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ARDC President’s Report, November 2019

November 2019

Everyone now knows that there will soon be a Supercar team based at Sydney MotorSport Park! ARDC has been working closely with several parties for some time to make this ambition a reality. We are delighted that Australia’s largest city will again have a resident team in Australia’s most popular motor racing category. I know that the team is very pleased to be based not just at SMSP but in the heart of Western Sydney, amongst the fastest growing and most exciting locations in the country. There is a lot of work to be done finalising details and planning permanent facilities, but this is a major step toward developing SMSP as a key location for engineering innovation and education, as well as expanding the motor sport industry in NSW.

Last month I gave some information about the locations on the Sydney MotorSport Park circuit where serious injuries occur most frequently. I described a ‘serious injury’ as one requiring ambulance transport; this could have been more precisely defined as a ‘requiring ambulance transport to hospital’ i.e. away from SMSP. Any injury to a rider or driver is undesirable, but I hope it’s not surprising that the data we follow most closely is for the more serious injuries. ARDC will continue to develop that data and I will keep members informed. The more data points we collect, the better the information we have, but unfortunately every one of those data points mean someone has gone to hospital! It’s a bit of a conflict – we want to give you the best information, but it comes at a price. Warren Buffett says ‘price is what you pay, value is what you get’; we hope that proper use of this information will ultimately mean the value is greater than the price.

Two members wrote expressing their views about other parts of the circuit and we will be looking into the questions they have raised.

ARDC Director Denis Cribbin recently announced his decision to retire from the Board after lengthy service. I know that Denis will continue to keenly support our Club, but he believes it is important that we should continue to renew the talent on our Board and that it is time for him to step down. I have always enjoyed Denis’s contribution to our discussions and thank him for his service and thoughtful participation in the governance of ARDC.
Denis’s retirement created a casual vacancy for an Elected Director position and I am very pleased to announce that at its October meeting the ARDC Board appointed Rachelle Stirling to fill the casual vacancy. Members may not recognise this name, but Rachelle Wilson has been a Board Appointed Director since September 2017 and has made a considerable contribution to Board discussions and overall governance. Rachelle Wilson recently married Jeremy Stirling and has chosen to change her name, so Rachelle Wilson and Rachelle Stirling are the same person. Rachelle is particularly passionate about attracting and supporting women into motorsport. She has been a key initiator and Program Director of the Women’s Motorsport Development Program (http://www.wmdp.com.au/), which is supported by ARDC and NSWRRC, among others. Rachelle will serve the remainder of Denis’s term as an Elected Director and will stand for re-election in May 2021. She has been an ARDC Member since 2016.

This means there are now two Board Appointed Director vacancies, as Natalie Turmine and Rachelle have both been asked to fill casual Elected Director vacancies that have arisen this year. The Board has recently conducted a skills audit, to identify those areas where we would benefit from additional knowledge and expertise. The selection of new Board Appointed directors is a perfect opportunity for us to seek out people who can bring those desired skills to the Board.
So, if you have skills and experience in digital/social media, property development and construction, IT/cyber/privacy/data security or venue/facility management and you are interested in contributing to the governance of ARDC, please contact me at president@ardc.com.au . A passion for motorsport is obviously a mandatory requirement! Please do keep in mind that the Board’s role is not to manage the club but to take responsibility for oversight and governance of ARDC.

See you at SMSP,

Cheers,

Andrew

ARDC President’s Report, October 2019

This morning I attended the Australian Institute of Company Directors annual Essential Directors’ Update. [I hear thousands of responses already…….”BORING!”]

Well, it may not seem immediately relevant or interesting with respect to motorsport, but high standards of governance are an essential requirement for ARDC’s ongoing occupation and management of Sydney Motorsport Park.  As I have said in this column before, we are responsible for a premium tax-payer asset, and we need to deliver excellence in our operations.  A key area of focus in the 2019 Directors’ Update was on non-financial risk.  All competently-run organisations have a high level of sensitivity to financial risk, but in recent years there has been increased focus on non-financial risk areas, such as conduct risk or operational risk.

ARDC is the same: while we are very sensitive to correct financial management, we spend plenty of time focusing on areas of risk that are not primarily financial in nature but can ultimately impact on our financial position and potentially reputation.

A key example is the ‘serious incident heat-map’ that we have been developing this year to provide a better understanding of the high-risk points at Sydney Motorsport Park.  Generally, we are confident that our management of on-track risks is as strong as possible, allowing of course that motorsport is dangerous. But serious injuries (i.e. requiring ambulance transport) still do occur and anything we can do to improve our risk mitigation, while not impinging on the nature and enjoyment of motorsport, must be considered.

