MAY 2003Vol 24 No 10

SUBA NEWSPossum Bourne as we will all remember him - winning again - thistime at Rally Queensland 2002. Photo by Gaven McGrath SC421.

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COMMITTEECOMMITTEECOMMITTEECOMMITTEECOMMITTEEPRESIDENT Rik Close 5445 4057VICE PRESIDENT Gaven McGrath 3843 0156SECRETARY Kathy Bryant 3402 0396TREASURER Ray Lyons 3397 1837SUBA NEWS EDITOR Greg Bryant 3402 0396SUBA NEWS CO-EDITOR Dwayne Boyton 3299 1061MEMBERSHIP OFFICER Libby Lugsden 3861 5181SOCIAL DIRECTOR Shane Taylor 3861 5181PUBLIC RELATIONS David Martin 3262 5665PROPERTY OFFICER Mark Ottway 3207 8535SERGEANT AT ARMS Gaven McGrath 3843 0156TRAINING OFFICER Cameron Neilsen 0438 926 012WEBMASTER (web@subaclub.com) Clint Lovell 3398 3437

CLUB MEETINGSCLUB MEETINGSCLUB MEETINGSCLUB MEETINGSCLUB MEETINGSMonthly meetings are held on the FOURTH MONDAY of each month at 8 pm,

at the Veteran Car Club, 1376 OLD CLEVELAND ROAD, CARINDALEPhone: 3843 0010 - UBD 42nd Edition Reference: Map 182 E 6

*** Visitors are Welcome! ***

Club Website:www.subaclub.com

E-mail address for magazine contributions:subanews@subaclub.com

Annual Subscription Full Member$50.00Associate Member $50.00Country Member $45.00Joining Fee $10.00

If you find a mistake in the Suba News, please consider it put there on purpose. We try to publishsomething for everyone, and some people are always looking for mistakes.

The views expressed in this magazine are not necessarily those of the Club, in whole or in part. All content is copyright. That means you need written permission to use any of it.

We will be glad to share it. Just ask!

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PRESIDENTPRESIDENTPRESIDENTPRESIDENTPRESIDENT’S REPORT’S REPORT’S REPORT’S REPORT’S REPORT

PUBLISHING DEADLINE FOR

JUNEJUNEJUNEJUNEJUNEMAGAZINE

Articles being submitted for inclusion in the next magazineare to reach Greg Bryant at

35 Kilby Street Crestmead QLD 4132or by e-mail to: subanews@subaclub.com

by the 9th9th9th9th9th June 2003June 2003June 2003June 2003June 2003Earlier than this would be much appreciated. Thanks!!

Rik Close SC328

Hi to you all in mighty Subaland, I hope all is well in your world.

Well it’s May already, where has this year gone? And that means that it’s time to startthinking about if you would like to be on the Committee next year, because not all of uswill be doing another year, so there might be a seat or two up for grabs.

There have been some good trips lately, with Currawinya N.P., Barrington Tops andMorgan Park Raceway. I know that everyone who went had a really good time.

Coming up is the beach trip to Double Island Point, Sunday 25th. Some will be campingup there on Saturday night, so if you want to come along give Camo or me a call.Should be fun.

There’s been some word back about the Insurance and its looking good. Just waiting ona couple of things that needed to be checked out, then for the OK to go ahead. Shouldbe sweet.

Well that’s all from me this time. Until next time, may the six star Force be with you.

BE COOL AND GO HARD!!

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THIS MONTH’S SCOOP FROM THE EDITORTHIS MONTH’S SCOOP FROM THE EDITORTHIS MONTH’S SCOOP FROM THE EDITORTHIS MONTH’S SCOOP FROM THE EDITORTHIS MONTH’S SCOOP FROM THE EDITOR

Greg Bryant SC480

It’s close to three years ago that I was gently persuaded to take on the job ofillustrious editor of this illustrious journal. And I must say, I have (for the mostpart) enjoyed the challenge immensely. But time marches on and I feel thatmy enthusiasm for the task is waning slightly. So with committee positionssoon becoming available for nomination, I would just like you all to know thatI don’t intend to re-nominate for the position.

So if you like a challenge, have a fewspare hours a month to perform miracles, andwould like to add a few lines to your CV aboutyour ability to perform desktop publishing,then this is the job for you. Of course, I amperfectly willing to lend a hand with anynecessary on-the-job training. Give the idea some thought and let a committeemember know if you’re interested. By the way, I didn’t mention the rewards –the editor is the first person to read all of the trip reports and see all of thephotos (even the ones that for various reasons don’t make it into themagazine), and the editor is one of the most “ïnvolved” members of the club.

