CLUB NEWS November 2010

Transcription

1 CLUB NEWS November 2010

2 Auckland Car Club Inc. P O Box 27063, Mt Roskill, Auckland, New Zealand 1440 Phone: (09) Facsimile: (09) President Bob White president@aucklandcarclub.org.nz Vice Presidents Nigel Smith vicepresident1@aucklandcarclub.org.nz Mark Sheehan vicepresident2@aucklandcarclub.org.nz Secretary/Treasurer Craig Holmes secretary@aucklandcarclub.org.nz Membership Secretary Peter Batten membership@aucklandcarclub.org.nz Promotions Gary Raiti promotions@aucklandcarclub.org.nz Clubsport John Riddell clubsport@aucklandcarclub.org.nz Race Nigel Smith race@aucklandcarclub.org.nz Rally Dave Janes rally@aucklandcarclub.org.nz Chief Scrutineer Mark Sheehan scrutineer@aucklandcarclub.org.nz Club Rooms Hire Steve Morris clubrooms@aucklandcarclub.org.nz Committee Members Mike Dias mandm@xtra.co.nz William Yu db3pa121@hotmail.com Ross Henderson rawjam@vodafone.co.nz Gavin Boyne g.boyne@aspec.co.nz Motorsport New Zealand Licence Examiners Bob White Peter Borman Bob Friend Ted Jarvis The club wishes to acknowledge the receipt of an accommodation grant from Auckland City to be applied to the club s annual rates. Club News Advertising Rates Single 12 Issues 12 Issues Issue Paid Monthly Paid in Advance Quarter Page $ Half Page $ $75.00 $ Full Page $ $ $1, Rates include display on the club s web. Contact clubnews@aucklandcarclub.org.nz for further details. 2

3 Event Calendar Event Club Location November 28 Race Auckland Pukekohe December 4-5 Race NZIGP/ACC/NSCC Pukekohe - Thunder in the Park 5 Motorkhana Auckland/Hibiscus Birdwood Winery, Glen Road 12 Regularity Trial TACCOC Hampton Downs January 8-9 Race Taupo Taupo Race Historic Taupo Race Historic Hampton Downs 23 Race Auckland Pukekohe Race Historic Hampton Downs February 13 Motorkhana Auckland Birdwood Winery, Glen Road Race Historic Pukekohe 20 Race Auckland Hampton Downs March 5-6 Race NZIGP/ACC/NSCC Hampton Downs 6 Motorkhana Auckland Birdwood Winery, Glen Road Race Club Targa Pukekohe Race Historic Hampton Downs 27 Race Auckland Hampton Downs Clubrooms 44 Stoddard Road, Mt Roskill, Auckland Licensed Bar, Lounge, Large Screen TV Regular Club Night The club rooms are open every Thursday night from 7:30pm until 10:30pm. License examiners are usually available to assist new Members with license exams. Several members of the Executive Committee are usually available to discuss any issues or provide assistance. Club Rooms Hire Rates The Members Lounge and the larger hall upstairs are available for hire for special events such as birthday or anniversary parties, meetings, bingo/housie, quiz nights, training courses, etc. The Members Lounge has a fully equipped bar and the upstairs hall has a complete kitchen available for both venues. Special hire rates are available for Club Members. Commercial organisations and community groups receive discounts for multiple events or long-term commitments. Please direct enquiries to Steve Morris /(09) /clubrooms@aucklandcarclub.org.nz 3

