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Auckland Car Club’s
Monthly Magazine
Race, Rally, Clubsport & MORE
P O Box 27063, Mt Roskill, Auckland, New Zealand 1440
Phone: (09) 620-9797 Facsimile: (09) 620-5247 www.aucklandcarclub.org.nz
Note: All calls to the above numbers are to be BEFORE 9:00pm
President Bob White 833-8335 027-490-0548 [email protected]
Vice Presidents Nigel Smith 575-3044 021-377-280 [email protected]
Mark Sheehan 579-6611 021-112-9175 [email protected]
Secretary/Treasurer Craig Holmes 486-1970 021-889-488 [email protected]
Membership Secretary Peter Baten 838-8623 526-6535 [email protected]
Clubsport John Riddell 833-6972 027-477-9750 [email protected]
Race Nigel Smith 575-3044 021-377-280 [email protected]
Rally Dave Janes 846-0535 021-471-341 [email protected]
Chief Scrutineer Mark Sheehan 579-6611 021-112-9175 [email protected]
Club Rooms Hire Steve Morris 835-9515 021-278-9373 [email protected]
Committee Members
Mike Dias 416-6765 027-483-5550 [email protected]
William Yu 537-1308 021-585-218 [email protected]
Ross Henderson 815-5089 021-487-205 [email protected]
Gavin Boyne 413-8389 021-475-447 [email protected]
Alana McIsaac 0275157157 [email protected]
Motorsport New
Zealand Licence
Examiners
Bob White 833-8335 027-490-0548
Peter Borman 837-0488 021-442-700
Bob Friend 277-2157 021-446-631
Ted Jarvis 021-635-031
The Club thanks the following for their
support.
Club News Advertising Rates Single 12 Issues 12 Issues Issue Paid Monthly Paid in Advance
Quarter Page $50.00 $37.50 $371.25 Half Page $100.00 $75.00 $742.50 Full Page $200.00 $150.00 $1,485.00
Rates include display on the club’s website.
Contact [email protected] for further details.
Date Event Club Location
June 4-5 Rally (Tarmac) Club Targa Rotorua
June 11 Endurance Race Taupo Taupo Motorsport Park
June 16 Race Commodore Car Club Pukekohe
June 19 Race (Winter Series) Auckland Hampton Downs
June 25 Taranaki Tarmac Rally Taranaki Taranaki
July 3 Clubsport Challenge HRC Inc. & Auckland
Car Club Hampton Downs
July 10 Port Waikato Hillclimb Pukekohe Port Waikato Road
July 15 Race #2 (Winter Series) Auckland Pukekohe
July 24 Clubmans Race Taupo Taupo Motorsport Park
August 14 Race #3 (Winter Series) Auckland Hampton Downs
August 14 Rallysprint Pukekohe Kemp Road, Waiuku
August 20-21 Rally Hawkes Bay (NZRC Round 5) Hawkes Bay Hawkes Bay
August 21 Rallysprint Auckland Hampton Downs
September 10 Rally Gisborne Rally New Zealand Gisborne
September 11 Race #4 (Winter Series) Auckland Hampton Downs
September 24-25 Race Meeting HRC Inc. 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 - 021-278-9373 /(09) 835-9515 /[email protected]
This past year has been a very demanding one for the club in many ways, it has been a challenge for us with the
downturn in the finances due to a couple of abandoned race meetings, one due to the weather, the other a lack
of entries due to other events on the same day, this, added to the downturn of the economy in general.
As regards the racing side of the club, we have had some successes with the hard work undertaken by Nigel
Smith whose passion for racing is well known and due to his efforts we have established a working relationship
with both the Historic Racing Club spearheaded by long time club members Chris Watson and Tony Roberts and
the long term relationship with the Grand Prix Club that we have and this will continue into the future.
The one part of the club that has fallen down has been the Clubsport side; this has suffered from two things
that I can see, the first being that we do not have enough members on the committee to pursue this discipline
and as a result have to join up with others to give our members the opportunity to compete in hill climbs rally
sprints, and even the entry sport of motorkhanas, the other is venues,
Last year we ran our Rally sprint at Hampton downs with the able assistance of Hibiscus Coast Car Club working
with us on an equal share base it was refreshing to actually make a small profit..
