The SMSP Free Wheel Festival is your FREE invitation to enjoy the park’s wonderful facilities! Plus there’s also a heap of fun activities for all ages… all FREE!
– Walk, run, skate, cycle the racetrack
– Bus tour of the racetrack
– Motorkhana demo and passenger rides
– Drifting demo and passenger rides
– Clunker Challenge: you against the clock in our Clunker!
– Jump in the car and experience cool new car tech in our Driver Training Interactive sessions
– Jumping castle, face painting, inflatable slide for the littlies
– Police, Fire and Rescue vehicles
– SMSP display with REAL race cars + bikes, and loads of ‘’Car Candy” vehicles in the Cars n’ Coffee area
– Tour of Race Control with our Officials
– Remote Control Car racing
– Racing Simulators
And so much more… AND IT’S ALL FREE! Plus a Pepsi Max or Cool Ridge water for every attendee, thanks to Presenting partner Pepsi Max.
We hope to see you at the track!
When: Sunday 28th Jan 2018
10am – 2pm
Cost: FREE
Note: Passengers must be 16+ years, and be in wrist-to-ankle clothing and closed shoes. U18 will need the signature of a parent or guardian.
ARDC News
VALE: ARTHUR HAYES, MEMBER #1
y name is Arthur Hayes and my membership number is one”.
That is the way ARDC founding member and long-term president Arthur Hayes chose to introduce himself when I first saw him at an ARDC AGM in the early 1990’s. It was an introduction that gave him instant credibility no matter what type of gathering he was speaking at. Sadly, Arthur died on August 1 this year at the age of 92.
Soon after World War Two, Arthur took up racing with a Fronty Ford initially, then an MGTC and finally a modified Morris Minor. He raced at local Sydney circuits like Marsden Park, Parramatta Park and Mount Druitt. He even raced the MGTC at Bathurst once, in 1951, where he finished third in a Production Sports Car handicap. However, it was not behind the wheel of a race car that Arthur was to make a huge contribution to Australian motor racing in general and New South Wales motor racing in particular.
Belf Jones held the lease of Mount Druitt which he ran with the help of his silent partner George Bell. A gravel road was formed connecting both ends of the Mount Druitt air strip to form a circuit. The surface of this road was liquid tar covered by chunks of blue metal. It was very thin and broke up during race meetings so that after every meeting volunteers (mainly drivers) had to repair the surface as best they could.
Arthur and several other drivers thought it was unfair that the drivers were providing the entertainment plus maintaining the circuit and in return were only receiving minimal prizemoney. Arthur drew up a basic agreement giving the drivers a bigger slice of the spectator fee pie. Belf Jones signed the agreement but George Bell refused. It was Jones who counted the gate takings so the “new deal” was implemented. Bear in mind Arthur was only twenty five years old at the time.
The drivers needed a proper organisation. A meeting was called in Surry Hills for anyone interested in racing at Mount Druitt to attend. Fifty or sixty people turned up and the Australian Racing Drivers Club was formed. Larry Humphries was elected president, Arthur Hayes was elected secretary and the name was inspired by the British Racing Drivers Club. Arthur was given membership number one because he expressed the initial idea of a fairer deal for the drivers.
The ARDC ran their first meeting at Mount Druitt on Boxing Day in 1951. It was quite successful with races run strictly on time and about 3000 spectators attending. Races were run for closed cars, sports cars and racing cars. Spectator fences were placed at a safe distance from the track (no legislation in those days) and 44 gallon drums were used on the straight airstrip to introduce some curves.
Arthur took on the position of Clerk of the Course at ARDC meetings which were scheduled about six weeks apart. The ARDC was incorporated as a not for profit company in 1952.
After about six months president Larry Humphries resigned and Arthur was elected to replace him. Arthur was to serve the ARDC as president from 1953 to 1960.
