| Many SOCSA members know Wayne, or “Cat in Hat” on the forum, as that friendly and wise sage that offers advice on all things handling, is at the forefront of every results sheet, and most of all, has no interest whatsoever in drag racing or power figures! He is also a very busy committee member, and can always be relied upon to set up the most demanding circuits on the skidpan.
Wayne’s modding philosophy revolves around a lack of weight, responsiveness and handing. This has led to a car with “only” 195WKW, a weight loss (so far) of 75kg (depending on recent McDonald’s visits), and only the best suspension and track-biased mods being included. Wayne freely gives advice on driving and suspension set-ups, but God forbid you ask him what he thinks of modifying coilovers. He has also (with the help of Malan Strydom) adapted some imported brake ducts and improved them, undertrays to help smooth airflow under the car, and a complete disregard for washing his car. Wayne’s hard work has paid off, he has more 1st place trophies than Zuma has wives, and has worked considerably harder too! For these reasons, we (the Reichstag, I mean committee) have decided that Wayne’s car should be first to be featured on the SOCSA website. Think of it as a semi-democratic winner of the “Garage” thread on the forum, only we vote more often than in government elections and it leads to more happiness. Wayne previously traded in his aesthetically-challenged Blobeye STI for a heart-stoppingly gorgeous Hawkeye model (similiar to this author’s car) in January 2006, when it had first come out and nobody knew that ringlands weren’t a myth and that we should all mourn the loss of the 2 litre. Of course, this car was heavily used on the track (as intended), but this led to two head gasket failures. Instead of dealing with this disappointment and building the 2.5 engine, he decided to fix the problem once and for all by transplanting the much more reliable 2 litre engine and its cable throttle (the 2.5 has a drive by wire system) into his current chassis. Unfortunately he could only find a Spec C engine, so that would have to do, although he was mystified as to why local workshops were not willing to tackle the job. After putting in more work doing this transplant than Chris Barnard did, he unfortunately ruined the motor over a small spark plug issue at Phakisa 2007. DWR and Wayne teamed up for a stroked motor, and 50 000km later, Wayne is still laughing at those of us chasing power and breaking motors. A focus on proven, reliable, JDM-type performance has allowed Wayne to spend more money on brakes, handling and safety than on breakages, and this shows in the kart-like handling of his vehicle. With Wayne’s constant urge to break records (usually just his own record from the previous year), its very difficult to gain permission to ride shotgun while he drives in anger. But the one ride I had over 2 years ago meant that I truly understood the benefits of what he was trying to achieve, and I would challenge anyone else to think differently!
Wayne’s nickname on the forum is an interesting story. After a small incident at turn 2 at Zwartkops, nobody wanted to mention him by name on the forum. He was referred to as “the guy always wearing cowboy hats” and thus, Cat in Hat was born. The incident happened because there was an attractive female in his car at the time, and Wayne confused the aircon button with the brake pedal, and thus fail was achieved. | Wayne lists his favourite mod as the mirrors he brought back from a trip to Japan, as well as his fantastic KW coilovers. In ten years of SOCSA membership Wayne has seen and learnt a lot, and most of all, he has participated in nearly every event possible, although his performance in a show and shine or a sound off would leave much to be desired. His main enjoyments are hill climbs, the kart track at Zwartkops and of course being the only mature individual on the skidpan, but his favourite activity with his car by far has to be the All Tar Rally. It’s a 200km two day event encompassing Gerotek and Zwartkops which provides air time as well as great learning opportunities. Wayne also mentioned that some of his favourite stories came from drag racing without official timing, as well as from official events.
Wayne’s car has a purposeful look that few other cars can emulate, whether it is from the extreme lowness of his car or the rollcage, nobody can tell. Some say when he puts his gloves on that the laws of physics bend to his will, all we know is, he has the hillclimb record AND the kart track record at Zwartkops! To end off, Wayne offered some advice: “The best advice I can give to people embarking on a modifying journey is to have a clear objective as to what they want the car to be like and what they want to do with it. This is not an easy thing to do unless you attend events and expose yourself to different driving disciplines to see what you enjoy most”. Also, don’t waste money on any unneeded mods. Wayne recently sold his excellent (and huge) Hyperflow TMIC to a member with a much bigger turbo, as he has now proven that a stock turbo only requires a stock intercooler! In short, come to events, talk to members, ask to have a ride in the cars that interest you, and take it from there! The Mods: Model - 2006 STI
Article by Craig 57 Uploaded by Chett because I’m useless... |
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