YABBIE RACING GROWING IN POPULARITY Yabbie is the term for freshwater crustaceans found in dams in many places around Australia. Many young kids grew up catching them with a piece of string and some meat. In a few places they even race them. YABBIE RACING Many places in Australia host an annual Yabbie racing event - such as in the small Victorian town of Talbot. This festival, held on the main streets of Talbot, is a brilliant day out with something for all the family. In addition to a surprisingly wide selection of yabbie edible delicacies and treats, there are also other ways the yabbies will entertain the masses, with the live yabbie catching and racing action, fun for everyone. Yabbie races are also held in Parkes, Moonie, Kajabbi and Windorah in Queensland. The crustaceans can be raced on different types of tracks. Some are raced down a board separated in their own little numbered lanes. Others are placed in the centre of a circle, covered with a bucket and released when the starting whistle blows. The yabbies then shoot off (or amble off anyway) and the first to reach the edge of the circle is the winner. For the Windorah's 'International Yabby races', the event consists of four races of 10 yabbies slowly ambling towards a green line spray painted onto gravel. SO JUST HOW POPULAR ARE YABBIES? Unlike horse racing, you can actually eat the crustaceous competitors! The great Aussie obsession for all things seafood is showing no signs of abating — and this summer we will see a different shrimp on the barbie. The freshwater yabby, found in dams, ponds and lakes across rural NSW, is becoming a popular seafood choice for city dwellers as well. The creamy, earthy taste of the freshwater crustaceans — less salty than prawns — is attracting more and more fans, according to experts such as Narrabri farmer Rick Cunningham. Yabbies are so popular that Mr Cunningham has built 120 more ponds on his property in the state‘s northwest. When he started his fish farm five years ago, he grew yabbies for bait but has now turned his sights to the lucrative food market, where yabbies sell for as much as $50kg. YABBIE TRAINER AND WINDORAH SPOTLIGHT After 20 years as the chief yabby catcher and trainer for the famous Windorah International Yabby Races, Jeff Seawright is hanging up his nets for the last time. Mr Seawright has been involved since the unique races inception, having watched it grow from nothing to an event that sees thousands of travellers visit their remote western Queensland town. "A few of us in the early times thought we should do something when the Birdsville races are on to promote our local community, and we did this and it's been going strong for 20 years," Mr Seawright said.
But after two decades, Mr Seawright is hoping to start a new adventure and go travelling around Australia with his wife. When asked for a notable memory from throughout the past two decades, Mr Seawright said nothing stood out above the rest. "It's been absolutely terrific. There's no chief highlight because it's been, fun, fun, fun the whole time." One particular year however, Jeff can remember the struggle in finding enough yabbies for the races. "One year we flew out of here in a helicopter at about 4:20pm and got back at 5:20pm with enough yabbies to hold the yabby races. And that's cutting it a bit short," he said. THE COMMUNITY SPIRIT SURVIVES The township of Windorah has a permanent population of around 80 people, but their town swells when up to 1,000 visitors turn up to witness the eclectic races and place their bets with the hope of winning big. Mr Seawright said it was an event where the whole community got involved. The funds raised from the event go back into prize money for the punters as well as 50 per cent going towards the Windorah Development Board with other fundraisers throughout the evening donating to the Royal Flying Doctors Service and local P&C. "It's a wonderful thing, and that's what I've seen grow, is the people who come to here and support our local community," he said. YABBIE TRAINING 101 Mr Seawright spends over a week in the lead up to the Windorah races trapping yabbies in creeks to find the perfect batch of racers. "He's got to have a good hard shell. If he's just shed his shell, we won't put him in the ring, he won't make it." While he will not give away any of his secret spots for catching them, he does recommend any waterhole with lots of coolabah trees for cover. Once caught, the yabbies spend the days before the races being well fed on a diet of dog biscuits and carrots. The biggest of the yabbies are kept for the main event, the 'Cooper Cup,' where all yabbies have been named after local residents who have had misadventures over the past year. As for when the races are over, the yabbies are rewarded for their hard work by being returned to their creek. "We always send them back to the wild because we need up and coming stock for next year," Mr Seawright said. FORMER WINNERS AND THEIR CRATIVE NAMES: Barcoo Bolt- (1st) Yabby Dabby Doo, (2nd) Ashat Debedd and (3rd) Mornay Bouy, Thomson Trot- (1st) Lego Penwaar, (2nd) Flat ewe Lence and (3rd) Phar Ted, Kyabra Kanter(1st) Hugh Jarse, (2nd) Windy Grove and (3rd) Kimpossible The Cooper Cup- (1st) Fondle your Package, (2nd) Paint Cher Wagon and (3rd) George the Forman
LOCAL MOTORBIKE RIDERS BILLY VAN EERDE & JACK MILLER Red Bull Rookie Moto Grand Prix Championship Date of Birth: 2 April 2002 Place of birth: Townsville Height: 160 cm Weight: 48 KG Bike: KTM RC 250 R Current Residence: Singleton NSW Rider since: 2018 Race Number: 29 Team: KTM Billy started out riding mini bikes when he was just 4 years old. His father Brian was a well known dirt track and speedway racer on the local Townsville motorbike racing scene. Billy grew up on his parents 23 acre property near Deeragun, north of Townsville. On weekends his dad would have mates come to visit with their kids and there would be lots of minibike racing as there were tracks around the yard and all over the property. In 2011 his parents Brian and Sue left their jobs in Townsville and headed to the Hunter Valley region in NSW to give Billy more opportunity to race against the countrys fastest kids on Australias best race tracks. Billy has already tasted success overseas when he won his first race at the Sepang Raceway Curcuit in Malaysia. He came from 6 th on the Grid to work his way up to finally winning the race by 3 seconds. JACK MILLER Moto Grand Prix Rider Date of Birth: 18 January 1995 Place of Birth: Townsville Height: 175 CM Weight: 70 KG Team: Alma Pramac Ducati Race Number: 43 Born in Townsville , Jack grew up on a rural property outside the city. He used to ride motorbikes and quad bikes as well as water skiing. He helped out parents Peter and Sonya on the farm with mustering and general farm hand duties. He has been riding and winning motorcycle races since he was 8 years old. He was Australian Dirt Bike Champion in the 65cc class in 2003. He went on to win 5 Australian Championships along with numerous State and local titles. He went to Europe in 2011 at the age of 16 and raced in the Coretta Technology Foward Racing Team. In 2012 he moved to the Moto3 GP Racing where he finished in 23 rd place.
