March 2020 President’S Report
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Southern District Motorsports Association, PO Box 1484, QUEANBEYAN NSW 2620 Email: [email protected] March 2020 President’s Report After a delayed start to the year, scrutineers, event secretaries, clerks of course, flag SDMA events are off and running marshals, fire and recovery marshals and general again. The decision to cancel the event officials. Over the next few months we will be 2 February Hillclimb was regrettable attempting to arrange CAMS training for officials but was absolutely the right call. The (similar to the scrutineering and fire and recovery risk of running an event on a day training which was conducted last year). Can I urge when the ACT Government had as many members as possible to take part in the declared a State of Emergency to training and be available to help on event days. ensure that firefighting resources could be concentrated on danger The more people we have willing to help means the areas was simply too great. The load is shared. More importantly it means we have potential for serious harm to competitors, officials proper back up so that we should never be in the and spectators meant the committee had no choice position of having to cancel an event on the day - but to cancel. It was only the second time an SDMA which would be very inconvenient, expensive and event has been cancelled beforehand: the other time embarrassing for all concerned - because we don’t was the day after the January 2003 bushfires which have enough officials. destroyed 450 houses in Canberra. Being old and unreconstructed, I’ve used the term Fortunately, the ACT Environment Protection Authority CAMS in the previous paragraphs. I should now be has reinstated the noise credit for 2 February so we will saying Motorsport Australia, or MA, which is the way be able to run a replacement event. The club CAMS has marketed itself from 1 January this year. committee meets this Tuesday (10 March) so I hope But both terms are still being used - and will be for a we will be able to publicise the details soon after. long time – because they are one and the same organisation. One of the club’s priorities for 2020 is increasing the number of members who are able (and willing!) to be Our next event is the HeartKids Hillclimb on 5 April, officials at events. As you can read in the report of the which is always a great day. If you haven’t already 1 March Hillclimb in this edition of Over the Hill, a entered you’re probably too late as the event was large number of people are needed to run a single fully subscribed within a day or so of entries opening. event. If you can’t compete, please come out to support HeartKids, which is a wonderful organisation doing Over a full year, we need even more people who are remarkable work, and to watch what promises to be both qualified and experienced. The club can’t keep a good day of two lap competition. SDMA provides relying on the same willing workers. It has to be able the track and officials for HeartKids each year, as the to give them the chance to compete or spectate or club’s community service commitment to help meet other family commitments on Hillclimb days if fundraise for such a great cause. they wish to. Put simply, we need more people to be prepared to get CAMS endorsement to be John Templeton 1 CHANGE TO SDMA COMMITTEE MEETING DATE The Club Committee has changed its meeting date. From February, the committee will meet on the SECOND Tuesday of each month, still at the 7.30 pm at the Canberra Southern Cross Club in Woden. Previously it met on the first Tuesday of the month at the same time and venue. Pitstop Cafe: We don’t sell ‘virtual’ sausage sandwiches, so please pay CASH!! The Pit Stop café is the hub of the track. Since time immemorial (well since 2001 actually) everyone who’s anyone has lined up to buy sausage sandwiches, egg and bacon rolls, coffee and life’s other essentials (i.e. Freddo frogs). And they’ve paid CASH. Yes, good old coins and notes. That cash has helped the club improve facilities and resurface the track, so it’s been very worthwhile. Because the Pit Stop is run by volunteers (extremely dedicated volunteers) and we only operate 9 or 10 times a year, the Pit Stop will continue to be CASH ONLY. The cost of introducing PayWave and similar technology is not justified by the scale of our operation and the time involved in processing and reconciling bank transfers for two sausage sandwiches and two Cokes can’t be justified either. So can everyone please remember that the Pit Stop is a CASH ONLY operation, so bring coins and small notes with you (and no $50 notes early in the morning please!!). 