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Rally HQ Back At Marina Resort – AMH Auto Group Rally Of The Bay

By Events, News, Rally, Rally of the Bay 2021, Wheelspin

Rally Headquarters for the 2021 AMH Auto Group will be back at the Batemans Bay Marina Resort. The venue has changed its name from the ‘Coachhouse’ to reflect the resorts Batemans Bay location.

The Batemans Bay Marina Resort has once again put their support behind the popular motorsport event as the official accommodation and Rally HQ venue.

In announcing the continued partnership, North Shore Sporting Car Club (NSSCC) President Brett Middleton said “We’re really privileged to have such a great business put their support behind our event. The facilities at the Batemans Bay Marina Resort are perfect for Rally Headquarters and we also accommodate all our key officials here.”

“For all our rally teams heading to the event, this is the perfect place to book their accommodation. It’s the ideal location to stay with most villa’s having a sleeping capacity for six people.” Middleton added. “Plus, it’s right next to Rally HQ, has plenty of parking for trucks and trailers, is only a short distance to the Service Park and is walking distance to Club Catalina across the road, which is also our Social Hub.”

The rally of the Bay Event Manager, Nigel Bland expects that up to 90 rally teams will descend on the Batemans Bay township on the July 17 weekend.

“It’s fantastic to have Rally HQ back at the Batemans Bay Marina Resort” Bland said. “The Resort has been a great venue for us to base our rally headquarters over the past few years and we’re really looking forward to their great hospitality again this year.”

“The Resort is also offering rally teams and event officials some great accommodation deals with discounts for extended stays.” added Bland.

The 2021 Rally of the Bay is conducted by North Shore Sporting Car Club and forms part of the MTA NSW Rally Championship, East Coast Classic 4WD Rally Series, East Coast Classic 2WD Rally Series, NSW Clubman Rally Series, Hyundai Rally Series and the ACT Regional Rally Series.

About the Batemans Bay Marina Resort

The Batemans Bay Marina Resort is a beautiful resort style property overlooking the ocean and tidal lagoon. There are 89 self-contained villas, many featuring a waterfront location and boasting spectacular ocean views.

Corrigan’s swimming beach is just a few minutes stroll away and boat enthusiasts and fisherman benefit from direct access to the boat ramp through the rear of the resort.

The Catalina championship 27-hole golf course and 7-day a week bistro is conveniently located directly across the road. The town centre of Batemans Bay is only a 15-minute harbour side walk away or just a two minute drive.

About North Shore Sporting Car Club

The North Shore Sporting Car Club was created in December 1952 by a small band of die-hard rally fans. 69 years later and the club has grown from this small group to over 500 members. The club is responsible for organising 10 events per year, covering dirt, tarmac and other timed rally-type events. Club members are from all over Sydney and beyond with a myriad of cars in varying shapes and sizes. One common theme, however, is the passion of the members and the legacy of club.

Dalton satisfied with solid finish in Queensland

By Events, Rally, Wheelspin

Shamrock Motorsport driver, Richie Dalton, has taken a solid haul of points from round two of the Australian Rally Championship in Queensland.

Driving his turbocharged, four-wheel drive Toyota Yaris AP4, Dalton overcame a slow start on both days of the rally to finish the 12 stage Rally Queensland in sixth place.

It comes a month after his fourth place at the National Capital Rally was taken from him within sight of the finish in Canberra.

Being held for the first time since 2016, this was Dalton’s first trip to Rally Queensland, and he set off from the start determined to ensure he reached the finish and gain more experience of his new car.

Outright speed was never really the objective going into the weekend, with the Irishman more intent on learning the new stages.

“I’ve been struggling for confidence in the car, so to get home with a finish means it’s been a good weekend,” Dalton said.

“I found it very difficult to get a rhythm in the car this weekend which has been frustrating, but we stuck with it and made it to the finish which was always the plan, so we’re happy enough.”

Dalton and co-driver Dale Moscatt have now done three rallies in the car, including a first-up victory in a rallysprint event on debut.

As he does more kilometres in the ex-works Yaris, he knows the speed will increase.

“We still have a lot to work on and to learn the car more, but going forward we’re heading back to Tasmania where we’ve been before, which is great.

“We have pace notes for most of the stages down there and we’ve been quick there in the past in the old car.”

