The Roaring Season

A great grid, great variety and endless dices among the entries. A credit to you all and I think in keeping with aspects of Historic motor racing from NZ's past. Well done to all involved.

Thanks Crunch. Sorry we didn't catch up for a coffee this time. Hectic weekend... Great bunch of competitors who understand what it is all about.

crunch wrote:A great grid, great variety and endless dices among the entries. A credit to you all and I think in keeping with aspects of Historic motor racing from NZ's past. Well done to all involved.

Agreed Crunch. Top marks ERC to you and all your entries. Good driving, good racing and very entertaining.

Here's a few videos of what it looked like from the drivers seat.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JRokcVEVx_A&list=UUmh5FkC8_PBHRtMuj3FA63w

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BK0XfKkEr0I&list=UUmh5FkC8_PBHRtMuj3FA63w

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3E4e_L69zHg&list=UUmh5FkC8_PBHRtMuj3FA63w

Ricky wrote:Here's a few videos of what it looked like from the drivers seat.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JRokcVEVx_A&list=UUmh5FkC8_PBHRtMuj3FA63w

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BK0XfKkEr0I&list=UUmh5FkC8_PBHRtMuj3FA63w

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3E4e_L69zHg&list=UUmh5FkC8_PBHRtMuj3FA63w

Nice looking car Ricky...and great sound.
Only bettered when the black BMW 635 was beside you in the second race!

Check this out - Bruce Manon driving Mike Sexton's Ford Escort overtaking 43 cars...


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J42ayb1Js2A

There are several other YouTube videos from Adam Jones (Ford Escort), Gary Baildon (BMW) and Frans Cronje (Renault Gordini). Frans video also has a rear facing camera so half way through, you get a different view of the scratch race.

I am collating them but renaming based on the race program, meaning sessions 4 (Practice) 14 (scratch race), Saturday Handicaps 24, 34, Sunday Handicaps 44, 53. Handicap races 8 laps, scratch race 7 laps finished under safety car.

Just for those who may be interested, spectators saw:

1939 race laps completed by the ERC cars.

273 cars started

250 finished the full quota of laps so 23 DNF's which ranged from 1 lap to 7 laps.

Just 3 cars incurred any panel damage throughout the weekend and all were drivable and continued racing. Very, very impressive.

and here's a short in car from the Zag: glad I was driving and not watching, if you see what I mean.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KKryvogGst0

The old Volvo squeeze, didn't John Bowe used to drive a Volvo, that's how he used to pass people too……

Very glad you didn't find the fence John. Love the Escort too

And here was me, silly old fool, believing that the overtaking car is the one who has to find the safe way past, and the overtaken car use the same racing line he would without traffic. Least that is what every briefing I have attended in recent years has said.

Rhys- earplugs to be worn only on the track and not at drivers briefing ?

The drivers did very well and as one of the slower cars, I seemed to spend a fair bit of time keeping out of the way of the faster cars - especially in the other races! The indisputable fact is that there was no virtually no carnage and the drivers did what they were told to do at driver's briefing.

In scratch race conditions Rhys, you are 100% correct, but with two race groups combined, our fast group mixed in with our slower group, we have our own rules regarding cornering lines and in the main, the guys did OK. Bruce's Escort (to be fair, Mike Sexton's Escort) is obviously the fastest cars there and lapping at best at 1:13. The slowest there was lapping slower than 1:30. That is a huge difference and cars can catch you surprisingly quickly, as can groups of cars, which makes it even tougher, picking a line.

I'll stand by that piece of film, and others, that this was great racing on any scale and proved that dodgem car racing is not required for a great spectacle.

Until you have been in a situation where you are a middle pace driver, overtaking and also being overtaken at the same time and in a handicap format and philosophy, that tries to get every car over the finish line at the same time, it is so easy to get it wrong.

Bear in mind these are all amateur drivers driving their own cars and in a grid of 44 cars, the end results speak for themselves.

And from all the videos I have watched from your group Ray they have done exceptionally well. My comment was somewhat in reaction to the comment that appeared to say that Des had squeezed the passing car. Des is not one of the slowest cars, and kept his line as I believe he is expected to do?

John McKechnie wrote:Rhys- earplugs to be worn only on the track and not at drivers briefing ?

For many of these groups perhaps the hearing aids should be worn at briefing