Now for my g r i p e .There are currently alarge number of tripr e p o r t soutstanding. I’m sure thatI’m not alone in voicing the opinion that one of my favourite parts of themagazine is reading about what has happened on a trip – whether or not Ihad attended the trip. I’m sure that you have noticed in the recent past acouple of trips that have been covered with photos alone. And if I don’t receiveoutstanding contributions for recent trips then I’ll be putting together a coupleof magazines that will only contain about 12 pages. Without the contributionsfrom a small number of dedicated members, this magazine would be nowherenear its current quality. So PLEASE if you are asked to provide a trip report,or if you want some photos included that you took on a trip, then do it withgusto, with joy and with relative haste.

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Share ‘em with the rest of us.Share ‘em with the rest of us.Share ‘em with the rest of us.Share ‘em with the rest of us.Share ‘em with the rest of us.All contributions are most welcome.All contributions are most welcome.All contributions are most welcome.All contributions are most welcome.All contributions are most welcome.

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A TRIBUTE TO POSSUM BOURNE 1957—2003During the Easter trip to the Barrington Tops we were all surprised when myCDMA phone beeped into service as we were climbing the steep climb up toGloucester Tops on Saturday afternoon. The short SMS message had beensent by Gaven McGrath on Friday, saying Possum had been seriously injuredin a car accident. At the time Gav was not answering his phone so I left amessage. We initially thought it must have been a testing accident for the Rallyof Canberra being held on the following weekend. It was not until Sundaylunchtime when we were at one of the highest points of the Barrington Topsthat I was able to ring Gav and get the full story. The sad news was that Possumhad a recce accident in New Zealand at the “Race To The Sky” annual hillclimbevent held on Snow Farm Road in the Cardrona Valley near Queenstown.While driving down the hill by himself in a current MY 03 Forester, his vehiclewas hit in the driver’s door and A pillar area by a Jeep Cherokee driven by MikeBarltrop, who was hospitalised with a broken leg. The Jeep was the last car ofa 10 car convoy being lead up the hill on a recce run. In thick dust and withboth cars said to be travelling at 60km/h or less, the Jeep was apparently onthe wrong side of the road, which lead to the accident. With his concerned wifePeggy looking on, rescuers took over an hour to remove Possum from the car;he was then airlifted to Dunedin Hospital suffering head and chest injuries andwith two broken legs.

In hospital, Possum’s condition was classified as critical and he was placed in adrug-induced coma. With his family and friends by his side, he remained in thatcondition until the end of the following weekend (Rally of Canberra). On medicaladvice following brain scans showing the seriousness of his condition, it wasdecided to slowly reduce the life support system. He passed away in the earlyhours of Wednesday morning. At the Club’s April GM and sausage sizzle GregBryant announced the sad news about the life support, which Kathy had phonedin from home after hearing a news report. Earlier in the evening at the sizzleBlair Palmer had told us he had heard from his father over in NZ that Possum’srecovery prospects were not good.

Possum grew up on a north island dairy farm. His real name of Peter wasreplaced with his nick-name of “Possum” following one night when he rolled hismother’s Humber while avoiding a possum on a nearby road. His wife Peggy,who hails from South Africa, sons Taylor 8, Spencer 4, and daughter Jazlan 3

7...continued on Page 8

A TRIBUTE TO POSSUM BOURNE 1957—2003survive him. His rally career began driving a 1979 Mk 1 V8 powered Cortina.In the early 1980’s he progressed to Subarus, initially driving a 4WD twin carbRX coupe (our equivalent model here was the MY series single carb 2WDGLF coupe). He competed in local NZ rallies as well as the world round RallyNZ. His next Subaru was a new L series RX Turbo that arrived in 1985. By now,he had backing from Subaru Japan and was able to compete in internationalrallies such as Rally Australia and the Safari Rally in Kenya. In the early 1990’swhen the new Liberty RS Turbo was released he bought a Prodrive built GroupA version.

Now with increased backing from Subaru Australia and other sponsors, histeam (Possum Bourne Motorsport, based at Pukekohe just south of Auckland)was able to run a two car RS Turbo team, a production Group N for Australiandriver Rob Herridge and a more modified Group A for himself. The cars werepainted in bright yellow with blue splashes along the sides, bonnet, and roof.At the time this colour scheme set a trend and was copied on many differentcars, even Rik Close’s radio controlled Brumby. In 1993 Possum had a bigaccident at Rally Australia which killed his navigator Rodger Freeth, who wasa friend and business partner. Since then all his cars have carried the numberplate ROJ in memory of Rodger. This accident put a temporary delay to hisfuture rally plans. It was not until the mid 1990’s that he was able to gainenough funding, using a lot of his own money as well as that provided by hisfaithful sponsors, to buy from Prodrive again. This time it was Subaru’s newestrally car, the WRX Group A sedan. This time the colour scheme was Prodrive/WRC blue with yellow splashes. Possum driving the WRX went on to becomethe most successful combination ever in Australian rallying.

