Track Day – Gripshiftslide

Toyota 86 Racing Series :: On Track Until 2020

Grant — Sun, 08 Apr 2018 11:13:54 +0000

Way back in 2016 Toyota hatched a plan to bring the world a fun one-make series with their legendary 86 model.
The aim is to foster the talent of young up and coming drivers who do not have the dollars to race the open-wheelers circuit.

So why was I on a plane headed to Sydney? Well Toyota had arranged a special day at Sydney Motorsport Park. Everyone who attended the event was secretly hoping that Toyota would surprise us with the new Supra!
Unfortunately our dreams were not realised…

The event centered around the announcement that the Toyota 86 Racing Series was being extended until 2020!
This was great news and all thanks to a gang-buster two year program that has exceeded Toyota’s expectations.

Toyota’s 86 Racing Series started with a bang! Quickly they established the series as one of the most exciting one-make racing series Australia has ever seen!

Since 2016 the Toyota 86 Racing Series has been developing bit by bit with incremental improvements to make this series the best it can possibly be.

The affordable, grassroots motorsport series will be extended to 18 scheduled races at six tracks in four states! That’s up from the 15 races scheduled in previous years.

Neal Bates was on hand to instruct on the day and help us motorsport journalists get around the track safely. Neal has been instrumental in the setup of the 86’s suspension, handling; and full package that the drivers receive when they purchase and enter the 86 Racing Series.

So where is the new 2019 Toyota 86 hiding? No Supra? No new 86 shape? I was still hoping that Toyota would have a surprise up their sleeve.

For those who have already been racing for the last two years there is going to be no car update going forward until 2020. Toyota has confirmed that they will be staying with the 2016 shape and platform to lower the cost for entrants while keeping the playing field even.

Minor changes have been made for the 2018 season. These include a change to a Dunlop tyre that will give the cars more grip over longer races. The previous tyre they were using tended to fade quiet fast.

The other minor change is adjustable rear camber. This change was made to stop competitors complaining that some drivers seemed to have more rear camber than others.

This changes should help even up the racing and make the action even more intense! As with last year there are a host of guest drivers to keep the young ones on their toes.

These include drivers like Jonathan Webb, Leanne Tander, Warren Luff, Steve Owen and rising star Harry Bates.

This racing action will make your palms sweaty and may even give you flashbacks of the original v8 Brutes Series. One thing is for sure the racing is aggressive and fast paced.

The 2018 action starts on April 20-22 at Phillip Island and then they are off to Townsville in July. Yet the most exciting event, apart from Mount Panorama, is the awesome new race track in South Australia. This will be held at the Bend Motorsport Park at Tailem Bend in August.

The series prize pool has been increased to $150,000 with competitors finishing the year from fourth to eighth places also now sharing in the cash.

The top three will continue to receive $50,000, $30,000, and $15,000 respectively.

There are rumors on the grape vine that Toyota are running the 86 Racing Series until 2020 because that is when they may be introducing the new Toyota 86 to the world; but we will have to wait and see if this is true.

Along with the experience of driving the Racing 86 around Sydney Motorsport Park we were also given the opportunity to have some fun on the skid pan with the new 2018 86 GTS.

The Toyota 86 is truly the do anything car! Great as a daily and great on the track! It is the best choice for this one of a kind one-make series.

If you want to see more 86 Racing action make sure you keep an eye on Toyota Racing Australia for updates.
We can’t thank Toyota enough for giving us the opportunity to experience the 86 Racing Series first hand on the official 2018 press and media day for the 2018 86 Racing Series.
2018 Toyota 86 Racing Series race dates:
April 20-22 – Phillip Island
July 6-8 – Townsville
August 24-26 — Bend Motorsport Park
September 14-16 – Sandown
October 4-7 – Mount Panorama
November 23-25 – Newcastle
Thanks for reading,
Grant

Drift Cadet :: Bringing Drifting To The Masses

Grant — Wed, 07 Feb 2018 12:54:50 +0000

The popularity of drift within Australia has gone through many phases and the ability to get into the sport has changed. Despite the national drifting series dwindling, statewide competitive drifting has increased, so the question is what is being done to further the culture of drift?

How should the sport foster talent of newcomers? Or even inspire the younger generation? Those kids who haven’t even got their licence yet! How often do you see drifting of any kind on TV? Yes it’s easy to find on the internet, but only really if you go looking for it, and especially Australian drifting.

The culture of drift in Australia is missing some vital things to increase the popularity of drift as a whole. Where is the Auskick for drift? Where are the heroes of the sport and what are the incentives?

The barrier of entry is too large in Australia. There is no easy way to go to a track, acquire a drift car and test
your ability against others; especially if you’re just trying out the sport. Not to mention the now infamous “drift tax”
stopping people from affording cars that were once cheap and capable.

Therefore the amount of drifters are low relative to other countries. The reason being accessibility to the sport and equipment.

Thankfully Drift Cadet has created an entry point into the sport of drift. Not only do they provide the car, they also have Victoria’s best competitive drifters as coaches! With three different levels- beginner, intermediate, advanced. From skid pan to the track, nothing is left out.

One of the greatest features of Drift Cadet is the ability to just arrive and drive. This really puts Drift Cadet on the map as one of the best drift schools in Australia. Better yet there is no cost of owning a car, maintenance, or repairs and no towing the car back and forth from the track.

From viewing drifting through the lens for so long I thought it was time to actually get in there and have a go.
To say I was excited is an understatement! My only drifting experience thus far was wet roads and an over boosted MR2 Sw20 or doing roundabouts in a Honda Beat with over-cambered rear wheels and cheese cutters showing wire on the outer edges.

