MR2 Only Magazine Issue 5

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The dedicated magazine for the MR2 enthusiast & community Issue 5 - June/July ‘07 - £3.75

MR2’s convoy at Rockingham Raceway to set a new World Record

Were you there?

MR2 Challenge Special • Matt Dixeys Mk1.5 Green machine • 2 MR2 Dyno days • Stunning 355 replica

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Summer is here and the show season is upon us, and here we are with issue 5, doesnt seem five mins since we were putting together the first MR2 Only Mag with Nick Turners Celica eyed MR2 as cover car.

It’s been a hectic couple of months since or last issue, the highlight of which must be the WRA (World Record Attempt) at Rockingham which was absolutly awesome to be apart of, we managed to set a new record of 293 of the same marque of car in a rolling convoy for 3 miles.

Readers Rides & Club Scene 2 Want to show off your MR2?

Exact 355 Ferrari repllca... P6

East meets West Roadster meet... P26

Readers Rides is a good place to show off your pride and joy, standard or modded, concourse or extreme, simply send us a couple of your best photos, and a few paragraphs about yourself and the car, and we will feature several MR2s each issue.

Send yours to mr2only@ mr2westmidlands.com

New look for Hyde.. P18

Missouri Wide Boy.. P22

MR2 Challenge special... P28

MR2 Only Dyno Day at DSA... P42 Weston Dyno Day at DSA... P70

Matt Dixeys Green Machine... P64 Missouri Mk1a... P52

Plus much much more

I hold you guys personally responsible for this, after a recent Dyno Day I was inspired to sell my much loved caribean blue N/A Anniversary MR2 and get myself a black rev3 turbo, have to say that the damn thing scares me stupid, but makes me grin from ear to ear, and despite not being a modder as such, Ive already a list of bits Im saving my pennies for to have fitted.

Write or email into us with your views, news, or reviews contact steveb@ mr2only.com Also keep us updated on whats going down in your owners club or region in our Club Scene2 section.

Polishing guide... P58

Unfortunately there is not much to report on our Mk1 project for this issue, but work is about to begin in preparation for our trip out to the Nurburgring later this month, yet another MR2 Only feature.

Coming in Augusts issue six

As always this issue is full of excellent technical articles and feature cars, although I must admit there is a bit of Henry Ford syndrome as we have been inundated with black cars of late.

MR2 trip to the Nurburgring, JAE Photo special, and if all goes to plan we feature a real TRD2000GT, a Spider Turbo and a supercharged V6, plus lots lots more...

SUBSCRIPTIONS & CUSTOMER SUPPORT:PamB - mr2only.subscriptions@ntlworld.com FOR ADVERTISING ENQUIRIES AND BOOKINGS mr2only.advertising@ntlworld.com Tel: 01782 544854 FEATURES, ADMIN, PHOTO ORDERS OR GENERAL QUERIES steveb@mr2only.com or andyb@mr2only.com FEATURE CARS: martin@mr2only.com steveb@mr2only.com nick@mr2only.com READERS RIDES: mr2only@mr2westmidlands.com PRODUCTION, LAYOUT ARTISTS & PHOTOGRAPHY Steve Bishop, Matt Harris, Rich Lee, Mark Thorpe and Luke Reynolds, GENERAL POSTAL ADDRESS: MR2 Only Magazine, 40 Malstone Avenue, Baddeley Green, Stoke on Trent, Staffordshire ST2 7NN Contact telephone no. 01782 544854 Partners: Steve Bishop - Partner/Co-ordinator - Andy Bishop - Partner/IT Admin Printed by:- Buxton Press Ltd, Palace Rd, Buxton Derbyshire, SK17 6AE, UK www.buxtonpress.co.uk

Behind the scenes as Im sure you are, we are eagerly planning for JAE, fingers crossed we have a stand there, our project cars and Tony Gilroy (Vanilla Coffee) for this our own and staff writers MR2’s issues excellent cover will be dotted around the owners photography and poster at the clubs, make sure you hunt one of WRA. us down for a chat, you wont miss All who have helped and supported us, probably camera in one hand, us, distributors, contributors and beer in the other! technical guys.

Thanks go to...

All who have subscribed and advertised. Everyone who has sponsored our project cars.

Martin, Nick and Andy for their great feature writing, Rich and Mark for layouts and last but not least Pam B for subscriptions, advertising and customer services.

MR2 Only Magazine is an independent publication, and has no bias to any one company or organisation.

Although every care is taken in compiling MR2 Only, we cannot be held responsible for any errors, omissions or any technical advice given, and any views expressed are that of the contributor, unless written solely by MR2 Only.

The sun is shining, get those T bar panels out, remove that sunroof, drop that canvase or whack your air con up and get that car out on the open road, that’s the joy of MR2 ownership, drive safe!

Steve Bishop MR2 Only Mag Editor steveb@mr2only.com

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Do you have a problem or MR2 related question? Maybe our readers can help, to be included in write2 please email steveb@mr2only.com

EURO MEET 2008

T

* Spain

August 13th - Switzerland

* Italy

The 200km drive starts in Andermatt and finishes in Airolo

1- Suggested legs from where you live to the meeting. itineraries posted, you will decide how long it should take you to make it and book your hotels in accordance. It can take you as long as you want as long as you are on time in Austria!

hotels and activities, will be suggested of course!

The 100km drive starts in Sospel and finishes in Coursegoules

THE TRIP

August 15th - France

Itinerary, route, hotels, and restaurants are all carefully chosen and planned.

The week-end will begin in Grasse. At this point MR2 drivers who couldn't join us for the Alpine week are welcome (check here for conditions).

he ClubMR2ES is organising what is to be a Mega Euro Meet for 2008 will will be a 3 part European event.

Every driver decides what to do and the pace...

2- A dream trip across the Alps, 4 countries, 1500km of twisties and astonishing sceneries. A once in a lifetime drive.

3- A "slow down" week-end and the opportunity for less fortunate owners who couldn't attend "Part 2" to join the group. this will be 1 day of pure driving and 1 day of... pure fun.

Suggested schedule...

MEETING SESSIONS from: * the UK, France, Belgium, Germany

August 9th - Austria The general meeting will be in a hotel in the Salzburg's area.

August 10th - Austria The 300km drive starts in Radstadt and finishes in Brenner.

August 11th - Italy The 200km drive start in Vitipeno and finishes in PontĂŠ Di Legno.

August 12th - Switzerland

August 14th - France

The day will be spent on the world famous "Route Napoleon" from Grasse to Grenoble.

August 16th - France Around Grenoble, the driving is not quite finished but the day will be spent together, activities TBA. To keep up with latest developments on this exciting event visit www.clubmr2.es

The 200km drive starts in Umbrail and finishes in Andermatt

MASSIVE STOCKS OF PARTS AND TYRES AT OUTSTANDING PRICES...

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Whats new for your 2?

One for the ladies...

‘2' Rude! MR2 OC Bodyshop Full Monty 2007 Calender photo shoot at JAE, July 2007

Quality Car Care...

We stock an extensive range of high quality shampoos, clay bars, polishes, sealants and waxes from many of the world’s leading manufacturers, Pinnacle, Wolfgang, Poorboys World, Meguiar's, Optimum etc

Calender girls... Pah move over!

MR2 OC members are going to show off a little more than just their polished tubbys this year at JAE with a calender photo shoot for the ladies, all in the name of charity.

Guys... Brad Pitt? still a month or so to get buff down the gym, or to top up that beer pack! It’s all a bit of fun, register your interest on the day to show off on/in your pride and joy, and buy this calender for your mum, sister, girlfriend, its for a good cause!

Ladies... come on and get ordering these calenders, the more ordered, the more comes off !

Our accessory section has a large selection of microfibre cloths, mitts, brushes etc including scratch preventing grit guard system

www.motorgeek.co.uk Tel: (01924) 468 915 • Email: shop@motorgeek.co.uk

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ow we know that this is controversial and for every one of you that loves this Ferrari F355 replica there will be someone who doesn’t. Even so, the sheer number of Mk2 owners across the globe means that inevitably there is a keen market for such kits, if only they had all had the absolute love and attention to detail that this one clearly has had bestowed upon it.

N

Exact 355 is the company behind the car, with craftsmen Nik and Paul being the driving force behind the project.

The approach to creating a replica is critically important to its credibility and these two fanatics have spent a full 2 years researching, mocking up and fine tuning to create the car you see here. Nik explains the outlook the company took, “our aim was to develop a replica 355, not a lookalikey. There are a few small differences but they are there for a reason and overall the car looks right”.

Of course there are going to be parts of the car that you could say look different to the original but face it, if you saw one

Written by Martin Weaver - martin@mr2only.com Photos by Exact 355

“our aim was to develop a replica 355, not a lookalikey. There are a few small differences but they are there for a reason and overall the car looks right”.

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The 355 still to this day is probably the most beautiful Ferrari’s ever built, but still a very expensive one to own. It’s a car that has been replicated on plenty of occasions but has never been done anywhere close to the real car had the real 355 and spent 2 years modding it and building the first prototype. It is the only accurate 355 replica available (Fact) and for those who have seen it in the flesh have given us amazing feedback” With GRP panels that are all meticulously foam filled for extra support there is no risk of embarrassment when you close a door, a solid “thunk” reassures onlookers.

parked in town or driving past in the street you wouldn’t be any wiser.

real F355’s, how can you argue with that?

Attention to detail is the key here, and wherever possible the Mk2 reflects the aesthetics of the F355 perfectly. Get yourself a picture and compare the two, you will be very impressed.

Simple things like the side repeaters, they match the original position behind the front wheel, just above the swage.

The all important side intakes mirror the exact shape of the Ferrari and that engine cover you see is a precise copy of the

How has this physically been achieved then? Lots of filler, fiberglass and sand paper – no chance, Nik explains, “The nature of Replica building is that there are compromises when creating a product but of course you try to make as little compromise as possible. The Exact 355 was moulded from a Real 355 and then over a time period converted to fit the MR2 with very little change. It was created by a friend of mine who

Exact are so passionate about the project that they have decided to only sell the kit if you are having it fitted by them.

There are a couple of reasons for this, one is the avoidance of disappointment in the instance a kit is poorly fitted elsewhere (as many F355 MK2’s are) and the other is simply because 70% of their customers opt for the entire package anyway.

With so many appalling replicas out there it is hardly surprising that Exact are keen to control the quality and finish of their cars, so much that if you purchase a kit and have it applied by them your car will receive a numbered plaque for authenticity.

There are no secrets from these guys, they are not hiding anything and their workshops in London & Scotland are open house to visitors who want a closer look.

So what is it about the 355 that still generates such interest? Of course the Mk2 MR2 lends itself brilliantly to the size and shape of the car from a replica point of view but what else? The guys at Exact try to

answer the question, “The 355 still to this day is probably the most beautiful Ferrari’s ever built, but still a very expensive one to own. It’s a car that has been replicated on plenty of occasions but has never been done anywhere close to the real car, which has always disappointed us very much. They looked nice but many were close to undriveable due to shocking build quality and the finish on the panels were…(well, words can’t describe our thoughts on that !! ) and of course they were all the wrong shape and size etc to the real car. A beautiful car like the 355 needed to be done correctly.

I would have to say that this mission has been accomplished, the car really does look fantastic and with a company like Exact 355 behind it you know that you are in safe hands.

After a chat with Editor Steve about this car we do have slight concerns about your Ferrari being left at the lights by your local backwards hat wearing Saxo driver, the solution however is simple. Take your-self to see Mr Paul Woods and have him install one of his screaming V6 powerplants. A Turbo is great fun but this has to be the conversion of choice for such a fantastic replica.

If you are interested in the services Exact355 have to offer then do not hesitate to give them a call on 07789 794845 or visit their website at www.exact355.com.

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SUCCESS FOR CALINA - FORMULA W he Formula Woman Novice Championship 2007 heats up this summer and South London gal Calina Zadravetz an MR2 owner herself, and self confessed ‘rev head’ is in the running to compete for the title, having made it into the final 100.

T

By Calina Zadravetz Email: zcalina@hotmail.com Earlier this year I entered the annual Formula Woman competition, which aims to find 16 of the best female drivers in the UK (who have not previously held a race licence) to race in the prestigious Championship.

I have been selected from over 1300 women to take part in an assessment at the end of April and prior to that I have been taking part in training to capitalise on this once in a lifetime opportunity.

Formula Woman is a unique concept designed to attract and assist more women

to enter the previously male-dominated arena of motor sport and is the only female motor racing Championship in the country.

Over the past 3 years there have been over 15,000 entrants to the Formula Woman competition and television programmes on ITV 1, Channel 4 and Sky Motors TV. Formula Woman was founded in 2004 and since then has run two successful Championships for female drivers, broken the Guinness World record for the most women to compete in a motor racing event and enabled over 100 women to take their ARDS racing licence. This has not been an

easy task for Formula Woman as motor racing is historically a man’s sport and I relish the idea of being part of this pioneering Championship.

500 women including myself had made it through the preliminary rounds and had been chosen to attend an assessment in May. I was delighted to receive the news that I had made it through and would be joining the final 100 who will attend an elimination round in June, where the lucky 16 will be chosen to race in the 2007 Novice Championship. The top three drivers will obtain a free season in the Novice

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WOMAN CHAMPIONSHIP FINALIST Championship and the other 13 will be required to find sponsorship. I am determined that I will make it into the final 16 and I am confident that I can secure one of the three scholarship drives available. I have already proven that I have good car control and speed on track during training sessions.

series Rover engined Caterham 7.

(See the calendar below)

The assessments will mainly be based on my driving skills but also cover additional aspects such as fitness, motor sport knowledge and the ability to generate media coverage. All of these aspects are crucial to being a successful racing driver and securing the sponsorship required to be successful.

For further information please contact me on zcalina@hotmail.com

The Formula Woman Novice Championship will run over 8 races throughout the summer of 2007, at circuits throughout the UK including Brands Hatch, Snetterton and home of the British Grand prix – Silverstone. If I get through to the final 16 I will be racing a 1.6 K

As a local female trying to make my name in motorsport I would greatly appreciate your support. Through the press coverage gained I may achieve my dream of winning and gaining sponsorship and support from local companies.

Or phone 07930540094 visit the Formula Woman website at www.formulawoman.com or email Vicky.Lloyd@formulawoman.com.

Formula Woman Novice Championship 2007 28th/29th July – Pembrey 11th –12th August – Snetterton 29th Sept – Silverstone 3rd/4th November – Brands Hatch

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Performance Calibration Specialists

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MR2 ONLY PRICE £ 99.00 incl del.

DOUBLE OIL GAUGE PACKAGE AS ABOVE MINUS BOOST £75.00 PACKAGE 2 – TURBO TRIPLE 60mm PACKAGE –BOOST /OIL PRESS/TEMP. STEALTH 3 SERIES 60mm – OPENING CEREMONY. FULLY ELECTRONIC FULLY ELECTRONIC SERIES – OPENING SWEEP CEREMONY ON IGNITION. LED ILLUMINATION. RED POINTER. INCLUDES SENDERS. CONNECTIONS/ SHADE CAP & DASH MOUNT BRACKET AS ABOVE ALSO INCLUDES MR2 SPECIFIC OPOT SANDWICH PLATE ALSO ADAPTOR. AVAILABLE IN RED ILLUMINATION!

MR2 ONLY PRICE £ 149.00 incl del.

DOUBLE OIL GAUGE PACKAGE AS ABOVE MINUS BOOST £109.00

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Moneyback if not delighted!

NEW ARRIVAL!!

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Available now!! Checkout our new website shop!

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10% DISCOUNT OFF ALL OTHER ITEMS ON OUR SITE TO ALL MR2 ONLY READERS –QUOTE THIS ADVERT WHEN YOU PHONE YOUR ORDER!

SEE MORE ABOUT THIS INCREDIBLE NEW GAUGE SERIES ON OUR WEBSITE!

GAUGEPLACE HOTLINE! 07814 865210 7 DAYS! 9AM – 7PM EMAIL. nick@gaugeplace.com

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ClubScene MR2 'Village' @ JAE (20-22 July 2007 @ East of England showground)

IMOC UK, MR2MK1club and ROC are teaming up again for JAE 2007, and this year promises to be bigger and better!

JAE is THE jap car club event of the year, with loads of owners clubs pitching up for a weekend of fun and socialising.

Mr Fish has promised us glorious sunshine and definitely no mini tornadoes* (subject to terms and conditions), so come and join us

on the 'Village' stand this year.

