O2GO

Fair question...

Cape Reinga:
Friday night 4 hours. Almost as direct a route as possible.
Saturday 5 hours kaitaia, cape reinga, russel, pretty direct.
Sunday 4:20. Could shorten it to 3.5 hours by taking SH1 all the way but i know which I prefer :-)

We could shorten it by driving the main state highway routes instead of the route planned Picton to Queenstown: Day 1 5 hours Day 2 6 hours For this part of the SITT We will be on state highways taking in the views and with traffic so it will be a more relaxed cruising rather than the type of driving done today.

To be honest I'm not sure about the "eat track sleep repeat" one. Im not a fan of lots of stickers but definitely want the "Cape Reinga to Bluff" one. Maybe next Saturday for a banners session over a beer? I could come to you :-)

John McM

Saturday is good. So we have banner and two decals, RSG and Cape Reinga to Bluff? I'll work on placement on Herman. I also have the track outlines I got from Matt. It might start to look a bit much.

kiwi 911

I always look forward to Chris Harris videos. I think he is the best motoring journalist. He knows how to describe a car without being cheesie like Clarkson.

peterC2S

Another one sold in record time!

John McM

Hopefully to an existing or potential RSG member. It was a strange price. Either the car had faults or the dealer underpriced it. These cars are a steal in NZ.

pcarplayer

Hi guys.

New member here. Just thought i'd take the time to say g'day

Warwick

gt38088

Well good luck to all those doing the ecolight 1 day one day event.
Too far for me to come with SITT near as well. You do the same stage over a few times right?? so no need to go too hard the first time. Just work into it.

Also a tip if there is a corner you can't quite get right chances are you may repeat the same thing the next time so co driver needs to keep alert. Sometimes we drivers repeat the same actions given the same circumstances i.e. we read the road the same. So if you are a little late on the brake or too early on an apex the mistake gets magnified when you up the pace. Try to call a mistake when it happens so co- driver can note it for next time.

twice I think I have had times into and out of Whangamomona (about 40kms) within 2-3 seconds. So nearly identical when running same corners but in reverse. Just an example of the above tendency.

gt38088

Oh and for the Tour guys - keep back from the car in front. There is a temptation to close up a bit so you can follow the lines and braking points but you will learn more and faster not watching another car and making your own decisions

Might be harder to keep up with this thread as am away in Asia on business after Tuesday, but will try

Macca

Into and out of Whangamomona (approx 40km each stage) - two of the most exhilarating drives of my life. Those roads are tight and built for 911 (and good brakes). Gentle Anne 1+2 was brilliant but Whangamomona was epic!

Good point about following car behind to closely. We stayed 100m behind all times, if I found it to easy to close that distance wife would comment, Id make note and go ahead of that driver next stage. You tend to find someone who can drive just that bit faster than you and get in behind them, spend a day dog fighting with them and if you are still learning maybe a day or two later you will be faster and take the lead charge. Theres a real comradeire to the event we found and we came out with many friends afterwards even after some epic duels.
I think we got the fine for the biggest sideways on the Tour (Ray raising money for kids canteen) those photos ended cropping again & again. Driving a 911 isnt the same in the rain tho as you know. You have seen this sequence before folks but its a good lesson (and nearly an embarrassing one!). Dont do what I do!

Macca

John. You already have more driving basics than you need for the Targa Tour. Its probably a bit more about confidence and adventure. I faked the confidence part (that plan worked ok!) but Im always looking for an adventure. When I did this event I had been 6 years on the rock and barely driven the 911 having spent 2 years working on it as a "project" and only just met Ron & done the Sunday drives one time before the event. Hadnt been to the track yet either. I have always enjoyed a spirited drive but hadn't really had many in the 993 for over 6 years.

If its something that appeals to you, or to any of the other RSG guys, then try a Ron Sunday drive, try a small Rotorua Targa Tour event and see if you like it. Its quite addictive, some people have been doing the Tour now for 6-7 consecutive years. Would love to do the main event one day like Graeme does, but simply dont have the time for the organisation.

John McM

Hi Warwick, I read your other post so I can see you are looking to buy a 964 or 993, as a club or weekend car. Not to blow our own trumpets too much but you've found the most accessible knowledge base on the net for those models, in NZ.

My current thinking is that waiting for a good 91+ C2 manual might be a 2 or 3 year wait. Then you would have to be faster than the others looking. One had just changed hands within the group. It's the only one I've seen in good condition for that period.

The thing about these cars is their age. The body might look shiny but the underpinnings are not going to be in great driving condition unless regular maintenance has been done. Kiwis aren't so great at the latter so all of those cars that came into NZ the late '90s will probably need some work to survive with spirited driving without seeing minor breakdowns.

If you are in Auckland, then I suggest you come out to Hampton Downs when we are running and ask lots of questions.

John McM

Macca, I'm still very much a novice. In 12 or so events I have yet to have anything more than a squirrelly tail while driving. No spins, no offs, no close calls with other cars. Yes, I'm smooth and increasingly faster, but I'm not confident of my ability to react instinctively when a misread occurs. On the track I can control the environment more than I can on the road. Time and tuition will bridge the skill gap. Even then I suspect the red mist will descend and I'll have a Paul type attitude i.e. close car action is what will float my boat. I'm doing research on 2k cup as an entry point there.

Maxem

Hi Warwick,
I just sold a 90 nz manual coupe in good shape to another gent in the group. The last one I saw up for sale that fitted my requirements of NZ manual C2 coupe was the one I bought, so they are not offered often. There is a bit of imported stuff kicking about but they invariably will need vast sums spent. I was never enamoured by the 964 either until recently because of the stories associated with flywheels, oil leaks etc but 25 years on this stuff would have been sorted on the well looked after cars. Because of that I was not too concerned about the earlier 89 /90 cars. Good oil pressure, low oil consumption and a clean garage floor are the keys to a mechanically good one. Good luck with the search but be quick on the draw, only a year ago good 964's might hang for a bit but recently they are gone in a day.

John McM

Based on experience I'd also put the first country of use aside, unless it spent a considerable time in corrosion prone climates. I have 3 911s, the two 964s were first registered in Singapore, whereas the 996TT is NZ new. I wouldn't put the NZ new car on a pedestal, as they all come from re same factory, it's about use and abuse. That happens in any country. Personally I suspect the problem in NZ is lack of cash to maintain. $32,000 is the ticket to the dance, food and drinks are extra.

CS Mende

Greetings Warwick, and welcome! Couldn't agree more with what John & Maxem have said.

Price of admission is step one, step two is getting as much as you can out of Rennlist and this local group of flat-heads, which I've recently fallen in with as well. No point in enumerating the rest as you can probably guess there are many.

Depending on how handy you are, a good chunk of the rehab investment can be paid in your time. It's a fun trip.

My question to you is - are YOU the one who just snagged the blue 964 on TradeMe?

cs