The All Triumph Rally for the Tony Esau Memorial Trophy was held on 17th October in what could only be described as cool conditions.   The rain did hold off and the day ended up quite pleasant.  Ian Rigby (last year’s winner) set a good run through the hills ending up at Strathalbyn where the annual swap meet was also being held.  This gave members the chance to attend the swap meet before or after the club sponsored BBQ lunch.  Thanks to Margie for organising the meat and Peggy for the green salad, Raelene and Faye for supplying cakes and slices.  To all those people who assisted with the cooking and cleaning up thank you.

Congratulations to Margie and Bill who won the event and now have the honour of setting next year’s run.  It was a closely contested observation run with Team Temby coming in second and Roger and Cherrie taking our third place.

The next Sunday run is on 14th November and John requires numbers for the run to Greenock Aviation Museum where they will be putting on a BBQ lunch.  This run is being held in conjunction with the Austin Healey Sprite Club and the cars will be displayed on the lawns at the museum.  Numbers are required by 5th November so please give John a ring if intending to attend.

The Christmas Dinner is on 4th December and payment is required no later than the November meeting.  If you were a winner at the Day of Triumph please come along and collect your trophy and enjoy a three course Christmas dinner (menu is in TRAK) for the member’s price of $40ph and $55ph for non members.  The venue is the Royal Adelaide Golf Club at Seaton where there is plenty of secure parking.  There will be a happy “half hour” from 6.30pm to 7.00pm.

The annual after Christmas lunch run this year is heading to the Barossa and the Monkey Nut Bistro at Kies Winery in Lyndoch.  This run is always a popular event and we hope to see you in attendance.  Bill is the organiser.

Don’t forget there is no meeting in December and January is an informal meeting.

PAST

Victorian State Circuit Racing Championship 25 – 26 September. Tom Hutchinson (TR8) participated in Round 4 of this championship at Phillip Island. Tom qualified 1st and scored two 2nd placings and a 1st  in the MG and Invited Sports Car class and qualified 9th and scored two 7th placings and an 8th in the Sports Car group. See http://www.natsoft.com.au/cgi-bin/results.cgi?26/09/2010.PHIL

FUTURE

Australian Hillclimb Championships  16 – 17 October Collingrove

Legends of the Lakes Hillclimb 6-7 November Mt Gambier

MSCA Sprint Rd4 Mallala 24 October

SA Circuit Racing Championship Rd 4 30 – 31 October

Phillip Island Classic 18 – 20 March 2011 More than likely, I will be attending this meeting. Want to know more – give me a call.

Lake Gairdner Speed Week 21 – 25 March 2011.  I intend to venture to this venue again next year. If you are going or want to know more, please contact me. See http://www.dlra.org.au/

MSCA Dates for 2011 (Ist draft only) – very tentative

Rd1 – 27 March 2011

6HR – 15 May 2011

Driver Training or Come & Try – 19 June 2011

Rd2 – 3 July 2011

Rd3 – 14 August 2011

Rd4 – 18 September 2011

Rd5 or Driver Training – 23 October 2011

OTHER

As some may well know, my wife and I were overseas for 8 weeks getting away from the worst of Adelaide’s winter. Besides Paris, Vienna and London we called into a number of motor racing tracks. Mallory Park is located near Leicester, north of London and east of Birmingham. All Triumph races had been organised for Sunday 30th August and I was particularly keen to assess our overseas enthusiasts vehicles and performance. The day commenced with a barrel role and flip of a Ferrari 246 GT, which we were well placed to observe and was totally written off. The car clipped an official as it flipped over the safety barrier, but luckily the driver and official were both sitting up in bed in hospital later that day. There were 20 odd Triumphs in their own race. They included Heralds, Spitfires, GT6’s and TR3 – 6’s. I spoke to many of the drivers and they were all happy to discuss their cars and the competition scene in the UK. I was particularly impressed with an incredibly fast TR5.