On the stand we will have competitions, movies, bouncy boxing and much more.

Saturday night is beach party/hawaiian night including FREE hog roast (that's right, I said FREE!) for club members* (first come first served).

So grab your tent, your waterproofs, some beers, and ofcourse your MR2 (whatever it's

condition), and come join us! The more the merrier!

Further details can be found in the events section of any club participating in the 'Village': www.imoc.co.uk www.mr2mk1club.com www.mr2ROC.org

The MR2 Drivers’ Club meets The MR2 Drivers’ Club meets every first Sunday of the month in various locations around the country. To find out where your nearest monthly meeting is, please visit www.mr2dc.com and either check the region section for details of the regional coordinators or the social event section for details on forthcoming meets & activities.

You’ll watch some of the finest racing machinery in the world being raced in anger as the makers intended in the glorious past, and not forgetting the chance to meet up with many MR2 enthusiasts along with hundreds of other car clubs displaying. For more info on Silverstone Classic visit http://www.silverstone.co.uk/html/ra_silverston eclassic.php

A brief History The MR2 Driver’s Club was founded in 1990.

Since then the membership has increased to nearly 4,000 with over 2,000 cars, (subject to annual variations) spanning three different continents and some seven different countries. We are recognised and promoted

by Toyota Japan with whom we have close contact (further information can be found on the website).

Forthcoming Events & Shows Tatton Park - June The North West region will be representing the Club at the 21st Classic Car Show at Tatton Park on 2nd & 3rd June. Last year, the organizers didn’t recognize award for MR2s, but the club stand won third place in the “Best Club Stand” competition, a good achievement considering the turnout of other 90 Club stands.Allan Farrimond, North West regional coordinator will be happy to welcome you. For more information and contact details visit www.mr2dc-north-west.co.uk.

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Tatton Park – August The North West region will be representing the Club at the 20th Vintage, Classic & Sports Car Show at Tatton Park on 18th & 19th Tatton Park August. As per the show in June, we will enter June Stand the competition for “Best Stand of the Show” Trophy and we will be running the Club’s Show & Shine Competition for the three generations of 2007 Silverstone Classic - July the MR2. Allan Farrimond, North West regional coordinator will be happy to welcome you. For The MR2 Drivers’ Club will attend the more information and contact details visit “Silverstone Classic” over the weekend of www.mr2dc-north-west.co.uk.

27th – 29th of July 2007. This is to be our On behalf of the MR2 Drivers’ Club, I hope main national event for the year and the Club you will visit us on the DC stand at any of the has invited the European MR2 Clubs to join its above shows. members and make the event the European gathering of the year. The Club aim to display If you have any questions about the MR2 at least 100 MR2s a day for the occasion.

Drivers’ Club, do not hesitate to contact me The Silverstone Classic is a historic race meeting similar to the “Goodwood Revival”; where you’ll enjoy some wonderful action on track, while the open paddock, display areas, plus scarf and goggles entertainment zone create a real festival like atmosphere.

on 07805 047674 Celine Macdonald-Matti Publicity & PR Director MR2 Drivers’ Club Ltd

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Bi-monthly round up of whats going on in your owners clubs, to get send us your club news email: steveb@mr2only.com

Good turnout despite the weather...

Possibly overshadowed by the recent World Record Attempt at Rockingham and the ill timed Cup Final the MR2OC stand at Jap Fest, Castle Coombe actually had a good turnout.

entertaining but unfortunate for some, with a Mitsubishi Evo suffering an oil seal failure, dumping its oil all over the track consequenting in spinning into a wall.

Ideally located track side, and on the pathway between the trade stands, and the club display fields the show and shine guys gave plenty for the passing foot traffic to admire.

Further down the track a Honda NSX miss negotiated a corner and had a serious collision with the safety wall resulting in a roll.

As always Topgun’s TRD replica attracted much attention from enthusiasts and even caught the eye of a couple of magazines.

Being better located than last year lots of people stopped to ask about the club and went away with the intention of visiting the website to sign up as new members.

MR2OC @ Jap Fest Castle Coombe 19th May 2007

Despite the weathers best intentions to ruin the day, only a couple of light showers intervened and many of us managed to go home with some unexpected sunburn.

With the calibre of cars here today, roll on JAE thats what I say!

To find out what the MR2OC is planning for JAE visit www.mr2oc.co.uk

Trackside viewing was more than

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ClubScene Gearing up for summer...

IMOC UK is gearing up for summer! We have blown away the cobwebs on the homepage, and now have a super fast server to make your IMOC fix quicker and easier!

So join IMOC this summer by participating in some summer driving. It's time to take your t-bars or sunroof out or put your convertible roof down and enjoy some driving with the wind ruffling your hair.

Or, if you are like me and have been putting off fitting that engine with the excuse 'it's raining again', it's time to finish it and get it back on the road!

If nothing else, make sure you take at least one weekend out this summer to do some MR2 socializing.

A selection of upcoming events: 20th/21st/22nd July: Join us in the MR2 Village with MR2MK1club and MR2ROC @ JAE, the biggest event of the year, Nr. Peterborough. Social Jap car club meet.

25th/26th/27th August: Isle of Wight social weekend in conjunction with MR2OC, South UK. Social gathering inc. camping to the Island off the south coast.

Come and help us win the 'best MR2 club at crazy golf' trophy!

September TBC: IMOC club trackday. Go to the IMOC site for more details! www.imoc.co.uk

STOCKING PERFORMANCE TUNING PRODUCTS FOR YOUR MR2...

24hr Order line:

0870 0429706 sales@xs-power.co.uk V Band Downpipes & Gated T3 Manifold for the 3SGTE with help from RE:WORX

w w w . x s - p o w e r. c o . u k

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Bi-monthly round up of whats going on in your owners clubs, to get send us your club news email: steveb@mr2only.com

Mk1 Club National Events Diary 2007 June 2nd & 3rd – 1st Tatton Park Classic Car Show.

3rd – Autokarna Show, Woolaton Park, Nottingham 9th – Classic & Sportscar Track Day, Castle Combe – 9th & 10th – MR2 Beaulie Rally (all MK’s of MR2) – 12th – 19th – Le Mans 07 Club Trip.

15th – 17th – Anglesey Track Days (With Book-a-Track – www.bookatrack.com ) 17th (Fathers Day) – Supercar Sunday, Gaydon Motor Museum, Warwickshire.

24th – Bromley Pageant Of Motoring, Kent.

24th - MK1 Club Supporting MR2 Challenge at Mallory Park, Leicestershire (Free Club BBQ)

July 1st – JAPS (Japanese Auto Performance Show), Thoresby Park, Nottingham 8th – Wet & Wild, Rainbows Charity Event/Gala, Leicester.

10th – Donnington Evening Track Session, Open Pit Lane (With Booka-Track www.bookatraccom ) 14th – 16th – Spa Historic Grand Prix, Spa Francorchamps, Stavelot.

15th – MK1 Club Supporting MR2 Challenge at Snetterton, Norfolk 20th – 22nd – JAE, East Of England Showground, Peterborough – Largest club show of the year – Do not miss out!!

27th – 29th – Silverstone Classic, Northants.

28th - MK1 Club Supporting MR2 Challenge at Brands Hatch, Kent

August 4th & 5th – Wroughton Classic Car & Bike Show, Wiltshire.

5th – Summer Spectacular, Rainbows Charity Event/Gala, Loughborough 10th – 12th – Retro Rides , Mallory Park, Leicestershire.

18th & 19th – 2nd Tatton Park Classic Car Show.

19th – MR2 Challenge at Mallory Park, Leicestershire

September 8th – Eurofest Track Day. Castle Combe.

15th & 16th – National Kit & Performance Car Show, Donnington Park, Leicestershire.

15th & 16th – Scottish Highlands Trip.

16th – MR2 Kent Run, contact SE Organisers 22nd - MK1 Club Supporting MR2 Challenge at Silverstone, Northamptonshire 29th – MK1 Club Supporting MR2 Challenge at Snetterton, Norfolk

October 6th – Inter-Club Drag Strip Trophy Challenge (RWYB), Santa Pod, Northants (TBC) 7th – JapShow Finale, Santa Pod, Northants.

14th – Club AGM, Mallory Park, Leicestershire (TBC) 14th – MR2 Challenge at Mallory Park, Leicestershire

November Rolling Road Day (Date & Venue TBC)

December National Club Christmas Party (Date & Venue TBC) Please log onto our Events section of the Club Website for more information and web-links to each of the above events. www.mr2mk1club.com/clubevs Or Contact Jo Walker, National Events Coordinator

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ARTICLE AND PHOTOGRAPHY

BY JEFF FAZIO

NEW SEASON, NEW LOOK FOR HYDE... s we prepared for the 2007 race season, many changes were made to our 550+ rwhp turbocharged MR2 named “Hyde.” Each year we try to push beyond what we accomplished the previous year while keeping an eye on new opportunities to compete.

A

Last year we had moved to a bored and stroked 3STGE engine that was putting out nearly 10 percent more displacement. All of the extra exhaust was quickly overrunning our wastegate set up and no matter what we did, we would reach 27 psi of boost by redline. In order to address this issue, we contacted AutoLab LCC (www.autolabonline.com) about their tubular exhaust manifolds, which incorporate the wastegate in a much better location. We also took this opportunity to upgrade to a much larger 44 mm wastegate.

While digging into this project, it was discovered that our pseudo GT35R turbo had damaged turbine blades. We decided to take the plunge and order a new complete GT35R turbo. The final kit from AutoLab is truly a thing of beauty.

After experiencing major brake fade and flying off the track at the Fabi Circuit during last year’s annual Kingston, Canada MR2 meet, we decided that the 91 brakes finally needed to be addressed. Over the winter we slapped on a set of rebuilt 93T calipers, fresh ATE Super Blue brake fluid and some new Porterfield R4E pads.

Another issue we had last year was our clutch and flywheel set was not able to hold the kind of power we were putting down.

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That set up gave up around 400 ft lbs of torque and 567 rear-wheel horsepower. This was addressed by installing a Tilton twindisc clutch and flywheel set up. We are super excited about this and we are hoping to see over 600 rwhp this year!

During this time, we made a deal with VMAX to get their new steering pinion gear into Hyde’s set up. The stock power steering rack is roughly 3.2 turns from lock-to-lock.

The stock manual rack that we had been using is closer to 4 turns. By adding the VMAX pinion gear to brand new power steering rack from Thompson Toyota, we’ve managed to get our steering down to 2.6 turns to get from lock-to-lock! I can’t wait to attack the first slalom of the year with this set up.

Another issue we had last year was the front fenders. They had to be drastically cut back to accommodate the massive 245/45/17 front tires we are now running.

Besides looking terrible with the wheels sticking out so far, the fenders just looked like a mess being all cut up. Luckily, Raul O’Brien from Street Works stepped up to the plate and offered to take his first attempt at making custom fiberglass fender flares. The result of his labor is astoundingly beautiful.

The flares are integrated perfectly, even including a sculpted moulding. The piece

looks nearly OEM. As all of this work came to a close, the final touches were put on the car with a brand new vinyl package. The whole car has a new look that includes the new sponsors and a stripe and arrow design. We hope you really enjoy the new look.

Now that the car is ready, we are planning on doing a couple of different events this year. We are even having a new driver on board.

We’ve entered Hyde into the Ultimate Track Car Challenge. This event came about through the cooperation of Grassroots Motorsports magazine, the Web site CarDomain and the NASA race organization.

This is the first year for this race. This event is by invitation only, but cars are shown some preference on how they have been rated on the CarDomain site. There are currently 176 cars entered and Hyde is rated #2; however, Hyde was rated #1 for the first 100 days of the contest so we are optimistic that we will be invited. They’ve even used a photo of Hyde in the advertisements for the event already.

This event is a Time Trial race that will be held at the end of July at Virginia International Raceway. Since this event requires a wheel-to-wheel racing license, I will not be able to pilot Hyde for this outing.

Peter Doane, formerly an ITA MR2 racer and current Grand Am series driver, has graciously accepted the offer to race Hyde in this event. In order to get him prepared for this event, he will be entering Hyde in another NASA time trial event the first

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MR2 Only Magazine added to Hydes new livery and only too proud to be supporting

“WE ARE SUPER EXCITED ABOUT THIS AND WE ARE HOPING TO SEE OVER 600 RWHP THIS YEAR!” weekend of June at Pocono Raceway, in Pennsylvania.

If all goes well, I will be piloting Hyde in my first road course Time Trial in Septemeber. The Redline Time Attack series will be coming to Summit Point, West Virginia and I hope to be entering that event.

Another new event for Hyde this year will be the ECTA (East Coast Timing Association) 1-mile land speed run. This is going to be an exciting new challenge for us. With this race, competitors are given one full mile to accelerate to the highest speed possible. Time is not a consideration. All that matters is who builds up the highest mph. Taking into account Hyde’s gearing, power and aerodynamics, we are hoping to achieve in excess of 180 mph. That event will be happening in October.

Additionally, we are looking to take our second NEPA SCCA SM2 Solo2 Championship. We’ll also be entering a Survival of the Imports drag racing event at Englishtown Raceway in New Jersey and possibly a national NHRA Sport Compact event there later in the year.

It’s going to be a very busy, very full year. I hope you all wish us well and watch as the year of racing unfolds. Thanks for your continued support.

Literally on our day of going to press we had word from Jeff Fazio that Bryan "NoShoes" Moore wrapped up the dyno tuning session of Hyde for 2007.

Hyde made an amazing 635 rear-wheel horsepower and 468 foot pounds of torque at only 28 pounds of boost.

This is a new record for the GT35R turbo in the MR2 community!

This should be an interesting year of racing as that is 68 horsepower more than Hyde had available last year.

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SPEC Clutch gives you high quality, high torque capacity clutch with great variety for your vehicle All kits include clutch disk, throwout bearing, pressure plate, alignment tool and a pilot bearing(pilot bearing is NOT to be used in an mr2 application!).

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Mission 3 –

Track Day Start Point: Benidorm, Spain Finish Point: Albecete, Spain Mileage: 260.7 Date/Time: Tuesday 14th - approx. 09:45hrs

Cannon Ball Run ave you ever wanted to test your driving skills? Have you ever wondered how your car would react if you were to push it to the limit? Ever wanted to test your levels of endurance?

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Well we did... 3rd installment of Anthony & Maggies Cannon Ball Run experience.

My very first ever track day. Even after just 2 hours sleep I was so hyped about doing a track day.

By the time we were up and got ourselves sorted, it came as no surprise that we were a little behind our plans for the day. Quite a few teams had decided not to make the journey to the track, but to stay behind and enjoy the luxurious surroundings of the hotel. Neither Mum nor I even gave this option a thought.

We were there for the experience, not the sunbathing. The organisers handing out the track packs asked how things had worked out for us the previous day. They had heard all about events from other team members, so we told them we were fine, a bit bleary eyed having arrived after 5 in the morning but we were just looking forward to participating in the day’s events.

We were happy. They gave us our packs, wished us well and we headed for the car park. We were soon on our way out onto the given route. As it was not a timed leg, we could take things at our own pace. It was relaxing knowing that the clock was not ticking away. We reached the motorway in no time at all and heading West we settled down to enjoy the panoramic views which lay ahead of us. Traveling in the darkness we had not been able to see any of the surrounding area on our way in.

It was a very hot day so driving along the motorway with the roof out and the windows open was quite pleasant. We were well into the journey, cruising along enjoying the day, when we noticed a helicopter which was hovering over to our right.

We thought it might be the police again. We were keeping well within the speed limit and not breaking any laws. We both felt very angry and agreed that we would very much like to express our feelings with a few choice hand signals directed at the chopper.

However, we were very courteous and gave them a nice wave, a “thumbs up” and both leaning forward into the windscreen to get a better look, we gave a great big grin which we directed right at them. From this point forward the journey deteriorated. Clear of the flatlands, the journey to

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the circuit proved to be pretty stressful. The directions given in the pack were confusing. In order to be seen by one of the event spotters, we were supposed to leave the motorway at one junction, travel around some side roads then get back on further up at another junction. If only it had been that simple.

Coming off the motorway we got lost. We ended up in a tiny hillside village well off the beaten track. It was a bit frightening, as the locals came out to see our car and children were pointing at us. After the experience of the night before, we didn’t know how to take this kind of attention. The streets we were driving down were very narrow, a little more than our car width, far too narrow to turn around.

