June 2009 Preview

THE ESSENTIAL MOTORSPORT MONTHLY - WRITTEN BY THE RACERS FOR THE RACERS

FLAT OUT AT SILVERSTONE IN THE NINETIE’S £400K+ SUPER TOURERS… NOW THEY COULD BE YOURS FOR JUST £20K. READ THE INSIDE STORY ON NISSAN’S 1999 CHAMPIONSHIP WIN, TECH AND LESLIE TRIBUTE

BTCCSUPERTOURERSFRESH GEARTHE LATEST RACE PRODUCTS

LOWCOSTLOCOSTTRACK TESTING THE CHEAPEST MOTORSPORTCLASS WITH THE CLOSEST RACING IN THE UK

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FAST FIAT X1/9TESTING A WILD ITALIAN ICON

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FCS_FullPage.indd 1 3/4/09 12:04:36

SPORT

TRACK

7 NEWSAll the latest paddock gossip

14 SUPER TOURERSTwo of the most expensive Nissan Primera BTCC cars from the 90s make a welcome return to the circuit

21 (LOTS OF) LOCOSTSEntry level motor racing doesn’t get any closer than these home-built Locosts, track tested at Brands Hatch

28 FIAT X19Original road examples may look slightly cheap but this carbon-fibre race machine is anything but…

94 ROUGH GUIDEHow to get involved: Car Trials

CONTENTS / JUNE 200914

21

28TECH

TEACH

4 TRCMAGAZINE.COM - JUNE 2009

39 PALMERSPORT AT BEDFORDA heavenly mix of exotic supercars and gritty race cars make for an exciting day out for all

89 TRACK & TEST DAY DIARYMake a date in your diary courtesy of our diary: the most comprehensive track day listings known to man

51 NISSAN 200SX BUILDPart four of the cheap track toy converted with British built and sourced components

59 OUR CARSOur pile of rust for all to see… We that’s Andrew’s page. This month sees yet more cars!

77 NEW PRODUCTSTesting the latest gear and showcasing the products you need

94 CLASSIFIEDPick up a track and race bargain from our packed classifieds

36 RACING STARTSAll you need to know about race starts

46 CASTLE COMBE GUIDE The second part of our circuit guide

86 GO RACINGSee how easy it is to get started

Visit us online for updates on what’s coming up in the next issue:

www.trcmagazine.com

51

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6372

36

WELCOME TO / TRC MAGAZINE

R esearching our cover story on the two Nissan Primera Super Touring cars revealed a number of very interesting facts and - more fittingly - figures. While today we’re, very much, penny pinching our way through the race season, ten years ago some of the top BTCC teams were spending over £4 million of manufacturer funding on their

supersonic rep-mobiles.I won’t go into too much detail now but you can’t fail to miss the full story of why

they cost so much to create and why they are now as cheap to buy as a Clio Cup car. Make time to read this in-depth feature over on page 14. Talking of Clios we’ve got an insightful column from Phil Glew over on p63.

Glew - who is currently leading the Clio Cup Championship - joins us and our other two new columnist, Joe Osborne and Nick Padmore, among the Our Car pages. Together these three international racing drivers have all started their racing careers from humble beginnings and, over the remaining season, will share with us some of those secret insider information you only get from the pit-lane.

Keith Wood

Editor

ISSUE 62

Roberto GiordanelliEuro Correspondent

Has mostly been?Fitting his new set of Carbone Lorraine brake pads for the Lotus 26R and looking into buying a new crash helmet

Andrew BrownPhotographer

Has mostly been?Capturing the iconic Nissan Primera BTCC cars at Silverstone. Oh and updating his profile on FaceBook…

John HaymanSpecial Correspondent

Has mostly been?Driving as many Locosts as possible during a four-session test day. Probably lost weight. Then put it back on

Tom SaundersAd Manager

Has mostly been?Amazingly turned down the chance to drive the PalmerSport cars at Bedford (p39). Miserable ever since

TEAM TRC

PublishingFounding Directors: Keith Wood, Andrew Brown

Printing & Distribution: Warners Group Publications Plc, West Street, Bourne, Lincolnshire, PE10 9PH

Special thanks to: Alex, Ian & Andy at MotorSportVision

EnquiriesEditorial: P1 Media Ltd,

194a Upper Richmond Road West, London, SW14 8ANTelephone: 020 8296 5467 Fax: 020 8240 8901