2014 he moved to the KTM racing team for the Moto3 season and won 6 races eventually finishing second to Alex Marques by 2 points. His big break came in 2015 when he joined the ranks of Moto GP, the ultimate Motorcycling Road Racing level. In 2016 he won his first Formula one Grand Prix in Assen Germany,making him the first Australian to win a Moto GP since Casey Stoner in 2012. This year 2018 he is riding a Ducatti motorcycle for Alma Pramac Racing. He finished in 6th position at the Spanish Grand Prix held on the famous Jeres de la Frontera Race track on Sunday 6th of May. He also finished in 4th position at the French Grand Prix , held at the Bugatti Curcuit at Le Mans in France last Sunday 20 th May.
TOWNSVILLE KART CLUB SHAW ROAD BOHLE TOWNSVILLE Townsville Kart Club has a track that is 1014 meters long and 8 meters wide. They have shaded Pit bays and covered outgrid areas. Fully flood lit racing area, Built in benches supplied with compressed air. Licenced canteen, excellent toilet facilities and shower facilities. Shaded spectator viewing areas, stadium seating and ample car parking available. In 1956 an American Race Car Builder named Art Ingels and his neighbor Lou Borelli created the worlds first Go Kart. It consisted of a tubular chassis and was powered by a West Bend lawn mower motor. Ingels introduced his Go Kart to spectators at a Race Car Meeting at Pomona on the 14 September in 1958. They were to become so popular that by the end of the year they had established the first Go Kart Manucturing facility in the United States. In 1962 the sport had become huge worldwide it was decided to create a world governing body called the Commission Internatinale De Karting or the CIK which is overseen by the World body of motorsport, the Federation Intrenationale de Automobile, more commonly known as the FIA. Pioneers of the sport in Australia include John Puzuiro a 15 time Australian Karting Title winner and Drew Price. First step to get into karting is to obtain a karting Licence. Go to WWW.Karting .net.au. This site outlines the rules and regulations of the sport and includes a safety component to be completed. Fees are $120 for a Junior per year and $140 per annum for Adults Family (1-2 Adults plus 3 juniors up to age 18 ) is $70 per licenced driver,$40 for the second licenced driver. Many local business sell new and secondhand racing machines and spare parts also speak with current Kart members to get some advice. Members are always keen to pass on their knowledge. Safety gear including full face helmets, racing suits, racing boots, gloves , padded vests and neck braces can be bought from local racing dealers and karting members.
