Spookworks would like to wish our friends, sponsors, fans, supporters, event organisers, marshals, fellow competitors and everyone who just adores rallying a very Merry Christmas and a very successful and happy New Year for 2012.  See you on the stages!!

Tea anyone?

Spookworks hits the headlines again!

Despite Spookworks enjoying a well deserved winter rest it seems we are still making the news.

Read what over 140,000 other people have read below....

More like a champagne party!  With the RAFMSA's finest silverware as the tea  set!

2011 Spookworks Woodbridge Video Released

Catch up with all the action as Spookworks powered to 3rd in Class and 10th Overall on the Woodbridge Stages in September....

Hi Res version can be viewed  in VIDEOS - Shake it!

Fat Albert Rally by the Numbers.....

Just a quick look at the Fat Albert by the numbers:

84 Entries

80 Stage Miles

52 Finishers

15 in our class

10^th overall

8 Special Stages

4^th in Class

2 Bottles of Champagne

and 1 RAF RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP!!!!

2011 CHAMPIONS - THANKS FOR YOUR SUPPORT!

Spookworks would like to thank all our partners and friends for their help in 2011 and for making our success possible.

  

 In particular, to Alcon for their simply mind blowing brakes, Superpro for their rock solid bushes, Eibach for their springs, Steve and Gordon at Proflex for their support and advice, Mark Rawlings Photography for the world class imagery, all the guys and gals at RAFBF who have helped the team get to where we are today.  Thanks also to Chris Cawthorne at CCM for such a wonderful car and for all the constant support and advice.  Also thanks to everyone who sent in their best wishes and congratulations and everyone who has supported us this year.  Last but not least thanks to all the guys at Spookworks HQ for all your hard work - it's been emotional but well worth the effort - we are more than the sum of our parts.....

SPOOKWORKS CLINCH 2011 RAF TITLE!!!

Spookworks have clinched the 2011 RAF Rally Championship title with a goliath killing 3rd in Class and an amazing 10th overall in the Fat Albert Stages at Keevil this weekend!!



The 2011 Champions Wreath now joins the 2010 Wreath on the Spookworks Impreza

The crew did not have it all their own way.  Phil Bruce put up a spirited fight and did not give up a single tenth of a second.  Half way through the event the foes were neck and neck when some spirited driving on the slippery Keevil stages and some luck meant that Phil dropped back to sixth in class while Spookworks came home in third.

More details to follow....

Twas the night before battle......

The final day before the final event and Spookworks are pleased to announce that the car is in great shape and raring to go on our toughest challenge yet.  

With a 73 point lead going into the final event,  its a good place to be but only a 6th place in class will seal the championship.  That sounds easy enough, but the class reads like a who's who of rally machinery over the last 15 years - Escort Cosworths a plenty with a decent sprinkling of recent WRC machinery makes it a tough call around the stages at Keevil.  

Ready to go over the top......Spookworks Impreza waits patiently  for the big push....

Phil Bruce knows this event well, is extremely quick and his car is in equally good shape, so it could be the most ferocious battle ever seen in the RAF Rally Championship to date. Make no doubts about it - he will be going hell for leather and will be a formidable opponent!  


By our calculations, although Spookworks is on the right side of the points differential, only a finish within 5 places of Phil in class will secure the 2011 Championship.

Locked and Loaded - the Spookworks gets a good nights sleep prior to the big  event.

With rallying being rallying anything can literally happen so hold on to your hats for the showdown of the year and stay tuned for more news.....

Latest News - Spookworks seeded at 35 for the Fat Albert

This weekend sees Spookworks in action at the last event of the RAF Rally Championship calendar  - the Fat Albert Stages.  The team are seeded at 35th, which although a bit higher than expected, should not prove any issues as the crew look to fight for their first title defence of the RAF Rally Championship.

