Speedcars Australia Inc recently held their national conference in Adelaide, and in one of the most collaborative and unified conferences to date; the Board members representing each affiliated Speedcar club in the country defined their proposed plan for season 2018/2019. There are big things coming for Speedcars in Australia, and the benefits will literally hit every state!
“This conference was one of the most successful I’ve been a part of” noted Speedcars Australia President, Mark Harrington after the session wrapped up on it's closing day. “The delegates from all states worked hard not only for their states, but also the national view which is great for the division as a whole. This will see some great opportunities for competitors across the country”.
Firstly, supporting the big events across Australia is an agreed priority by the Board, including our State Championships, Australian Championship, and key blue ribbon events in each state. Getting cars to tracks, and by default spectators in the stands is what will continue to drive support of Speedcars into the future. Tow money and promotional funding has been proposed for a number of events touching on every state; all of which is to be discussed at your upcoming local club meetings.
Thanks to the Technical Committee made up of Michael Harders (QLD), Geoff Chisholm (NSW), Eric Smith (VIC), Aaron Jones (TAS), Rick McKay (SA) and Jody Crombie (WA), modernisation of the existing rule book has been performed. The ‘clean-up’ aimed at removing inapplicable and out of date specifications; and a number of corrections have been made and approved by the Board at the conference. These too can be discussed at your upcoming club meetings.
Rule changes are a major thorn in the side of any division, and Speedcars Australia in conjunction with the national Technical Committee; aim to streamline this process and reduce the impact on our car owners into season 18/19 and beyond. Watch this space as developments are made throughout the season.
The annual car registration requirement is in the process of being updated to provide a faster online submission mechanism for affiliated clubs, and allow car owners to ensure their registration has been processed. An online registered car owner/driver portal on www.SpeedcarsAustralia.com has been built which is intentionally locked to registered owners/drivers only. It can be joined using your email address (as per your registration documents) or Facebook, which ensures no false accounts are created. As registrations are processed, owners will soon be able to log-in and confirm their payment and paperwork has been lodged.
Also from an administrative perspective, the Board are focused on updating the national model rules in the upcoming season, purchasing a new engine tester, and more into 2019.
The Board also look to support the training and accreditations of any new scrutineers and stewards under the Speedway Australia officials accreditation process. As seen at the recent Speedway Australia Competitor Forum; Officials are in short supply, and there is opportunity for any interested parties across the country to be involved in the sport in an official capacity. Be sure to contact your local affiliated Speedcar club, or Speedcars Australia direct via speedcarsaus@gmail.com so we can put you in touch with your local contacts.
A big point of discussion was date clashes of major events across the country. This is a difficult situation to manage with clubs also restricted by the available dates with their local promoters and in some cases, the sheer distance between events. The Board fully support implementing the proposed rule of disallowing any event conflict with the Australian Speedcar Championship to avoid impacting our brand, and will continue to work with the affiliated state clubs in season 19/20 planning. While a couple of key blue ribbon clashes still exist, we’re very pleased to note the efforts taken by the Tasmanian Speedcar Drivers Association during the conference to move their state title to avoid clashing with the WA state title. This is a fantastic example of collaboration for the best outcome of competitors and promoters!
The Board thanks the outgoing delegates from last season including Ben Hall (SA), Ken Jenkins (NSW), John Dean (QLD), Leroy Beasley (VIC), Gary Greenwood (QLD), Chris Telenta (WA), and Tim Fisher (VIC). We also thank outgoing Speedcars Australia Treasurer and Public Officer Brendan Sexton who has stepped aside after a huge 13 years supporting the division.
18/19 Board members include the following - NSW: Dean Wellfare & Glenn Gorham; SA: Mark Harrington & Rick McKay; TAS: Geoff Henri & Rod Jones; WA: Glen Mears & Mark Junior Franks; VIC: Lance McMinn & Andy Pearce; and QLD: Michael Harders & Scott Wilson (interim pending the QSRA AGM). Alison Dwyer also remains as the national Secretary, and the Speedcars Australia contact information remains unchanged as SpeedcarsAus@gmail.com, and PO BOX 114, Oakbank, SA 5243.
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