The Roaring Season

And some more

Last lot

Found a couple more: Thanks to Rodger Cunninghame from Invercargill and Pete Stevenson, Tauranga helping me out over the weekend.

Green with envy Dale, Looks like you guys are having a great time of it. Great to see the NZ / Aus comradery. Certainly a lot more Aussie TA cars since the last time you were there. Dont have too many King Prawns and Bundaberg rums, well not before a race anyway. George.

Just uploaded to the Australian Trans-Am YouTube channel, the livestream footage of Race 1 from the 2 Days of Thunder.

[video=youtube;LO1xgCvtz5E]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LO1xgCvtz5E[/video]

Highlights from the weekend:

[video=youtube;7DYR5RXrRIw]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7DYR5RXrRIw[/video]

Hi All, been a bit slack on HMC mailouts, with our Aussie trip etc and with life's other forces time has been a essence.

Below is our next seasons confirmed dates for both HMC and HSC combined. For Compliance every HMC car must have a HMC MSNZ COD(Code of description) and all Historic Saloon Cars under 3 Litre must also have a COD to MSNZ T&C and Schedule K regulations so please make sure you have done this and bring the COD with you, otherwise lets go have some FUN with good ol classic and historic racing been the theme.

So, next Seasons 2015/16 event dates are:

1. 12/13 Sep 2015, Icebreaker - Hampton Downs – HRC
2. 3rd October 2015, TACCOC Classic – Pukekohe – (Saturday one day event)
3. 15/17 January 2016, NZFMR Porsche – Hampton Downs(this is our biggee, expect 30 plus cars)
4. 22/24 January 2016, NZFMR Porsche – Hampton Downs(this is our biggee, expect 30 plus cars)
5. March 2016, Legends – Hampton Downs – HRC(wont clash with Beach Hop I believe)

Any questions shoot me and E-mail mailto:?subject=&body= and we will have several new cars racing with us this season

Dale M

Some photos from Day 1 - Practice at the Lakeside Classic

Some photos from Saturday & Sunday. An amazing weekend, see you all in Sydney!

Geez Dale, that 800hp certainly makes a difference LOL

Cheers Dave

Great attitude here Glenn - the car gets a bit light at the top of the hill LOL

Went out to Lakeside Park on Sunday for some excellent racing entertainment in perfect 25 degree weather. The Kiwi boys drove very well & the yellow Z28 Camaro was able to repair a power steering pump between races.

Trevor Benton, Brisbane [ex Auckland].

These images are outstanding Dewi! Thanks for posting.

This one at Lakeside was just about one of the best weekends racing I've ever had, fun fun fun!!

Two great Craig English photos

Dale M

Video Highlights from Round 4 of the 2015 Loaders 'R' Us Australian Trans-Am Series at Lakeside Park Qld, joined by the NZ Historic Muscle Cars for the second round of the Australian leg of the 2015 Trans-Tasman Challenge.

[video=youtube;Gut2d07njsc]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gut2d07njsc[/video]

Hey bloody great work Dewi! That was awesome.

Historic and Classic Commission August 2015 report, From Raymond 'Crunch' Bennett, Historic & Classic chair

Mention of the word ‘history’ tends to cause glazed-over eyes and illicit grunts from many, but by changing one letter and adding another, it automatically engenders excitement among those involved with our branch of the sport.

We all think we know what is meant by the term ‘historic’ and each of us are somewhat correct.

Our interpretations are framed mostly by what we think is best for us, whereas the MSNZ Historic & Classic Commission must apply an interpretation that is good for the sport as a whole.

How many times do we start sentences with ‘back in the good old days’ or ‘never had these bloody rules when I was racing’? Quite often, me included. While we don’t have the same number of fatalities now as we did in the past, we don’t have the same hay bales around the classic circuits that we did either.

I would love to see the return of the historical street venues, and the return of the vehicles that competed in the period I consider the heyday of motorsport.

How does MSNZ preserve history?

Up until now, efforts have focused on the vehicles, which are governed by a set of rules called Appendix 6. These rules try to define and classify all the periods of vehicles, and do a good job (but maybe they need a catchier title!). The question is, are they definitive enough and do they work practically?

I have always asked, what is the difference between Classic and Clubman racing? Because they tend to be the same in New Zealand.

An old car is not always a classic

We have a Schedule K COD that shows your vehicle ran in period, or is the same as one of that model that ran in period. Schedules T&C open a few doors to modifications, encapsulating more of the clubman-type cars that were around ‘back in the good old days’.

Where we, the commission, and MSNZ need to work toward now is race grids with these vehicles and, ultimately, historic-only meetings at historic venues.

A big leap towards this has been the ‘Festival’ events at Hampton Downs with grids of cars that race together from the era they represent.

These include Historic Muscle Cars, Historic Sports Sedans, The Formula Atlantic Group and the Shellsport Revival Series.

Flexing muscle

The first one off the block was Historic Muscle Cars (HMC). For the last four years, HMC have provided grids that have topped 30 cars. These are primarily American cars from the 1960s up to 1977 in the same specification as they were then. A huge limiting factor is the wheel size of 15”, which limits the brake size, leading to an even playing field and lower costs. Growing up, I loved the Pontiac Trans Ams of the 70s, now I think that they are ugly, but let’s just call that the patina of history.

Mustangs never really went out of date, except in the 80s when they become four-cylinder opera top boxes for pimps and drug dealers. Chev Camaros, SS Challengers and the like will always live on in history as long as movies like Bullitt survive.

HMC has ensured a future for its current fleet, as well as new cars on the way, because of the rules it has set in stone. I look at Formula First, which has been around since Moses carved the 11 commandments*, and its success is derived from a strict set of rules that have virtually never altered. It keeps the costs low and expectations of excitement for the drivers high – well done! Now we have the equivalent in our beloved branch of the sport.

Making the right noise

HMC is all about the cars. These are about as period correct as you will see anywhere in the world. They produce the noise that we all love to listen to and engender the excitement within us of the good old days. Now HMC has expanded to include Historic Saloon Cars, which is a group of cars that must follow the same rules, but are up to 3,000cc capacity.

The likes of the BMW 2002s, Vauxhall Vivas and Hillman Avengers that used to populate the grid at the Wills and latter Benson & Hedges long distance races now also have a place to shine. Success breeds success, and this grid is expanding in numbers. People are even turning their modified cars back to its original specs so they can be part of the show.

At present, my search for an Avenger is drawing laughs from my mates, an unexpected comment from my dad about my brother being conceived in his one, and my son saying an Avenger is a superhero, not a car.

But, when I find it, I will have a car that I can drive to huge Historic Festival events, run in a grid of fantastic cars, take my lunchbox off the back seat and drive home again. I will feel like a superhero myself!

Grids of genuine Historic racecars have owners/drivers that appreciate the value of what they are a part of. They also still have something else from the past that is missing in our sport today, respect of your fellow competitor. “Rubbing is racing” doesn’t wash here, but if it happens, I know the old Turtle Wax Diamond Sheen polish will fix that, I just have to find room in my lunchbox to carry it!

It’s all good news, and seemingly was born of the commitment and forward thinking of all the MSNZ H&C commissions of the past. Long may it continue to blossom.

Now there is a great name for an Avenger racecar!

*11th commandment: Historic Motor Racing is all about the car, not about the trophy…and the best museum is a race track.

I owned one of the B&H Avenger TC's Dale. I wonder if it is still where I left it ?