Email: [email protected] Website: www.trcmagazine.com

Editorial Assistant: Michael Wood

AdvertisingAdvertising Manager: Tom Saunders

Telephone: 020 8395 2653Email: [email protected]

SubscriptionsTelephone: 01778 392481

Online: www.trcmagazine.com

Pit Stop© 2009 P1 Media Ltd ISSN:1742193

Track & Race Cars Magazine is published twelve times a year by P1 Media Ltd. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without prior written consent of the publishers is strictly prohibited. While every effort is made in compiling Track & Race Cars, the publishers

cannot be held responsible for errors or omissions. All prices correct at time of going to press but subject to

change. The publishers can not accept responsibility for any unsolicited materials. It is assumed that any images taken from sources which are widely distributed, such

as the internet, are in the public domain. However, since such images are passed freely between sources such as websites, the original source is not always possible to

trace. It is possible that copyrighted material has ended up being treated as public domain as a result. If you

see a graphic or image in this publication which is not public domain please contact P1 Media Ltd. Readers are advised to pay by Credit Card when ordering goods off

the advertising and editorial pages as they are regulated under Consumer Credit Act 1974, unlike debit or

chargecards which are not.

Independence Track & Race Cars Magazine is lovingly published

every month by P1 Media Ltd for all owners, drivers and enthusiasts of track and race cars. It is entirely

independent. And we speak as we find… The opinions of our contributors are not connected with P1 Media Ltd

P1www.p1-media.com

5JUNE 2009 - TRCMAGAZINE.COM

123

DON’T MISS INSIDE……your chance to win a set of Carbone Lorraine brake pads for your track or race car on p57

…our Nissan 200SX over on p59 - it has a set of suspension specially created by BAD. Whose BAD?

…our Nissan 200SX over on p59 - it has a set of suspension specially created by BAD. Whose BAD?…the latest race reports from the TRC Pre-93 Touring Cars and the TRC Monoposto over on p72

…book your place at the Track & Race Cars Action Day at Brands Hatch! Flick to p68 now

TEAM TRC CONTRIBUTORS: Ben Birch, Tony Murray, Joe Osborne, Nick Padmore, Phil Glew, Andy Glenister, Paul Williams, Simon Davey, Norwich Photo

14

SPORT / RML Nissan Primeras

TRCMAGAZINE.COM - JUNE 2009

Below: This 1999 Nissan Primera was driven by the late, great David Leslie to second in that season’s BTCC Driver Championship…

With the world

watching their

pennies in these

unsettling times

of financial

uncertainty I suppose this feature on

these ludicrously outrageous Super

Touring cars may on the face of it seem

shortsighted. If we could step back in

time to the era when these detailed

tourers were competing successfully in

the British Touring Car Championship

(BTCC) and you’d be right, in fact these

two cars alone would have probably cost

in the region of just under £1 million of

your hard-earned to buy them as a pair.

Even more staggering was the funds

required to run a team for a season which

started at around £4 million… Renault

(who employed Williams F1 to build

them a car) was rumoured to spend as

much as £6.5 million and beyond.

The reason these supersonic tin

tops demanded such extravagant

budgets was fundamentally chargeable

to the complex technology hidden

away underneath an innocent looking

production road car shell. If we were able

to virtually peel back the modest looking

bodywork, staring back would essentially

be a space-frame chassis, hordes of

carbon fibre and a highly complex

engine which was also positioned so

deep and low into the bulkhead it was

barely recognisable. These may have

been tagged Super Tourers but they

were more like thoroughly modern

Thundersaloons, albeit ones with

power running through the front drive-

shafts. Thankfully today, unlike the

Thundersaloons of yesteryears, ex-BTCC

cars swamp the second hand market…

and they’re cheap.

Cheap isn’t exactly the best of words

to use when describing the two cars

we’ve got splashed across the cover

and this feature. After all it is very

easy to mistake them as being shoddy,

so I suppose ‘affordable’ is a much

more fitting and complimentary. But

whatever I pluck from the dictionary

the truth is these two RML built Nissan

Super Tourers were in their day a very,

very, expensive commodity indeed.

