Snowman

Totally - and if I had an R32 GT-R (and the $$$) I'd do the same for sure! I wonder if that super special thing is going to be allowed under Classic Adelaide regs given that R32 GT-R's are good to go?

Flying up to QLD this weekend

I'm guessing there is no chance we can come check this car out on Sunday hey Mark? I'm flying up to QLD Sat night (home Sunday night) but would loved to have checked it out. (Am flying up just to have a look at another 35 actually)

Yeah just don't beat him and his poster boy and you'll be right. Actually - I hear he is giving his poster boy an R35 for next year. It's one of the reasons I'm keen to do the same! BUT - what he can do for you Mark is tell you how you can run whatever you like in an R32 GT-R and get away with it. His has a 2.8L, big turbo's - the works.

There won't be witches hats - there will be water barriers. So its more like a track than a motorkhana course. And there won't be handbrake turns - just chicanes (and of different styles and speeds). BUT it is going to be tight IN SECTIONS. It's a cross between a Dutton type thing and a full circuit sprint. But it's why its not a pure Superlap type deal. And it's why it will be as much about the driver as the car. I agreed on the traffic thing - if you get stuck behind someone during the tight sections you are completely stuffed (not that you aren't on parts of most race tracks either). But it is why I suggested to them less cars on track with less laps per session (but more sessions) than the other way around to reduce the chances of that happening. Still - you will get PLENTY of clean laps through the weekend I have no doubt. I have NO affiliation with this event at all - I was just asked to give some advise and an opinion (John Boston was also there to give his input for example - and actually he came up with the base design). But all they wanted from us was to make sure it was going to be fun for drivers to do - and it is definitely some fun. I mean how often do you get to go flat out around the Thunderdome!? As for the no NSW - my only guess is it is a AASA thing and that there isn't the scope to do anything different to the norm at Wakefield?

I just laughed coffee out of my nose! anyways... I remember the RX7 though Mark - did pretty well from memory. Did it win the Cat 7 prologue trophy this year?

Think of it as this - only without the dirt, jumps and door to door bit and optional paths (but it is still multi-lap sprints) But otherwise the concept is similar

But its not just the DOME - its part Dome and part pit area - so it's a bit like Indy Road Course track - only not as big. LOL (One lap was about 55s in a fast car). So you did about 50% of the Dome flat out, another 25% of it with a constructed high speed S section and then there was the technical part in the pit area. It will be some fun - but mostly it will be different. And it will be way more driver focused than car focused as far as a result goes I reckon as it's not easy - people can't come and practise it / do a perfect set-up like they can at say superlap - and given the concrete jungle of the dome it's going to reward bravery (and talent in getting the max out of the course without making a mistake).

Honestly I have no idea. Our sole purpose was to provide feedback on the course layout and things like track densities and session lengths etc. And as I said it will be fun, but the course is bumpy and there are things like chicanes etc so real low time attack cars with big fat kits will struggle.

I was invited out to Calder today to go over the concept for at least the Vic round of this series. It will be interesting. I will at least do the Vic round this year mostly because the track is going to be based on and around the Thunderdome which is a fun experience if you've never done It before. But I can tell you right now it's not going to be a Superlap thing. Intact those genuine time attack cars will probably struggle a bit. It will more suit the old Dutton or Tarmac Rally cars. Infact giants old 32 would probably be the perfect car for it.

Yeah the idea of Showroom doesn't excite me though. Only because for me I like the challenge of the build and tinkering with stuff that might be too limited in Showroom. And the reality is the main reason I sold the 34 was so I could have a crack at outright. Not fully committed with exactly what car though yet as for me there are other considerations than just Targa for what I want to do in the car in the future. But will look at all the options. Am starting to think that an EMO X might even be one which has me seriously looking in the mirror!

Price is $99,990!

It's funny then how my 260kw 1800kg R35 GTR was able to beat my 380kw 1600kgs R34 GT-R in a straight line drag race. So power-weight isn't everything. Anyhoo - HRT has been sold to the Japs. Kings of the turbo 6's. Let's see what happens to them now.

Wouldn't be the right car for the job I don't think. IMO there is 2 that could work though. or Still - not sure I could punt either of them into 4th outright even without the showroom restrictions! LOL

So... the white dragon has officially gone to a new home. Happily to someone from the SAU community so we should still get to see it kicking around in the future. But it was an awesome car (in the end!) and will be missed. I'm still not 100% set on my future plans - other than to say that I do have future plans - but whatever it turns out to be I sure hope it can bring me the same amount of joy as the R34 era did.

Yeah but we do turn right occasionally.

It was a JDM race import.

There was a black one crashed at Sandown during the week. My guess is it was this one.

Awesome - but I have no idea what this thread has to do with motorsport....

A couple of key points to note I guess. Firstly - there were only handful of JDM cars imported to Oz and they were all here before Nissan Oz released their first car. Once Nissan delivered the first one here (to some lucky bloke) there were no more JDM cars legally allowed to be registered. Consequently ALL of the JDM cars registered in Oz were Series 1 cars that had the LC1 software (so they will all be 08's). However - all of the Oz delivered cars have been at minimum Series 2 with the LC2 software (they are up to Series 4 now with the 2011 DBAR35's). The Series 3 cars are different to the Series 2 mostly in the MFD (has GPS etc which the first Oz delivered cars didn't have). As for how you'd best go about upgrading a S1 JDM car to a newer version of the LC software I have no idea. The Cobb's these days have a TCM module available to let you change the launch RPM to what ever you like so it's really a moot point other than I'm pretty sure VDC MUST be off for LC to activate in the S1 cars - so there might be some added risk to the boxes.

Indeed I am. And I am shortly going to make a trip to QLD to look at both TQ's and gaints cars should they still be available. And I will weighing up the options against importing a race only / Rally Reg one from Japan (which go for around 4.5M yen now). But none of that changes the fact that if you were looking at buying one of those ex Targa ones - and depending on where you live - if you get pulled over by some unfriendly's then some things that they might jump up and down about are going to be DAMN hard to fix. It's easy to swap and exhaust back to stock if you get in trouble for it being to loud. But it's not so easy to retro-fit the standard seat belts back into a car that now has a massive weld in cage through the B Pillar where the seat belts used to go! It's stupid because we all know a 6 point harness is going to do a better job at stopping you than a standard 3 point seat-belt but it doesn't change the fact that the law doesn't care. Then there is the airbags, the rear seats (lack of - but you will still get grief for blocking access to them with the cage) etc etc. Those of us with steet reg'd Targa cars run the gauntlet ever time we drive them - but we all know the consequences. But then for us getting Rally reg if it comes to it is no big deal given really the only time we drive these cars is to, from and at racing events. It's why the guy who has purchased my old R34 has gone straight to Rally reg even though my car did still have street rego - just to avoid this potential drama.

yeah but you do realize if you buy one of those Targa cars as a road car and get pulled over you are pretty stuffed.

There was (and I think still is??) a warranty issue with the VDC being turned off however. And in the early cars you HAD to turn the VDC off to use the LC - but you don't any more.

the warranty / launching thing disappeared AGES ago when they updated the TCM software in all the cars (effectively reducing the Launch RPM from 4,500rpm to 3,000rpm). Interestingly the DBAR35 has a higher launch rpm again though.

Absolutely. The project is a cool one however and I'm looking forwards to seeing how it goes. I have a buddy looking at grafting an MX5 IRS into a S3 RX7 to build as a Targa Classics car. People say he is mad but like you he is looking to build a quick car on a budget. Anyways - keep at it.