The new Venom induction kit uses groundbreaking new construction and material choices to give their best ever air-flow yet in a sealed intake design. This latest kit comes complete with OEM Style ‘hard piping’ with engine heat shields and MAF aperture, plus all accessories needed for a quick and easy fitment. The filter inside is easily removable for cleaning and maintenance, while the ingenious ‘click-together’ design makes for light weight. Essential for track and race applications.
The Venom has a massive 100mm open neck to allow maximum cold airflow though into the filter within. As well as being shielded from engine bay heat soak by the air-tight conical outer, the filter inside has a significantly larger surface area than any other sealed induction kit on the market. This increased airflow means more power, more torque and ultimately, more throttle response through each gear.

The filter inside uses a unique multi-laminated open cell polyurethane foam construction, meaning the Venom can actually filter down to a much finer rate than the OEM part, preventing any foreign particles from entering the induction tract and protecting the engine. This same construction means that the filter can also go longer between service intervals than even leading cotton-gauze filters, before needing to be cleaned.

In independent testing, with the factory ECU still in situ, the new kit recorded an impressive 35Nm increase at just 2750 rpm and a useful 7 BHP at 4650 RPM. This is despite the tendency for the VW’s ingenious management system to ‘balance out’ the effects of improved airflow. The kit’s real benefits will be seen on mapped or ‘chipped’ cars where the additional flow rates can be allied to improved fuelling and boost parameters to deliver truly significant gains.

Prices start at just £219.99 including VAT.

For more details on the Pipercross range, please visit www.pipercross.com or call the team on 01604 707750.

Their new Impreza kit is aimed squarely at the top-end competition market and uses the finest materials and construction to allow tuners to run the car radically low for circuit work, without compromising the geometry of the suspension arms. This is achieved by a drastic re-positioning of all key components, meaning that the new, rose-jointed arms can achieve the factory’s desired downward position at rest, as opposed to the undesirable uplifted situation that results from simply lowering a stock chassis set-up. Using this kit, the car can be lowered by over 3” without deviating from the suspension’s optimum positioning.

Material choice is exemplary. The uprights and brackets in the kit are machined from a solid HE15 billet, before being fitted with the very latest Subaru competition-spec wheel bearings and 22B wide track hubs. The studs used are also toughened and extended versions to allow a wide range of motorsport wheels to be fitted. The compression struts and track control arms are precision fabricated from Cro-Moly and utilise precise rose joints to ensure stiffness and accuracy in their movement.

As well as improving the geometry considerably, the kit also endows the recipient car with an increased track of 30mm per side, improving handling and turn-in further still,

The kit is engineered to suit each bespoke application, so can be ordered for any GC8 or GD8 chassis. Understandably, with every solution being tailor-made, prices are available on application.

For more details on the team and their extensive Subaru range, please visit www.rogerclarkmotorsport.co.uk or call them on 01455 828610.

Alternative Energy Racing is entering its third year in 2010, and it has been developed as an event exclusively for vehicles that do not burn fossil fuels. That means for one afternoon a year, petrol and diesel is banned from the petrol-head Mecca of Santa Pod Raceway, and alternative fuel and electric vehicles will hit the dragstrip on Friday 23^rd April.

You don’t have to believe in global climate change to realise that burning fossil fuels is a bad thing. There are all sorts of good reasons to look to the future for personal transport and racing right now and prove that performance doesn’t have to mean pollution. Alternative Energy Racing is here to bring together people working in the field of alternative fuels, racing and future transportation, and put the technology through its paces on the proving ground of the Santa Pod’s hallowed quarter mile.

The event is open to companies, individuals, universities, colleges and clubs, and all types of vehicles are welcome, provided they are powered by energy that can be produced in a sustainable manner. That could include cars, bikes and trucks using biodiesel, bioethanol, biogas, electric, hydrogen, compressed gas, and even synthesised fuels.

Entry and tracktime at the event is FREE for all suitable entries registered through the official website. Taking part is fun, free, and can be an important way to test vehicle performance.

Registration forms and full event info is available online at: www.AERacing.org or by contacting Santa Pod Raceway

For more information, please visit www.santapod.com or contact Rick Cuthbert on 0208 852 5005 or via rick@santapod.com

The launch of the latest Insignia range has caused ripples of excitement throughout the motor industry. Its elder sibling, the Vectra C, still has plenty of fight left in it however, and thanks to Cobra Suspension, now has the cornering prowess to run rings round the new upstart.