4 As you read this, we will be just about due for the third round of our Summer Series at Pukekohe on Sunday November 28. Racing so far has been of an excellent standard and the meetings have been well run and reasonably attended, although numbers are certainly down. Auckland Car Club has been very carefully scrutinising the costs associated with running meetings. Believe it or not we have lost money on our last four race meetings. As part of this we are reviewing costs and also working hard to get our grid numbers up. We really need that sixth race grid and we need reasonable numbers in each field to make races profitable for us. As a Club we can t afford to make losses from running race meetings. Naturally the alternative is to put race entry fees up but we are reluctant to do that. Instead we are trying to work with the Series Coordinators and potentially new classes to get full grids and more classes competing. This is the test for us going forward. We appreciate that things like the on line entry might be a pain for some of you, but it greatly reduces our costs of administering and meeting. A little inconvenience to you is a lot of benefit for us. This second issue that remains one for all of us to be concerned about is that of volunteers to run our race meetings. There are only six A grade Clerk of Courses in the Auckland area and they do everything from our race meetings, to the Tier 2 meetings and right through to Tier 1. To say that they are stretched is an understatement. A number of them have health issues and as such we need to grown a replacement pool. If at any stage you can t make a race meeting because your car is down or there is another reason such as you ve run out of budget, how about coming out and giving us a hand to run the day. Just get in touch with me or any of the other Committee members a week or so prior to the meeting and we would love to have you. You might also be amazed to find out how much you will learn about how race meetings are put together and run, when you look at it from the other side of the fence. If you are interested, the other place to look is the Motor Sport Club. Debbie Day and her team of volunteers could always do with more support. Well that s it for now, more soon. Keep it straight and try not to shower the car behind with all your used oil. Nigel Race Committee Chairman Auckland Car Club Race Report 4

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6 Newsletter We are actively trying to encourage Members to receive their newsletter via to reduce the club s costs. If you are interested in receiving the link to your newsletter via , please send an to clubnews@aucklandcarclub.org.nz We promise we won t give your address to anyone else. Club News Editor We are looking for someone to edit and produce our monthly newsletter. We will provide the software, if needed, and there is a small honorarium available. In addition, the editor is entitled to a percentage of any advertising revenue he or she generates. If you are interested, please contact us at clubnews@aucklandcarclub.org.nz Cover Photos Getting ready for some rather hot laps, photos taken at the 2010 Mercy Hospice "Race for Life Track Day". If you are interested in giving some patients a ride in your car at next year s event on Tuesday 5 April 2011, give Gary Raiti a call on Buy/Sell/Trade If you have any parts or cars for sale or if you are looking for hard to find parts, send us the details including pictures where appropriate in an and we will put something in the newsletter. There is no charge for Members. Commercial items will only be accepted as paid advertisements. Please clubnews@aucklandcarclub.org.nz Holden Commodore VR/VS Ex NZV8 304 V8 Well sorted car with handling to match Plenty of spares Two good legal seats with legal belts Capable 1.06 at Pukekohe Excellent car for ACC racing saloons, GTRNZ or endurance $27,000 firm Trailer available also as an extra Phone Nigel on (09)

7 President s Letter Hi every one, I wish you all well for the Christmas season and a great new year, I have to make an apology to members of the Commodore Car club about a comment I made in the last news letter, may I explain, the reference to them about not wanting races came out about the events they run, very well I must say, it was referring to comments about them not wanting to run pure race meetings, leaving the pure race meets to us, I did not infer any thing detrimental to them. On the upside I am pleased that some of you read my correspondence and am pleased that I am directed to my errors as they happen, some times intended, and others like this accidental. Now we do need another class of cars for our Club meets, there are a couple in the wings for us to use but they will take a little time to put together, more on these when they are finalized, however, I want to know what has happened to all of those sportscars that have disappeared into oblivion, only Steve in his rather modified Chevron who is flying the tiny flag for them, I am sure there are cars out there that could be put to use at the level we are talking about, so why does it take so long for NZs to wake up to the fact that this is a growing class of racing world wide, from production models to extreme ones and are fun to drive, come on guys chase the spiders out of the exhaust pipes, put in a tank of gas, check tyres and see if the suit fits and come racing, all we need is at least to form your own races, or like Steve mix it with the saloons. Those of you who pass by the club would have noticed that we are securing the access to our property, this is due to the abuse that has been taking place with other using it as a public car park, we feel that if others want to use it space then they pay for it and that will help with the upkeep of the property. One of the growing challenges all clubs have is the recruitment of officials to run events, the flags are well organized through the Motorsport Club but with the ageing of our senior race officials is of growing concern as well as the health of some of them, as you will be aware that that they do not grow on trees, but have to be trained and skilled by others, one day and it may be sooner than latter we may well be pushed to find a full crew with the knowledge, expertise, as well as courage to make decisions to run our meets. Our organisation at present is one of the best in the country, our present people are on the ball so to speak, and the level of skill is well known, those of you who have been racing with us will understand the quality of personnel we have on hand. If you can not afford to race for a while give a thought to helping run the events at the track, no I am not talking committee level, but at the circuit and not waving flags, please contact myself if you can help you will find it very rewarding we competitors say thanks at the end of the day. I wish you all a Merry Xmas and a prosperous New Year, and keep the sun cream handy. All the best again Bob 7

