2011 East Coast Challenge - slight change to categories

[hammer]

Team,

Below is info on the 2011 Alfa Romeo East Coast Challenge, to be held at Qld's Lakeside Raceway. Questions and expressions of interest should be directed to AROCA Qld Comp Sec Ken Percival, although I'm happy to answer basic questions here on the forum.

Cheers, Brent

2011 ALFA ROMEO
EAST COAST CHALLENGE

As tradition would have it, 2011 will see the annual Alfa Romeo East Coast Challenge return to Queensland.
Thanks to the determined organizational efforts of AROCA club member and keen Group S racer Manuel Pena along with Bill Magoffin and the crew from the Veloce Racing Association, the inaugural Alfa Romeo East Coast Challenge saw a grid of 26 cars line up at Queensland Raceway, back in 2007. Over the past three years this superb demonstration of Alfa's racing heritage has taken place in 2008 and 2010 at Goulburn's Wakefield Park and in 2009 at Queensland's spiritual home of motor racing, Lakeside.
As the hosts of the 2011 Alfa Romeo East Coast Challenge, AROCA Qld has chosen to run the event at Lakeside on July 23 and 24, as part of the historic circuit's 50th anniversary celebrations.
AROCA Qld has purchased two slots in the July 23/24 race meeting, which is being promoted by Queensland Raceways under the banner Lakeside 50th Sport Specials. The race meeting is to be aggressively promoted in the marketplace by Queensland Raceways, as it is one of four 50th anniversary race weekends planned for 2011. This particular weekend is for sports cars only, although AROCA has been granted special dispensation to run sedans as well as sports cars, as Alfas generally fit with the sports theme.
With two slots booked, each with a capacity of 20 cars, the plan is to run a Group S category and an open AASA category. By running along these lines, we hope to encourage maximum participation from Group S racers from New South Wales, Victoria and possibly even South Australia, who may not have competed in Queensland in the past. With AROCA Queensland only boasting six Group S members at this point, we're counting on our southern brethren to flesh out this group.
Whilst July is still some eight months away, we are keen to secure enough expressions of interest to fill both categories by the end of March. Please email expressions of interest to AROCA Qld competition secretary Ken Percival on alfa.kp@bigpond.net.au
Ken will distribute supplementary regulations for the race meeting a little closer to the event. The AROCA Qld committee will also work on dinners for Friday, July 22 and Saturday, July 23 for interstate guests, local participants and other club members, accommodation deals with motels/hotels close to the circuit and a show 'n' shine display for Sunday, July 24.

[alfagtv58]

Maybe the Mexican group of racers can get together to discuss plans for 2011.....we can try to coordinate our calendars and perhaps get a transporter organised for this one.

Melbourne in July can be a bit miserable, a jaunt upto QLD in July might be nice 

[Sheldon McIntosh]

I could be keen Phil, put me down as a maybe.

Hammer, any idea how many races each category would have over the weekend?  And what level of license is requred?

[hammer]

Sheldon,

Supp regs are not in yet for this meeting but it should be qualifying plus four races across the two days. Qualifying should be a 20 minute session. Races should be warm up, rolling start, 5 race laps + cool down. Last race will be either 7 or 8 hot laps. Friday will be a full day of practice at an additional cost - usually $120, but for that you can literally be on track for 3 hours throughout the day.

All competitors must hold at least a temporary AASA race license for this meeting. If you are a AASA license holder you need a "national" level license. If you are a CAMS license holder you need a race license, not just a speed events license (sorry I'm not being more specific here). You will then most likely have to pay $20 for a AASA day license to make sure you are covered by the circuit's AASA insurance. We'll get the specific details out in the new year, but rest assured the track operators are trying to make it as easy as possible for racers from all parts of Australia to participate in these 50th anniversary race meetings. They've even worked out an arrangement with the local council to lift the strict 95db noise restriction for the anniversary races.

Cost of entry is not available at this point but we'll let you know early in the New Year. It will be very reasonable.

Cheers,

Brent

[Sheldon McIntosh]

Thanks Hammer.  What's the history behind the East Coast Challenge?