Spookworks Impreza undergoes some last minute fettling at a secret location prior to this weekends title defence 

The Spookworks Impreza (shown above at a secret Spookworks Engineering Facility) has undergone some significant upgrading since the Woodbridge Stages where the Spookworks Team gained an excellent 3rd in Class and 10th overall. Most significantly the car has been fully equipped with Superpro Bushes and the initial signs are extremely impressive.  The car is so much firmer and the steering response seems smoother and more direct.  The team can't wait to get out on the stages to put the bushes through their paces and you can read a full report on how the bushes perform right here in the very near future.  It may of interest that the Spookworks service crew were amazed at how easy the bush upgrade was to install and the front end of the car was completed in just a few hours.  The bushes pushed easily into place and the more difficult to access ones came in 2 pieces which meant that once the old ones came out the the new ones just simply slipped into place. They don't half look the business as well!

Can a bush be described as beautiful?.....you betcha it can!

Update from Spookworks

In just over 2 weeks, Spookworks will be back in action - in perhaps the toughest fight to date - The Fat Albert Stages.

 With a 73 point lead over our nemesis Phil Bruce, Spookworks will have their work cut out if it is to take the RAF Rally Championship for the 2nd year running.  This is for 2 reasons; 1.  Phil never gives up and 2.  He is pretty quick!  Looking at the current entry list, if Phil wins his class (highly probable!) we will need to finish 4th or higher in our class ( a very tall order against all those WRC cars)....

But things have been happening at Spookworks HQ, in fact the Spookworks Impreza has been moved to a secret location in Bedfordshire for some final tweaking before the season ending showdown.  For starters;  our new partners Superpro have provided some of their industry leading  products which are currently being fitted as you read this...this will give us some enormous improvements over the standard set up.

These little babies now on a Spookworks Impreza near you!!!

But is there something else going on.....??

A little support from our friends....

Spookworks would like to thank the RAFBF for their kind words and support for our recent success at Woodbridge. If you could spare the time - please check out their website here to learn more about a genuinely wonderful organisation.  Enter their competition and you could win a flight in a SPITFIRE!

BREAKING NEWS: Spookworks joins forces with Superpro!

Spookworks are honoured to announce a partnership with Superpro for 2011/2012 season.  

With the recent improvements to the car and with more improvements planned for the future, it was clear that the current bushes on the Spookworks Impreza were simply not going to be up to the job.

The partnership with Superpro means these concerns are now forgotten as Superpro simply make the best high performance Polyurethane Bushings in the business. We would not have them on the car otherwise. But find out for yourself, click here to see why they are the industry leader.

You will shortly see the Spookworks Subaru sporting the Superpro logo - and lets face it - they have one of the coolest logos around.

So what's all this mean.....put simply, if you thought you were catching us up, bad news, your falling further behind.

More to follow....

A new perspective - Exhaust Cam!

Ever wonder what's happening down the back while your looking out the front?  Ever thought you had seen every angle of a rally car? Or perhaps you get more pleasure from the sound of a flat four at full chat?

Then this video might be just what you are looking for......

Take a ride with Spookworks on Stage 1 on the Woodbridge Stages - from a new perspective.

Take a ride with Spookworks

Have a seat and take a look at Spookworks in action as they tackle the final stage of the Woodbridge Stages Sep 2011......

Spookworks Photo gallery updated with Woodbridge Pics

The latest pics from Spookworks great result at the Woodbridge Stages can be found in the PHOTO section on the homepage or click here.

Spookworks blasts through the forest to gain 10th overall and 3rd in Class at the Woodbridge Stages 2011.

BREAKING NEWS - Spookworks gets 10th overall and 3rd in Class at Woodbridge Stages

Spookworks is delighted to announce their first ever TOP TEN finish on a UK Rally.

Celebrations went on late into the night at Spookworks HQ as the team picked up 10th overall and 3rd in class after a hard days rallying at the Woodbridge event.  A small incident on stage 1 with a tree branch put an early dampener on things but despite some minor damage the Spookworks Subaru powered back to be 16th after the first stage.  By the end of the day the crew had fought their way up to 12th and then into 10th on the final stage to claim some more silverware for the Spookworks HQ trophy cabinet.  The success is mainly due to the incredible braking performance of the Alcon front brakes on the Spookworks Subaru which simply devours our opponents in the braking zones.

Full report and pics to follow soon......