Winners of the 1998 and 1999 BTCC

Manufacturers Championship, the

Drivers Championship in 1999 while

beating the likes of the well funded Ford,

Renault and Vauxhall outfits. It was also

followed up by an Independents Drivers

Championship in the hands of the lofty

Matt Neal in 1999 and 2000. So rather

fittingly our two feature cars recorded

some of Nissan’s finest achievements.

THE HISTORYTracing the steps to Nissan’s 1999

Championship white-wash with the

Primera really does take us on a wild

roller-coaster ride. It all kicked off with

JanSpeed Racing back in 1991. These

SUPERCHEAPBack in the late nineties the BTCC was swamped by multi-million pound budgets, Formula One built cars and superstar drivers. Ten years on and these highly sophisticated Super Tourers are copping up for sale for knockdown prices. Keith Wood investigates…Photography: Andrew Brown

WATCH ONLINE

www.trcmagazine.com


early Nissan’s were built by János Ódor

(founded and team manager of the

JanSpeed racing team) with his late son

Kieth Ódor as its number one driver

alongside such teammates as Julian

Bailey, Andy Middlehurst, James Weaver,

Win Percy, Tiff Needell and Eric van de

Poele. The highest placed was Ódor

who managed to bring the car home in

sixth in the Drivers Championship but

these cars weren’t competitive enough

and the JanSpeed program came to

an end in 1994. A missed year in 1995

saw a comeback in 1996 by the (often

forgotten) Rouse Sport Nissan Primera

Team but the real change came in 1997.

Although wilder versions of the

Primera came in the shape of four-

wheel drive (for Team Rosberg’s entry

into the German Super Touring Series

in 1997 and 1998) these would never

of happened if it wasn’t for Nissan

Motorsport Europe (NME) for the

collaboration with Ray Mallock Ltd (or

now known as RML Group, RML), the

formidable yet quiet motorsport giant.

This combination would prove to be

priceless for the second generation

Primera (or known as the P11) and

this was partly due to NME’s General

Manager, Alex Poole. NME’’s boss was

once a BTCC champ himself (winning

the 1969 One-Litre Championship in a

Mini) and knew only too well what was

required for Nissan to lift the crown. So

using his Irish charm he stole RML away

from Nissan’s main rival, blagging “we’re

a better bet than Vauxhall”.

Together with Stewart Ayling (RML

Engineer) and Richard Devilla (NME

Designer) the project was given an

immediate (and much needed) boost

for the 1997 season, especially when

controlled by the exceptionally talented

Mark Busfield (now team manager for

RML’s Chevrolet WTCC team). Nissan’s

first season showed huge potential but it

wasn’t until 1998 that the cars started to

take shape, claiming the Manufacturer’s

title, followed by the faultless season

in ‘99, not only was the Manufacturer’s

crown retained but the drivers also

finished in first (Laurent Aïello) and

second (David Leslie). That year Nissan

totally dominated and RML racked up the

most wins, poles, podiums, fastest laps

and laps lead.

That same season also brought Matt

Neal some silverware in the way of his

Independent Championship courtesy

of Team Dynamics (in an RML Nissan

Primera) and again the following year

in 2000. With Nissan pulling the plug

Nissan’s first season showed huge potential but it wasn’t until 1998 that the cars started to take shape, claiming the Manufacturer’s title,

followed by the faultless season in ‘99 when it took the double

SUPER TOURERS

WATCH ONLINE

www.trcmagazine.com

Below: … but, alternatively, this ‘98 ex-Matt Neal Primera helped scoop him the Independents trophy that same ‘99 season

Prima Motorsport Limited, 20 Abingdon Road, Nuffield Industrial Estate, Poole BH17 0UG

Tel: 01202 661034Fax: 01202 661078

[email protected]

PRIMA MOTORSPORTUK Manufacturer of FIA Harnesses.