The Subaru BRZ’s are the cars we were learning in. So why did Drift Cadet choose this platform? Because with the number of BRZ/86s manufactured in the last five years you can most definitely speculate that they will become the new S13 in the local drift scene. So what mods are they running? Well here is the kicker! Basically nothing!

The setups run on both cars are as follows; Kaaz 2 way LSD, Shockworks coilovers, bucket seats, lock spacers and tyres matched to the wet surface of Winton skidpan. If you’ve ever heard the saying “keep it simple stupid”
then you will understand the philosophy of Drift Cadet.

I was so suprised on how well a standard car puts up with such punishment. The BRZ/86 is such an underrated car and the fact is that most people never get to test the full potential of these great cars. The first lesson we had was to perform donuts around a cone on the skid pan. We were instructed to get the car in the high revs then dump the clutch and keep the car in a controlled donut without losing drift.

All the hours on Assetto Corsa drifting on the online GripShiftSlide server helped out and the donut came with ease, yet mastering the figure eight did not come easy. I found out quickly that speed and weight transition are things that translate very differently in the real world. They say that with time you are able to feel what is happening with the car using your bum?

Quickly I went from doing well to constantly spinning out and it was a combination of things I was doing wrong.
Both instructors gave me plenty of pointers yet I was too pig headed and excited to fully implement their instructions.

After learning how to implement the clutch kick and handbrake into the mix I successfully
pulled off a couple of figure eights but often built up too much speed and would spin out.

Breaks in between sessions gave me and the students time to watch others on the skid pan. This also gave us the opportunity to sample the great coffee and snacks on offer from Amabelle Patisserie.

Time went so fast and before I knew it the day was over. I learnt so much yet the surprise of the group was a fifteen year old that made us all look like amateurs! He was cutting figure eights straight out the gate!

Drift Cadet is really the only independent group teaching drifting in Victoria and you also get a CAMS Speed Licence when you complete the beginners course.

When the lessons were over we were invited to go for a ride with the teachers. They didn’t hold back in pushing the BRZ’s to the limit at speed around the skid pan! It was a great way to leave us with a lasting smile.

I really admire Drift Cadet for putting it all out there and creating a platform for beginner drifters in Victoria.
Creating such a great day and driving experience has left me with skills that I will not forget.
If you would like to lean more about Drift Cadet check out their website or facebook page.
Thanks for reading,
Grant

#T86RS :: Sydney 500 – Last race of the season

Grant — Thu, 22 Dec 2016 11:13:02 +0000

The Toyota 86 Racing Series (T86RS) had its debut earlier this year and with the end of the year closing in fast it was time for the final races in the 86 Racing series for 2016.

GSS was lucky enough to be invited as a special guest of Toyota’s and get a sneaky lap around the Sydney 500 track in the 86 driven by a talented V8 Supercar driver just before the Sydney 500 was about to start.

The first thing that struck me about the track layout was its long straights that lead into small sharp corners. The Sydney 500 is basically a street course made out of concrete barriers placed around the outer perimeter of the Olympic park facility in Sydney which once held the Sydney 2000 Olympic games.

The track is fast and tight! A great circuit for the Toyota 86 Racing Series! Bringing the action closer with less margin for error while creating super close racing. This track is easy with one car but once you add 20+ cars fighting it out for the top position that’s when things get interesting.

Combining the old with the new this 86 was freshly wrapped in a classic Peter Wiliamson livery to commemorate the great history of Toyota and its racing pedigree. Toyota has been supporting Australian Motorsport since the first cars raced at Bathurst and what better way to celebrate then to put some of Peter Williamson’s famous cars on show for all the spectators at the Sydney 500. Having my own childhood memories of watching Bathurst with some of these very cars it was a great pleasure to see them up close and not behind a TV screen!

You can’t have close, competitive racing without damage; the tyre marks on the door of this 86 show exactly how close these guys are getting whilst jostling for position.

If you are a motorsport buff you will know the legendary story of this RA23 Celica and the famed axe incident at the 1981 Bathurst 1000! So great to see this piece of history in person along with many other class winning cars that Peter Williamson drove.

The 86 of Jonathon Webb was wearing the very same livery as this Peter Williamson Celica as a special tribute for the last round of the first season of the Toyota 86 Racing Series (T86RS).

There were plenty of things to see at the Sydney 500 including the Touring Car Masters which brings together the glory days of the Australian touring cars and an impressive line up of muscle cars.

The Sydney 500 together with Toyota Australia brings legendary drivers like Glenn Seton, Alex Davison and others to guest drive in the Toyota 86 Racing Series! One of the best things about the 86 Racing Series is the mix of old and young drivers! The mix of experience and inexperience makes for a great racing dynamic.

The Touring Car Masters event was filled with action and drama including Rusty French in the Prom Am Class blowing a power steering line just as he crossed the finish line!

There were plenty of local and international celebs doing TV spots. Kate Peck was busy interviewing an ex pro skateboarder who had made the trip all the way from America just for the Sydney 500!

The V8 Supercars were the main attraction at the Sydney 500 with the crowds eager to see the cars and big name drivers.

The street course of the Sydney 500 is rather tight and to secure a good lap time around the track most drivers nearly have to hop all the curves around the circuit.

From the pit walk along the main straight you can see how packed this event really was. Lets hope that some kids amongst the crowd catch a glimpse of the Toyota Racing Series and forge their very own way into motorsport because of this great racing series by Toyota.

