High Octane

Happy New Year to all. As the dust settles on 2008 we get ready to race in 2009. Our leagues for 2009 are starting to fill up, but we need more drivers. Especially new drivers who are yet to compete in a High Octane League. The pedal to Metal V8 league is designed for new comers to sim racing. That way, all the drivers in your group share the same skill level. It is a great way to develop your sim racing skills and like a lot of drivers this year, move up to the pro level leagues the following season. Want to know more, read below.

Don't forget our School Holiday special. $5 off all casual race sessions. For this and more bargains, visit our Specials Page.

Last but not least, we have been doing it pretty tough here over the past couple of Months. I need to thank many of our members who have responded to our emails for more bookings. Some of you have gone above and beyond our expectations. Thank you very much for keeping High Octane operational, now more than ever, your business is appreciated.

See you in January.

LEAGUES, LEAGUES, LEAGUES, LEAGUES for 2008 and 2009
Most of our leagues are over for 2008. We had some fantastic close battles, especially in the two V8 Leagues. Who would have thought that the two main contenders after 29 races throughout the year would have been fighting for the title going into the last race of the series. Ash Lowe and Ben Shakespeare were separated by 1 point going into the final race of the Rev em Up League, while Tim Harch and Shane Heathcote were dead level going into the final race of the Pedal to metal League. Well done to Ash Lowe and Shane Heathcote for being the eventual victors. Now we look to 2009 Leagues.

The 2009 leagues will be largely based on the same format for this year. A couple of 16 driver V8 leagues and a few 8 driver Pro leagues of various categories. With an emphasis on close racing, we have selected cars that should represent that. V8's of course, Porsche Carerra Cup Cars, we may revisit the very close racing of the Audi R8's and possibly the new Skyline R34 GTR's.

Have you got what it takes to join a league in 2009. We have vacancies for both newbs and experienced sim racers. Please visit our 2009 League Info Page and send us an enquiry. Get your butt into one of the worlds best sim racing cockpits and enjoy the thrill of racing in real championships against real people and social enjoyment of a league in 2009.

2008 AWARDS NIGHT - January 19th 2009
Its that time of the year to recognise High Octane sim racing excellence. To award the best of the best with their Trophies from 2008. Monday the 19th of January will be that night. However this year we are doing something a little different. We are having a Grand Prix Race Package ON THE FULL KART TRACK as part of the night's festivities. We would hope that all league drivers who will receive an award can make it to this night. Even if you don't want to race in the karts, at least come for the BBQ, Hypers and collect your award. It is always better to hand the award to the recipient. Even if you are not a league driver from 2008, you are still welcome to join in the night's fun including the Grand Prix Race Package.

Cost for the night includes entry to the Grand Prix Race Package, BBQ Dinner, Softdrinks and use of the Hypers. $135 per person.

If you don't want to take part in the Grand Prix Package, but want to do the rest, it will be $40 per person.

The night will kick off at 6pm with the BBQ dinner and then we get into the karts at around 7pm. Awards will be presented for each category in between each kart session. It is sure to be a huge night. We need at least 14 drivers for the Grand Prix Race Package to happen on the Full Track. To reserve your seat, please click here to send and email and leave your name and how many kart seats you would like.

HAVE YOU GOT A FEW GUY"S YOU WORK WITH WHO ARE UP TO THE CHALLENGE OF RACING A FULLY ORGANISED SIMULATED RACING SERIES THAT RUNS FOR 11 MONTHS?????? YES!!!!!! WE WANT YOUR TEAM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The 2009 Corporate Challenge will once again run to the same format as this year. However we plan to have ten teams of four drivers and it will be 9 rounds long, with a completely different pointscore system to promote a much closer series.

As for the cars, well it appears to be down to the Lister Storm or the Porsche Carerra Cup Car. So far a few teams have tested all cars. At this stage the Audi RS4's have been scrapped. We also now have R34 GTR's, which some teams have tested and have given the thumbs up as well. The final decision will be decided by the teams when they vote later this month.

For more information on how you can enter a team in 2009, please click here to send us an email and leave your contact details.

Congratulations to podium drivers in December in their respective leagues.
For more league results and race reports click here to go to our results page.

