motorculture

The action wasn’t happening all inside the dome this year. The guys from All Stars turned it up a notch by gracing the walkway into MotorEx with a plethora of cars – stuff ranging from JDM through to stanced-out VIP rides. Honda Civics with the right wheels and ride height certainly still look awesome. Both of these examples were wearing quality wheels and were both very US-inspired. A sacked Aurion, parked behind an Integra and then on to numerous hot rods and a Trans Am? This is what you can expect at MotorEx. It’s rare to see all so many different car cultures unite and park side by side to be appreciated. The All Stars boys really rounded up a great selection of rides. Countless people were walking around checking out all of the metal on display. Matte finishes are starting to become ever so popular, with the rise in vinyl wrapping technologies. This IS Lexus was ‘murdered out’ sporting black accents everywhere. Kelvin’s Ruckus was a unique car on display. Not many people in Australia have yet to modify their Ruckus’ in the fashion Kelv has! Getting low seems to be the go! For more pictures from the day, click HERE to check out the official gallery!

The judges were hard pressed to pick category winners at this years’ 2012 MotorEx event. With top shelf machines all gunning for that title prize, each ride was placed under the microscope and truly examined to the Nth degree. We bring you the some of the class and category winners from the event, just in case you missed the announcements on the day! Meguiar’s Superstar Awards Best of Breed “Hot Rod” Ewan McDonald – 1934 Ford Coupe ‘SR’ Best of Breed “Street Machine” Paul Bennett – 1958 Borgward Goliath ‘GOLIATH’ 3M Street Elite Showcase Pinnacle Awards – Hot Rod colin Benton – 1946 Bedford Pickup Pinnacle Awards – Street Machine Paul Soumo – 1956 Chevrolet Bel Air Pinnacle Awards – Tuner Jamie Marchione – 1999 Subaru WRX Pinnacle Awards – Custom Euro Aaron Vumbaca – 2001 BMW M3 Pinnacle Awards – Custom Cruiser Lenny Giallongo – 1957 Cadillac Eldorado Keep your eyes peeled for further updates including more coverage from the event filled with top-notch photos! Click HERE to visit our website with a NEW updated gallery from MotorEx!

Annnnd we’re one sleep away from the greatest car show on earth! We’re all about taking things to the next level here at MotorEx. Having a worlds’ first at the show is just a taste of what you can expect at this weekend’s event. Exotic Graphix in Melbourne have stepped it up a notch by chrome wrapping one of the five Lexus LF-A’s in the country. This is going to be a sight not worth missing! We cannot reveal all the surprises however. There will be a total of TWELVE, yes TWELVE unveils over the course of the weekend! With killer names such as Gary Myers and Joe Russo pulling out the stops this year and getting their cars ready for the show, you can expect nothing bar solid gold. Here is a list of the unveils which will be occurring over the weekend: Gary Myers 2005 Ford Mustang GT “2INSANE” Steve Nogas 2010 Chevrolet Camaro “KILLA B” Gareth Davies Custom Harley Chopper & Michelle Davies 1976 Holden LX Torana Hatchback Damian Horner 2002 Holden VY Commodore Ute “FINEVY” Dave Keen 1955 Holden FJ Coupe Dave & Katrina Martin 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air Joe Tanti 1965 VW Beetle “GILTEE” Karen Keves 1972 Holden HQ Monaro “Mission Impossible” Troy McInerney Custom Chopper Paul Soumo 1956 Chevrolet Bel Air Joe Russo 1968 Chevrolet Camaro Mick Fabar 1967 Ford XR Falcon “ZERO’D” No car show is complete without pretty ladies, right? Don’t worry; there will be plenty of promo girls out and about representing the numerous traders dotted around the show. It’s always nice to be able to take something home with you to remember the day. Mat Egan busted out some sweet pin striping, which has found its way onto a rather limited edition House Of Kolour T shirt. What’s even cooler is that $10 from each shirt sale (they’re $35) is going to Camp Quality! This is even more of a reason to buy one. You guys have no excuse NOT to come! So who’s coming? For further information CLICK HERE to visit the MotorEx homepage!