We also attended the Goodwood Revival on the weekend of 18 & 19 September. This is an annual world renown purely historic meeting and the majority of people dress in 30’s – 50’s clothing and uniforms. The highlights for me were the grid girls, very fast Austin A30’s  and the classic car park. This car park would have had well over a thousand vehicles, and many were Triumphs in all sorts of condition. One example was a very battered and well used TR3A that appeared to have done the 1986 Monte Carlo Rally. There were also many Daimler SP 250’s, another interest of mine. There was one Triumph racing – a Triumph SLR. I had never heard of this model so had to hunt it down and take a few pictures. It unfortunately was not very reliable and didn’t get much track time. SLR stands for Sprinzel LawrenceTune Racing. Four cars were produced in the early 60’s with Triumph motors, three Morgan chassis based and one based on a TR4 chassis. All were apparently aluminium bodied. Looks nothing like a Triumph, but I did recognise a saloon overdrive switch on the gearstick.

While in Scotland, we called into Knockhill Racing Circuit where an open practice session was taking place. This circuit is located north of Edinburgh and I was impressed with the undulating nature of the track and mostly flowing corners. I would have loved to put my GT6 around there.

I spent much of my British childhood in Kent and well remember the sounds of racing at Brands Hatch which was nearby. Obviously, while visiting old haunts, I had to call into the circuit, which I had never before been to. An open practice day was being held and once again, I was impressed with the undulating nature and flowing corners of the track. Ideally suited to GT6’s.

Earlier this year I commenced collecting diecast triumph models. The trip to Europe was an ideal opportunity for hunting these elusive items. I brought 49 back to Australia with me, all different. Not that I expected it, but I found some hard to find ones in Vienna of all places. I figure that they are cheaper than the real thing, and besides, I don’t have room for any more full scale ones. For some reason, my wife was very supportive on these hunts. I would be interested to hear from any other Triumph collectors.

Some pictures from Mallory Park and Goodwood will be on our internet site soon.

Cheers,

Trevor Lindsay

The NSW national rally is over and 18 weary South Aussies who attended, are now adjusting back into normal life patterns again. This year’s event was held in Kangaroo Valley just inland from Nowra on the picturesque NSW coast. This was a tremendous event and the NSW committee should be proud of their efforts, as there were activities to suit every taste from motor sport to a guided tour of a Buddhist temple, or a visit to the Bradman Museum in Bowral, but I am sure full reports will be published, if not in this month’s magazine then in next months.

While on the subject, next years national rally is to be held in S.A. in October, with 4 nights in Mt Gambier and 3 nights in Victor Harbor, with an after rally option on Kangaroo Island at an additional cost. We invite you to attend and meet new like minded friends and renew old friendships.Our rally committee is currently working hard fine tuning our event in an endeavour  to satisfy every Triumph enthusiast. The registration forms are now available on this web site.

I would like to remind you of the combined run with the Austin Healy Sprite club to the Greenock Aviation Museum on the 14th November.  For catering purposes I will need to confirm our booking numbers with the venue by 5/11/10. There will be a $10 cost to cover the BBQ lunch and entry to the museum, details of the run are shown later in this mag.

I believe a lot of members have heard of Bundy tube, but how many people know what Bundy tube is, what makes it unique, why it is specified for automotive brake lines and what safety issues should you be aware of when using it. Since I retired from TI Automotive (formally Bundy Tubing Aust.) a couple of years ago, I had heard some worrying stories from individuals and even Brake industry outlets that they were advising and or supplying unsuitable product to the public, to my knowledge this has now been rectified.

While it is not specifically a Triumph issue, I am proposing to make a technical presentation and answer any questions that members may have during our informal January 2011 meeting while the ladies are away enjoying a cup of coffee or ice cream. Don’t get me wrong if any ladies are interested they will be more than welcome to stay for the presentation, if it all comes together in time for the meeting. I will keep you informed over the next few meetings.

I hope to see you soon
John Sampson