BREAKING NEWS - Spookworks New signing!!!

The Subaru's curves..er...shape...er...body....er.....Nadine and the Subaru make a good match!

The pink bit behind the wheel is significantly upgraded for the BGAD Show!!

A match made in heaven for a rally fan; The gorgeous Nadine and the Spookworks Subaru

Sadly, if only she was.....back to reality.....

Spookworks would like thank the gorgeous Nadine for gracing the Spookworks Subaru with her presence during yesterdays Business and General Aviation Day at Cambridge Airport in conjunction with Marshalls Leasing.  The day was a big success for all involved and the Spookworks team were flattered by the response from all the visitors who came over to say hello and learn more about the car and the team.  If you want to find out more about the show click here.

T'was the night before.... the UK Business & General Aviation Day - BGAD 11 - on Tuesday September 20th 2011

Spookworks is proud to be part of the UK Business and General Aviation Day 2011.


Spookworks is attending on behalf of the RAFBF, of which Marshall's Aerospace are huge supporters.  The Spookworks Impreza has pride of place in the main hall and will no doubt create a significant amount of interest when door open tomorrow.  To find out more about BGAD click here


We will let you know how it goes tomorrow.  Check back here for more details....

Spookworks RBMR Video Released.

Spookworks are proud to present all the action from their latest event - the Richard Burns Memorial Rally. Held at RAF Marham on the 13 and 14 August;  Spookworks successfully completed the event and achieved a magnificent 8th in Class and 24th overall against world class opposition.  

A Subaru, some tarmac and the Red Hot Chilli Peppers - a perfect combination - Enjoy!!!!

Spookworks seeded 24th for the Woodbridge Stages on 24th September

Seeded 24th for the rally on the 24th - got to be a sign of good luck!

The event sees Spookworks undertake their substitute event for Round 3 of the RAF Rally Championship.  The seeding of 24th is a fair reflection of our performance given its our first trip to the Woodbridge Stages and leaves us plenty of room for improvement.

The car is in excellent shape. The front wheel bearing issue has now been resolved and the car is ready to go!

You can check out the stage maps at the Woodbridge site here....

Spookworks Entry confirmed for Fat Albert 2011

Spookworks can confirm it's entry on the Fat Albert Stages for 2011.  Co-promoted by the RAFMSA it is considered the home event of the team and is aiming to beat last years excellent result of 3rd in class.

It also represents the final round of the RAF Rally Championship and leading the Championship by 3 points with 2 events to go Spookworks is in with a good chance of defending its 2010 title.....only time will tell.

2011 Spookworks Rally of the Midlands Video Released.....

Slightly delayed due to a technical problem, please enjoy the 2011 Spookworks Rally of the Midlands Video!!

Spookworks back in the news....

A excerpt from Motorsport News 17 August 2011

Spookworks back in the news after our successful run in the Richard Burns Memorial Rally at RAF Marham on 13 -14 August 2011. For a new brand of brake pads read a full Alcon Front brake set up and Ferodo DS3000 pads.  Simply the best brakes available on the market today.

Spookworks back after Summer Training Camp

Spookworks are back in the UK after a summer training camp in Switzerland.  This included some driving on some pretty intense alpine roads including the Furka Pass (to find out more click here ).

Sadly, the Spookworks Subaru did not make the journey but the experience will no doubt greatly help improve the performance of the "pink bit attached to the steering wheel".

Part of the Furka Pass in Switzerland

A pic that we took from the pass is below.  Training now over; the focus is getting the car prepped for the next event:

New front wheel bearings, new turbo soleniod pipes and a few other goodies are in the pipeline.  More to follow...

Spookworks back in the lead after Round 4!

Spookworks are pleased to announce that they are back in the lead of the RAFMSA Rally Drivers Championship after Round 4.

Despite missing Round 3 and having to play a substitute, 3 points separates us from our old sparring partner Phil Bruce who sadly retired from the Richard Burns Memorial Rally with a broken diff.  While we are disappointed to take the lead due to Phil's misfortune - mechanical failure at can strike at any time - to anyone!

But we all know Phil will come back stronger and faster than ever.

