Graeme Park, in fact...
http://www.theinformer.co.nz/car-talk/graeme-park
Graeme Park, in fact...
http://www.theinformer.co.nz/car-talk/graeme-park
Historic Racing Club are having a pre season Shakedown test day, today -Saturday 23 at Hampton Downs.
Great weather with not a cloud in the sky for going out for some fun, testing, and generally blasting away the cobwebs.
First I need to vacuum and wash all the dust from the XA as it has been sitting since Legends.
Any one else been getting itchy feet waiting for Ice Breaker?
John it was great to see you and a few other V8s out there today amongst our 60 2K Cup cars and those very quick Motul Hondas.
XA looked terrific on Saturday at HD JM, and tell me what it was like to have fully functioning rear brakes as well??
Cam- it was great having sharp brakes at last,excellent bias bar set up with twin master cylinders- thanks to Barry Algies imput, Unfortunately two separate times I was leaving the braking very late and spun on the first corner. You saw one of them. I wasnt there earlier when Garry told everyone to keep off the grass as it was wet and very slippery, thought I was going to take the side out on the fence. That very tidy white 2014 racing Mustang was right behind me when the back stepped out the second time-and he has great brakes. Thought I was going to revisit the fence where Gerald Fogg ended up. Next time we must synchronize our slides for the crowd. Still got your petrol tank-how do I get it back to you- or give it to you at Ice Breaker? Mark didnt show.
Last edited by John McKechnie; 08-25-2014 at 08:05 AM.
The Ice Breaker is in 2 weeks, and I will be contacting each person on the list.
Help is needed with Barry Algie-
Monaro is up and running, and he is super keen to deal to the Alfetta , Charger, and the rest of us.
Currently his budget does not include a tow car, his own trailer cant be used and the one used at the previous meeting is unavailable.
The trailer for the XA- Scottys- wont take it because the covered part wont accommodate the Monaro flares
Is there a kind hearted, philanthropic person- no prefs for male or female here- who has a car trailer and a tow wagon that can get him there and back.
We dont want to miss out on having him on the grid for this meeting, so if you want to be part of the cation, please contact me here or a pm.
Hey JM, yes, you were very entertaining mate, especially good effort considering it was a test day - i wonder if film of your adventures at turn one will make Garys greatest hits??Originally Posted by John McKechnie
I will either swing by yours and get the 20 litre drum or if id ont turn up beforehand get it off you at the ice breaker
where is the Monaro based JM?
Cam- will call you.
Great thread and I have really enjoyed reading and the seeing photos, looking forward to seeing the cars again this summer at hampton downs when they are the the festival events again. Thanks to all the teams, drivers and owners for getting these cars back on the track so us spectators can enjoy them again. Hopefully a few more on the way by the sounds of things too which is awseome. Well done to all involved.
I really hope Barry Algie can get there JM, I "A" frame mine down otherwise I would be more than happy to go pick it up. Looking forward to mixing it up with the HSS again, Have NZV8 Driver Andrew Anderson making a guest appearance in my Falcon for a couple of the races too.
Dayle ITM Falcon
Nathan- looks like we are OK for Barry, will know tomorrow.
Also have sent you a PM.
Please note that this class is by Invitation only, only the Invited drivers will run- no stand ins or substitutions.
John, for what it`s worth, making a statement like your `invitation only' one is the quickest way to get guys to keep their cars in the shed. Yes, you are right if it`s an unknown random guy that wants to drive someone elses car, but what would you now do if say Brett Willis wants to have a drive in Ralph Mossmans car or the biggest fish of all .... if Jim Richards gets to drive his old Mustang. Is that different ....... that`s what you have a drivers briefing for, so everyone is on the same page.
Beg to differ fullnoise68. We took legal advice on this 19 years ago, as it is the only way to control who runs with us.
Legally, if someone rocks up with a compliant car that conforms to the rules, but is a terror on or off the track in any way shape or form, you can't stop them running unless it is an invitation race/series. Far from keeping cars in sheds, it gives those who compete a degree of protection.
If it kept cars in sheds, then we wouldn't have had over 100 registered drivers for the last few years! (Currently, 57 paid up for the new season.)
When someone like John stands up in an arena well known for cars that may be considered dubious or less so, dodgy drivers, or troublesome drivers, then the series convenor needs to be able to protect himself and also the other drivers and remain true to a philosophy.
The only reason I got lumbered with running what was then the BMC Series was because the guy who started it was hassled by a driver well known to most of you, who took things to court when he didn't agree with a decision agreed to by all the other drivers. The convenor walked away after ten years of selfless dedication to the cause. No one blamed him for walking away.
We can ill afford to lose those who are prepared to stand up and do the voluntary work that the majority of drivers do not want to do.
They just want to leave everything to someone else, so that they can just enjoy their hobby.
Ray, you really need to open those blinds and let the sun shine in, there`s a big world out there. I`m all for John wanting to keep a lid on what happens, but my comments were based on helping to revive that class, not stand behind the entrance door with a baseball bat....
If I understand Ray, what he meant was that if George wanted to run Jim in the Mustang, George would talk to John and John would "invite" Jim. If some clown with a bad reputation turns up demanding to run, John can say "sorry, not invited".
Based on previous bad experiences (as I read it).
You are right Bryan, that is how I also see it. The point I was trying to make is quite simply that if Nathan Wood was going to allow Andrew Anderson - who is no dummy - to drive his Falcon, on the basis that he is not entering a Smashfest, where is the problem? What about the scenario of if Jackson French wanted Trevor Crowe to have a pedal of his old Starlet? Unlike some others, I haven`t lived under a rock for the past 50 years, and for me it`s more about the enjoyment for others as we are all only here once, life is not a rehearsal ......
As coordinator, Im not prepared to have a NZV8 driver, who has no experience running with Historic racing, running for the first time at a Historic meeting in someone elses car in Historic Sports Sedans .
There are irreplaceable cars out there, end of story.
Bryan- you have 100% understanding and communication .
Last edited by John McKechnie; 09-04-2014 at 04:26 AM.
Hi John, I guess what you are saying here is that NZV8 drivers are cowboys. If Murph was asked to drive an HSS car would you exclude him (and I am not a Murph fan) if the owner wanted him to drive. I think you are drawing a very long bow if you by inference to exclude NZV8, Supertourer or even V8 Supercar drivers from participating in your class. Surely if the owner would wish to have a named driver pedal his car, why not. I have to agree with Fullnoise that this is the best way to turn people off. The big picture is the more you get some named drivers pedaling some of these rocket ships then the more punters you get through the gate and the benefits may certainly cascade down to the owners. Imagine Jim Richards at full tilt in Georges Mustang or Paul Fahey in the PDL Mustang or Robbie Francevic in the CUSTAXIE. The mind boggles. I recall when at the drivers briefing when the Custaxie first came to HD the general consensus was, no taps and give the other guy room, everyone agreed and all the cars came back unscathed. Do you really think that some named driver is going to deliberately go out and do damage. I feel that is just a tad insulting to some of those drivers who may or may have not been approached.These guys have got to drive the cars they do because of their skill and talent. Yes, over exuberance does happen I admit but surely as a guest driver are you really going to stick it to the guy in front. I think not.I just hope your class survives and would love to be proven wrong in my comments.
Cheers Dave Graham
Last edited by Frosty5; 09-04-2014 at 09:28 AM.
So you are saying that I am too slow a driver and Dean Perkins should be put in my car to provide more bang for the spectators ?
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