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Hullo everyone, welcome to the new Racing Season of 2013

Congratulations to Steve Howard on winning the 2012 Championship, well done and well deserved, also congratulations to David Runkel and Scott Manson for achieving 2nd and 3rd Places respectively

We are pleased to have a new Series Sponsor this year POLMECH have decided to support our Championship, these people are very experienced in all things plastic George Thyssen will assist members in Polycarbonate Fibreglass, pouring plastic Moulding and engineering plastic. For more information refer to the website www.polymech.com.au Windscreen stickers will be available at Winton.

This year we have some interesting changes, in that each round we will be racing alongside the Open Sports Sedan Club, the positives this will bring are larger fields and more competition, we also have the chance at the right track and weather conditions we can potentially beat the larger cars on the day.

This year we have decided due to travel time and costs not to include Wakefield in our Championship series a bit sad as the NSW Sports Sedan Club had made us very welcome at our previous visits and those who made the trip always enjoyed it immensely.

This year we race at Winton, Phillip Island and Sandown, so there is no excuse for members not to get into their cars and race them.

It is critical this year that all members put in a concerted effort to be more active in the club and introduce new members if they want the club to survive. Also decide if you want to race, and, if the answer is yes, make the effort to get cars on the track.

The committee is organising for guest speakers to attend some of the monthly club meetings.

We now have club outfits available to club members, caps badges, Polo shirts and Jackets, these will be seen soon.

To be eligible for championship points competitor's engines must be sealed and all vehicles have the club stickers attached in the designated locations as per the championship series rules. Club officials will be checking engine sealing at each round this year

A supply of the stickers will be available at Winton.

We will have the club Marquee and BBQ at every round this year which is to be sponsored by Shane at Inspired Racing Developments

Good Racing

Bob

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Hello to all, and welcome to the second half of 2006. For those unable to attend the Annual General Meeting, there was a surprise when John Camm decided not to stand again for the top job. On that note, I would like to thank, and congratulate John on all the wonderful work that he has done for the club during his time as president. It was a difficult time for the club, but not of its own making. There we were, being split as a club by decisions that we had no control over, merely a change in organisation of club race meetings. We were very lucky to have such a strong group of people leading the club, as indecision at this time may have led to a much worse outcome. Throughout his time, John has always been available to members, and really pushed forward with some initiatives that have undoubtedly improved the racing. The introduction of one lap qualifying, reverse grid racing, and pit stops at Winton have really helped renew interest in 2 litre racing. So from all of us in the club, thanks John for all that you have done for the club.

So, here I am, Jamie Augustine, new club president, looking forward with 2 litres to the rest of 2006 and beyond. After stopping racing for a gig in V8 Supercars, I gained a whole new outlook on our racing and where we do and should fit in the Motorsport scene. I have a few points for discussion that I would like to have people consider for the future.

1) - I would like us to encourage previous members and competitors to join our club and compete with us. A lot of things have happened over the past few years, many of them not of the clubs making, but forced upon us by the changes with CAMS and AAA. We need to leave the past back there, and work towards a better-united future for the club. On this, we are going to reintroduce the grace period for unsealed engines, a try before you buy approach, to show new members what we can do for them before we expect them to pull their engines apart for us. We are also allowing and encouraging non 2 litre members to run with us on a race weekend, they start from their allotted grid positions, but do not attain points in our club points system, so they will not affect your point score either.

2) - Reorganize the class structure with a lap time based class system for next year. You are in a class based on the fastest time in your car at our two tracks. If you beat the class time at both tracks, then for the next season you will be promoted to the next class. This should produce cars with similar lap times battling for class honors, and give people the opportunity to push their cars to climb the class ladder.