Prima Motorsport Limited, 20 Abingdon Road,

Full range of UK manufactured FIA approved Titon Harnesses available in 4, 5 and 6 point designs

4 point standard harness from £87.61+VAT

As well as harnesses we also supply Stilo Helmets, Hans, Seats and Safety Equipment

Chester Sportscars■ Tiger Racing North West Agent■ Full and Stage Builds, Any Model■ Zetec Engine Specialist■ Interior Trim Specialist■ Any Kit Build Undertaken■ Bike Carb & MJL Ignition Tuning kit - £750

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Chester.indd 1 4/2/09 16:53:18

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LOCOST RACING

JUNE 2009 - TRCMAGAZINE.COMJUNE 2009 - TRCMAGAZINE.COM

No matter how hard

we try to convince

our better half’s

and offspring (or

ourselves even),

there’s no hiding from the fact that

circuit club racing is an expensive

hobby. However, in relative terms there’s

expensive and there’s budget - and it

doesn’t get much cheaper than Locost’s…

if at all. Especially not when other

crucial factors are considered, such as

participating in a series that has capacity

grids along with guaranteed close racing,

that‘s for sure.

So low costs, full grids and closeness

is the fundamental reasoning behind the

Locost series - one that started with a

book of all things, Ron Champion’s ‘Build

yourself a sports car for less than £250

- and race it’. Although the price that

early Ford Escorts currently command,

the £250 part of the title is now rather

optimistic. But just like in the post war

good old days when homebuilt two-

seater specials were the norm, today with

that book in hand, and the ingenuity of

the home builder still present, the same

can be achieved.

To do so, you’ll need a donor 1300

Ford Crossflow from an Escort and

time - or alternatively enough wonga

to buy either a pre-built racer, or a

manufactured car. And from what I‘ve

seen and heard, requisite skills such as

engineering aren’t a requirement, for

over the years those that didn’t posses

any have successfully completed a Locost

with time and dedication.

So lets hear more from the horses

mouth as such, from the people who

actually built and race their Locost’s

- those that I can’t thank enough for

bringing their pride and joy along to the

test day at MSV’s Brands Hatch circuit for

me to drive.

And I’ll kick off with the man and

his car who also organised getting

everybody here, Mr Brian Micham, “Our

Locost was built in 2000 by myself with

help from Robert Balaam, Ian Kemp and

my son William.”

“William was involved because the

idea was to get him into a full size racing

car after him having been one of the

UK’s top 1/10 scale model car drivers for

a number of years, winning the UK Off

Above: Second-hand values for Locosts can start at £3,500 and rise to just £8,000 for a championship winning car. Great value and even better racing, see:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZjVakbNNMY

Photography: Andrew Brown

The 750MC Locost Championship is the ideal home for any budding clubman racing driver on a tight budget. John Hayman tests four of the best and discovers why the top ten are seperated by tenths not seconds.

SMALL BUDGET BIG FUN

21

28

SPORT / Dallara Fiat X1/9 Track Test


With 457bhp-per-

tonne you just

know that this is

going to be quite

a ride. But first,

let’s go back to 1972, when the Bertone

designed, targa-topped X1/9 was a very

advanced car. It was the world’s first

mass-produced, mid-engined sports car,

and as it could out-handle most cars on

the road. Obviously, it was screaming

out to be raced. This track test looks at

the evolution of a 1972 X1/9 (chassis no:

2897) from an Italian hillclimb car into

the engineering excellence and madness

you see before you. It was painted yellow

for its first outing but quickly adopted

the blue colour scheme of Italian race car

manufacturer, Dallara.

This story starts when back in the

early 1970s the USA was about to

introduce stringent crash test laws:

50mph head-on and 80mph roll-over

survivability. Fiat had cleverly built the

X1/9 to meet these tough requirements

which – in the end – did not happen.

These robust little cars came with two

ample luggage compartments, a full size

spare wheel and enough room for two

big adults. Kerb weight for a standard car

was 900kg and power was either 73bhp

(1300cc) or in 1978-89, 85bhp (1500cc).

Between 1972 and the Gran Finale of

1989, Fiat and Bertone made 200,000

X1/9s. Most X1/9s went to the USA. The

UK was also a good market where the

X1/9 created the hairdresser label; now

par for the course with open-top cars.

Italians – ever pragmatic - were not so

keen, and very few were sold on the

home market; those that were quickly

found their place in motorsport.

PROJECT X1/9Small, compact and yet it churns out a staggering 457bhp-per-tonne. As a respectful nod towards the late Dallara conversions, Roberto Giordanelli straps into one of the wildest Fiat X1/9 ever.