8 Understanding Auckland Motorsport Pukekohe and the NZIGP [Reprinted from Club News 1995] The strongest group of clubs ever to have existed in New Zealand was formed in Auckland in At the time they were the ONLY clubs in Auckland. These clubs were: NZIGP, Auckland and Northern Sports Car. They formed themselves into a consortium with the object of promoting Pukekohe. The New Zealand International Grand Prix (NZIGP) was formed originally by some farsighted individuals in Its purpose ws both to introduce into New Zealand international motor racing and to foster its development nationally. For ten years it had the use of the Ardmore airfield on which to stage its annual Grand Prix. In 1963 the NZIGP lost the use of Ardmore. To continue pursuing its goals it was left with no option but to build its own circuit. This was constructed on the property of the Counties Racing Club at Pukekohe, and it was then that the above named clubs assisted financially, and eventually formed themselves into the aforementioned consortium. What was not foreseen at the time has become increasingly clear since. Building and maintaining a motor racing circuit in a country with the population of New Zealand is by no stretch of the imagination even remotely a commercially viable proposition, and over the many years of the Pukekohe venture the consortium has devoted far too much of its available resources to maintaining it, and too little of them to sustaining what it originally set out to do: the promotion of international racing. Much of the circuit is on relatively unstable ground and this factor alone has proved extremely expensive. Since 1965 many other clubs have been formed in Auckland. In many cases their formation was assisted to some extent by the availability of Pukekohe. None of these clubs has emerged as a mover and shaker on the bigger national scene. Several attempts have been made by the consortium over the years (and as recently as last year) to persuade each of these clubs to amalgamate in some way or another, and to support the consortium in trying to resolve its difficulties. No progress was made, but that is not to say that attempting to unite all those with a genuine interest in the sport should not continue. The Pukekohe track was built, paid for, maintained and run for thirty years by the Auckland consortium without recourse to ANYONE in the sport for a cent. It has maintained a permanent staff in permanent offices since 1953 (42 years). To some extent it has been regarded as a sort of MANZ Auckland sub-office (a left-handed form of compliment perhaps) assisting at all levels where it has been able to do so in the Auckland area; this service has been and continues to be not without costs. During the eighties, new standards were set to upgrade track safety which meant that money at hitherto undemanded levels had to be found, otherwise the track could not be licensed either by MANZ for National events, or the FIA for International events. The Consortium possessed insufficient capital to carry out the required upgrading, (several millions of dollars were needed). It could not take the obvious route of borrowing the money from the marketplace and repaying it over a period of (say) 20 years; a sound business pactice, because its track was built on a landlord s property. After exploring several options it was clear that the consortium had to entrepreneur a deal with a commercial group of some kind. A contract was formed with a company called Track consulting Ltd. (TCL). In essence TCL was to become the landlord of the track facilities at Pukekohe, and the consortium, with TCL cooperation, was to run the promotions and rentals. The result of the TCL contract was that the track was upgraded. TCL cmae up short by over a million dollars. This amount, amortised over twenty years represented no real problem in principle, however once Perhaps the most important aspect of this whole affair is that the sport has ended up with a fine motor-racing facility which, had not several million been generated as a result of the actions, it would have been denied. The irony has not been lost that the unsustainable level of the ground rent of Pukekohe was substantially reduced once the consortium had to bow out. The rent enjoyed 8