The Neal Bates Motorsport team will now prepare the Yaris for the trip south to Launceston on the first weekend in July, where jackets and beanies will replace the shorts and t-shirts that were prominent in Queensland last weekend.

Dalton ready to bounce back in Queensland

By Events, News, Rally, Wheelspin

Shamrock Motorsport and NSSCC Club Member, Richie Dalton is determined to make amends for a disappointing start to the Australian Rally Championship last month.

Dalton was on track for a solid fourth place in the opening round of the series in Canberra, only for a suspension failure to throw his car off the road and out of the event.

This weekend in Queensland, the Toyota Yaris AP4 driver will be back on the horse (so to speak) as he continues to come to grips with his new car.

“It really was a heartbreaking way to end the first round, because we hadn’t put a wheel wrong all rally,” Dalton said.

“But sometimes that’s how it goes in rallying, and we came away with nothing more than a repair bill for the car.”

Since then, the team at Neal Bates Motorsport has repaired the Yaris and it heads in to Rally Queensland in tip-top condition.

This will be the first time the rally has been run since 2016, and all the stages will be new to competitors.

“It’s exciting,” Dalton added.

“Competing in a new event is always a great challenge, and when it’s new for everyone it makes it a real unknown.

“The team that writes the best pace notes and adapts to the new stages the best will come away with the rewards.”

Dalton and experienced co-driver, Dale Moscatt, will complete their pre-event reconnaissance on Friday, after testing the rebuilt Yaris on Thursday morning.

“We knew this year was going to be a learning one, and so far that’s proved to be the case.

“However, we know the car has the speed, and if we put together a solid drive over the 12 stages in Queensland, then we’re confident that we can push for a podium finish.”

Based in Gympie, north of Brisbane, Rally Queensland runs on Saturday and Sunday, May 22 and 23.

Re-live the excitement of the 1968 London to Sydney Marathon!

By Events, Wheelspin

OK, we can’t drive from London to Sydney in 2021 but we can do the next best thing – retrace the steps of the game-changing, gruelling Perth to Sydney Australian leg. Back in the day, the first car to finish took an eye-watering 67 hours and 22 minutes non-stop – we will not attempt to replicate that feat.

The 2021 Perth-Sydney Marathon will celebrate the 1968 London to Sydney Marathon by following the original route of the event across Australia from Perth to Warwick Farm in Sydney. Starting in Perth on the 29th October 2021 and finishing ten days later with a function at Warwick Farm in Sydney on the 7th November.

This will be the only event since the original 1968 Marathon to follow the entire route of that race across Australia and will use many of the original time and passage controls. No other event has retraced the route in the 53 years since the 1968 Marathon and it is highly likely that this experience will be the very last opportunity to join entrants, participants and vehicles from the 1968 Marathon on such an historic journey.

Though non-competitive, there will be ample opportunity for some seriously spirited driving and it still promises to be a real test of both crews and machines. We will cover some of Australia’s best gravel and tarmac rally roads, including the SA outback cattle stations of Wirrealpa, Curnamona and Kalabity, the alpine mountain tracks from Edi to Brookside and down to Omeo, all in the company of well-known legends in Australian rallying and with some of Australia’s most important rally cars. The event will traverse the Nullarbor Plain, the Flinders Ranges, Outback WA, SA and NSW, then cross the Victorian and NSW Alps to finish in Sydney some 5700 km later, with half the route being on unsealed tracks and roads.

Around ten original 1968 competitors as well as a similar number of ’68 competition vehicles are committed to running. The 2021 Marathon is shaping up to be one of the largest Historic Rally events of its kind ever to be held in Australia. It has attracted both rallying and racing enthusiasts, all keen to taste what it may have been like to run in the greatest marathon of them all, alongside those who did.

The Entry Fee for the Event is $AUD5685 for a crew of two in the nominated vehicle and includes all meals but excludes accommodation. An invitation to participate in the Event will require a $AUD250 deposit followed by the payment schedule outlined in the Event Supplementary Regulations. Entries are limited to 85.

Expressions of interest should be made to the Event Director, Laurie Mason:

Mobile: 0438 445 024 or email: events@vogueautomotive.com.au

Callous Canberra inflict devastating blow on Dalton

By Events, Rally

Richie Dalton has suffered heartbreak just three stages from the end of the National Capital Rally in Canberra last weekend.

