bobgenie

PS. It's not about being right or wrong. It's about challenging people perceptions and ideas then seeing how they work for us :)

Two years ago my car made 666 at the hubs as a road car and with n/a ratios I didn't have traction issues. Yes it's true I had decent suspension but this was with simply decent road tyres. I will agree that it was a handful on the road but that was the idea. As Terry said the real limiting factor with any rear wheel drive car is the tyres and the driver. I won't be changing my rear diff in a hurry :)

I've got an ali prop and it's fine. I've also got an na diff and don't suffer traction issues. Maybe I need a bit more power :-)

Yes they are big aren't they :) I think they're a little big bigger than the older GT3071 which are used for the SZ EXP90 setup. These are GTX3071R turbos which are a little more efficient hopefully.

A couple of photos to share. One shows the turbos fitted to the dummy engine (thanks Jimmer) which we used while the race engine was being built and helped us to see where the chassis rails needed modifying. We're just cutting into the right side (see photo) the left just needed a couple of taps with a large hammer. Then a photo of the race engine and a slightly damaged engine mount which needs replacing. The crash at Cadwell damaged the car from front to back and we're still finding things but hopefully from now all plain sailing :) With a bit of luck in three weeeks will see it on the rolling road and first test run. Maybe a little video will be on it's way :)

Just so I don't make assumptions and so we are clear about entries can I ask everyone to indicate where they stand on the GTO v 300ZX challenge and/or TOTB proper. I am confirmed for both. Yes of course I might suffer a breakdown but my intention is that I will be competing no matter what and therefore I am a confirmed entry. Some of you have indicated you would like to enter but can't commit for one reason or another so I see you as provisional. It's important that we can get at least five committed entrants and with that I will formalise the match with GTO and I will also talk to Dave Naxton (TOTB) about ensuring we have a decent team area sorted. Can you add your name and indicate whether provisional or confirmed. so...... Bobgenie - confirmed. :)

A rear wheel drive car won the handling last year :) You are right thought it's hard to beat 4x4 but in the dry their real advantage is light weight, better weight distribution, and lot's of power :)

he's in time attack this year should be interesting :) and Gobstopper 2 which will be even more interesting!

I have been chatting to some of the GTO boys and they reckon they will manage an 8 car team and I think we could be around the same mark with a bit of luck. I am probably looking forward to the grudge match as much as the competition proper lol. As Noel says good tyres and a good setup will help to improve times. The strip though is not as easy as it looks and practice is key. Like a sprinter the smallest mistake will ruin your time and it really does take practice to do all the right things at the same time (something I haven't quite managed yet). My best launch ever was a 1.770 which I've never repeated and haven't a clue how I did it but in that run I messed up a gear change and bagged a high twelve :) I might have some spare R888 and DZ03 tyres which will be OK on the strip. Once I sort out my tyres proper I should have some half decent rubber which will be available for anyone who needs them. Don't forget the handling track that's where I have the most fun but seem to spend more time and energy on the quarter for some reason. But every time I compete I learn and if my car works well then I am optimistic for a decent result.

Guys as far as competing in TOTB proper is concerned it has to be one of the best events out there. It's a good venue and the organisers put just the right amount of management into it. Feels very old school and laid back but safe and structured. We're not going to beat the big boys but we'll have fun trying :) As far as the GTO v 300ZX match is concerned that's a different matter lol. We thought that it would work like this points wise. If for example we each had 8 team members then the points would run to 16th place. In the quarter mile then the fastest time would get 1 point, second fastest 2 points etc and we would also accept Saturday times. Same for the top speed where the highest speed gets 1 point and so on and here Saturday times would also be accepted. Note that Saturday times only accepted if the car is not doing the Sunday. In other words you can't choose the best time over two days if you're doing the Sunday then your Saturday times don't count. Handling course times are for Sunday only as the course changes. If you choose not to do a top speed run your best terminal on the quarter will count as your top speed run. Then we simply tally all the points up and the lowest scoring teams wins and their charity gets the dosh :) I know a few of the GTO boys and they're good lads. Got some mental cars too so at the top end we might struggle a bit but I'm confident we will be competitive overall. And if we lose? Well we won't notice because we'll be too busy looking good :) Feedback on the format and everything about the day is sought and appreciated.

That's great news :) And that's great news too :) You're right though the strip isn't just about raw power it's about technique and setup too.

Perfect! Will keep my fingers crossed would be great to get a ten car team :)

Great stuff! I am no professional by any means but on the Saturday I won't be doing many runs and will be more than happy to help and advise technique for the various disciplines for anyone that needs it. There are lots of good guys there and generally most will help if they can (even the GTO boys maybe lol). I will put your name down then :) Bobgenie Slick Pete 111mattin111 Silverline Iangreenfield With the following maybes? Z32bolt Sayers Harby300

Yes that would be great if Noël would come out to play :-) Hopefully we can kick a bit more butt then lol No worries at all. We need a minimum of five for the team but of course would prefer more. So if anyone is provisional they can still commit later in the day.

