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Event Wrap: 2015 CAMS Supersprint Round 5

Round 5 of the CAMS Supersprint  run on August 9th at Sydney Motorsport Park was a very cold affair. Even when the temps started to climb, a chilly breeze kept the jackets and beanies on and engines and tyres took longer to attain optimum driving temperatures.

One hundred and twenty-one competitors took to the track and were rewarded with five sessions on track and it was great to see some new cars come along and enjoy the fun.

But wait! Do my eyes deceive me? Is that Robert Kolimackovski? Yes…after a two year hiatus our former back to back State Champion has returned bringing his mothballed Walkinshaw Commodore back to join us in Supersprint. Family commitments have kept him away and when asked how he felt about being back he said: “I am so excited. My whole family is coming out this morning to see me.“

Recuperating from heart surgery last year, Kerry Redfern (President of Manly-Warringah Car Club) has now had final word from his doctor that he will unfortunately not be allowed to return to competitive motorsport. This has come as a real blow to him, as he had spent 16 months with longtime “sprinter” Bob Muir in building their joint project, a pristine red Honda Civic, and he has never had an opportunity to drive it in a competitive environment. Kerry said “…I’ll still be part of supersprint and our car club, and I guess I’ll have to be content with the convivial and spirited friendly torment that my car club mates heap upon me.”

Carl Seaver’s Datsun 240Z transformed from its “desert dueller” outback dust buster mode and took on a more streamlined look for black top racing. Carl is an avid supporter of the Royal Flying Doctor Outback Car Trek, a trek that covers 6000kms over 12 days and raises over $1.4mil for charity. Today his car was stripped of its bull bar and full undercar stone tray and dirt tyres as these were replaced by officially sanctioned track equipment. Once Carl renewed his fire extinguisher he was given the thumbs up by our great group of official scrutineers to proceed on track.

Alan Nolan brought his Nola Chev 5Ltr out for a run around. Not a usual supersprinter, Alan has recently brought the big Formula 5000 out of retirement after 13 years, and is using every opportunity to prepare it for the Spring HSRCA meeting at Wakefield in September.

In racing, Andrie Tan was the fastest car of the day when he turned the tables on his arch rival Marek Tomaszewski and took back his Type 5 record with an amazing time of 1.25.628 in his Radical Supersport. Not to be outdone completely, Marek also put in a Class 5C record beating run of 1.25.705 in his Stohr, just under 8 hundredths of a second behind Andrie. Jason Wright was the fastest closed wheeler of the day in his green WRX Time Attack car, which he calls The Hulk, with a time of 1.32.141.

There were only two other records broken yesterday. Preston Peiris took back the Class 1C Record in his Mazda MPS3 from Michael Miller, which was only set at the last round, with a fabulous Type 1 time of 1.52.557 while Craig Donnell broke his own Class 2D Record in his supercharged Holden Clubsport with a time of 1.44.519.

The MX5 Club took out the Club Championship honours yesterday scoring 546 points, which brings their overall tally up to 2,937 points putting them well ahead of ARDC who are running second with 2,007 points. The HSV/HDT Owners Club are firmly holding 3rd place down with 1,236 points.

Text and photographs by Rob Annesley
www.shotbyrob.com.au

Thanks to Bob Welsh for his contribution of statistics.

 

NSW Motor Race Championships Round 4

The mid-winter round of the NSW Motor Race Championships for 2015 arrived back at Sydney Motorsport Park in direct contrast to the bleak, freezing conditions the state has been beset by over recent weeks. The weekend brought forth predominately sunshine-filled days and much warmer temperatures; ideal conditions for drivers comfort. Only around 160 entries came out for the weekend however, with the Production Sports category headlining the weekends event schedule with a one-hour , two driver enduro race. In fairness, some of the regular state competitors were otherwise engaged assisting in this major event.

The Production Sport enduro brought out some glamourous metal. No less than four Audi R8 LMS vehicles with their coloured headlights beaming their no-nonsense “get-out-of-my-way” message, mixing it with a large cadre of Porsche GT3 Cup smartly liveried beasts loudly purring in amongst the vast field. Rounding out the eye-candy were a Gallardo, GT40, E-type Jag, Elise/Exige’s, Monaro, MX-5 and a Commodore. The day surely went to Andrew McPherson (Porsche GT3R) who started second on the grid after qualifying. Constantly pushing Rod Salmon’s Audi Andrew’s team took race one as well as the enduro, with his co-driver Brad Shiels winning the second “driver B” race. Clean sweep! Rod Salmon and Neale Muston placed second and third respectively.

Listed as a competitor in the program, perennial “owner” of this category second places this year, Birol Cetin did not line up for racing this weekend. This allowed Steve Lacey to take a lock on one notch up the podium from his usual third spot. Grant Doulman did what he does best, and stayed out front for all three races with as much as a one minute lead during race two. Chris Jackson and Anthony Macready split the third places.