A number of the streets had flags and streamers hanging across them, flying from one house to another. People were standing on their doorsteps watching and we could see they hadn’t got a clue what on earth we were up to but then neither did we. There were no pavements and had one of them stepped down from their front doorstep, they would have been standing in the middle of the road. That was how narrow the streets were. I had to reverse very slowly on a couple of occasions. We didn’t know what the people were thinking and we decided we needed to get away from the location as quickly as possible. Although we smiled and waved at them we felt exposed and very vulnerable.

Eventually we got back onto a main road south of the village and we could see where we needed to be, but couldn’t see how to get there as there was a one-way system. We couldn’t read any of the signs we saw and I guess had we been on the right road in the first place, it would have helped at lot.

Somehow by magic we ended up in the right place, more importantly facing in the right direction. We got back onto the motorway we had left what seemed like an age ago and soon got the car back up to a comfortable speed. The clock was ticking away and I was getting very frustrated as we didn’t seem to be getting anywhere. I was hot and tired. We had taken forever to get to this

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The TEIN coilover suspension, uprated bushes, lower centre of gravity and wider wheels made the car stick flawlessly to the circuit. The car was handling like a dream. Almost zero body roll. I was covering the laps faster than a lot of cars, including a Porsche 911 that was on the track with me. The car seemed to be made for the track and visa versa. point of the journey and I had reached the stage where I just wanted to give up and to turn round and head back to the hotel for some sun and the swimming pool.

Mum wasn’t too keen, after all we had made the effort to get up and get out. What a big mistake it would have been had we turned back. Mum had been checking the route on her own map and felt we were close to the location of the track, we just needed to keep going. That was a bit of an understatement!!

What had we been doing all morning? As it turned out we were only 1½ miles away and in no time at all we found ourselves driving into the car park. Boy, we were so happy we had made it. It was around 12.45pm and it was baking hot. As we parked the car we were accosted by a camera crew who looked to be setting up ready to film whatever.

We didn’t know who they were and as we were keen to go and find the location where I could get signed up for the track, neither of us wanted to waste time by talking to them. We had no idea they were actually filming. We headed right over the other side of the car park for what looked like the main office building and inside was a restaurant full of Cannonballers. Hooray. At last we had arrived.

My first track outing We were greeted by the event organisers who looked very pleased to see us and extended a welcome then pointed us in the direction of food and drink. After a very sociable lunch it was my time to hit the track. Mum stayed put. I headed out of the restaurant like a shot out of a gun in order to get ready for my very first track outing.

I was given some good advice about track driving, and with that in mind I put my helmet on, jumped into the car and made my way into the pit area.

After I had left, Mum moved to the bar area with some of the others and on hearing the word Cannonball, they all looked up at the TV screen on a shelf above the bar which was showing the local lunchtime news – in Spanish. The item being covered on the news was a report focusing on the events of the night before, the “Big Bust” and the Cannonball Run Europe.

How cool!! No-one watching could understand what was being said but they recognised the police car pound and one of the Cannonball cars held there. The shot that came next was somewhat of a surprise. What the camera crew had filmed and beamed straight back to the TeleCinqo News station, to have aired as an up-to-the-minute action of what the Cannonballers were up to was a shot of the car park at the race track and the view of Mum’s backside as she was reaching in to the back of the car to get our belongings out. Yes she was sporting her red boa. The cameraman had then panned the camera along the “13” and “Underground Race UK” stickers.

They had got the footage of the Cannonballers doing their “road racing”. My combination of number “13” and “Underground Race UK” might have caught their eye, especially as the media in the U.K. and all over Spain had branded us as crazy road racers. Well, these stickers may not have been the best ones to put together but who was to know what was to happen? Everyone was laughing and congratulating Mum and me. Fame at last.

I was unaware of the news footage as I got the car on the race track. My focus was on the track and how my car would handle it. I very quickly found my feet and relaxing I started to cover the ground getting faster as my confidence built. Event cameramen were positioned to take photographs of

the cars at different locations around the track, so we had to be aware of where they were stationed. I had waited such a long time to do this. All the modifications I had done on my own over the previous months would now be tested to the full.

The TEIN coilover suspension, uprated bushes, lower centre of gravity and wider wheels made the car stick flawlessly to the circuit. The car was handling like a dream.

Almost zero body roll. I was covering the laps faster than a lot of cars, including a Porsche 911 that was on the track with me. The car seemed to be made for the track and visa versa. It was quite a short circuit, with most of the time spent in 2nd and 3rd gears, just hitting redline in 3rd before most of the breaking points and topping out in 4th on the home straight.

After 5 or 6 laps the brakes started to get a little too hot, but by that time I wanted to come in and rest the car anyway, so it worked out quite well.

There were quite a few sights to be seen on the track that day. A Sapphire Cossie doing a Ferrari 360 down the straight, (yes the same ones as seen on the M20) an M5 with a burnt out clutch, a Lotus Esprit was scraped, driven down a wall in the pit garages and to top it all Mum and my car on TV. What a great day. In case you wondered what Mum had been up to, I had driven her round the track a couple of times and she loved it. Red boa floating out of the window, it’s a wonder it never flew off, that or her hat. The sunglasses looked cool though and it soon came time to make a move back to the hotel. We had been told that there was a big meeting planned for when we all got back, so we didn’t want to be too late starting off. It had been a top day and I have wanted to get back on a track since stepping off this one. Feeling very content but with tiredness creeping in, we started our journey back to the hotel. The sun was setting and traffic was light.

Another fine to pay After an uneventful journey back we weren’t too far from the hotel when we came to a long tunnel. Just before the next toll we were confronted by the Spanish Police, again. They pointed for us to pull over to the hard shoulder and there was another Cannonball team being quizzed by the police. This time we had been stopped as I had driven through the tunnel without headlights switched on. I had not thought about the law where you have to have your lights on when you go through a tunnel.

Another fine to pay, this time it was 50 Euro on the spot. What a good job it was we had not been in a rush as it would have been a lot worse. We paid the fine and continued on our way, wondering how many more times we would we be pulled over. It was becoming very annoying. As we drove into the town we caught sight of a couple of team cars. We caught up with them and as we turned into the street leading up to the hotel we had such a shock waiting for us.

Greeted like celebrities After the TV coverage at the track, word had obviously spread around town that this was where the Cannonball teams were staying. People were crowding the streets outside the hotel, old and young alike, shouting and cheering trying to get a glimpse of us as we arrived.

Camera lights flashing, camcorders recording, party revelers whooping it up greeting us like celebrities!!

What a laugh, and how our spirits lifted. Tiredness was forgotten, we knew the Spanish public were behind us in our endeavour and their show of support was over-whelming. What a wonderful

feeling. The night ahead would follow the same sort of vibe. We were asked if we would put our cars on show outside a local bar and a street party was the order of the day. What a turn around for the whole group after the fiasco the night before and we parked the car in the hotel car park and headed straight to the bar. The meeting was about to start, so we didn’t have time for food. The meeting was about the “Bust”. The organisers informed us they had followed protocol and obtained permission for the event before September and after explanations, questions and answers, we all headed for our respective rooms to make haste for the street party.

Street party Once cleaned, we met up and convoyed down to the designated area. Now in my opinion this is what a cruise should be like!! The road was closed off and ram packed with people, some of whom told us they were Brits on holiday. There were hen parties gathered there too and needless to say there was a small team of traffic police present. However they very quickly gave up when they realised it was carnival time for the Cannonballers and the party revelers.

We had a great time, lots of laughter, flashing lights, engines being revved and burn outs by one of the big American pick-ups. Everyone wanted to see the cars and talk with the drivers. Backs were patted and congratulations were extended to members of the teams and it was clear that people were very happy and proud that the Cannonball event was in their town.

Revelling well into the night Even the visitors from Britain expressed their pride.

It was brilliant and it lasted a couple of hours with quite a few revelers carrying on well into the night. I had thought a good nights sleep was in order, that was until 2 lads on holiday convinced a few of us to go and see “Sticky Vicky”... a local night club act.

I dropped the car back at the hotel at about 1am at which point Mum decided she would call it a night. I legged it back to the street where the group was waiting and we headed off to a club where we found Vicky performing her act. All I will say is that it was an interesting act, nothing I would like to put in print though.

After a couple of drinks some of the others called it a night and went back to the hotel. When I finally made it back to the hotel I started chatting with some holiday makers who it turned out, were from my own town!! How bizarre! It was nearly 7 in the morning by the time I got to bed.

All in the spirit of Cannonball We had a convoy planned for the start of the next mission. By now time had very little meaning. As I rode the lift to the room it crossed my mind that the one thing I found strange through all this was that I had been worried about taking part in a track day in England, mainly because I didn’t want to drive to the venue, race the car and drive it back home again as I thought it would all be too much. However, over two days and nights I had ragged the car senseless, floored it through 2 countries and then went all out on the race track at Albecete, Spain in 32° celsius, and all done in the spirit of the Cannonball. Strange what can motivate us. Maybe it was just lack of sleep clouding reality. Whatever, it was great fun.

I had really enjoyed my day, well worth the time and effort. Now I was looking forward to another day of driving on the roads heading for – well I didn’t know where but it would all be in the mission pack which would be waiting to be collected in just a few short hours. I needed my bed.

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East Meets West (Somewhere in the Middle) he original plan was to meet and greet some of the newer members of the MR2ROC in the North East. It ended up being an 11 car cruise of members, both new and old, from both sides of the Pennines on the hottest day of the year so far.

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The North Eastern contingent met up at 11am in Sainsbury's car park at the Team Valley, all with rag tops down and all in summer uniform of shades and shorts. We 'convoyed' north up the A1 then west onto the A69. Just short of Haydon Bridge we turned off the main road and into the start of an amazingly twisty road, the A686. Those of us who've driven this road before were full of anticipation of the joys of cornering at speed and wearing brake pads down to within an inch of their lives. Of course, we were to have no such luck. I was in the second car from the front and groaned as I saw a fat old Jag make the left turn just before Andy in the lead car. This guy was heading for Alston and it looked like he could get no more than 30mph out of his 'Big Cat'.

The first several miles were taken up watching Andy's brake lights going on too early then slowing to a plod as Jag Man heaved his car round the bends. Finally, one of the few

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straight sections of the road appeared and we were able to pass. First hairy moment of the day as I realised that when I moved out to overtake, the corner in front was a little closer than I'd expected and I pulled back into lane without much straight road left to spare. At last, we were able to push the Roadsters and Michael's MRS a bit more and headed off at a pace more befitting a car with the handling capabilities of the Mk3.

After what seemed a very short while we were slowed again. This time I saw Andy's hands on his shaking head as a group of around 20 cyclists appeared in front of us.

Fortunately they were pleasant, or sensible enough to pull over and allow our convoy to pass and it was back to the joys of foot down, hard cornering all the way to Alston in the blazing sunshine. On the way we saw a medley of MG's of varying ages heading in the opposite direction, obviously with the same idea as us, and once in Alston a large group from the Mini Owner's Club drove through the village, beeping their horns and waving as they went. Now we just had to wait for the North Westerners to turn up to continue the drive.

Having chatted and photographed our line of cars, I had to move mine to allow an elderly

gentleman in a wheelchair to get passed on the roadside. We were just deciding that the waiting was over and to head to the pub for lunch when what should appear but another 5 Roadsters coming in the opposite direction that we'd come from. It turns out that they had stopped at Hartside Cafe for a 'Pie Break' before finishing off the last few miles to Alston!

Introductions and welcomes were made, along with another round of photos of the impressively long line of MR2's before lunching at the Angel. The pub obviously only owned 2 plates as service was rather slow and we ate in shifts while everyone else discussed cars and plans for future shows. When the final pair had finished their Cumberland Sausage it was back down to our waiting vehicles to take on Hartside Pass.

The last time we did this drive back in December of last year the roads were empty.

This is understandable, given the time of year that it was, and the fact that the Hartside Cafe at the top of the Pass was closed. As we left Alston, now heading south west, we encountered one of the innumerable cars on the road which prevented us, once again, from pushing the abilities of the MR2. The constant road bends and overtaking Bikers prevented us

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getting on with it. I nearly went head to head with a Supra and when I finally managed to overtake, he signalled me with the 'Bird' for my sins. Second hairy moment of the day. At the top of the Pass, Andy still driving the lead car decided not to bother stopping as it didn't look like there was parking for any cars, let alone 11, amongst the dozens of bikes which were there. It is Biker's paradise around those roads, just as much as it is Roadster's. More so for the Biker's, as it's a lot easier for them to get passed the rest of the traffic.

So the final stretch, the road to Melmerby had it's moments. Mark in the car behind me pushing into Drift mode so I'm told, or was it frantic fishtailing? I was too busy concentrating on keeping my own car within the speed limit and on the correct side of the road to remember that I had a rear view mirror. For one moment I didn't think my brakes were going to slow me down as I approached a rather tight corner. Third and final hairy moment of the day. The bends come thick and fast on that part of the road but then so did the other road users. Some were gracious enough to pull over and allow us to pass.

Others could be passed on the straight sections that did exist and sometimes we just pottered along until the cars turned off 'Our' road. It would have been nice to see the view from the back of our group, all those MR2's, nearly all shiny and polished, winding down the hillside.

Melmerby is a good place to end a run like todays. We arrived around 3pm at the Tea Rooms and Village Bakery, also known as the 'Golden Sausage Roll' on account of the ridiculous prices charged to a captive audience of drivers and ramblers who frequent such

establishments. It was here that the two groups were to split. After tea and cakes out on the terrace, the North Westerners said their farewells and headed off back towards the M6. We turned around and headed back the way we'd come with me leading; this time really slowly as we joined a line of cars snaking back up towards Hartside. It was only once we were back over the top of the Pass that the road straightened out enough for us to pass and get up to speed once again before hitting the next group of cars. This was the way of it on the road right back to Hexham. I had to pretend I knew where I was going since I'd taken a wrong turn and drove us through the town centre, which was fortunately dead. Out of Hexham and it's back onto the A69 heading for Newcastle. At this point the North Eastern Chapter of the Roadster Owner's Club went our separate ways. It wasn't far up the A1 until I took my turnoff and arrived home, frazzled by the sun and the wind. It was definitely a good day to own a soft top.

A great day was had by all judging from the feedback on the Forum within a couple of hours of the end of the run. Pictures taken by

many were posted up for all to see. Alex wearing his Cowboy hat was possibly an unnecessary addition to that, but I had to do it! So, looking back at it, the exhilaration of the fast parts of the day made up for the frustration of the not so fast parts. The company made up for the wait for lunch and the carrot cake more than made up for the extortionate price that was charged for it.

Overall, a great day out and the next one is already being planned.

Will we go back to Alston? Most definitely.

Will it be on our next drive? Who knows, there are other lands to be invaded and soon. Both groups out today are looking towards their borders and digging out the maps to see where that trip will be.

Those in attendance:evileye_xc, Andy_B, northernalex MR2Mark, Neilbro39, ROC in ROADSTER Gazz, Spit, dpn1, Wabbitkilla, enid_b

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MR2 Challenge S Race Report: Car 14 - Snetterton 6th April Photograph copyright Sarah Wherry, reproduced with kind permission.

Written by Richard and Karen aren’s visit to Snetterton began on Thursday 5th, when she arrived at the circuit early in the morning to find brilliant sunshine would be the order of the day.

Thursday was a practice day and the plan was to have last years champion Sam Mayer-Loughnan give her some coaching to improve her performance. Previously Karen’s results at Snetterton had been her worst, but in her defence much of this could be attributed to technical issues.

K

The coaching went well; with Sam being happy with some of Karen’s current lines and helping her improve on others. Following Sam’s help, Karen felt much happier and more confident attacking the circuit and her lap times improved to be a good couple of seconds quicker than her previous best race time.

Later practice sessions didn’t really improve on this time, but the car was running on the new Falken tyres instead of the original Yokohamas and there was a good deal of traffic out on the circuit. The air temperature had also risen dramatically.

At the end of the day the decision was made to race on the new Falken rubber, using the new lighter alloy wheels. Karen was generally happier with grip levels on the Falkens throughout the entire circuit and it was felt this confidence was definitely what was most important.

During the practice day, there had also been the opportunity to have the car weighed on the official scrutineering weighing equipment. The car was in a post-race condition, with Karen on-board, a dash of petrol, and the older heavier alloy wheels. The result was 1075.5kg. That’s 25.5kg over the minimum weight. We figured that using the new lighter alloy wheels would reduce this, and we weren’t wrong…

Race day was Good Friday 6th April, and it was a cool early start for scrutineering at 7.30am. Thankfully the car passed through without problem. The next hurdle was to be the qualifying session at 9.00am. This was due to be half an hour long and we were left wondering about tactics.