3) - Re-engage with the Open Sports Sedan series. In Reality, our destinies are in part in their hands, as our rules are written by the Open Sports Sedan Series. If we aren't talking to them, we have no input in our own rules, which could in the future lead to problems. Running our own separate rules is unrealistic, so we need to work together with them for the benefit of our club. There are going to be substantial changes to the Sports Sedan regulations for next year, but the new rules are not going to cause any existing cars to become ineligible, I know this for certain. More on this important topic as information becomes available

4) - Although the Calder and Winton VMRC are great events, It would be great to run again at more tracks than just two. I doubt that there would be a 2-litre member here that didn't agree with that. But due to the number of members with AAA licenses, it isn't reasonable for us to run a round at tracks other than these at present. We will not be promoting a round for 2 litres where half of the field cannot attend, so until a race meeting is held that we are ALL eligible to enter, we will be running just Calder and Winton as a club.

So that is the first look at where to go next with the club. What are your thoughts? Feel free to email me on jamie.augustine@motec.com.au to let me know. Finally thanks to all of the members who have agreed to take on committee positions for this year. Without you, there would be no club, so I for one thank you for your efforts.

On a side note, there is going to be a new Motorsport show in 2007 9-11 Feb at Jeff s Shed, run by showtime. After some discussions, I now have agreement that we will be allocated some space to promote our class at the event. This is a big opportunity for the club, so be prepared to have your car available to show. We will try to have an interactive stand, with brochures, stickers, magazines and alike for prospective racers. We are also going to hold a raffle for the Dorian timers at the show; More info on the show as it becomes available.

- Jamie Augustine.

We are already a third the way through this season and boy have we done our fair share of racing. With 10 races already completed that equates to over half a seasons’ racing of a few years ago. No wonder our tyres are wearing out??!! I think most members will agree that even though we are only competing on two tracks the racing has been exciting. We have introduced many new racing formats for this year and so far most of them have worked. The one lap qualifying that debuted at round one has been very popular. I must admit at winton I was watching from the pre grid at the first group out to see how they went, knowing that the one lap counted for their grid. This new format has generated great interest from the rest of the paddock. With talk that other categories are considering taking on this idea.

The reverse grid at Calder in round one didn't work as good as we had hoped. The positions were all sorted on lap one and then business as usual. We actually wanted to spice it up during the race and for that point we are modifying the reverse grid for the next round. It will still be a reverse grid for race 3 but it will be a staggered start. The grid will be determined by your fastest lap of qualifying, race 1 and 2. The grid will then be reversed and split into 3 to 4 groups depending on the size of the grid. The first group will take off, and then the second will with a 10sec delay and so on. This format is used in other categories with great success; hopefully it will be successful next round.

The pitstops at Winton were nothing short of sensational. I think you will agree it was a great way to get everyone involved. The feed back I have received is all positive. People from other categories have commented how exciting the race was compared to a regular 10 lapper when in the middle stages can get a bit mundane.

It's great to see that everyone is enjoying this years racing. Even though we are only venturing to two tracks at least we are getting treated extremely well by the promoters and are able to introduce our own race formats. I brought up, at he last general meeting some discussion on what we want in the future. The thought of travelling interstate to Wakefield is one option but it need only be done if it is to the approval to the majority of the competitors. In the past we have travelled interstate not by choice but by necessity, I think if we go by choice it could be a chance to expand our appeal and competitor base. One thing that I think is important is not be complacent with what we have but always think for future improvement. One area that we are focused on is ways to increase our grid numbers.

You will probably have noticed our focus has shifted from the traditional sports sedan thinking to one which greater resembles what we are about. Most of our cars are essentially hotted up; club cars and I think that is the market share that we need to focus on. I believe that the racing that our cars provide for the cost and freedoms allowed is unsurpassed by any other category. That is why we have our new logo and title to try to focus on our unique type of cars.

You will notice that we have 2 different round sponsors for the year, that being for the Calder rounds we have Club X and for the winton rounds we have Dorian. The club appreciates the support from both these companies and hope we can provide them with the exposure that they are hoping for.

See you at Calder...

Cammy

Happy New Year to all. The year is travelling faster than ever with January almost over already. We have round 1 at Calder on the 24 to 26th Feb. Entry forms are out so make sure you get one and enter!!!!!! This year is hotting up to be one of our best ever. I think you will find that there is an even bigger group of front running cars on the pace. We have also made some fine tuning adjustments to make the racing even better. Expect to have reverse grid races, split grid reverse grids, top 10 shootout type of qualifying, draw for grid position and pit stops in the longer Winton races. All this plus a slightly tweaked points system should add up to a more even competition where everyone has a chance to win!!!!!!!

