mjg1066

I'm not sure the R32 qualifies for the Euro races as it's it's been modified by an American Tuning Co. I think I ended up using a Clio V6 Sport for that championship... it's easy to squeeze around 500hp out of it and has the advantage of being Mid-engined :) The R32 is perfect for the special conditions stuff and can hold it's own (with a few tweaks) in the American races :)

A quick cash generator is the Capri/Amalfi rally in the special conditions section. Win the two head to head races (about 10mins work) and you get a Toyota Rally car worth 200,000+ credits. Sell it, clear the counters and do it again and again and again [ad nauseum] :) Plus, there's a fairly nifty, tuned VW R32 for sale at one of the tuning shops which is well cheap and has some serious power as standard!

Cars: Austin Maxi 1750HL (lasted 2 whole days!) Triumph 1500 (pre Dolomite) (no synchro on first, handled like a wounded crab!) Ford Cortina 1600E (great fun... taught me a lot about the quirks of RWD! Rover SD1 V8 Vitesse (Monster car... shame about the rust!!) Toyota MR2 MkI (had a tendancy to exit roundabouts backwards in the wet :D ) BMW318i (was the car of the moment... we all had them!) VW Golf Gti (1.8t) MkIV (generally good, but uninspiring) MG ZT 190+ (fantastic handling... shame about everything else!!) Lexus IS200 Sport (best yet!) Bikes: Suzuki ER50 (in a word, cr4p!) Honda CB125T (4stroke twin... fastest 125 in the sixthform :D ) Suzuki A100 (ridiculously bad but got me through the test) Suzuki GS550E (average starter bike, okay handling, weak forks ) Kawasaki GPz750 (first rocket!) Kawasaki ZX-10 (Brilliant! 150mph travelling with ease ;) ) Honda CBR900RR (blade) (fast, twitchy, very nearly lethal!!) Kawasaki ZZR1200 (A faster ZX-10... perfect!) Kawasaki Z1000 (just plain cool :D )

and probably still not right ;) Too true! That car (or should I say static MGR display!) has got years of 'project' work left to be done under warranty! :D

The MG ZT 190 is quite a quick motor (0 - 60 in under 8s) but it needs to be thrashed to get the best out of it, all the power is above 4000rpm and below that it tends to bog down. I had one for a while and you really needed to drive it like a hot hatch to make good progress, which is the opposite of what most people do in a large(ish) saloon! Saying that, it's chassis was fantastic... probably the only bit they ever got sorted properly!! Just don't get me started on what wasn't right with the damn thing!!

This is supposedly the view from the DoT though I can't prove it's authenticity: --------------------------------------------------------------- guidance from The Department of Transport......... Dear Sir, The situation for Gas Discharge (HID High Intensity Discharge) (commonly known as Xenon) headlamps is complex. I attach links to the Road Vehicle Lighting Regulations 1989 which regulate the situation in the UK. Under these Regulations Xenon headlamps are not mentioned and therefore they are not permitted according to the strict letter of the law. However you will be well aware that new vehicles have Xenon headlamps. This is because they comply to European type approval Regulations. The UK cannot refuse to register a vehicle with a European type approval. These are to ECE Regulation 98 (for the Xenon headlamps which are tested on a rig in a laboratory) and ECE Regulation 48 (Lighting Installation on the vehicle). For the aftermarket, a used vehicle cannot obtain type approval because it is only applicable for new vehicles. However we feel that saying "Xenon is banned in the aftermarket" would not be reasonable. Instead we should make analogies with new vehicles. It would be reasonable to require Xenon in the aftermarket to meet the same safety standards as on new vehicles. The same level of safety should apply. Therefore a Xenon headlamp sold in the aftermarket should: 1. be type approved to ECE Regulation 98 as a component. 2. when fitted to the vehicle should enable ECE Regulation 48 to be complied with (although no government inspection will take place). 3, Comply with RVLR as far as "use" is concerned. In practice this means: 1. The headlamp unit (outer lens, reflector, bulb) shall be type approved to ECE 98 and be "e-marked" to demonstrate this. That can only be done by the headlamp supplier - Hella, Valeo etc. who must test the headlamp in an independent laboratory. 2. Once fitted to the vehicle it must have headlamp cleaning and self-levelling (which can be for the headlamp or can be in the vehicle suspension - some expensive estate cars have "self-levelling suspension" and that is adequate). Also the dipped beam must stay on with the main beam. 3. The headlamp must be maintained in good working order, kept clean, and aligned/adjusted correctly like any other headlamp. Hope that helps. *** ---------------------------------------------------------------