Another project that we had was a stand at the Speed show which we shared with the Motosport Club, it was a
good result for both of us as we signed up several new members, and with the help of Natalie Waite and Debbie
Day built a data base for prospective marshals that was very encouraging, we shall undertake the same this year
with the same crew.
Last year it was hoped that the Commodore Car Club would play an important part in our organization with
their sprint/race series that they run so well being an entry level to racing, we found that there were some
problem arising from that and whilst we still have a close relationship with them they have decided to join
Motorsport NZ in their own right, but they will still be close to us using our clubrooms for meetings as required
and encouraging our members to take part.
Towards the end of last year the club was approached by a group who wanted to purchase the empty section
from us, the discussions went on into the new year, they had various options for us but they require us to give
unlimited access around the building so that they can have a one-way system around us, that was not practical,
but had us thinking about disposing of it, and this has carried on to the present years AGM.
As to the future, we had a survey done as to what you the members thought and the result was not so earth
shattering as some thought it would be.
We certainly have a full year ahead with the Joint Winter Series running, then onto the summer series so, if
racing is what you want there is plenty of opportunity to do so, and on offer also are the sprints run by the
Commodore Car Club, as previously mentioned.
It has been encouraging to see that the new early entry classes look like taking off, northern Honda, Classic
Japanese, and the newer ACE’s group. We shall be also working with Manukau Tech in providing events for the
group of cars they have their students build. All of which are able to run at our club meetings during the year.
So you will see that we need assistance especially in the area of officials, not necessarily flag-wavers, but in the
area of running and setting up the events in the days before and during, like assistant CoC ‘s and training up to
be B Grade CoC’s to run meetings eventually, also able to help plan other events that we undertake.
In closing I would like to thank Craig for the work done keeping the books straight, Nigel for the work he has
done for the racing side, Steve and Tracy who are always ready to help around the Club, and the rest of the
Team including Gary Raiti, Natalie Waite, and a special thanks to Alana McIsaac for her revamped news letter as
well as Peter Borman at Konica Minolta and Peter Batten for his unstinting service on the membership records.
Bob White
President Auckland Car Club
STOLEN CAR
Our race car was stolen late Friday night or early Saturday from our premises in Cartwright Road
Glen Eden. It is large tandem 7m long galvanised with a black plastic tool box across the front.
Long alloy ramps slide up under the tray.
Could you please advise members to keep an eye out for it...it would be difficult to hide.
Contact: Rod Pratt 0274 764734
This is a new race series that will be rolled out during 2011 – 2012. Read the information sheet
below and find out a little bit more!
Auckland Car Club Vice President Nigel Smith is helping to organise this so touch base with him if
you have any questions or use the contact details on the information sheet below.
Auckland Car Club / Historic Racing Club Winter series
A winter series will be run again this year although it will be organised by ACC and HRC. Series points and
awards will be made. This is intended to be a low key fun series and is ideal for those wanting to get some
more time on the track or who want to step up to racing in a less aggressive environment. Dates and
venues are (and they are all Sundays):
Garages can be rented at Hampton Downs by contacting the circuit directly. Details below.
Classes running are as follows:
Fast Saloons (Quicker than 1.08 at Pukekohe or 1.18 at Hampton Downs)
Sports Cars Slower Saloons
Honda Cup Single Seaters
If you have a bunch of mates with the same class of cars we are also able to run a sub race category for
you; but you would need 10 cars in the group.
Entries available at www.motorsportentry.com
and enquiries to [email protected] or
19 June Hampton Downs
17 July Pukekohe
14 August Hampton Downs
11 September Hampton Downs
Please note all cars will need a transponder fitted.
PRIZEGIVING
Will be held at the clubrooms on the:
21st July 2011 at 8.00pm.
A light supper will be provided for members who
attend and all of the trophies will be awarded to
those who have done well throughout the year.
Please attend as this will be a great night! Pop it
in your diaries now.
Direct all enquiries to Bob White
From the Production Muscle Car Racing Newsletter
2010/2011 Racing Season Results
First of all congratulations to the big three in the outright points!