UNIQUE RACES AN IDEA FOR TOURISM IN TOWNSVILLE Australia has a lot of different and unusual races, but Townsville doesn‘t seem to have much if any at all. So I‘ve put together a list of unique and unusual races from around Australia that I think we should bring to Townsville. LAND BOAT RACING In Alice Springs they have an event called the Henley on Todd Regatta. People race while carrying boats. Not boats that go in the water. They make boats out of cardboard and plastic pipe and other such items. But the boats don‘t have bottoms; you stand in the boat with your team and carry it around a buoy and back to the starting line. Teams can be 8, 4-6 or even solo. I think this race would be something fun to have taken place on the beach or even the park at the Strand. DUNNY RACES In a number of towns and cities, there is a race where a team of 5 races, an outhouse or porta- loo on wheels go through an obstacle course. Two people are pulling, another two are pushing and the last is sitting on the throne holding on tight! Some creative teams have even taken to dressing up and naming their dunny. In Winton, in 2013, a team called ―The Colonoscopy Capers‖ raced to raise awareness for serious health issues. In the same year two teams from Scotland even came to Australia to participate in the event. We are a unique country. Though this race seems like it‘s more of an outback idea, I still think it could work here in Townsville. WIFE CARRYING A race in which a man carries his wife through an obstacle course in the fastest time. It doesn‘t have to be your wife; however it can be your girlfriend, your sister or even a friend. The ―wife‖ has to have a minimum weight of 49kg or a bag of sand will be added to equal 49kg. There are three positions she can be carried in, piggyback, over the shoulder or the Estonian style (She hangs upside down with her legs around the husbands shoulder and holding him around the waist). It could be an interesting race to have. There are three races
I‘ve found, involving small animals, which might not be for everyone and probably won‘t be a huge community event, but still interesting to have. First off is Yabby Racing, 10 yabbies are placed in the centre of a small circle inside a bigger circle. The yabbies are marked with a ribbon to show ownership. The first yabby to put its claw over the edge of the circle wins. The yabbies are then auctioned off and the money goes towards charity. Another Yabby race I have seen is walled lanes with some water in it. And the first yabby to finish line wins. The next one is Cockroach Racing, similar to Yabby Racing, except using cockroaches. The cockroaches are put in the centre of a 20ft circle and the first to the edge wins. It‘s a gold coin entry fee and the money all goes to charity. Some of the names of the winners are Cocky Bolboa, Cocky Dundee, Drain Lover and Priscilla Queen of the Drains. Those are some creative names. Lastly is Cane Toad Racing, a bucket of toads is collected and numbers put on their backs and names are given to the toads and put on a board; The names are usually made up from people of the crowd or their nationality. For example ―The Italian Stallion‖ was picked from a Italian tourist or Herman the German was picked from a German tourist. Some people have issues with the races, because it is viewed as animal cruelty, but the event holders make sure the toads are treated right for the races. Once the races are over, the toads are disposed of humanely. For example putting them in a freezer where they will fall asleep and eventually pass. Cane Toads are considered a pest, in Australia after all. ZOMBIE MUD RUN Here is an honourable mention, it‘s not an Australian race but it‘s still a good idea. In this 5k race, you have flags or health bars on your waist, the goal is the get to the finish line with at least one flag while being chased by zombies. If you make it to the finish line with a flag you get a survivor medal; if you get there without a flag you get an infected medal. Throughout the race there are multiple routes that can be taken, one might have less zombies then the other. It all comes down to luck and how quick on your toes you are. You don‘t have to be a survivor; you can also be a zombie if you wish. I personally would love to have this race event happen here. These are just some of the races we could have in Townsville to create a sense of community and maybe even attract more tourism. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: Image 1 henleyontodd.com.au, Image 2 theoutbackfestival.com.au Image 3 outbacknow.com.au Image 4 amazingaustralia.com.au Image 5 mudrunguide.com
Author: NB. May 2018
MAGNETIC ISLAND TOAD RACE THE RACE BEGINS On a most beautiful Island just 10 km off Townsville there is a strange occurance that happens every Wednesday night. No, it is not a beautiful tropical fruit laden table feast. It is a race between carefully fed and nurtured cane toads. Verne Thomas Jack hosted his first cane toad race, way back in 1987. He was 44 years old at that time and had previously been a primary school teacher and principal at many schools around the north. Verne had been coming to the island since he was a child on family holidays. The toad race on Magnetic Island had actually started in 1980, run by the pharmacist Jim Fry. Verne took over this prestigious racing event and the rest is history! Outside the Arcadia hotel is a cement circle for this race. Verne attracts the tourists, young and old by hurling out school teacher like questions. ―What is the capitol of Victoria?‖ . . . and he reels them in for the big Wednesday night toad race… People can place any amount of bet on their toad of choice. Some of Vernes toads are called, The Yellow Rose of Texas, the Red Russian, the Irish Green Toad (apparently a favorite with a visiting Catholic Bishop). One toad is called Blue Liberal Party Fat-Cat which Verne claims is always purchased by the former federal Education Minister, Simon Dawkins, when he visits the island . The toads are presented in an octagonal perspex pen, with their respective coloured ribbons attached.
‗The Yellow Rose of Texas. . . ‘a toads name Then the race begins as Verne releases the toads. Some just sit straight backed whilst others head towards the winners post with ribbons trailing and the crowd cheering on. Some people looking on, in amazement, at this unusual race. Verne claims that he has been to many racing events all over the world including the Kentucky Derby & the US Open. On a different note, in actual fact, the cane toad is a pest. It was brought to Australia by Sugar Research Australia, to hopefully control the native cane beetle, that was damaging sugar cane crops. Unfortunately this bio pest multiplied and now inhabits much of North Queenslands fresh water. The toads release a dangerous toxic soup from boil-like glands, behind their head, when threatened. This poison is dangerous to humans and other animals. Verne is confidant in handling the toads safely. It is not recommended other people try this. But to enjoy the race be at Arcadia Village Hotel 8pm on Wednesday nights @ 7 Marine Parade, Arcadia, 4819 Magnetic Island!