Should we try a couple of light petrol loads for less weight with a splash and dash between them? Or a heavier load to see her through the entire session? Due to the difficulty in finding somewhere to actually perform the re-fill, it was decided to go for the latter.

The session began, and Karen peeled out to begin her laps. By our reckoning, she’d only completed seven laps before the chequered flag was shown and the session was over. We’d made the mistake of assuming half an hour actually meant that amount of track time, when in fact it also allowed for the cleaning up of the track and turn around for the next session. Thus actual track time was about a quarter of an hour. By Darren’s timing, Karen had improved her lap time again to a best of 1:36.19. However, we were very disappointed and felt this could have been much better with a lighter fuel load.

towards the head of the field. In lap 2, whilst going through Sears Karen drove over some debris and had to swerve to avoid larger chunks of something possibly from the previous incidents. After another couple of laps Karen watched as Tim’s car began to fishtail through Coram until he turned off the circuit and drove to a Marshal’s post to retire. Later, Karen was distracted by a cloud of dust kicked up by cars ahead at Russell chicane which caused her to fluff the exit significantly and drive over the higher kerbs which resulted in the car bucking violently with both rear wheels jumping in the air. Karen crossed the chequered flag 10th in the official classifications.

This was later amended to 9th place after the cars were weighed post race. One of the cars in front had been found to be under weight and was therefore excluded. Karen’s car was found to now weigh 1059kg. This was a mere 9kg above the minimum weight. The differences from the previous weight check being due to the use of the lighter BBS alloy wheels. Suffice to say we relieved there was a margin, and shan’t be looking to reduce weight further. Karen’s friend John Wilson #17, also from Worcester had a great first ever race to finish in a fantastic official 6th place. (Which may have since been amended to 5th?). Congratulations to John and to David for preparing the car and getting such a great result.

Tim Cartledge’s retirement from Race 1 with engine failure was especially galling as Tim and friends had spent a couple of all-nighters getting a new engine installed in the car to make the Snetterton races.

This meant that for Race 2, Tim’s grid position a couple of rows ahead of Karen was empty. She got a great start and tucked in behind Rob Howes #7 to pass a couple of cars on the inside of Riches and again through Sears. Rob then started to suffer with a puncture and was forced to retire, gifting Karen with 5th Place! Karen’s husband Richard and friends Darren and David were stunned when they counted the cars around Coram and into Russell chicane to find Karen in such a position. It wasn’t to last though. In a rush of blood to the head, Nigel Butterfield #34 tried an audacious dive on the inside through the Esses. At the last moment Karen spotted it and thought that if she turned in on her normal line he’d effectively T-bone her car! Discretion being the better part of valour, she took a wider line and although Nigel did manage to scrub off some speed he ended up side-swiping poor Karen. (See picture above). Whilst Karen recovered, several cars streamed past including John Wilson #17. Karen had consequently dropped back to 10th. With a couple of laps to go John span at Russell chicane and Karen overtook him before he could re-join the circuit. John quickly set about catching her up and was soon right behind her. Karen was forced to defend her position through the final lap until the chequered flag and a well deserved 9th place. If not for the clash with Nigel then she may have finished in a higher position.

Another alarming incident during Race 2 was when one of the cars retired into the pit lane from Russell chicane with a spectacular raging fire in the engine compartment! The marshals soon put a stop to it, but after the race each car was checked to ensure the pins had been removed from their on-board extinguishers. Subsequently, a car was excluded from the results for this not being done.

Our mood improved when we saw the qualification results. Karen had qualified 14th out of 24 for Race 1, and due to her consistent lap times had qualified 10th out of 24 for Race 2. Darren had been extremely accurate with her best lap time. He’d quoted 1:36.19 and the actual recorded time from the transponder was 1:36.18, a mere one hundredth of a second out!

Congratulations to Karen on a job well done. From a circuit that had seen her worst ever results, hard work and determination had provided her best results so far in the MR2 Challenge. Many thanks to Darren and David for their support, to Sam for his tuition, and to everyone else who was kind enough to cheer Karen on.

The sun was still beaming down when the cars formed on the grid for Race 1. Karen had a good start seeing her going through Riches between Tim Cartledge #42 and Steve Woolfe #88. Unfortunately she was blocked from progressing further. At Sears there seemed to be some incidents

Finally, it should be noted that poor Sarah Wherry’s car #23 suffered a terminal engine problem during practice and she was unable to compete in the races. Thus Karen was un-contested for points in the Women’s’ class.

Sarah promises to come back with a vengeance at the next meeting at her local circuit Cadwell Park in May.

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Special A driver’s perspective of the MR2 Challenge.

By Tim ‘Calamity’ Cartledge

his is the first of hopefully quite a few articles following the MR2 challenge from a driver’s perspective and the life and times of a hard run and tracked MR2 mk1 and the parts and time required to keep the car running.

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I joined the MR2 challenge late last year after looking for some new racing prospects from karting. Unfortunately I have a slight reputation for damaging cars/engines/karts/myself, manifesting itself in the most recent nickname ‘Calamity’ Cartledge.

This year the first race for the competitors of the MR2 challenge was the race to get the entry forms in on time, with the challenge stronger than ever and limited grid sizes at some circuits it’s a first come first served with the entry forms until the grids are full. In the future the MR2 challenge is looking to expand to separate races for each class and with one off endurance races allowing for competitors to gain extra track time, there is always space for more entries.

With my entry for Snetterton in and accepted the first two rounds were looming close. After recently repairing the damage occurred during a small visit to a tyre wall during a track day all that was left to do were the basic checks on the car, oil, coolant, brakes, clutch etc. However (as there always is with me) I picked up an injury that meant I could possibly have been out for the Snetterton races and the basic engine checks alerted some problems that would be time consuming to fix comprehensively and it would be quicker to change the engine for a good known quantity. With a short time frame and a reliable engine needed, I stole the engine from my sponsor’s wife’s car which I had previously driven and the engine was sound. The engine was finally in, bolted up and running smoothly at 10.30 the night before the race, talk about cutting it fine.

The race day is a different experience altogether. For those that have never been to a live motorsport event, even at a club level the sounds and smells of race day are a different experience and enough for most petrol heads.

The car breezed through scrutineering but the geometry still wasn't set up due to the time spent on prepping the engine and with an early race start there wasn’t time before qualifying. I decided to give the new falken tyres a run out, the new rubber for this season, they had about 200miles of motorway use over 4 heat cycles, so we thought they would be ok. The car was very unstable, struggling for grip round corners and jittery on the straight. Pushing for every last tenth, I span dislodging the alternator and belt due to vibration, causing the car to overheat due to the belt not driving the water pump, the plug lead from the coil pack also disconnected meaning the end of my qualification. The tyres on the back had grained and overheated on 6 or so laps. I managed to qualify just outside the top 10 for the first race and 6th for the second race, so I was fairly happy with the result Borrowing a geometry gauge from KPM and with help from Tom Dyke, the geometry was measured and was off the scale! No wonder it was unstable, correcting the rear geometry and not enough time to do the front, I was called to the assembly area, quickly changing over to the near slick old yokohamas from last season, we were still in the tyre “grace period” so I was going to make a go of it.

The start went well gaining places off the start and running about 7th coming into the bomb hole, where I attempted to sneak up the inside of someone into the bomb hole, made the pass and got a wheel in front. However they hadn't seen me and turned in. To avoid contact I moved onto the grass and with the near slicks, didn’t have the grip and span, sending me to the back of the pack.

Moving up from the back, gaining places each lap, I started to lose power and oil, the gauges lying to me showing everything was fine. 2 laps later the engine

let go due to oil starvation, throwing a con rod in protest.

This meant that I would be a spectator for the remaining races and they were worth watching, although I would have preferred to be racing. The drivers who stood out from the rest in the mk1’s were last years championship runner up Neil Glynn looking to better his position last year winning the first race and coming second in the second. Newcomer Bradley Philpot won the second race and finished third in the first race and Liam O’Toole finished off on the podium in both races, leaving the mk1 championship looking close at the top. David Litchfield and Patrick Mortell picked up their own track rivalry where they finished off last season in the mk2’s with newcomers Rowland Woolley and Gordon Milner mixing it well with them at the top. There was also an unfortunate accident near the back of the grid with both drivers being ok, but two written off cars being the result.

Back to the drawing board on the engine front then for me. The engine that I took out before Snetterton was partially taken apart and clearances checked and gaskets replaced. The engine looked good, and fitted with a new exedy paddle clutch and a lick of paint it looked the part! Sadly the car wasn’t running in time for the world record attempt but was running a day later.

The car had 350 miles put on the engine and 500 miles put on the Falcons, arriving at Cadwell park for rounds 3 and 4 a day early and setting up the geometry things looked very promising, but then it happened. The curse of “Calamity Cartledge”. Tom Dyke taking the car for a quick spin noticed a death rattle at 3000-4000, so I had a quick go in the car and there it was, the death rattle that wasn’t there the previous day. It was only a matter of time before the engine let go.

Race day came and with separate races for the mk1’s and mk2’s there were a lot of new faces along with new cars. The mk1’s were the first out for the day, so at 9.00am we were sent out on track for qualifying at 9.01am. Not even a lap into qualifying my oil pressure started dropping, great. Needing to complete at least 3 laps to qualify for the race (in the hope we could fix my car) I stuck it in 5th and cruised round, with the engine dying when I tried to pull into the pits.

Despite the problems, I wasn’t at the back of the grid, about 6th from the back even though I was taking it easy, leaving me thinking of what might have been.

Dropping the sump in the pits, the big ends had gone on number 2 and 4 cylinders with the crank scored and piston like material in the oil. My race day was over.

The racing was a bit hair raising with so many mk1’s on the track. and Cadwell being tight there was a fair bit of contact and body work damage. The biggest concern was the Falken tyres, with a large number of tyres bursting or popping off the rim. The MR2’s were a great race to watch and the most exciting of the day, Sarah Wherry on her home track was quick and led race 2 for a while finishing with a deserved podium, but Bradley Philpot dominated the mk1 races with a second and first place, with Neil Glynn taking it slightly easy due to bedding in a new engine winning the first race and retiring in the second, Liam O’Toole was unfortunate to be knocked off track in an incident with Bradley in race one, but fought back in race two.

The next race is at Mallory Park on June 24th and for more details of the MR2 challenge please visit www.mr2racing.com

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Cadwell Pa

eing an avid motorsport fan and an obsessive MR2 enthusiast what better way for me to spend bank holiday Monday than watching the MR2 Challenge at Cadwell Park, a very technical little circuit in the heart of Lincolnshire, often referred to as the “Mini Nürburgring.

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The day started early with a 120 mile drive in the MR2 Only track car, so that when we turned up people would know who we were. We arrived just in time to watch the A class go out on their practice laps, and much to my amusement one of the marshalls mistook our car for a challenge car.

We headed down to the viewing stand at the Mountain where the Mk1s were already out on a practice lap.

We were keen to follow the days progress on a number of drivers in both A class (Mk1s) and B Class Mk2s and unfortunately Tim Cartledge in his Sherwood green mk1 car 42 suffered a disaster during practice when his big end bearing gave up, putting an end to his racing for the day. We were also keen to follow Karen Phillips progress and Sarah Wherry in the MR2 Drivers Club Mark 1.

One by one the Mk1s came in and the Mk2s filed out for their practice laps I was actually surprised

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whilst spectating how well the somewhat larger Mk2s seemed to handle the twisty sections, as I’d of thought it to be a track best suited to the MK1.

With practice finished we headed over to the paddocks to get a few photos of support teams and drivers making the necessary adjustments to their MR2s for the first race at 11.30. Tim had already taken the sump of car 42 and Jason of Bok Motorsport and IMOCs Tom Dyke were all surveying the extent of the damage to the engine, which had only been fitted during the week. Unfortunately it was not good news, the big end bearings had given up and the racing was over for Tim today.

11.30 came very quickly and we made our way back to the stands. The A class headed out for race 1, this was my first time spectating an MR2 Challenge event, I’d seen photos and some videos that Patrick had shown me at Rogue Motorsport, but Id no idea how close and competitive the racing was and a far cry from the open pit lane days we’ve partaken in ourselves.

As the race progressed it descended into wacky race style in front of us with one or two prangs, Karen suffered a rear shunt and front end damage, and looked to be experiencing some suspension issues with the car appearing to bounce through the uphill section at the Mountain, she then took a spin at

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ark May 7th the Mountain ripping the tyre from the rim, and managing to continue for the next two laps to complete the race.

Sarah Wherry also suffered front end damage in an unavoidable collision. Another couple of casualties unfortunately came back by tow truck. Neil Glynn taking first position for class A in race 1, with Bradley Philpot achieving the quickest lap time.

With the Mk1s all back and licking their wounds, the Mk2s headed out onto the track, with car 73, Mark Jessop establishing an early lead, and seemed to be in a race of his own. Lots of the Mk2s sporting the Rogue Motorsport livery with their own cars, their arrive and drive hire race cars, and their customer built cars, it was difficult to keep a track of who was who. We were keen to watch Patrick and new comer Rowland Woolley only on his second challenge race of the season since taking his race licence. The Mk2s didn’t seem quite so hectic and all returned unscathed with Mark Jessop taking 1st position.

With another 4 hours until the next MR2 Challenge racing we made our way back to the fields where many of the mk1 owners were frantically bashing out panels and making the cars safe to race again in the afternoon, again it was great to see everyone rallying around helping with tools and expertise to make sure that all the cars were fit for racing again.

For afternoon sessions we decided to take a walk around the track to photograph the action in different places, down stretch at Gooseneck and Mansfield did look a little scary, although I am excited at the prospect of attending a track day there in our own track car. Bradley Philpot took the trophy for the class A in race 3, The Class B race was dominated again by car 73, with Rowland Woolley challenging Patrick Mortells position throughout the race with many attempts to pass, finally passing a few laps before the end of the race, Mark Jessop again returned in first position.

With trophies given out and cars strapped onto trailers the day was over all too fast. A really good day had by all, on what is becoming a very fast growing racing series, a motorsport with realistic budgets that is in reach of the everyday MR2 owner, its given us food for thought in potentially entering an MR2 Only car and driver into next years season, we will be keen to attend more events this year to look, listen and learn.

MR2 Only is keen to cover the motorsport side of the MR2 scene just as much as the show and shine and technical features we include. I really do urge you to go along to an MR2 Challenge meet and cheer the guys on yourself, its a really top day out!

If any other drivers would like to contribute articles, news, driver profiles please contact steveb@mr2only.com

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y

Race

a M h t 7 k r a P l l e Report: Cadw

aren didn’t have the benefit of any practice at Cadwell before race day, and the clouds were hanging dark and heavy. Chances for decent finishing positions were therefore considered bleak.

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However, Karen was toward the front of the cars going into the qualifying session and this ensured she got a fair amount of clear track. She found the track extremely slippy in the Gooseneck and Hall Bends, but we subsequently discovered that so did everyone else. Karen had trouble turning into the left-hander before the Mountain, with the front of the car hopping, causing a fair amount of understeer. This behaviour left her pit-crew scratching their heads. She qualified in 15th place for Race 1 and in 14th place for Race 2. Not fantastic, but not too bad either.

At the start of Race 1, Karen actually had difficulty in seeing the starting lights past the car in front! She did manage a decent start though, and better than John Wilson #17 who she passed along the straight and into Coppice. Within a couple of laps, she was exiting the Hairpin under full power when Roger Pullan #13 struck her on the rear ¾ and sent her spinning wildly. During this melee she ended up crushing the passenger door of #13 thus damaging the nose of her car. Having spun to a halt she span again on the grass trying to rejoin and was dead last. She was soon chasing down the next car, Tony Kiss #5 and within a

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couple of laps she was past him and a lap later had overtaken two more cars. It was at this point that she noticed real difficulty in trying to turn left. The usual problem of the left-hander before Mountain became magnified and massive understeer saw her thrown onto the in-field. She was carrying a lot of speed and as she reached the circuit at the Mountain her front passenger tyre blew. As she recovered, all her previous work was undone as the cars raced by her. Karen was unaware of how bad the problem was with the front wheel, and soldiered on to drive another two laps and finish in last place!