As victories and championships followed and WRX sales soared, Subaruincreased their support; a second Group N WRX was prepared by Possum’sTeam and was driven by New Zealander Greg Graham. Possum eventuallyrolled this first WRX, requiring a re-body before competing in it again. As thiswas happening his Motorsport preparation and performance business wasexpanding. He also drove a 555 sponsored, Prodrive prepared and maintainedWRX Group A in the Asia Pacific Championship; which he won in 93 and 94. Inthe late 1990’s the Group A sedan was replaced by another Prodrive prepared2 door WRX built to the new World Rally Car (WRC) rules. Then up and coming

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A TRIBUTE TO POSSUM BOURNE 1957—2003young driver Cody Crocker was brought into the team as a permanent memberto drive a new Group N WRX in the ARC and Rally Australia and NZ. The WRCWRX was replaced by another Prodrive built (but this time leased) P2000 WRC,which was the latest improved version. Again in 2000 he won the Asia PacificChampionship. This car became Possum’s favourite all time rally car. His originalWRC car was kept, and was converted into a lightweight, high horsepower carthat he drove to victory in the 2001 Race To The Sky Hillclimb, which was oneof his favourite events.

For the 2002 season the rules were changed, replacing the spectacular butexpensive WRC cars with the Group N production car class. Possum was initiallyagainst the change but to his credit he went with the new rules and contestedthe series driving a new MY 01/02 WRX. He went onto win the Championship toclaim his 7th straight ARC series, which is a record. This success lead to himcompeting in this year’s World Rally Championship in the Group N class, withsupport from Subaru Australia and Japan and all his usual sponsors. He finishedin 5th place in Sweden, but unfortunately retired in NZ with engine problemsdriving the latest MY 03 WRX.

In the late 1990’s Subaru Japan presented Possum with a special black STiedition WRX for his services for rallying Subarus. It was stolen but later foundwith only minor damage. In 2002 he celebrated 20 years rallying Subarus. Alsomany of his sponsors had supported him for years, including Pirelli tyres, whichhave done so for 10 years.

As a Club we first met Possum in the early 90’s at Rally Queensland driving theRS Turbo. While waiting at the yellow clock board to come into time control onthe Club’s stage, Forest Drive, he would usually get swamped with posters,caps, shirts and car bits (such as inner guards that had fallen off in the creekcrossing just after the start on an early run), to sign his autograph. It was nevera problem to him when he probably should have been studying his pace noteslike some of the other drivers. He knew that this was mostly the only opportunitythat officials like us had on stages out in the forest. Also while he was Queenslandwe invited him on 3 occasions to be a guest speaker at special rally nights, thefirst being in 1996 at our then meeting spot at the Polish Club in Milton, thesecond was in 1998 at Subaru City Breakfast Creek, and the

9

A TRIBUTE TO POSSUM BOURNE 1957—2003

Possumdrivingthrough thecreek onForest Drive,RallyQueensland2000. Photoby KathyMullalySC480.

third was in 2002, again at City Subaru. For the last two nights the newlyformed WRX Club was involved; the nights were a great success with standingroom only. He always found time in his busy schedule for these nights; hewould roll up with his slides and speak and answer questions for a few hourscovering his interesting career. Cameron Neilsen was able to video the firsttwo nights; the Club has decided to compile them and present them to theBourne family as mementos.

Thousands of people attended Possum’s funeral held in Pukekohe. Some ofhis cars and career mementos were on display outside the hall, his coffin waspainted in WRC blue, while his son Taylor bravely was one of the speakers.While the New Zealand Parliament was sitting, a minute’s silence was observedas a mark of respect. Subaru Australia also held a memorial service in Sydney.Included in the tributes that flowed in from fellow drivers, team members andfans all over the world, was this from David Lapworth, the director of the SubaruWorld Rally Team, who said: “Possum in his way was instrumental in makingthe whole thing happen with Subaru; his enthusiasm in the 1980’s was one ofthe things that made Subaru get involved in the WRC”.

