CIRCLEWORK April 2004
This Issue:
* WA Rallying * Crusty Demons * Build your own Simpsons House! plus lots more...
A V8 Mazda Bongo from Hell. Bindoon Dirt Drags 2004.
Circlework Online Newsletter
EDITORIAL
Forward details to: PO Box 237 North Beach 6920 Western Australia
I’m officially converted! Whereas once I used to cast my eyes away from anything that resembled a Kombi van now I’m thinking of buying one!
or email online@bwmedia.com.au Deadline for information is the 20th of each month. While most of the info here is sent in and copied from studious members who belong to other clubs and organisation, we take no responsibility for incorrect information or crazy spelling mistakes :) We recommend you check all dates/times and supplementary regulations with the organisational body direct.
THE TEAM Editor and bloke who is trying to piece all this together: Brian White Layout Assistance from: Amanda Burton Contributors: Denise Stronach (MCRCWA), Karl Drummond (Rally WA), Bindi & Belle (Dirt Drags). Cheers all !
CLICK ON THESE WEBSITES! bwmedia.com.au rallywa.com.au mcrcwa.com.au rally.com.au motorplex.com.au dirtdrags.com motorcyclingwa.org.au dingbobtrikes.com streetmachine.com.au vwclub.asn.au
EDITORIAL
Thanks to Adrian at Kombi Kamper Hire (www.mcrcwa.com.au/kombi.htm) I got to take one away over the weekend on assignment to Bindoon to cover the Dirt Drags and the Crusty Demons show. Now, to fully understand you must realise that one of my favourite hobbies is ‘napping’. I can take a nanna nap just about anywhere - concerts, movies, theme parks, anywhere. I am beginning to suspect I may be part Mexican by the way I tend to pass out asleep around 3pm each day - there’s the tequila addiction as well but that’s a whole other story! My ideal afternoon is a temperature in the low 20’s, no meetings or phone calls, and a queen size double ensemble with Tontine pillows :) Now a Kombi campervan is not quite as comfy as my bed at home but bloody hell, when you out in a field all day and suddenly have a couple of hours to kill before the next event to shoot, a place to stretch out inside the van is like an oasis. Never mind the background noise of Harleys drag racing and rock bands doing sound checks - this is perfection! There is also a certain camaraderie between Kombi owners and enthusiasts alike which you don’t seem to get with more conventional transport. My weekend consisted of comments from fellow campers of “nice one mate” and “Go The Kombi!” through to being back in Perth metro and having some 60 year old bloke in a Kombi ute trying to drag race me from the traffic lights. It’s a whole other culture which, apart from being a bed on wheels, made me realise that driving something with a little more character brought upon a real sense of pride and fulfillment. So if you don’t already, have some thought about getting yourself a car, bus, bike, or van that’s a little different - it’ll make you smile and will create some more interesting freeway viewing than a sea of Commodore’s and Hyundai’s! Keep an eye on the website - www.bwmedia.com.au - for regular updates on what’s happening around our glorious state and I hope to see you soon! Brian
KHANACROSS REVIEW Sunday the 7/3/04 was to dawn to round 2 of the Light Car Club championship and the first LCC Khanacross for the year. Held as a multi club event on a private farm in Bindoon, the organisers had spent Saturday afternoon calculating the tests. The farm is an unknown quantity from event to event. Gravel mining in certain areas on the farm can easily change plans, this event was no exception. Previously used areas had also become heavily rutted in places and were unusable. In the end, 5 tests were run. Three tests comprised of forest roads, and two tests were run in the newer (smoother) gravel pit toward the back of the farm. The longest and first test of the day had been run previously through the forest. Due to the gravel mining, a very tight addition had to be made in one section that really tested the drivers. Test 2 was a short sprint through the trees, before a 100m straight along to the finish garage. A long transport was next, out to the new forest stage, test 3. The track was tight and hadn’t been used for many years. It required some clearing by the organisers before it could be used. A loop at the top section was to prove troublesome for some competitors later in the day. Tests 4 & 5 were run in the gravel pit. The last hill on the transport from Test 3 to 4 was described as “interesting” by some. It was quite a steep decline into the pit, where the driver couldn’t see over the crest to what was at the bottom.
