I have been following this thread with interest and, at the risk of =
boring you, would like to give you an idea of how Historic Motorsport =
operates in Australia, with particular reference to activities in New =
South Wales where I live and race. I have tried to pick up some topics =
in the thread over the last two weeks and show some of the points of =
commonality as well as the points of difference - these are my personal =
observations and I do not claim to speak for any organisation or club.
Motorsport (cars/karts) in Australia is administered overall by CAMS =
(Confederation of Australian Motor Sport). For Historic Motorsport =
there is a Historic Car Commission, with delegated authority from CAMS, =
which administers vehicle eligibility and category rules (Historic =
elements).
All racing licences, be they for drivers running in modern or Historic =
events, are issued annually by CAMS. All drivers over 40 years must =
have an annual medical check, whilst drivers under 40 years have a =
medical check every two years. All medicals must be performed by =
doctors on the CAMS panel of approved medical practitioners. The =
medical itself is akin to a private pilots licence medical and covers =
height/weight (to validate the driver's Body Mass Index - over the limit =
and you fail), ECG for any unusual heart patterns, blood pressure, =
reflex and vision checks. Only when you have approval from the doctor =
can you renew your licence.
New licence holders must attend compulsory lecture sessions covering =
flag and race procedures, protocols and behaviour. New licence holders =
start out as Provisional licences and must display a prominent "P" on =
the rear of their vehicle. Prior to starting racing the driver must =
either attend an accredited racing driver school, or, an Observed =
Licence Test administered by CAMS. If the driver performs =
satisfactorily then they are given a signature on their licence =
indicating that they are approved to commence racing. To progress from =
Provisional to National status a driver must obtain five signatures for =
racing and two for flag duty, within a 12-month period. The race =
signatures are given by the Clerk of Course at the end of a race =
meeting, subject to no adverse reports on the driver, and, dependent on =
the driver completing a significant number of racing laps/races during =
the day. The flag duty signatures are awarded to drivers after they =
have spent two separate one-day sessions working on the flags on a =
marshals' post at a race meeting - the officials think this is a great =
development as it gives the drivers a formal exposure to the risks and =
problems that the officials experience.
CAMS has also introduced a photo-licensing system for officials, which =
records their duties at race meetings and attendance at formal training =
courses (fire, rescue, etc). There are also formal CAMS training courses =
for Clerks of Course and Stewards.
Race meetings are normally held under the auspices of CAMS, with the =
organising club/promoter being given a CAMS permit to run each specific =
race meeting. CAMS also assigns three Stewards to each race meeting, =
who carry responsibility for ensuring that the race meeting is run =
properly under the rules published annually by CAMS in their Manual of =
Motor Sport.
Some race meetings include races for Historic Groups as well as races =
for non-Historic Groups. However, it is unusual for Historic and =
non-Historic cars to be in the same race. All-Historic race meetings in =
New South Wales are promoted by the HSRCA (Historic Sports and Racing =
Car Association), which normally runs four race meetings per year - =
normally at Amaroo Park, Eastern Creek and Wakefield Park (2 meetings).
All-Historic Race Meetings run by HSRCA cater for all Historic Groups in =
the CAMS 5th Category - Historic Cars, with the exception of Formula =
5000 which only run at Eastern Creek due to the vehicle speeds:
Group J Vintage Cars pre 1931
Group K Post-Vintage Thoroughbred Cars 1931-1940
Group L Historic Racing & Sports Cars 1941-1960
Group M Historic Racing & Sports Racing Cars 1961-1965
Group Na Classic Saloon Cars pre 1958
Group Nb Touring Cars (Appendix J) pre1965
Group Nc Touring Cars 1965-1972
Group O Historic Racing & Sports Racing Cars 1966-1969
Group P Formula 5000 Racing Cars pre 1978
Group Q Historic Racing & Sports Cars 1970-1977
Group Sa Production Sports Cars 1941-1960
Group Sb Production Sports Cars 1961-1969
Group Sc Production Sports Cars 1970-1977
All cars in these Groups must comply with a base set of CAMS National =
Competition Rules, primarily safety-related, plus those rules that are =
specific to the specific Group. The specific Group rules are a =
combination of safety, approved modification and eligibility elements.