The trophy presentation was held last Saturday night. Speaking of the year hotting up, 42 degrees at Bells hotel was sure hot enough. What a great night we all had. Plenty of free drinks from the bar to help quench ones thirst. We were graced by a guest presenter for the trophy presentation. Yes Boris Slabovic himself came all the way from not so sunny Russia in, of all things the Lada. His only gripe was that the air con packed it in halfway here. I think everyone was impressed to finally meet the great man and he did a wonderful job of presenting the trophies

Boris has confirmed that he will be back this year supporting the SLABOVIC awards. For those who aren't sure of the points system for this, Boris tells me he subtracts the qualifying position from the round points and also factors in previous winners to come up with each round winner. Expect to see Boris at the rounds giving out the awards on the Saturday evening.

Round 1 will be sponsored by Club X, so everyone is free to remove last year's window sticker in preparation for the new one. We still have sponsorship vacancies for the Winton rounds so if anyone is interested or has a mate who wants to sponsor these rounds let us know at the next club meeting. Check out the meeting dates elsewhere on the web site. You will also notice that the November meeting has been scheduled for the Winton race round, Same as last year. The first Tuesday in November is Cup Day and there is little point having a meeting then, so it will be on the sat arvo at Winton.

See you at Calder...

Cammy

The season is over and what a year it has been. I think everyone is looking for a good break before the season kicks off again next year.
You'll see that the X Mas / trophy function has been rescheduled for the 21st of Jan at Bells Hotel. It kicks off at 7 pm with pre dinner drinks provided.

This years racing was pretty full on, to say the least. With 30 races over 6 rounds I think everyone got some good race miles in their cars. I think the cost for the year would be similar to other years but your money has gone on race consumables instead of entry fee etc.

Check out the web site to see the wrap up of the points for the year. You will see that quite a few were in the running even till the last race, although it was a slight mathematical chance. Well next year is looking like being an even better year for every competitor. We are looking at changing the format for the weekends to shake up the results somewhat and give the average guy a chance. We will probably have some of the following;

Reverse grid races, top 10 shoot out style qualifying, pit stops, random grid draws, some shorter races and even maybe more races per weekend! All this is still to be sorted, I'll be meeting with the officials from Winton next week( 12th to 17th Dec) to have a chat and float some of these ideas. It can't hurt to try some things to see how they work.

Next year kicks off on the 25th of Feb at Calder, being the first round of the year and so early, we need to make sure we have a good turn out to start the year. Hopefully people don't have much to do to get read y or aren't taking on too much over the summer break. Most rounds throughout the year sneak up on us a bit quick and I think this one with come around before we know it.

The club put on a good display at the recent Sexpo with many thanks going to Craig Hill who arranged for it to happen and also many thank s to the members who gave their time to man the stand and help promote the club. Craig tells me that we will do a bigger an better display for next year. I think a few people thought why is the club bothering with being seen at such an event... but I think that Sexpo has plenty of you average rev heads attend and lets face it any exposure it better than none. Check out the web site for some shots of the event.

I would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a safe and Merry Christmas And A Happy New Year.

Hope to see all of you on the 21st of January at Bells Hotel.

Cammy

Presidents Report August 2005

The AGM was held last month and what a turn out we had, some 22 members showed up, Kochy even dropped in from sunny Mildura. I think the turn out represents the state of the club at the moment. Things have seemed to sort themselves out in the recent past and most would have to agree that everything is moving along nicely at the moment. Touch wood.?!

If you look at the contacts page you'll see that pretty much the same committee if at the helm. The current calendar (i.e. VMRC) appears to be lo the liking of most members. At least the value for money and the good close racing and friendly atmosphere appeals to most. I hear that the VMRC is planning a round at either Sandown or Phillip Island for next year. They are also talking about going to Wakefield park around April if categories such as us and HQ's are interested. SO far I have only heard positive feedback for Wakefield. So if it happens it should be at round 2 of next years calendar after a calder round to kick the year off.

