Santa Pod’s Bug Jam 24 Breaks All Records!

Santa Pod’s World famous VW festival Bug Jam has finished for another year – after a record breaking 3 days of partying, polishing and racing!

The event, now in its 24th year is the longest running VW show in Europe and has long been dubbed ‘Glastonbury On Wheels’ thanks to its eclectic mix of guests, machinery and entertainment. A real boon to the surrounding economy, local hoteliers, publicans and retailers enjoy hundreds of thousands of pounds in extra revenue as over the three days of the show, no less than 33,000 people flocked and rocked through the gates. And blissfully, enjoying incredible weather all weekend and some of the closest fought racing action seen yet!

As well as several key new show cars breaking cover to for the first time, evening revellers were also spoiled with a plethora of different DJs and musical acts, including 80s chart-toppers ‘Dr and The Medics’ whipping the crowd into a frenzy on the Saturday night with a non-stop set of well-known hits including their global smash ‘Spirit In The Sky’.

Away from the dance and music stages, TV funny man Sean Hughes headlined a comedy line-up that featured many stand-ups that will be appearing at the Edinburgh Festival in a few weeks time. With the Bug Jam full weekend camping price costing less than one Edinburgh Festival ticket.. this was the bargain of the weekend!

But of course, as the name suggests, Bug Jam is really well known for its quality and variety of cars – and with every possible taste and level of finish on show, there was something for every VW petrolhead, with dozens of cars being sold from the ever-bustling ‘For Sale’ area.

Commenting after the event, a weary but delighted David Lloyd Jones, Santa Pod’s General Manager said; ‘As you can imagine, we’re ecstatic to have had so many guests this year. The weather obviously helped immensely, being shorts weather from the outset, but I also believe that the unique mix of acts and attractions that Bug Jam has is a key part of its success. Whatever you’re into, it’s here and in a safe and friendly family environment. We’re already planning on how to make it even better for our silver anniversary event next year! Do join us!’

Bug Jam 25 will be held between the 22nd and 24th of July 2011.

For more details please visit www.santapod.com or call the team on 01234 782828.

Scorpion Release Complete Mazda MX5 Sports Catalyst Exhaust System.

Leading exhaust manufacturer Scorpion has released a superb new exhaust system for the latest generation of MX5. The new design not only offers significant increases in power, thanks to vastly improved gas-flow, but it also retains full road legality thanks to a 200 cell sports catalyst. As the manufacturer responsible for the exhaust on the Prodrive edition Mazda PZ8, Scorpion’s extensive knowledge of the marque is well documented.

Open-top enthusiasts will love the new sportier tone which endows the car with a crisp ‘rasp’ that evokes the original Lotus Elan – the car that inspired the very first incarnation of the world’s best-selling sports car.

The system is available as either a cat back 63mm system, which deletes the second catalyst for  improved dynamics, or as a full tubular manifold system that replaces the entire factory exhaust from front to back. Scorpion’s engineers have taken great care to ensure that the new sports cat is placed very close to the engine block, ensuring rapid warm-up times and highly efficient operation. This results in class-leading levels of emissions, despite the system offering 10-15% power gains across the board. The tailpipes terminate with tasteful twin 90mm ‘Daytona’ stainless trims.

Each system is entirely hand-fabricated in Scorpion’s UK factory and utilises mandrel bending for constant diameter throughout. The manifold boasts a superb looking laser-cut flange to ensure a perfect gas seal – and to aid under bonnet good looks, of course. All components are constructed from aerospace grade T304 stainless steel and carry a lifetime guarantee.

The sports cat manifold costs £699.95 including VAT and the cat-back system £499.95 including VAT.

For more information on this, or any other Scorpion product – or to order your free catalogue, please contact the sales team on 01773 744123 or click to www.scorpion-exhausts.com

FIA GT1 World Championship Round 5

The fifth round of the FIA GT1 World Championship takes place at the legendary Spa Francorchamps circuit in Belgium, with the Sumo Power GT team now preparing itself for what is regarded as the most challenging track in the ten-event calendar. Once again, the team will field its two Nissan GT-Rs: car 23 driven by Michael Krumm/Peter Dumbreck and car 22 driven by Warren Hughes/Jamie Campbell-Walter.

