handbrake

Mizuno san spoke for about 30 minutes. not the most enthralling video but here it is anyway.... about 30 minutes all up so don't watch it unless your only other option is waiting for paint to dry. just for the record most of the voices/laughing in the background you can hear are not mine, I tried to stay quiet to improve recording quality but Mizuno-san kept asking me questions. Maybe he could sense I had just installed my Willall Turbo upgrade the week before? excuse the crappy camera work, I was trying to pay attention and be subtle.

yes he did sprout some weird stuff about weight and engine combustion. I recorded the whole session so I should compress and upload to youtube so you can have a listen Duncan!

Yes, Mizuno was always going to say mods will spoil the car. wouldnt look good if he said "yeah well there is lots of room for improvement in the car but we though we would just stop there" plus they were after bullet proof reliability (which the car has if you dont abuse it senselessly). I havent cried in my beer once yet post mods. I sure as hell needed one though after the first time I gave it full boot. More importantly, Greddy turbo kit

that's because the side is where Frankenstein is unearthed.

try suncorp if you havent already Druzilla my policy is 1900 per annum. 1100 excess. but I am 35, have been a good boy and live in Brisbane. just bught a falcadore to punt the expanding tribe around in when I cant get the wifes XC90. insurance $500 with $500 excess

dont even think about it.

will be good to catch up at the track Dan. will you be getting along to the Ruzic day in August? will the car be ready!?

well done Ian! get some driver training with Doug at the track in the morning at one of Ruzic's days. that will clear up your lines. also read some texts in between track days if you havent already. speed secrets is a good start for the basics. Paul stokell has driver training at QR, Lakeside and Morgan Park. they are more expensive and you have to be a bit pushy to get the instructors in the car with you as they prioritise the 'lotus experience' customers a bit. I would stick with the Ruzic days for experience and Doug who actually is one of the instructors Paul uses when at QR

Sorry if this is old news. nothing on search so hope some find it useful.

Yes, it is a business after all. A friend of mine's father was an actuary working for and then CEO of a major financial/insurance firm in Australia, now retired. They have incredibly in depth analyses and formulas they utilise involving the vehicle, customer and parts/labour likely range of claims in the sector and types /frequencies of repairs. He sent me to sleep one night on the turps explaining it all. He and his company make good money, don't fool yourself into thinking it's a right to have cheap insurance. It's one of the most serious businesses out there. Luckily though it can be quite competitive also, so if you haven't called about 10 insurers then chances are you may not have gotten yourself the best deal going around. As for speeding or other traffic infringements, there is mo excuse, regardless of what state you are in. Speed limits and the way they are enforced are not something I necessarily agree on but regardless you need to be smart enough to play the game. If you don't you just end up looking stupid when you get the fines.

This is very true, but what I found is the problem when going to high level motorsport guys for advice is that they have very little idea about modifications that would suit the budget or limited track use for the weekend track warrior. A lot of the advice I have received from people who are professional motorsport teams or workshops was only relevant to guys who don't want their car to be either street legal/drivable or who have bottomless pockets. There are a few cunning and experienced occasional track goers who have a great deal of experience that can be very helpful to draw upon when looking for advice on how to achieve quicker times without resorting to parking the car on a trailer or breaking the bank.

yes far form stock, but we haven't tuned the engine to anywhere near capacity yet. should be up another 100HP. hopefully. Also no tunning of suspension yet. the porsches are about 400kg lighter, so yes power to weight is the key there cant wait to catch up in August Darren! still long for an old school R32 myself!

I should add that the first session of the morning (ambient's below 20) was a rollercoaster ride of sliding through corners and fishtailing down the straights! so yes this needs to be kept in mind when using them. once they got up to temp though it was happy days. I think my best laps had them at about 80 degrees celsius up front and 70's on the rears

Hey Noel, I was running the same second hand Michelin slicks in the Ruzic Time attack that Duncan and Marek have been using (68/27/18 porsche cup rears). Was a bit dubious about them (looked fairly chewed out with only 1-1.5mm treadmarker depth and god-only-knows how many heat cycles in them). anyway they went very well. The 55.6 sprint lap compares to another R35 (bill's black one) running 58.1 with new Hoosier 19 inch grooved slicks (R6's I think they are called) and about 50awkw less power. They transform the car and are now allowing me to be competitive in the 'race' class. Apart from being exciting to drive on they are dirt cheap. RE55's are about 6-8 x the price.

yeah sorry we didnt get to catch up. I am not that good with cold introductions so didnt manage to chat with many guys I didnt already know! Regarding the intercooler, I wasnt present for the install (phone pic was from the boys in the shop). I know that the intercooler has made the tuning a little more complex but no big deal otherwise. I will get some info together and get back to you.

yes cant wait to get out to lakeside sometime in the coming months. still looks like a goat track by comparison from what I have heard!

Phone pic of FMIC

pilot on the way back to Brisbane had a dodgy tune of the ABC call of the game. I thought I could hear interference of a Celine Dion song from another station in the background at one stage, though that might have just been the NSW girls crying from the shame of it all.

here is a run of one of the early tunes. 16 pound of boost only. name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src=" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"></embed></object>&"> name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src=" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"></embed></object>&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350" />

A few random shots from the day. Suzuki-san and Mizuno-san. Great guys, very down to earth and humble. Steve Pizatti me with 'the godfather', awesome.

Dean Canto V8 supercar driver seemed pretty relaxed talking to me as he punched out a lazy 1:46. no idea about other times, unfortunately no data from Suzuki-san's efforts btw this trip has ruined performance driving in Queensland for me. Phillip island is such a superb track, I don't think I will be able to go back to the paperclip....

Yes indeed. At PI today. Flight home now, shagged. Will post some tomorrow!