ACKNOWLEGMENTS: George Hirst Magnetic Times/Jan. 4th 2007 article ―A man and his toad races‖ / amazingaustralia.com.au/Whatsonmagneticisland.com.au Author : J R-S 1.5.2018
LITTLE ATHLETICS WINTER CARNIVAL The Little Athletics Q McDonalds winter carnival is a series of athletic competitions for juniors, boys and girls, held in Townsville on Saturday 24th and Sunday 25th June. The events include running races of 100m, 220m, 400m and 800 metres. There is a 1100m walk race and a 1500m walk race. There is also a 110m hurdle race and a 300m hurdle race. The athletes can participate in high jump, long jump, discus throwing, javelin throwing, and shot put throwing competitions. There is also a heptathlon race. The Heptathlon is a combined event of 7 different sports. The name derives from the Greek word hepta meaning seven. A competitor in a heptathlon is referred to as a heptathlete. There are two heptathlon type competitions. One for males and one for females. They are composed of different events. The male heptathlon is older and is held indoors, while the female‘s is held outdoors and was introduced in the 1980‘s. It actually first appeared in the Olympics in 1984.
‗Heptathlon is a combined event of 7 different sports‘ As you can read, Little Athletics carnivals showcase many different sports for children, to participate in. Sport involves our physical and mental capabilities. This is a very healthy passtime for young people to be involved in. Organised sport for kids and teens is often a great way to get your children to regularly participate in physical activity. Research shows that there are many benefits of being active for children, including promoting healthly growth and development. Sport can help build strong bones and muscles, improve cardiovascular fitness, improve balance, coordination and maintain strength and flexibility. Little Athletics Sport helps us grow ~ Running is fun U know! I love putting that shot ~ My friend loves the whole lot Join in with Little Athletics ~ Its fun, healthy and helps you with your Alphabetics!
ACKNOWLEGMENTS: image naplesbay.info. www.healthykids.nsw.gov.au nonsense word poem by J R-S 8.5.18
Author. J R-S 8-5- 2018
RACING TO WIN WIN LOSE & BEING OK The quote says that ‗…only dishonor in not racing because you are afraid to lose‘. That is a harsh judgement. And judgements are limiting. There could be a myriad of reasons why people do not attempt something and there should be no judgement on that fact. Some would say that the safer way to think is that there is no dishonor in losing at all. Without a loser after all, there is no winner. Kenneth Barish discusses in his article, Winning & Losing, Helping Children Learn to accept defeat gracefully‘ some vital child developmental issues. He contradicts Vince Lombardis statement of, ―Winning isnt everything, it‘s the only thing‖. Kenneth says this is profoundly wrong and teaches exactly the wrong lesson to children. He believes if winning is everything, children may learn quickly to cheat. As sometimes winning can evoke a feeling of pride, boastfulness, bragging and learning to cheat to win. Also ‗losing‘ could evoke feelings of failure and shame.
‗WINNING ISN‘T EVERYTHING, PARTICIPATION IS‘ Kenneth says that this occurs especially in boys. Kenneth notes that many children in games take great pleasure in their victory and their opponents defeat and that sometimes to ensure their victory, they will cheat. Kenneth mentions how they can then learn to make up their own rules or constantly try to change the rules to their advantage. This may be in the pursuit of dominating it over other children, either intellectually or physically, to boost their self esteem. Kenneth is saying that this can lead to a dangerous precedent being set within their pysche, that does not allow ‗losing‘ with any integrity. That the child that cannot bear ‗losing‘ may throw temper tantrams or throw objects around or just not play. Kenneth says that teaching children to ‗accept defeat‘ gracefully is fundamental to healthy self esteem. He believes that children can learn this from adults modelling it. He says that children should learn from competition, the importance of team work & cooperation. They should be taught commitment to others and respect for our opponents. Also learning to play by the rules and adults can demonstarte all that. Sometimes, when you win, you really lose. And sometimes when you lose, you really win. And sometimes when you win or lose, you actually tie. And sometimes when you tie, You actually win or lose. Winning or losing is all one organic mechanism, from which one extracts what one needs.- Rosie Perez Winning & Losing, Helping Children Learn to accept defeat gracefully Sep. 24, 2012 Kenneth Barish Ph.D Pride & Joy – Psychology Today/online
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS:
Author: J R-S 1-5-2018
SHIP TO SHORE RACE SUNDAY JUNE 3
The Townsville Open Water Swimming Association has been operating in Townsville for about 64 years. Every year it brings some great open water swimming events to Townsville. There are prizes awarded for the overall winners of the Race Series. Some of these races include The Magnetic Island to Townsville Swim, The Strand Fitness Ocean Swim, The Pool 2 Pool swim and The Ship to Shore swim. The Ship To Shore Race is a unique swim race where you travel out to sea on a Sealink ferry and then swim back to shore. There is a choice of a 1.5 kilometre distance or a 3 kilometre distance to swim. There is a pre race registration on the day before the race, on 2 June, at the Sealink Ferry terminal between 4.30pm to 6pm.
