SAS Renn Wagens

Cal Look Drag Day 2012

2012-01-25T09:52:00.003Z

The Renn-wagens will be there.

Hovis - "with nowt taken owt"

2012-01-17T10:26:00.002Z

Thankfully this is true for the Rennwagens, as whilst the mighty Hovis has been sold it hasn’t been taken owt of the Club's ownership. The lucky new owner is existing Rennwagen member Steve Milward. Many will know Hovis from its awesome performances on the strip at the hands and mechanical know how of previous owner kev Donlon and powered by a 2332 turbo powerhouse, he waged war with this savage bus resulting in a pb of 14.3sec 1/4 mile.
Hovis currently runs a more modest John Walklett rebuilt 1776cc mota, and Steve's plan for 2012 is to simply enjoy using it. However its not inconceivable that Hovis might make an appearance on the strip later in the year, borrowing the 2165cc IDA'd mota from Steve's Cal Looker.
Its worth noting that the bus was originally imported into the UK buy founding Rennwagen Club member Jamie Palmer.
Some specs
* RHD never welded Australian import Deluxe
* Mostly original paint (Australian only colour Honey Brown), all original panels
* The camper is fitted up front with a vented disc conversion,
* Adjustable narrowed beam with Koni adjustable shocks, and the rear has Gaz adjustable shocks
* Polished JGE Radar replicas
* Camping interior based around a Devon conversion, 3/4 rock and roll bed, wardrobe, buddy seat and swing out cooker

Rennwagen member Paul Dipple's Party Bus... featured!

2011-12-09T14:03:00.003Z

Great to see Paul's Bus in the latest Ultra VW mag, it really is one of the coolest early bay's around. This 1970 deluxe kombi retains its full microbus interior, with Z brackets fitted to allow it to be used as a camper, and is powered by the 1776cc motor built by Paul Knight for his old white Fastback Type 3 - its not quite a Rennwagen machine (yet???) but gives Paul somewhere to warm to hunker down while he's hatching plans for the quickest street driven Notch in the UK.... hitting the streets in 2012.

It also gives the rest of the Rennwagens somewhere to party in the pits!!!!

Nice work Paul.

California Look Drag Day 2012, March 31st - April 1st, Santa Pod Raceway

2011-12-06T09:19:00.003Z

The California Look Drag Day.... a little slice of So-Cal brought to the Drag Strips of the UK.

Racing is open to flat four VW Engined vehicles that are capable of completing a 1/4 mile in under 15.99 seconds, and spectators welcome along. There will be a show and shine on the Saturday and some of the quickest flat fours in Europe out on the strip on Sunday.

This event is ALL ABOUT THE RACING, aimed at the true petrol heads of the VW Scene. The camaraderie of fellow racers and the roar of the flat four is the entertainment, dressing up is strictly limited to race suits and helmets. Any dancing which takes place, is from inside the vehicle and involves a steering wheel and an attempt to launch in a straight line.

The RENNWAGENS will be there.... will you?

Wow, 20,000 posts!!!

2011-12-05T08:21:00.001Z

Thanks for all the visits over the past 4 years!

Mark Palmer's 64 Turbo bug

2011-11-19T20:00:00.004Z

Received the Jan 2012 issue of Volksworld Magazine this morning, flicked through to the "Tech Focus" article on Turbocharging, and lo and behold - a very cool pic of Mark's ride.
Check it out........

Pic courtesy of Julian Hunt

"Gazifications" begin on his 65 looker

2011-11-18T20:15:00.005Z

In October we reported on Gaz's new purchase and promised a few update pictures just as soon as he had the opportunity to apply a little polish.

Well of late Gaz has been spending a little time trying to improve the finish and i think you have to agree, he's doing an awesome job. Here are some sneaky pics.......

The underside is now clean enough to eat yer dinner off

after cleaning and polishing the lexan rear window it looks like glass.

Great work Gaz!

Richie Moss nearly losing it at Santa Pod.

2011-11-14T09:39:00.002Z

Well held Rich!

UPDATED CLUB ET BOARD

2011-11-11T12:15:00.007Z

Well, with the race season done bar the shouting we've finally found time to update the club ET board, and its a good opportunity to take a look at the season as a whole. There's been a good few changes over this past 12 months, with some folks running more often (and harder!) than others, and some cars not managing to get out at all.

The biggest changes come in the mid field of the ET board, where there has been a sustained assault on the quicker spots previously held by those amongst us who have been using turbochargers or nitrous by those running nothing but plain old carburettors. Richie Moss, Steve Milward and John Parton have all worked hard to get to their new positions, with two of those guys now quicker than a couple of us who run turbo's - well done Rich & Steve! John has seen a good improvement in his times in his Oval after a season blighted with niggling issues with his car. Once its fully settled down we look forward to seeing him getting into the 13's and beyond....

Other great news on the ET board from last year are our two new additions, John Saxton and Rich 'Batty' Battison. Both John and Batty have been plugging away working towards club membership for a while now, with John building a new motor and Batty running his Split at every available opportunity looking for the numbers. In the end Batty's improvement came from a simple change of tyre, shaving 7/10's off his previous best time - emphasising the importance of decent tyres out on the strip. In John's case not only did he get a club qualifying time, but then he went out and beat it before we had chance to get him on the ET board with his original time! Nice work guys....

Also, this is a good point to mention this seasons casualties, as there have been a couple, Mark Palmer in particular running the gauntlet of failures managing to incur serious damage to his motor on not one but two occasions. Hats off to you Mark.... also Jamie Palmer managed to blow his motor at a static VW event of all things!

Apart from the movers & shakers on the board there were the regular team of guys on the board who were out running their cars all season flying the flag for the Rennwagens, as well as a host of ever enthusiastic club prospects and advocates, in particular Chris Lovatt who worked incredibly hard to get his lightweight 'Grey Matter' mouse motor'd bug out - although Chris hasn't yet got his Rennwagen Wings with a club time, he has paved the way for it next season with the work on his car completed thus far.

Special thanks to you all, you've made this one of the best seasons ever!

WELCOME NEW MEMBER RICH BATTISON!

2011-10-26T09:27:00.003+01:00

After being on the verge of running a club qualifying time for a while, we are pleased to say that his recent trip to Santa Pod with three existing members netted him a qualifying time of 17.42@74.05mph

Rich runs a 1960 type 2 which came over from Texas in 2008, providing the grunt is a John Walklett built 2110cc mota running 44 idf webers, Other mods include porsche 924 turbo brakes and IRS, a 1500 gt box, bugtech shifter and detailed ssp Fuchs.

Well done Rich and welcome to the Rennwagens

"LET THEM EAT CAKE" Sunday 23rd Oct 2011

2011-10-25T16:22:00.011+01:00

Invite a Rennwagen along for some Birthday Cake add some racing thrown in for good measure and the likelihood is you'll stir up some interest. This was indeed the case when the DKR Club extended an invitation to the Rennwagens to join them and help celebrate their 2nd Birthday, the DKR having enjoyed a successful first 2 years and a welcome addition to the UK scene.

For the Rennwagens it was a successful outing for 3 very good reasons, namely "2 new PB's and a club qualifying time resulting in our newest full member."