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39 competitors entered the event, experience and age varied greatly. Brian and Matt Smallwood entered their ex Lowther Toyota Corolla, Paul Walker and Rick Hayward brought up their new brutally quick MK II Escort, Graeme Furness brought his Maximum Motorsport WRX out for some practise and Jo Bond from Extreme Racing brought up a 4WD Turbo Mazda 323. Other competitors included Tim McCathie in a Nissan Langley (Import Pulsar), The Youth team in their two Charades, Dave Gould in his T-18, Dave Burton in his Stanza and Mick Steele in his Corolla FX.
car and try and return to competition for the day. Just as Brian was towed out, Test 3 was becoming a problem. The loop at the end was becoming extremely boggy. The fine powder was not giving much traction and cars were getting stuck. The strangest incident for the day came next. On a transport between stages 3 & 4, a driver had missed the left turn to the gravel pit and put her Charade off into a hole. The car was so well stuck (nose down), the rear wheels were completely off the ground. A quick recovery saw the car competing undamaged for the rest of the day.
The khanacross was designed similar to a point to point rally. Drivers completed 4 tests and then looped back to the start. It soon became apparent that the hot dry summer had taken it’s toll on the tracks. Fine powdery dust was the order of the day. It was definitely a good idea to have the pits and food area well away from competition. By mid morning, a breeze had started which was clearing the dust. Albeit blowing straight into spectators and officials. It was certainly a tough test on officials for the day.
One of the Youth Team Charades was taking a battering. First one front corner, then the other was bumped. By the end of the day, the car had no grille, no headlights and no front indicators. Mick Steele’s day ended abruptly when his Corolla broke a drive shaft on Test 4. Two officials, Kiel Douglas and Alister Howland were having a fun day extracting yet more cars from test 3. Jo Bond also had some dramas with the electrics in her Mazda. The car stopped just short of the garage for Test 3, then again in the middle of Test 4. The car was fixed in time for Jo to run Test 5 without any problems.
The first few competitors came through the four tests with no problems. Then the fun started. Test 1 saw the first retirement for the day. Brian Smallwood had stopped in test 1. The immaculate Corolla had clobbered a tree with the right side taking a moderate hit, just in front of the rear wheel. It was suspected that the axle, rear suspension and possibly the roll cage were damaged. The good news was Brian was unhurt and ready to repair the
The dust was catching people out everywhere. The tests were more slippery than they looked. Even the WRX couldn’t find pace on the tight tests. Test 5 was to be the last test for the day, and the best chance for competitors to spectate. Set as a fast flowing test, drivers could drift
around and have some fun in the pit. The design of the pit allowed for good spectating, although the wind was blowing the dust straight back at the spectators. The starting order was changed slightly and Tim Ralli lead competitors away on test 5. Tim is new to motorsport and drove his Excel very well for the day. Paul Walker put on a great show through the pit, hanging the Escort’s tail out almost all the way around. Unfortunately Paul wrong wayed the last test. Graeme Furness showed how the WRX traction and balance made the car a world rally champion. Kevin Oxford and his faithful Gemini slid around with great enthusiasm. Andrew Percival in his Civic certainly had his own style of inspiration. Andrew had his stereo cranked up for every test with motivational music! The crowd pleaser for the afternoon was Shane Orkney. Again driving the 96 FM Sigma, Shane was struggling for power and handling in the 2L auto wagon. Test 5 suited the long car where there was enough room to drift and use inertia rather than power to get around the course. The very sideways antics was great spectating and Shane pulled up almost sideways in the finish garage to loud cheering from the crowd. Ashley Fullelove in his Mazda 323 had been struggling with a misfire for some time. After changing everything imaginable, the simplest of problems was discovered to be causing the fault. The Tacho had developed a problem and caused the engine to constantly miss. With the tacho
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MOOSE GOES LIVE - CHANNEL 31 - FRIDAYS 8.30pm Paul Deakin has kicked off a new show on Channel 31 called “Moose Goes Live”, giving coverage to all good things local in the rallying scene. Make sure you switch on and give as much support to him as possible as it takes a lot of effort to try and get media coverage up and running. His email address is
paul@moosegoeslive.com Feel free to drop him a line with any upcoming event info, news, or just to say g’day. Good luck with it mate!