The team will be looking to continue its unbroken run of podium places next weekend, having secured a top three finish in the last five of the season’s eight races held so far. With a first, a second and three third places, Sumo Power GT holds an impressive second in the team’s points table, whilst in the driver’s standings, Krumm and Dumbreck are fourth and Hughes and Campbell-Walter are fifth.

A major feature of this global super-car series is its ‘balance of performance’ criteria, with successful cars allocated ballast in order to encourage close racing. Therefore, car 23 will carry an additional 20 kilos following an excellent third place in round three at Brno in addition to a further 30 kilos after finishing an even better second in round four at Paul Ricard.

Although the extra 50 kilos is expected to put Krumm and Dumbreck at a disadvantage, an extremely positive day’s testing at Spa earlier this month boosted the team’s confidence, especially as it was the first time its two Nissan GT-Rs had been driven on the Belgium track.

For Hughes and Campbell-Walter in car 22, success ballast will not be an issue at this event, as their weight penalty for winning round two at Silverstone no longer applies. Also pleased with the Spa test, both drivers are hoping that a return visit to the podium will be a distinct possibility.

However, much will depend on the weather and track conditions during the weekend, as the area in which the circuit resides is renowned for its changeable climate. It’s also a circuit that commands respect from the drivers, mainly because of its fast, twisty and hilly character, which is the main reason why so many enjoy competing there.

A lap of Spa measures a shade over seven kilometres (4.352 miles) and contains 21 bends. The circuit is the venue for the Belgium Grand Prix. It is also host to the famous 24-hours endurance race, which this year is scheduled to take place immediately after the GT1 event.

The timetable sees the FIA GT1 World Championship cars first take to the track on Thursday at 11.30 for Free Practice, followed by Pre-Qualifying at 16.30. Qualifying for the first race takes place on Friday at 09.45, with the first hour-long race scheduled for 15.00. The main Championship race, also one-hour long, gets the green light at 12.05 on Saturday.

Team quotes

Michael Krumm – Driver Car 23
“I’ve raced at Spa many times and it’s a circuit I look forward to driving on. With our 50 kilos of success ballast it’s going to be a challenging weekend, but following the test the car is set up well and, if we can look after the tyres, I believe we can still challenge for a good points score.”

Peter Dumbreck – Driver Car 23
“Spa is one of the most enjoyable tracks to drive, but it’s difficult to do the perfect lap because the track is long and the car can be compromised in certain corners to benefit others. We are carrying 50kg of success ballast from our last two podium finishes so it will be a tough weekend for us. Therefore, we might not have the ultimate pace of the front runners but I think we definitely have a chance of scoring points.”

Warren Hughes – Driver Car 22
Its high speeds and technical corners are what makes Spa so challenging – and what makes it such a good ‘driver’s’ circuit. The weather can be an issue, but our cars have gone well in most conditions this season. Our test was good and therefore, if we get a consistent run I think there’s no reason why we shouldn’t challenge for another win.”

Jamie Campbell-Walter – Driver Car 22
“I’ve raced at Spa a lot over the years, but even though I know the circuit it’s still a challenging place to drive.  We tested there after Paul Ricard and things went very well. In fact, we came away very pleased. Having won a round already this season – even though we were third across the line – it’s difficult not to aim for first. However, a good haul of points is what the team is after and, with the other car now carrying 50 kilos of success ballast, it is likely to be down to us to get into a high scoring position this time round.”

Allen Orchard – Team Manager
“I was very pleased with the way the cars performed at the test at Spa earlier this month. Of course, it’s difficult to measure how good our pace really is until race weekend. We know that the Maseratis and Fords will be tough to beat as they are likely to suit this type of circuit, but we like to be the team that pulls a few surprises – as we’ve done before!.”

James Rumsey – Team Principal
“Every circuit we’ve been to this season has been different from the last, so it’s a real challenge for the team to get the cars set up, bearing in mind we have very little historical data to go on. Therefore, this makes the results we’ve achieved so far even more rewarding and I’m looking forward to see if we do another good job at Spa.”