No worries James. But, Mark Flook and Andre Gysler both running over 1000bhp so I could do with a bit of help with them while the rest of the boys take care of the other GTOs :)

Currently it looks like the interest is there and the names I've got are: Bobgenie Slick Pete 111mattin111 Silverline With the following maybes? Z32bolt Sayers Harby300 What about some of the guys who ran last year? And hello Jaffa I know you're taking a bit of a break but will your car be ready by then? Any feedback is appreciated guys :)

For info here is the link to the TOTB website http://www.totb.co.uk/cms/ I am quite pleased as there are two photos of my zed on the homepage :) The ethos behind TOTB was always about taking your modified (or not) road car and seeing how it fared against other similar cars. It does still have that homegrown atmoshere but along with the majority of normal everyday cars there are a few that are superquick and are a pleasure to behold. The beauty of this event is that you could quite easily be lined up against an 9 second car or a 19 second car. It doesn't matter because everyone there understands the difference and unless you get to the finals you won't actually be up against anyone it's only about the times. So on the one hand we have TOTB proper and then we have the 'grudge' match against the GTO boys. I think this will just make the entire experience more rewarding for all concerned. Details will be worked out over the next few weeks but if we can get a decent team together I am confident we will have a great time. As far as joining is concerned I would like to join 'as a team' rather than as a bunch of individuals so once we know the numbers and names I will be happy to pay for the full team up front and the team can pay me after (not too late after of course I got a race car to feed). My intention personally is to be there for the full weekend though I would only be doing a few runs on Saturday to get my eye in. We have agreed with the GTO boys that if someone can only do Saturday boot camp then we can carry their times over to the Sunday for the 1/4 and top speed so this will help I hope. So a little more info there and hopefully a few more of the previous runners will chime in to offer some feedback and support over the next few days :)

I used to connect my harness to the rear strut brace. Yes a few people thought that it wasn't strong enough but I was happy with it, as were scrutineers at most of the tracks in the UK and as were the MOT guys :) Having said that a roll cage will bring other benefits and Custom Cages are pretty good :)

Yes it is mind you how some of the cars quite sneak through is beyond me :) it's a shame though I did have you in mind ...... I discussed this with Pete a few weeks ago and really wanted some commitment by Japfest. If we're going to work as a team then we need to get together before the event and get it planned as much as possible. Not only that it's a good thing to have a target and something to work towards rather than an if, but, or maybe :) Thanks Gary I think it would be good to do a proper job with banners and tents etc. I have got a small marquee but not going to get much more than mine in it. However I've got compressor and generator and various motorsport tools and equipment which will be available for all the team. Fantastic great start! If we can get some names and if we're looking good I think Japfest will be the perfect place to start talking details.

Here is a Facebook link to the discussion. It's on Marks page he's a good guy and comments are welcome but be nice lol

Guys as we all know the GTO boys have always looked at our cars with envy :) Anyway there are some good guys in their community and I have been discussing ten of the best with a few of them and I have challenged them to a team competition. Yes there will be some big power cars but mostly it will be normal guys with a few mods looking to have a bit of fun. We are thinking a maximum of 8 entries per team to count to the points and we feel that to help it work we will allow Saturday times to count on the 1/4 and top speed run. This means if you only want to do boot camp you will still be part of the team (not handling as the course changes each day). We are also thinking each entry to donate £10 into the pot and the winning team gets all the money for the charity of their choice. There is also optional £5 head to head pairs if anyone wants it but we will need to clarify fully later. The GTOOC charity is 'justgiving' and we can choose ours if this forum doesn't currently support one. For myself I already support help for heroes but am happy to go along with the rest. I will share this on my facebook page and will keep the page updated with details. Have a good think about this guys it's an opportunity to try your hand at 3 disciplines for very little money and see which of our cars is the best all rounder. I often see people suggesting that the zed gets very little respect from the rest of the community and this is a chance to show them how good this car can be. I really do think it will be a great weekend if we can get a decent team together. Yes I will be focussing on doing well but this will help to make it fun as well. I will be there for the full weekend and can sort out details with Dave Naxton. I would truly like this to work and am more than happy to arrange the event however I would not be able to provide much support on the day. I think we could set up a team area to compete with the best so I am confident we can make it a brilliant weekend. Yes it's early but can you start thinking about it now and any feedback/offers of help/entries will be appreciated.

Actually TOTB on the Saturday boot camp is one of the best deals you will ever get. £75 and you could easily have 20 runs all legal and above board with a lovely little ticket to show how fast you are :-)

I've managed 8 runs at the pod but 4 or 5 is average in my experience (though listen to Pete he has more). Yes most of the day is spent queuing and as Pete will agree I get a grumpy tw@. But the experience is worth it. Get a mate or two and run together. You can chat while queuing and see what other guys are doing or chat with them too. Just take a bike helmet they won't check :-)

I might be up for this :) might be my only chance to do some drags before TOTB.

Just an update on progress. I picked up the engine from Jimmer on Friday and it is now at Advanced Motorsport Engineering. Current programme we hope to be on the rolling road in about 4 weeks with first testing a couple of weeks later. It is a long and slow process not helped by various suppliers being very slow! However this was always going to be a major rebuild and I expected some issues along the way. Most of the rebuild has been shared on the following Facebook page and I expect AME to share there as we progress. I will try to update here from time to time too https://www.facebook.com/bob.dixon.737/timeline/story?ut=43&wstart=0&wend=1396335599&hash=-5633238575779497180&pagefilter=3 Jimmer has done a great job on the engine and will continue to liaise with AME over the coming few weeks. We need to do some welding to the chassis rails but by end next week the engine might be sat in the car with two rather large GTX3071R turbos nestling in there :-) Ten of the best being my main focus this year I will be hoping for a committed team of zeds to join a team. I admit I am selfishly looking for the extra five points that brings but if we have any chance of competing then we have to do it on level terms. Just finishing all three events at TOTB is tough but getting points is another level altogether.