Getting Started in Club Supersprints 

 

Take a drive around Wakefield Park Raceway in Ian William's VXII ClubSport:

.Following is an overview of how to get started in club Supersprints, our club’s main form of competition, which are usually run under a CAMS event permit. Our club is a member of the Inter-club Supersprint Series consisting of the HSV, Alfa, and WRX Owners Clubs and the Southern Sporting Car Club.

This is a guide only designed to assist new competitors with post 1972 road registered vehicles. You should refer to the Supplementary Regulations for each event and to the CAMS Manual of Motorsport for more details, especially if your vehicle is unregistered, manufactured before 1973 or has been modified expressly for competition purposes.

Driver Training

If you are licensed to drive a motor vehile in Australia, you are capable of driving a car around a race circuit too. However, the driving tehnique on a race circuit is different from the technique you use on public roads.

So while it is not mandatory for you to complete some form of race cicuit oriented driver training prior to starting Supersprinting, we highly recommend it.

The HSV Owners Club hosts several driver training days each year. These training days range from learning basic car control thorugh skid pan exercises through to competition skills training where track techniques are taught and practiced.

Intructors at HSV Owners Club training days are experienced track racers and are ideally placed to teach you driving techniques and to give you handy hints on car preparation.

For the next driver training day click on this link the the Driver Training Diary.

Alternatively, commercial trainers operate at most race circuits. You can check them ot through the circuits own website.

A.  Essential requirements for you, the entrant/driver:

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1.  A current club membership card – you must be a financial member of the HSV Owners Club of NSW (Incorporating HDT) Inc. and must present your membership card to the organisers of the motorsport event on the day.  If you are a new member or intending to join, allow time for your application to be processed and your membership card to be returned to you.

2.  A current CAMS licence – you must present a current CAMS licence of level 2S (Speed) or higher to the organisers of the motorsport event on the day. A one-day licence can be usually be  purchased at the track at the time of registration/

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An annual Level 2 Speed Event Licence from CAMS can be obtained by printing and completing the application form from the CAMS website .  Post the form and your payment to CAMS.  If this is your first licence, you may also need to provide a passport style photo – check with CAMS before applying.  Allow at least 3-4 weeks for processing and your licence to be sent out to you.

3.  Clothing must be of non-flammable material (no synthetics) and cover you from neck to wrist to ankle.  This includes your footwear, which will be closed-in shoes or boots (no synthetics, thongs or sandals).

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It is not necessary to wear a driving suit – jeans and cotton long sleeved shirts are ok.  Shoes of leather or canvas construction are ok, or driving shoes/boots if you prefer.  Joggers are ok as long as they are not synthetic, but sometimes the soles can be too wide for effective pedal operation, so assess carefully. From 2011 footwear will be required to have full leather uppers.

We recommend you buy a Club knitted cotton long sleeve shirt which is reasonably priced and fully complies with these requirements. See them in our range of Club merchandise.

4.  A safety helmet to AS1698 standard or equivalent as listed in the CAMS Manual and can be open or full face style.

5. Entry form and supplementary regulations for the chosen event.  These will be available from the club’s website as soon as the organising club provides them. Keep a look out on the Club's Home Page for this information as quite often it is only made available around 4 weeks prior to the event. They should be read carefully in conjunction with these notes and the CAMS Manual.

B.  Essential requirements for your car:

      1.  A fire extinguisher of at least 900g capacity, which must be restrained on a metal bracket, if possible (I understand that Race & Rally stock extinguishers with these, whereas your average auto parts place will only have plastic ones); and removable by the driver without tools.  Extinguishers are date stamped and valid for 6 years from that date for road registered vehicles but only 3 years for unregistered vehicles.  Hunt through the stock at your favourite auto parts retailer for the earliest date on the fire extinguisher so you get the most life out of it – they are rarely used.  Check it before each event to make sure it’s indicator is in the green section of the gauge – if not, buy a new one.  At the expiry date, buy a new one, as it is not worth having your old one recharged or tested - it costs about twice as much as purchasing another one. 

