hrd-hr30

how's this for starters - using some of the good parts of other racing categories now. - outright and U2L classes, with seperate grids if the fields are big enough (thanks to IPRA) - restrictors for all outright class cars wether they are turbo or not (based on their factory weights) with the biggest to limit power to about 600bhp. - run on semi-slicks. not sure wether they should have a control tyre or not... there's pros and cons in that argument - no max rim width. as long as it fits within the gaurds its OK. lip rolling and removal of plastic splash gaurds allowed - similar interior rules as IPRA, ie dash and door trims must remain. - cages allowed from front strut tower to rear strut tower (as for PRC rally cars). - rose joints allowed. factory pivot points, and for multi-link suspension systems (eg double wishbone) factory lower arms must remain. things I'm not suree what I would do with are: - rules for brakes. maybe limited to the largest optional disc size for the model? - rear wings? personal preference against those big carbon/alloy wings, but I think the class would have to allow them. - ground clearance rule? 100mm low enough, or make it 75mm? or maybe use the sport sedan rules here? heaps more, but that's got a few things off the top of my head I'd say make it only for post 86 vehicles to keep a bit of a modern feel to it. Who really wants to see 70's corollas, escorts, dattos and rotaries anyway - and the few that do already have a class to watch... oh, and ban falcons and commodores

well, it IS right. there are no freedoms for bumper bars in normal (EM) IPRA rules. LM have the freedom to replace non-metallic bumper fascias as long as they are contained within the same area as the original part when veiwed from directly above. and yes the IPRA rules are the same everywhere.

total driver have done training days there recently but speeds are very limited, and it definitely isn't a track day format, just driver training. at this stage anyway. we'll have to wait and see what happens with the tender process PRSC is running.

ah, that's right. the falcon/commodore boys would get away with the sporting/evolution parts because there were more than 200 sold through a manufaturer network in Aus. I'll stop talking about CAMS rules and regs now, and let the daydreams of being able to race GTR's the way god intended continue

ah OK. I've never been to the training centre so i haven't seen the LVMA. but the bigger, more open motorkhana style things are much better and more fun than the tight technical stuff they do in QLD motorkhana championships. That's the sort of thing i picture when people say motorkhana... yeah mt cotton hillclimb is definitely most adrenaline per dollar motorsport around! let us know when you're running at an event and I'll try to make it. I want to get out to Morgan Park with the GTR, and will probably go back to the Autocross later in the year, and of course the Hillclimb. I should do a day at QR too, just to get some times - i've only done one event there and never really had the urge to go back

yeah, sorry. but I agree with you. the rules for Late Model vehicles suck. The problem is that the IPRA members propose and vote on any rule changes. Most of them are boring old farts who a) want to protect their competitive advantage in their early model rotaries, and b) have attitudes like "a 2L turbo shouldn't be able to win outright". I guess they've forgotten the days of Group A Sierra Cosworths LM turbo rules are the worst, as SK has pointed out here before.

if they are the same (ie a replacement part) and made of the same material, you can use it. Another example is S1/2 RX7 are having trouble finding bumpers to use, because they are no freedoms there they have to use S1/2 steel bumpers, which are getting scarce. I guess your talking about Ray Hislop. I've never seen the car unfortunately - its supposed to be awesome in full flight. unless something has changed since my 2004 manual, bonnet scoops are not legal. if it does run the GT bonnet scoop, I'd guess the thing is just decorative and isn't an actual scoop, then it may be permitted.

I totally agree. as I said before, they're good up to a point, but there's only so much they can teach you. they're a great place to get car control skills in a very safe environment (low speed and nothing to hit except cones). and they're a bit of fun...