The PB's:
John "Sako" Saxton continues to impress, with hard work comes the rewards and on this day Sako was rewarded with a new PB of 14.7, in his very fine Mexi Looker. This being John's second outing to the strip since the powerplant install, it's clear that he's only going to get quicker with seat time. Look out for John making a charge on the ET Board placing's next year. In other related news, there is nice photo of John's car running hard in this month's Volksworld magazine VWAction 2011 report.

Richie Moss has undoubtedly put in the most passes for the Rennwagens this year, more impressive is that with each outing seems to come a new PB, Sunday being no different. Like the proverbial "pig at a tater" Rich tore the car from the trailer headed straight for the track and made a PB 12.27@107.1mph with a 1.66 60ft. Not satisfied and refueled for another charge a second pass was rewarded with a further PB of 12.12@108 mph with a 1.62 60 ft. A third run produced another 12.2sec pass so for his fourth and final pass Tyre pressures were adjusted and low and behold Rich found air under the front wheels for the first time. At this point side winds were getting a little to lairy and Lil Stink Hound was retired for the day.

For those that don’t know the spec of Richie's car, its perhaps worth reiterating it's a 2332 IDA'd powerplant, the very same mota which propelled his sunny commutes to work just a couple of years ago pre its current Lil Stink Hound guise. The only change to the mota being the ditched cooling!!!!!!!!

Batty's Club Qualifying time:
With Mike Riley in support a determined Rich "Batty" Battison took an early cruise down in his hard as nails 2110cc powered 1960 Split bus, arriving before the gates were even open such was his conviction to see out 2011 with his wings. Rich has literally been on the verge of running the number for YEARS, and those that read this blog might remember Rich ran hard at Big Bang2011 earlier in the year and despite best efforts was just falling short of the 17.99 sec cut off and was gutted. Well a change of rubber, and a confidence boosting run down to the pod for this outing made all the difference. Batty's first shakedown pass was a low 18, second pass clinched a qualifying 17.8sec PB, his third and final run of the day was the 17.4sec PB, the Smile on Batty's face was huge. Handshakes all round Batty headed for home a job well done, and will be handed his club stickers at an upcoming meet.

Steve Milward chose to take a break from terrorising the streets in his 61 looker and joined the guys for some fun. With a head full of cold it was never going to be his finest hour, Steve's first pass was a 13.5sec@98mph, and unfortunately wasn’t improved upon with his 2 further passes. Timing slips confirmed that traction for his street radials was proving a problem on the day resulting in 60fts shy of his target, this coupled with a heavy build up of mucus forced early retirement. Even more disappointingly Steve known for his knack at "catching a light" failed on his promise to return home with the "fastest Reaction Trophy" something he had his eye on, on the day his 0.27sec was pipped by a 0.22. A good effort none the less.

Other results.
A great day had by all, relaxed and fun with the emphasis on enjoying some friendly competition and banter. The day was well attended, Gary and Alex of the JG54's took a run over in Gary's 67, and of course the DKR fielded a good number of cars along with some new faces in attendance.
In terms of racing, at one point the top three were separated by 2 hundredths. The First place Trophy for quickest on the day was eventually taken by Andy Searle of DKR with an 11.64 with Danny second in Hembug with a PB 11.9 and Rich Followed in 3rd following with a PB 12.1 @108mph. The quickest reaction time trophy was won by Dean Erb in his Mk1 20v turbo golf.

Special Thanks go to Rennwagen Club Prospects Gary and Peach for helping on the day. Gary for doing a sterling job with the video camera, although we all can't wait for Gary to ditch the camera and bring out the car - the great news is that day is getting very close. And Peach for spotting the cars, pushing in the fire up lane and generally being incredibly helpful to anyone who needed assistance. Finally to Sako's good lady firstly for allowing him to spend all those hours in the garage and secondly for coming along and supporting with genuine enthusiasm.

Richie Moss

John "Sako"

Steve Milward

Newest member Rich "Batty"

Checking out the video footage

Club cars parked between runs

pics courtesy of Liam "Volksbarns"

NEWSFLASH!!!!!!

2011-10-14T20:34:00.003+01:00

After 5 weeks of being sworn to secrecy Gaz has now let us in on the news AND WHAT NEWS IT IS!!! When he told us a few weeks back his search for a replacement to his recently sold 68 was over we all figured it was going to be something special but none of us had any idea HOW SPECIAL- until today that is!!!!

As for the car, here are the details...

1965 Cal Looker
Bought from the one and only Mr Keith Seume

The only British Cal Looker ever to attend a genuine Bug-In, VW Classic and the DKP Cruise Night

Quick glance at the Specs
Gene Berg five-speed built by Mike Herbert of Rancho Performance in SoCal
FTC mainshaft
Weddle 3rd/4th gears
3.78; 2.35; 1.58; 1.21; 0.89
Klinkenborg 3.88:1 ring and pinion
Quaife limited-slip differential
JayCee chrome-moly pinion bearing support
H/D pinion retainer
Sway-A-Way race axles

Flat 4 Fuchs (4.5J and 'deep sixes' – brand new, just fitted) with 145x15 and 205/70x15 tyres
Front disc brakes – new
Rear VW drum brakes fully rebuilt – all new throughout
Hurst line-lock
Braided hoses etc

JayCee springplate retainers
Sway-A-Way adjustable springplates
Axle limiting straps
CSP 'torque bar'
Berg solid trans mounts (with weld-in middle mount)
Mallory fuel pump
Restored 'Cotton Goff' licence plate surround
New glass
Lexan rear screen (lightweight)

The car comes minus the engine, and as winter closes in its the perfect time for Gaz to get busy in the garage and start to form a plan of action for 2012.

FROM ALL THE CLUB CONGRATS ON THE PURCHASE

Gaz has promised to provide some recent pictures just as soon as he's given it a polish. In the meantime for anyone who doesnt know the car - (AS IF!!!!)..................

(photo from 2010)

Pics from Vw Action courtesy of volksdriver.com

2011-09-17T16:36:00.013+01:00

Mr. Rennwagen 2011

2011-09-16T23:27:00.003+01:00

Look at them pearly whites....

photo courtesy of Matt 'Le Pap' Webb

More VW Action pics

2011-09-13T18:27:00.002+01:00

More VW Action pics

2011-09-12T09:26:00.003+01:00

Photo credits to Darren W

NEW MEMBER JOHN SAXTON!

2011-09-09T10:07:00.001+01:00

Welcome to the club John! Here is the man himself modelling some Rennwagens merchandise....

VW Action... IN the Rennwagen pits...

2011-09-09T09:50:00.008+01:00

from left to right... prospect Gaz Priest standing behind Mark Palmers bug, Johnny Walklett's 63 Rag (and you can just see John Parton's Oval Bug behind it), Steve Milwards bug (Steve is behind the car supping on a fresh coffee), Dave Wain's 66 and Johnny Walklett's other car, his 14 sec. Ghia. Behind the Ghia is Johnny trying to get out of shot I think.

Supervisor Archie Lovatt in the crocs and stripey cardigan, Mark Palmer and Gaz Priest working on Marks bug, John Saxton's late looker, Richie's 'Lil Stink Hound' with Steve Milward apparently molesting it in the background, John Parton fettling his carbs and Johnny's bug.