Over All PMC 1st John Sampson Ford Capri 2nd Russell Thomas Ford Mustang 3rd Mike Oldham Ford Falcon Coupe
And to the winners of the other classes:
Six Cylinder Class 1st John Sampson Ford Capri 2nd Brittany Sheweiry Reliant Scimitar 3rd Warren Betts Valiant Charger
Performance Road 1st Russell Thomas Ford Mustang 2nd Stuart Preston Ford Mustang
Friends of Production
1st Glenn Allingham Chevrolet Camaro
2nd Glenn Gordon Chevrolet Camaro
Well done to all of you and many thanks to all of you who competed and or supported our class as
it is your efforts that keep this class alive.
It’s not just all about the racing either (we are competitors true) but a club spirit is always as
equally important and the thing that will keep people coming back!!! So for those of you that stay
behind at the end of the meetings and enjoy a drink, bbq and a bit of a chit chat many, many
thanks!!! As this is what makes us unique to the other clubs (we are always the last to leave a
venue it would seem) in our camaraderie.
I also would like to thank my fellow committee members Lance, Paul and Sandra for their effort
and support as it means a lot to me and to our club.
We have seen some new competitors such as John Sampson, Brittany Sheweiry, Mark Keily and
Glenn Allingham all of whom have done an outstanding job on the track. We also welcome back
the return of some old friends like Jason Cowan/Raiti, Glenn Gordon, Brett Parker and Ross
Golding with the occasional appearance of that elusive man from Hamilton; Stuart Preston.
I hope that we will see many more of you past members out there competing as I know many of
you have cars just sitting around gathering dust.
By the time you read this newsletter, the Annual General Meeting of the club will have been held and
a significant discussion would have taken place about where the club will be heading in the future.
Part of this will relate to whether the clubrooms and/or the section next door should be sold, but more
importantly it’s a chance for members to work out where they want their club to go.
I was very interested to read a report recently by the Hillary Commission on the future of sports clubs
in New Zealand and the change in demographics affecting sport. More people are playing sport
informally, ie not necessarily joining clubs. They see a consolidation of clubs both within a particular
sporting category and across categories as being the way of the future.
In Auckland there has been considerable talk about the clubs involved in motor sport working
together. We are not necessarily talking about them all combining, rather than working out who does
what and trying not to compete with each other.
While the amount of motor sport has increased in Auckland in the recent years, overall the levels of
participation haven’t matched the increased number of events. In simple terms it means there are
more race meetings and less people at them. Part of this is due to the general economic downturn but
is also part of the ongoing cycle where classes come and go and people move in and out of sport.
We have certainly witnessed this in Auckland and find ourselves now often running our race meetings
against other events on at whichever track we are not at. It is not unusual now for just about every
weekend to have events on at both Hampton Downs and at Pukekohe. This has meant that our ability
to draw what we would consider to be full fields has been restricted.
For the 2011/12 summer series we basically have two grids available each round. This is on top of the
normal regular classes that we have like muscle cars, classic Japanese and saloon car classes. We are
busy working with other classes to try to fill these grids. In the last season we offered some club sport
as an entry level alternative to get people used to our events and then hopefully to feel comfortable to
step up from club sport to race. The new aces class plus category (all cars 80seconds plus at
Pukekohe) is an attempt to also develop an entry level class for motor racing. While classic Japanese
does do this, it does have some restrictions around ages of cars. We have been working closely with
Manukau Tech out at Pukekohe and their race engineering program where they build race cars. They
have been building little Honda civics and Integras which can be bought for around $3,000 to $5,000 in
race ready form. These make ideal race cars with roll cage, seats and belts in place and even a spare
engine. They might not be the quickest car out there, but they certainly would get people out racing
at an affordable level.
So things constantly change. The club rooms will be part of this debate no doubt. Twenty years ago
the club rooms were the centre of the Auckland Car Club's activities, and apparently it was often so
busy that you couldn’t even get to the bar to buy a drink? People would spill over into the carpark
after a race meeting to have a beer and a catch up.