There are no freedoms granted to the use of bonnets in IPRA. Unless the rules specifically state that you can modify or replace a part, you can't. Standard replacement parts are OK, but you can only use parts made from a different material IF that part is "free" or there's a specific freedom alloying the use of that other material. Same way that you can't use composite materials in panels. A9X Toranas can't run the factory standard bonnet with the hole and bonnet scoop. Just because its a factory component, doesn't mean it fits the rules.

hehe this is the last I heard about Lakeside: http://www.skylinesaustralia.com/forums/in...972&hl=lakeside would be great to have another chance to do some laps there. awesome track.

well, I don't use the handbrake, spin around cones, memorise crazy courses marked out by witches hats, reverse, or do flick turns into stop garages at any Hillclimb I've ever done Hillclimbing is much more a mix of circuit skills. There are no 'racing lines' , blind corners, or threshold braking in khanas, as examples. I also prefer to get out of 1st gear at the hillclimb

if the mt cotton skidpan/lvma stuff is mainly motorkhana type stuff, it is a good up to a point, but there's only so much it will teach you. motorkhanas are a very specialised discipline. other than a good grounding in car control and left foot braking (especialy useful in slaloms), the skills used to get a car around a motorkhana course fast don't really translate to speed events like sprints or hillclimbs. still good fun though. the smooth dirt autocross track at Ipswich is great for teaching control at speed. its like a speedway sort of surface and during the course of the day gets a black line developing from rubber build-up.

not sure what you are getting at there. the number of vehicles imported under DOTARS and compliance plate holders has nothing to do with vehicle eligibility for IPRA. Simply complying with dimension requirements of a touring car also does not make it eligible - it must fulfill one of those 2 categories in my previous post as well. they release a bulletin each time its updated, obviously enough. It has been updated 3 times, but one of them was just because they couldn't spell Silvia :lol look forward to seeing that bulletin release - as you say, it will remove any doubt. And it will make my plans for my old HR30 coupe's engine choice legal for IPRA! I wonder what they think "member of the same family of vehicle" means if a R32 GTST is not a a member of the same family of vehicle as a R32 GTR surely R32 Skyline is the family of vehicle, and the various models (GTST, GTR, GTS4 etc) of R32 Skyline are members of that family? Its not like anyone's trying to say an R34 Skyline is the same family of vehicle as an R32. oh well - wait for the bulletin. Would be good to see some other popular makes/model of grey imports on that list for IPRA too.

Doesn't really matter that there were some R32's without HICAS, unless the model your car is log-booked as didn't have it, you do not have the freedom to remove or modify it. If you log booked the car as a 'GTST M' you might get away with the alloy bonnet, but you would have to provide documentary proof that it was standard if challenged by a scrutineer. I didn't question the bumper fascias or sideskirts. DOTARS list has nothing to de with eligibility for IPRA. To be eligible, the model must be either: 1) Group A homologated, or 2) have sold at least 200 units through a manufacturer's dealer network in Australia, or 3) be specifically recognised by CAMS for IPRA. The only models on that recognised list PRA are the Mirage Cyborg and Silvia S13. BUT, I've had a look at an old 2004 CAMS manual at their definition of "model". It says: "Model refers to a member of the same family of vehicle as produced by the manufacturer." I think an R32 GTST is of the same family of vehicle as the R32 GTR, which is eligible (Group A homologated). So that shouldn't be a problem AFAIC. Would be worth a call to the 3J technical officer before you take that as gospel though. If they have put in a request to CAMS for them to be recognised, they obviously have a different perspective on that...

actually, I don't recall any freedoms in the IPRA regs for steering or rear suspension components that allows modifications to or removal of rear steering components. not entirely convinced about the alloy GT-R bonnet either, but I'd have to check the regs on that. from memory, any component that is not 'free' must be of the standard material. I don't remember any rules specifically about bonnets (or other panels), so they cannot be modified/replaced by anything other than a standard replacement. You might be able to argue its standard for the model, ie by arguing the GTST and GTR are both the same model. that might be a stretch - but it depends on the wording of the IPRA definition of 'model'. Actually, is the R32 GTST even an eligible vehicle for IPRA? GTR obviously is because of its Group A homologation, but the GTST??? ah, my head hurts...

what about the Autocross track at Ipswich, right next door to QR? its a smooth dirt racetrack, which is great fun and great for learning car control - although skidpan/LVMA days at Mt Cotton driver training centre would be easier on the paintwork... anyway, it's a shameless excuse to post a pic...

well done. would have been great fun I bet! Did it run into dusk/night like they were talking about?

yep. I'm starting to think about going back to a lighter RWD car for this sort of thing. GTR is fast, but its fairly heavy and you can really feel the weight of the car through the loops and over lover's leap at MtCotton. Seems no-one is interested in my old HR30 coupe for sale, and I've spotted an RB25 halfcut with HKS 25-30 turbo and some other goodies for a very reasonable price, so... I can't believe I'm saying this... I'm thnking about selling the GTR and building the HR30 into a track car. Should be fairly easy to get the same kind of power out of the RB25 as my near stock GTR has, in a ~300kg lighter RWD Should be fun!