We have been formally asked by the organisers of the VMRC for any ideas to enhance next years racing. I suggested that we have some short track rounds , whether for the entire round or just one day and they seem keen to try and accommodate. If anyone has any ideas please let me know and I will pass them on to the VMRC. Any idea is welcome, so don't be afraid of thinking outside the square! We have contemplated bringing back reverse grids but are a bit worried about increasing damage and potentially losing cars unnecessarily , buy we may need to give it a go to see how things pan out. Some of us had a taste at Winton coming from the back and it seemed to work ok, but with the whole grid reversed it could get a bit ugly.

Next round is at Calder in mid September, hopefully we'll have even a bigger field than at Winton. Remember that at Calder Friday is included for free. It was good to see a few new cars and competitors out at the last round. Robert Evans campaigned Barnesy's old Datsun 1000 and Dave had his new 1200 out and about ironing out some bugs. Shane, the capitalist, had the T car at Winton and the ex Newing machine performed better than most would have thought, given its absence for the racing scene. I thing it goes to prove you don't need to spend years making the fastest machine in the shed, but rather get something that can do the job and just it out there and race.

See you all at Calder

Cammy

Presidents Report June/July 2005

Wow!!!!!!!!! How good has the racing been so far this year??!! Round 3 was held at Calder a few weeks ago and I must say it was a fantastic effort on behalf of everyone from the club. We had 20 entries and as Bruce Robertson said it was the best racing of the weekend. I think we surprised a few with how good our category is. Brett Ramsay rang me Sunday night after the race meeting to have a chat and he also passed on how close and interesting the racing was. The club meeting on the Tuesday was a testimony to the quality of the racing with most of the field at Bells Hotel and plenty of lively chat about the weekend. We followed this up with a video of the round which was kindly done by Jon Ellis from Toyota car club. Thanks Jon!

Last year I vowed never to bring up the topic that members need to get their car out there and show that we a force within any state championship. Well I'm not going to change my stance and if anything I would have to say the opposite is occurring at the moment. It appears that there aren't enough cars to go around! I heard of at least 3 cars that are being eagerly chased by members and one car changed hands in less than a week after being bought at a recent fire sale. So racing wise I think I can safely say at the moment that all's good, let's keep it that way.

The on track action between the competitors is fast and close, very close in fact, but I must say that the standard is very good with only the slightest of touches in close 5 way battles. I'm just hoping more of this will continue at Winton for the next round. Maybe we can have 10 cars fighting it out at the front.

It's almost the end of the financial year and that means that the elections are just around the corner. July 5th is the clubs annual general meeting at Bells Hotel. It should be a big meeting by all accounts with many eager members vying for a spot on the committee. You will see elsewhere in this mag that there is a voting form so if you want to have a large say in how the club is run that's the way to do it. My understanding is that a large part of the committee is restanding at the elections but that doesn't preclude anyone from nominating for any position.

As most are probably well aware the web site has taken on a new look and I think Kochy has been burning some midnight oil to get things up and firing. The drivers profile page is fantastic and there are a heap more pics on the site and it's far more entertaining. Some will see that the forum has gone. It wasn't the way that the club had wanted it from the beginning and with the recent anonymous chat that was on there we decided to remove it for a while and maybe it will return in a format more appropriate for our club. In the mean time it doesn't stop anyone with an interesting topic to place it on the notice board or send it to the editor for inclusion in the magazine.

Speaking of the magazine, we are contemplating the idea of making it a bi annual event full of relevant club info, one to come out like this one in June and the other at the end of the year. The plan is to do a magazine of sorts but have on the web so that members can download it at their leisure. This will save the club considerable money and time and prevent duplication of information that we have at the moment. For those members without internet access we will still send them a hard copy of the mag.
Like I said we are planning to trial this, if it works (and I think it might) we will stick to the idea, if it doesn't we will revert to the current style of mag.

That's all I have for the moment.

Hope to see many at the AGM.

PS. The general meeting will be starting at 8pm on the dot!!!!

Cammy

Sandown... No Reasonable Reason

MEMO TO ALL MEMBERS.