Just for a change, her pit-crew actually had something to do! Darren got stuck in straight away and he and Richard dismantled the bumper and began to remove the dents in the front wing. The front bumper alignment was out which caused problems with the lights. After a couple of hours and help from various people including spectators, fellow racers and MR2MK1 club officials the car was ready for the next race.

Karen would like to take this opportunity to thank them again for all their help.

Karen seemed to get another decent start in Race 2, which saw her just ahead of fellow Worcester dweller #17 John Wilson.

After a couple of laps for things to settle down, he spotted a gap and flew by going down Mansfield. On the next lap Karen fluffed a down-change at the Gooseneck and was forced to brake whilst still turning in.

The resulting spin caused no damage, but allowed Ross Stoner #22 through in his tango-coloured racer. A recovery drive saw her overtake George Stoddard #3 and catch

Written by Richard and Karen

Ivan Thomas #59. That was as far as she would get though, as Ivan made sure she couldn’t get by him thanks to behaving less than gentlemanly and weaving along Park Straight, not letting her past on either side.

The end of the race saw everyone having to be vigilant in avoiding the stricken car of Rob Howes #7, as they drove out of Barn before crossing the line. Karen finished 17th, but was later promoted to 16th due to a disqualification higher up the field.

Karen was philosophical about things, but still disappointed with the results. That’s the second meeting this year and the second time her races have been spoiled by the actions of a novice driver. Despite this and the apparent suspension problems, she managed to finish both races and still leads the Women’s Class!

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MR2 Challenge 2007 Results Round-up Snetterton 6 Apr 2007 Snetterton 6 Apr 2007 : Race 1 - Class A 1 32 Neil GLYNN (F/L) 2 64 Liam O’TOOLE 3 50 Bradley PHILPOT 4 99 Arthur GILMOUR 5 17 John WILSON 6 7 Robert HOWES 7 51 Adam LOCKWOOD 8 88 Steve WOOLFE 9 14 Karen PHILLIPS 10 34 Nigel BUTTFIELD 11 37 Jason JESSE 12 16 Paul BARKER 13 59 Ivan THOMAS 14 31 Chris DUNNETT 15 3 George STODDART 16 13 Roger PULLAN 17 28 Nick WINTER Not Classified DNF 40 David BLOCK DNF 42 Tim CARTLEDGE DNF 62 Sam HARE DNS 26 Arron PULLAN EXC 24 Jorge CALADO Underweight EXC 98 Hugh GILMOUR Underweight EXC 39 Paul RADFORD Underweight Snetterton 6 Apr 2007 : Race 2 - Class B 1 11 David LITCHFIELD (F/L)

2 12 Gordon MILNER 3 33 Rowland WOOLLEY 4 1 Patrick MORTELL 5 15 Andrew RACE 6 10 Alan HENDERSON 7 21 Andrew HUTCHINSON 8 58 Steve LUMLEY 9 8 Andy WINTERTON 10 4 Nick JONES Not Classified DNF 9 Rob HORSFIELD DNS 36 Rob ALMAN DNS 48 Paul RIDER Snetterton 6 Apr 2007 : Race 3 - Class A 1 50 Bradley PHILPOT 2 32 Neil GLYNN (F/L) 3 64 Liam O’TOOLE 4 99 Arthur GILMOUR 5 24 Jorge CALADO 6 16 Paul BARKER 7 51 Adam LOCKWOOD 8 34 Nigel BUTTFIELD 9 14 Karen PHILLIPS 10 17 John WILSON 11 37 Jason JESSE 12 98 Hugh GILMOUR 13 59 Ivan THOMAS 14 3 George STODDART

Not Classified DNF 28 Nick WINTER DNF 13 Roger PULLAN DNF 7 Robert HOWES DNF 62 Sam HARE DNS 26 Arron PULLAN DNS 40 David BLOCK DNS 42 Tim CARTLEDGE DNS 88 Steve WOOLFE EXC 31 Chris DUNNETT Extinguisher EXC 39 Paul RADFORD Underweight Snetterton 6 Apr 2007 : Race 4 - Class B 1 11 David LITCHFIELD 2 1 Patrick MORTELL 3 21 Andrew HUTCHINSON 4 10 Alan HENDERSON 5 33 Rowland WOOLLEY (F/L) 6 12 Gordon MILNER 7 15 Andrew RACE 8 58 Steve LUMLEY 9 4 Nick JONES 10 8 Andy WINTERTON Not Classified DNS 36 Rob ALMAN DNS 48 Paul RIDER DNS 9 Rob HORSFIELD

Cadwell 7 May 2007 Cadwell 7 May 2007 : Race 1 - Class A 1 32 MRA Neil GLYNN 2 50 MRA Bradley PHILPOT 3 62 MRA Sam HARE 4 34 MRA Nigel BUTTFIELD 5 7 MRA Robert HOWES 6 37 MRA Jason JESSE 7 51 MRA Adam LOCKWOOD 8 19 MRA Jonathan GRIMES 9 24 MRA Jorge CALADO 10 16 MRA Paul BARKER 11 98 MRA Hugh GILMOUR 12 17 MRA John WILSON 13 23 MRA Sarah WHERRY 14 27 MRA Jamie FIRTH 15 13 MRA Roger PULLAN 16 59 MRA Ivan THOMAS 17 3 MRA George STODDART 18 31 MRA Christopher DUNNETT 19 88 MRA Steve WOOLFE 20 35 MRA Rob JEFFRIES 21 5 MRA Tony KISS 22 26 MRA Arron PULLAN 23 14 MRA Karen PHILLIPS Not-Classified 64 MRA Liam O'TOOLE Non-Starters 22 MRA Ross STONER Toyota MR2 Mk1 42 MRA Tim CARTLEDGE Toyota MR2 Mk1 Cadwell 7 May 2007 : Race 2 - Class B 1 73 MRB Mark JESSOP 2 11 MRB David LITCHFIELD 3 12 MRB Gordon MILNER 4 21 MRB Andrew HUTCHINSON

5 1 MRB Patrick MORTELL 6 58 MRB Steve LUMLEY 7 6 MRB Clive MORPHETT 8 33 MRB Rowland WOOLEY 9 18 MRB David HENDERSON 10 15 MRB Andrew RACE 11 8 MRB Andy WINTERTON 12 4 MRB Nick JONES 13 36 MRB Rob ALMAN 14 9 MRB Rob HORSFIELD 15 55 MRB James BROWN Fastest Lap 73 MRB Mark JESSOP Non-Starters 30 MRB Mal DAVIDSON Cadwell 7 May 2007 : Race 3 - Class A 1 50 MRA Bradley PHILPOT 2 62 MRA Sam HARE 3 23 MRA Sarah WHERRY 4 64 MRA Liam O'TOOLE 5 34 MRA Nigel BUTTFIELD 6 24 MRA Jorge CALADO 7 51 MRA Adam LOCKWOOD 8 16 MRA Paul BARKER 9 17 MRA John WILSON 10 37 MRA Jason JESSE 11 13 MRA Roger PULLAN 12 88 MRA Steve WOOLFE 13 31 MRA Christopher DUNNETT 14 98 MRA Hugh GILMOUR 15 59 MRA Ivan THOMAS 16 14 MRA Karen PHILLIPS 17 3 MRA George STODDART 18 35 MRA Rob JEFFRIES

Not-Classified 7 MRA Robert HOWES 5 MRA Tony KISS 26 MRA Arron PULLAN 32 MRA Neil GLYNN 22 MRA Ross STONER 19 MRA Jonathan GRIMES Exclusions 27 MRA Jamie FIRTH Non-Starters 42 MRA Tim CARTLEDGE

Cadwell 7 May 2007 : Race 4 - Class B 1 73 MRB Mark JESSOP 2 11 MRB David LITCHFIELD 3 21 MRB Andrew HUTCHINSON 4 12 MRB Gordon MILNER 5 33 MRB Rowland WOOLEY 6 58 MRB Steve LUMLEY 7 1 MRB Patrick MORTELL 8 18 MRB David HENDERSON 9 6 MRB Clive MORPHETT 10 8 MRB Andy WINTERTON 11 9 MRB Rob HORSFIELD 12 36 MRB Rob ALMAN 13 55 MRB James BROWN 14 4 MRB Nick JONES Non-Starters 15 MRB Andrew RACE 30 MRB Mal DAVIDSON

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Kevin Poole, owner of KPM Motorsport added “we are very excited to have Ross in the race car for this season”. oming from a family with motorsport in the blood it was inevitable that 28 year old Ross Stoner from Odiham, Hampshire would follow in the family footsteps being the 3rd generation to race.

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At the age of 8 years old Ross started off with cadet karting in 1986, progressing through both junior and senior levels winning championships at all 3 levels.

Ross then went on to achieve wins in Autoxross driving a modified Vauxhall, and tested in Formula Renault, modifed Toyota MR2 and Ferrari 355GT. After attending Thruxton circuit on a test day with the former Arrows F1 driver Damon Hill, due to the precarious nature of motor racing at a professional level Ross was advised by Damon to continue his University degree and then return to motorsport afterwards, this would at least give him financial backup.

Ross re-emerged into racing in 2005 winning a senior championship in his first season

back.

Ross is no stranger to some of the big names in motorsport being former stablemate to Jenson Button (Honda F1), Anthony Davidson (Honda Super Aguri F1), Dan Wheldon (Indy car champion USA) and Paul Rivett (Renault Clio Cup Winner 2006) during his former years.

During a race meeting at Wilton Mill competing in the “Champion of Champions race, Ross met up with his father’s old racing friend Nigel Mansell, whose sons were competing on the same day. Ross and his father Maurice who competed with Nigel Mansell in his earlier formulas discussed their future options and advised him to progress via touring cars to the ultimate goal of F1.

After watching Ross on circuit Nigel said “Ross is definitely a name to look out for in the future”.

Right now Ross is putting his 20 years experience to use and focussing on the 2007 MR2 Challenge series with KPM Motorsport,

Sponsorship Ross and father Maurice have attracted a good deal of interest and much needed funding for the Challenge by way of sponsorship Ross originally met sponsor Richard of Lanboss (www.lanboss.com) through karting where both his son and I would race at the same track. Lanboss Software Limited was founded in 1998, their roots stem from network building and implementation, delivering IT solutions and performing system migrations for a number of clients including Renault F1. Richard has always been very supportive due to his interest in motorsport.

Another sponsor is Sequent Cars (www.sequentcars.co.uk) Again also meeting through karting, where Sequent partner Jackie’s son has recently started racing. Jackie being in the motor trade and being very good at acquiring more expensive type cars you want at the right price obviously also had an interest in motor racing.

R & R Tyres Hampshire Ltd R&R are suppliers of a variety of tyres from race to road with a heavy presence on the motorways of the south. Their director Richard is a keen motor racing fan and attends races like the 24hour Le Mans. R&R tyres are a newly acquired sponsor for the 2007 season and we hope to be continuing to work with them in the future.

Up And Coming Sponsorship We are also hoping on gaining sponsorship from a leading anti virus publisher based in Sweden. We hope to find out soon !!!!

For more details about Ross Stoner email: mauricestoner@hotmail.com

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Contact Information.

TOYOTA MR2 CHALLENGE 2007

KPR.Racing Snetterton Cadwell Park Mallory Snetterton Brands Mallory Silverstone Snetterton Mallory

April 6 Double Header May 7 Double Header June 24 Double Header July 15 Double header July 28 One Race August 19 One Race Sept 22 One Race Sept 29 Double Header October 14 One Race

750mc 750mc CSCC 750mc 750MC CSCC CSCC 750MC 750MC

Contact: Kevin Poole 07886 503784 or 0800 4584912 • Race equipment/car parts for DIY Prep plus Race Clothing • Race Hire one off races or full season • Race Preparation MK1 & 2 Cars for Sale.

• Can offer track side support your own car • also A.R.D.S. Instructor Race tuition

Rogue Motorsport

Roadsters in the MR2 Challenge

Contact: Patrick Mortel 01676 530222 • MK2 Race Cars for Sale & plus Race Hire • Ran this years class winning Mk2

Dragon Autosports UK Ltd MR2 challenge Co-ordinator Steve vince has been approached recently by several prospective drivers interested in racing their MK3 MR2’s in the challenge series. Whilst there are none currently and there isnt a class for them. The Mk3’s are now welcome to participate in the Challenge as an invitation class providing that they are in “stock form” i.e production spec. Should sufficient numbers of Mk3’s appear, say 4 or more there would be a class established for them.

Contact: Steve Vince 01646 601908 • Series co-ordinator for regulations/ entry forms • Falken Tyre supplier [ tyres must be bought from here] • Roll Cages MK1 & MK2 £495 [ must be bought through here]

Race License RAC/MSA: 01753 765000 CHECK OUT THE WEB SITE WWW.MR2racing.com FOR MORE DETAILS

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t’s early on a Sunday morning, 29th April to be exact. There is a cold wind chill in the air. All around the UK, small convoys of MR2’s are forming, North, south, East and West, all with one purpose and one destination, Rockingham raceway circuit. Their mission to break current record for the biggest rolling convoy!

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ones, red ones, white, blue, silver, grey, green, yellow and even a smurf blue one, excitement is building as the cars line up in rows of colour in the waiting area.

chance to get some all important photos, mingle with the crowd and talent spot a few future feature cars for MR2 Only magazine.

Mick Jones (aka Topgun) looks nervously but proudly on as the MR2s arrive. He is the guy behind this attempt and has brought together MR2 Owners from around the UK from MR2OC, IMOC, MR2Mk1Club, MR2DC, MR2ROC and TWOBRUTAL.

Before long we get the call and the owners head back to their cars and the air is filled with a chorus of MR2 exhausts. With Mick out in front leading in his infamous Cadburys purple TRD replica we make our way on to Rockingham’s infield, slowly but surely snaking our way up to the entrance to the main circuit.

As we descend on Rockingham, you can see the surprised look on the local faces, oh, there’s, one, and another one, and another one... through the gates they line up, black

Mk1s, Mk2, Roadsters, modified and standard, rows and rows of them, this really is the show of the year and the build up to the event has been worth the wait. We steal a

While waiting for our allotted time on to the banked circuit we are treated to a very close spot of spectating the U.S. pick up truck racing, unbelievable how fast those things

Photos taken by Steve Bishop, Pam Bishop, Andy Bishop, Anna Ruddock, Tony Gilroy (VC) Rich Lee and BRSCC photographer Ralphy

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293 MR2’s - 3 mile rolling convoy - Sunday 29th April 2007 move! a lot quicker than they seem on TV. Again while we are waiting there is another chance to get more photos of what really is something special. From the stands MR2 Only Pam and Anna record the footage on video and camera for the official record.

Our time comes and engines are once again started and we are led out onto the banked circuit in two lanes, trying to maintain a two car gap. As a true enthusiast this feels amazing. I’m in the red section driving the MR2 Only Mk1 track car, feeling a little gutted that my blue Anniversary MR2 was sold only a few days ago, great timing. My brother Andy and father Cyril are quite a way back in the silver section in his Roadster naturally with the roof down.

We do what seems to be just short of two

laps of the circuit before being diverted back into the holding area where we are counted in one by one and head back to the car park to eagerly await whether we had broken the record.

The record is currently held by the Netherlands MR2 Club who managed a rolling convoy of 162 back in 2003.

Finally we have a result!

YES!!!! 293 MR2’s We did it! and we also managed to cover 3 miles including the infield.

A massive congratulations has to go to all those who attended this special event, Mick Jones for his excellent organisation and the British Racing and Sports Car Club for the use

of the track during the BRSCC racing event, and of course the staff of Cruisesport for manning the gate in the cold and allocating our numbers.

What’s more, we were only a few cars short of breaking the record for the largest amount of any marque meeting in one place currently held by Lotus. Frustratingly there were a few MR2s in the car park as we came back in, as a few had missed the official start and a few had headed out to clean cars. Who knows we might have broken that record too.

Don’t know what you guys think but I reckon we should return next year. Those of you that couldn’t make it, take a look at these photos and check out what you missed and make sure you make it next time!

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293 MR2s − 3 mile rolling conv

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nvoy − Sunday 29th April 2007

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RUN BY MR2 ENTHUSIASTS FOR MR2 ENTHUSIASTS

www.tbdevelopments.com

The TB Developments name has been around since 1996. Although we’ve been in the business of providing mr2 - tuning products for the last 5 years starting back in the summer of 2002.

In that time it has grown from a simple parts supply business working from home to an international MR2 Specialist tuning company that supplies mr2 only parts, soon to be obtaining a premises where we can not only sell high quality tuning parts but also offer a full fitting and tuning service.