One minute with Jody Vincitorio and ‘CHOPPT’ Jody and his car are the definition of passion. Well put it this way, he had to postpone his wedding for eight months until the car was finished. Don’t we all wish our wives-to-be could be so understanding! Over $100,000 later and nearly three years in the making, ‘CHOPPT’ tickled the judges’ fancy at Summernats earlier this year. The candy apple green HQ Monaro is simply a work of art, and pictures do not do it any justice. Come check it out this weekend at MotorEx! Here’s a short clip with the man himself.

MotorEx 12 – 2 minutes with Greg Maskell Greg Maskell is known around the hot rodding and custom car scene for building some super tough rides. First starting out as Revhead restorations, later changing the shop name to Maskell’s Customs and Classics, Maskell started modifying cars at the ripe young age of 17. Kicking his career off with an LC Torana, he has progressed from toying with his own rides to on to running a complete workshop which has, on a good day, at least 11 rides getting plenty of custom work. From concourse show cars to elite street vehicles, there isn’t nothing this guy and his team of four cannot tackle. One particular car that seems to catch the lime light wherever it goes, is the ‘PSYCHO’ XF Falcon. Interested to see what he has to say about a car which has had over 10,000 man hours put into it? Check out the clip below. Visit www.motorex.com.au for more information on the event!

MotorEx Superstars – Profiled! The Meguiar’s Superstars class is the pinnacle of automotive achievement. It’s where the greats of the modified car scene are pitted against each other and whoever comes out on top, and win a share in the prize pool of $55,000 cash. So one can imagine the judging and cars selected for these categories are customised like no-other. The top class is divided into two sub classes – Hot Rod and Street machine. Let’s have a peak into what can be expected in both categories of these super-elite builds. Top Hot Rod qualifiers. Phil Robinson‘s’39 Ford Tudor was awarded entry into the Top Hot Rod class at Summernats this year. Wearing classic billet rolling stock and finished in a quality emerald green paint scheme, Phil’s Tudor is right up there with the best. Venturing all the way from Western Australia is the one and only “SASSYLADY’ ’32 Tudor owned by Pamela Quinn. Built by TC Hot rods in the back of a tiny shed, this masterpiece takes the old school American rodding style and mixes it up with some Australian flare. Andrew Gibson’s ’32 Ford Pickup is something a little different for the class. Rodded tray backs and getting scarce in the scene, so it’s wicked to see one that made the cut into this class. From head to toe the car is detailed, including a full polished and painted undercarriage that’s clean enough to eat your brekkie from. Street Machine qualifiers Mark Tarabay’s ‘Sublime’ S15 stands out for one reason in particular. No, it’s not the insane candy green paint. Nor is it the suicide door conversion. It’s the 13B engine conversion that gets conversations going with this car. Possibly one of the more controversial modified imports in this category, people either love it or hate it – which is why it made the cut. ‘choppt’ is unlike another other HQ Monaro to date. With its lowered roofline and massive tubs, Jody Vincitorio’s ride looks super west-coast and tough as nails. The staggered trumpet setup takes the cake however, and is possibly the most crazy intake setup we’ve seen in a long time! You cannot have a Street Machine category without a good old Prem’. Sam Caruana and his ’75 HJ Premier sport the quintessential Australian style of building a tough streeter – Billets, A injected and blown eight and some trick bodywork. This one’s definitely a crowd pleaser, that’s for sure. With the other entries stacking up to be just as quality, the competition is stiff and everyone will be gunning for that number one spot. Wonder who will earn themselves a share in the $55K and title of Best of Breed Hot Rod and Street Machine Champion for 2012? Head down to MotorEx and be there to witness it firsthand. Ticket and date info can be found at www.motorex.com.au !