The Royal Automobile Club was delegated by the FIA to run motor sport in Australia until the Confederation of Australian Motor Sport (CAMS) was formed in 1953. Ten or so NSW clubs formed the State Council and Arthur was elected its initial chairman – a position he occupied for seven years. Arthur was also the NSW delegate to the National Competition Council. He lobbied hard for advertising on racing cars but was not successful. CAMS did allow drivers names in small letters on the sides of cars, however. He was successful in agitating for compulsory seat belts and tough medical examinations.
When the Australian Sporting Car Club fell out with the Bathurst City Council and moved its race meetings to Gnoo Blas (Orange NSW) Arthur was at the forefront of negotiations to have the ARDC take over running races at Mount Panorama. The ARDC did so from 1954 to 1998. In 1954 Arthur was part of a joint committee from both the ARDC and the Blue Mountains Sporting Drivers Club which mapped out the circuit that was to become Catalina Park. Future world champion Jack Brabham was a fellow committeeman.
When Oscar Glasser drew up plans to build Amaroo Park circuit, hillclimb and short circuit he asked Arthur for comments. After a site inspection Arthur made a few suggestions which to his credit were adopted in the final design.
In 1960 Arthur resigned from the ARDC and the National Competition Council. He became a commercial pilot and moved to Bathurst for six months or so before accepting a two week job in Rockhampton. He stayed for 20 years.
Plans are in place to retire Arthur’s membership number so we can safely say there will never be another member number one. And that is how it should be.
– Brian Goulding
Strong Formula Ford Field Set for 50th Anniversary Celebration
A bumper field of 36 historic Formula Fords will line up to celebrate the 50th anniversary of international Formula Ford racing at the Sydney Classic Speed Festival, 10-11 June.
Formula Ford was conceived in England in 1967, and quickly evolved into a popular junior development category all over the world. It made its first appearance in Australia in 1969, and quickly earned a reputation as the primary stepping stone for young drivers aspiring to forge a professional career in motorsport.
The Sydney Classic Speed Festival has attracted an array of historic Formula Fords from Fa (pre-1978), Fb (1978-1983) and Fc (1984-1989) eras. All cars are powered by the venerable 1600cc Kent Ford motor, which was a mainstay of all Formula Ford competition up until 2006.
One of the most appealing aspects of Formula Ford was the ease and cost-effectiveness at which chassis builders could construct cars, and this was demonstrated in the variety of chassis that participated in Formula Ford races throughout the 1970s and ‘80s. Some chassis were imported, while some were locally-built, and a number of different brands will be represented at the Sydney Classic Speed Festival including:
- Hawke (England)
- Van Diemen (England)
- Lola (England)
- Reynard (England)
- Lotus (England)
- Hustler (Australia)
- Mawer (Australia)
- Elwyn (Australia)
- Elfin (Australia)
- Swift (Australia)
- Zink (USA)
The race meeting has also attracted a number of well-credentialed drivers from all over Australia including:
- Cameron Walters – 2015 Australian Formula Ford Kent Class Champion and NSW State Champion
- Geoff Walters – two-time Australian Formula Ford Championship runner-up and NSW State Champion
- Lyndon Arnell – Australian Formula Ford race winner
- Jonathan Miles – Victorian State Champion
Other front-runners are likely to include experienced racers Andrew McInnes, Mark Lowing and Andrew Nethercote.
The event will consist of qualifying and Race 1 on Saturday, and Races 2 and 3 on Sunday.
There will also be a commemorative dinner on the Saturday night of the event, with entertainment including footage of historic Formula Ford races, and Q and A sessions with past Australian Formula Ford Champions.
Formula Ford will be one of eight race categories featured through the weekend’s racing on June 11 – 12, amid a prestigious line-up of Formula 5000s, Historic Touring Cars, Heritage Touring Cars, Group S Production Sports Cars, Historic Sports Racing Cars, Holden HQs, Modern Regularity (-1992), and Formula Ford celebrating its 50th Anniversary.
There will be new and exciting race formats including scratch, handicap and also split-grid starts; and Car Club displays, and Sydney’s newest Concourse event, which should attract hundreds of the best display vehicles Sydney has ever seen!