Chris 'the Chef' Lovatt, Phil Wain and again Mark and Gaz.... guess who the media whores are!!!!

VW Action

2011-09-09T09:47:00.004+01:00

VW Action has long been a definite fixture on the Rennwagen show calendar thanks to its laid back vibe and the collection of quick cars from all over Europe in attendance, so we were sure not to miss out this year!

Representing the Rennwagens on the track were John Parton, Johnny Walklett, Mark Palmer, Dave Wain, Steve Milward and Richie Moss.

A huge effort was involved getting John, Johnny's and Mark's cars to the event as just a matter of days before the event various cars were missing either their powerplants or their gearboxes. John enlisted the help of Kraftwerk VW service to get him up and running, while Mark had the help of Richie and Chris to get his car up and running. Meanwhile Johnny 'popped the box in' while he was waiting for a kettle to boil.... some people just make it look to easy!

Needless to say, as anyone who runs a car with any regularity at the strip knows, the effort that getting even a running & ready car to the strip is huge, so even those who were ready well in advance had their work cut out for them.

Also in attendance and racing were club prospects John Saxton and Chris Lovatt. John has been running his freshly built 2276 in for a while now and felt it was time to hit the strip to see what it could do. Chris meanwhile has worked long and hard on his car over a period of years with a lot of help from his friends, in particular Richie Moss, and is a ground up race car build in the spirit of the 70's... a flyweight car with a small cc motor.

In addition to those out on the track there were a large number of club members and prospects present with no car, there to show their support for those out on the track.

In the end racing in the RWYB sessions was a little disappointing due to a strong headwind, lack of traction on the track and over subscription, with the fire up lane jam packed all day. While there were no pb's for existing members we were delighted to see John 'Sure Thing' Saxton earn his wings with an easy 15.2 pass @ 88 mph. We look forward to seeing this car back out next year in better conditions. Chris meanwhile recording a 17.5 second pass, very respectable for a lil' 1679 on stock heads with a set of twin 40's on there. It should also be mentioned that this was Chris' first and last drive of the day due to a minor breakage when his clutch arm snapped. Well done Chris, look forward to seeing what you get out of that little stomper next year and welcoming you into the ranks of the full members. It would be about time, as Chris is one of the individuals who stepped up to form the club a number of years ago and even when he's not had his car running his enthusiasm has often pushed others within the club on to some great achievements.

Also new to Hot VW's is Richie Moss' girlfriend Lou, who voluntarily got into the passenger seat of Richie's car for a scorching 12.8 pass (not bad two up!). She made it out with minor bruising.... rather you than me Louise.....

The night racing has been an excellent feature of recent VW Action's, and while again there were no pb's to be had Richie Moss nearly equalled his previous pb of 12.3 with a 12.4.

Speaking of Richie Moss - anyone there will have no doubt noticed Richie's car has acquired a name and is looking more and more like it's come from a different racing era.... Please Welcome 'Lil Stink Hound'! Looks excellent Rich.

VW Action

2011-09-09T08:23:00.004+01:00

Gaz's 68 takes best in class

2011-08-13T20:54:00.004+01:00

A few of the Rennwagens took a trip out to VWNW at Tatton Park.
After some persuasion Gaz agreed to take his stunning late looker out of the club display and head over to the Cal Look Class in the concours and Surprise Surprise he picked up BEST IN CLASS!!!!!!!
Congrats and we cant wait to see you drive this thing hard in a few weeks at VWaction

few pics from Big Bang

2011-08-08T14:26:00.005+01:00

Big bang pics are up on julian hunts website.

Lazy Sunday the pics

2011-08-02T17:15:00.017+01:00

Some of the guys

ying and yang photo

Rich's 2210 61 split

John's 63 and Dave's 66

Kyle's Late Looker

Rob's soon to be 1835 turbo

Sako's 2276 mexi looker

Phil's 912 in the line up

Just some of the club cars

Sunday 31st July 2010 VWAction Lazy Sunday

2011-08-02T17:06:00.004+01:00

On Sunday, the Rennwagens headed out to put on a club display at VWAction Lazy Sunday, which represented VWAction's welcome return to Uttoxeter Racecourse, having last ventured up north to celebrate their 30th birthday party in 2005, followed by the VW Action ‘Summer Party’ in 2006, so it’s been a while.

Of course, the Rennwagen's were always going to come out and support a great show right on its doorstep and so submitted into the club display a 10strong field of Hot VW's consisting of

1. Steve's 61
2. Gaz's 68
3. John's 90
4. Peach's 66
5. Jamie's 60
6. Richie's 65
7. Dave's 66
8. Phil's 912
9. Rich's 2110 split '60
10. John's 63

In addition, Matt submitted his Ghia into the show and shine picking up a top 10 for his efforts "well done Matt", Andy cruised up in his sweet looking T25, Rob Locker, in his red Rag which is soon to boast a Jon Walklett built 1835 turbo and his brother Kyle in his cool Fontana Grey late looker on rep. Gas Burners and finally Paul brought his hard as nails bay. In addition to the cars, Rennwagen members, prospects, and friends of the club and respective families were out in force to enjoy a drink, a chat and the fantastic summer weather. Local Air-cooled VWspecialist and friends to the Club Kraftwerk were also in attendance with a trade stand.

At 2pm the Rennwagens created a wall of noise with a mass fire up of the mota's, a huge gathering of people congregated around the business end of the display to witness the awesome sound, many people declaring it their personal highlight of the show. Unfortunately, anyone with experience of race cars will know if you own one you have to expect breakages, the fact of the matter is this can occur when in motion or when stationary as in the case of Jamie Palmer's 60 Turbo racer, who unfortunately blew his motor during the display. The postmortem has yet to be carried out, but Jamie remains as positive as ever - which is why he remains the backbone of this club.

To top a great day off, the club picked up VWAction Lazy Sunday's best Club Display, and no doubt we'll be back next year to defend our title.

EBI 4

2011-08-02T16:28:00.001+01:00

From left to right - Richie Moss, Steve Milward and Jamie Palmer.

EBI 4

2011-08-02T16:22:00.001+01:00

EBI 4

2011-08-02T16:02:00.004+01:00

European Bug in

2011-08-02T15:37:00.004+01:00

Its been a while now since a few members of the Rennwagens packed up their cars and gear and headed out to Belgium for the fourth European Bug In.

Where to start?!

Rennwagen members in attendance at the weekend were Steve Milward, Richie Moss, Jamie Palmer and Kev Donlon. Also in attendance was club prospects Matt Webb and Matt Lawton, helping out with Phil Jarvis' amazingly quick 'Fire Bus' Split Screen Type 2. As Kev was taking EBI in as part of a larger holiday, and also because his car's rebuild is still not quite finished he was in attendance in his T4 Multivan - the perfect way to cruise the Belgian countryside.

Not so for Steve, Rich and Jamie though, as they loaded up their cars onto trailers and dragged them across the channel to give them a damn good spanking up the now famous quarter mile sprint track at Chimay.