We’re getting closer and closer to Meguiar’s MotorEx – The car show that should have been marked on your calendars since the start of the year! This year’s event is going to be huge. The quality of metal being put on display is second to none, and it’s already shaping up to be something special. We’re able to bring you a sneak-peak of what you can expect to see inside the dome. Across all classes there have been a number of spectacular entries, so the judging panel is going to have a hard time selecting winners from such a collection of fine automobiles. Kicking things off is Kevin San’s Hakosuka Skyline. This stout piece of JDM muscle has a huge fan base across internet forums and it’s not hard to see why. Packing a stroked L series power plant with triple carbs hanging off the side, we’re sure a lot of people will come just to have a peep at this thing. All stars founder Sergio Capozzi and his Vertex Ridge widebody S15 will also be attending the show in the Street Elite category. Proudly wearing its Midnight Purple duco and a fat set of 20-inch Work Meisters, this car means business and leaves a huge impression wherever it goes. Making his way up from Canberra is Nathan Ross in his Toyota Supra. Rocking a genuine TRD widebody kit and pumping out 600 horsepower at the rear bags, this streeter is a super neat all round package. It’s purposeful build and balanced approach is something you don’t see too often with Supra’s and there’s nothing it can’t do – Cruise, drag or circuit. Yonas Liu from JDMyard will have his race-prepped DC5R racecar at the event. Sporting a plethora of Mugen bits and pieces, this car is certainly one for the diehard Honda fans. If that isn’t enough for you, just peer inside and get a look at the insane roll cage work and stripped interior – certainly a hardcore track weapon. Matt Robinson’s time attack S14 is more racecar then anything out there. Rocking tough aero put together via a combination of Vertex Ridge parts and custom SX developments diffusers and spoilers, the main aim for this machine is to punch out ridiculous lap times wherever it may roam. Under the hood lies a full NIZPRO-built forged engine with ancillaries such as the turbocharger upgraded to a HKS item. And last but not least, proudly waving the European flag is Aaron Vumbaca in his BMW M3. With a list of modifications too long to even start on, this Bavarian beast is just simply one of the toughest M3s getting around on Sydney’s streets. With DTM touches such as the vented guards, it pays homage to the cars roots in motorsport and wouldn’t look out of place at all on the Nürburgring. This is just an appetizer on what will be on display at MotorEx this year. There will be plenty more drool-worthy cars dotted around inside, and the only way to really experience it is to come on down and check it out for yourself! Keep an eye on this thread as we’ll be updating it with more fresh content on what you can expect to see at MotorEx this year. Check out www.motorex.com.au for further details