“Don’t adjust your screen!” This is not some type of down hill skier that has gotten lost! It is a member of a V8 Supercar pit crew wearing head to toe safety gear.

Here you can see the mix of personality and seriousness it takes to compete in the Toyota 86 Racing Series (T86RS). With a concentrated look and a silly helmet you too can become a driver!

What a mess! On the first lap going into the first corner this happens… Race 2 of the weekend was abandoned with so many young and eager drivers on a tight course something was bound to happen. That’s racing! You win some and you lose some.

Exciting to watch for fans of racing but not so exciting for the teams that have to fix the damage! Racing is not cheap but this is actually one of Australia’s best entry points for up-and-coming drivers with a confirmed prize pool of $125,000.

In Race 2 there were more casualties, including Damon Strongman, who had a bit of a front end wall slap causing some damage to his steering which left him stranded on the finish line.

Guest driver Jonathon Webb; who is known for winning the Bathurst 1000 with Will Davison in 2016, was taking the drive seriously with plenty of pre-race prep before the last race of the day.

William Brown was well out in front in Race 3 and by keeping clear of the carnage and having a trouble free race he was able to easily take the win. He has been one of the most outstanding drivers in the competition running head to head with David Sieders on the overall leader board for the series.

It was a hard day at the office for some drivers with the amount of cars damaged in this round whilst also being the end of the entire first season of the Toyota 86 Racing Series.

William Brown took out the round victory at the Sydney 500 earning himself the special Peter Williamson Trophy.
The lead to an overall win for the entire Toyota Racing 86 Racing Series championship earning himself a cool $50,000 at the ripe old age of 18! He also picked up the wind for the Australian Formula 4 championship!
The Toyota 86 Racing Series (T86RS) is back again in 2017 and we cannot wait to see more door to door racing action from these up and coming drivers.
Confirmed racing dates (T86RS) 2017:
– (April 21–23) Phillip Island SuperSprint,
– (July 7–9) Townsville 400
– (August 18–20) Sydney SuperSprint
– (October 5–8) Bathurst 1000
– (November TBC) Newcastle 500
More info at Toyota 86 Racing Series (T86RS)
Thanks for reading ,
Grant

#T86RS :: Toyota 86 Racing Series

Grant — Mon, 11 Apr 2016 12:30:17 +0000

#T86RS Stands for Toyota 86 Racing Series and I was about to experience what it is like to
be apart of the new racing series. Gone are the days of “Race on Sunday, buy on Monday.” Finally there is some
light at the end of the tunnel thanks to Toyota and the new 86 Racing Series!

Once I arrived at Sydney Motorsport Park I was greeted by a line up of cars that helped define Toyota’s motorsport history. Toyota’s commitment to bringing motor racing back to the youth is something that toyota is really passionate about, not only have they assembled the cars but they also brought some of the drivers from Toyota’s heyday along for the ride.

There were plenty of familiar faces; some from TV ( Neil Crompton, Greg Rust),
and other motorsport royalty (The Bates family, John Boston and more).
We were run through the plan for the series and exactly why Toyota was getting back into local racing.

We were soon taken to “Garage 86” where both of the cars we would be testing were laid out with their various upgraded parts on display.
Australia is the 3rd largest market for the 86 It made sense that Toyota chose Australia for the release of the 86 Racing Series!

First we were introduced to the standard 86 and then the 86 racing version. Powered by the very same 2.0lt boxer engine that is found in the standard car the racing version shares the same power plant. The 86 Racing version includes upgrades like Motec ECU, Oil cooler, headers/extractors and muffler, AP Racing brakes, OZ Racing wheels, NBM Control Spec roll cage and more. 86 Racing Series Brochure

Having never driven an 86 I was very excited to get behind the wheel of both of these cars. We were made to drive the standard car first so we could see the difference between the two.

The standard car feels very balanced with super sharp steering! In the tight corners I really tried to give it the beans but as soon as I did I heard that all too familiar traction control sound and a slight drop in power. Good thing though as Toyota didn’t want us burying their cars into the concrete walls of Sydney Motorsport Park.

After 3 laps of the South Circuit in the standard car I began to understand just why these cars are so damn popular. It’s easy to hate on hype and yes I’m guilty of labeling the car without even driving it! But after a drive I’m a changed man! It’s such a responsive car with a good amount of power and road feedback.

My confidence grew as I figured out the braking points and what speed to take the corners. Our driving instructors were great; they really helped us to get more out of the cars than we initially thought was possible.

Toyota is really investing within this series. Up to 5 selected professional drivers nominated by Toyota will mentor and compete against a potential field of 27 amateur drivers who will qualify to get onto the starting grid. The nominated drivers will not be eligible for prize money but this will add to the growth of the series. Some of the races will even be held with rounds of the V8 Supercars.

Our old mate Justin Fox wasn’t playing around! He had his Stig helmet on and he really put this car through its paces! While waiting for my turn in the racing version of the 86 it was interesting to see the other drivers approach to the same corner in front of the pits. Some would really go wide and ring out 3rd, others would change to 4th early. I tried both but ringing out 3rd felt best up the hill.

It was time to get into the 86 Racing version! All I could think was please don’t stall! But luckily the clutch wasn’t a 100kg leg press and it felt almost identical to the standard clutch.

As soon as I got onto the track I put my foot down and straight away I could feel a difference! It felt a lot stiffer, quicker off the line, and the seating position was much lower.

Now I had learnt the track I was getting a little overconfident. So confident that my instructor was hitting my hand when I would try for an early gear change.

After our 3 laps in the racing version of the 86 we were then able to go for a hot lap with the professional drivers!