Heading out on Wednesday evening for a ferry over from Dover in the wee hours of Thursday morning meant that there was still a pretty good choice of spots within the pits, and by Thursday lunch time the Cars were unloaded, Tents put up and the Rennwagens pit area already busy with preparations for the track.

Following scrutineering the cars headed out for the first passes of the weekend on Friday morning. Steve's full street bug was first out and Steve started the weekend with a 13.9 but immediately started having issues with his clutch. Richie's bug - fresh from an intense diet - immediately seemed quicker out of the traps and on Friday saw a run of 12.8 while still getting used to the surface and grip levels. Jamie's bug too seemed to be running much better this time out, and after a tentative first run out was pleased with a 14.2 shakedown run. First runs under the belt, the decision was taken to park the cars and enjoy some of the ambiance of the show, and following a couple of hours in the company of the local Belgian Beer and a BBQ we headed out to see what other cars were around about in the pits.

The quality and quantity of cars on show was jaw dropping.... around every corner was either a full on cal looker, a Gasser survivor from the 70's or full turbo race cars. It was truly astounding!

The Saturday saw a return to the track, with Steve running 14.2, Richie dipping to a 12.64 and Jamie getting back into the twelves with a 12.8 run. Things started getting competitive (as always) and Saturday night saw more Belgian Beer swilled and another good round of bench racing before a wander around the music tent and through the camping fields checking out the cars.

After Saturdays Bench Racing, Richie and Jamie lined up for a run against each other and from the off it appeared both were moving quite a bit quicker than previous runs. The intense rivalry resulted in new pb's for both, Richie with an amazing 12.3 in his naturally aspirated car, with Jamie trailing behind with a 12.6 in his turbo bug. Steve was back out on track, keen as ever, but his earlier clutch problems seemed to be getting gradually worse and it was pretty obvious from the smell and his timing slips gradually tailing off that his clutch was toast....

So the Rennwagens headed home, after what has gone down for many as the best show they have ever attended... If you weren't there, start planning now for EBI 5 in 2013... it should be a blast!!!!

Some pics of drag day from julian hunt.

2011-07-12T17:39:00.002+01:00

Some pics of drag day from julian hunt.

2011-07-12T17:25:00.006+01:00

Congratulations to Dave & Stacey Wain!

2011-06-07T16:48:00.003+01:00

We'd all like to wish Dave well after marrying his lovely fiance Stacey on Saturday.

Congratulations to you both!

Big Bang 2011

2011-05-23T11:31:00.007+01:00

Big Bang 2011

2011-05-23T11:22:00.001+01:00

Just a quick update from fri and sat for those that could'nt get down.

- Richie Moss new PB of 12.5. So he takes out Jamie on the ET board, i guess this means WAR

- Lee ran 13'6 in Jamie's bug on Friday aftn. Huge smile on his face, was great to see.

- Rich in his hard as nails 2110 '60 splittie ran 18.1. Due to the poor amount of time for RWYB'ers and despite him stayin in the fire up lane the whole time he only managed get waved thru for 3passes and he kept getting quicker with each pass. Unforutnuately Rich was hindered by a lack of rubber, causing mucho wheel spin, which he's looking to sort for his next outing, at which point that 17 WILL DEF HAPPEN.

- Steve Turnbull ran an 18.0 on his first run but he did have slipping clutch issues which was demanding a little caution, because of course as per Rich he needed the bus in one piece to take the family home.

- Johnny just managed the one shake down pass and was having fuel delivery issues, and had to abort his runs for the weekend.

- Paul Dipple def deserves a mention for enduring a 5hr+ drive down in his bay on friday night due to M1 closures, arriving after midnight.

Nice to see you all there!

Club Forum

2011-05-09T17:59:00.001+01:00

Our own forum is a nice quiet little place, feel free to pop in....

http://sasrennwagens.createaforum.com/index.php

UPDATED ET BOARD

2011-05-09T17:57:00.004+01:00

The long awaited board finally completed! Plenty of changes, with Richie Moss, John Parton, Mark Palmer and Steve Milward all shuffling around the board. Well done guys! More details of some of the changes post- Drag Day to follow!

DRAG DAY 2011

2011-05-09T17:56:00.001+01:00

WHAT A WEEKEND!

The weekend of April 16th & 17th saw Santa Pod hosting this years Drag Day, and from start to finish the Rennwagens were hard at work, either in the pits working on the cars, on the track looking for the pb, or in the evening enjoying some beers and excellent company.

Representing the Rennwagens at the event was John Parton in his 54 Bug, Richie Moss in his 65, Jamie Palmer in his first outing with his new 1960 Bug, Steve Milward in his Pampus Green 61, and finally Mark Palmer in his recently completed 1960 turbocharged ragtop. By recently completed, we mean that everyone was still spannering on his car in the pits to get it ready to race!

Race it did though! This was Mark's first ever outing to the strip and he settled right into it, running the car successively quicker, culminating in a best et of the weekend for him of 13.0 @ 102mph. Unfortunately it seemed there were still some issues to iron out as Mark wasn't building a great deal of boost - but the times achieved on these shakedown runs would indicate that there is a beast lurking within! We'd all like to congratulate Mark, and welcome him into the club now he has completed his qualifying time. It is also worth mentioning the near superhuman effort Mark has put into getting this car track worthy for this event, aided and abetted in no small part by a number of fellow members of the club - notably Richie Moss, Steve Milward, Chris Lovatt, 'Peach' Cornes, and brothers Jamie and Lee Palmer. WELL DONE MARK.

John Parton ('JP') had experienced some last minute problems with his car in the run up to Drag Day, but Lee and Eddie at Kraftwerk VW pulled out all the stops to help him out, tracing the problem to an errant fulcrum plate in the gearbox. This fixed, JP gave his bug the driving of its life, culminating in a fantastic new pb for him, knocking three tenths off his previous time with a 14.1 @ 98 ET. All this and JP also drove the car the 240 mile round trip to Santa Pod and back from his home in Staffordshire!

Jamie Palmer was out trying to get to grips with his recently completed 1960 Bug, bought as a roller and fitted up with his 2276 turbo powerplant retained following the sale of his 54 racer. A rash of small but time consuming and irritating problems prevents the car from getting a clean pass in, with a constant lean condition spoiling the fun. He managed a 13.6 @ 102 mph and also managed to scare off most wildlife in the area with his car performing a surprisingly accurate impression of an AK47 machine gun, popping and banging its way along the quarter mile.

Richie Moss was out again with his 'ol faithful 65 Bug and ran hard all weekend. Unfortunately for Richie, on this occasion pb's were not the order of the day,but he still managed to run a 12.8 on street tyres in his naturally aspirated street warrior.

One of the real surprises of the weekend was Steve Milward who has been working hard in the off season developing his car in his efforts to get down from his previous pb of 14.2 into the 13's - there have been no substantial changes, but plenty of detail work on the car. The motor has been fully apart and rebuilt by John Walklett, who also ported his cylinder heads and match ported the manifolds to suit, along with going through all components and the typically meticulous John Walklett assembly process. Work has also been done to the trans and suspension of the car, with a set of race axles installed, AVO coil overs to the rear end and the tying in of the rear frame horns to the newly installed Safety Devices rollcage. The result of all this hard work? A FULL SECOND SHAVED FROM HIS PB. Congratulations on the 13.2 Steve, its been a while coming. This was run on street radial tyres, so Steve will surely be looking to get his car closer and closer to 12's, and with the addition of some slicks that is surely a reality.