World famous custom car builder John D’Agostino will make a special trip to Sydney’s Olympic Park Dome to cast judgement on Australia’s finest customised cars, in the first staging of the ‘Kavalcade of Kustoms’ display at Meguiar’s MotorEx 12 on July 21-22. Californian-based D’Agostino, who owns Kustom Kars of California and has won more major awards than anyone in the history of car customising, will cast his critical eye across 40 of the best ‘kustoms’ ever assembled in Australia. The inaugural Kavalcade of Kustoms will also including ‘Mercury Lane’ – 10 highly customised Ford Mercury classics lined up together, with some still in their bare sheet metal and others partly-built to give MotorEx visitors a rare insight into the workmanship required to build these incredible cars. The Kavalcade of Kustoms is sure to impress guest judge D’Agostino, who will not only meet and greet show goers but also join the judging panel and present a special handmade trophy to the owner of the car he chooses as his personal favourite. The huge display is presented with the support of local award-winning custom car builder Mario Colalillo, whose Aussie-built ‘Wild Cad’ ’59 Cadillac won the prestigious ‘King Of Customs’ at the 2011 Sacramento Autorama in the US. John D’Agostino’s presence at MotorEx 12 is a huge honour for event organisers and a big attraction for modified car enthusiasts, as he is widely regarded as a king of car customising on a global scale. Born in California, D’Agostino started building and customising scale models as a child, so his destiny was sealed from an early age. Since then his incredible hand-crafted cars have been displayed at more than 1000 shows worldwide and featured in almost every automotive publication throughout the world. His unique kustoms have also won ‘World’s Most Beautiful Custom’ car honours and countless ‘Best of Show’ and ‘Most Popular Car’ awards. D’Agostino has also been inducted into the Academy Awards of Automobile Excellence, the San Francisco Rod and Custom, Kustom Kemps of America and the Sacremento Legends of the Autorama. In total, he has seven Hall of Fame honours, including the Oakland Grand National Roadster Hall of Fame and Darryl Starbird Hall of Fame. World famous toy car maker Mattel has even immortalised some of D’Agostino’s work in miniature by producing 1:64 scale versions of his cars as part of its collectable Hot Wheels range. And most of his customs are on display at the famous Peterson Automotive Museum in Los Angeles, California and Darryl Starbird’s Hall of Fame Museum in Afton, Oklahoma. Custom cars are distinct from hot rods, being based on later model classic cars from the 1950s and ‘60s with extreme levels of modification – particularly to the standard bodywork and paint – to make them look unlike any other car. Customising has also created its own unique terminology, including ‘lead sled’ (molten lead used to form smooth panel joins), ‘chopping’ (lowering the roof), ‘sectioning’ (narrowing the car’s side profile) ‘channeling’ (lowering the body on its frame) and ‘frenching’ (making lights, aerials etc look sunken into the body) to name a few. This exacting car craft has also created some of the wildest developments in paint technology, which started in the 1960s with the deep transparent look of ‘candy-apple’ and ‘metalflake’ finishes that produced brilliant effects. This burgeoning garage-based industry soon inspired rapid development of the highly advanced commercial paints available today from some of the world’s top automotive paint manufacturers.

The TIth brothers have done a sublime job on putting together a short clip on the MotorEx street meet which was held in Orange Grove, Sydney. Despite the cold weather, many avid enthusiasts braved the winter chills and brought their pieces of metal out to put on display. There was not a sector of the scene left untouched. From old school Aussie muscle through to candy painted Rotaries; there was something for everyone on the day. On top of the wicked display, the Meguair’s MotorEx managed to raise over $2800 for charity, which is one hell of an achievement. We’re looking forward to more events of this calibre!

To support the great event of MotorEx, we are proud to present to you the official ‘2012 MotorEx Photo Competition’. This competition is for anyone and everyone who likes to take photos of amazing cars! If you’re unsure about what we’re looking for in each category, just have a look at some of the examples we’ve uploaded on each page! There are 3 categories; Car Photo’s, People Photo’s and MotorEx choice PRIZE POOL TOTALING $3,000 CASH! CONDITIONS OF ENTRY – PHOTO 1. Photo/s must be from the 2012 Meguiar’s MotorEx show. 2. At our discretion – the MotorEx logo will be added to all photo entries. 3. Images must be at a MAXIMUM width of 1600 pixels wide & MINIMUM width of 800 pixels. 4. Images must be sent as JPEG format 5. 3 photo entries max. per entrant. 6. All photo’s subject to approval. 7. You MUST be the photographer of the photo & own the rights to the image. Note: Competition opens Saturday 21st of July and closes 12am 31st of August 2012. Winners will be announced on Friday 7th of September 2012. PRIZES We are offering up a substantial PRIZE POOL TOTALING $3,000 CASH! Prizes will be awarded for the following: 1. Most Liked “Car” Photo: (the photo with the most votes). Prize: $1,000 CASH 1. Most Liked “People” Photo: (the photo with the most votes). Prize: $1,000 CASH 1. MotorEx’s Choice: (Chosen by MotorEx based on the photo that best represents the 2012 MotorEx). Prize: $1,000 CASH TIPS FOR ENTRANTS 1. The quicker you submit your entry the longer it will have to receive votes and views. 2. Use social network platforms like facebook and youtube to boost votes and views. 3. Use car enthusiast forums to boost votes and views. 4. Email your friends the link to your submission and tell them to vote for you. Submit your entries to: photocomp@motorex.com.au – you must include the your full name and a title of your photo. More at http://www.motorex.com.au/gallery/photo-competition/