I was paired up with the talented Leanne Tander. Once I was strapped into the passenger side it was go time! All three cars left the pits at the same time.

While in the car I could feel the Dunlop Direzzas gripping and throwing us through the corners more than I had felt when I was driving the car. The pro drivers where really on another level! The comparison between driving yourself and a pro driving the same track is a real eye opener.

Neal Bates took everything to the next level by passing both 86s then proceeded to drift in front of us while we struggled to keep pace. The Dunlop tyres are such a great mix of grip and slip and they will definitely make the racing action fun to watch.

The Toyota 86 Racing Series will demand the competitors to adhere to a strict car setup meaning that driver talent, rather than team budget, will be the key to winning.

The 2016 86 Racing Series will be visiting lots of tracks all around Australia including:
Winton SuperSprint 20-22 May
Sydney Motorsport Park 26-28 August
Wilson Security Sandown 500 16- 18 September
Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 6 – 9 October
Coates Hire Sydney 500 25-27 Nov

Tetsuya Tada’s dream is about to become true! The 86 Racing Series looks like it is just the right thing to reinvigorate the public’s passion in motorsport and Toyota.
We cannot wait to see this series take off!
facebook.com/toyotaracingaus, twitter.com/toyotaracingaus, instagram.com/toyotaracingaus
Thanks for reading,
Grant

Calder Park Test Day :: Bridgestone Adrenalin POTENZA RE003

Grant — Mon, 09 Mar 2015 11:30:34 +0000

Gripshiftslide was lucky enough to score a special invite to a private test day for one of Bridgestone’s latest products. Other guests to be invited to the event included Full Boost, DownShift, Justin Fox, ClubItr and many more.

Originally scheduled to be held at Norwell Racetrack in Queensland the event was moved to Calder Park because of a large tropical cyclone! Good thing it was moved because on the day we were expected to be on track the entire Norwell Racetrack got flooded.

I could not wait to get behind the wheel of the new WRX! Of the two cars we were using to test Bridgestone’s new tyre the WRX was the one I was more keen to test with.

The reason we were all summoned was to test the brand new Bridgestone Adrenalin POTENZA RE003. The third in a series of great tyres the RE003 combines all the greatest aspects of the tyres that came before it.

With some time to kill before briefing I took the time to take a closer look at the all new WRX. This particular demo car was wearing its big brothers shoes! That’s right some STI wheels! The WRX continued to stare at me and practically begged me to drive it!

At briefing we were invited to learn more about the tyre we would be testing on the day. This included a presentation on the benefits of this awesome new tyre such as improved road contact pressure over the preceding RE002 model. Check out more features HERE.

The boys quickly checked out the tyres before hitting the first track test. The RE003 has a cool lightning bolt pattern down the right side of the tyre. The fancy name for this is the connection block and it helps to increase rigidity and transfer power in dry conditions.

Starting on the back straight we had the challenge of negating a slalom at 3 different speeds in two VW Golf GTIs. One car was running the new POTENZA Adrenalin RE003 tyres and the other Golf was running an expensive competitor tyre.

We started the slalom at 50kph on the competitors tyre. This test was easy and the tyre preformed relatively well. It was when we took the tyre over 65kph that things began to change! Having to be more aggressive with the wheel at a faster speed the tyres had to work a whole lot harder. When we raised the speed again, now at 75kph, the competitor tyre really started to scream in pain and many cones were knocked down!

Then we jumped in the other Golf GTI equipped with the Bridgestone POTENZA Adrenalin RE003 tyres. The first thing I noticed about this tyre was as soon as I gave the car the beans it bit into the road and launched the car faster than the competitor tyre. The control was much greater especially when you took the tyre to its limit.

Next we tested the tyres in the wet! Finally it was time to drive the new WRX. I was expecting a crazy rush of acceleration as I put my foot to the floor however there was nothing. It was just a very calm launch lacking excitement. Yet again we started the exercise with a car running the competitors tyre. Taking it through its paces I noticed a fair bit of understeer when turning in heavy.

It was time to swap cars and after having one experience with the Bridgestone tyre already I was beginning to trust in the tyre. Still I was unsure on how it would translate in the wet? I jumped in the car anticipating some understeer but in actual fact the tyre cut in so well I ended up oversteering! It was almost like I had too much control.

The tests were not over! Bridgestone wanted to make sure we put their new tyre through its paces! This was the second last test and it involved racing down the hill into a tighter slalom in the WRX.

Knowing that the WRX felt slow in comparison to the Golf GTI I started to mess with its many sport driving modes. Finally I found a mode that pushed the tyre harder and now that I had confidence in the tyre I was really beginning to give it hell! From lock to lock I accelerated as hard as the traction control would let me and still the tyre was predictable and totally in control.

It wasn’t only me who was impressed! Everyone was pleasantly surprised at the tyres performance. The tyre really preformed well on extreme direction change. The competitor tyre would tend to lose speed yet the RE003 had the ability to grip when others would just fade.

In both FWD and AWD the tyre was outstanding! I did however come out of these tests scratching my head at the fact that the GTI Golf was out performing the new WRX. You heard right! The Golf was fun and the DSG was super fast. The WRX on the other hand was sloppy; the suspension was too soft which in turn created body roll. Its off the line performance was sluggish and it only really felt good over 70kph.

The last test was designed to show us a real-time comparison between the Bridgestone POTENZA Adrenalin RE003 and a equivalent competitor tyre. We took part in two hot laps with one on each tyre chasing each other at the same speed.