The new Cobra kit is available in different fitments to suit all variants and drops them all (5 door, Signum or Estate ) by a tasteful and practical 30mm – more on the lesser engined variants. By lowering the car’s centre of gravity, both turn and traction mid corner are greatly improved whilst driver feedback and enjoyment are considerably heightened. Those looking for a true pan-scraping stance can specify the -45m versions, which still feature a progressive wind for comfort and control.

All Cobra springs are pre-fatigued to avoid the ‘sag’ more commonly associated with aftermarket suspension. They’re also electrostatically powder coated for a long life and rust free existence. This quality is backed by Cobra’s comprehensive 5 year warranty.

Despite the quality, the price weighs in at just £126.19 + VAT. A great way to make your Griffin spiffin’.

For more details please visit www.cobra-suspension.com or call Cobra on 01530 517920.

Suspension guru Eibach has turned the clock back – with the re-release of its VW Golf Mk1 Anti-Roll Bar Kit.

Originally launched in the mid ‘80s, the kit quickly became the modification of choice for the discerning ‘dubber. Thanks to Eibach’s unique OEM experience, the kit greatly enhances handling by keeping the car flatter in the corners, without ruining the ride quality.

The line was then dropped in 2008 during Eibach’s usual production streamlining process, but thanks to an overwhelming number of requests from tuners and enthusiasts, the German factory has decided to press the button once again on a strictly limited production run… of just FIFTY units!

‘That’s what I love about this company!’ explained Eibach’s UK’s Managing Director, Julian Gill. ‘We may be a global manufacturer producing production runs of tens of thousands at a time, but we’re still able to respond to the ‘little guys’ – the true enthusiasts that make the tuning scene what it is. Although we’re not putting the bars back into full volume production, the unprecedented demand that we have had for this Mk1 kit meant that if was feasible to create a special ‘one-off’ run to keep our customers happy. It’s all about them, after all!’

So if you want your Mk1 to handle like it’s on rails, get to your nearest Eibach dealer, sharpish! The complete kit is priced at £301.67 + VAT for both the front and rear bars, but, as the old adage says, when they’re gone.. they’re gone!

For more information, please visit www.eibach.co.uk or call the team on 01455 285851.

The torquey hot hatch has already achieved legendary status in its launch year, making it one of the most popular bases for tuners everywhere. The combination of Ford’s impressive power delivery and its impeccable road manners means that the Focus is a competent all-rounder on road or track.

Being a high-output, turbocharged engine, the Focus RS really responds well to breathing modifications, with a panel filter and exhaust upgrade often being the first improvements that owners make. The Pipercross filter is designed to be an exact replacement for the rather asthmatic factory paper filter and uses multiple foam layers to allow up to 30% more air flow through to the engine, improving power, torque and drive-ability over the stock set-up. Best of all, it’s made here in good old Blighty!

The Pipercross filter uses a unique semi-conical profile to allow a free flow of air around the entire circumference of the filter. Without this design feature, air is drawn through a focussed spot near the intake, negating the benefit of the higher flowing foam – a fact that has been lost on many of the RS filters currently available.  As well as increased flow rate, thanks to its unique multi-laminated open cell polyurethane foam construction, the Pipercross upgrade can actually filter down to a much finer rate than the OEM part, preventing any foreign particles from entering the induction tract, meaning even greater protection for the RS engine. This same construction means that the filter can also go longer between service intervals than even leading cotton-gauze filters, before needing to be cleaned.

Best of all, despite these impressive abilities, the Pipercross filter comes with a lifetime warranty and can be easily cleaned again and again for re-use, providing decades of faithful service and paying for themselves many times over.

The price is a credit crunching £42.54 + VAT. Bearing in mind that it’s the only one you’ll ever need – what are you waiting for?

For more details on the Pipercross range, please visit www.pipercross.com or call the team on 01604 707750.

Designed to fit into the factory airbox as a direct replacement for the OEM paper unit, The Pipercross filter has been designed up to a desired quality, rather than down to a designated price. Flowing over 30% more air than the factory part, this beautifully made filter can make significant improvements in power, torque and driveability and comes with a full lifetime warranty to give decades of faithful service.