disconnected, Ashley could finally drive hard on Test 5 and set a respectable time. By late afternoon the cloud cover came over, a light drizzle developed and the temperature dropped rapidly. It was decided to end the event for the day. From provisional results, Tim McCathie (Nissan Langley) won, Graeme Furness (WRX) was second, Paul Walker (Escort) was Third and despite earlier problems, Ashley Fullelove was fourth. David Burton’s driving has steadily improved and he was rewarded with a top 10 finish in seventh place. A special thanks to Wendy, Joan, Alister, Chris, Warren, Karen, Danni, John, David, The Youth Team, the Howlands for the use of the property, Paul Walker for the loan of his
4WD for the day and to my assistant Clerk of Course, Kiel Douglas. It was certainly a testing day with the conditions. Karl Drummond
2004 LEWANA STAGES RALLY Saturday May 1st will see a return to the Blackwood River area for WA Rally teams to compete in the Lewana Stages Rally. Lewana Stages, conducted by the Ascot Motor Club, forms Round 2 of the WA State and Round 1 of the WA Clubman Rally Championships. Many teams will have competed in the Forest Rally in the Busselton/Nannup regions in late March, giving some familiarity with the surfaces. (cont. next page)
Shane Orkney giving the 96FM Sigma a good workout. Photo by Karl Drummond
This year spectators will be well catered for too. A spectator area has been designed in Grimwade, 12km from Balingup on sealed roads. Competing cars will be able to be seen twice during the day, first car is expected at approximately 12:20pm and again at approximately 4:00pm. Spectators have a choice of three separate points to view the action, all central to the spectator parking area. All servicing will be conducted on the Balingup oval, (next to the Recreation Centre) located on the main road into the town site. State Competitors will have three services throughout the rally. It will be a chance to see Service Crews frantically work to check, adjust, tune or repair rally cars in a tight time frame, before they head out to complete more stages. The Lewana Stages Rally comprises of 136 competitive kilometres for State entrants and 67 competitive kilometres for Clubman entrants. First car is due to start at approximately 12:00pm and finish around 7:00 pm. The presentation ceremony will be held at 8:30 pm in the Balingup Recreation Centre. Hot meals will be available and the bar will be open. Rally Head Quarters will also be located at the Recreation Centre. For those who would like a private, un-
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interrupted view of a part of the rally, the organisers are seeking officials for the event. No experience is necessary and all instructions and information will be given to anyone who is interested. E-mail lewanarally@yahoo.co.uk if you can assist in this regard. Hot FM, based in the South West will be broadcasting details and results for The Lewana Stages and all other rounds of the WA State & Clubman Rally Championships.
west australian rally
The 2004 Lewana Stages is being run through the Grimwade Pine Plantation, situated close to both Balingup and Grimwade town sites. The area is renowned for it’s spectacular scenery. Many stages have roads running on terraces around the hills and valleys of the plantation, keeping competitors on their toes on the fast, technical stages.
Up to date Rally details, pictures, results, spectator information and contacts can all be found on the Rally WA website, www.rallywa.com . DVD’s and Videos of the 2003 State and Clubman Rally Championships are also available from Rally WA, see the website for details.
Karl Drummond
bwmedia.com.au
Sports Cars, Marques, and Sports Sedans take the grid at the Smokefree Night Masters, Barbagallo Raceway, 20th March 2004
WASCC
Despite searing temperatures around the 40 degree mark, Whiteman Park saw a good number of visitors turn out for the annual Auto 1 Classic Car Show. With over 1000 vehicles on display from Mni’s to Mercedes it made for an enjoyable experience. Of particular interest was an ex-Moffat Mustang and a rare 22B Subaru WRX brought over from NSW by the WRX Club of WA. Congrats to the Vintage Sports Car Club for their display of historic racing vehicles, especially since a few of them had made it to Whiteman Park fresh from the previous nights racingat the Smokefree Night Masters in Wanneroo.