FIAT X1/9

ENGINE: Fiat/Alfa Romeo ‘works’ 2000cc DOHC, 16v, transverse

TRANSMISSION: Bacci 5-speed straight cut with lsd.

IGNITION AND FUEL: Magneti Marelli

POWER: 321bhp @ 8500rpm

POWER/WEIGHT RATIO: 457bhp/tonne

BRAKES: AP/Brembo/Tilton/F3000

WHEELS: Speedline F3 8x13 & 10.5x13

TYRES: Yokohama slicks 18/515/13 front and 250/515/13 rear

KERB WEIGHT: 703kg

0-60MPH: 3.5sec (est)

TOP SPEED:120mph or c.150mph with longer gearing

COST: Classified info…

TECH SPEC

VALUE FOR MONEY

CIRCUIT & AIRFIELD

TRACKDAYS Tel 01469 560574

Visit our website & join our mailing list at

www.javelintrackdays.co.uk

Additional Drivers and Passengers allowed

Friendly Paddock Atmosphere

Excellent Safety Record

Online / Telephone Booking

25th

April Woodbridge, Suffolk £129

29th

April Elvington, York £129

9th

May Mallory Park, Leicester £175

14TH

May Elvington, York £129

22nd

May Bedford Autodrome (Evening)

£109

30th

May Woodbridge, Suffolk £129

3rd

June Snetterton, Norwich £169

10th

June Elvington, York £129

20th

June Elvington, York £129

24th

June Cadwell Park, Evening £79

27th

June Woodbridge, Suffolk £129

12th

July Barkston Heath, Lincs £85

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July Woodbridge, Suffolk £129

30th

July Cadwell Park, Lincs £149

19th

August Cadwell Park, Lincs £149

ALL EVENTS ARE OPEN PIT LANE FORMAT *** Dift / Slalom / Sprint Event

39

ARRIVE & DRIVE

JUNE 2009 - TRCMAGAZINE.CoM

We send Mike Wood, our Editorial Assistant, kicking and screaming to play in Palmer Sport’s wonderful array of exceptional machinery…Photography: Andrew Brown

Below: The latest single seaters offer onboard video, Jaguar V6 power and full slicks. Unfortunately you only get to take the recorded footage home with you, not the car…

As the youngest in a

motorsport obsessed

family it was impossible

to get away from the

sound of revved engines

and screeching tyres. I simply rejected

the entertainment value of the sport.

Why? I saw so much racing that I simply

became frustrated and bored by it all.

I was dragged to karting events at the

weekends as my two elder brothers

raced around Buckmore Park or Tilbury

circuits, being too young to stay at home

I reluctantly watched on, willing the rest

of the day to speed along so I could go

home. Unfortunately as time went on my

brothers rapidly progressed through

the ranks to Formula Fords and I then

followed the same pattern of enduring

yet more racing, albeit at Brands Hatch or

Lydden Hill.

My initial lack of enthusiasm for motor

sport wasn’t a direct result of never

having the opportunity to race myself - I

was offered the chance to kart, but duly

rejected. In fact my only real racing

experience came from a school karting

trip to Buckmore Park. I managed to

surprise myself by really enjoying it and

faired well, even making it to the finals

- winning one race and finishing third

in another. I was (amazingly) extremely

competitive and loved the sensation

of beating people on the circuit. Hmm,

maybe this racing malarky isn’t so bad

after all…

So, as you may have expected, when

first joining Track & Race Cars Magazine

I still had a lot to learn. Look past my

enthusiasm for journalism and I didn’t

have any ‘real’ driving experience and

zero mechanical knowledge. So after

steadily compiling the News and New

Products for this very magazine, I’ve

tried desperately to soak up as much

as possible and so far it’s all been plain

sailing. Until one monday morning when

I was offered the opportunity to sample

a Palmer Sport event at the wonderful

Bedford Autodrome. It was finally time

to dig deep through all the information I

had absorbed for the last year and put it

to the practical test.