Today we are lucky if we get 10 people on a Thursday night. Most of those that come are only there to
get a licence to race as we have our licence examiners there each week. Is the club rooms really
necessary now for a motor racing club? This is something that the club needs to discuss. Obviously if
we could find decent tenants for upstairs and get a good return, then the situation would be a bit
different. But in recent years we have seen a drop in income from the club rooms of around $25,000
per annum and this has severely affected the club's operating surplus.
In running race events, we always aim to break even. We are not necessarily there to make a large
amount of money at a race so if we are not making money out of race, the club rooms are not making
money, and our membership is declining, you get the picture quickly that things are going to look
pretty bleak pretty quickly. It is for this reason that the club has looked at the need to sell the section
and also to consider whether the club rooms themselves are necessary. We are reluctant to put up
costs because that will further decrease the numbers of those participating or belonging to the club.
At the end of the day, its your club so we need you to be involved. If you aren’t going to use the club
rooms or they are not important to you in terms of your being a member of the club, we need to know
that as a committee.
As always, we are still looking for volunteers so keep your ear to the ground and any leads you get
please pass them on either to me or to one of the other committee members. This is again part of the
demographic change as people in the modern world get busier they are less likely to give their time as
volunteers. With more motor racing events, and fewer volunteers in the pool, let alone having
another circuit, again we are facing restrictions on our ability to run motor racing events. Your help is
necessary.
Finally, the winter series is upon us and again by the time you have read this the first round would
have been held. Auckland Car Club is taking initiative here and running the winter series as a joint
venture with the Historic Racing Club. This shows good business sense, and a practical approach by
both clubs to share resources and run events together. It is the way of the future.
As always, drive it like you stole it and we look forward to seeing you on the black stuff at the track
soon.
Nigel Smith
Auckland Car Club Vice President
This month videos include in car footage from my crash at Targa Rotorua, the V8 supercars official youtube
channel which includes a lot of V8 footage and a new world record in drifting!
Some in-car footage from our crash at Targa Rotorua (Yes that is
me in the silly seat!) Because of this crash I can now vouch for
the HANS device as I felt it work and my neck was absolutely
fine! http://www.vimeo.com/24666153
V8 Supercars Official YouTube channel – lots of good videos!
http://www.youtube.com/user/V8SupercarsOfficial
New World Record drift!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xBKGRBYpYIc
We are also now on Facebook! This is our only official Facebook page
so be sure to check us out! You are welcome to upload your own videos,
photos, race reports and so on here; we would love to see them. We
will also update the page as things happen so be sure to join us and
keep up to date with what is going on!
www.facebook.com/race.rally.clubsport
Hi Everyone,
Just a quick note to apologise for the lack of magazine last month and also for joining the June/July issues together.
Because it is so late in June I have combined these two together to give you a magazine.
There are several reasons why but being a student meant that I had a lot of assessments and exams to do, as well as
racing (and consequently crashing and hurting my tailbone which meant a lot of rest ha-ha). I have also suffered two
family bereavements which all takes its toll. I have also had some other health issues so time was simply not on my
side.
However, you will have an August issue on time full of new content so keep an eye out for that in early August. I still
need photographs from events so if you have any please email them to me on [email protected] or
upload them to our Facebook page www.facebook.com/race.rally.clubsport
Thanks for reading! Have fun racing!
Alana McIsaac
AUCKLAND CAR CLUB INC. P O Box 27063, Mt Roskill, Auckland 1440
Phone (09) 620-9797 Fax (09) 620-5247 www.aucklandcarclub.org.nz
APPLICATION FOR MEMBERSHIP
I, (First Names) (Surname) and (First Names—Spouse/Partner) (Surname—Spouse/Partner) of (Full Postal Address, Including Postal Code) 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 (Signature) (Signature—Spouse/Partner) Phone Phone Number Number Residence Business Phone Number Email Mobile Address Date of Occupation Birth Make and Model of Car Please indicate if you or one of your family or team is willing to help at events in one of these roles: Other car clubs of which you are a member (if any)
Ordinary full membership, single, including $15.00 joining fee $100.00 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 2012. GST Reg. 11-797-954 Name of Cardholder Signature * Please include Card Security Code. This is the 3 digit number appearing on the back of your credit card. Direct credits to account 01 0183 0055476 00 accepted. Please include your name in payment reference. Meeting Membership Date Card Approved Number 2010-10-15