LeMans Audi R8 Pro

1st Ben Shakespeare

2nd Rod browning

3rd Tim Hamilton

Every fully paid session you have at High Octane during normal Racing Hours now gives you a bonus. Introducing the new Frequent Driver Card. You will be given one of these on your next visit. It is a reward for regular visits to High Octane. Race three sessions and get one session free, twice. Each card is valid for four months from your first stamp. Your free drive is an average of your three drives. The Frequent Driver Card is subject to conditions.

The Frequent Driver card is intended for members only. However for the month of December, all drivers will receive the Frequent Driver Card without having to be a member.

Book or phone ahead your session to avoid disappointment

The amount of walk in trade we are starting to experience on the weekend is something we are not used to seeing. We have only been trading at Archerfield for twenty weeks and I already see a pattern that Saturday and Sundays are going to become hugely popular. So without going into specifics, I highly recommend that you book your session in advance or at least phone ahead prior to stopping by for a race. I hate to disappoint people, so please make sure the race centre is available prior to your next visit.

IT'S ALL OVER FOR 2008 – Our 2008 Corporate Challenge has been very popular and a successful series. We held the grand final on Wednesday October 15th between Archerfield Speed Karts and Brisbane BMW. Just like every round of the season, ASK won the grand final convincingly. They remained unbeaten for all seven rounds and the final. Well done to the ASK team drivers, Ash Lowe (captain), Coen Bon, Jackson Bermingham and Ben Jurczak. Congratulations also goes to the Brisbane BMW team drivers, Chris Yearbury (captain), Craig Yearbury, Jason Hermann and Julian Sylvester. Next year is going to be bigger and more close with a new points structure. Seven teams have already verbally committed to the series. Only three more to go.

To check out the 2008 results round by round, click here to go to our race results page for the latest results. Then click on the BMW Corporate Challenge results. You will find all our league results on the same page.

For more information about the 2009 season please click here to check out or Racing Leagues section of our website.

From now on when you visit our website you will see a "This Months Specials" starburst on the main page. Don't forget to check it out each month as there will always be something different. You can also click here to get there.

All current members will need to renew their membership for 2008. Membership is required to race in 2008 leagues. You also receive a swag of benefits when you are a members. Free drive on your Birthday, save $5.00 off each session, able to use our frequent driver scheme, invitations to special events plus many more benefits. For the full list click here.

Membership renewal can be paid in person at High Octane during regular racing hours or you can click here to send us your name and current membership number and we will contact you for credit card payment over the phone. Thanks for being members in 2008, we hope you benefited from our various offers and events during 2007.

New Combined Hyper and Kart Adrenalin Packages

Now you can have the best of both worlds with this exciting new package ONLY AT High Octane. A race session that includes the Hyper Stimulators and Go Karts in one package. The Ultimate Adrenalin Package. The package includes.....

3 Hours Hire of the Hyper Stimulators
Pizza Dinner or Lunch Break
2 x 12 Minute Kart Sessions

You will be scored on performance on both your Hyper Stimulator race results and kart lap times. The winner to be crowned the Ultimate Adrenalin Champion. So what are you waiting for, to find out more about the ultimate adrenalin Rush, click here.

High Octane Grid Girls

We have two new grid girls as part of the High Octane team. You may have seen Tiffany or Shayne wandering around QLD Raceway handing out vouchers and getting the odd photo taken. Actually, heaps of photo's. They will be helping to take the work load off me during our V8 Supercar, Sunday, Stimulators and Sausage Sizzle events. They are also available for hostess and promotional duties for either private or corporate functions at our race centre. With enough notice the girls can even be hired for your next race package. I would like to take this opportunity to welcome them both to the High Octane team and thank them for the efforts at the QLD 300.

It is a team event/challenge that is run between 3 teams: Triple P Racing / High Octane Racing / Simulation Raceway

Using the FVR V8's. These cars are a refined version of what we ran in the Motor Show Series earlier this year. The classic Holden vs. Ford battle. The cars have more grip than the current V8's being used in leagues and for those who did race in the Motor Show Series will know just how close and competitive these cars are. It is a fantastic league for beginners and experienced league drivers.

Wednesday August 1st saw Triple P Racing take out round 1 convincingly. Three races at Mugello saw them take two victories from three starts. Simulator Raceway had a second, third and a first with High Octane Racing coming home in third, second and third.