9 by the new owners now, might have gone a very long way to helping with the financial burdens. TCL has been much maligned. Unfortunately for it, the upgrading culminated right at the time of the recent economic recession. The undeniable fact is that without the joint input of the consortium and TCL there would be no Pukekohe today either for the sport, for the Counties Race Club or for the new owners. The only crime committed was the inability to make the final payment of what had been a very difficult and complicated undertaking. Much as it may be hard to swallow for some, TCL has made an immense contribution, right across the board, to the eventual wellbeing of our sport. Only time will reveal this fully. The Consortium believed rightly or wrongly that its relationship with the Counties Racing Club (CRC) stretching back over nearly thirty years was in good repair. The consortium admittedly owed some moneys to it, and representation was made to it for its cooperation until we could reorganise. However, the CRC felt obliged to terminate out licence, which had to be pledged by the consortium as a guarantee to Bitumix on behalf of TCL. The consortium itself has had to write off several hundreds of thousands of dollars owing to it which have, in effect, been sunk into the circuit upgrading programme. Well over a hundred thousand dollars, in addition, have been spent from the club s cash resources in improving the track amenities right up until the loss of the licence. During the past several years the consortium has been approached by two separate groups to assist in building and/or administering new circuits in the Auckland area. On each occasion it has had to work very hard and long eventually to persuade these groups that their proposals were not viable. This course was pursued ONLY to protect the interests of Pukekohe. There is no doubt that the consortium has been maligned by a minority which bears imagined grudges against it. The fact is it has represented an immense power for good in motor sport over many years and possesses experience, knowledge in the matter of running meetings, creating money and controlling it, generating sponsorship and so 9 on. People with this type of expertise are, understandably, thin on the ground: there are no university courses on the subject. Each meeting at Pukekohe uses almost the same public, and that public must be treated exactly the same at each meeting. It is well realised that the Consortium has to regroup to become a force once more in motorsport, and it assuredly is taking steps to ensure that this happens. Provided support continues to be received from MANZ, motorsport will continue to prosper in Auckland surely a benefit to our movement. Gate-money alone will not solve circuit financial problems. The whole operation has to be run as a business. Businesses cannot be run by committees. They need a leader with almost total power to make decisions. He (or she) hs to be both an astute politician and a commercial practioner capable of creating a climate of esteem for people to contribute considerable time and effort for no payment. It is a NZ peculiarity that most amateur sports are wary of any attempts at commercial promotion, no matter how well intentioned they may be. A commercial operator has to crouch down behind a club façade, otherwise demands from all quarters will be made at commercial instead of voluntary levels. There seems to be little point in trying to form another consortium, other than to pander to the illinformed. The purpose of this document is to present our side of the story, and to counter criticism which we hear from all sides. We believe that the best way forward is to support the new owners of the Pukekohe track in every way possible. If they do not succeed we shall all be much the poorer. They have indicated to us already their wish to make Pukekohe a first class venue and we must help them to do this. It is no easy task and we should wish them well. Motorsport simply CANNOT afford petty politicking, especially as other sporting codes are vying for the corporate and sponsorship dollar. If it is to get its share it must close ranks. Strength coms from unity.

10 Hi everyone, My name s Brittany Sheweiry, I m 16 years old and I have recently joined The Auckland Car Club, where I sat and passed my National Competition Race License! My Dad, George Sheweiry and brother, also George have both been running in Production Muscle Cars for quite some time and after some nagging, Dad finally got into gear and started building a new transporter to tow yet another car out to the track. It took us a while to get the transporter fiished, but in that time I have learnt how to mig weld, pop-rivet, drill and use a cut-off saw! Something most of the girls at school wouldn t have a clue how to do, and for that matter a lot of the boys too! Once we were finished building the transporter it was time to get the poor Scimitar off the back lawn and get her into action! After some tinkering it was ready for a test run before practice at Pukekohe later on that week. So Dad said, right hop in and we ll take it down the road and see how it runs. Well! I took off down the street and was absolutely mind blown at the power that little thing had! I was use to my little 1.8 Escort! So after two practice days out at Pukekohe I was much more comfortable with the track and the car (I also had a permanent smile which covered half of my face). A race day was coming up at Pukekohe which all three of us attended. It was a rainy day and by the time we started practice it was already pretty wet. I went round quietly, surprisingly keeping up with the other drivers when I see a yellow flag, I slow down and drive on past a guy pushing his car into the pits, oh look it s Dad! So I complete practice and come in, my brother George also had mechanical problems and was packing up ready to go home. The rain by now had set in for the day and after a discussion with Dad we decided that it wasn t the best conditions for learning to race, so we packed up and went home. 10