Also of special note was the number of club members and prospects who attended the event to show their support and help out in the pits. Chris Lovatt was on hand to work the BBQ, in addition to being our very own version of Dyno Don! Peach was around all weekend and was as always a source of endless amusement, Gaz Priest was behind a video camera, and Steve Plant and Poe Beardmore helping out - in particular Poe's help on Jamies car was invaluable with his experience of his own turbocharged drag bug put to good use.

It was great to see so many cars out from other hardcore VW clubs, with significant attendance from the DKR, Outlaw Flat Four and JG54 Greenhearts all adding to an excellent weekend. there were some amazing cars there - a true display of real VW horsepwoer. The most amazing sight of the weekend had to be seeing Matt Keene running his Oval 'All Torque' to a new personal best of 9.45 seconds - absolutely incredible!

THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO TOOK PART IN THE WEEKEND, IT WAS A BLAST!

Drag Day 2011

2011-05-09T17:52:00.003+01:00

Drag Day 2011

2011-05-09T17:49:00.003+01:00

Drag Day 2011

2011-05-09T17:44:00.006+01:00

Drag Day 17th April 2011

2011-04-21T16:41:00.002+01:00

What an awesome day. Check back soon for photo's and a full report from the weekend

Its been a busy few weeks!

2011-04-15T15:38:00.001+01:00

Everyones been hard at it in their garages and there have been successes and a few let downs too... but this weekend a few of us will be taking our cars down to Santa Pod for the Third Annual Cal Look Drag Day. Watch this space for a report on Sunday night!

Mark Palmer's '64 - work continues

2011-04-05T12:14:00.006+01:00

Popped round to Mark's garage on Sunday to find Rich and Chris L lending a hand. Great to see more and more of those items crossed off the "To Do" list.
Here are a couple of pics

Will's new split

2011-03-29T20:44:00.004+01:00

Long time enthusiast and member of local Stoke & Stafford club, Will 'the Bogman' was until recently the owner of one of the cleanest stock splits about.... and now he's the owner of one of the cleanest custom splits about! The RENNWAGENS are yet to talk him over to the darkside and convince him that life is better lived a quarter mile at a time, but we're working on him... It would be great to see you along at any of the local meets or down at the strip with us Will!

The 59 ex-Californian Bus is running a potent JMR 2110cc motor, discs all round and a Creative Engineering steering rack conversion amongst the more obvious modifications.

Only 19 days to Drag Day!!!!

2011-03-28T09:33:00.001+01:00

Man thats gonna go quick!

VWACTION 2010 THE BOOK

2011-03-22T12:39:00.003Z

Great to see some club members and their cars featured in the VWACTION 2010 Book

TO SEE A SAMPLE OF THE BOOK AND ORDER click HERE.

The book is a product resulting from Nick Grant teaming up with Julian Robinson to bring you 80 pages featuring over 100 photos from VW Action 2010! All profits (£2 per book) from this are going to Brads Cancer Foundation.

1960 Pro Street Bug taking shape....

2011-03-20T16:45:00.001Z

More '64 progress

2011-03-18T14:27:00.009Z

Mark Palmer is maintaining the great momentum on his '64. The set up for breaking in the cam (pictured) was successful and the IDA carb set up and speedshop header/muffler have been returned to Steve Milward's 61. Mark is now all about the TURBO and we LOVE IT!!!!!!!!

Wed 16/03 club meet

2011-03-18T10:24:00.001Z

Great to see so many at Wednesday's club meet, probably the best dressed people in the boozer brandishing the new 2011 Club Clobber - it must be pre season not an oil stain in sight!!!
Usual banter, bench racing, club bonding, but some people just take it a little too far!!!!!!!!!!!!!!………………….

Hazel's 'Trekker Wrekker' motor... now complete!

2011-03-16T18:01:00.005Z

Well the car has left Nige Hull's workshop now where the engine has been built up, tinware and manifolds painted etc. and its now at Daz Chandlers worksop (Aircooled Performance in Northallerton) for final fitting up and the cage install. Looking good!

You can also just make out Daz's amazing 10 second 67 race car in the background... but do I see carbs where a turbo once lived Daz???

Work continues on the 60

2011-03-16T17:13:00.004Z

Now the carb intake has been modified to suit the new header, the carb has been fitted up and the carb support fabbed from aluminium tubing. The carb will be coming back off again to be modified to run a boost sensitive power valve, which should mean tighter jetting, and a more drivable car on the road....

Jamie Palmer's 60 Turbo bug

2011-03-08T08:25:00.002Z

A little more work done, the engine is now nearing completion and should be running within the next week or so.

John Saxton's late looker

2011-03-07T15:09:00.004Z

One of the nicest late lookers around right now, run by club prospect John Saxton, is this 1990 mexican bug. Running on Gas Burner wheels that attach to discs at all four corners, the car is currently apart receiving an engine transplant. Specs are:

AS41 case clearanced by scat (John had to do some additional clearancing)

CB performance 82mm crank (4340).

CB performance super race rods and ARP bolts.

Webcam 86b camshaft using straight cut gears and super vee followers.

Manton push rods.

AA 94mm pistons and barrels.

044 magnum heads with 35.5 & 40mm valves,prepared by stateside tuning.Dual valve springs.

Chromoly head/cylinder studs.

SCAT 1.4:1 ratio rockers.

CB performance oil pump.

Kennedy stage 1 clutch.

Lightened flywheel and a 3.5 pound front pulley.

Compression ratio is 9.1.

Induction will be twin 48 DRLAs.

A speedshop stainless side exit exhaust with big bore heat exchangers will be used, as, to quote John "i'm getting older and feel the cold!"

Ignition is a mix of parts that John has used to create a setup that works very well - when he bought the car it had the original factory electronic dizzy on it.John bought a 009 and used that and the electronics from the original diizzy to make a "factory" 009.

The gearbox is at present with Bears motorsport for an upgrade and will be tied in with Rhino mounts and a centre mount, along with a Torque bar to keep the rear end braced.

Congratulations to Mike & Tan Riley....

2011-03-07T13:06:00.002Z

on the arrival of Todd Michael their little boy last week!

Mike is a long time Rennwagen member and builder of a number of hiugh quality Type 2's that have all had high horsepower in common...

Mark burning the midnight oil.....

2011-03-05T17:25:00.005Z

Mark palmer's 64 ragtop is storming along, and here are some pics to prove it!

Mark is breaking the cam in this weekend, but is doing that on carbs (big thanks to fellow club member Steve Milward for the loan of the IDA setup), then he'll build it up with the turbo setup.

Looks sweet on either....

While we're in Steve's yard....

2011-03-02T09:10:00.005Z

He also has this little beauty tucked away in a corner awaiting resto.... a 59 ragtop bug on original EMPI sprints.

A little like the famous Gene Berg advertisement, Steve Plant has it all!

