Is anyone from the forums going to go to Eastern Creek this weekend to watch the Procar round?

I'll be down there with the Nissan Sports Car Club, and checking out Mike Fitzgerald's first run in his new 350Z.

I've heard that the preparations aren't going to badly, and if I can get time I'll be trying to pop down and have a look at the car this week.

If you are coming down, let me know (either here or PM). I'd love to see some more enthusiast 350Z owners; I'm sick of being surrounded by (admittedly nice) S15s and S13s when it comes to sports Nissan fans.

 

I was going to go but I have a "gentlemen's" night to attend on Saturday so I probably won't be in a state to attend!

Perhaps next time though.

As always

H

 

scathing, are you a NSCC member? If so, so am I. I'm hoping to go but I have a friend coming up from Canberra so who knows what condition I'll be in come Sunday.

 

Yeah. I'm scathing on the NSCC forums as well. I was at the last dyno day, but I got there after your dyno run.

You should bring your friend to the Creek. Throw a couple of drinks in a cooler. Its not Bathurst, but that's no reason to not sit at the track sinking a couple of cold ones.

 

Thought so. I'm apsilon over there as well but don't drop by there all that often.

I'll see how we go, I've been planning on coming out for EC ages ago so I hope not to miss it.

 

Nathan is at Eastern Creek with the 350Z (instead of the VW R32). Also Mike Fitzgerald has his 'new' 350Z there, but so far he has not been ranning it.

The GT-P cars had their 1st two practice sessions and even though Nathan ws not looking bad as 10th quickest in the first practice, it looks like he had an off at turn 9 and sustained some damage. Hopefully they'll have it all fixed fr tomorrow where they can kick some butt ;-)

ps. Here are some of the the times from the 1st practice session:
- Volkswagen Golf R32 (Paul Stokell) = 1:42.4622
- Mazda RX-7 Ser. 8 RS (Ric Shaw) = 1:42.8496
- Mits.Lancer Evo VIII (Garry Holt) = 1:42.9204
- Subaru WRX STi 'MY04 (Justin Hemmes) = 1:44.3078
- BMW M3 E46 (Beric Lynton) = 1:45.2147
- 350Z (Nathan Pilkington) = 1:45.6830
- HSV GTS VY (Barrie Nesbitt) = 1:45.7888
- FPV BA GT (John Falk) = 1:46.2529

Just as a reference point, any time bellow the 2min for a stock, road car is very good. If I remember correctly, a stock M3 is good for 1:56 around there.

 

I think I've only just regained feeling in my fingers. Damn it was cold and windy! It was worth it, though, and for $15 there was a lot of entertainment.

It was a great day for motorsport (great visibility, very low ambient temperatures, and the rain held off until the end), but a pretty bad day for Nissans. The 200SX's were middle of the pack, but after Pilkington blew up his engine it was left with Fitzgerald (who's on his first outing on a car that only has minor power tweaks) and it showed down the straight when everyone just pulled away from him.

The difference between teams is very telling. The Volkswagens had great factory support (there were several trucks, supports cars like Taureg (spelling?), a Lamborghini Gallardo, etc. The guys were all professional and had good support in the pits and up in the viewing areas.

The Nissans are run by small teams, on shoestring budgets, who not only have to struggle with setting up cars on low budgets, but a manufacturer who aren't just indifferent to motorsport in this country, but actively against it.

I am going to fire off messages to Nissan Australia venting my displeasure over this, for all the good it would do, and I would love to see Nissan forums and Nissan clubs do the same. The 200SX's and 350Z's, in road trim, make short work of the competition. But, when you start allowing mods and needing money to pay for consumables....

 

I decided not to go as it was just too damn cold. At least it wasn't at Wakefield in the snow.

Nissan in Oz won't support any motorsport. They've still got the ****** over the GTR debacle at Bathurst and have taken their bat and ball and won't play with anyone.

 

Yeah, I know. They brought the GT-R over at the wrong time (Japanese sports cars weren't going to sell back then).

Mitsubishi got burnt over the GSR's too, and withdrew them from the market just before the market for Japanese sports cars exploded (and to the WRX went the spoils).

However, Mitsubishi has seen the light and is bringing in the Evolution Lancers. If only Nissan Australia would only realise that, with all the greys floating out there (as well as the popularity of Gran Turismo, which some people say is responsible for getting the Evo Lancers and WRX's into the American market), they've got an opportunity and a burgeoning fan base that is only going to mature and become wealthier.

Still, the guys are still stuck in the "Pulsars and Maximas" mentality. I'm surprised that they even bothered importing the 350Z here, and given that when I was shopping for one there was a 3 month wait that the car is already pretty popular, and if they start putting the Z on the podium, the striking coupe will be even more popular among mainstream buyers.

 

Leon Daphne is a losser! what ever he is involved in turns to sh#t.
Nissan Japan have great products, Nissan Australia have no vision or under standing of custom service or needs.

David

 

I know. Its Leon's fault that we get the Maxima (which, admittedly, is a nice car) but not the Skyline. I remember reading in Motor that he was reconsidering bringing in the G35 after his wife went to Japan, drove it around, and loved it.

How many people would buy a G35 sedan over a Commodore / Falcon, let alone the front drivers in the class like the Magna and Camry / Avalon? Especially if they released some kind of sports model for it?

What jerks my chain is that Nissan got burnt over the R32 GT-R's, and doesn't want anything to do with sports cars because they're concentrating on selling bland bread-and-butter model vehicles, but they forget that Mazda tried that in the mid 90's and almost went under.

But, with Mazda's new design philosophy of making their entire range look (and go, to a certain extent) sporty, its injected a lot more interest and passion into the brand.

Even Mitsubishi, which is looking shaky both locally and globally, is realising that its not 1993 anymore, and doing what they have to in order to bring the 4WD Lancers they failed to sell back then.

I like Nissans. I have since I've been old enough to drive (and realise we can't all have, or want to drive draily, Ferraris, Lambos and Vipers). I was quite impressed with my Pulsar SSS and the Bluebird SSS' and Maxima Ti's I've ridden in. I have plenty of friends with S13, S14, and S15 Silvias and those cars are impressive.

Give me another Pulsar SSS. A replacement for the Silvia. Drop the Maxima and bring in the Skyline. And, when the R35 GT-R comes out, you make sure its in this country competing with the M3's and Porsche 911's.