In October 2005 Andrew Eden and John Ostendorf got together to discuss the idea of forming a new Subaru car club in Adelaide. After a couple of months in which several meetings over a few cold beers were held they had successfully recruited fellow Subaru enthusiasts Chris Durward and Mark Tolfts, together this formed the initial nucleus of what was to become Team Sooby.
The newly formed committee quickly gathered momentum and began to create the framework for the club. Despite some early setbacks the committee were fortunate enough to have the resources and know-how to quickly launch the club with a fully operational website and community forum. This made the task of recruiting new members and sponsors easier due to the promotion of the club through similar car forums and local connections.
The club soon found itself growing at a steady rate with new members keen to become part of the exciting new venture. This was partly due to the club's intent of being a club for all Subaru enthusiasts, not just the popular Impreza WRX. With the current variety of Forester's, Liberty's and Impreza's, the clubs goal has become a reality and Team Sooby has grown to be a formidable success. As of March 2007, we have 35 active, financial members.
Team Sooby Objectives
Team Sooby has been formed with the intent to fill a gap in the motoring community and provide more for its members. Drawing on support from local and interstate connections the club will educate and support its members to develop their skills in maintaining and driving their own vehicles.
The emphasis of club activities will be the benefit for its members. Team Sooby will achieve these objectives by:
Providing an environment for friendship and learning amongst members.
Enhancing members understanding of their vehicles through the organisation of install days.
Pursuing group buy discounts for parts and services for members' vehicles.
Organising safe, sanctioned, off-road Motorsport for its members.
Actively organising the dissemination of technical information from club sponsors.
Team Sooby is affiliated with the Confederation of Australian Motor Sport (CAMS), which facilitates motor sport events for its members and provides public liability coverage for other events.
Team Sooby Events
Team Sooby’s precedence is to provide a large variety of events for its members aimed to support all members’ requirements. If you are not a Team Sooby member and are interested in attending an event to discover more about the club and its members contact one of the committee members for details of up coming events. Below is a list of the type of events currently provided by the club for its members:
Car Cruises
Cruises are regularly scheduled throughout the year and are held on sealed public roads. All entrants participating must adhere to the cruise rules, anyone disobeying these rules will be asked to leave immediately. Cruises are free to all members. Potential members are encouraged to attend for a small fee (this is to cover the CAMS costs for the day) to meet the members and participate in safe motoring on some of Adelaide’s best roads. Members are encouraged to bring their family along and enjoy the friendly atmosphere as quite often the cruises finish at a hotel or restaurant for a bite to eat. All cruises are carefully planned prior to the event itself with an initial meeting point and a detailed cruise route which is handed out on the day.
Dyno Days
Once or twice a year the club organises a dyno day were members are invited to see what their hard earned money invested into their vehicle has yielded by strapping their vehicle onto a 4WD dyno. Dyno days endeavor to safely discover what modifications work best on your vehicle by liaising with other members and comparing results based on the modifications. Club sponsor Sean Day from S&J Automotive usually attends to monitor and ensure each vehicle is not pushed beyond its limits causing a costly breakdown.
Install Days
Let’s face it, with personal financial commitments not everyone can afford to pay someone top dollar to modify and install new parts you have bought for your vehicle, not to mention not everyone is mechanically minded enough to do it themselves. Install days were devised for mechanically minded and experienced members to assist other members install parts purchased and/or perform basic modifications to their vehicles. One of the most popular modifications amongst members is to remove the orange indicator lens from 03 to 05 model Impreza’s and replace the orange indicator globes with silver vision ones for a nice clean look. Install days are generally held at members’ premises and are a good excuse to catch-up and helps others out. All install days are conducted safely and no modifications beyond the expertise of the members or compromises the vehicles safety/roadworthiness are performed.
Motor Sport Events
Being a relatively small club and the costs associated with hiring a track like Mallala for a day being very expensive Team Sooby has focused on participating in track days with other similar car clubs. This in turn allows the club to provide safe motorsport events to its members at a very affordable price. Motorsport events currently available to members include track days at Mallala and hill climbs at Collingrove. Generally for these types of events CAMS regulations dictate safety precautions like a helmet, long sleeve clothing, a fire extinguisher, an extra bonnet restraint and a battery location sticker be adhered to. Motorsport events are the safest way to improve your driving style and quickly discover your own and your vehicles limitations in a controlled safe environment.
Car Shows
Adelaide plays host to several car shows annually, notably the Autosalon and the Small Car Sunday. Team Sooby encourages all members to enter their cars in these events as part of the Team Sooby Display (you don’t need to have a custom show car to enter). The club has a large marquee and a banner, which are erected and displayed at these events to help promote the club and attract new members. Car shows are generally a great social event, our club sponsors often provide a BBQ on the day and it’s a good opportunity to show off your pride and joy.
Technical Information Nights
Ever been part of a conversation pertaining to cars and not had a clue what half the technical jargon other parties are sprouting off? Technical information nights are a great way to learn more about specific areas of your vehicle and to fill in those voids of misunderstanding and confusion. These events are generally held a few times a year by an expert in a certain discipline and are aimed to teach members more about their field of expertise. Sean Day from S&J Automotive chaired the previous technical information night on general tuning and modifying of Subaru’s, which everyone attending walked away a more knowledgeable person.
Social Events
Team Sooby prides itself on the friendly and welcoming social environment it emanates, which forms the backbone of a great club to be involved in. There are no separatist groups within the club and all members are treated equally. Social events available to members include, BBQ’s, go-kart nights and formal functions like the annual general meeting and end of year Christmas dinner. Many new members have commented on how welcome they were made to feel after joining the club and the continued friendly social environment.
Team Sooby Incorporated SA A38997
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