Steve Plants 61 cal looker

2011-03-02T08:43:00.008Z

Club prospect Steve Plant's rhd 61 returned from the paintshop last week following its full bare metal repaint and here are the pictures showing it in its new coat of Gulf Blue.

Its running 6 1/2 centrelines on the rear 3 1/2 on the front. Csp vented discs up front and heavy duty anti roll bar. Wings are by Day moulding and to keep that cal look cool its running a set of t-bars.

Motor wise it will be running a 2110cc stroker, with heavily ported cnc round port 044 heads by jmr, fk10 cam, msd 6al and 48 ida's.

Interior spec will include a racetrim seat, Fat biscuit door cards, Autometor gauges, berg shifter, nardi wheel and a satey devises rear cage. We can't wait to hear this one roar Steve!

More work on Trekker Wrekker

2011-02-25T11:48:00.003Z

Hazles car is coming together quite quickly now - its going in to Aircooled Performance in Northallerton next week (call Daz on 01609 777459 ) for the cage and then the engine will be going in (once the framehorns have been tied to the cage).

Another prospect shooting for membership in 2011

2011-02-23T15:15:00.004Z

Chris Fairbanks has been running this little terror around the streets of Staffordshire for a few years now, getting gradually quicker each year. Believe it or not the engine is still only a baby 1641, yet Chris has posted low 16 second quarter mile times consistently, thanks to big gulps of nitrous being fed into the mouse motor. Based around a magnesium type 3 case, the engine now features:

Forged counterweighted 69mm crank
12. 5 lb fly wheel
Engle 110 cam with straight cut cam gears
Stock followers
H.D. conrods
Forged 1641 pistons and barrels
Empi 40 heads (40 mm inlet and 35.5 exhaust) with a mild polish & port job
Dellorto drla 40 carbs
Wizzards of nos 4 fogger nitrous system
Merged 1 5/8" header
009 dizy with pertronix ignitor II and a flamethrower 2 coil
and uprated oil pump with external filter and cooler

This is all goes through a Kennedy 1700 lbs pressure plate and kush lock clutch, mated to a stock 1300 gear box.

Lets see those times tumble Chris!

2011 Club Tee's are here

2011-02-18T13:55:00.004Z

Hoodies and Sweatshirts will be here next week........

Wheels wheels wheels!

2011-02-17T15:35:00.003Z

Richie Moss' gasser has received a new set of rims - genuine 4 stud sprints, and Jamie Palmer's 60 Bug has also had a smilar treat in the form of some 8 x 15 centerlines for the rear (chevy pattern).

Calling all cars, calling all cars.....

2011-02-16T11:31:00.002Z

This weekend is Dubfreeze, which lives up to its name most years.... to beat off the winter blues the Rennwagens are heading into Newcastle town centre for a few beers the night before this event in the hope that a hangover on Sunday will help prevent overspend in the swapmeet.

We are meeting at the Black Friar at 8pm, and anyone is welcome to come along.

See you then.

Mock up of turbo

2011-02-15T13:50:00.002Z

Just started mocking things up on the bug.... not looking like it will fit under ANY decklid!

Jamie's '60 Pro Street Bug

2011-02-14T21:23:00.003Z

The motor went in tonight ready for mock up & fabrication of various parts over the coming weeks in readiness for Drag Day. Cool!

Marks Ragtop Gasser - MORE progress!

2011-02-14T11:31:00.003Z

Marks cracked on with the cage and will soon be out of this stage of the build and onto the next area on the hit list... lots to do, but its really coming together.

'Run to the Bun' 2011

2011-02-14T11:25:00.004Z

Many Thanks to Chris and Sian for hosting an impromptu gathering of a few of us on Saturday night.. sandwiches curry and pizza, a bunch of good friends and VW drag racing on the TV.... who needs any more?!

Playtime for the boys....

2011-02-14T10:45:00.005Z

OK, the day started off with a serious enough intent: Richie Moss, Peachey Cornes and myself were to drop my 2276cc turbo motor from my 73 bug, relocate the 73 from Richie's driveway to the Kraftwerk workshop (where it will receive a 1914cc Rayjay turbo'd lump) and deliver the 2276cc motor to my place so I can get it installed in my recently purchased '60 Drag Bug/Cal Looker.

We had also planned to drop in and check out a late Ghia which Richie Moss was looking at taking in part exchange for his Split Single Cab.

We had intended to get all this done in a few hours so that we were fresh faced and ready to drop around to Chris Lovatts place on Saturday evening - Chris had organized an impromptu get together with some fine food and drag racing on the TV (more of this later).... As usual with these kind of days, things got a little sidetracked.

Cue some sillyness with rattlecans and Richie's new gasser, a McDonalds, a curry and a chinese all in one day and a bit of time spent cleaning up the cab in the sun.... Oh, and we DID get the motor out and back to my place, its just a shame it fell to one side en route, leaving the back of Richies van awash with engine oil (sorry about that Rich).

Richie Moss' new addition.....

2011-02-10T12:48:00.003Z

Rich had one of those moments last week, and purchased this bug despite him already having too many cars and not having a clue what he's going to do with it. Its a bug built (well, kind of built) in a gasser style, which Rich is mad on, and when it came up at the right price he couldn't refuse....

I think it'll look awesome with some mad metalflake paint!

Little more progress on Mark's 64 Turbo bug

2011-02-10T12:41:00.002Z

Cage in for a trial fit... looks great Mark.

Hazel Thomas' 'Trekker Wrekker' motor is built!

2011-02-10T11:21:00.001Z

And here it is... isn't it a beaut'?!

BLACK & WHITE

2011-02-08T19:08:00.000Z

Progress at Mark's place

2011-01-30T16:08:00.004Z

Mark Palmer has been continuing to get to g4eips with his 2276 turbo'd but in readiness for its debut at the Uk Cal Look Drag Day.... now installed is the dash, and the brakes & line loc arenearly finished.

2011-01-28T21:43:00.001Z

Its getting close to race time... soa quick reminder of where we are at the start of the year.... hmmmm... who's going to be where by the end of the season????

Richie Moss...wrinklin' them slicks!

2011-01-28T21:33:00.003Z

If there's one thing that Richie isn't afraid of, its planting his right foot, as these photos demonstrate.... one of the greatest things about Richie's car is it wears its heart on its sleeve, you can see the hours Rich has spent working on this car, not because of reflections from a polishing cloth, but from the oily finger marks of someone obsessed with one thing only.... beating the guy in the other lane.

1960 Pro Street Bug

2011-01-28T10:15:00.002Z

Not much happened recently, just given it a good clean! Turbo header should be here in a couple of weeks, so plenty to do in readiness for that.

Club meet

2011-01-25T09:14:00.001Z

Wednesday 26th January at the Wulstan pub from 8pm.... all welcome.

Yes its tomorrow night!

Cheers

John 'Sako's" Mexi looker

2011-01-24T17:35:00.009Z

Here is Club Prospect Sako's 1990 Mexican looker as it stood last summer,at the time it had a mild "homebuilt" 1600. With a a trusty Engle 110,some mild head porting and twin Weber 40 IDFs, he managed a very respectable 17.7 pass at the pod at VW action last year

That engine has now gone to make way for a 2276 lump, that John plans to build himself
Without giving away too many secrets the basic spec is.....A new AS41 case,webcam 86B,1.4:1 ratio rockers, CB Super Race Rods, magnum heads and a pair of Dellorto 48 DRLAs.
ITS GONNA RIP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

James 'Peach' Cornes

2011-01-24T14:07:00.002Z

This was as close as I could get to his garage before he released the hounds.....

