PAST

Classic Adelaide 18 – 22 Nov

Four Triumphs competed in the 2009 event – Stephen & Ginetta Rochester in their TR3A and Steve Fisher, Craig Haysman and Ian Wilson in TR7V8’s. In Classic Competition, Stephen & Ginetta came 16th out of a field of 19, and in Late Classic, Craig was 19th, Steve 21st and Ian 30th out of 35 cars. Ian suffered a tyre failure leading to an inability to finish a section – in essence, putting him out of contention. However, the TR7V8 continued to place in the top order for the whole rally, that particular disappointment notwithstanding. There were only 2 cars in the Historic section. Not sure about you, but my interest is waning with the demise in numbers of the older vehicles. See ‘www.classicadelaide.com.au/ca09/results.html’

Mallala Racing 14 Nov

This was a scorcher. Temperatures gradually built up to 43 degrees as the day progressed. I was pit crew for an Elfin ME5 and was glad to leave after our events had finished which was before the evening session commenced. No Triumphs.

FUTURE

MSCA Tentative Calendar For 2010 (updated)

Picnic/Presentation Day:                     Sunday 21st February
Skills Enhancement Day:                    Sunday 28th February
Round 1:                                             Sunday 28th March
6 Hour Relay:                                      Sunday 23rd May
Round 2:                                             Sunday 4th July (TSOA providing officials)
Advanced Driver Training:                 Sunday 8th August
Round 3:                                             Sunday 19th September
Round 4:                                             Sunday 24th October

OTHER

For those wondering about the costs involved in competing in MSCA Sprint meetings, the following may be of interest:-

TSOA or other MSCA member club membership (12mths)               $60

MSCA membership(12 mths)                                                             $20

CAMS basic licence (12 mths)                                                           $95

Event entry (single)                                                                             $75

Fire Extinguisher CAMS approved with metal bracket                        $25

Dorian Timer (see explanation below)                                                $395

You will also need wool or cotton clothing, predominately leather shoes and a CAMS approved helmet. The vehicle’s bonnet requires an extra safety wire (or similar), seatbelts need to be in good condition and the vehicle has to pass safety scrutineering at the track. Cars range from the every day users to full race.

The other thing that you will need is an electronic timing device commonly called a “Dorian”. This allows for electronic timing of laps with an accuracy factor of a thousandth of a second, and renders the old manual methods of lap timing redundant. If you are interested in giving sprinting a try, a Dorian unit will be provided to you for the first event. After that, you will need to purchase one – current cost is $395 – this is a significant discount to the current market price for these gadgets, currently available through the MSCA. Seems a lot, but bear in mind that these things will continue to carry a value of close to the original outlay on the second hand market should you ever decide not to continue – they just don’t depreciate unless they have been poorly looked after.

If you wish to get more serious and compete in State or National series races, it gets more expensive.

TSOA or other MSCA member club membership (12 mths)              $60

MSCA membership (12 mths)                                                            $20

CAMS CC or NC License (12 mths)                                                 $245 or $395

Event Entry (single)                                                                          $270

Fire Extinguisher CAMS approved with metal bracket                       $25

Fire proof clothing, boots, gloves etc                                             $1200 +

Dorian Timer                                                                                      $395

CAMS approved seatbelts                                                                $250 +

CAMS approved helmet                                                                    $800

CAMS License medical (every 2 yrs for us old ones)                     $100

The costs above are approximate and the major ones less the car and on goings such as fuel. Your average Triumph race car will use approximately 1 litre of racing fuel per lap at Mallala. At around $2.40/litre, this can add up. There are also accessories like a car trailer. Before getting too serious, I suggest you look at the racing classes. What you can and can’t as well as what you are required to do to your car is regulated and varies from class to class. If you want to be competitive, look at the types of vehicle in the winning circle of the class and assess what they have changed in the vehicle to make it competitive. Remember though, horsepower generally = $. CAMS CC and NC licenses require passing an exam and a satisfactory observation of driver on the first race day.

The information provided here is purely to give an idea of costs associated with circuit sprinting/racing. If you would like to know more or require assistance to prepare your car – give me a call. Personally, I think the MSCA sprints are great value for money and provide an important feeder to State and National series racing.

See ‘http://www.cams.com.au/’ & ‘http://www.mscasa.com/index.html’

Cheers, Trevor Lindsay