A Race Unique to Far North Queensland Each year TOWSA may change the route of this race with a different starting point. In 2017 TOWSA introduced a new five-race winter series. The Ship to Shore is part of the second leg of the series. This series is an expansion of the traditional Strand swim and Magnetic Island to Townsville swims. TOWSA committee member Kylee de Roog says she hopes it will eventually attract some of the best swimmers in the country. Kylee also says the Townsville winter is the best time for these swimming events. She is hoping to be able to develop pre-Olympic and world champs training camps. Kylee says these open water swims could be part of the training camps activities. Just as Kylee is interested in attracting elite athletes, this race attracts males and females and all ages as its entrants. The 2017 results for the Ship to Shore race reveals how this race is age and gender inclusive. Out of 49 swimmers in the 1.5km race, the youngest entrant was 11 yrs old and the oldest was 64 yrs old. The 1st place was a male, 14 yrs with a time of 26:21, 2nd place was a male, 58 yrs old with a time of 26:27 and 3rd place was a female, 19yrs old with a time of 28:58. ACKNOWLEGMENTS: http://www.magneticislandswim.com.au/queensland.com/Daily News of Open Water Swimming/Townsville Bulletin ‗Open Water swimming expands Horizons‘ June 15th 2017/ Author : J R-S. 14th May 2018
WHAT‘S ON TOWNSVILLE AWESOME WEATHER AND AWESOME EVENTS THIS JUNE CANE CUTTING CHAMPIONSHIPS This event is not only a test of skill but also endurance, with thousands of dollars in prize money up for grabs for competitors, come on down try your luck and bring the family to. The excitement of the 'Cut, Top and Load' will be on show again at this iconic Australian event so come on down and witness something you‘ve never seen before. This event will be held at the Home Hill Showgrounds WOMEN’S MASTERS STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS This event will be held on the 7th of June to the 10th of June at the Townsville Hockey Association, (96 Murray Lyons Crescent, Annandale) with hundreds of their supporters coming in from around the state. So bring the family and have a good time. CHATERS TOWERS MOTOR SHOW AND SWAP MEET This beloved event will take place on the 8th of June to the 10th of June. There is something to do for every one and there are also a large selection of swap sites, demonstrations on some attractions, and a vast collection of vintage cars and other vehicles. This event will also be holding a live band licenced bar and children entertainment. It cost $10 for entry and is located at the Charters Towers Showgrounds Mary Street, Charters Towers. RSL TOWNSVILLE 2 YEAR OLD CLASSIC Come to this wonderful event of family racing known for its picnics and competitive racing. You can also come to compete in the Kids Fashion on the Field Competition. For an event the 100,000.00 RSL 2 Year Old Classic is a must see and all of this will be located at the Townsville Turf Club Racecourse Road, Cluden. If you would like to contact this event please call 4778 2400 for more information. THE DAPTO CHASER This event aim‘s at a comedy that gets its hands dirty about the dog racing sub-culture and With a crucial race that could change the Sinclair family for good the presser is on as they put their Boy dog Sue on an all-schnitzel diet to get it over the line. Townsville Civic Theatre - C2 41 Boundary St, South Townsville QLD on the 16th of June and starts at 2:30pm to 9:30pm,
ROSS RIVER RUSH TRAIL RUN Come on down to the Ross River Dame and take part in this exciting event as you take in the surrounding views as you run throw these challenging tracks. This event will take place at the Ross River Dame car park on the 17th of June on Riverway Drive, Kelso MAGNETIC ISLAND TRIATHLON The North Queensland's own tropical destination adventure island brings you a great weekend of thrills and spills. So come on down and witness for yourself the amazing racing going on and get involved with this magnificent event. They are holding a mystery swim on the Saturday evening, an event that will take you swimming over some of the Grate Barrier Reef on the Sunday as you start your triathlon then an all-out sprint race on the picnic bay beach, then you can enjoy they bay at the end of the day with your complimentary beer and cocktail as you sock in that lovely afternoon air. This event starts on the 23rd of June to the 7th of October, this event is located at Picnic Bay - Magnetic Island NQ SUPER SERIES OFF ROAD RACING This event is the there‘d instalment of the NQ Super Series Off Road Racing held in Charters Towers. This event is a competition where many different modified vehicles compete against each other in this thrilling off road event. This event will consist of cars, trucks, motorcycles, and buggies so come down get the best spot and witness the very fast and skilled drivers put the petal to the metal as they bring it home and risk it all. This event will be taking place at the Millchester Motor Sport Recreation Facility, Mafeking Road, Charters Towers. MOTOCO DAM FINE RALLY This exciting event will be taking place at the Ross Park Ross River Road, Kelso Qld. The (CMCA) the largest RV club in the southern hemisphere are holding their annual rally from the 28th of June to the 2nd of July We expect over 300 motorhomes from little vans to enormous busses, so come on down get involved and have fun.