Career Highlights:1991 New Zealand Championship1993, 1994, 2000 Asia Pacific Championship1996 – 2002 Australian Rally Championship2001 Race To The Sky Hillclimb

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Club Merchandise For Sale

Polo Shirt with screen printed logo on pocket $20.00Polo Shirt with embroidered logo $25.00Polo Shirt with embroidered logo on pocket $30.00Baseball cap with embroidered logo $15.00Embroidered cloth badge $ 8.00Name tag $ 3.00Windscreen Sticker $10.00Window sticker $ 2.00Gear bag $ 6.00Tow hooks (assorted styles, each) $ 6.00Snatch strap $58.00Bow shackles, each $ 9.00

See the club’s Property Officer, Mark Ottway, if you wish to purchase any of the merchandise on offer.

Club members John & Julie Shera and Robin & Marion Labanwill be doing a Simpson Desert trip again this year in theJune School Holidays (28th June to 13th July). Possibleitinerary would be via the QAA Line, the French Line, theWAA Line and Dalhousie Springs to Mt Dare, then back viathe Rig Road and K1 Line. If anyone is interested, give Johna ring on 07 5546 0381.

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Sunday 24th May Double Island PointTrip Leader Cameron Neilsen mob. 0438 926 012Meeting Place Barge car park – TewantinMeeting Time 9 am for 9.15 am departureDetails Day beach trip. BYO lunch, swimming gear, recovery

gear. Low tide approximately 11 am. Note: There will besome people wishing to make this a weekend campingtrip - if interested, call Rik Close.

Saturday 7th June to Sunshine Coast Gymkhana, YandinaMonday 9th JuneTrip Leader Rik Close ph. (07) 5445 4057 mob. 0402 415 569Meeting Place Cooloolabin Road, Yandina - follow the signsMeeting Time From Friday evening onCost $10 weekend pass plus $5 camping fee. Entry fees $5

per event or $20 all events. A 3rd party insuranceextension (to be organised beforehand) is required ifentering events.

Details Armchair to mud up to your armpits 4WDing. The eventis fully catered (on-site canteen). BYO boots for themud and water. No showers. First event noon Saturday.

Saturday 14th June to Rally QueenslandSunday 15th JuneTrip Leader David Martin ph. 3262 5665 mob. 0429 121 996Meeting Place Cutters Camp off Stirling Crossing Road, Imbil (camp

site as used for the last two years)Meeting Time Various - from 7 am Thursday, Friday, Saturday, SundayDetails Man a new special stage, Araucaria, for 4 stages of the

rally. Members required to assist in controlling the stage.Officials are required for start control, road blocks andSOS points, flying finish and stop control. Bush campingat Cutters Camp in the Imbil forest, toilets supplied.

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80 Annerley Road80 Annerley Road80 Annerley Road80 Annerley Road80 Annerley RoadWolloongabbaWolloongabbaWolloongabbaWolloongabbaWolloongabbaPhone: 3391 6055Phone: 3391 6055Phone: 3391 6055Phone: 3391 6055Phone: 3391 6055Service:Service:Service:Service:Service: Sergio La MonacaSergio La MonacaSergio La MonacaSergio La MonacaSergio La MonacaParts:Parts:Parts:Parts:Parts: Jim LaveryJim LaveryJim LaveryJim LaveryJim Lavery

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wheel alignment* Every Customer a V.I.P.* 10% parts discount to club members

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Future EventsFuture EventsFuture EventsFuture EventsFuture Events

Saturday 28th June to Simpson DesertSunday 13th JulyTrip Leader John Shera ph. 5546 0381Details Club members John & Julie Shera and Robin & Marion

Laban will be doing a Simpson Desert trip again thisyear in the June School Holidays (28th June to 13thJuly). Possible itinerary would be via the QAA Line,the French Line, the WAA Line and Dalhousie Springsto Mt Dare, then back via the Rig Road and K1 Line. Ifinterested, give John a ring.

Please Note: Ron Penfold’s trip to Cape York hasbeen cancelled (possibly postponed for 12 months)

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Trip Report - Tuff Trucks - September 6-9, 2002Sunday

Following another cold night, we awoke to a magic Spring day with not acloud in the sky. A leisurely breakfast, followed by another of Alex’sdisappearing acts on his bike, and we were ready for some more action.

Unlike the day before, when we were in place a full 90 minutes before thecompetition started, we arrived at the competition area just before the firstcompetitor was about to jump out of the blocks. There were two events ontoday’s programme – the Frametwister and the Mini Wirabai. We opted fora spot at the back of the Mini Wirabai course, which allowed us to look downand see about 2/3 of the Frametwister course as well.