Formula Vee gave us all a bit of a nervous time. Race one had only just begun when six cars got all tangled up at turn two ( where else) leaving fibreglass debris of nose cones and torn away bits of race car on the track. This caused a 40 minute delay as CXC racing identity Matthew Bode (Stinger 010) was cut free from his car after a heavy t-boning of Gary Hook ( Jacer F2K4). Amazingly Hook’s car was driveable and went on to compete in the following races. As a precaution Bode was very gingerly extricated and fortunately whilst not taking part in any further racing, was walking around the pits the following day. Recovery was very busy with the Manitou, a tow truck and a flatbed all needed to clean up the tangled mess of non-working vehicles after the incident. Race one was ultimately abandoned. Dylan Thomas (CXC Racing) and Michael Kinsella (KE Power) shared the remaining race wins, whilst Tim Brook converted an ordinary qualifying result, starting from tenth on the grid, to finish race one and two with a couple of second place podiums. Ever-consistent Simon Pace rounded out the placings with a pair of thirds. Simon’s son Aaron is a debutante this year, under his dad’s watchful and encouraging eye. Aaron is showing excellent signs of talent after a short time in competition. Starting eighth after qualifying Aaron finished with a fifth and sixth place.

Improved Prod O2L is all in the hands of Graham Watts. From early Saturday morning through to Sunday afternoon, his smooth driving style and excellently prepared Nissan Silvia purrs out the front of this category. Consistently lapping at 1:40/41’s, Graham kept a 30sec advantage on the field. Closest to him all day was John McKenzie, but in doing so John flaunted the new rules that prohibits drivers from drifting wide on turns like #5 and #15. If all four wheels cross the yellow lines, then a time penalty is awarded for each time this occurs. This has been judged to give a driver a “slingshot” advantage over other drivers. Whilst McKenzie got within 15sec of Watts, it came at a cost of 60sec’s worth of penalties. Paul White ( Mazda RX7) finished with a second and third place, sharing that distinction with Michael Posa ( RX3) in the reverse order.

Jason Grimmond from Queensland experienced SMSP for the first time, coming to Sydney combining a family holiday with getting some mid year track time. Jason said when asked what brought him to Sydney for this event ”…there are long gaps between events in Qld mid year, and I’m working on a new suspension setup, so this event gives me a chance to put some new thoughts into action.” He also commented that “….this is a big track. The corners are huge. Just when you think you through them, they keep on going.” Sam Maio was wanting to work on his understeer problem on Saturday evening, but this was put on the backburner as he ended up spending much of the night rebuilding his gearbox after problems on Saturday. He was back in his garage very early on Sunday morning tinkering with his setup to correct the understeer.

The NSW Motor Race Championships return to SMSP on Sept 26/27th.

Words and pics by Rob Annesley
www.shotbyrob.com.au

Turbo Pass for SMSP as part of Blacktown City Council’s Ratepayer Rewards

OFFICIAL RELEASE: Speedy payment of Blacktown City Council rates could win a lucky ratepayer a speedy experience.

The major prize in this year’s Council’s Ratepayers’ Reward Program is a high speed driving experience at Sydney Motorsport Park, Eastern Creek.

“The entire ratepayer rewards package is spectacular, and includes some pretty exciting and entertaining prizes,” said the Mayor of Blacktown City, Councillor Stephen Bali.

“This year’s rates will be spent to bring some compassion back to council, as well as bringing down our maintenance backlog and providing the standard services that ratepayers expect.

“Once Council budgets primarily focused on roads and rubbish, but the community expects – rightly – that we should do more than this as well as give something back.

“This year’s budget has a series of provisions that make life a little easier for pensioners and facilities that faced closure some time ago are being continued as a result of strong ratepayer demand.

“Council has listened, learnt and acted,” Mayor Bali said.

To be eligible to go into the draw for prizes, Blacktown ratepayers must pay their rates in full by 31 August, 2015 and the winners are chosen by random selection.

The prizes will be awarded in September, with first prize being a Sydney Motorsport Park Turbo Pass valued at over $3,600! The 12 months of truly exhilarating SMSP Motorsport experiences includes a V8 Race “Drive and Ride” Experience for two, a two lap “2-Up” SMPSP Motorcycle Ride experience for two, a six lap drive in the SMSP Ferrari F430, six adult ARDC Enthusiast Annual Memberships and a Drive Aware – stage 1 course for a family of four.