For more information on the Sydney Classic Speedfest or to buy tickets in advance and save, head to speedfestival.com.au or call the ARDC on (02) 9672 1000.
TOURING CAR SHOOTOUT AT SYDNEY CLASSIC SPEEDFEST
The Heritage Touring Cars series is set to return to Sydney Motorsport Park this Queen’s Birthday long weekend, June 10-11, for the Sydney Classic Speed Festival, bringing with it a glorious collection of golden era muscle.
The Heritage Touring Cars entry list is stacked with iconic race cars, with historic Australian Touring Cars from Group C, contested between 1973 and 1984, and Group A, which ran from 1985 to ’92.
Sure to be leading the charge are a set of Group A’s technological marvels, including one of Nissan’s highly-developed Skyline GT-Rs and a pair of turbocharged Ford Sierra RS500s.
Tony Alford will be aboard the 1991 Sandown 500-winning GIO GT-R and working hard to fend off Carey McMahon, who’ll pilot the ex-Tony Longhurst 1990 Benson & Hedges Ford Sierra. This car was the last Sierra built by Frank Gardner, Jim Stone and the Benson & Hedges team and the only one built entirely at home in Australia.
The second Sierra will be driven by Terry Lawlor and is a legendary machine from Dick Johnson’s stable. The 1990 Shell Sierra is the last of six built by Dick Johnson Racing and competed in the Australian Touring Car Championship until 1992. It recently joined the Heritage Touring Cars series at Bathurst, where Chris Stillwell went three-for-three and set a new lap record.
Six Group A BMWs will compete over the weekend, including David Towe in the ex-Jim Richards/Tony Longhurst JPS BMW M3, Harri Jones in another ex-Jim Richards JPS M3 and Duncan MacKellar in an ex-Anthony Reid M3. Rick Allen’s ex-Tony Longhurst/Johnny Cecotto Benson & Hedges BMW M3 will return to the Heritage Touring Cars series after its debut earlier this year, while Kyle Alford will pilot one of the Mobil Team cars from Bathurst in 1998. David Harris will break out something a little different, competing in his Group A 325i.
David Gardner’s ex-Alf Barbagallo VN Commodore is an interesting car and one to watch. It is one of just a few VN Commodores that were built for Group A competition in Australia.
Fans of many-cylindered muscle should keep an eye out for Garry Willmington’s Jaguar XJ-S. The 5.3-litre V12 is something you need to hear opened up at full race pace!
On the other end of the cubic capacity spectrum will be the ex-Mark Skaife Gibson Motorsport Peter Jackson Nissan Gazzelle run by Brian Henderson and the Bob Holden Motors Toyota Corolla Sprinter of David Paterson.
The Sydney Classic Speed Festival will see the second outing of Craig Foster’s ex-Toyota Team Australia AE86 Toyota Corolla Coupe, after the pair dominated the class at Phillip Island earlier this year. This was the last factory-built Toyota Racing Development TTA AE86 to come across from Japan and it competed from 1986 through to 1989, when John Smith helped Toyota secure a manufacturer’s championship.
Dean How’s ex-Allan Grice/Jim Richards JPS Team BMW 635CSi will debut after 30 years off the track and will show the younger Group A BMWs a thing or two. One of three Group 2 635CSis that Werginz Motorsport in Austria built and raced in Europe, it was brought into Australia by Frank Gardner and Allan Grice. Grice competed in the ’81 James Hardie 1000 in the car and the following year it would be driven at Bathurst by Denny Hulme and Stephen Brook.
Keeping with the European theme, but moving to muscle from a Swedish marque, and you have the Volvo 242GT of Peter Woods. The car ran in the 1979 Hardie-Ferodo 1000, driven by Spencer Martin and David McKay.