Hey guys come and check out the street meet being held by MotorEx for Camp Quality on the 9th of June at Liverpool in Sydney’s west. All cars welcome! Details below

Call out for All Car Enthusiasts. Enter your car in MotorEx 12 for your chance to WIN! MotorEx needs no introductions. It is Australia’s largest and most prestigious motoring enthusiast event of its kind. Now in its 12 year, MotorEx is looking to make it bigger and better than before. Times have changed and the direction of car modding and styling has moved towards “less is more” and simple effective quality mods that look good but also has a strong performance value being a major priority and factor. What is Street Elite? : Street Elite is the exciting category created for modified car owners and builders to compete with the current styling and build trends. It will reward current styles and encourage future trends and grow with the whole custom automotive industry. The most significant change with car building over the last few years is that owners want to show their cars and be competitive but still use them regularly. Therefore with good planning and preparation of the build and focus on cleaning and maintenance after completion this can be achieved. People are still looking for elite finish on engine bay, body, paint, interior but much more usable undercarriage. Therefore with the undercarriage the judges will be looking for well executed legal engineering, innovative coatings without the high level of smoothing and detail associated with Super Elite Showcars in the engineering and concept, planning and innovation awards. Basic Requirements: All Street Elite entries will have to have current registration where an annual inspection is compulsory, blue slip or engineers report (for new vehicle) to be eligible for judging. Street Elite is designed for the owners and builders who genuinely want to compete in this category and cars will be expected to be presented in the spirit of the competition it is designed for. For more information and judging criteria visit: http://www.motorex.com.au/entrants/3m-street-elite-showcase-entrant-information/ Click here to download the 2012 Entry Form : http://www.motorex.com.au/files/2012_ENTRANT_FORM.pdf The 5 classes: Hot Rod (Pre ’48) Street Machine/Muscle Car (’48 to current) Tuner (Post ’86 Japanese) Custom Euro (Customised BMW, Mercedes, Ferrari’s etc) Custom Cruiser (Heavily body customized cars built for cruising. Majority will be 50’s and 60’s vehicles) There is provision to add further categories as the custom industry progresses and develops. PRIZE MONEY & AWARDS : There will be 5 Pinnacle Awards with the each winner receiving a Billet trophy and cash component of $3,000. HOT ROD STREET MACHINE/MUSCLE CAR TUNER CUSTOM EURO CUSTOM CRUISER There will also be a total of 21 Medals of Excellence in: BODYWORK PAINTWORK INTERIOR ENGINE BAY ENGINEERING IMPACT AND DISPLAY DESIGN AND EXECUTION With cash component of: Gold $1,000.00 each Silver $750.00 each Bronze $500.00 each Winning a Medal of Excellence will reward your effort knowing you have achieved this award against all the categories represented at the show.

Team SAU would go onto taking out the honors for Australia’s Best Forum, Opel Aus and Gripshiftslide came in at a respectable second and third. Forum Battle would like to say a thank you to all the dedicated competitors and supporters who stuck it out and made the effort to show up and compete. Thank you to the volunteers from the Victorian MG club for flag marshaling, scrutineering and the admin work. Last but not least thank you to all the ForumBattle Sponosors. With the dedication and your passion for the cars Forum Battle would have not been possible. The weather may have not been on our side, but the dedication and passion that was shown by all that was involved means that the car scene is alive and kicking strong. Forum Battle was a great success, and can now only get bigger and better next year.