Races may contain a mixture of Groups, particularly if divisional racing =
takes place for Groups J/K/L/M/O, where those Groups are compatible in =
terms of type and/or vehicle speeds. Also, Groups Na, Nb and Nc may run =
together, but not with the other Groups, as may Groups Sa, Sb and Sc run =
together.
This year HSRCA instituted a system of supplementary observers, with =
particular responsibility for monitoring driver behaviour. Any driver =
deemed to be driving aggressively and/or unsafely is called before the =
Clerk of Course to explain their behaviour and may have their entry =
refused for subsequent meetings. Where the driver exhibits significant =
attitudinal problems they may also be notified to other Historic race =
promoters inter-state. Drivers who perform significant amounts of =
"kerb-hopping" or who have a number of "offs" would normally expect to =
be called before the Clerk of Course for a "discussion".
Last year at Amaroo Park there was a fatality - the first at an HSRCA =
meeting for many years. The incident was reviewed by CAMS, the local =
Police and the Coroner, who determined that it was an unfortunate racing =
accident caused by two compatible cars racing closely over many laps who =
happened to make contact. The one driver was killed when his MG TD =
rolled and landed inverted on a tyre wall - the roll hoop was relatively =
undamaged, but the impact was borne by the driver who was killed =
instantly. Open cars are not obliged to have a roll cage with four =
uprights - a braced two upright hoop is permitted. Some of the earlier =
car Groups are not obliged to have roll-over protection.
All cars must be scrutineered before qualifying and racing - this check =
is a full safety check, not an eligibility check. All mandatory safety =
items are checked as per the requirements in the CAMS Manual - this =
includes examining helmets and clothing (drivers have been refused =
permission to run due to the condition of helmet straps or "holey" =
gloves, pulled race suit seams, etc). On the dummy grid all vehicles =
are checked for valid scrutineering stickers prior to release onto the =
circuit and driver clothing/harness checks are also performed (gloves =
on, suit closed to collar, harness tight, etc). =20
Any vehicle incurring damage during qualifying or racing must be taken =
to the scrutineering bay, where it is examined and may or may not be =
released for further racing dependent on the scrutineers' observations.
Crack testing of components is not mandatory, although this is normally =
undertaken by most competitors (my front hubs were replaced by solid cut =
custom units, following a problem revealed in pre-season crack-testing =
of the front end). Old steel wheels are proving to be a problem on =
Group Na cars and the Eligibility Committee of the Historic Car =
Commission has now ruled that they may be replaced by an approved design =
(choice of two) of custom-built new steel wheels.
There is continuing recognition that Motorsport is dangerous (read the =
indemnity clause on the entry forms), but, most clubs in Historic are =
taking steps to ensure that certain risk areas are addressed, =
particularly relative to driver attitudes and behaviour. The Appendix J =
Association, representing Group N in New South Wales, has been very keen =
to promote the message that whilst tin-tops may race hard they are not a =
"biff and barge" category. The HSRCA has been successfully running =
Regularity for years as a stepping stone to Racing, and, is actively =
monitoring drivers in Regularity to ensure that they understand it is a =
test of driving consistency and not an exercise in raw speed.
There was a mention of Historic Formula Ford - Jeremy Braithwaite who is =
on this list might like to comment on the mixing of Formula Fords, =
ancient and modern, within Australia. Dr Michael Henderson, the =
internationally recognised authority on motor racing safety, is also on =
this list and might like to add his comments from a global perspective.
That's all - hope anybody who read this far has found another country's =
situation interesting - thank you for staying the course on this lengthy =
post.
.....regards....Andrew "Axeman" Pursey
....1954 Morris Oxford, 1955 Morris Oxford (racing in Group Na pre'58 =
Classic Saloons), 1955 Morris Isis, 1956 Morris Isis (almost daily =
driver), plus 1996 SAAB 900S Coupe (more trouble in under 500 miles than =
any LBC - if this is typical of the marque, don't buy a SAAB)
=00
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