We aim to provide the highest level of service possible with excellent customer service and being able to offer a line up of tuning products I would be happy fitting to my own car, not just what makes me the most money.

• • • • • • • • •

Tuning Packages Promotional Items Air filters and Intakes Blow Off Valves Body Kit and Exterior Boost Controllers Brakes Components Clutches and Flywheels Cooling Components

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ECU’s & Piggybacks Engine Internals Exhausts and Downpipes Fueling Gauges and Gauge Pods Gearbox and Components Ignition Components Intercoolers • Interior Nitrous

• • • • • • •

Oils and Lubrication Suspension Traction and Launch Control Turbo Fittings and Accessories Turbo Timers and Accessories Turbochargers Wastegates

MR2 Only

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dyno day at DSA, A Name: Steve Bishop (MR2 Only) MR2 Model: 86 Mk1 AW11 Power Mods: Induction kit, Magnecor leads BHP at fly: 126.2 BHP at wheels: 102.5 Comments: Very pleased, good basis for our track car project, hopefully more life in the old girl yet!

Name: Simon Skinner (MR2 Only) MR2 Model: Rev 3 GTS Turbo Power Mods: Charge cooler, HKS Racing Suction, HKS SSQV, HKS EVC5, XS Power downpipe & exhaust BHP at fly: 308.4 BHP at wheels: Comments: Much better than expected, must be nice & loose.

Considering standard ECU very good power & curve, scruffiest car here by some margin!

Name: Mark Banham MR2 Model: Rev 3 N/A Power Mods: Standard BHP at fly: 173.7 BHP at wheels: 143.6 Comments: Well pleased, 12 year old car, with no mods!!

Name: Neil Goodfellow (Juggernort) MR2 Model: Rev 2 N/A Power Mods: Mongoose, De-cat, Induction kit BHP at fly: 165.7 BHP at wheels: 136.5 Comments: Happy!

hen Nick from DSA contacted me about arranging our own dyno day, we jumped at the chance and a list of impressive MR2s soon started to form and despite the trek it turned out to be a great day.

W

Another early start, I decide to take the MR2 Only mag project Mk1 to see what sort of power it’s kicking out and I arrange to meet our writer Simon Skinner who is taking his Rev 3 Turbo track car. My journey is going surprisingly well and making good time until our old war injury the overheating strikes again.

Guess it served me right really I had been overcooking the mk1 on the way to Buckinghamshire and my penalty was a twenty minute stop at the side of the road with engine lid open to let it cool down.

Before long I was back on the road again

Name: Ian Harrison MR2 Model: V6 Power Mods: V6 engine, Fidanza flywheel, de-cat BHP at fly: 230.4 BHP at wheels: 185 Comments: Erm..Wow!!! well chuffed

42 MR2 Only

and pulling into DSA’s impressive facility, where the guys are geared up to work on Porsches and Japanese sports cars.

By now the guys had already started to arrive, a few familiar faces and some new ones too, quite an impressive line up with several N/As, a turbo conversion, a few turbos from standard to highly modified and ever a N/A V6 and a supercharged V6.

The cars rolled on and off one by one, and I have to say the efficiency of the guys at DSA was superb.

We’d been looking forward to seeing Lee’s V6 Supercharger a recent conversion undertaken by Paul Woods.

This car really stole the show and attracted much attention with hoards or people gathered around the engine bay all morning.

Unfortunately the car seemed to have a few teething problems with the AFM maxing out, a faulty lambda sensor and the ECU playing up so didn’t show its true potential, reaching around 267bhp.

Name: Jerry Phipps MR2 Model: Rev 3 GTS Turbo Power Mods: HKS filter, HKS SSQV, Blitz Nurspec R Exhaust BHP at fly: 264 BHP at wheels: Comments: Very pleased, not bad for a 13 year old car!

Name: Rob B MR2 Model: Power Mods: BHP at fly: 1 BHP at whee Comments: 1 and putting ou engine mods 2ND Run - wit Club Brack Bo BHP at fly: 1

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, Aylesbury, Bucks Name: Gary (Twiglet) MR2 Model: Rev 2 Turbo Power Mods: None BHP at fly: 208 BHP at wheels: 175 Comments: Bog standard import, 14 years old, 71,000 miles

Look forward to seeing Lee run the V6 again at another dyno.

The N/As produced pretty much text book power both standard and modified, and Rob Butcher interestingly did a 2nd run with a Buddy Club piggy back ECU fitted, and achieved a 10bhp increase, which he was pretty chuffed about.

Simon achieved an impressive 308bhp from his track turbo, impressive power delivery with a good curve, which was a lot better than he had expected.

Must admit to being a tad concerned about running our Mk1 after its latest spate of overheating, but on the rollers it returned a respectable 126bhp which for a 21 year old car with 150K on the clock isn’t to be sneezed at, and has proved to be a sound basis for our track car, watch me eat my words when the engine gives up at our next track day!

Another impressive MR2 owned by Nick from DSA also outstanding the group reaching an impressive 340plus bhp, with

a modification list too long to fit this page, hence having its own page. This will certainly be a car to look out for, with Nick planning a serious rebuild and has kindly offered to keep MR2 Only mag updated with his diary in print.

The morning concluded with lining the cars up for a photoshoot along the quieter end of the industrial estate, with a couple of drive bys by Lee and Nick, until the fun was ended prematurely by a spoilsport chimp blocking the road with his Peugeot.

After all the power crazy fun was over local MR2OC club member 6volt kindly invited us back to his place just around the corner for a welcome cold beer and a look at his on-going Turbo project that was by all accounts an absolute bargain and promises to be an excellent car.

Nick at DSA added “Thanks to every one who came down and made the day AWESOME, thanks again to Steve and all the Guys at MR2 ONLY you guys rock!!”

Name: Lee Larholt MR2 Model: Supercharged V6 Power Mods: V6 engine, TRD Supercharger @ 2.5psi with full head work BHP at fly: 267.8 BHP at wheels: 219.5 Comments: Less than expected but does have problems with the AFM maxing out full throttle, plus one fried Lambda sensor and an ECU that keeps switching to safe mode. New Haltech ECU to come, watch this space.

Name: David Millward MR2 Model: Rev 3 Turbo Power Mods: Apexi Exhaust, GTS Downpipe, (De-cat), Greddy EBC BHP at fly: 277.8 BHP at wheels: 234.4 Comments: Delighted, 41.5bhp at fly increase, added GTSchris downpipe and Greddy B Spec Series II EBC since Weston Dyno Day (236.3bhp at fly) Operator: Running a little rich, fuel controller would push up bhp a little more Name: Andy Barclay MR2 Model: G-Limited Turbo Power Mods: Rev 2 turbo engine, 5Zigen cat back exhaust, custom air filter, Apexi AVCR BHP at fly: 241.9 BHP at wheels: Comments: Very pleased, a good base to work from. Stage 2 in progress.

Rob Butcher odel: Rev 2 N/A Mods: Apexi filter, Mongoose, de-cat fly: 161.9 wheels: 133 nts: 1st ever dyno, very happy, 14 years old ing out above standard BHP with only a few mods n - with Buddy Club piggy back ECU (Buddy ck Box Supercomputer) fitted fly: 170.9

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NAME: Nicholas Bourne CAR: Toyota MR2 Turbo "The Bourne Supremacy" SW20 3S-GTE, REV 3 COLOUR: Red MODS: Hybrid CT20 Ball bearing turbo HKS EVC 5 Boost controller HKS Fuel cut defensor HKS Racing suction High flow induction system TRD Ignition Dastek Piggy back ECU (although I was running standard management on the day) MOTEC is coming..yeah baby Cusco charged air hard pipe kit Standard Toyota intercooler-Sort it out mate.....I know, I know Rouge Systems Decat pipe Blitz Nur-Spec R Race exhaust system Speedo converted and speed limiter removed Exedy Triple paddle Racing clutch Exedy Uprated Pressure plate Fidanza Light weight Ally Flywheel Carbonetic 1.5 way LSD Custom Quick shift gear selector mechanism Cusco Strut brace Front and rear Apexi Coil over Suspension BBS 16' GT Rims Painted satin black Bridgestone Potenza S03 215/60/16 Front Bridgestone Potenza S02 225/60/16 Rear DBA GOLD drilled, Slotted and vented discs all round EBC Red Stuff pads all round Goodridge Steel braided brake hoses BHP AT FLY: 342BHP BHP AT WHEELS: Stuart was being mean and didn't print me a graph (he drives a Subaru by the way) OWNER COMMENTS: I need more power...Lots of power, its all my power my precious power, MY PRECIOUS, MY PRECIOUS...man you've got it bad, stop wearing that ring. On a serious note, I NEED MORE POWER...but my engine will blow up soon so I intend to rebuild it as soon as poss, The build will be covered in MR2 Only, so I can share that with every one and then you can all laugh at how skint I am.

Modified?

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Are you working away on something special? have an on-going project? send us your work in progress pics, have you designed something for the MR2, we want to hear from you, email steveb@mr2only.com

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Rusty Mk1 MR2 Sills? ver Can deli e, anywher es s pric oversea le. negotiab

MK1 MR2 SKIN SILLS 50 inch for 1984/89 £50.00 each side, plus £12 UK delivery.

From Craig Mallinson...

Tel 07778 291728 01422 244585 Email:

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MR2... Mk1, Mk2 & Roadster

david.mallinson2@tiscali.co.uk

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At TCB we cater for all lovers of Toyota, with vast stocks of guaranteed new & used parts MR2 (89-94) / Genuine Toyota Electrical aerial mast, this mast is for the MR2 model having the no.3 piece rear spoiler Price: £ 23.99 + ( £ 4.20 v.a.t.) each (84-90) MR2 MK1 (AW11) Exhaust rear twin pipe & silencer section Price: £ 60.16 + ( £ 10.53 v.a.t.) Part no. EXTY242 MR2 / MK2 Radiator (SW20) (89/99) this new radiator fits the 2ltr MK2 including the turbo model ... when fitting new its trouble free and carries our full twelve months warranty. (part no. TCBTO2015) Price: £ 82.50 + ( £ 14.44 v.a.t.)

We specialize in the import of new parts from around the world. This with our vast stock of used parts, makes us one of the largest suppliers of Toyota parts in the U.K. We can dispatch our parts not only in the U.K. and Europe, but to any destination around the world.

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Phone: 01579 383879

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We know, once installed you will be so excited with the difference in evening vision. (12V 60/55W) gives up to 135/125W conversion (pair required) you will not be disappointed.

Price: Part no. FH05 .. £ 39.99 + ( £ 7.00 v.a.t.) each unit

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MR2 MEDIA STAR

Written by owner Peter Ciesielski R2 Only magazine is not all about monster horse power and Veilside kitted MR2s take this pristine original revision 1 example, still riding on its standard 14 inch alloys. When Peter acquired the car back in September 2002 he soon found out that the car had more history than he had bargained for and was quite a star in it’s own right.

M

When I bought the car I had no idea about it's history. I looked at a handful of other MR2s but was attracted to G905APB because being an early car it didn't have ABS or power steering and felt more like a traditional sports car compared to the newer cars.

About a year into my ownership I joined IMOC and soon discovered the car's history.

It featured in Autocar & Motor a number of times but the most interesting features were on 16th May 1990 when it was the subject of the first UK road test and on 25th July 1990 when it featured in a handling test comparison.

On both occasions my car featured on the front cover, the number plate clearly displayed. My car also featured in Autocar & Motor's road test year book in 1991 and in an article about used MR2s in the Christmas bumper issue in 1993. I believe that my car was a long term test car for a couple of years but this information is still to be confirmed. Chassis number 304, my car was one of the first to be imported into the UK and at the moment none of the clubs know of an older example.

Since buying the car I replaced the standard air filter and exhaust for a K&N kit and a Mongoose. I doubt the performance has improved but the noise is superb. I removed the standard Revision 1 steering wheel and gear stick knob and

replaced them with a smaller Revision 2 wheel and an after-market gear knob.

The original radio cassette player was missing so I fitted a Sony CD tuner which is connected to standard speakers as well as a pair of pod speakers fixed to the storage lids behind the seats. BBC Radio 4 never sounded so good! Externally I colour coded the sills, spats and front splitter. This makes the car look lower but can be easily reversed should the need arise.

A couple of years ago I fitted a set of 15" Revision 2 wheels but the car tramlined and the handling didn't feel right. The car looks perfect on the standard 14" alloys which bar one small mark are unkerbed and clean.

Since buying the car it's served me well as my daily runner and company car. I am a chartered surveyor and sometimes work takes me all over the country.

In just under 5 years I've clocked up over 50,000 trouble free miles. The car has never let me down, except when I jet washed the engine lid and soaked the electrics. The AA man pulled the distributor cap off, gave everything a clean and had the engine purring in no time.

The longest journey I managed in my MR2 was from London to Poland, which was an 18 hour, 700 mile marathon across France, Belgium, Holland and Germany in heavy snow and -5'C temperatures. On the autobahn the MR2 cruised at 100MPH+ with ease but when called upon it managed

a good 145MPH, although at that speed the front end felt a little light.

Upon my return I calculated the fuel consumption, which averaged at over 35MPG. Although the car still looked superb, last year I thought about replacing it with something newer. I parked the MR2 up on the drive and spent five months driving around in a Honda S2000, which was a fantastic car with amazing dynamics but one which never inspired me as much as the little MR2. In the end the Honda had to go and I recalled the MR2 into daily service.

The MR2 gets a wash once every couple of weeks and a good polish (Autoglym) twice a year. The paint on the rear spoiler and wing mirrors is getting a bit thin but I don't propose to do anything about it. Far as I'm concerned that's patina!

I am mad about cars from the 1970s and 80s but most of them are impractical for day to day use in the 21st century. My MR2 has enough character to ensure it's classic status in the future and in the meantime it's perfect for my needs. My wife has picked the short straw and ended up with a boring hatchback (Mazda 323F) whilst I enjoy the MR2!

I've been into cars all my life and since passing my driving test 15 years ago I've had everything from a Dutton Pheaton kit car to a Porsche, with Jags, Mercs, Alfas and Triumph Spitfires in between.

I don't intend to ever sell my MR2 but may soon purchase another, probably a low mileage Revision 3 car (or newer) to use for work whilst G905APB is retired and set aside for weekend use.

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IMPULSE PURCHASE ou know the situation right? You pop into the local store to pick up the essentials, an easy mission, in and out it will take minutes!....But there’s an 8 pack on offer and by god those triple pack of Y fronts that you have been eyeing up for the past week are half price!!

Y

It would be a crime to refuse such bargains and before you know it you’re carrying things to the till you never set out to buy.

A similar thing happened to Mark Lampard when fate brought him and his MR2 together. Mark was on the hunt for Nissan’s miniature Skyline, the furious Nissan Pulsar GTi-R. Arriving at a London based Importers the Pulsar was getting its leg stretched by another potential buyer when down the road a transporter appeared carrying a fresh batch of Imports straight off the boat. In the middle of the orgy of Jap metal sat a mint black MR2 Turbo.

Mark got the salesman to pull the 2 off the trailer so it could be taken for a

drive. A huge grin spread across his face as he recalled the test drive as if it were yesterday.

“The turbo whistled up and the chirp of the dump valve ricocheted off of the rows of parked cars it was an awesome drive” He instantly forgot about the Nissan and fell in love with the MR2, documents were singed and his hard earned was parted with.

There were never huge plans for the MR2, Mark wanted to keep the car looking tidy and just neaten up what was already there with some of the later spec parts.

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“The turbo whistled up and the chirp of the dump valve ricocheted off of the rows of parked cars it was an awesome drive” That was until he took a trip to Max Power Live in Birmingham, one of the largest modified car events in the UK. A heavily modified MR2 caught his eye and the modifying bug took a massive bite and buried myself deep under Mark’s skin.

Plans then took over for the tidy 2 and modifying began. Rather than throw money at the car many of the mods you see on the car were taken on by himself. One of the most attention grabbing mods is the custom lightning bonnet.

“I sat at home with some paper and just started jotting down some ideas and when I had a few I liked I made a template of the lightning bolts and placed them on the car, moving them about until I had the look I wanted and got the angle grinder powered up” Mark had each of the mods pre planned and spent hours designing the car on paper.

He told me how he would search eBay daily for parts and picked up a few bargains on his way.