The Frametwister was the least natural of the event’s courses, being madeup of logs, a couple of tractor tyres, a pit full of old tyres, a couple of deeptrenches, more logs and a final really deep trench. Huge tyres and longtravel suspension were a must for this one.

The Mini Wirabai, on the other hand, was totally natural. This course isprobably the closest thing I’ve seen to the famous Rubicon Trail in the USA(but shorter). It was a true test of man and machine. Whilst the vehicleneeded to be highly modified, the driver and navigator also had to work wellas a team to choose the best line and to ensure accurate wheel placement.The previous day’s courses looked tough, but paled into insignificancecompared to this one. Here was a course that tested a vehicle to its absolutelimits – to its breaking point even. And breakages there were; one differential,one drive shaft, one panhard rod, two steering arms and a failed hydraulicrear steering setup. Not to mention two spectacular rollovers. And all of thebreakages and rollovers (except one) occurred before the toughest part ofthe course, which was a massive steep rock ledge. Only one vehicle wasable to negotiate this ledge without the use of a winch cable, the most highlymodified vehicle of them all – Team Swampa. And even this team didn’tcomplete the course, breaking the hydraulic rear steering in sight of thefinish line.

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Trip Report - Tuff Trucks - September 6-9, 2002

One highlight of the day was watching Team Cheezy on the Frametwister.They had done well to negotiate ¾ of the course, when they came across asemi-circle of log steps, which led into the final pit. After a couple of attempts,you could see the driver’s adrenaline get the better of him. So he planted theright foot and made it in no time up the log steps. Pity that he was only on twowheels – the two left wheels! And as he turned to drive into the pit, the vehiclerolled into the pit and onto its roof. He hopped out and threw his helmet intothe air to the tumultuous roars of the crowd.

Before we knew it, it was 3.30 pm and time to break camp. Alex went for onelast ride on his pushbike as Rik and I put everything into the back of the Mazda.We left Milbrodale at about 4.30 pm and headed for Barrington, our stopoverfor the night, via Singleton and Dungog. A quick stop at Dungog for suppliesincluded the purchase of a “Dungog Special” for Alex – the closest thing wecould find to a tuff truck. The trip to Barrington was a drive through

The event winners, the Dobbin Engineerung team, exhibiting fantasticarticulation on Sunday’s Mini Wirabai course. Photo by Greg Bryant SC480

...continued on Page 16

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Trip Report - Tuff Trucks - September 6-9, 2002pretty hills and valleys andwasn’t without its moments.Like when I had to lock up therears to miss by inches a calfthat was standing in the middleof the road. By the time wereached Barrington, it was welland truly dark. I rememberedthat there was a campingreserve just over the bridge –but we couldn’t find theentrance to it. So we had to

drive back to Gloucester to find out its exact location. Having found theentrance, we set up camp whilst Alex once again rode his bike. Isn’t he agreat help?

With the tent up, we settled down to a couple of cool ales and dark’n’stormys.We decided it was way too cold to do anything like cooking dinner, so wehad an early night.

MondayWe awoke to another magic morning, but it was a bit cooler than the previouscouple. We had a couple of coffees whilst we waited for the dew to dry out

before we packed up the tentand were on our way. Weheaded back to Gloucester topurchase a map detailing theforest trails in the area for myupcoming trip to BarringtonTops (Easter 2003). Then wewere off on the road from

A competitor struggles on theMini Wirabai course. Photos by

Greg Bryant SC480

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Trip Report - Tuff Trucks - September 6-9, 2002Gloucester through Nowendoc and Walcha to Uralla. This is a great drivewith really pretty scenery around the Upper Manning River. There’s a coupleof excellent camping reserves along this road at Gloryvale and Bretti, and ifyou want a change of scenery next time you drive from Brisbane to Sydneythen you must try this route.

We left the river valleys behind and made the long, steep climb up therange through Giro State Forest. Dave would be almost foaming at themouth at the sight of so many forest tracks meandering away from theroad. But time was of the essence, and we had to keep motoring. Anotherday perhaps, eh Dave? Once on top of the plateau, it was plain sailing allthe way to Uralla, where we stopped for a quick bite to eat.

Back on the New England Highway, we headed for home. No dramas, exceptfor a suicidal koala that decided to play chicken with us just near Willowbank.Luckily, it survived to play chicken another day. And we made it home intime to get to the club committee meeting that night. Such dedication!

This was a weekend jam packed with exciting off-roading experiences. Itwas a long way to travel, but what we saw was simply awesome and wellworth the effort. Thanks Rik for organising the trip – maybe next year a fewmore members might join us!