So, at this point here is some information for our competitors:

  1. Four wheels are safer than two. [doh!] Our heat-map for 2019 shows 8 serious incidents involving cars (to the end of August) and 21 involving motorbikes. That’s just the raw data and isn’t adjusted for the fact that there are many more events for cars than for bikes.
  2. For cars, so far this year, the most likely place for a serious incident is at the start.
  3. For bikes, entry to Turn 1 is most likely, closely followed by entry to Turn 15 and exit from Turn 2.
  4. Turns 4 and 6 have not seen a serious incident at all this year, on two or four wheels.

I know we are all diligent in our preparation (of car/bike and driver/rider) and no-one goes on to the track anticipating an incident, but every little bit of information helps.  And, before anyone suggests I am disparaging bike riders: not so – they are far more heroic than me in my steel cage –  but the statistics say what they say!  We will continue to collate this data and I’ll provide another update in a year or so.

World Time Attack is just around the corner on 18/19 October featuring the new Brabham BT-62 to add to the enormously competitive and exciting entry list. See you there!

Andrew Leithhead
President
president@ardc.com.au

 

ARDC President’s Report, September 2019

What a BLAST!

The 2019 Paynter Dixon ARDC MasterBlast on Father’s Day weekend was a fantastic celebration of motorsport.  We were blessed with great weather on race weekend (even if it was a bit dodgy for private practice on the Friday) and plenty of people gathered up family and friends to come along.

There were over 280 entries and all categories enjoyed great racing with relatively few on-track dramas. I wonder when was the last time that a race meeting included both car and motorcycle racing, 4 different starting procedures – standing, handicap, rolling and ‘Le Mans’ – plus two different circuit configurations, plus night racing? On top of that was the usual open and friendly nature of the paddock area with many competitors chatting with spectators and visitors about their cars and the racing. It really was a great weekend all around, so mark your diaries for Father’s Day next year!

It is always useful to receive constructive feedback after a race weekend to help us continue to improve events at Sydney MotorSport Park.  Competitors will receive the usual invitation to respond to an online survey and I encourage Members who came along to provide comments in the short SPECTATOR SURVEY.

We are optimistic that by this time next year the permanent circuit lighting will be fully operational and some of the challenges posed by temporary lighting will therefore be resolved. A number of categories have already confirmed their interest in participating again in next year, so we will be working to firm up the program as the 2020 calendar develops over the next few months.

The next high profile event at SMSP will be World Time Attack on 18/19 October, but in the meantime don’t forget usual activities such as the monthly ‘Night Drive’ for Learners (soon to be more twilight than night when daylight saving starts again), plus driver training with Driving Solutions, V8 experiences with Fastrack, rider training with MotoDNA, ride days, track days, icu=ycle racing – surely there is something for everyone!

See you at SMSP,

Andrew Leithhead
President
president@ardc.com.au

ARDC President’s Report, August 2019

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As I write there are only 30 days to go until the 2019 Paynter Dixon Sydney MasterBlast featuring Muscle Car Masters, to be held on Father’s Day weekend.

The traditional Muscle Car Masters format has seen declining support in recent years, not helped by having to move the date away from Father’s Day to accommodate various category racing calendars.  This year will see a new package of the traditional mixed with some new ideas, in response to feedback from competitors and spectators.  In all likelihood not every special interest group will have all their preferences satisfied, but we believe the overall new package will present an exciting weekend of racing that showcases Australian motorsport heritage with some new attractions and angles.  Categories this year include Touring Car Masters (TCM), Heritage Touring Cars (Group C & A), Historic Touring Cars (Nb/Nc), National Sports Sedans, and Historic Sports Cars (Group S), plus Production Touring, Superkarts, and on the Sunday, Motorbike racing including a fantastic Le Mans start. On Saturday night there will be racing under lights for TCM, Group N, Group C and A, and Production Touring on the Druitt (North) Circuit!

More immediately, the next round of the 2019 State Motor Racing Championships is on this weekend (3rd & 4th August) and there is another strong entry list.  It is often said that some of the closest and most exciting racing is seen in ‘grass roots’ racing at State Championship events; the drivers and teams might not be big dollar professionals, but the standards of car preparation, pit crew support and driving skills are of the highest order.

Other upcoming events include the annual Council of Motor Clubs Shannons Classic display day, on Sunday 18th August.  There will be over 1900 cars motorbikes and other vehicles on display and parading on the circuit over the course of the day.