And, finally, returning home for some classic Australian muscle, the weekend’s competition will see series-regular Frank Binding once again unleash the awesome Army Reserve XD Falcon Group C on Sydney Motorsport Park. The car was originally bought by Bob Muir, who built it up with running gear from an ex-Colin Bond Falcon XC Touring Car and ran it in 1980 and 1981.
Heritage Touring Cars will be one of eight race categories featured through the weekend’s racing on June 11 – 12, amid a prestigious line-up of Formula 5000s, Historic Touring Cars, Group S Production Sports Cars, Historic Sports Racing Cars, Holden HQs, Modern Regularity (-1992), and Formula Ford celebrating its 50th Anniversary.
There will be new and exciting race formats including scratch, handicap and also split-grid starts; and Car Club displays, and Sydney’s newest Concourse event, which should attract hundreds of the best display vehicles Sydney has ever seen!
Head over to www.heritagetouringcars.com.au for more from the Heritage Touring Cars series, or more information on the Sydney Classic Speedfest or to buy tickets in advance and save, head to speedfestival.com.au or call the ARDC on (02) 9672 1000.
DAVID VS GOLIATH AT SYDNEY CLASSIC SPEED FESTIVAL
From the halcyon days of Australian Motorsport come the legends of Group N: a category that began 35 years ago as an entry-level tin-top race category, and has evolved into a popular retro racing showcase of might versus lightness and handling against horsepower.
Set to star at Sydney Motorsport Park this Queen’s Birthday long weekend in the inaugural SYDNEY CLASSIC SPEED FESTIVAL, these Historic Touring Cars have always drawn a crowd, both for their close racing, and for the memories they inspire for enthusiasts and competitors alike.
Made all the more famous by racing legends such as Brock, Moffat, Johnson, Beechey, Geoghegan and Bond, nothing ensnares the senses like the cars once tacked to the walls of teenage bedrooms – and still hang from the garage and pool room walls today!
Makes and marques such as the Ford Falcon GT, Galaxie and Mustang, Chrysler Valiant, Holden Torana and EH, Chevrolet Camaro and Nova mix it up with the smaller but more nimble Mini Cooper S, Ford Cortina, Escort and Capri, Mazda RX2, Datsun 1600, and even the Jaguar Mk2 and BMW 2002, producing those ‘mini vs might’ battles that both spectators and drivers love.
The Group N Historic Touring Cars will be one of eight race categories featured through the weekend’s racing on June 11 – 12, amid a prestigious line-up of Formula 5000s, Heritage Touring Cars, Group S Production Sports Cars, Historic Sports Racing Cars, Holden HQs, Modern Regularity (-1992), and Formula Ford celebrating its 50th Anniversary.
There will be new and exciting race formats including scratch, handicap and also split-grid starts; and Car Club displays, and Sydney’s newest Concourse event, which should attract hundreds of the best display vehicles Sydney has ever seen!
For more information or to buy tickets in advance and save, head to speedfestival.com.au or call the ARDC on (02) 9672 1000.
24-hour fuel bowsers at SMSP!
VENUE RELEASE: 08 November 2016
RaceFuels is pleased to announce a new partnership with both Sydney Motorsport Park (SMSP) and the Australian Racing Drivers Club (ARDC).
RaceFuels has installed new bowsers and tanks at SMSP; seven nozzles in total will dispense fuels 24 hour per day with the assistance of a credit card reader. Account cards will also be issued to corporate users of the facility.
On demand will be the following fuels:
98 RON (high quality pump grade fuel)
RF100 Leaded Racing Fuel (Avgas)
E85 RaceBlend (Batch Testing E85 for racing)
RaceFuels will take over the responsibility for fuel supply at SMSP incorporating the corporate hire of the circuit as well as the historic race meetings, RaceFuels will continue to operate the Shannons Nationals and Supercar round as normal.
SMSP will be the first circuit in Australia to offer bowser supplied fuel at all hours via a card reader.
Race Fuels Queries: info@racefuels.com.au
Race Fules Sales: sales@racefuels.com.au
Event fuel order: fuelorder@racefuels.com.au