Palmer Sport is a driving event with

all the trimmings. You are empowered to

drive seven different high performance

cars over the day and all the while

competing against likewise guests for

such accolades as the ‘quickest lap time’

in each of the cars. In all of them (except

one) is an experienced race instructor

who helps you to get the most out of each

car. These aren’t dumbed down regular

school cars though, they include a

Formula Jaguar (a bespoke Palmer Sport

single seater with V6 power), the Palmer

Jaguar JP1, a Porsche 911 JP3, the latest

Renault Clio Cup, a drift happy Caterham

Superlight, the silky smooth Jaguar XKR

and a Land Rover Defender (used to

THE REAL DEAL

Above: We send our resident rookie to taste the thrill of motorsport courtesy of Palmer Sport

All of the instructors have to pass a high standard test before they can teach at Palmer Sport and majority have raced at some kind of level,

even Lewis Hamilton used to be an instructor here.

78

TECH / Latest race gear


A coilover suspension kit for the classic BMW E30 M3 that is suitable for street, track day and even outright

competition vehicles has been released by GAZ. GAZ Gold units are bump and rebound adjustable while on

the vehicle by means of an easily accessible adjuster knob. There is 60mm of configuration in the ride height

and the units are plated. Should help those in need of a cost effective solution.

HOW MUCH? From £826.00 inc VAT

WHO? GAZ Shocks

WHERE? www.gazshocks.com

GAZ ‘GOLD’ COILOVER SUSPENSION FOR E30 M3

Pumaspeed, continue their work with the Ford Focus RS with a high flow

stainless steel turbo manifold. The manifold is suitable for use with a GT25

or GT28 turbo and will improve power output by around 20bhp and comes

complete with a heat shield too.

HOW MUCH? From £659.00 Inc VAT

WHO? Pumaspeed

WHERE? www.pumaspeed.co.uk

FOCUS RSTURBO MANIFOLD

DAMPING HELP FOR TIRED M3S

✓

Fidanza, recently introduced a flywheel for

Mazdaspeed 2.3 engines - as used in the 2007

Mazdaspeed 3, 2.3 Turbo and the 2006-07 Mazdaspeed

6, 2.3 Turbo - into the United States. Now Fidanza can

offer these flywheels to Mazda enthusiasts in Europe.

The friction surfaces are removable to allow them to

be changed if worn or damaged without the need to

replace the whole flywheel. They come complete with

a heat-treated ring gear and military-grade fasteners,

and can be paired with almost any clutch disc material

available - from organic to Kevlar® and even sintered

iron. Great, but has anyone got one of these wild

Mazda 3 models out on track? If so we want to know!

HOW MUCH? £498.16 plus shipping

WHO? Fidanza

WHERE? www.fidanza.com

MAZDA 3 FIDANZA FLYWHEEL

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NEW STUFF

JUNE 2009 - TRCMAGAZINE.COM

QUOTETRC WHEN BUYING

Look out for Pro-Race and its floor mounted three pedal bias

adjustable brake system. It has adjustable spring loaded accelerator

pedal which allows the pedal to be positioned exactly to your

requirements plus a balance bar giving you total control over the

front to rear braking. It also includes light weight accelerator linkage

and will accept single or twin cables. The actual weight of the

complete unit is just 2.6kg. Yum!

HOW MUCH? From £172.00 plus vat

WHO? PRO-RACE

WHERE? www.obp.uk.net

OBP PRO-RACE HIGH PERFORMANCE PEDALS

New Lotus Twin Cam cylinder heads are available from

Burton Power. The heads are cast in LM25TF from new

tooling and are available from stock as a fully machined

head to ‘Sprint’ spec which includes cam caps, cam cap

studs, fitted hardened valve seats and Colisbro valve

guides. Additional modifications to higher specs are

available on request to customers own specifications.

Since the heads are cast using modern materials and

technology, there is no need for tappet sleeves or cam

bearings – both cams and tappets run directly in the head

as you would expect on a modern engine. We like!


WHO? Burton Power

WHERE? www.burtonpower.com

BRAND NEW LOTUS CORTINA CYLINDER HEAD FROM BURTON POWER

OBP PRO-RACE HIGH OBP PRO-RACE HIGH

Piper exhausts ever growing range now includes a complete turbo back system for the track

day special Noble M12 GTO. The complete turbo back exhaust system is suitable for Noble M12

GTO from 2003-2007, and comes complete with Ceramic coated downpipes as

standard. Should add a bit of punch too…


WHO? Piper Performance Exhaust

WHERE? www.piperexhausts.co.uk

NOBLE M12EXHAUST

TRC RECOMMENDS

TRC RECOMMENDS

j

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