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2.  A battery location indicator – a blue triangle with sides measuring 150mm, usually a sticker or magnetic item.  Do not use the blue triangle with a lightning bolt in it – this indicates a “kill” switch, not necessary at club level sport.

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3.  Competition numbers located on both sides, on the front doors – black numbers (280mm high) on white background (50mm long x 360 high). Your number must be applied for in advance via the club’s motorsport team and is permanently assigned. Standard sized adhesive numbers can be purchased individually from motorsport shops such as Race & Rally.  If your car is road registered consider using white magnetic number patches with the black numbers affixed.  (You can buy them from your Club).  These still need to be taped in place on the leading and trailling edges (masking tape is kindest to the paintwork, but falls off in the rain!); otherwise they will blow off on the track.  Keep them clean and they will not damage the paintwork. 
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      Permanent patches and numbers can be painted on, or affixed using white contact with black contact numbers – remove when necessary using a hair dryer to prevent lifting the paint underneath.

CAMS discourages the use of numbers when using your car on the road as it can lead to unwanted and unwarranted attention from some sections of the community.

Note that if you are allocated a Supersprint competition number, this is valid only for the Inter-Club Supersprint Series. Other groups maintain seperate competition numbers. While you may be lucky enough to be able to use the same number in other motorsport events, do not assume that to be the case and check it out first!

The converse is also true. If you have a competition number assigned by another group, check that out with the event organisers first.

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      4.  Brake lights must work.  If the weather threatens rain you may also be asked to show that your windscreen wipers work too.

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      5.  If your car has glass headlights / driving lights they must be covered or otherwise secured to prevent glass falling out in the event of damage.  Clear contact is one of the easiest ways to achieve this, especially on road registered cars and can last the season without replacement if your car is garaged and kept out of the weather.  Headlights that have plastic lenses as standard are exempt from this requirement.

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6.  Cars older than 01/01/1973 with front opening bonnets (rear hinged) must have a secondary restraint.  The secondary bonnet restraint must be of limited extensibility (so no octopus straps!) and can be as sophisticated as you like. 

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7.  Cars using carburettors must have a second return spring fitted on each carburettor.

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8.  All cars must be fitted with a laminated windscreen.  If you have an older car you will need to check this as most modern cars have them already.

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9. Towing hooks must be fitted both front and rear to allow for the speedy recovery of the vehicle by the rescue team.  Many modern cars already have them fitted, so check first.  They do not have to be rigid, but should meet the following criteria: they must have an internal diameter of 40mm, be securely attached to the car (not the bodywork!) and must be reasonably obvious so they can be found quickly.

This is not a mandatory requirement, but the risk is yours. If you come off the competition surface you will be recovered in the most expedient means to limit the down time to the other competitors. If you do not have these tow hooks fitted you will risk having damage incurred to you body work or bumpers by the recovery process.

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10. Remove all loose articles from the car, including jack, floor and boot mats, spare wheel, tools, and anything in the cabin.  Scrutineers will check for loose items and will pay particular attention to cameras, which must be rigidly fixed in the cabin away from the driver but not to any glass area.
Nothing can be attached to the vehicle by means of suction cups.

C.  Optional extras:

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1.  A harness in place of standard seat belt.  A harness keeps you in place more firmly than a 3-point seatbelt but must not be out of date.

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      2.  R series tyres.  R series tyres improve grip, handling and predictability on the track,  
      although tend to wear out quickly if used on the road due to their softer compound.  A
      worthwhile investment for regular competitors.

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3.  Gloves.  Gloves are optional, but considering that the rest of you is covered up, may be a worthwhile addition.