Greg Bryant SC480

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Trip Report - Nanango Stock Route - September 14, 2002Lisa and I are new to the Subaru Club our first outing being this trip throughthe Nanango Stock Route and surrounds. After sampling a coupla coffeerolls from the Kilcoy bakery we teamed up with the Bayside Offroaders Cluband quickly hit the dirt. Dave had given us one of the clubs radios and so wewere listening in on the conversation between him as the tail car and Ron upthe front. I think there must have been 16 or 17 cars at the start with abouttwenty having come and gone by the time we left for home on the Sunday.We were a bit surprised to see so many Landcrusiers when we got there,the only Subaru’s being Dave’s brumby and our standard L series, althoughI was told this was a bit of a regular trip that most had already done before.

Saturday was a pretty good day. Lisa and I were prepared to have a go atalmost anything. I think we may have even surprised a few of the Baysidemob. The trip was really dry so most obstacles tended to be ruts and rocksinstead of mud. (We suffered some gravel rash). Everyone appeared toagree when we stopped off at the “familiar” stops, an old truck wreck at thebeginning of the seven-mile diggings and also at a point where some of theoriginal road construction still stood.

After pulling in to camp about 4pm we set up, met some interesting peoplefrom the Bayside lot and had a blazing fire. I think every one under about 18must have had there own satellite fire around the main one so we had aLot of heat happening, hence it was not a cold night.

Sunday saw us packing up camp, and heading further along the Stock route.We covered some of the same track that we had passed over last night, andLisa was scared. We made it up the scariest one unscathed. We heardreports that someone had trouble. We were keen to let everyone know thatit wasn’t us, but our radio would only receive messages and would not let ussend out.

More dust, but the tough tracks were over. Lots of cruising through the scrub.We spent a lot of the time with the Air conditioner on, as we didn’t want to eateveryone else’s dust, very dry on the roads. Lunch was beside a quiet creek,that would have been quite picturesque, had there been a little more waterand a little less cow manure in it.

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The afternoon inspired us with the promise of an ice cream when we got toEsk. However, we stopped at another of the watering holes along the stockroute, and said hello to the cows. It was here that we had our only mishap ofthe adventure. One poor soul locked the keys in their car. Would you believethat between 16 vehicles there wasn’t a car thief in sight? Mobile phonereception was non existent, except for Dave’s CDMA? So a call to RACQwas put in. Then we had to wait for them to find us, being off the beaten trackand all that. The group started to drift apart then as various cars made theirown way home. Then, the vision we had been waiting for. An old Holden Uteemblazoned with the words we had been waiting for. RACQ. The dude gotout of the car with his manuals, and started flicking through the pages to therelevant page for the car in question. I didn’t realise it was to be such anordeal. They are trained professionals aren’t they?

Actually if I had a hat like Les Higgins I would have to eat it too. The RACQgot in quicker than any of us were ever going to.

A good weekend all round.

Trip Report - Nanango Stock Route - September 14, 2002

The convoy on the Old Coach Road. Photo by Stephen Hislop SC521.

Stephen and Lisa HislopSC 539

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RALLRALLRALLRALLRALLY NEWSY NEWSY NEWSY NEWSY NEWSWRC – Rally New Zealand Rd 4 – The WRC returned to NZ in April thisyear instead of the usual date in July because of a date reschedule for thewhole Championship. The roads are usually wet, hard packed and fast andare regarded as some of the best rally roads in the Championship. TheSubaru team had an encouraging event with Petter Solberg finishing in 3rd

place after having trouble with his run flat tyres. He also had a small timedelaying spin. Team mate Tommi Makinen finished in 7th place after gaininga speeding penalty between stages; he was also not entirely happy with hiscar’s set up. The Peugeot Team continued their winning way, with their 7th

win from the last 10 championship rounds. Marcus Gronholm finished in 1st

place after recovering from a rollover. His team mate Richard Burns followedin 2nd place. The Ford Team was running the new improved 03 Focus. Leaddriver Marko Martin set some fastest stage times early in the event but wasstopped with hydraulic problems. The best placed Citroen driver wasSebastien Loeb who finished in 4th place. All 3 team cars had windscreen-fogging problems. Colin McRae crashed, while Team mate Carlos Sainzfinished well down the order after crashing through a fence.

Group N – There was a large field of entries for the Group N production carclass, with Subaru debuting the new MY03 WRX STI for Japanese driverToshi Arai and also for Possum Bourne. It was a successful debut, withSubarus filling the top two places. Possum retired with engine problems onthe first day, leaving Arai and Cody Crocker (driving his MY 02 model) tobattle it out. The win went to Arai after Cody was slowed by 2 punctures inthe last stages of the rally.