Good news is that he is getting down to it now, his engine is back in and he needs to plumbb it in and then he's ready to head down to the MOT station and get some closure on this project! not far now Peach keep at it.

The revamp continues....

2011-01-24T14:00:00.003Z

Steve's getting ready for some carpet in the newly modified rear area of the interior of the car....

Chris Lo update

2011-01-17T20:07:00.007Z

Called round to Club Prospect Chris's place on the weekend to find him cracking on with the standard and making great progress
Here's a few spy shots of some fine work:

The Eagle has landed!!!!!!!!!!

2011-01-17T17:27:00.004Z

Jamie Palmer bought this last week from Steve (VZI username turbo-hippy) who has done some stirling work on it - if you want to see more details of the build have a look at his thread here...

http://www.volkszone.co.uk/VZi/showthread.php?t=579547

What Jamie has wisely purchased is exactly as Steve described.....a good solid '60 bug that has had a lot of work done to get it race ready. Call it fate but the main pull for Jamie purchasing the car is that they are 'friends of old' as its one of the very first bugs that he did any large amount of work on - it was then owned by a friend locally from Rugeley, Jamie and his bro Lee repainted it Red. fitted a 1914cc motor to it and a few other bits and bobs.
BUT the other big reason is that the car has been back-halved, with a rear cage and ladder bar conversion - this gets rid of the torsion bars and spring plates, and uses coil overs and ladder bars in their place. It all adds up to a better launch,
which is good, because LAUNCH IT HE SHALL!!!!!!!!

Here is a pic of the car safely parked up in its new home

Jamie's plans for the car are quite straightforward for the time being, he'll be putting in the 2276 draw through turbo that he was running his club iconic 54 Oval - although the engine is earmarked for some mods to try and get the turbo up above the gearbox instead of hanging out the back as it does now - main reason for this is Jamie intends to fit a decklid and run on the street.

Look out for changes in the wheel & tyre dept too when funds have recovered from the purchase of the bug. Other plans are firmly around weightsaving so he'll be looking to gradually change body panels for race weight 'glass, a change to Lexan in the windows and a few other changes here and there.

Hopefully with this chassis set up and a little less weight, and a lot more fine tuning of the engine Jamie is gunning for some solid 11 second passes with the car (exceeding his pb of 12.5 in the54). The club couldnt be any more made up for him

Hazel Thomas' Trekker

2011-01-11T15:23:00.003Z

Hazel's car is currently in the workshops of 'Dirty' Nige Hull, being massaged in readiness for the motor which is currently being built up by John Walklett.... Should be a ripper!

Some great news!

2011-01-11T13:24:00.003Z

Kev Donlon, current #1 ET placed Rennwagen member has had a rethink about his plans to sell his bug and build a ghia to replace it... the ghia has now gone, and the dust has been blown off what remains of the Bug following Kev parting out much of the car.

Some may remember Kev had a rather large falling out with the car after he managed to completely disassemble the engine in 6 seconds with the use of no tools other than his right foot and a lean condition.

Kev will be running a N.A. 2276 this season, before going the whole hog again for next year with another turbo efi install.

Glad to hear you're back 'in the zone' Kev, and look forward to seeing you back out this year!

Chris Lo's standard 60....

2011-01-11T13:15:00.002Z

Chris is forging ahead with work on the car and making some real progress.....

Gaz Priests German Looker...

2011-01-09T13:54:00.003Z

Gaz has been hitting the garage hard too, trying to wrap up the welding on his 1303.... glad to say he's getting close now.

Gaz also deserves mucho respect for being the only one hardy enough to turn up to this months 'Breakfast club' in an aircooled VW.... his uncles Bay Window. Hope the frost bite was not too serious Gaz!

More work on Steve's Bug

2011-01-09T13:53:00.001Z

As promised, here's an update on the work taking place to install a cage into Steve's car, and tie it into the frame horns.... its coming together nicely!

Steve Milwards Grumpy Bug update

2011-01-07T20:03:00.003Z

A few mods are currently being carried out to Steve Milwards 61 bug, with the aim of making the car a bit more user and track friendly - a problem anytime any of us have stepped near the car with a spanner has been skinned knuckles and the realisation that to carry out any service work on the engine requires an additional six knuckles per finger, or lady like dainty hands and fingers such as are possessed by our very own Peach (although the only tool he gets his hands near is..... well I'll let you guess the rest).

So he and Rich (I suspect it will have been Rich while Steve gritted his teeth and kept his eyes closed) broke out the grinder, and took off the valance and two sections of inner wing. A couple of the excellent quality Hooky's HiPacs have gone and and some careful cutting with the grinder see's an almost invisible removable valance.

Work has also commenced on fitting a cage complete with frame horn braces, so look out for more updates here soon......

A visit to Richie Moss' Driveway

2011-01-03T21:43:00.004Z

A few invaders to his drive space.... Jamie Palmers 73 2276cc turbo bug, Steve Milwards 2165cc IDA equipped cal looker and a surprise visit from Matt Webb in his 67 2276cc cal looker, along with Richies Single Cab project in the garage made for an eyeful for locals... shame his 12 sec 65 bug and 1776 Ghia Coupe were not on hand as well!

2010-12-14T20:53:00.004Z

Rich getting right for once at york.

http://contour.com/stories/79658/embed?map=true

Club Prospect Gaz Thompson's new ride

2010-09-10T12:48:00.004+01:00

You may remember Gary and his old ride, an awesome 67 Bug - he is a former full member of the club who had to sell his car on (it now resides in the hands of another club prospect, Matt Webb, who we need to talk into getting the 67 onto the strip!). While he may have lost his 67, he never lost his enthusiasm and his input and attendance at many club meets was always welcome. The GREAT news is he's just become the proud owner of this fine late looker.

It was built many moons ago stateside, and was imported into the UK in the early 90's. It sports many interesting features, not least of all the 2110cc flat four hanging out back! Gaz is hoping to get out to the strip as soon as possible with the car, although UK weather being what it is time is running out for an opportunity to run a club qualifying time this season. Fingers crossed he makes it, if not there's next season!

If you know Gary, you'll also know what a clean freak he is, and he's already started prepping the car to his high standards. I'm sure you'll agree from the last two shots that this is a fine looking cal looker.

BEATIFUL CAR GARY!

Another new member, another new board!

2010-09-10T12:43:00.004+01:00

We'd like to give a warm welcome to Lee Appleby, and his beautiful 1914cc RHD 1970 Karmann Ghia, to the club, Lee's pb is 15.9 seconds, and is currently building a NOS injected 2276 ready to hit the strip again next season!

WELCOME TO THE CLUB LEE.

Action 2010 Pic's courtesy of Julian Robinson

2010-09-07T16:57:00.013+01:00

Rich lighting em up.............

Steve Launching hard on his way to a new PB.............

Lisa doing her thing..............