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4.  Improved driving seat.  Leather and vinyl seats don’t hold you in place very well.  Neither do older, armchair style seats.  Consider changing to a fabric covered, well fitting seat, although it doesn’t have to be a dedicated racing seat unless you want to spend the money.  Make sure that if you do change the seat that the mounting points are secure and meet RTA requirements for road registered cars. 

Well before the day:

Check the Home Page on the Club Website for the entry form and supplementary regulations for the event. Make sure you read them!

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Download and/or print the entry form, then complete it and send it off as soon as possible. Check that the form has been fully completed including numbers, dates and signatures etc and that your payment has been included.

Most events now include the use of Dorian timers. The transmitters are small units that are mounted below the metal floor of your vehicle, no more than 400mm from the road surface. They can be bought outright (but a pretty expensive for limited Club use) or hired for the day for a modest sum, usually booked and paid for with your entry.

The Dorian transmitters are clipped into a mounting bracket which needs to be attached to your vehicle by means of cable ties or self tapping screws. The mounting brackets cost less than $10 and are available on the day. They are a once off purchase and remain on the vehicle. The transmitters clip into the mounting brackets and are secured by a split pin. Don't forget to return your rented Dorian transmitter unit at the end of the day as you will be charged its full value (around $400) if you don't.

Before the day:

Check your personal gear (use checklist).

Check your car (use checklist), including the usual mechanical requirements – fuel, oil (change if more than 3 months old and slightly overfill), coolant, brake fluid (change and use a high boiling point DOT 4 fluid e.g. Castrol Super Dot 4);  tyre wear and pressures. 

Clean your car, especially windscreen, windows, mirrors and lights.

It is worthwhile packing a small tool kit, small garage jack and air compressor etc and take any new or used spare parts (e.g. hoses, belts, spark plugs, old brake pads, etc) just in case you have a problem at the track.

On the day:

• Arrive at the circuit early as garages/car ports are occupied very quickly and the scrutineering queue can become very long.
• Unload everything from your car, leaving only your membership card, CAMS licence, helmet and gloves (if using them) in the car.
• Fix your numbers to the car.
• Change wheels if necessary – double check the wheel nuts for correct tightness!
• Check your apparel – either change into it or put it in your car for scrutineering.
• Take the car (and yourself) to scrutineering in ready-to-race condition.
• Put your car into the scrutineering queue, then take your membership card and licence to the “office” and get your paperwork checked BEFORE your car is called from the queue for scrutineering – you’ll need the scrutineering sheet the organisers will give you.
• When it is your turn, drive into the scrutineering bay and open the bonnet and boot, but don’t raise them until the scrutineers are ready to look at your car.
• Do exactly as the scrutineers instruct and let them do their work, and only offer information if asked.  Once the brake lights have been checked get out of the car and stand clear.

When finished (and presumably passed), return to your garage and replace the fire extinguisher – it should be removed for checking and is intentionally left on the seat for you to replace.

If you have hired a Dorian Timer, go to the Dorian Collection Point and sign for it. If you don't have a mounting bracket, buy one and fit it.

Last minute checking might include adjusting your harness if you are using one and checking that bonnet, boot and doors are all shut properly and wheel nuts are properly tightened if you have changed your wheels.

Attend the Drivers’ Briefing when called – it is COMPULSORY.  Sign the attendance sheet – that’s compulsory, too. Look for the HSV Club representative as they will have the sign on sheet for our Club members.

Arrange to follow an experienced club member for your first few laps to learn the lines, if there are no familiarisation laps.

If there are scheduled familiarisation laps for "first time" drivers to that circuit, take an experienced HSV Club driver with you to help you learn the driving lines.

Have a cup of coffee and go the loo!

Queue up for your first run in your allocated group when instructed.

Go out and have fun but take it easy for your first few runs!!!

With thanks to Brett Gilles (HSV Owners Club of NSW (incorprating HDT) Inc.) and Frances Guiness (Alfa Romeo Owners Club of Australia (NSW) Inc.)