This test really showed how at the same speed the competitors tyre would cause the car to understeer while the Bridgestone RE003 would grip and gain on the car in front.

All in all this tyre is the perfect sport tyre and is great for spirited driving or the occasional track day. Even after a host of Australia’s best car bloggers tortured these tyres for a full day there was no visible wear or tyre delamination on the RE003. I would not hesitate to recommend this tyre! Want to know more? Register your interest for the new POTENZA Adrenalin RE003 HERE and receive information as it becomes available!
Thanks for reading,
Grant

Nugget Nationals :: Round 2 – Winton Raceway

Grant — Wed, 22 Oct 2014 11:32:55 +0000

Nugget Nationals from grip shift slide on Vimeo.

Nugget Nationals is all about competitive fun racing!
The video was shot at (Round 2) Winton Raceway. This is just a sample of some of the action that took place on the day.

The rules!
To compete in the points based rounds, you must purchase/borrow/share a car that comes in at under $3000 and has a naturally aspirated engine with a capacity of no more than 1500cc.
facebook.com/pages/Nugget-Nationals
nuggetnationals.wordpress.com/

CCRMIT :: Haunted Hills Christmas Break Up 2013

Grant — Fri, 20 Dec 2013 09:45:07 +0000

It’s that time of year again when I find myself at my favorite track watching a group of true racing enthusiast. Track time is hard to get and what better Christmas present than to push your car to its limits around a killer track. I arrived early to find only a couple of cars in attendance. This worried me and to pass the time I decided to take a few pics on the track before the cars got out there.

CCRMIT is primarily a gravel rally discipline based club but every once in a while they hit the bitumen track. Haunted Hills is just the track to end the year with. Both amateurs and pros love this track because it has so much variety.

The cars soon arrived and the excitement started to build. There was a good selection of front wheel drive and rear wheel drive cars which meant the competition would be good.

From the old four cylinder banger to the current one; all of the cars were getting ready to hit the track! Tyre changes, oil changes, suspension adjustments and many other setup changes were happening before the drivers got their chance to get their cars on the track.

Thankfully there were no early crashes, although many competitors first runs on the track were massively aggressive! Lots of wheel spin and brake lock ups represented each competitors excitement to be navigating this awesome track.

One of the most modern cars on the track was this Toyota 86. Not everyone has the confidence to push a brand new car around a track at silly speeds but true drivers do.

This Impreza rally car was lucky to only just clip the orange cone on the inside of the corner and not take out the lot of them. Taking that inside line with enough power to get up the hill is a tricky one. Often people would take too much speed into this corner and occasionally drop a wheel on the exit.

That infamous Hyundai Lantra! “Yeah its three wheeling” aggressive in style and like a bull in a china shop Christopher smashes times on the track.

Exactly one year ago this Levin was at the very same event and in 2013 the car does not look any different. Although this is a front wheel drive Levin it was getting around the track very smoothly with little under steer.

There are some people on the track that are not afraid to use their handbrake on the tarmac and Christopher is one of them. Keeping up momentum on this track can be hard especially when your pushing a small four cylinder up lots of hills.

Upon arrival this Escort had a 4 wheel swap over from rally dirt tyres to a smaller diameter set of slicks. I couldn’t believe how small these wheels were; they looked like go kart wheels!

With smaller wheels on John’s Escort he had some extra pep in the acceleration department. This combined with soft suspension makes for some wicked corner speed and wheel stands!

Launching out of corners like a ballistic missile this Escort was making light work of this track. With a talented rally driver behind the wheel it was easy to see that this car was putting down some fast lap times.

This Celica hit the track later in the day and with its GT4 castrol WRC livery everyone was watching it go round.

Haunted Hills has many interesting corners. This downhill section can often catch people out because it s easy to carry too much speed into it and run off.

Another car that was at last years Christmas break up was …. Celica. It’s always a joy to see this car pumping around the track. I would like to see more of these on the track but sadly this is the only one I have ever seen on a track.

This VH Commodore was very unpredictable. Every third or forth lap it would bust out a full noise drift style lap. With smoke and wild throws into corners I’m surprised this old girl didn’t flip.

Talk about a smile! It’s not what you drive it’s how you drive it! This little ke20 had plenty of battle scars and by the looks of things had also done some serious kilometres.

The Chrysler Lancer is not your everyday Lancer. Although this looks similar to the 2000 gt lift back Celica it was made two years after the Celica and had considerably less styling than the Celica of the time.

My favorite thing about this car is the horse emblem on the steering wheel. It is so pimp! Not to mention the crazy array of sunken dials right across the dash.

It’s great to see more women on the track these days even if they are scaring the shit out of their mothers.

Surprisingly there were two ford esscorts at the track and both were pushing it all day long. Although these

It was great to see the CCRMIT club again they definitely have not lost their passion for racing. Apparently this will be the last time the CCRMIT Christmas break up will be held at the haunted hills race track and that makes me sad because it is one of those events i look forward to every year.
Thanks for reading,
Grant

MMSC :: Haunted Hills Track Day

Grant — Fri, 05 Jul 2013 07:34:28 +0000

Late friday night I came across a photo of a Mitsubishi Evo on a trailer, that car was Victor’s. It was on its way to Haunted Hills, suddenly I realised there was an event being held at my favorite track!

Without a thought I canceled my original plans and soon enough I was on my way there. After 2 hours at a constant 5,500 RPMs in my silly Kei car I arrived at the Haunted Hills Race Track.