Well done on breaking the 50 second barrier John! I only saw one run before I had to leave, but it looked very quick!

wouldn't you prefer the whole HR30? sell the MR and buy this! http://www.skylinesaustralia.com/forums/in...hl=83+HR30+sale edit - link fixed. helps if you paste the whole url in there and not just part of it...

yeah, no worries matt. I'll be there but the skyline won't. Look for the yellow/orange/blue '76 Civic rally car. I should be somewhere nearby. Harry

Thanks for the pics Brad!

cheers mate. the record is still a fair way off, but that's what I'm aiming towards - hopefully by the end of the year. Suspension work and softer compound tyres are the main things I want at this stage. I don't want to do any turbo upgrades or engine work if I don't have to. The record holding WRX has a close ratio PPG dog box, 2200cc motor with Motec, big turbo and far more power than me, the super-soft 'WT' compound Bridgestones, and years of development just for Mt Cotton - he set the record in 2004. So it won't be easy to get there in a mildly modified GTR, but it will be fun trying. All I've got on the GTR is a Mines ECU, 3.75" HKS exhaust, 0.9 bar on standard ceramic turbos, heavy clutch, and buddy club coilovers. And 'RS' compound Bridgestones which are more suited to circuit racing, on the standard GTR wheels. I think I'll bite the bullet and go to 17*9 or 9.5s with 255 super soft compound rubber. That will hurt the credit card! I'll be out there on the 21st, but only watching.

From MG's Website: get in early if you want to do this, as the spots go very quick apparently! Download the Entry Form and contact Gary Goulding (Event Co-ordinator) ASAP! Sunday's Hillclimb went pretty well. A few guys from the forums turned up - John (lunatikk), Dan (9krpm), and Brad (brad_gtr). Nice to meet a couple more Skyline enthusiasts - it would be great to have a group of skylines at these events. I got a new PB of 46.24 after turning the boost up to 0.9bar for the last couple of runs (I'm on the standard ceramic turbos). Before that I ran 46.78 on standard boost, which was about the same as what I managed at the first hillclimb earlier in the year - 46.80. I was 2nd in class behind the record holder, but I'm leading the series pointscore for the class. My plans now are for a bit of suspension tweaking before the next round - sorting out the camber mainly. It's got no camber on the front and too much on the rear, so there should be some big improvements once that's done. And I noticed when I got home that one of the rear subframe bushes has started to leak, so that's something else on the "to do list"... links to some pics taken by osella photgraphy: my GTR: http://www.osella.com.au/wayne/2006-Hillcl...es/ASE_4418.htm http://www.osella.com.au/wayne/2006-Hillcl...es/Ase_4809.htm mate's very tidy and fast 240Z. he runs 49.6 so far and still improving each time he goes there http://www.osella.com.au/wayne/2006-Hillcl...es/Ase_4787.htm index of all cars http://www.osella.com.au/wayne/hillclimb-round-2.htm

Well the Hillclimb is this Sunday if anyone wants to come and have a look before the Come and Try Day in a coupe of weeks. Normally Starts about 9:00 and finishes around 3:00. Free to spectate. Gramzow Rd, Mt Cotton, next to Mt Cotton Driver Training Centre. Its a short dirt road into the Hillclimb, but it's smooth and not rocky - lots of competitors drive their cars in (including me) so it can't be too bad. 9krpm, I use Bridgestone RE55S 225/50 on standard 16*8" GTR rims. Bought them mainly because I could get them at mates rates, but they're a very good tyre. More suited to sprints than hillclimbs to be honest, but I plan to use the car for a variety of things, so I didn't want a super soft hillclimb only tyre that will burn off the rims at a 4lap supersprint. If you're looking to buy, I'd recommend Craig at Hornibrook Motorsport (can't find his card atm - but he'll be at the hillclimb on Sunday). He's a regular competitor at these club level events and will look after you with a good price. He'll push the Kuhmos, but I've heard nothing but good things about those tyres. Sullen even won Targa on them a couple of years ago, so they've gotta be half alright!