We can always do with some more drivers. Its not a compulsory league. Therefore you will not have to show up to each round if you don't want and each round will carry on regardless of how many drivers we have on the night. However there will be a discount if you choose to do the whole six round series.

Cost: $45 per driver. If you commit to the full six rounds $35 each.

NOW OPEN AT ARCHERFIELD

Our new race centre at 10 Beaufighter Avenue Archerfield is all systems go and ready to take your bookings. We now have eight Hyper's ready to race and all our cockpits now have 19" monitors. The ADSL is connected and our first on line practice session has gone off without a hitch. So the leagues are due to kick off first week in May. Below is the progress that was made from the beginning of construction on February 18 to the final sign going up on April 22nd. I would like to pass on my thanks, gratitude and appreciation to the following generous people who gave up their time to build the new race centre - Craig Day, Jim Lowe, Chris Harman, Mike Russell, Wayne Domigan, Martin Tuckwood and Darren Beckett.

We are pleased to announce that we are associated with another on line racing group. Triple P Racing, otherwise known as TPR. This is a small on line group (approx 15 members) that has only just got off the ground. For those who have enjoyed online racing from here and at home should check out their website and join up. They have some good dedicated people who are very helpful at getting into the on line racing scene. They already have a GTR2 and an Ozzy Racers series underway. I am currently enjoying racing in the GTR2 series. Membership is free, to sign up go to www.triplepracing.com and start your online racing today.

We received many good submissions for our logo and car design comp that we ran last month. The winning submission that was chosen by the judges was a package designed by Aj. Well done Aj, a job well done. You have won yourself a Hyper Stimulator Clubman for your effort. Here is his winning logo and car design.

In the past we have supplied you with gaming computers to match up to your Hyper Stimulator. High Octane can now also help you with all your computing needs. Big or small, office or home, stand alone or networked. From desktop PC's to laptops. All are available to purchase at High Octane. Next time you are looking for a computer system, advise us of your specs and we will provide you with a competitive quotation and the quality of service you have known to experience at High Octane.

On the eve of the Queensland 300, we received a visit from Ford Performance Racing drivers, Jason Bright and Greg Ritter. Jason and Greg managed to get many laps of practice in at QR before even getting to Willowbank. Driving our Hyper Stimulators utilising ORSM's V8 Supercar mod, Jason advised that "this is fantastic, the only thing missing is the 60 degree cabin temperatures". Both Jason and Greg agreeing that the whole sensation was very realistic. Greg was definitely at home in the Hyper clocking a 1:07.6 at Queensland Raceway (which was better than my time). We did make it a bit easier for them for this visit by enabling a bit of traction control, just so they looked good for the camera's. Both drivers were just as competitive as they would be on track. Thanks for visiting guys, look forward to you visiting again some time.

ASRG are an Australian based sim racing club. Operated by a group of hard working individuals dedicated to providing the public with professionally operated online racing leagues. Currently they run two Grand Prix Legends leagues, a Porsche Carrera Cup league, A Formula One League and soon another V8 league. It is a lot more fun than just racing the AI cars in your software. You can quite easily find yourself battling against 20 other drivers who are all real people like yourself. There are usually a couple of try before you join leagues, so you can really see what it is all about. Once you are ready to take on the rest of Australia and sometimes the world you just pay a simple membership fee that lasts you a year and away you go. The membership is excellent value all made possible by the dedicated committee and team all doing it for the love of it. High Octane is a partner/sponsor of the ASRG and regularly participate in their leagues. What's more if you don't have the equipment to race online from home, you can do it in the comfort of High Octane now connected online with ADSL2 +. Check out their website at www.asrg.org. Its free to become a member of the forums so take a look at what's going on behind the scenes.

Just want to share of a couple of websites that I find cool and that are worth checking out.
http://www.aurace.com - AuRace is a provider of royalty free auto photography. They showcase many different local photographers work to allow you to quickly find and acquire Australian motor sport photos. All photos shown can be purchased and instantly downloaded for use under a royalty-free basis.
http://www.rqld.com - They are a Queensland-based group with a focus on Motor sport events for performance car enthusiasts. Membership is free - but necessary to access the forums and events section. The forums are a great place to chat with other rev heads just like yourself. So click on the link and sign up and start discussing technical data, look at some pics and vids and do what you do on forums. I'm a member, just look out for any posts from "Pressy".