VARIETY BILLY CART DASH AN ACTION PACKED DAY FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY TO ENJOY Since 2012 the Townsville Billy Cart Dash has proven to be a huge success within the community. With teams assembling and entering every type of Billy Cart you could dream of, Old-fashioned wood and rope styles to sleek welded machines complete with parachutes, air brakes, air horns and sub-woofers. Local Townsville businesses and the community have been donating their time and service since the beginning helping make the Billy Cart Dash successful and what it is today. With over $60,000 raised over the last six years through the supportive Townsville community and team registration fees, with all money raised going direct to Variety. The Townsville Billy Cart Dash will be on again on Sunday June 24 th 2018 and will be the seventh consecutive year the event has been held, taking place at Jezzine Barracks, Kissing Point North Ward. With teams from all over North Queensland entering in 2018 and we are inviting everyone to participate this year. Kids, Adults who are still children at heart, families, schools, corporate, sporting clubs and defence teams are all invited to come and join The 2018 Billy Cart Dash. With teams competing in the downhill race off the starting ramps with all four runs members of each team having the opportunity to have a run with all four run being timed by officials and the fastest time being recorded as the official overall team time, these will determine the winners in each category. An Obstacle course that will be not only be hilarious for spectators to enjoy but a good work out for all teams involved. There will also be a variety of family fun activities for the whole family to enjoy from Face-Painting, Balloon Artist, Craft and Activities, food and drink stalls. There will be a live outside broadcast from Glenn ―MINTY‖ Mintern from 4ToFM. The crew from Cre8tive Sk8 will be doing a downhill demonstration of Longboards and Luges. A Celebrity Race will be taking place with celebrities from all over Townsville, The Defence Cup Challenge will also be a feature for the day with the teams from the ARMY and AIR FORCE facing off. Teams will pay a small registration fee (which can be found on the website) with all funds rose being donated to Variety-The children charity of Queensland. Team Registration are due in by June 11th 2018 and early bird registration are to be entered and payed by May 25th. Each team that registers will receive one book of 50 raffles tickets to sell to family, friends and colleagues, with tickets also being sold on the day with the raffle being after the completion of the obstacle course at 2pm.
VARIETY BILLY CART DASH The range of categories you can register for are Kids (5-10 Years) Kids (11-13 Years) Kids (14-16 Years) Big Kids (Men and Women‘s) Families, Schools Sporting Clubs Corporate Defence At the end of the day all carts will gather at the front of the presentation tent for official judging and the award ceremony will be held and the winners announced. Medallions and Trophies will be awarded in each category, based on the following Fastest Cart from the downhill time trials. Cart Presentation and Decoration Team Spirit One major trophy based on each of these will be awarded overall, across ALL the categories and there will be Judges Choice awards handed out on the day. Fancy dress is encouraged on the day with the chances of winning prizes. Each year people attend the Billy Cart Dash in every type of fancy dress you can imagine. If you don‘t have the time, inclination or know how on building your own Billy Cart but want to participate, you still can by hiring one of our carts for the day. There is to be NO BRIBERY and CORRUPTION permitted during the downhill runs, however any and all BRIBERY in the form of donations towards the fundraising effort for Variety will not only be accepted but also encouraged for the obstacle course, in the spirit of the Variety Billy Cart Dash, the officials can and will turn a blind eye to BRIBERY, CHEATING AND CUTTING OF CORNERS!, only if you have to dollars to do so. All information about this years event can be found on the Billy Cart Dash Townsville webiste. http://www.billycartdash.com.
ACKOWLEGMENTS: Century Gothic 8.
Author: MR. Mar ch 2018
UPCOMMING NEW RELEASES GAMES IN JUNE The Crew 2 Developers: Ivory Tower Publisher: Ubisoft Release: June 29, 2018 Plattforms: PC, PS4, XBO
The Crew 2 is a soon to be released open world racing game. It is the sequel to 2014's The Crew. It features a persistent open world setting for free-roaming across a scaled-down rebirth of the United States. The game allows players to control a variation of vehicles including cars, motorcycles, boats, and airplanes. Onrush Developers: Codemasters Publishers: Deep Silver Release: June 05, 2018 Platforms: PS4, XBO, PC(TBA) Onrush is an arcade-style car warfare game, in which players drive cars, motorcycles and off-road vehicles across large levels over hilly territory. A bonus feature is a boost mechanic that players can use to surge their vehicle‘s speed. Earn boost by performing stunts and slamming rival enemies to take them out of the race and crown you a hero of the track. All-Star Fruit Racing Developers: 3DClouds Publishers: pQube Release: September, 2018 Platforms: PC, Switch, XBO, PS4 All-Star Fruit Racing throws players into vivacious worlds filled with gobsmacking action: drift through bends, fly over epic jumps and defy gravity itself around spiral tracks in energetically colourful tracks and become an All-Star winning champion.
The Karters Developers: 10Ants Hill Publishers: 10Ants Hill Release: May 29, 2018 Platforms: PC The Karters is an arcade karting game, largely inspired by Crash Team Racing and is a funky Go Karting game. 3 Different ways to play, 6 Tracks, 6 Adorkable Characters to pick from and 9 weapons to burst through the rankings and be awarded the gold. Karters quirky tracks and characters will bring you and any who challenge you fun and adventure.