Points:

Drivers - 1 Burns 26, 2 Gronholm 20, 3 Loeb, McRae 17.

Manufacturers – Peugeot 49, Citroen 44, Ford 26, Subaru 22.

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Finally Found One --Finally Found One --Finally Found One --Finally Found One --Finally Found One -- Sunshine Coast member Doug Tilley has beensearching for months for a good genuine Liberty RS Turbo. He especiallywanted one fitted with the factory sunroof, which are harder to find. He finallyfound the one he wanted in nearby Nambour - a good original 93 model ingunmetal grey.

Wannabe Brumby –Wannabe Brumby –Wannabe Brumby –Wannabe Brumby –Wannabe Brumby – Proton has recently released the small front wheeldrive only ute called the Jumbuck, hoping to fill the market place the Brumbyheld. According to a recent Wheels magazine drive report it’s got a long wayto go. First it is not a 4WD, it’s underpowered and uses the higher 95 octanefuel, the gearing is too high and the gearbox feel is vague with poorsynchromesh. Overall the whole car lacks refinement and value. The articlefinished off by stating you are better off buying a decent second-hand Brumby.

HEARD THE NEWSHEARD THE NEWSHEARD THE NEWSHEARD THE NEWSHEARD THE NEWS

APRC — Rally of Canberra – Rd2 – A subdued Team Subaru contested therally after Possum Bourne’s serious recce accident at the Race To The SkyHillclimb in NZ the week before. The two Subaru Team cars of Cody Crockerand Dean Herridge had stickers attached saying “Doing It For Possum”. Therally is sponsored by Subaru Australia, who supplied all the course and backup cars. The Subaru Festival, held in conjunction with the Rally, was open forthe first time this year to all Subaru owners. Compared with previous years,entry numbers were down, as a number of international teams did not enter.The Mitsubishi Australia Team was also a late withdrawal because they neededto solve a fuel pick up problem before the next ARC round (Rally Queensland).The rally started in fine conditions but the odd shower during the day changedconditions to wet and slippery. One of the first cars out was the Hella sponsoredWRX of Simon Evans who had gear selector problems. The last super specialstage of the day at the new venue at the old speedway complex east of theCity became very slippery. Finnish Mitsubishi driver Juha Kangas, driving forthe Tasmanian based Les Waldken team, led for all of day 1 and half of day 2when he rolled out of the event. This promoted Cody Crocker to the lead,which he held on to the finish, followed by Scott Pedder’s Mitsubishi in 2nd,and Dean Herridge in 3rd place. The team devoted the win to Possum. Ahighlight of the event was the speed and sound of the 2 car Japanese factorySuzuki Ignis 1600 Team. The Atkinson brothers from Queensland drove their2WD Ignis to 10th place.

RALLRALLRALLRALLRALLY NEWSY NEWSY NEWSY NEWSY NEWS

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HEARD THE NEWSHEARD THE NEWSHEARD THE NEWSHEARD THE NEWSHEARD THE NEWSCamping Forester -Camping Forester -Camping Forester -Camping Forester -Camping Forester - Subaru Australia had a prototype camping convertedMY 03 Forester on display at the recent Melbourne Motor Show and at theSubaru Festival at the Rally of Canberra. Its main features include removablestorage bins that replace the rear seats; a mattress covers these bins; awater tank is fitted into the rear quarter panel; and the side windows arecovered by clip on silver covered material. Fitted across the rear is an alloyframed lift-out stove and sink unit. For extra room an optional tent annexecan be fitted to the tailgate. Trakka Camper Conversions have performed thetransformation. The expected cost is around $3000- $3500 and it will gointo production if there is favourable public response. This is not a new idea- club members have been doing similar conversions to their Subarus forover 20 years for a fraction of the above cost.

Good Publicity -Good Publicity -Good Publicity -Good Publicity -Good Publicity - In this month’s May issue of 4x4 Australia magazine,Suba Extreme received an impressive 4 page feature covering John Petersen’soriginal red MY 97 Forester. Also included in the article were details of thecompany’s history, plus their current and future new products.

Adding TAdding TAdding TAdding TAdding To The Collection -o The Collection -o The Collection -o The Collection -o The Collection - 6 Star Motors’ Auto John Schliff has justpurchased a rare 89 Vortex XT Turbo constant 4WD. The gearbox is fittedwith a switchable centre viscous diff lock. It locks front to rear drive 50-50,which is great for off road work. This gearbox was Subaru’s first constantunit. It was replaced in the Series 1 Liberty by a similar unit, which had animproved viscous centre diff fitted. However, the locking part was unfortunatelymissing; which continues to this day.