2 FRONTAL HEAD RESTRAINTS (FHRs), ALSO KNOWN AS HANS (Head and Neck Support) devices From the beginning of 2020, CAMS require drivers of cars that have a CAMS logbook to use a Frontal Head Restraint (FHR) when competing in Speed Events (which includes hill climbs). The new rules apply only to cars which have CAMS log books and then only to those cars which are equipped to accept them. The new rule does not apply to road registered cars or to cars which do not have CAMS log books, meaning it doesn’t affect most of the cars that compete in our events. The rationale for the new rule is safety, given that FHRs are now used in most other forms of motorsport and that they provide a significant safety improvement. The new rules are explained in detail on the CAMS website. HILLCLIMB REMINDERS A few reminders for hillclimb competitors: ▪ Frontal Head Restraints (FHRs). If your car has a CAMS log book and you present the log book at scrutineering, you must have and use a CAMS compliant FHR, previously known as a HANS device. This rule came into effect on 1 January this year. There is no requirement to have or use a FHR if you are competing in a road registered car or an unregistered vehicle which does not have a CAMS log book. The CAMS rationale for the new rule is safety, given that FHRs are now required in most other forms of motorsport. ▪ Fire safety. When vehicles are being refuelled in the pits, please exercise extreme care. The whole pit area is a no smoking zone at all times and even without the tragic bushfire season which Australia has experienced, we all have to be very mindful of potential fire hazards. ▪ Refreshments at the presentations. The club will, as usual, provide light refreshments (beer, wine, cheese and bikkies) at the presentations after the competition runs. Everyone is very welcome to stay and relax with opponents and friends (sometimes they are one and the same) and to wind down after a serious day’s fun. 3 Amended 2020 Calendar Events Track Maintenance Notes Committee meeting: Tuesday 10 March March CANBERRA DAY: Monday 9 March April Committee meeting: Tuesday 14 April SUNDAY 05 APRIL Saturday 04 April EASTER: Friday 10 April to Monday 13 April (HeartKids – two laps) ANZAC DAY: Saturday 25 April May Committee meeting: Tuesday 12 May Saturday 02 May SUNDAY 3 MAY (One lap) MOTHERS’ DAY: Sunday 10 May Committee meeting: Tuesday 09 June June Saturday 6 June RECONCILIATION DAY: Monday 01 June SUNDAY 7 JUNE (Two laps) QUEEN’S B’DAY: Monday 8 June July Committee meeting: Tuesday 14 July NO EVENT August Saturday 8 August Committee meeting: Tuesday 11 August SUNDAY 9 AUGUST (One lap) September Committee meeting: Tuesday 08 Sept Saturday 12 September SUNDAY 13 SEPTEMBER (One lap) FATHERS’ DAY: Sunday 6 Sept October Friday 02 October Round 8: NSW Hill Climb Championship Saturday 03 October SATURDAY 03 OCTOBER Committee meeting: Tuesday 13 October (Practice:Noon-4.00) SUNDAY 04 OCTOBER BATHURST 1000: Thursday 08 Oct to (Competition) Sunday 11 Oct Club Hill Climb Saturday 17 October SUNDAY 18 OCTOBER (Two laps) November Committee meeting: Tuesday 10 Saturday 07 Nov SUNDAY 08 NOV (One lap) November December Committee meeting: Tuesday 08 SUNDAY 13 DECEMBER December Christmas Party The SDMA 2020 calendar has been amended from the version released in November last year. We had to change because the ACT Government’s noise rules mean that the Fairbairn Park clubs have to coordinate events to make best use of the 18 ‘noise credits’ allocated to Fairbairn Park each calendar year. One club could not get approval from its national body for a previously agreed date. 4 Club Hillclimb Report – Sunday 1 March Finally… we were able to start hillcimbing again. The cancellation of the February event because of the bushfire State of Emergency gave the club it’s latest-ever start to a year, but the March event was a great way to start a successful 2020 for SDMA. Thanks to everyone for entering and making the event as enjoyable as it was. 54 competitors lined up in a varied collection of vehicles on a lovely Canberra autumn day. We welcomed three new club members – and welcomed back members who hadn’t competed for a number of years – as well as visitors from the Cooma and District Automobile Club. Five runs were conducted, with the fastest time of the day set by Gareth Rees from Cooma, who ran 44.82 in his very quick and impressive Hyperracer ProRacer Pro kart. That is a cracking pace to get around the track when you are so close to the hotmix.