When it came to picking a kit something different was needed. In a time when most

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Written by Nick Turner nick@mr2only.com Photography by Joe Liepins joe@vintageroots.co.uk owners were opting for the easily obtainable Veilside kit. Mark had his eyes set on the stylish Border kit that improves on the already sleek lines of the MR2 rather than move away from them. The front end now houses a set of shiny euro bars, a nice touch to make the kit stand out even more.

The bulky side skirts display an impressive insight into some of the tuning goodies that the car is running. HKS, Blitz, Greddy, all the usual suspects are lined up emblazoned onto the skirts.

Border spats add depth to a standard rear

bumper and a set of Revision 6 after burner lights look menacingly out from the back of the car. Mark searched for an MR2 spoiler that would look right but there was nothing available that suited the look Mark wanted so he started to look at spoilers available for other cars when he came across the Subaru Imprezza spoiler that’s now sat on the boot lid of the MR2. It wasn’t a straight fit but after some work a local body shop got the spoiler to sit like it was made for the car.

Behind the blue tinted windows sit a set of Cobra Sidewinder bucket seats. Mark

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“I sat at home with some paper and just started jotting down some ideas and when I had a few I liked I made a template of the lightning bolts and placed them on the car, moving them about until I had the look I wanted and got the angle grinder powered up” trimmed the door cards himself with matching blue material ordered direct from Cobra. Sunk into the passenger side of the dash are 3 gauges, such an effective and fresh mod that really breaks up the black dash.

“I have done this to 3 MR2’s now and after friends saw what I had done to my own car they loved it” Suckered on to the windscreen is a Sony PSP that’s commanding an assortment of speakers running throughout the cock pit.

The CD compartment has been modified and now houses more speakers to get as much sound out of the small cock pit as possible. With the ever popular lambo doors lifted Mark turned the system up and turned the MR2 into a small orchestra scaring children and old people for miles around.

Mark sets off on his way home as the setting sun flicks off of the massive mirror like chrome rims buried under the arches.

The car has done him proud. He’s now on the hunt for a new project and promises to have some pretty special ideas for another crazy MR2 project. Watch this space.

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Suspension geometry continued... n the last issue we touched on suspension design, the parameters included in this as well as some handling characteristics. In this issue we will look in a little more detail around what happens with the front suspension of your MR2 when you alter it away from standard, expanding on the theory we touched on in the last issue.

I

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Written by Simon Skinner - skinthespin We are always pleased to hear your feedback or queries about Back 2 Basics :Please email skinthespin@mr2only.com

Perhaps the biggest single factor however is when you change the suspension for something a little ‘sportier’ and fit lowered springs. This not only affects all the things we have mentioned, including scrub radii and mechanical trail but significantly changes static camber and roll centre location (Diagram 6).

Another factor to consider is the change in shape of the contact patch (Diagram 3), it will be wider and shorter, decreasing stability but increasing agility.

It is a regularly discussed topic on owners forums and at meets that when using larger wheels or lowered suspension it ‘ruins’ the handling, but like we have mentioned already in mr2only these things merely change the handling, as it is a subjective thing.

It is accepted however that some of the handling traits, such as tramlining, a feeling of lightness around the straight ahead position, bump steer and a bit more understeer are common by products of the fitting of larger wheels and lowering the suspension.

One of the most common modifications to any car is to change the wheels, from a simple wheel change but keeping standard tyres to adding a couple of inches in diameter and even a couple of inches in width. It must be understood that ANY variation from the standard wheel will yield changes to the cars behaviour to varying degrees. To take an extreme, changing the weight of the wheel but no dimensions at all will not affect geometry but will affect how the wheels are controlled by the suspension, as well as rotational inertial effects and unsprung mass.

If we assume the diameter of the wheel/tyre combination is the same but now an inch wider with a slightly wider tyre, we can see how the scrub radii has increased (Diagram 1).

This is assuming you maintain the clearance to the strut by changing the wheel offset to compensate, Diagram 2 shows how wheel offset is calculated. Maintaining the overall diameter of course does not affect the mechanical trail.

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A more likely scenario is increasing both the diameter of the wheel/tyre combination as well as the width, diagram 4 shows this. As can be seen the distance from centre of the contact patch has moved even further away from the kingpin axis, this time in side view, having an impact on both the scrub radii and mechanical trail.

Another factor that we have until now ignored is the roll centre, we described this in the last issue and we can see again in Diagram 5 how the roll centre is slightly lower if the overall diameter of the wheel is increased, this increase will also affect many other things, including rotational inertia, gearing and tractive effort.

The contact patch is also significantly reduced in the straight ahead position, and is also removed from the king pin axis, which will result in a lack of proper feel from the steering and contribute massively to the tramlining and bump steer that is prevalent in a lowered and stiffly sprung MR2. This is because the centre of the contact patch also moves around depending on the suspension compression and becomes quite sensitive to changes in the road surface.

Diagram 7 shows the differences in contact patches, the left hand one shows a car with a tyre square on the road surface, the red cross being the intersection of the road with the kingpin axis, the purple cross hairs being the centre of the contact patch, the right hand contact patch being a wheel with lots of negative camber due to lowered suspension. If the diagram on the right is normal (the left one would normally be an opposite of this) and the one on the left is suddenly subject to a change in road surface due to a rut for example, and as such now looks like it is on the diagram you can appreciate why the car would want to go in one direction more than the other, then self corrects massively, in other words tramlining.

With the lowered suspension (shorter springs) the roll centre has also lowered, increasing the moment around it, so although the car is lower it wants to roll more, not less as is probably thought.

To resist the roll stiffer springs and/or anti roll bars can be used, these cause there own problems of course, a car too stiff will not ride bumps and

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instead the wheel will leave the ground and of course there’s no grip from the tyre at all in the air!

There is also the bone jarring ride, extra wear on suspension and body components and the fact in the real world on the road your car will feel very quick but in all likelihood be slower over a typical British B-road.

The toe-in will also need to be corrected, as an amount of toe-in under braking to aid stability will be built into the original geometry, so in effect the suspension is already compressed, so that toe-in is already there and need to be taken out.

The static camber can be reduced through adjustable top mounts or camber adjusting bolts, although this will affect other things, the car rolling onto the outside of the tyre in a corner, I have found from personal experience doing this can give the car huge front end grip, no understeer under any circumstances but the rear of the car is quite lively and particularly hard work under braking.

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the roll centres even though the camber and castor are set to standard, there is also the problem of what happens with the camber dynamically, which we have mentioned.

There is little that can be done about the change in scrub radius, as the strut restricts the ability to compensate through offset changes as we have said, the mechanical trail can be corrected through the use of an adjustable top mount, but this again will affect the self centring action of the wheel. The roll centres can be tweaked using roll centre adjusters, diagram 8 shows some fitted to an AE86, and diagram 9 shows how these affect the geometry.

There are only a few things we can do to try and combat the problems we have caused ourselves by fitting larger wheels, tyres and lowering the suspension, all of which can only be tweaked and tested then re-tweaked. The first thing to do would be set the toe-in to standard factory settings, the camber and castor angles could also be set to standard but this is only a start point for further development because there are still differences in

There is little else we can do to get the car back to its standard geometry (especially steering geometry) and ultimately we have to accept that we have strayed from a standard car, and it will never be as well developed and as sublime as it was when it left the factory, you will always have a compromise, which is what it still was when it left the factory, but compromised to have a decent ride and make the handling both exciting for experienced drivers and easy enough for the novice. What you have to do is use what you can to

get the car to handle how you want it to, this can be achieved with the parameters you have available to you.

Some of the things you can do to tweak the handling are change tyre pressures, roll centre adjustments, camber/castor angles via top mounts and bolts and toe-in, all of which usually carry some sort of penalty, for example as I mentioned earlier I have reduced my negative camber to improve front end grip but the car suffers stability problems under heavy braking. The best way to set camber though is use the car as you intend to, fast road or track, then measure the temperature across the tyre, if its warmer on the inside edge for example you know you are running too much negative camber, as this part of the tyre is being worked harder and is therefore warmer. This only tells part of the story though, for example of a fast circuit the tyres may be getting very hot through one slow corner, making you think you have too much camber, but the car is working well through some more gentle faster curves, so overall lap times may even be reduced by compensating with less camber.

Roll centre adjustments are relatively easy to achieve also and a good way of tuning the balance of under/over steer, like we said in the last issue you can draw an imaginary line (there’s lots of those in geometry theory!) between the front and rear roll axis centres, the attitude of this axis can be changed to alter the tendency to under/over steer, the more a nose down attitude is adopted the more understeer will be engineered in.

We have here only touched the surface of a massively complex and extremely in depth subject of which there are volumes of texts available, what we hopefully have done is got a small appreciation of the sorts of things that are affected by doing something as simple as lowering the car or putting on some slightly larger wheels, and even now we have not gone into many other factors surrounding doing these things.

July 20, 21, and 22, 2007 Kingston, Ontario Annual Eastern Canadian and US MR2 meet. all at your door-steps. From dawn until dusk, and beyond, you'll be amazed at what Kingston has to offer.

he Annual Kingston Event has become synonymous with the MR2 community as a place to catch-up with old friends, and make some new ones.

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Very important if you are attending the track event first.

In it's 5th year, this gathering of the two's and the people that drive them has become larger year after year. Expect to see over a 100 MR2's of every generation, and personalization.

For the fifth consecutive year, we are gathering once again on July 20, 21, and 22, 2007 in Kingston, Ontario for the Annual Eastern Canadian and US MR2 meet.

This year's Annual meet will have something for everyone. Please check back here as we get closer to the date for frequent updates.

Some of the highlights will include: Lapping at Shannonville Race Track (FABI CIRCUIT) Solo 2 Autocross at Picton Airfield Quarter Mile Runs at Picton Airfield

Show-N-Shine at Picton Airfield

For those who are attending Shannonville and have booked a hotel room, you must call the hotel and advise the staff you will have a late check in and you are to give them a new check in time. If you do not to this before 4:00 pm on the day of booking, you will lose your room and/or group rate to the next available person.

Swap Meet and Vendor booths Cruze Night down some curvy roads And Introduction this year, PRO SOLO TIME ATTACK on Sunday City of Kingston is renowned as the Freshwater sailing capital of NA, and prides itself in being a major port for scenic entertainment cruises of breathtaking 1000 Islands. Culture, Shopping, Dining, and Outdoor Recreation are

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Part 3 of our regular MR2 turbo tuning guide by Tim at TB Developments

Getting serious... ith tune 2, my goal was to produce a step by step guide on how to tune the Mk2 mr2 turbo engine (3SGTE) for more power. Because we’re starting to cross-over the level between cheaper bolt on modifications and serious engine tuning and performance work, I thought I would take a break in the guide to talk about a few misconceptions regarding some aftermarket items that can be fitted and also clear up a few terms that commonly pop up during the tuning process of turbocharged engines.

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Starting off with a bit of an overview into the modifications already carried out in this guide.

• The first step : was to carry out a service and basic overhaul of the car in question to make sure its in peak condition before increasing the power. Failure to do this is just asking for trouble when you’re putting more strain on an already tired or damaged engine • Fuel Cut Defender : This is a device to allow the factory safety margin for overboost to be raised slightly to allow boost pressure higher than standard but without completely removing this safety device ( this modification isn’t need on revision 3+ turbo cars) • Cold Grade Spark Plugs : The colder grade plug is used as it will retain less heat than a spark plug of hotter value. To avoid the possibility of pre-ignition and engine damage.

The NGK Copper BK7RE is ideal for this with the following settings, -15psi boost pressures gap to 0.8mm over +15psi boost pressures gap to 0.7mm.

• Boost Gauge : This device is a must for tuning a turbo car. Without it you won’t know what pressure the turbocharger is making and won’t know whether you’re not boosting high enough, in which case it can be increased and more power made, or in a negative event where you’re making to much boost and risking damage to the engine and/or turbo.

Injection: This again replaces the standard intercooler for a product which has a great flow allowing the turbo to do its job easier, with an increased cooling ability. Water injection does the latter but with a chemical process of evaporation.

That’s the basic overview of the bolt on modifications. Depending on manufacturer and items you decide to buy you’re looking at around £1500-£2000. A revision 3 mr2 will produce around 275-290bhp depending on engine condition. Performance will also have massively improved as you will now be allowed to make full boost in 1st and 2nd gears.

Onto the next level The next tuning step is to ask yourself if you’re happy with the performance of your car or if you still want more, as to progress to the next level of modifications the cost of parts increases and moves towards more serious modifications like Standalone ECU’s, Uprated Fuelling, Engine Internals and larger Turbochargers.

Before I move onto the more serious modification I wanted to talk about a few other popular upgrades, like BOV’s (Dump Valves) and Clutches.

All revisions of mr2 came with a BOV (Blow Off Valve) as standard which is the black circular device mounted on the intercooler hard pipe coming from the turbocharger,

• Boost Controller : This is the device which actually fools the turbocharger actuator into making the boost increase. There are 2 types, manual and electrical. Manual will do the job but usually less accurate and less likely to compensate for atmospheric changes. An electrical BC will usually be more accurate and retain the set boost valve for many years of trouble free driving but with the downside of being more expensive.

running have surfaced. Most of these stories are false or the parts of truth have been over exaggerated. To start understanding where a lot of the stories come from we need to recap on the way the rev 1+2 turbo’s calculate fuelling.

This is done with the Air Flow Meter which measures all air entering the engine.

Once this amount is known the ECU will match the fuel to create the correct air/fuel mixture to be combusted inside the engine. Now if an after market device is venting air from between the AFM and the engine, the ECU doesn’t know some of this air is now missing, although the fuel is still being supplied. This will lead to an overly rich air/fuel mixture when the BOV vents while the throttle has been lifted. This can be seen as a puff of black carbon from the exhaust upon lift off in the worst cases. This isn’t damaging to the engine, although horror stories of “borewash” have been passed around the forums.

Borewash is when the air/fuel mixture is so rich for prolonged time that the petrol in the mixture starts to wash the oil from the cylinder bores, removing its lubrication causing excessive wear.

Now this isn’t the case with the over fuelling on lift off caused by an atmospheric BOV as its not prolonged to cause damage. Sometimes a splutter can be felt with a fast gear change. This is often the case of the BOV not reacting quick enough when the throttle is reapplied and not 100% re-sealed.

Poor idle is often reported as well which is down to a poor or cheaply constructed BOV not sealing perfectly when it’s closed allowing air into the system on idle causing the air/fuel mixture to be incorrect. This can be resolved with a good quality BOV that seals perfectly when shut.

Over the years my experience has always led me to recommend the HKS SSQV for the earlier cars. This is a fast reacting BOV and because of its design leads to a very good seal on idle.

Although there are other brands on the market that do the same the HKS has never let me down.

• Performance Air filter : This is simply a performance, free flowing version of what’s fitted standard, 2 types again a panel and cone.

Panel filter replaces the paper element fitted as standard, cone is a complete replacement unit.

• Performance Exhaust : once again a free flowing version of what’s fitted as standard, usually larger bore and less restrictive.

• Decat/Downpipe : This modification removes the catalytic convert fitted as standard to the mr2. This is an emission control device, although kills the performance on a turbo car, the decat/downpipe removes this. Pre July 1995 cars will be able to remove this with no problems at MOT time.

• Intercooler/Chargecooler/Water

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In standard form it’s routed so that when the pressure is released it’s vented back into the intake track, just behind the air filter. This leads to an inaudible vent of the pressure and also in the case of the AFM equipped revision 1 and 2 cars, stops the car from over-fuelling on throttle lift off.

There is a big misconception regarding BOV’s on the early revision 1 and 2 mr2 turbos, lots of horror stories of engine damage and poor

Another misconception is the fluttering noise often heard on turbocharged road cars and rally cars is a BOV, I’ve heard this called numerous

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RUN BY MR2 ENTHUSIASTS FOR MR2 ENTHUSIASTS

things, most comically a flutter valve. The actual flutter or chirp is when there isn’t a BOV present. There are many names for this term; Compressor surge, Turbo stall and most confusing Wastegate Chatter. The wastegate doesn’t have any part in creating this sound, The sound is created by the turbocharger going into surge when the throttle body is closed upon lift off. When the throttle is lifted the throttle body closes, although because the turbocharger is powered by exhaust gas the turbine will continue to spin, thus powering the compressor side of the turbo to force compressed air into the engine. Because the throttle body butterfly is closed, the load on the turbocharger is increasing as it’s forcing air into a now sealed container (the intercooler pipes and intercooler). This pushes the compressor into surge, which is the area located to the top left of a compressor map, Compressor surge is when the air pressure, after the compressor is actually higher than what the compressor itself can physically maintain. This condition causes the airflow in the compressor wheel to back up, build pressure, and sometimes stall,

www.tbdevelopments.com

best described as the engine revs suddenly rising but the car’s not going anywhere or increasing in speed.

