Wednesday 19 February 2014

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We're exhibiting at Race Retro February 21st - 23rd 2014! We're in Hall 3 (the Outer Darkness) as usual, and look forwards to seeing you there.

First time to Race Retro? Then check out our 2-minute Showguide below!

Getting round the show is easy. You go first into the Posh Hall - that's major championships and clubs, the important people. Then you wander through the rally specialists and the art stands before you come to the Tunnel of Civilisation at the end of which you're in the Outer Darkness. This has lots of motor bikes, smaller motor clubs and great value racewear traders, and the glorious chance to rummage amongst the history of our sport with photos and memorabilia. It's a lovely place to while away the hours.

Chief attractions of the Outer Darkness (besides us) are the Fire Engine Bar and the Ace Cafe. Feed yourself up with hot victuals before moving on to the Arctic Circle. This is the unheated, uncarpeted Autojumble, usually a mix of private and commercial concerns. You can stock up on consumables at bargain prices (WD40, saw blades etc) and maybe find a little gem in the spares section. But you may need to do it in several short visits, it is just a cattle shed and mighty cold even on a nice day!

So who needs to buy a Show Guide? Print this out and you won't get lost!

Here's a quick peek at last year's stand, this year it's Focus On...Custom Racewear so please do come and say hello!

Saturday 1 February 2014

Cats, MAFs, EGRs and a rant....

It's not often I have a business rant, but I was on "a well-known internet auction site" the other day and found an indoor karting centre selling karting overalls. Clearly they get them from the Far East for their own use, and over-order as a little profit centre. Or simply because they don't last that long, which is my experience!

So what really got my blood pressure up? It was the phrase "sizes may vary by up to 10 per cent". TEN PER CENT? WTF?!?!?!?!?! That may not sound much, but I'm 6'2" tall, which means I could end up buying a suit made for someone either 5'9" or 6'7" - and consider the chest variation as well, you could be buying a suit for someone nowhere near your size or shape with, presumably, no recompense because you were warned!

Some years ago one of our suppliers introduced a new CIK suit which was well-priced but the sizings were atrocious. We don't sell it, because we stand by our promise to replace or refund if you are not completely satisfied, and we could end up losing a great deal of money simply because we care. So, although the big European brands *seem* expensive, they are the result of many years R&D into everything from materials to sizing. They are subject to stringent quality control tests and, most importantly, I am proud to stand by them. I'm really impressed by the new Sparco KS-3 (the Rookie replacement) and the OMP version of the same name. Gosh, nice they've both pushed the boat out on inventive product names...

Both feature strongly on or re-vamped web site, which will be live in a few days subject to a couple of problems being ironed out.

Rant over!

Cats, MAFs and EGRs are joined by DPFs- catalytic convertors, Mass Airflow Meters, Exhaust Gas Recycling valves and Diesel Particulate Filters are all part of the solution to my Peugeot 406 running problem. Each one is an integral part of the anti-pollution system on the car, any one of them can have failed, and the cost goes up the deeper you delve. I've checked all the cheap stuff, it seems to be OK so it's the Cat or the DPF I reckon - and that gets expensive. We've had to cancel our test at Clay this weekend because of the breakdown, I hope I get it fixed before next weekend when Alex is due his first race in Senior TKM.

Better stop ranting then and get on with it!