REVIEW ONLINE GAMES Guts And Glory Developers: HakJak Productions Publishers: tinybuild Release: 2018(Early Excess: Feb, 2017) Platforms: PC, MAC, Linux, XBO, PS4 Price: $9.99 Rating: 4.7/5 Guts and Glory is a outwardly innocent looking arcade racing game, first job is to pick out the mode of transport you‘d like (A bike with a child on the back, atv and a car) once done you will need to select you‘re playing field which includes, a local park, small settlement and some country looking roads. As you progress through on a possibly peaceful adventure, getting used to the levels and get a handle on the mechanics of the game things start to escalate in a way one does not expect (I‘ll keep this as a surprise) when taking a leisurely bike ride through a park. For those of you who like a good pick up and play game this is a lot of laughs at the expense of the driver. Be careful though! While not the goriest of games Guts and Glory could definitely turn off the squeamish. So, if you like being shot at, can handle the possible murder of your digital family, handle some death obstacles or possibly cut in half by random projectiles while racing to the finish line, this may be one to add to your collection. Guts and glory is still in early excess which means it‘s not an entirely complete game, however new content is usually added every month and in my opinion is definitely worth a look. Need For Speed Developers: Ghost Games Publishers: Electronic Arts (EA) Released: November 03, 2015 Platform: PC, PS4, XBO Price: $29.00 Rating: 3.9/5 Need for speed 2015 is one of 29 of its series and in my opinion one of my favourites to play for racing online. NS4 is an open world racing game, going through the storyline as a ragtag group of racers trying to be noticed by their racing heroes. The game is visually stunning, gives you sounds that have your heart beating faster and Ghost Games seems to have brought back the much loved car customization previous fans loved. Performance customising is back and while it‘s the good ole ‗add everything and it will go faster‘ at the very least the visual extra flare you can add to cars sort of makes up for it. Some things to note are; the game switches night/day and through different weathers but while seeing my beautiful Ferrari F40 glistening with drops of water is very beautiful the jolting switch between night/day takes away from the race, especially when it switches more than twice through ONE race as the time of day feels like it depends more on what part of the area you are in, rather than the time of day.
COMPETITIVE RACING CAR RACING Racing is about compeating in a race that has a goal of beating others or a clock. Racing has many different formats, such as Running, Auto racing and swimming just to name a few. Today we will be talking about Auto racing as it has many different categories to which they race with. Auto racing has been around for as almost as long as automobiles have been with the first being recorded in 1867. Many of these races were used as reliability tests to see if said automobiles could be used as a practical mode of transport. Some of the categories are Open-wheel racing, Rallying and drag racing to name a few.
‗A racing car is an animal with a thousand adjustments.‘ Mario Andretti Open-wheel racing is where the automobile is often one that has a single seat, the wheels are not covered and have aerofoil wings of both the front and the back to produce downforce to help keep the car down to the gound for less drag. There is many different racing torments that involve open-wheel racing around the world. Touring car racing in another type of racing with automobiles, it is a style that is run with production-derived race cars. It often features fullcontact racing due to the small speed differentials and large grids. Touring car racing has many championships worldwide including the Townsville supercars that is coming up this July 6th – 8th, it is called the Watpac Townsville 400 and it is celebrating 20 years running. The National Auto Sport Association also provides a venue for amateurs to compete in home-built factory-derived vehicles on various local circuits. The vehicles used in the series are loosely based on roadgoing, four-door Saloon cars.
In sports car racing, production-derived versions of sports cars and purpose-built sports prototype cars compete within their respective classes on closed circuits. Sports prototypes, do not rely on road-legal cars as a base. They are closed-wheel and often closed-cockpit purpose-built race cars intended mainly for endurance racing. The races that involve sports cars are often conducted over long distances of at least 1,000 Km. the cars are usually driven by teams of two or more drivers, switching every few hours. In Rally cars compete on closed public roads or off-road areas on a point-topoint format where participants and their co-drivers race to a set of points, leaving in regular intervals from start points. A rally is typically conducted over a number of stages on any terrain, including on-road and off-road. The entrants are often allowed to scout beforehand at reduced speeds to get some detailed shorthand notes. These notes are read out to the driver by the co-driver to complete each stage as quickly as possible. Competition is based on lowest total elapsed time over the course of an event's special stages, including penalties. As you can see there are many types or racing involving automobiles, the ones mentioned here are just a few of them, there is also Production-car racing, an economical and rulesrestricted version of touring-car racing, One-make Racing, Production-based cars from a single manufacture or even a single model from a manufacture‘s range, Stock car racing, stock cars vaguely resemble production cars, but are in fact purpose-built racing machines that are built to tight specifications, Off-road racing, cars competing in races through offroad environments, Kart racing, racing around a small circuit in a small go-kart and often seen as the entry point into racing and also Historical racing, where all the cars are based on a particular era and is more hobbyist oriented.