[hammer]

Sheldon,

As mentioned in the initial post, the ECC kicked off in 2007 at Qld Raceway, Ipswich, largely due to the organisational efforts of the Veloce Racing Association, in conjunction with Queenslander Manuel Pena and AROCA Qld. A field of 26 cars lined up for the first one and it was all in, no CAMS groups, no cc divisions, just race what you have. Alan Lewis won the first weekend, from Bill Magoffin and Brad Wilson (all NSW).

2008 it went to Wakefield Park, NSW, and you'd have to check with the VRA boys on the outcome, but I know it was once again NSW taking the silverware.

2009 12 New South Welshmen ventured north to Lakeside. Due to track density we had a full field of 20 and another 10 or so Alfas grouped in with some escorts etc. Andrew Wilson from Qld took the honours this time around, from Magoffin, with I think Brad Wilson again in third.

2010 saw the event back at Wakefield Park and I believe Phil Basket has outlined the results of this one in another post.

So 2011 will be the fifth running of this annual event and we hope it will be the biggest, with two grids of 20 Alfas doing battle. Not quite Alfa Island but a bloody good time and some exhilarating racing. Hopefully running in two distinct groups (group S and AASA open) will give us the best of both worlds, as it seemed to be a successful formula at PI.

Hope you can bring Ironsides on the long haul. I had a blast in our six car convoy going south to PI back in March.

Cheers,

Brent

[jimnielsen]

Brent, do you know what the roll-cage requirement will be for the AASA part - are slicks allowed?

jim ~

[hammer]

Jim,

Slicks are fine. We don't use them in the Qld Alfacomp, so you'll have an automatic advantage, but they are definitely allowed in the AASA group of the East Coast Challenge as we are trying to encourage as many interstate competitors as possible.

Rollcage minimum requirement is a bolt in half cage.

Cheers mate. Hope to see you up here.

Brent

[hammer]

Hi there,

Further to my earlier post about next year's East Coast Challenge at Lakeside on July 23 and 24 there has been a slight change to one of the categories. We will still run two groups, with one being a AASA no holds barred category and the other now based on Veloce Racing Associations regulations - rather than just Group S. Veloce regs are outlined below.

In answer to a few other questions regarding the AASA group, slicks are allowed; all types of aero modifications are allowed; and both groups will only contain Alfa Romeos. The only real stipulation in this AASA group is that you are running an Alfa Romeo, with an Alfa engine and an Alfa gearbox.

If you have any further questions regarding this race meeting, feel free to drop me a note.

Cheers,

Brent


Veloce Racing Association Vehicle Regulations
2008


1.0   Overview

Racing will be conducted in one class to be known as Veloce Racing.
   
2.0   Eligibility

2.1   Vehicles must be of the Alfa Romeo Marque.

2.2   All vehicles with a current CAMS logbook must conform to the logbook requirements. However, some logbook category requirements may offer more freedoms than these regulations. In such cases, these regulations shall take precedence.



3.0    Veloce Racing
       
3.1.    Vehicles must comply with the requirements of one of the following CAMS logbook categories:

a)    Group S Sports Cars (5thCategory Historic)

b)   Group N Touring Cars       (5th Category Historic)   

c)   Group 3J Improved Production  Cars

d)   Group 3E Production Cars   
e)   Group 2B & 2F Marque Sports.

3.2   Vehicles not complying with any of the above categories may be allowed to race by special invitation of the VRA Committee. The Committee may request the competitor to modify the vehicle in order to achieve performance parity with the categories listed in 3.1 above.

3.3   Notwithstanding the categories listed above, any vehicle fitted with an engine of a different type to that originally fitted to the model must be specifically approved to race by the VRA Committee. E.G. Alfa 75 Twin Spark engines fitted to a 3J 105 Coupe. The Committee may request the competitor modify the vehicle in order to achieve performance parity with other vehicles.

3.4   Notwithstanding logbook category freedoms, the maximum wheel diameter allowed is 15 inches, maximum wheel width is 7 inches and minimum tyre aspect ratio is 60%.

3.5   Notwithstanding logbook category freedoms, competitors must only race on tyres appearing on the approved list for Group S, N and Production Cars.