You might also want to note in your diary the 2019 World Time Attack (WTAC), to be held on October 18th & 19th (yes, Friday and Saturday). In addition to the ‘normal’ engineering masterpieces that are presented for the ultimate one-lap screamer competition, the big feature this year will be the latest in the Brabham line, the BT-62.  Many of you will have seen this car reviewed on Top Gear and/or the YouTube video of the record-breaking lap at Mt Panorama, and at the very least the idea of another sensational car with this famous name, built in Australia, should be more than enough to bring you along.  I’m sure there will be great interest in seeing if the BT-62 can threaten the times recorded by Mark Webber in 2013 (1:13.6) and Daniel Ricciardo in 2014 (1:11.23), both in the Red Bull RB7.

Members will recall that earlier this year long-serving ARDC Director Neil Turner retired from our Board, and that Neil and his wife Ronda were elected Life Members of the ARDC at our Annual General Meeting in May.  Neil’s retirement created a casual vacancy for an Elected Director position and I am very pleased to announce that at its July meeting the ARDC Board appointed Natalie Turmine to fill the casual vacancy. Natalie has been a Board Appointed Director since September 2017 and makes a considerable contribution to Board discussions and overall governance.  Nat is a Competitor Member for both cars and motorcycles, and is a keen participant on both 2 and 4 wheels.  Nat will serve the remainder of Neil’s term as an Elected Director, and will stand for re-election in May 2020.  The Board has begun considering the opportunity to fill Natalie’s previous position as an Appointed Director and I expect to keep members informed of progress.

Andrew Leithhead
President
president@ardc.com.au

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Event Wrap – NSW Motor Race Championships Round 3

A good field of 195 competitors enjoyed the first day of Round Three of the NSW Motor Race Championships under warm clear blue skies on Saturday June 21st. Early morning racing on Sunday however was thrown a curve ball with showers and a wet and slippery track with which to contend.
With both practice and qualifying sessions conducted on Friday and Saturday in fine conditions, and cars and drivers seemingly sorted and ready for more of the same for Sunday, it was unsettling for many to rethink the slicks and some didn’t have a backup plan.

First to face the slippery conditions were the Superkarts. With their amazing power to weight ratio on some parts of the track it became like a “ballet on ice”. Fortunately apart from some spins, no-one saw gravel time. Results were dominated by Anton Stevens (ART-PVP) with two race wins and a second, followed by Mark Robin ( Stockman MR125) with one race win and three thirds.

Improved Production O2L saw Graeme Watts continue his dominance of this category with three straight race wins. Looking extremely confident on track, Graeme clocked the fastest lap time in the class with a 1:41.71. Steve Devjak (Commodore) was consistently less than a second behind and scooped three second placings. Joe Lenthall (Mazda RX7) had a good campaign gaining valuable points with two third place finishes. Joes new red and white graphic designed livery goes really well with the spectacular metre and a half of flame he had shooting out of his exhaust late on Saturday afternoon. Unfortunately this weekend John McKenzies’ regular podium finishes in this class came to a temporary end with a smokey exit from race two. John said: ”The smoke looked like it was being caused by oil leaking into a valve stem. “ He commented that it was time for an engine overhaul anyway.

Formula Vee featured a big field of 35 racers who were also racing for positional points in the Clemenger International Freight Australian Series. This categories results was on a knifes edge, as the lead was swapped regularly and the final race placings were evenly distributed across Michael Kinsella ( Jacer F2K10) with a first and second, Dylan Thomas with a first and a third, and Tim Brook (Jacer F2K4) with a first, second and a third.

While David Crighton enjoyed two race victories in Improved Production U2L , Graeme Cox settled for second and third placings. Bob Jowett was only a half second behind Crighton in race one, however Bob’s luck ran out in race two as he over cooked it into turn one and impacted heavily into a tire wall. That same tyre wall was responsible for the front end damage to Danny Castro’s Silvia S13, and it was last seen sitting sadly crumpled next to Bob Jowetts Honda Civic in the recovery yard.

With one and a half seconds out front of the field in race one and two Birol Cetins’ Yellow Camaro purred along consistently. However today, only two race wins for Birol, as he was forced to exit early in race three after what appeared to be an unfortunate accident with Steve Lacey. Steve has been having the worst luck lately with his (also) Yellow Camaro, as he has suffered steering failure in his last three outings. I spoke to Steve prior to race three and he was upbeat in his belief that he had solved the steering issue.

Unfortunately in race three Steve got only as far as turn two before his left front tyre, listing at an awkward angle under the wheel arch, uncooperatively dragged his big machine into the grassy verge on driver’s left in a pall of scraping tyre smoke.

– Words and pictures by Rob Annesley
look@shotbyrob.com.au.