Although it was freezing cold and the fact that you could not see more than 50m in front of your face this didn’t discourage the drivers. The Toyota 86 is really gaining in popularity not only on the streets but here on the track. There were three 86’s registered to race and I was surprised to see so many, when normally you are lucky to see one at any given track day!

As soon as I laid eyes on this Honda Jazz I knew I was in for something special. With some nice subtle exterior mods and sensible light weight wheels this package looked the goods!

When there is an open top racer on a track that had a car roll only a month ago you know this guy had to be a bad arse! The Lotus Kit car was painted in an awesome British racing green complete with some gold highlights. My favorite part of this car was its sneaky air intake which was raised out of the normal shape to give it that extra gulp of air for some extra pony’s.

This is the very car that inspired me to make the trip to Haunted Hills for the day. Victor has been hard at work on his car in preparation for this event. Being victors first time at this track he made the decision to run the car with no front bar to avoid any extra damage that may occur if he was to go off the track.

After a short drivers briefing it was time to hit the track, Harley and his JZX Chaser was one of the first in line and quickly took time to talk track with the man who was organizing the dummy grid.

After being called from the dummy grid you get to the real start line and have to then wait for the remaining car on the track to get to the finish line before being allowed to go.

This slight right hand bend in front of the Evo is known as the “OH’Shit” corner, it is one of the most tricky corners on the track, why because you carry so much speed into it. This happens because of the steep incline shortly after the start line and when it is wet and the track is cold one hesitation and you go straight off the corner.

There was quite a mix of cars in attendance, this XR5 really was hitting the track hard and punishing his tyre’s as he struggled for grip in the damp conditions.

As the track slowly dried out lap times started to fall although there was no sunshine the grass was no longer covered in icy frost.

This little Corolla did more than make beautiful sounds, it was fast! Like really fast! Adrian’s KE70 really had people wondering what the hell is under the bonnet of the bronze beast.

The Corolla made it into the top three fastest cars of the day, even though this car is still a work in progress Adrian managed to scrape more and more time off his PB for this track. Not every lap was perfect and sometimes this track car was quickly transformed into a drift car.

This FG XR6 took it really easy during the early morning session but quickly got faster and more confident as the track warmed up. The Ford and Toyota chaser behaved completely different on the track. The Chaser being the larger car you would think it would be slower and more cumbersome to get around the track, Yet it was faster, flatter and and seemed to fly around the track with ease.

With some very consistent times this RX8 had mastered the track, but wasn’t managing to smash his PB by much. The rotary sounded great and you could hear that rumble echoing around the tiny valley surrounding the track.

Flying into the big hairpin at the end of the track was one way to build up a bit of extra oomph for the hill up to the finish line. But there was another way! the Nissan way, a bit of a clutch kick and you were off and up the hill!

Not everyone had a lucky day, mistakes where made and under such tricky conditions it was bound to happen, the lunch break was mainly used by people to repair and ready their cars for the next session.

After lunch a line quickly formed and the Charge Speed’s Evo X was first in line to hit the track. This Mitsubishi Evo 10 looked great and went very, very well! With plenty of exterior mods and engine mods this is one tasty package!!

This supra knocked almost ten seconds of its original time around the track getting its time into low sixties. The track was run in a clockwise configuration and this made the track a bit easier for the drivers to navigate.

Track days are such a good opportunity to practice the things you are not meant to do on the road. For instance drifting! If you have the power and the know how, why not practice a little?

One of the most imposing looking cars of the day was Victors Evo, that big time attack style spoiler and large front mount cooler really make this car sand out. The car not only looks serious it also has plenty of after market parts that help this Evo attack time.

When this Honda jazz would fly past me I kept hearing a weird sound, I thought to myself “that sounds like a supercharger” could it be? I had to take a closer look and sure enough this little jazz was packing a supercharger! The sound that it made was like a screaming angry monkey! It was scary as hell!

This was one great track day! even though it was super cold and most people watched on from the comfort and warmth of their cars, it was full of action and time slashing goodness. If you would like to know more about the (MMSC) make sure you hit these links Melton motor sports inc – MMSC Facebook page
Thanks for looking,
Grant.

Honda Nationals 2013 :: The Power Of Dreams

Grant — Fri, 03 May 2013 11:47:27 +0000

When it comes to Honda owners they’re usually considered the ‘black sheep’ of the car community and often shunned by other modified car owners for being too extreme with their love for all things Honda and their endless ramblings about the benefits of that magical thing known as VTEC (Variable Valve Timing and Lift Electronic Control).

So what happens when you invite all of these fanatics to one race track in regional Victoria located close to the NSW boarder? You get some of the most intense Honda build this country has to offer, some 110db of ear piercing, valve bouncing, limiter bashing adrenaline and some of the friendliest people you’ll ever meet at a racetrack!

The idea was simple, enthusiasts getting together for a once a year occurrence to celebrate all things Honda!
Winton was the racecourse of choice for it’s unique ability to cater for both novice and professional drivers alike, with very wide corners it is a forgiving track to learn on but allows those determined for fast lap times to follow a precise ‘racing line’ and see some blisteringly quick lap times!
The BYP Integra was the defending champion from previous years of the Honda National series (2011-2012).

The reigning champ was the car to beat with one of the best setup packages for time attack racing, just earlier that month the BYP crew set a new record for front wheel drives at Winton. The team won the Vic Time Attack series with an astonishing lap time of just 1:26.8670!!!
All things were looking good for the team to record some similar numbers, here the Integra is treated to a quick bath before it hit the track.

Before any racing could happen everyone was called on for a quick but informative drivers briefing.

It was great to see so many people racing for the first time, so meetings like this are a must so that the safety of other drivers and of course those precious cars are always maintained.