Street Machine magazine has a new website!
www.streetmachine.com.au Check out April’s edition for photos from Motorvation, Western Nationals drag racing, and a feature shoot from yours truely of Dave & Roger William’s immaculate ‘61 blown EK Holden!
Sandgroper Nationals - April 9th to 11th (Easter Holidays) in beautiful Bunbury. Check out hundreds of the countries most awesome hotrods and classics gathering over four days with shows, driving events, coastal runs, and much much more. For more info check out www.asrf.com.au
SHOWS
GET CLOSE TO THE ACTION Are you a fan of motorsport and would like to get closer to the action than the spectator fence? Then the Motorcycle Racing Club of WA could be your answer. The Club needs volunteer marshals at Wanneroo’s Barbagallo Raceway this season – that’s only 7 Sundays plus a Friday and Saturday in June when the Club co-hosts a round of the national Shell Advance Australian Superbike Championships. Flag and Track Marshals are a vital part of all race day’s and volunteers are always required. Competitors rely on flag marshals to inform them of any danger ahead, whether it be a fallen rider and machine or oil or debris on the track. Training is provided on the race day or if you would like to find out more you are welcome to attend a Training Course and Information Day. Instruction on use of flags, fire extinguishers and other equipment will be given including a lap of the track. Lunch and refreshments are provided plus free entry trackside. For further information on becoming a flag marshal, and future dates of training days, contact the Club Office on 9409 1002.
Flag marshals always get the best track views!
BIKES
Steve Alderson (#64) leads Jamie Boland (#54) through Skyline on the first lap of the first competitive race of 2004. MCRC Club Raceday 14th March 2004.
Bindoon Dirt Drags 2004 was a huge success with over 10,000 spectators from across WA making the trip. A full days drag racing of Harleys, MXers, Jap bikes, and V8 monsters led into an evening show from the US Crusty Demons of Dirt. Seth jumped 248 feet, Faisst did backflips and Deegan hobbled around still nursing injuries from an accident a few weeks back. Twitch went mental on his moto and Bubba ran amok in his trademark overalls. All part of a classic show. Stay tuned to Australian Dirt Bike magazine for my writeup and exclusive pics.
DIRT DRAGS
This is what makes Formula Fords really worth watching! Smokefree Night Masters - Barbagallo Raceway 2004
BUMP OF THE MONTH
Thanks for this one Reno... Yes, only in America would someone actually go ahead and build themselves a lifesize replica SIMPSONS house!
WIERD ON THE WEB
WHAT’S ON IN APRIL
Page Twelve Girls!
WA: 3 - 4: Vintage on Avon. Hillclimb & ‘Round the Houses’ style event (Northam)
4: MCRC ‘Kings of Wanneroo’ (Barbagallo Raceway)
4: Vintage Motocross (Collie) 9 - 12: Sandgroper Nationals hot rod show (Bunbury)
10 - 11: West Coast Nationals (Collie Motorplex)
17: MCRC Racecraft Day (Barbagallo Raceway) 18: WA Sporting Car Club ‘Drivetime TV Challenge’ (Barbagallo)
18: VW Club of WA Motokhana (Grass Valley) 24: ENJO series supersprint (Collie Motorplex)
25: ENJO series hillclimb (Wellington Dam)
Signed by Seth!
25: HCMC Historic bike racing (Barbagallo
Perhaps lacking a little in originality, but all the same it’s good to see our U.S. visitors keeping the fans happy :)
Raceway)
25: Vintage Motocross (Manjimup)
Shot in the pits at the Bindoon Dirt Drags on Saturday 27th March. Seth Enslow at Bindoon
THE END
To have your event listed here please email details to online@bwmedia.com.au by the 20th of each month deadline.