Johnny G

So tempted to call Pat.....

Icc - mmi - Multi media interface. Same thing only four hundred more settings. All cabbies I've been I with lately could well do with lane minder 09...

Well actually it sort of does Tab, the steering wheel moves and pushes you back in the lane. Never use it round town as you're too busy dodging potholes, but have found it good on the freeway stuff. Especially when you're so busy trying to decipher the mmi you wander off into the mulga.

Oh and ps - lane minder. A camera in front of the rear view mirror watches the line markings on the road..... And keeps u in your lane by bumping the steering wheel if you start to drift outside. Selectable on or off via the blinker stalk switch. And it works.

It's weird getting used to this thing... You dOnt have to wring its neck to get what you need out of it... Learning rapidly about the shape of torque curves vs power peaks. As for actually sounding like a diesel.... At start up for twenty seconds but from there on you really have no idea. A Massey it isn't. The radar cruise is as described, if you look at the front of the car beside the right fog light there's a weird looking glass dome about 10 cm in diameter. That's the sensor. Activates automatically when you select cruise and there's four different following distances selectable with a flick switch on the top of that stalk. So you set cruise and it follows at your preset distance- when the car in front brakes it brakes automatically and you see the brake pedal move. Goes right down to 10ks and rings a loud bell at which point you are asked to take over. Only done that once and it was heart in the mouth stuff. Last weekend I left Tweed Heads and didn't touch a pedal to Logan enroute back to Brisvegas. It's a brilliant system...

GTFO after all this time??? Nah.... don't think so Tab; you'd miss me too much. Yeah Pat - it's pretty scarey - got rid of her one month short. Lord knows where that will turn up!! As for tweaks - definitely won't be a racechip or similar; there's some good programming stuff coming out of the US from some Euro tuners, and my tuner here will be throwing a four wheel drive dyno in soon. All maybe's at this stage - this thing is going to take a few months to run in me feels - so the timing might be good. Pat - PS the Eibach springs might be on the list later - will keep her as is for the time being. Love that car...

So after 2 x XR6Ts and then the graduation to my wonderful G6ET for the last 3 years.... it's time for a change. The Audi arrived a couple of days ago - and am still gobsmacked at how this thing goes (the new 500nm diesel turbo in the MY13). Best bits? The Radar Cruise Control and the Bang and Olufsen Sound. And the S Line interior is stunningly put together. So - guess I'm still turboing (though a little slower)! Pics attached.... PS filled up yesterday after a couple of days around the city and it says 840kms in the tank. Hmmm...

Sheesh, will they never learn. You must be 40 plus and have a set of lawn bowls before you are allowed to buy one..... Rules is rules...

Story credit to John Collins, ADR Magazine.

Robin Judd Racing 45th Annual Fuchs Winternationals Willowbank Raceway, Ipswich, Queensland Friday-Monday, June 10-13, 2011 2011-2012 ANDRA Pro Series Drag Racing Australian Top Doorslammer Championship Round six of six Judd to quit drag racing after Winternationals Leading Top Doorslammer drag racer, Robin Judd, will call it quits at the end of this weekend’s (Friday to Monday, June 10-13) 45th annual Fuchs Winternationals at Willowbank Raceway, Ipswich. Announcing his retirement, Perth-based Judd, one of Australia most successful Top Doorslammer racers, said he has lost the passion for the sport and felt the time is now right to retire. Australia’s quickest Doorslammer racer, Judd also cited increasing business commitments, a looming global recession and the sport’s lack of the direction as contributing factors to his retirement decision. While Judd’s drag racing career will come to an end this weekend, he is also looking to finish on a high, by winning the season-ending Fuchs Winternationals, considered Australia’s most prestigious drag race event. Judd was runner-up at the 2009 and 2010 Winternationals and is keen to win this year’s event to add to his two Australian Nationals (2009 and 2010) and Goldenstates (2009) titles. “While I have enjoyed the past 14 years racing in Top Doorslammer, it is now time to stop. Apart from losing the passion there are a number of reasons why I will be finishing my drag racing career at the end of this season,” Judd said. “My business commitments require a lot more of my time and wearing my accountant’s hat, I believe the economy is going to tighten in the short to medium term. The commercial and management issues facing the sport make the business case difficult and Group One drag racing has not moved forward to where I believe it should be which disappoints me.” While Judd concedes he cannot win the 2011-2012 Australian Top Doorslammer championship series, a win at the Winternationals could see him again runner-up in the ANDRA Pro Series for the third time in the last four seasons. He was also runner-up in the 1999-2000 Top Doorslammer championship. Judd ran Australia’s quickest-ever Top Doorslammer pass, a 5.762-second, when he top qualified at last month’s Nitro Champs at Sydney Dragway (SD). He also ran Australia’s first Top Doorslammer 5.7-second pass, a 5.779-second, while testing for last year’s Nationals at SD. In fact at the five championship rounds contested to date, Judd has top qualified at the past three ANDRA Pro Series Top Doorslammer championship events and qualified second at the first two events. Judd believes his Aeroflow/William Buck team can win the Fuchs Winternationals, which he said would be a fitting way to retire. “The Aeroflow/William Buck team are a fantastic group of people and it would certainly be a great way to finish our time together, winning the Winternationals. I would like to sincerely thank my sponsors and in particular my dedicated and hardworking crew that have been such an important part of our team’s success.” In the ANDRA Pro Series Top Doorslammer championship race, Judd (460.5pts) is currently in third place, behind John Zappia (567pts), with Peter Kapiris (521.5) in second place.