Steve Reed for Team OZMPS took fastest Pro FWD class, while in the fastest Street FWD Class saw Rory Hollingworth from Team OPEALAUS take the award. Manny from MELBS15 took out the fastest street RWD Class award and was a consistent competitor all weekend. One Lap Dash Results: Motorkhana: Johnathan Green in his blue Evo for Team Fullboost took out top honors for fastest outright and 4WD Pro class. While Reece McIntosh for Team SAU got fastest outright and RWD street class. Phouc pushed hard and took home the fastest street FWD car and Marty From Might Car Mods being the only FWD in the Pro class took top honors for being the fastest FWD in Pro Class.In the Motorkhana event, 10 competitors competed for honors. The course layout being 2 sets of chicanes, linked up with a U-turn on the end and with minimal run off and tarmac area after the finish line saw some very close calls as competitors played chicken with the finish line. Some came off second best, like John in his White AW11 MR2 having a near miss and running into a tyre wall earlier on into the session ( better then a concrete barrier), followed by Phouc in his black Civic slightly tapping a barrier, damaging his front bar trying to find the limit of his tyres and brakes. Motorkhana Result : Show and Shine Out of the 7 Major categories in the show and shine, Team SAU took out 4; Best Presented , Best JDM , Cleanest car and the Historic awards. Best Australian built went to Boosted Falcon, Best Euro was Opel Aus and Gripshiftslide took the out the award for best street car. Sunday’s show and shine was all blue sky and sunny weather (unlike Saturday). A total of 40+ cars were on display and Team SAU, OPELAUS , Gripshiftslide, Melbs15, Supra and AE86 were out in force and all wanting to take the win. Each team offering a variety of modified cars for spectators and judges to see. The quality of cars were outstanding and made it a difficult job for the judging panel to choose the winners.

The Official Forum Battle aftermath Despite the bad weather on Saturday Forum Battle went full steam ahead (as early as 6am) the admin office was full of buzz and had a line of Forum Battlers eagerly waiting to sign on and compete in the first ever inaugural Forum Battle event. By 9.30am, drivers were signed in, tools unloaded and pit crews ready for service… then the rain started! A decision was made during the driver’s briefing to alter the Time Attack event into a single lap dash. Rain and bad weather conditions ultimately saw Time Attack along with the Drags officially cancelled. An early causalty by Ovi in the Red Advan Evo aquaplaning into a concrete barrier which was a warning signal to all competitors of the tricky track conditions, testing even the most experienced drivers. An early withdrawal was seen from the drivers of the Rx7(s), who decided the conditions were less than ideal. They packed up and left for home and who would blame them, 600hp on a wet track is certainly a scary day at the office. Team SAU stayed on and with little persistence took top honors in the Pro and Street group; Chris Thompson, Adam Newton winning 1st and 2nd respectively and each winning their classes ( fastest Pro 4WD class and fastest Pro RWD class). Ash Cosgriff got the overall win for the street class group and took out the fastest 4WD street class .

This weekend Mighty Car Mod fans will have the chance to get up close and personal with Marty’s new ride “The Blue Turd”, and see it in action for the first time at Forum Battle. If you still don’t know what we are talking about, check out MCM’s latest video “When three cars become one” Season 4, Episode 3. These guys are the ultimate DIY’er! For more videos visit : Mighty Car Mod Youtube channel

2 days to go. Forum Battle will be on , rain ,shine or hail . =) dont forget the RTR pre-meet on Friday night at 6pm . Forums members who will be spectating on the day don't forget about your Forum Battle codes! (extra forums have been included on the site). This is how you guys can help your forums get all those extra needed points to take the win . FORUM BATTLE CODE: LEXUSOWN For todays update we have a H22a Civic and 4age AE71 Corolla entered . Billy’s Ae71 may look like and unfinished, unpainted project, but pop open the bonnet or even stick your head under the car and its full of goodies with everything there to make it go sideways or put down a decent lap. See Billy’s Ae71 at the Grip Shift Slide’s show and shine section of Forum Battle. Normally found in the engine bay of a 4th gen Prelude. The conversion may be unorthodox, but for one third of the price of a k20 swap its a bang for buck swap. Running a 14.5 down the quarter with a stock H22A , Phouc’s Civic has proven to give some turbo cars a run for their money. At Forum Battle , we’ll be seeing the H22A Civic at full V-Tec in the Gymkhana event.

