datsun 1600 that came soooo close to tipping over and I didn't even get a photo as I was too gob-smacked to click the shutter!". I have absolutely no memory of the rest of that stage. Stages 5 and 6 – Nothing to report except we decided to flash our lights at the speccy point and that it was so dark on the last stage we needed our spotties. In the end, we had an excellent and consistent rally. We were significantly faster than before – we finished 17th outright out of 25 finishers and came 5th in our class of 7. We beat seasoned rally teams that have been running for years. We improved on every single stage (with the exception of the night stage) and worked together the best we ever had. Tracey was outstanding, the car was great and, because of those factors, my confidence was at an all time high. All in all, the KCF Rallysprint round 3 was an absolute hoot. And, while we're sad that was the last rally for Datgirl Racing for 2004, we're really pleased to have ended on such a high note. BIG huge thanks to our 2004 sponsers Pedders Suspension Geebung, Harts Transmissions, Betta Computers and Redwarf Motorsport. We can't wait for 2005!!

was not!

NOT evil!! Woot woo, you guys look very schmick!!

It's definitely Sunday I promise!! And Saturday will be spent working on the car, I promise. And Teddy, you'd better reassure me that Redwarf was being good in my Datsun.... but I'm fairly comfortable in the fact that he would have been behaving (lead by example) Also, to whomever suggested checking the thermostat housing - thanks, we did when we changed the thermostat. The water doesn't seem to be coming from that area, it's coming from the driver's side - we think it might be the neck of the radiator. Anyway, official prognosis expected today.

Rally damage report: 1. Unidentified (and ongoing) problem with cooling system Symptoms: hot water splatting on to windscreen but temperature gauge says everything is fine. Replaced bottom radiator hose, bypassed broken heater hose, got super dooper radiator cap, overflow bottle replaced, thermostat replaced. Prime Suspect: 1 radiator. Being removed and examined. Secondary Suspect: 1 sender. May inspect. 2. Unidentified major knocking noise coming from left rear - suspension related as it only happens when going over bumps. Prime Suspect: 1 shock absorber. Being taken to Pedders Geebung for general suspension inspection. Secondary Suspect: 1 spring. May inspect. I love my car.

I'm competing but, as Redwarf said, it's only cos we're sponsored. And I hope my car is fixed in time!! And, I challenge anyone to live closer to the venue than me, I literally live 2 streets from it!!

I know, I ran one a couple of years ago. They're not uncommon. What I meant was, actually asking CAMS to subsidise the cost of the day so that it is MUCH cheaper for newbies to try. Try and keep it to $20 or something. You could use the statements made in the CAMS letter as a basis for your application for funding.

CONGRATULATIONS FOOK!!!

Yes, and that's a damned fine point! That's what I was saying in the very beginning of this post. I have NO idea what this "support" for grassroots motorsport is supposed to be. I have a feeling that they may purport to subsidise permits to run motorkhanas....? Also, I thought that day licenses were around $20 - they were $15 not that long ago. And clubs like BSCC don't even have day licenses so we're lucky that HSCCQ even have a super cheap one. I like Irokin's idea of directly subsidising first timer motorsport enthusiasts. An iniative like a "come and try day" where competitors pay a flat fee of, say, $40 for a lesson in motorkhanas plus all their licenses would be ideal. Maybe this is an idea that could be discussed by the motorkhana panel (hint hint :blinks: Fook) Speaking of Fook, I believe he is off at the East Coast Targa as we type - GO FOOK! :jason:

Yes, a really great response I thought. Food for thought too. Re: insurance for anyone around rallies. I am certain that Redwarf is right that the health of ALL people are covered. Although I have a feeling that the CAMS permit does not cover everyone, but the third party extension also plays a part. (Rob doesn't have to worry about this because Victorian rego covers this already) For those that don't know - all competitors in rallies, hillclimbs, sprints, khanacrosses and autocrosses (but NOT for motorkhanas run by HSCCQ - I still don't know why) are required to obtain what is known as an "extension" to their existing 3rd party insurance. Correct me if I'm wrong but 3rd party insurance for your normal car covers the health of persons that is compromised because of your car when it is on the road doing normal everyday driving things. My understanding is that the 3rd party extension is required so that the health of persons who are at a motorsporting event (ie, NOT normal everyday driving) are covered. I think that the CAMS insurance actually covers the 2 people in the car and officials? That's how I think it works?

1981 Renault 18 (don't ask, it was to do with family and BLOC - before love of cars) 1976 Valiant Galant 1990 Honda Civic 1971 Datsun 1600 1990 Mitsubishi Galant 2000 Subaru Impreza WRX All of the above sold - I spose it's not many. I'm keen to see the Redwarf's list!

I also have attached the response from Silverstone Events - I found it to be quite excellent and addresses all of CAMS' concerns in a very tactful way. I particularly noted the common themes between the comments made by Silverstone Events about CAMS and some of the feedback I have heard from grass-roots competitors. Response_to_CAMS_letter_20_Aug_2004.pdf

Since we were discussing CAMS the other week, I thought you might be interested in the following. As you may be aware, Silverstone Events (who runs Classic Adelaide) has opted not to go under the auspices of CAMS this year. This was based on financial reasons. CAMS are not happy about this and wrote them a letter. See attached for that letter. Of particular interest to me was this paragraph (my bolded emphasis): " .... it is important to note that without the income generated from major events, the growth and support of grass-roots motor sport can be hampered. Running outside of CAMS means that Classic Adelaide is not contributing to the infrastructure of the sport and the subsequent support available for club level motor sport, and for items such as official’s training, may be reduced." I am wondering how motorkhanas, as a grass-roots motor sport, receives "support" from CAMS? CAMS_letter_20_July_2004.pdf

Agree! There's no better feeling than flogging someone who thinks they're real fast when all they've got are things they think look good. Save your pennies and go the stiffer suspension / better brake pads! (better for motorkhanas too)

I've become an expert at knowing when my diff has gone. Clues: 1. bits of metal sticking out the back of the diff (okay so that's a bit obvious) - a "bang" noise was certainly heard, but generally this follows the dumping of the clutch 2. When it's only just starting to go - whir kind of noise from the rear. To test: put clutch in when going down a hill, if the whir noise is still there, there could be something wrong. But yours sounds like something else. If you can drive normally in reverse, it's not the diff or the clutch. Do you have any drive at all in any other gear? Fook is right, we need more info! btw: the above is based on my limited experience - more experienced mechanical heads please correct me if I'm wrong.

Woot woo Teddy!! Noice spoiler. I think you should make that pic (the first one) your new avatar!

Last one....

Yikes

And this one...

Photos to accompany the press release....

I have one of each: old car - 1971 datsun 1600 new(ish?) car - 1993 Holden Jackaroo (here goes for the 213th time) Once I owned this 2000 WRX .... but had to make way for tow car sob Can't beat the new cars, my next one is DEFINITELY going to be a R33 Skyline GTR Vspec. :) Now ask Redwarf about new cars/old cars. Think it goes something like: 1971 KE35 198? KE55 199? Corolla Seca 2004 Mits Pajero So many cars, so little time