Uprated clutches come in a wide variety to suit the customer’s needs, from simple organic types that are very similar to the standard clutch, usually with a higher pressure plate force to give the same drivable feel of the clutch but to hold the increased torque to full multi-plate race items.

A clutch is a very complicated device when you break down the technology that’s included in the factory item to make it easy to drive. It must be able to hold solid without slipping when the clutch is fully closed, while being flexible and soft on engagement.

Although this is an appealing sound for the car owner it should be avoided where ever possible, especially with the fragile ceramic turbos found on the mr2.

Next brings us onto clutches With the power increases we’ve been describing in the previous issues of Tune 2 comes an increased strain on the clutch, the standard item is good for around the 280-300mark depending on use. So any further improvements in power are going to start overtaking this and a clutch failure will shortly follow. This is where the engine torque is overwhelming the holding force that the clutch can take which will result in the clutch slipping. This experience is

For race and drag enthusiasts where the clutch is subject to a lot or repeated abuse or cars producing a lot of power and torque, multiple plate clutches are available. These operate in a very similar way to single plate clutches except

To do this the manufacture’s build a certain amount of flexibility into the join between the central hub which is attached to the gearbox and the outside friction plates which are sandwiched between the flywheel and the pressure plate. When the clutch is being closed the friction plate in the middle will try and grab onto the 2 steel surfaces of the pressure plate and the flywheel.

If there is no give while the clutch is half engaged it will chatter or feel like a jumping inside the car and because of this a certain amount of give has to be engineered to this.

They do this by making a sprung hub which entails a number of springs in the central hub.

These springs are connected to the hub at one end and the outside friction plates at the other.

When the friction plates grab the spring will allow a small amount of flex while the clutch is being engaged to prevent that surge.

Once against there are numerous stories about this. The turbo does not spin backwards, lol.

upgrade, still a single plate but instead of a sold disk it’s broken up into segments called Puks.

The smaller areas will hold a very high friction material, typically Carbon, Kevlar or Ceramics where if this was used in a full disk the grab would be high making it very hard to drive in road going conditions. The segments also allow for greater cooling of the clutch.

Another way of preventing this is again small spring plates are placed between the friction plates front and back surface. These springs are called marcels and allow the plates to compress slightly as the clutch is closed, again aiding a smooth on and off procedure. As torque capacity of the clutch is increased some of these factors can become a problem, a sprung hub can become weak, and a move towards springless clutch hubs are needed, The pictures of clutch plates below are springless.

that there are more friction plates inside the clutch which places means more grabbing force because of a greater surface area when the clutch is fully closed. This is a benefit because the friction material is spread across a much larger surface area because of double or sometimes triple the amount of disk. Because of the greater surface area the material used can be less harsh yet still hold more torque than a single plate item. Because of this sprung hubs and marcels can be retained to give a light pedal feel and very progressive bite like a standard item yet still hold 3 times the amount of torque as a standard unit. The downside of this is that these types of clutches usually retail for around 3-4 times the amount of a normal uprated single plate clutch.

A popular upgrade is to retain the single plate clutch which will typically remain in a full disk made from organic materials but with a higher pressure plate force. This means more force is placed on the friction material to obtain a greater holding pressure.

Other upgrades retain the same design but the friction material is exchanged for a material with a great bite, again increasing the amount of torque the clutch can hold. Puk clutches are another

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Our regular column from TWOBRUTAL.CO.UK with tales of swapping and technical information to the masses from the experts...

PENELOPE AT THE NÜRBURGRING

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his issue, TWOBRUTAL is handing its pages over to one of our prominent members. Stu and Penelope (the dusky pink 280bhp Mk1.5) recently drove the hallowed tarmac of the Ring in Germany. Stu gives us a brief diary of the experience which opened his eyes to the trackability of his monster Mk1 and also provided the opportunity for him to hit some scary mph numbers along the way.

Nik Farmer.

The Run Up. Ok, so it’s one week before we go to the almighty Nuerburgring and Penelope is on axle stands with no rear calipers attached and half the dash removed, Paul’s fault as he promised me it would be easier to find the purple and white speed limiter wire behind the clocks. It maybe easy for you mate.

We all line up on the other side for our steady drive though France followed by a bumpy ride through Belgium, where the radios’ intermittent fault was now getting worse, turning itself on and off with every bump. Rick, my passenger on the trip worked out that if he hit the dashboard it would come back on, well sometimes at least.

I’m stressing and the chap that’s helping me (a good friend called Josh) is hammering seven shades out of a jammed rear torsion bar on a mates’ 306. There’s nothing like leaving things to the last minute.

I cut the wire and extend it in the cabin and tape the ends together as I can’t find the switch I wanted to use originally, no problem. I then have to explain to anyone that looks into the car that pulling the wire apart allows the car to hit 150+mph. Some how I don’t think they believe me.

The Friday night of the trip is soon upon us and we have to meet everyone at 2 am that night. I can’t sleep and soon find myself on a garage forecourt with nearly thirty other half awake petrol heads all wondering what day it is. I’m now really panicking as Penelope has been thrashed silly for the last 12 months and I’m about to now take her on a 1500 mile round trip to a race track in central Europe. At least the new 22v rear calipers and four-wheel alignment have made her handle and stop, as 7 days ago she didn’t.

A nice steady drive down to the ferry and to my surprise all is well. Time for a well-earned sleep, all one hour of it!

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The traffic abates slightly and we get to drive a little faster, sometimes dropping back from the 15-car convoy just so we can have a little fun catching back up. We pull over for some lunch and I check Penelope over and find that the bracket holding the intercooler has broken. This doesn’t bother me too much as it’s still fairly secure and doesn’t look like it’s going anywhere. How wrong could I be?

I think we had just made it to Germany and Penelope had been on the go for well over 14 hours. It is then I notice that we have no power and the revs aren’t picking up. I tell Rick it’s probably the intercooler that’s fallen off. I was right.

After fastening the intercooler back to the car with cable ties and tightening all the clips on the boost pipes, we help Sharky and Andy with their wiper blades on the Supra. I’m not sure polishing the windscreen works as good as Rain X guys.

Penelope runs fine for about 10 minutes and then starts to play up again (this car being a woman does cross my mind). The engine management light would come on and she wouldn’t pull correctly and was also over-fuelling like mad. This did make good entertainment though, as going through the small German villages, we would pop, bang, flash and burble through the narrow streets. Arriving at the hotel, I fear the worst. I did find that turning the ignition on and off would give me about 5-10 minutes of trouble free driving, so I am thinking whatever is causing it isn’t that serious as it is intermittent. I leave her in the garage under the hotel and go and sulk into a beer or two The Ring.

It’s 2 am Sunday morning and I can’t remember if the last night of sleep I had was on Wednesday or Thursday and I am so tired and the German beer is not helping. Leaving the last part of the group still partying (mostly passengers who got to sleep in the cars on the way down) I go to bed for a good nights sleep. I don’t know if anyone else has ever been woken up at 4 am by the lid of a Roses chocolates tin

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crashing over their head but I now have and it scared the crap out of me. Cheers Greg.

So it’s 8 am and every one is eating breakfast except me. I’m working on Penelope desperately trying to find anything out of place that’s causing the running trouble. I’ve got P ticking over in the garage. I didn’t think this was going to cause a problem as everyone is out of bed already. Little did I know, the stairs to the garage go right into the kitchen and I had intoxicated the staff with exhaust fumes and the smell of optimax.

I take P out for a blast as the engine management light has not come on yet and I need fuel. All is well for the first few miles then she starts to play up again. Now I’m really pissed off and knock the ignition on and off and floor P down the road like a lunatic.

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We wait ten minutes to see how everyone is getting on then go out again. I’m feeling braver and at one point in front of a large crowd of spectators, put P very sideways in a very cool power slide. A problem I was finding though was that I could light up the inside wheel coming out of the bends.

As we round one of the many corners a marshall is waving a flag and we slow down to see a VW Golf smashed to pieces. Rick’s just repeating “Oh my god” over and over and then my stomach turns as I catch sight of Andy and Shark’s Supra parked in the Armco further up the track.

I feel better as we drive past and see they’re out of the car waving. I take the rest of the lap steady as I’ve lost concentration.

Believe it or not that was the last time until we got back to England that I had any engine trouble. I guess she just needed a good smack on the arse.

I pull up at the nearest Esso station that the sat nav can find and to my joy they’re selling 100 RON Optimax, superb. That will do nicely for the thrashing I planned to give Penelope around the Ring.

After a real hard drive back to the hotel at 14psi and no engine trouble I decide P just wants to play rough and in return she won’t play up. Yep she really is a woman.

It turned out Andy was on a steady first time lap of the Ring when the Golf tried to undertake him.

As Andy pulled over to let them through, the Golf rammed the Supra and pushed it into the barrier.

As I pull up, a few of the lads are washing their cars so P gets a well-deserved wash too.

While the track is shut to remove the Supra and Golf we have time for a little walk around the best car show on Earth.

We have a steady drive to the Ring, get there and everyone is trying to find parking spaces as it’s rammed. Before they have even got the engines turned off I’m putting my ticket in the machine and we’re off on our first lap.

Penelope can take everything I throw at her and I can’t believe how fast I can get her up to on the straights. I start to think how good a track car she would be, sublime handling with so much grip and oodles of power. The brakes didn’t fade once and only my lack of practice around the Ring and the fact we still had to get home held us back. As we pull into the final bend there’s a yellow Evo along side us so I boot it and as we overtake it on the straight at 120mph, Rick gives them a little wave.

We pull into the pits and we are buzzing, bouncing around and so happy we had made it to Germany and got to drive Penelope around such a magnificent and nostalgic race track.

Autobahmy.

It’s Monday morning and we have all been told to have an early night as we have to be out of the hotel early for karting in Köln, which sounds like great fun but not what I’m most excited about. We have been told that on the way we will have 40 miles of derestricted Autobahn at our disposal.

The traffic clears and the convoy is a little way ahead so I tell Rick to disconnect the limiter wire, we are in high boost (14psi) and I boot it. The revs fly round to 7000 rpm and we’re going no quicker, the smell of clutch fills the car, damn.

I am gutted as I limp P back to the rest of the convoy in low boost and pray that the clutch will get us home.

After the karting most of the group stay to do a few more laps but a few of us have to go to recover the Supra and try and repair it for the journey home. I set the sat nav for the hotel and we head off on our own.

The roads are a little clearer now and in low boost the clutch doesn’t seem to slip, so I nurse the power in and give my new passenger (Josh) the camera and tell him to see if he can get any shots of the dash. This isn’t as easy as it sounds and Josh has to lean over me and try and hold the camera still to get a clear shot. As we pass cars at 130mph it probably looks more like Josh is trying to suck me off!

I could hold 130-145mph quite easily. P was settled and very stable, only a resonance coming from the doors reminded us we where traveling at speed. The only problem was the traffic, as cars would pull out on us all over the shop.

Luckily the ST205 front brake setup was doing its job and we could slow down very quickly with no drama.

We only have about 10 miles of Autobahn left and every time I get P up to speed we hit traffic so I’m getting pissed off. I see a clear stretch of tarmac, hit high boost and pray. P pulls like a train and the lorry in the distance is getting closer, 140mph, 145mph and I yell Josh to be ready. It hit 150mph, P is still pulling hard but all we want is the photo. As soon as Josh says he has it I hit the brakes as the back end of the lorry draws in very fast.

So I get a nice early night remembering to lock my door this time so as to not get any unwanted wake up calls, only to be woken up at 5am by a few of the lads returning from a drunken night out. This time it was the whole hotel they woke and not just me.

You can imagine I’m very excited about the prospect of a big open road with no speed limit and the chance to really see what Penelope is capable of.

There were so many things going through my mind but P was running like a dream and only played up a little, maybe only once and a flick of the ignition on and off fixed this.

So all is well.

Well not quite. As we hit the much anticipated Autobahn, it’s like the M6 at rush hour and rammed with cars. Life just isn’t fair.

The feeling was incredible. We had bounced the needle off the clock in a Mk1 MR2 and lived to tell the tale. Penelope is also now track proven and the feeling of pride is a very comforting thing. A great trip.

Words and pictures by Stu Goodall Edited by Nik Farmer Courtesy TWOBRUTAL.CO.UK

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R2 Only gets inundated with excellent potential feature MR2s every week, but every now and again one stands out. This special mk1 that you see here is such an example.

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The owner of this stunner Paul Nolloth from Ipswich, Suffolk contacted me some months ago I had been meaning to follow it up when Stuart said he’d be taking the car along to the WRA so I spied my chance to see the car for myself.

Stuart himself is a bit of a Mk1 MR2 fanatic having owned a C reg Mk1a before the car you see here, and also currently runs another 89 mk1 coupe as his daily drive, both of which he

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maintains himself.

Stuart bought the car we are featuring back in 1991, 3rd owner showing 25,000 miles on the clock, 16 years on another 60,000 miles and lots of very hard work you have to admit this car is just perfect.

After owning the car for around five years Stuart felt the need to modify and began with the basics, exhaust and air filter. He then moved onto the bodywork and wanted a kit that wasn’t too over the top, he chose the Eurosport kit which complements the angular lines of the Mk1 superbly, bringing the car right back up to date. Comprising front and rear valance, side skirts with scoops, rear spoiler and wheel arch extensions, expertly fitted and blended by A&S Chandler of Nedging Tye near Ipswich, the car was also debadged and

destriped and I’m sure you will agree the results were the smoothest Mk1 you will find, and I have to admit it’s one of my favourites Ive seen.

To further on the retro but subtley modern theme, clear front indicators and repeaters, projector lamps and a beesting aerial have been added, as well as a very tasty set of Supercharger rear lights.

Opening the doors and taking a look inside it’s no suprise to see a quality light grey leather retrim with blue piping, matching door cards by Terry Reynolds, Concept Vehicle Interiors, gear knob gaiter, Momo steering wheel and gear knob with a Folia-tec handbrake handle, for ICE the car has a quality Alpine install.

Under the engine lid to pep up the performance to match the looks the engine has been mildly modifed with an HKS dome filter sitting in the original air box there is an HKS manifold and a custom built Powerflow exhaust system. A I.C.O.N superchip is fitted which wires into the ECU which increased mid range torque and throttle response, as you can see the engine is detailed to show standards.

Stuart needed a set of wheels to complement

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the Euro kit, and a set of 16" CEC 129 alloys with Yokohama A520 215/40/16 rubber do the job nicely.

To improve on what is already an excellent chassis in the Mk1 MR2 there are Cusco strut bars fitted on the front and rear, and the front brakes have been uprated with G Force X-drilled and grooved discs and pads with the rear remaining standard.

It won’t come as a suprise to hear that the car has won trophies at various Jap shows over the years inc -

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Best 1980's Sportscar at JAPS 2001 Winner of 1985-1990 Modified Class + Winner of 1985-1990 Sportscar both at JAPS 2002. Plus various MR2 Mk1 Club Awards, with more shows this year starting with JAPS. Stuart has no future plans for the car, and quite rightly so, his car really does have to be seen to be fully appreciated, it really is a show stopper. While I was talking with Stuart at the WRA the car was attracting lots of attention with people admiring the bodykit.

Leather re-trim by:Terry Reynolds, Concept Vehicle Interiors, Unit 1/14 Clovelly Works, Chelmsford Rd, Wickford, SS11 8SY. Tel 01268 560760 Eurosport bodykit Eurosport UK, Middle Road West, Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, NR30 3ND. Tel 01493 748981

Gaz - MR2OC South West Regional Rep

“Gaz can’t stop grinning because he’s just driven his Turbo Conversion for the first time” Another quality conversion install by...

MR2 SPARES AND PERFORMANCE PARTS REPAIRS AND SERVICING ENGINE TRANSPLANTS AND CONVERSIONS

07710 648257.

sales@sbits.net

www.twosrus.co.uk

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JAPANESE & EUROPEAN PERFORMANCE CAR SPECIALISTS HKS • BLITZ • JUN • TRUST • GREDDY • APEXi • NOS • MOTEX • PIPER CAMS K.A.D. • CUSCO • AP RACING • GOODRIDGE • AEM • HELIX

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