Terms & Conditions. All “SMSP TURBO PASS” prize components must be claimed & used within 12 months of the prize draw or will lapse. Various dates & times for each motorsport experience will be provided but are strictly subject to track availabilities and the relevant terms and conditions of each individual provider which may or may not include age or other restrictions for motorsport participants. Total prize value $3655 based on RRP as at May 2015. Approximate breakdowns + Two (2) x Fastrack V8 Race “Drive and Ride” Experiences @ $890 + One (1) 6 Lap SMSP Ferrari F430 Drive & Ride @ $895 + Family Drive Aware – Stage 1 Course for 2 adults & 2 children with licences) @ $1000 total + Two (2)x SMSP Ride Days 2 Lap “2-Up” SMSP Motorcycle Ride experience @ $360 value + Six (6) Adult ARDC Enthusiast Annual Memberships @ $85 ea or $510 total). Prizes are not redeemable for cash. Prizes may be transferable to friends/family of the prize winner under the same general Terms & Conditions subject to ARDC approval.

LIVE STREAM: Australasian Superbike Championship

Check out our live stream coverage of round 3 of the Swann Insurance Australasian Superbike Championship at Sydney Motorsport Park this weekend.

The live coverage includes Sunday’s racing, which commences at 9:40am, plus a one hour Friday evening live panel show  and an exciting announcement on the series’ future from 6:00pm to 7:00pm.

CAMS SUPERSPRINT RD 3 JUNE 14, 2015

Supersprinters are a tough bunch, as was evident on Sunday June 14th, when 110 hardy souls braved the winter 5 degree early foggy chill to pull on race suits and strap on helmets with the idea of bettering their previous personal best times around the Sydney Motorsport Park North (Druitt) circuit. Great to see a bunch of new faces/cars that came out to experience the fun that supersprinting provides. This round was sponsored by the NSW Road Race Club.

There must have been something in the clear crisp winter air that both drivers and cars enjoyed, because when the final results for the day were tallied, records tumbled with PB’s exceeded in almost all categories. Some records were absolutely smashed by both new individuals, as well as incumbent record holders. Of note, Andrie Tan just gets smoother and smoother as he becomes one with his car, taking a further second off his already superb sub one minute Class 4D time to record a 0:57.584 lap, making him the fastest person on the track on the day. Richard Perini also took more than half a second off his own Class 4C record in his beautifully presented Porsche RSR with a 0:63.946.

Jason O’Meara (Honda Civic) in Class 3C broke the previous record of Rob Neal set last year by a further 0:16 seconds. Jason is the current record holder in three different classes, 2A, 3A and now 3C. He is one of only two drivers to currently hold more than one class record at SMSP Druitt and the only one to hold three records at one time. For those who are wondering what is Jasons’ competitive edge, it may have to do with his new paint job.
Anecdotally, Chris Muir, fellow Manly-Warringah club teammate, joked with Jason prior to racing on Sunday suggesting that Jason would likely be careful to keep away from other cars so as to not get his paint work scratched. You were correct Chris, he did… by driving quickly and staying right out the front of the pack. Chris also had a spectacular drive in Class 4B shattering the Ed Corey-held record by a massive three and a half seconds with a very impressive time of 1:12.737. Chris is the other multiple record-holder with both the 4A and 4B records. Ed Corey was also driving well, breaking his own record, but was unable to match it with Chris on the day.

Anthony Crott finally unveiled his new turbo MX-5 with updated livery. Featuring a silver grey base with orange and lime green striping, it is quite spectacular out on track. Willem Fercher had mixed fortunes with a fastest lap in category before a loud bang and huge puff of smoke saw his weekend end on the back of a flat top.

RECORDS
Class Records were broken in every Type with the exception of Type SV where all class records remained intact. All in all, 9 class records were broken.

Class 1C – Preston Peiris broke his own record set last year by just over a quarter of a second with a time of 1.17.307 in his Mazda MPS3.

Class 2D – Craig Donnell also broke his own record by just over a half a second in his supercharged Holden Clubsport with a time of 1.10.966.

Class 5C – Marek Tomaszewski. who also gets faster and faster, knocked a massive 2.848 seconds off his own record in his Stohr WFI with a sub one minute time of 58.854. Apart from Andrie in the Radical, Marek was the only other sub one minute performer on the day.

Class 5D – Andrie Tan broke his own Class 5D Record in his Radical Supersport with a time of 57.584.

Class 6A – Tony King shaved just under a quarter of a second of Samuel Hollier’s two year old Class 6A record in his Mazda MX5 with a time of 1.16.269

Class 6C – Troy Fraser reduced Jonathon McKinnon’s 2103 record by 1.598 seconds in his Nissan 200SX with a time of 1.07.269

CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP
The Mazda MX5 Club is surging away in the Club Championship scoring a massive 508 points on the day. They have now amassed a total of 1,859 Club Championship points and they are 765 points in front of the current second place ADRC, who have now a total of 1,084 points. The HSV/HDT Club is a further 338 points back with a total of 746 points. MX5 club have a handy lead, however with five rounds to go, the other clubs with an enormous effort, could still get their hands on the club trophy.

Thanks to Bruce Welsh for his in-depth statistics.

Words and pics by Rob Annesley
www.shotbyrob.com.au