ARC JUST CAR INSURANCE Forum Battle Forum Battle administration for the Sunday 4th of March (show and shine activities) Calder Park Raceway Address Calder Fwy Keilor VIC 3036 Forum Battle registration show and shine Sunday the 4th Forum Battle Show & Shine Sunday 4th Please proceed to the credentials office at the front gate of Calder Park Raceway between 630am and 730am on the Sunday. All documentation and registration must be competed at the credentials office prior to entering the venue for show and shine. ARC Forum Battle registration at Calder Park credentials office Sunday 630 am onwards Parking The Paddock/Service area or Pits for the Forum Challenge Cars will only allow for competition cars. All trailers must be parked at the south end of the Thunderdome. Any cars on trailers must be at the circuit prior to 7:00am. Contact admin@rally.com.au or support@forumbattle.com.au or call Sean at 0432 884 177

3 Days to go!!! check out the latest entries .... for the full feature visit : http://forumbattle.com.au/ OR better yet come do to Calder Park this weekend and see it in the flesh! Vic imports club member Micheal has entered his 1991 300zx Twin Turbo 5 speed manual and proudly representing VIC imports Club in the Time Attack class (Special Thanks to Rod Kershaw). When asking Micheal what was done to his car, he laughs and says ” the car is stock standard, I use it to take elderly people to church, hahahah. At the very moment the car is still being tuned and hopefully will be complete and ready for Forum Battle, so power figures are TBA. Majority of the work was done by myself and my dad”. Some said that he was mad for selling up one of Sydney’s most bad-ass, full of attitude street driven EVO 8 for an S15 . BUT, as quickly as those comment were made, they have been retracted and the haters have now become lovers. Take a look at the picture and its easy why you’d sell up! Full wide-body vertex ridge kit, Custom midnight Purple, 20″ SSR, and making 385rwkw on 25psi. Yes please we would like one too! Sergio tells us the modding won’t and hasn’t stop since taking ownership, first being a Porsche brake upgrade ( currently under development) and most recently an RWB inspired front and side-skirt lips.

ForumBattle motorsport entries close at 1pm tomorrow - please ensure that you have completed your entry form to reserve a space a ForumBattle- click the link! http://forumbattle.com.au/entry/

Honda has demanded victory in this year’s Bosch Australian Rally Championship. Honda Australia unveiled its two new Jazz rally cars at Bosch’s headquarters in Melbourne yesterday, and lead driver Eli Evans admits the pressure will be on to perform. “I’ve been told this year, we must win,” Evans told Speedcafe.com. “Honda said “What do we need to win?” and we said “a G2 car with the new regulations.” “They gave us the new Honda Jazz, and so far so good. It feels fantastic. It feels like an improvement on the Honda Civic Type R.” The cars will be driven by Evans and Mark Pedder and will make their debut at the inaugural Rally Calder next weekend. CLICK HERE for more on the new Jazz factory team. Forum battle also gets a special mention (@3:00) , its going to be an awesome weekend! Check out our latest Forum Battle competitors, with a heap more coming this week . The car is a 2005 Subaru Impreza RS. Micheal has owned it since the end of 2009 and bought it dead stock from Subaru docklands. Like most car nuts the modifying began almost instant, it went from pretty mildly tuned NA into a high revving, boxer pounding NA Impreza RS, as far Micheal knows, he reckons its the only NA Subaru modified to this level in Australia. Bought back in 2010 from Carizma motors in Sydney, Phuong’s car made the trip back down to Victoria and has since stayed there as his first and only car. Being an apprentice mechanic with an apprentice wage and only wanting quality parts, means mods on his car are limited and can be slow at the best of times. He says “I know the car isn’t perfect and still needs a lot of work, but I’m happy with the progress”.