Drivers were also allowed to request an instructor for the first session so they had all the tools they needed to set some new personal bests which is what the day is all about really.

After the meeting it was time to walk the pits, first up we spotted a favorite of ours. This little EP3 Civic is always head turner and it’s always a pleasure to see another sticker of ours on a car!

Another Civic that gets our hearts racing is Trevor’s pocket rocket ED Civic, expect more on Trevor and his Civic that could soon!

Vyet’s S2000 is a simply car that crosses the boundary’s of street, track and show car all in one perfectly executed package. We have nothing praise for his car and his dedication to enjoying it to the fullest!
This was one of three cars representing Melbourne based Time Attack crew Nakama, these cars are all about looking great, driving fast and not holding back.

While not as polished or refined as Vyet’s S2000 this is another Melbourne based car that always has our attention, in fact we sometimes prefer the ‘driven hard’ look.
Brake dust, chipped paint and big thick slick tyres are a must!!

Inside is much the same affair, plenty of practicality and yet it’s still full of quality parts is perfectly functional.

The track was beginning to warm up after soaking up the morning sun so it was now or never for 60+ Honda’s to hit the tarmac!

To keep the amount of cars on track manageable, cars/drivers were grouped based on modifications and then moved accordingly based on their skill level to make sure there wasn’t an excessive amount of overtaking etc.

Some of the drivers took full advantage of the instructors on offer, here Pboi decided Elmo from Sesame Street was the best bet for chasing those few seconds of his PB!

Things didn’t take long to get serious, after just a few laps we started to hear that all too familiar sound of Honda’s on full throttle around Winton.

Just a few short laps into the first session for some of the serious cars, Michael Hack’s EM1 began blowing a small amount of smoke.
Unaware in the cabin Michael kept pushing eventually coming off the track slightly causing his control arms to bump into an already lose oil fitting as a result the oil pressure dropped suddenly sending alarm bells ringing and Mike pulled off track immediately!

After a tow back to the pits a later inspection found the source of the problem and everything was corrected and the oil was again re-filled.
Even though Michael had the green light to go back out it was hard to regain the trust in the car and push it to the limit, after all the last thing he wanted to do was drop more oil and ruin it for everyone.

We took advantage of Michael’s down time between session and filmed a quick interview which we will be cutting together and releasing soon so keep your eye’s peeled for that!

David Napoleon is young driver chasing his dreams, his car is rumored to have it’s duties soon restricted to track use only as his build gets more serious.
We eagerly watching as he continually beats his best lap times track day after track day. So far for Winton David’s tracking a 1:42.0350 with room for improvement as the car progresses to all out track spec.

Believe it or not David actually drive this EP3 Civic every day exactly as you see it here, wing, stickers and all!!

Another EP3 setting some quick time was Chris’s ‘JDMCVC’ with a 1:41.1030.

We also got to see one of our previous feature cars out on track, it was of course Nity’s K20 swapped FD Civic!
You can check out the full feature here >> http://gripshiftslide.com/2012/01/11/double-ks-problems/

The great thing about a track day such as this is that it really didn’t matter what you were driving as long as you had fun out there!!
From stiff setup suspension…

To not so ideal factory shocks/springs, Honda did get the combination right for street driving and occasional track use though. This Type R Integra broke past the 1:50 mark with a fast lap of 1:47.3180!

It was great to see this bright yellow CRX mixing it up with the big boys out on track, this little car is a testament that setup is everything!
No engine swaps here just great suspension tuning and maintenance saw a quick time of 1:42.8340!

All eyes were on BYP and their Integra after setting a blistering time of 1:26 just a few week earlier for Vic Time Attack series.
The car did experience some gearbox issues so the car was retired early but did the team manage to set a fast enough lap to take home the win? Only time would tell!!

Half way through the day there was some issues with the tracks surface after this drop dead gorgeous S2000 unloaded a considerable amount of oil on the track, luckily the car made it back to the pits without any major mechanical issues.
However there was plenty of down time while everyone pitched in to clean up the slippery surface.

In the the extended break it was time for everyone to check over their cars, fluids, tyre pressure etc.

We did a full lap of the pits to see how the cars were going cooling off in the breeze. Michael’s Autosphere K24 swapped DC5 was looking suspiciously clean after a few sessions although we expect he was setting a good example and not driving too hard given that when he wasn’t behind the wheel he was busy overseeing that everything was going to plan, so who says you can’t run an event and race at the same time?!

This Integra was sporting a JDM front conversion and looked the part but something was not going to plan, the car just couldn’t get a full session in. We’re keen to see it progress in the future as it looked great when it was out on track!

Further up the pits the JDMyard team from Sydney had stopped to refuel both the car and their team.

The boys from JDMyard sure know how to build a quick car, this DC5 is their latest creation and no expense has been spared!!

Inside it’s all business with an intense shifter kit, Mugen steering wheel and carbon panels to block up any holes in the dash.

Everyone was excited to see what the NSW’s based team could muster out of their monstrous looking DC5 race car.

The team managed to coax a 1:33.3770 which landed themselves 2nd fastest outright and fastest N/A powered car of the day!!

It wasn’t all workshop builds that had us impressed, check out this immaculate S2000 with an engine bay full of make fast bits and a level of cleanliness that is boarding on obsessive.

We’re used to drift days here at Winton but looking around the pits every car was loved, there were no ‘track hacks’ here every car was treated well…

…Some more so than others, Pboi’s S2000 remand off the track after the oil spill incident, so we just got more time to drool over it.