Spookworks is also 4th in the Co-drivers Championship despite only 2 scoring rounds  but with 2 to go we are expecting a strong finish to the season.

Full Richard Burns Rally Report to follow very very soon....

Latest Rally Pics now in the gallery!

 


The latest pics from Spookworks latest rally - The Richard Burns Memorial Rally - are now in the gallery.  Click PHOTO from the homepage or click here

Rally report to follow very soon....

Breaking News - Spookworks 8th in class and 24th overall in RBMR

Great news from the Richard Burns Memorial Rally - Spookworks has successfully finished and amongst heavyweight competition including THE Mini Cooper Works WRC achieved a magnificent 8th in class and 24th overall to retake the lead in the RAF Rally Championship.

More to follow....

Spookworks enter the 2011 Woodbridge Stages

Spookworks can confirm that we have now entered the Woodbridge Stages for 2011 to replace the Tyneside Stages in the RAF Rally Championship. 

 See Woodbridge website here for more details.  

Spookworks seeded at 66 for Richard Burns Memorial Rally

Seedings for the Richard Burns Rally were released today with Spookworks seeded 66th in a field of 131.  With the car still in the hands of Roger Clark Motorsport the team are raring to get their hands on the car to finish final preparations for the weekend.  A total of 7 RAF crews have entered the event making it the largest turn out for the year to date.  The Spookworks crew will have their work cut out as well with no fewer than 22 runners in their class including more than just a few ex WRC machines.  The crew finished a strong 4th in class last year but this year is a whole new story.  Could Spookworks have a few tricks up their sleeve?  Have they shaken off the bad luck that saw them withdraw prematurely from the Tyneside....?

11 days to go and we will find out!

For more details on the event click here

There is no education like adversity - Disraeli

Spookworks has regrettably been forced to withdraw its entry to the Tyneside Stages this weekend.

A last minute front brake upgrade has exposed a misaligned and damaged front hub carrier and steering arm.  The damage is extremely slight, but is enough to create a 2-3mm gap between the caliper and the disc.  This would cause uneven braking and therefore constitutes a safety risk.  Spookworks do not take risks with safety and have therefore withdrawn from the event.  My thanks go out to the Spookworks team for working late into the night and early hours of the morning to try every possible solution to fix the problem and to Olly, Tim and the boys at Roger Clark Motorsport for an heroic last ditch effort to try and come to the rescue (again). The decision to withdraw was made late Friday night after all possible avenues were exhausted.  New parts will arrive early next week and Spookworks will line up ready for the Richard burns Memorial Rally in 2 weeks time. 

The scene of battle - Despite the best efforts from Olly and his boys at  Roger Clark sadly  the Spookworks Impreza  is out  of action for the 2011 Tyneside Stages

The Spookworks Team Director would like to apologise to all Spookworks supporters, sponsors, Alnwick and District Motor Club and fellow RAF Competitors and has already declared that Spookworks will now enter the Woodbridge Stages in place of the Tyneside for 2011.  He stated:

"This is an unbelievable disappointment for us all and we are all upset at this quirk of fate.  We were looking forward to a ding dong battle across the Otterburn Ranges with our old sparring partner Phil Bruce and the new Fox Racing guys from Scotland.  The car was in great shape and we had high expectations, but sadly this smallest of misalignments could not be resolved at the 11th hour.  We will however be back for the Richard Burns Memorial Rally fully fighting fit and ready to go.  Thankfully we only have to wait 2 weeks to get back into the action. I would like to apologise to all our supporters and sponsors and wish all the RAF Competitors a safe and successful event.  I would finally like to thank the Spookworks crew and Olly and the guys at Roger Clark for their heroic last efforts to try to keep the car in the event."

You may not realize it when it happens, but a kick in the teeth may be the best thing in the world for you.  ~Walt Disney

Alcon Brakes and Spookworks - More Bad News for the Bad Guys

Spookworks is proud to announce a partnership with Alcon Brakes. 

