The Club
The RB5 Owners Club was formed in April 2003 by a group of like minded owners. With the RB5 being a Special Edition it was decided that it was about time it had it's very own owners club, similar to that of the 22B and P1 owners clubs.

Now the club is run by 4 passionate RB5 owners and with dedication and commitment has enabled the club to gain recognition in the Subaru community and offer an exclusive forum for RB5 owners past & present to chat and share information.

At the heart of the club is Mark Chamberlain, the Chairman, who is a founding member of the RB5 Owners Club. His hard work has been integral to the success of the club maintaining the memberships, merchandise and being the public face of the club.

Phil Savin heads the marketing & organisation of the many events for the club attend throughout the year. As many of you will know our presence at shows around the country always ensures a few heads to turn. As well as events, Phil is also kept busy organising the RB5 branded clothing & merchandise range the club offers.

Paul Hooker, the club’s I.T. support & webmaster. Single handedly designed and (since the club’s inauguration) has maintained the important internet presence. The club uses commercial forum software funded purely by the annual membership fees. Much of the club's success is due to Paul's influence on the I.T. side & the use of Paul's own servers to host the club's website and the RB5 registry, the directory of all known RB5s.

Norman Stevenson, the admin team’s latest member brings support moderating the forum, chasing the details of RB5s from dealers, private ads and eBay. Hopefully, building to a complete registry and knowledge of all 444 RB5s built. Norman has recently taken over the events organising role so Phil can concentrate more on the club's marketing.


Membership
The club is enthusiastic in both modified and standard RB5s. You should not be put off joining because your RB5 isn't modified. The member’s cars range from totally standard, as driven out the factory to highly modified power machines. If all you want is a club that can offer you a great deal, from solving technical problems to arranging a cruise through some country lanes, or just a friendly chat with like minded people, we can offer it all. All members, when joining, are given a welcome pack, which includes a membership card allowing you discounts at our preferred suppliers, RB5 Owners club stickers for you car, a RB5 tax disk holder and discounts in our online store. As a member you will also gain access to extra areas on the website and will also open up hidden areas on the very popular RB5 Owners Club forum. Each month throughout the summer the club also publishes it’s newsletter. This has reviews of events attended by the owners club, announcements, list of events for your diary and many other features.

Club Events
The club has been attending all the large events for several years now and has built a reputation of having one of the best stands at any show it attends. The members all take pride in their cars and always have a good turn out. Recently in a Japanese car magazine we were branded “The Subaru Precision Parking Team” for our efforts at one event, which just shows the dedication, passion (and countless early mornings) for our members to put on a good show. We are attending all the big shows around the country this year, hoping to increase our impact at each and every one. We always have our “blue steel” coloured marquee, flags and banners and a good selection of RB5s so you know we are in attendance and you are all welcome to come look around and chat to us.

It is with very great sadness that we must announce the death of Richard Burns, the 2001 FIA World Rally Champion. Burns, who was diagnosed with an astrocytoma, a form of brain tumour, in November 2003 passed away last night Friday 25th November peacefully. His partner Zoe, family and close friends were at his bedside.

From the outset Richard knew that the odds were heavily against him and yet he fought his illness with bravery and good humour. Having undergone both chemotherapy and radiotherapy he was able to leave hospital in summer 2004. For a while his health showed signs of improvement but then after six months it once again began to decline. Determined not to give up, he opted for surgery earlier this year. This alleviated some of the symptoms of his illness and enabled him to remain active. At Castle Combe in August he attended a parade of the rally cars that he drove throughout his career and was touched by the warmth of the reception he received. However there was to be no miracle and in recent days he lapsed into a coma.

The media, friends and fans are asked to respect the family's privacy at this time. Instead of flowers the family would ask that donations be sent to Cancer Research.

Richard Burns, Age: 34
Born: Reading, Berkshire - 17 January 1971

Anyone who would like to send messages should address them to the memorials pages on this link. www.richard-burns.co.uk/memorials

Each month the RB5 Owners Club will be featuring a member's pride and joy.

If you would like your car listed as a feature car, then please contact webmaster@rb5oc.co.uk.

Photos of you and the car and a list of modifications and upgrades will be included of the feature, plus an short interview with the owner. How you got the car? Why you bought the car? What's the best thing about owning a RB5? And other non-taxing questions!

All owners are welcome!