By now the oil had really been soaked up so it was now time for many to try for that last chance at a quick lap time for the day.

Michael had regained his motivation and headed out once again after the oil fitting issue he had in his first session.

Despite giving it all he had Michael still didn’t manage to beat his PB of 1:36.3, he was still a few seconds shy but he knows the car has plenty more in it as his old PB was set with only 70% throttle!!
With brands like Hybrid Racing on board helping him out, it won’t be long till we see Michael at the top of the score board!!

Lap after lap we saw some very quick passes through the front straight of the course so we were really excited to see the leader board, did BYP do enough before their gearbox gave out??

Our favorite S2000 scored 4th fastest of the day with a blistering 1:36.0440! Well done Vyet!!

So did BYP break their previous record lap of just 1:26.8670??… No, the car had suffered and the gearbox gave out but they managed to cling onto the number one spot with a much more conservative time of 1:31.3800.
With two seconds between them and the JDMyard DC5 which is still an impressive feet though no new records were set.
All in all this was one of the best track days we have been to, with much the same vibe as one of the locally run EXE Crew track days the event was a huge success and a great spectacle even if you weren’t a die hard Honda fan.
The organisers really showed us what a track day should be and we hope that the event gains more popularity in the years to come as we had an absolute ball and who knows… Maybe next time we’ll be driving!!
A big thank you for the warm welcome we received from everyone and of course all the sponsors and volunteers, without you this event couldn’t have happened.
Full results can be found here >>> http://racing.natsoft.com.au/
For more info and post event details check out the H Nationals Face book page >>> https://www.facebook.com/HNationals
Thanks for reading,
– Gwyn.

Haunted Hills :: CCRMIT Christmas Break Up

Grant — Thu, 27 Dec 2012 10:45:13 +0000

It is Christmas break up time of year again and the CCRMIT club was lucky enough to score the haunted hills hill climb track for their end of year ‘come and race’ fun day. With a less than desirable weather forecast, things did not look promising.

On the drive out to the track I drove though several storms. Thinking all the rain and bad weather was behind me, I was confident that day would turn out just fine.

I had only been at the track 10 minutes when a great big cloud moved over the top of us all. Driver briefing was hurried up due to the pending rain. Someone from the crowd started a count down and yelled 30 seconds! 10 seconds! 5 seconds!

Bang! The rain hit like a crazy tropical storm and with the temperature at 35 degrees and drops of rain the size of 50 cent pieces it quickly got pretty humid. The rain didn’t stop for a good 20 minutes.

Once the rain cleared, a huge line formed as everybody wanted to get out on the track! Even though it was still really wet nobody wanted to waste a minute of precious track time.

Zac in his KE20 Corolla didn’t mind that the track was damp. He launched the car as if it were a dry day and didn’t hold back.

Many different cars were lining up to take this track on, including this Christmas modified Corolla. The mix of serious track cars and daily drives was impressive.

With an advan inspired paint job, this rare Levin was a real surprise to see on track. It was by no means the normal type of Levin you would see on the streets.

Haunted Hills is a truly beautiful track with long sweeping corners, perched on the side of a hill, this track has it all.

Out on track were a few Datsuns. This one was in great condition and I couldn’t believe how straight all of the classic cars were for being weekend track cars, they were all very impressive.

This Chrysler Lancer was thumping around the track and the boys were loving it! Not only is this car unique, it was the only car rocking the retro ‘poo brown’ colour scheme. I’m not sure if this was the 2.0 litre version but it certainly went like one.

A full rally spec Hyundai Elantra. This thing was flat out crazy with the driver entering corners at speeds that I didn’t think were possible on such a track! There was some serious skill behind the wheel.

After walking through lots of tall grass I found a spot to shoot from. It was just near a rise coming into a sweeping corner. Not 5 minutes after getting to this spot I see a Volvo coming over the hill and think to myself that he was going a little fast. Within a couple of seconds the car was on its’ side and it gently fell back down on all for wheels! I helped to push it out of the embankment and back on to the track.

Not everybody could keep their cars on the track in these challenging wet conditions, but I did see many spectacular saves that averted disaster on some hairy parts of the track.

Because Nissan! That is why there was some good drift action going on at the track that day.

Yet another clean S series Nissan running around the track. I was glad to see some of the more popular car types doing some track time rather than hard parking time.

A rally modified Stanza was cutting some clean lines around the track and always seemed in control.

After the crash, the Volvo made its’ way back to the pits. Tools were soon sourced to pull the radiator out and clean the clay blockages that had inundated the whole front of the car.

The line continued all day and the track was never empty. Some people didn’t even stop to eat lunch, taking every possible chance to get in some solid track time.

There were not many 4wd cars on track but this wrx was a great clean example of the perfect weekend track car.

There were a few rally style Hyundai Excels buzzing around the track. They are probably one of the cheapest and most fun ways to get into rallying and track events, with such cheap parts and being very easy to drive. This Ion sponsored Excel was one of the fastest and most daring of the bunch.

The best thing about the CCRMIT Christmas breakup, was the ‘come try’ aspect of racing. Some families were sharing a car between three siblings and pushing each other for faster times.

This very customized CRX had one of the best brake setups I had seen all day and the owner took good care of this car, both on and off the track.

Another standout driver of the day was Michael in his Datsun. He was linking corners and drifting with great speed and precision.

These very passionate club members live and breathe racing and rallying. From the track open to track close, not a moment was wasted. The enthusiasm and drive behind this club is very strong and I will definitely be attending more CCRMIT events in the future.
Thanks for looking,
Grant