1 week to go and Forum Battle competitor enteries are flowing in . check out the competition . For the full story be sure to check out : http://forumbattle.com.au/ A labor of an unplanned build, Issac started with a turbo and clutch upgrade and like most ended up with a full re-build. 100% built and not bought. Issac has spent his fair share of late nights under the car… brakes, suspension and power, Issac has got it all covered, “I built this car with the intention of driving it hard, not hardparkd despite it looking pretty” . Keep an eye out for “Snowball” at Winton at the Vicdrift events. At Forum Battle, Issac and “Snowball” will be under the Gripshiftslide tent along with the other S15(s) Feature photo : SAU competitor Chris’s R34 GTR SAU first round of entries were impressive to say the least, and for second round, they haven’t disappointed. Also attending for team SAU will be a rare R31 GTS-R , one of Australia’s cleanest on display. SAU have done a fantastic job of lining up some great cars.. It is going to be a RIPPER event. Feature car: Renee’s S15 Third big team to enter Forum Battle is MelbS15 , they have confirmed 12 cars. With everyone of them being a quality built car. Expect more of this at Forum Battle.

Hey Guys, We have been paying attention to what the forums want and as a result have updated the Sup Regs and classes in which cars will be competing. a. Pro class- for both street registered and none street registered cars. Engines and gearbox’s are free. Suspension pick up points must be in as per the manufactures design. Slicks are not permitted. b. Street Class- for street registered cars only. The vehicle must retain the original engine and gearbox configuration. Suspension pick up points must be in as per the manufactures design. Street legal tyres are only permitted. Both Pro and Street Class will then comprise of 3 sub classes; Fastest FWD, RWD and 4WD vehicles Complete updated Sup Regs can be found here: www.forumbattle.com.au/regulations For tickets information or to purchase: Click Here For any additional information or if you have any questions please email us: Support@forumbattle.com.au

Tickets are now available guys! The final and most important category that forums will be judged on is community support. So grab your mates and jump online to order your tickets and get behind your favourite forum. Make sure to write down your forums unique code when ordering your tickets. Forum Code: LEXUSOWN (Promotion ends 31st January) Who will be crowned Australia's best Online Car Forum? 2012 Rally Calder will see the first ever Online Car Forum challenge which brings together these car enthusiasts for a range of offline motorsport tests and challenges. Entry into the competition is restricted to only the very best modified road cars and drivers from each forum and marque which means great action and competition for spectators. TICKET OPTIONS A number of ticket options are available to suit everyone, Click the Links below for more information: FRIDAY SINGLE DAY: General Admission SATURDAY SINGLE DAY: General Admission SUNDAY SINGLE DAY: General Admission 3-DAY: General Admission Passes 3-DAY BOSCH DOME: Reserved Grandstand Seating 3- DAY ECB PADDOCK: Reserved Grandstand Seating

Time to get into gear guys and start entering Forum Battle. 5 forums have already stepped up and have nominated forum representatives. Ozmazda Opel Aus Aussie Exotics Evolution OZ JDM Style Tuning. Competitors from a wide range of cars have entered from track weapons, daily drivers and decked out show cars. Check out www.forumbattle.com.au for sup regs, entry forms, Forum Battle news and features on each of the entrants so far. Remember to like us on Facebook for Forum Battle updates and start nominating members in the “ARC FORUM BATTLE CALDER 2012 - Nominate Members thread” Opel Aus Entrant Brenton in his Astra “I’ll be entering it in either the Tarmac Rally or maybe the Gymkhana, I really don’t see it winning any events or awards, it’s all just for a bit of fun” Aussie Exotic's representative, the Lotus Esprit GT300 GT2 is an example of the wide range of cars entering the ARC Forum Battle