11 The next race meeting came up fast and this time it was just George Jnr and I. This time it was at Hampton Downs where I hadn t even been round the circuit, but luckily I had gained a very supportive friend, Gary Raiti of the ACC Race Committee who took me out to the track in the morning of race day and we drove round three or four times so that at least I knew where I was going! I was a little bit nervous but mostly excited (I think by this time my smile had increased an extra inch in diameter). We were combined with another class that day so as I sat on the starting grid of my first race wondering how it would all go, I looked up in my rear-vision mirror and saw a whole lot of cars, but before I could think oh crap what am I going to do, the lights went out, and I was off! I completed all three races that day and had so much fun I can t wait till the next meeting! I would just like to thank all the support I have had so far not only from my family but from all the Marshall's on race day, the other drivers and Gary Raiti. Brittany Sheweiry. 11

12 Proposed New Racing Class Northern Honda Due to the decrease in grid numbers for Auckland Car Club two and three litre production racing we need to take a serious look at starting a new class that should easily slot in and top up our grid numbers for Production Racing. One would expect lap times to be no less than our fastest three litre cars. This idea has come about after discussions with a number of SS2000 Honda owners who, due to the current financial climate, do not want to travel south due to cost and time off work for two day IRC meetings and Honda Cup competitors who do not wish to race in SS2000 series but would very much like to have a local summer option to compete in. This new class is in no way intended to be in competition with the SS2000 or Honda Cup for grid numbers. This idea has been mooted with a member of the Hamilton Car Club who was most keen and believed there could be a number of car owners from the Hamilton club who would be keen to compete. Below are a few brief points to consider: Proposed name: Northern Honda (NH) Classes 0 to to 2000 Vehicle modification rules Same or similar to Honda Cup Engines must be naturally aspirated Tyres DOT rated semi slicks, no slicks Driver behaviour As this is club level racing, no aggressive or over Zealous driving will be tolerated. Same rules as Arrow Wheels 2 strikes and you have a red card. Drivers/Car Must belong to a MSNZ affiliated club Must hold a current National race license Car must have a current log book Coordinator NH members to provide/select their own series Coordinator to liase with ACC race personnel. Starts Production/NH grid starts to be split 30 seconds apart, handicap starts in all. Points NH cars will not be eligible for ACC Production Series points. For further details contact Gavin Boyne Home Phone Mobile g.boyne@aspec.co.nz If possible we want to get NH up and running February

13 Brent Buist taking over the front running in the Challenge event. Jeff Judd only 13 seconds off the rally lead. 13

14 AUCKLAND CAR CLUB INC. P O Box 27063, Mt Roskill, Auckland 1440 Phone (09) Fax (09) APPLICATION FOR MEMBERSHIP I, and of (First Names) (First Names Spouse/Partner) (Full Postal Address, Including Postal Code) (Surname) (Surname Spouse/Partner) hereby apply to become member(s) of the Auckland Car Club Inc. If elected to membership, I/we will adhere to the Rules of the Club. I consent to the Club retaining my details for membership purposes and disclosure to MotorSport New Zealand. I acknowledge my right to access and correction of this information Phone Number Residence Phone Number Mobile (Signature) Phone Number Business Address (Signature Spouse/Partner) Occupation Make and Model of Car Date of Birth Please indicate if you or one of your family or team is willing to help at events in one of these roles: Flag Marshall Documentation Scrutineering Hot Laps Promotion Other Other car clubs of which you are a member (if any) Ordinary full membership, single, including $15.00 joining fee $95.00 Family membership (spouse/partner) (add) $10.00 Youth/Student/Teenage membership, including $15.00 joining fee $60.00 In anticipation of my application being accepted, I enclose the sum of $ Fees include 15% Goods and Services Tax. Membership valid through to 31 March GST Reg If paying by credit card VISA Mastercard Name of Cardholder Signature * Expiry Date / * Please include Card Security Code. This is the 3 digit number appearing on the back of your credit card. Direct credits to account accepted. Please include your name in payment reference. Meeting Date Approved Membership Card Number