Pole Position -Pole Position -Pole Position -Pole Position -Pole Position - Peter Nixon (Niko) attended this year’s Subaru Festivalduring the Rally of Canberra, after driving his MY 97 Evo WRX wagon via thewet back roads through the Barrington Tops and the Blue Mountains. Afterspending a few dollars on a car wash he was determined to gain a goodposition at the annual aerial photo shot for the hundreds of WRX’s thatattended the Festival on the lawns in front of old Parliament House. He wasable to manoeuvre into the middle of the front row – good work.

TTTTTrim, Trim, Trim, Trim, Trim, Taut and Taut and Taut and Taut and Taut and Terrific –errific –errific –errific –errific – Club member and Forester owner Phil Woods isa TV star. He appears with his young son Caleb in a Lite and Easy TVadvertisement promoting their diet program.

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MARKET PLMARKET PLMARKET PLMARKET PLMARKET PLACEACEACEACEACEFor Sale: Spare Wheel Carrier to suit MY wagon. Will fit if needed. $50.Phone Shane on 3861 5181.

For Sale: 3" Lift Kit to suit MY. $100. Phone Shane on 3861 5181.

For Sale: Spare Wheel for Subaru Impreza 175/70R14. Very good condition.$50. Phone Peter Geary on (07) 3266 8273.

For Sale: MY83 Touring Wagon. Good for spare parts. Alsofor sale a set of 14” Sunraysia rims. Contact Ron and PaulineGreentree by email at rpgreentree@bigpond.com

For Sale: Parts for Subaru Outback: 1. Sumpguard. Professionally madesteel sumpguard which extends from the front of the engine to the rear of thegearbox, complete with mounting bolts etc. $250. 2. Spare wheel. Steel wheelwith Falken tyre - at least 20% tread. $50. 3. Cross bars for roof rack.Genuine Subaru cross bars for roof rack. $75. Will sell singly, or the lot for$300. Phone Errol Bailey on 0419 727 109.

For Sale: 2000 GT Forester. Silver, 89000 km. Log book, tinted windows,paint + interior protection, electronic rust protection, top of the range alarmwith full closure (electric windows + doors) with glassbreak sensor, Unichipand boost controller, boost gauge, 3“ turbo back exhaust, WRX turbo, Finerfilter, dynoed at 140 kW at the wheels, JVC high powered head unit + 12stacker, Hertz speakers, King springs, Suba Xtreme alloy nudge bar & sumpguard, new Pirelli P6000 tyres fitted 4 weeks ago, reversing sensor systemwith digital distance readout, interior fluoro’s, undercar lighting kit, Shu Roo’s,Narva artic blue bulbs, GFB plumb back BOV. Always run Amsoil engine,gearbox and diff oils and filter. Car was basically used as a demo vehicle formy business and has only been offroad about 3 - 4 times. Perfect Condition.$32000 ono. Phone Rob Brunetti on 3869 1154 or 0408 984 000.

For Sale: Cargo Barrier for Liberty wagon with sunroof from1998 onwards. Genuine Subaru part (code SG023). No fittings.Blue in colour. Phone Jocelyn Collier on 3257 7026.

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MARKET PLMARKET PLMARKET PLMARKET PLMARKET PLACEACEACEACEACE

To advertise in Market PlacePhone your advert to the Editor on (07) 3402 0396

or E-mail to: subanews@subaclub.comPlease advise when Sold or WithdrawN From Sale

Advertisements in Market Place are available to members at acost of $2 per issue or $5 for non-members - tell your friends.

For Sale: 2 Roof Racks to suit MY98 Forester. $150. Phone/fax Jan Wattson (07) 5474 8028.

For Sale: In Dash Gauge Pack. $250 ONO. Phone/fax Jan Watts on (07)5474 8028.

For Sale: Sports Steering Wheel and Boss Kit to suit MY. $70. PhoneShane on 3861 5181.

More Market Place on Page 23

51 BRISBANE STREETBEAUDESERT QLD 4285

5541 1075

CNR. SPINE & NEON STREETSSUMNER PARK QLD 40743376 2000

Mob: 0413 878 760Fax: 3279 4309

Email: sptb@gil.com.au

Proprietor: John Spencer* Computerised wheel alignments* Computer balancing* Log book servicing* Pre-trip inspections

* Mechanical repairs* Suspension* Brakes* Steering

Call Darren Tully on 32907878to experience Brisbane’sonly Six Star Dealership

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