ACKOWLEGMENTS: Pic 1: Author Nascarking, own work Pic 2: taken by Stefan Bartholomaeus Pic 3: taken by Jakob Ebrey
Author: A.B. May 2018
DRONE RACING HIGH SPEED COMPETITIVE RACING Drone Racing is a new high speed competitive racing sport. Skilled pilots fly quad-copter drones through three-dimensional courses at speeds up to 190 km/h. DRL drones are custom built for speed, agility, and performance. Pilots steer from the point of view of the drone by wearing First Person View (FPV) goggles that display a live image transmitted by an on-board camera. Flying a drone competitively at high speed in FPV is an intense, immersive experience. Most camera drones use on-board sensors to continually stabilize flight and keep the craft balanced. These components by definition prevent the drone from rolling or flipping too aggressively. Racing drones require aggressive manoeuvrability, so they function in an unassisted mode known as rate mode. This makes them incredibly fast and agile - but also more difficult to control. While it can take months of practice to master, rate mode allows skilled pilots complete freedom to perform aerobatic moves and tricks.
‗The sensation of flying makes your knees buckle, I have to remain seated during the match, or I forget where I am‘ – Conrad Miller Racing drones are designed to focus all of their energy into moving forward, as opposed to a photography/video drone which is focused more on hovering. A photography quad copter design will typically have four motors configured in an X-pattern, all equally spaced apart. A racing model will typically have its four motors configured in an H-pattern configured to thrust the drone forward, not up. Another specific characteristic of drone racing is the number of propeller‘s blades. 3-blade or 4-blade (instead of 2-blade) propellers have a shorter diameter allowing for a smaller frame with increased acceleration and manoeuvrability. Because of their light weight and electric motors with large amounts of torque, drones can accelerate and manoeuvre with great speed and agility. This makes for very sensitive controls and requires a pilot with quick reaction times and a steady hand. First person view (FPV) flying means that pilots only see what the drone sees. This is accomplished by live streaming footage from a camera mounted on the nose of the drone. The image is transmitted via radio waves (typically 2.4 GHz or 5.8 GHz frequency) to goggles or monitor worn by the pilot. The remote control, drone, and goggles are all connected via radio and must transmit with sufficient speed and reliability to allow effective control.
DRONE RACING HIGH SPEED COMPETITIVE RACING This technology is very new and is constantly being improved. FPV goggles on the market range from $50 to $500, with the more expensive goggles offering more and better features. Some of these features include a wide field of view (FOV), receiver diversity, head tracking, multiple frequency settings, and DVR (digital video recorder) recording functionality. While the pilot always requires goggles, some drone racing organizations insist they should also be used among spectators alike by simply switching the frequency to the channel of the racer you want to watch.
‗It starts to blur after a while. You can lose your depth perception, which can cause you to crash… it's a crazy feeling.‘ Zack Martin-Taylor The first FPV drone races started as amateur competitions in Australia and New Zealand. These competitions were called Rotor cross. In late 2014, hobby enthusiasts started working on their own FPV drone racing equipment which helped elevate the hobby to a true sport. Today FPV drone racing is gaining so much attention that it‘s expected to become a recognized projected virtual reality (PVR) sport. This will happen when drones and quad copters start carrying 360° cameras that give the pilot all of the necessary information about the flight. The sport is growing in popularity in Australia with an official league being formed comprised of 10 member clubs, the latest of which has been founded by Zack Martin-Taylor in Townsville. Internationally one of the largest leagues is The Drone Racing League (DRL) which is based in the United States. Founded in 2015 and launched publicly in January 2016, the league‘s inaugural season featured five races across the United States and was broadcast on ESPN, Sky Sports and ProSiebenSat. 1 in Germany. DRL provides pilots interested in competition with various resources that can be used to acquire better skills. The official DRL website (TheDroneRacingLeague.com) features a simulator that gives drone pilots a better idea what FPV is. There are also numerous videos that show just what the pilots participating in the competition are seeing Author: AC. May 2018
WATPAC TOWNSVILLE 400 VIRGIN AUSTRALIA CHAMPIONSHIP TOUR The Westpac Townsville 400 is an annual motor racing event for Supercars (Virgin Australia Supercars Championship), held on the Townsville Street Circuit, in the heart of Townsville. First held in 2009, the race has been popular with the people of Townsville and has attracted people from all over Australia. The much loved event goes for three days in early June bringing an abundance of tourists with it. Race information With funding from both federal and the Queensland State Government the biggest race in sunny Far North Queensland was announced in 2007.
Venue
Townsville Street Circuit
Number of times held
9
First Held
2009 Race Format
The Superstreet Format
Race 1
The whole event is staged over a 3-day weekend, from Friday to Sunday. This format style is also used at the Adelaide 500 and the Newcastle 500. Two fortyminute practice sessions are held on Friday. Saturday features a twenty-minute qualifying session which decides the grid positions for the following 200 kilometre race. A twenty-minute qualifying session is held on Sunday, succeeded by a top ten shootout, the combined results of which decide the grid for the following 200 km race. [1]
Laps
70
Distance
200kms
Race 2 Laps
70
Distance
200kms Bonus: Track Specs
Avg. speed of track
144km/h
Top Speed
260km/h
ACKOWLEGMENTS: Image1 en.wikipedia.org, [1]"V8 Supercars Operations Manual 2016 - Division A - Administration Rules" Author: A.T.T.C May 2018