 The Tyneside Stages this weekend will see the team deploy for the first time with the simply magnificent Alcon stoppers on the front of the Spookworks Impreza.  Alcon have been supplying WRC, F1, NASCAR and other world leading teams with brakes for years.  The represent simply the best stopping power available in the market today.  When it really counts these are the brakes to have - why else do the HM Forces choose them for their operational vehicles.

For all you guys who thought you were catching us up .... bad news..... your back in second place.

An Alcon 6 Pot front brake kit.  Simply the best brakes available on the market.

When not stopping the Spookworks Impreza these often moonlight as works of art.  I never thought of describing a brake caliper as beautiful but I am afraid that seems like the only option.....

Not a pizza, although about the same size!  Stops an Rally Impreza  from about 100 mph in the length of a pizza box though....

Badge of Honour - The Spookworks Impreza is proud to wear the Alcon Logo

2011 RAF Festival of Motorsports Video

The official 2011 RAFMSA Festival of Motorsport Video has been released.  Hot of the press you can see it here or on the videos section of the main website.  A truly excellent production by a very talented man who goes by the name of Neil Chapman.  Even has a Spookworks cameo - see if you can spot us....

Spookworks Hits the Big Time - again

Spookworks makes the news again after our recent success on the Rally of Midlands. 

Who reads it you may ask?  

How about 4800 subscribers or 140,000 regular readers!  That's a good start. Enjoy.

Sometimes it's hard to catch a brake!

The lack of brakes we had at the recent Rally of the Midlands was investigated at the weekend and it appears that a sticking rear caliper may have been the culprit.  Sadly, we took the pads out this was confirmed.  The pic you see below is of the rear brakes pads from the rear passenger side...the shiny brake pad is shiny because it has no pad left!  What you see is polished metal. Pocket shaving mirror anyone?

Spookworks are now on the hunt for new brakes for the Tyneside Stages on 31 July.

Rear Passenger Side Brake Pads after the Rally of the Midlands

All we need now are some brakes that are up to the job!

New Pics in Photo Gallery - Rally of Midlands

Just a quick note to let you all know that the Spookworks Gallery has been updated.  Lots of new pics from Spookworks successful run at the 2011 Rally of the Midlands.  Enjoy!!

Click here to see the pics - http://mark-rawlings.com/prints_gallery.php?gal=99

Spookworks set off on Stage 1 at the 2011 Rally of the Midlands

Thanks to Roger Clark Motorsport

Spookworks would like to personally thanks Olly and his team at Roger Clark  Motorsport for getting Spookworks out of a tricky situation at last weekends Rally of the Midlands.  As you know it was a great result for Spookworks with a second in class and 15th overall - but we had a few issues in scrutineering - particularly with a "faulty" 34mm turbo restrictor.  Quite rightly the MSA scrutineer would not let us continue with a faulty restrictor so we were in a bit of a pickle.  As these items rarely break we did not have a spare but when things looked bleak and time was running out a quick call to Olly at Roger Clark Motorsport and the cavalry was at hand.  They managed to loan us a working restrictor (albeit 32mm)  to get us through scrutineering and well, the rest is history.

I popped to RCM in Hinckley today to return the part and say thank you in person.  Their new premises are pretty impressive.  It would make Malcom Wilson jealous!  The range of parts they have is stunning.  I have no doubt that many Spookworks tokens will be finding their way to RCM very shortly.  Have a look for yourself at the link below.

http://www.rogerclarkmotorsport.co.uk

I even saw the legendary gobstopper in the flesh!  Rumors are of a Gobstopper 2?

Watch this space as hopefully the Spookworks Subaru slowly obtains some RCM improvements....

How to take the Humpback Bridge at Arbury Hall - A comparative analysis

This video needs no introduction.....please enjoy

Spookworks proud to announce new partner - Petrol Threads

Spookworks is proud to announce a new partner for 2011 - Petrol Threads.

We will be carrying their stickers from the next event in July - the Tyneside Stages.  They have superb, top quality gear and all the Spookworks Crew have been to their site and are now wearing their favourite t-shirt.  Get to their site now and pick up your favourite t-shirt - the perfect attire for any situation.

Click here to go straight to their site - PETROL THREADS