John "wheels up" Walklett.............

NEW ET BOARD, DETAILS

2010-09-06T09:47:00.008+01:00

Well as you can see we have a newcomer to the board, Paul Dipple who has slipped right in at number 8, having run an excellent 14.3 with his 2387cc 1966 Fastback. Paul isn't resting idle now he's on the board though, and has made big changes already - he's sold the fastback and has started to install the setup in his Notchback, which, equipped with a Type 1 linkpin front end should be lighter than the fastback and see him deeper into the board next season. Congratulations Paul!

Another addition to the board, although not a new member, is John Walklett, with his 'other' car, a show standard 1965 Right Hand Drive original UK Type 1 Karmann Ghia. The car runs a 2185cc Type 1 motor, based around a high quality Scat 78mm crank. Johns gone back to carbs on this one, and has posted a very impressive 14.5 second ET - amazing when you bear in mind how heavy these ghia's are in comparison to a bug. Two places on the same board? Some might say that's greed, I think everyone at the RENNWAGENS would agree its DEDICATION.

A number of personal bests of RENNWAGEN members were posted at VW Action, with an incredibly impressive 12.6 ET from Richie Moss in his high mileage ;) 65 bug. This is on carbs, no nitrous, no turbo in a car that is used in all weathers and driven hard for many many miles, usually to the track and back.

Steve Milward thrashed his previous pb, ran at DDII a few weeks back of 14.5 with a 14.2 - a full second off last years time! Unfortunately Steve's weekend didn't end on a high note, with some gearbox issues putting paid to him hitting his 'Thirteen'. Steve's put a huge amount of effort into this car, transforming it from a restocal car into the street warrior it is now, and his 14.2 is a worthy result for the blood sweat and tears that the resto Cal Gods (who he's clearly offended!) have demanded from him...

John Parton had an uphill struggle getting his car to (and from!) VW Action, with an oil cooler failure the week before the show leading to a full strip down to check for damage. Still, his efforts were rewarded with a pb, knocking 4 tenths off his previous best with a sweet 14.4 pass.

Other notable timse from the weekend were first of all John 'Sako' who ran a 17.7 in his mexi-cal look bug. The car runs a 1600cc motor, with a 110 cam and a set of twin 40IDF webers. John's building a 2110 for next years fun and games, and if he can wring a 17 out of a more or less stock 1600 I'm sure we'll be seeing him climb the board pretty quickly!

Also Lee Appleby in his Beautiful metallic grey Karmann Ghia, who has previously run a 15.9 in his Ghia, was back on the track after a few years hiatus, and ran a 16.2 - this was with his current 1914, a JMR built motor that has served him well for a number of years. Over the winter however Lee will be building up the pile of parts he has collected into a 2276 stomper, so we're sure to have not one, but TWO Karmann Ghia's on the board before long. Well done Lee!!

One final thing, I know a number of Rennwagen members were helped enormously by the club prospects who turned up to help shove cars around the pits, tow cars to/from the track, the odd bit of spanner work and spot in the burnout box etc. - an excellent display of team spirit! NICE WORK GUYS.

Not long left of the season now.... anyone up for a spot of RWYB'ing?

VW Action, NEW ET BOARD!

2010-09-06T08:43:00.002+01:00

Jamie Palmer's 73 Bug

2010-08-01T10:11:00.002+01:00

Nearing Completion in readiness for this weekends Drag Day, and a much anticipated show down between this car and Richie Moss in his 65, who believes he can snatch Jamie's place on the ET board this weekend.

Watch this space to see who wins out!

2010-07-19T21:12:00.004+01:00

Apparently Mr Palmer hasn't done this for some time.

Oh yes he's actually washing it.
unfortunately it wasn't completed in under 15.99.
Hazel will be so proud.

Only a few weeks 'til Drag Day

2010-07-15T15:57:00.001+01:00

RENNWAGENS Summer Beach Party

2010-07-12T16:44:00.001+01:00

Yet again, the RENNWAGENS summer party will be taking place in Woore although this year, it’s at The Falcon Inn.

For those who were at last year’s do at The Swan, you will remember what a ball it was.

It’s a similar kind of script this year too - hog roast, outside 'Tikki' bar etc.

As an added bonus, for those who want to stay over we have permission to sleep in our vans (or cars) on the car park* - Bonus!!!

Its happening this Saturday the 17th July, and all are very welcome.

Cheers
Jamie

*No noise after pub closing hours as its a residential area.

THE NORTHERN RUN

2010-07-06T09:02:00.000+01:00

the NORTHERN RUN.... Drag Day @ York Raceway, 7th & 8th August 2010

Shaping up to be an excellent weekend, with a wide variety of awesome cars attending, including the WILDBUNCH nostalgia V8 racers, a good showing of our friends from Scotland heading down in force and the laid back friendly atmosphere of the York raceway track. The Air Cooled Eliminators will be hosting the event, and if any of you have ever met the guys & gals from the North you'll know how welcoming & friendly they are.

Again, Pro Wagen have kindly put up a £150 shopping voucher for the quickest car of the day, and a Gene Berg sweatshirt fail award (but who wants to win that, right?!).

Racing is restricted to aircooled VW's, the quicker the better!

York opens at 6pm the night before the meeting starts... for camping and a few beers so that would be friday the 6th, or saturday 7th from 8am

A weekend pass with a full TWO days of racings racing in 3 classes - A.C.E. Sportsman, and RWYB is £85
Weekend camping but with racing on one day only is £65

This includes entry fee to the track, PDRC membership and an IOPD race license.

Please note cars are scrutineered, but it would have to be pretty bad to fail (ask me how I know hahahah)

For old times sake....

2010-06-24T15:56:00.004+01:00

And because he was taking the piss last night.... I give you...

RICHIE 'I'M POINTING THE WRONG WAY' MOSS!

Rennwagen fun in the sun... 23rd June Club Meet

2010-06-24T08:09:00.007+01:00

What better way to enjoy the evening sun than in a Hot VW....

A great attendance with some great cars, with notable new faces on the block in the form of a few prospects, John in his late looker 1990 Bug, Lee in his immaculate Karmann Ghia and Fast Eddie (Dave) in his mental Single Cab Split.

It was also nice to see along the black looker (ex-James Clay cal looker from the early 90's), and loyal club advocate Phil in his slammed two tone bug - the first Bug Phil has had on the road in a decade.

Regular street warriors Richie Moss and Steve Milward are vying for most driven club car of the year, both showing what Hot VW's are for - being driven! And judging by the burnouts, being driven hard at that.....

note to Rennwagens & friends... Bug Jam club camping tickets are being booked on Friday 2nd July and all tickets paid for by then. If you want one, mail rennwagens@live.co.uk

Also, this weekend (Sunday 27th June) is Manzo's Potteries Custom & Classic car show, and we are displaying there as a club. If you can bring along your car to the display to support the club, the organiser, and the extremely worthwhile charity it supports - the Donna Louise Trust - please make the effort - we will be meeting in the Burger King car park in Hanley, Century Retail park, ST1 5QQ at 9am on Sunday, before heading up to get a spot. We won't be hanging around at Burger King, as we need to be up to get a good spot (first come first served) as early as possible!