The unique multi-layered foam construction not only means a higher rate of flow, it also mean that, compared to even the leading cotton-gauze replacements, Pipercross foam filters can go for up to three times longer before needing any servicing or cleaning. This can be done indefinitely for the life of the filter.

Priced at just £34.11, it makes the perfect first modification for any Vauxhall, and flows stronger.. for longer!

For more details on the 3,000 vehicles covered by the Pipercross range, please visit www.pipercross.com or call the team on 01604 707750.

After considerable amounts of road and dyno testing, the new system is available as a direct bolt-on replacement to the OEM part. Either fitting directly to the rear of the factory catalyst pipe, or as a full replacement sports cat system, the 63.5mm tubing is improves looks and performance in one straightforward fitment. A centre silencer split equally into two silenced ‘Evo’ tailpipes, Giving the Honda a truly sporting tone – but not one that will grate on long journeys.

Although the fit and finish are easily to factory standards, power and throttle response gains are most certainly not! – with consistent improvements of between 5 and 10% being recorded by the cat-back system during Scorpion’s extensive testing regime and 10-15% for the full sports cat system. Making this one of the most cost effective ways to tune and stay on the right side of legality.

Each system is precision fabricated at Scorpion’s UK factory from aerospace quality T304 Stainless Steel and carries a lifetime guarantee. This box will fit all S2000 models, providing more go, a little more show and a superb soundtrack throughout the rev range. Priced at just £605.50 for the cat-back system and £407.50 for the full sports cat, it’s the first essential modification for any S2000.

As the perfect first upgrade for any 20 valve Coupe, Scorpion’s beautifully made cat-back sports exhaust takes some beating. Each one is hand fabricated here in the UK from Aerospace grade T304 stainless steel and come complete with a comprehensive lifetime warranty covering its impeccable fit and finish. Power gains of between 5 and 10% are very much the norm with a soundtrack that sounds far more like Maranello than Turin..

Best of all, the Scorpion system fully integrates with the OEM parts making for an easy fitment and meaning that it can be upgraded in stages if need be. Although with the back box costing just £195.00 including VAT and the entire cat-back system retailing at just £293.95 all in, it’s almost rude not to do the whole lot.

Whilst you keep checking those lottery numbers for that Ferrari, this is definitely the next best thing!

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

As rolling shop windows go, Roger Clark Motorsport’s original GC8 Subaru Impreza has been something of a success. The ‘Gobstopper’, as it is affectionately known, has not only taken the Leicestershire-based tuner to multiple Time Attack and Ten Of The Best titles, but it has also starred in a multi-platform advertising campaign for sponsors Autoglym, capturing the hearts and minds of petrol heads around the globe in the process. It’s even available as a paint scheme in the popular ‘Forza Motorsport’ game!

Like all true superstars however, Roger’s sons, Matt and Olly Clark have decided to retire the old girl whilst she’s still at the top of her game. Although they’re not ruling out a few ‘demo’ runs at this year’s events, the 2010 season will be the Gobstoppers last official outing, as its replacement is already under construction.

The latest car is to be based on the MY2010 Impreza STi and promises to exploit many of the numerous tricks learned from the evolution of the first car, combined with several new cutting-edge developments that the team have been secretly trialling throughout the winter.

Matt Clark, the technical force behind RCM’s unrivalled success, had mixed feelings about the young upstart. ‘It’s very hard to retire a car that has been so reliable and so successful,’ he noted. ‘But you can’t move forward by standing still. We’ve really reached a pinnacle with the GC8 chassis, and it’s time to see what we can make the latest car do. We’ve already had a 14 month development programme on a road-going version, so that’s highlighted many of the areas we need to address. I love a new challenge and this will really give us something to sink our teeth into.’

With Time Attack achieving true motorsport credibility with its MSA accreditation this year, press, audiences and competitors look set to rise sharply, making the new car the perfect showcase for the team’s talents. ‘That’s a bonus for sure,’ smiles Matt. ‘But the main reason we go racing is to develop new road car products – particularly on the engine side. If we can’t break a 890 bhp 2.0 litre engine, I think it’s safe to say that our customers won’t!’

Follow the progress of the new car at www.rogerclarkmotorsport.co.uk