higher quality trophies that comes at a cost and the committee are running their eye over wastage. Giving a trophy to someone who enters one meeting as the sole entrant in the class seems like wastage so new rules have been developed: to qualify for a trophy a competitor must run at least two race meetings per year, or there must be at least two starters in that class. Points recorded will not be affected. A couple of meetings ago it was suggested that car bits mounted on inscribed pedestals as unique trophies would save money. Investigation suggests the time to polish and mount each item would cost just as much as off-the-shelf. But is anyone able or willing to take on this task? Entertainment: Poor John Brash has to work so hard when what he’d probably rather do is sit back and have a beer/s and not have to haul equipment in and out to have his Rank Outsiders play for us each year. So we’ll be giving them the year off at the Christmas Party, but they’ll still be playing for us at Sandown. Some people love the dancing, others think the music interrupts the conversation. What do YOU think? DJ? Karaoke? String quartet? Pavarotti? Please let us know your thoughts so we can get everything lined up. The magazine Inevitably if one guy writes the magazine boredom will set in, both for writer and reader. We really need variety and that means contributions from more people – and yes that’s you I’m referring to. You don’t have to be a great writer, if you just want to contribute a set of bullet points that’s
fine. If you just want to send in a relevant and interesting photograph, that’s fine too. Can somebody put up their hand to do some backstories on our cars, or cars being developed or drivers and characters from the Club? Of course they can and we’re waiting to see who it’s going to be! The social A big round of applause to Shane Tobin for his efforts as the grandly named Club Liaison Officer. As he’s off on a long holiday around Australia we’re looking at how to keep the role going. Is there one person (or two) able and willing to be the jolly and welcoming face of the HTCAV at race meetings, towing the trailer (where necessary) perhaps cooking a barbie, keeping the drinks cold and giving membership joining forms to interested parties in return for free membership and free tickets to the meetings? I’m coming to the view that we might need a Sub Committee to deal with it. That
certainly worked for the Broadford Sprint event and helps spreads the load. The Club really needs help in this area and we need to find an answer – we’ll discuss it at the monthly meeting after the AGM. See you there! RalphE
Short Shifts Get well thoughts for Rob Southouse who in his own words attempted a Superman when trying to clear some of the many tens of thousands of parts in his rambling Mercbits establishment, now sold. Like the Road Runner he somehow managed to use the principle of the lever to urgently catapult himself a vast distance into something hard and thus into hospital where he now remains nursing a fractured skull and cracked ribs, so it is reported. And they say motor racing is dangerous! Get well soon old charger – maybe the hardest part of being in hospital is not being able to have a fag… Sympathy for ex member, ex President and ex Historic Commission eligibility person Paul Burchall whose wife Adele passed away recently. Adele was a very warm personality; not much more is known, a search for Paul Burchall on line achieved 0 results. Page 4
Mick Stupka’s Citroen has been featured in an article in Racer magazine, while Clive Massel was interviewed on the new TV show Bumper to Bumper regarding his showpiece Holden HG Monaro. Both Clive and the Monaro are from South Africa, Clive has become something of a latter day Monaro expert and has gone into old Holden spares. Erratum: In previous articles Historic Touring Torque has published that Darrell Hansen was on probation for a previous driving infringement at the time of his current fine and probation order from CAMS stewards at Phillip Island in March. This was not correct, that probation period had expired before his new one started; the incorrect information was supplied by a state steward and Historic Commission member and Torque apologises for the error. First rule: always check your sources, no matter how plausible they may be. Highlights from the Historic June 2012
Commission Minutes, April meeting - Negative camber: a maximum of 4 degrees negative camber for Group N cars is being discussed. More camber takes cars too far away from original specifications and appearance. In conjunction with this is the question of tyres for the category. Sixty percent aspect ratio tyres will become in short supply especially in the larger sizes, such as 245. Larger wheels may be necessary. - Driving standards: it was regarded that the existing rules are sufficient but their communication and application could be addressed. This includes rewording parts of the manual, a specific Code of Conduct for historic meetings, reprinting parts of the manual in Supplementary Regulations and having an all-officials meeting at the beginning of a historic meeting to address standards. - Electronic driving aids apart from rev limiters are not allowed. Historic Touring Torque