Lying in fourth place and having set a string of top four stage times, Dalton and co-driver Dale Moscatt were on track for a superb start to the 2021 Australian Rally Championship.

The pair were driving their 2019 championship-winning Toyota Yaris AP4 and had settled in well over the two days of competition.

On the rally’s 12th stage, however, a broken rear suspension arm threw the car off the road at high speed and saw the car roll into a ditch, and out of the rally.

“We’re shattered as everything had been going perfectly to plan,” Dalton said.

“We were cruising and being really efficient with our driving, making no mistakes and keeping out of trouble.

“It took me a while to get to grips with the new car on the Canberra roads, but towards the end of day two we were comfortably fourth and set for a good haul of points.”

The Yaris was in sixth gear and travelling at around 150km/h when Dalton hit a rock in the road, which broke the suspension.

The car rolled into the ditch, but fortunately was relatively undamaged, although it could not be driven back up onto the road.

“I’m still devastated by it,” Dalton added. “We didn’t deserve that.

“I drove the perfect rally … almost.”

Before then, Dalton and Moscatt had set three second fastest stage times, and five fourth quickest times in a car that was built and prepared by Neal Bates Motorsport.

Not to be deterred after the accident, Dalton will be back in action at round two of the Australian championship in Queensland in mid-May.

The rally will be new to all competitors in the series, putting everyone on a level playing field at the start.

The Sydneysider is already looking to make amends, and hoping that he can finally call on the “luck of the Irish”.

NSSCC Partners with Collecting Cars

By AutoBrunch, Events, News, Spectators, Tarmac Rallysprint, Wheelspin
North Shore Sporting Car Club (NSSCC) is excited to announce that Collecting Cars will become the exclusive auction partner of the club and as part of the deal, will become the naming rights partner for Auto-Brunch Events throughout 2021.

“This is a great opportunity for NSSCC and Collecting Cars”, said Brett Middleton, NSSCC President. “Each month we have growing numbers of classic, vintage, sports and collectable cars attend Auto-Brunch, so it’s only fitting that we partner with such a great business that specialise in Auctions of these vehicles.”

“We are really excited to be working with the team at Collecting Cars and we encourage all NSSCC members to check out the auction website. There are some amazing cars on offer and a growing list of Australian Auctions” added Middleton.

Collecting Cars is Europe’s fastest-growing online platform for selling iconic and sporting cars and has now landed in Australia. With over 1,200 lots sold in 2020, Collecting Cars offers NSSCC members both local and international buyers for iconic, sporting, and or competition cars.

Already, Collecting Cars has over ten amazing cars LIVE, with new Australian auctions going live daily.
“The Collecting Cars team in Australia is excited to be part of the tight-knit enthusiast community at NSSCC. If you have any questions about how to sell or consign your vehicle, please don’t hesitate to contact our local team; we are here to help guide you through the process.” said Rich Fowler, Collecting Cars Australia.
You can contact the Australian team directly on 0403 263 509, rich.fowler@collectingcars.com or submit details of your car at www.collectingcars.com/sell.

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DOWNLOAD the Collecting Cars sellers guide for a complete overview of how to sell on collectingcars.com

HARDING WINS TARMAC RALLYSPRINT ROUND 1

By Events, Rallysprint, Results, Tarmac Rallysprint

The first round of the 2019/2020 Whiteline Tarmac Rallysprint Series was won by Michael Harding in a Subaru WRX STi. The car is purpose built for tarmac rallying and it was Hardings first appearance in his tarmac spec rally car at this event, having previously competed in his gravel spec version of the Subaru. Harding had his engine tuner Benjamin Perry sitting in the co-drivers seat.

FULL RESULTS

“I invited Benny to come down and jump in the car and help us with some data and have some fun as a bit of a thank you for him for all the many, many hours of hard work he’s put into the car,” said Harding.

“Actually sitting in the car and experiencing it is just mind blowing” added Perry

The event at Sydney Dragway attracted a quality field of 85 cars. Previous winner and event favourite Phil Heafey broke the driveline of his Lancer EVO on the start line of the second stage and was forced to retire. His main rival was Michael Caine, who usually competes in an RX7 and has challenged Heafey for the win at many previous rounds of the series. But Caine decided to bring a Holden Commodore Ute to the first round to try something a bit different and “have a bit of fun”.

Troy and Gary Nicolson finished on the second step of the Podium and blasted the HSV Commodore Coupe 4 around the special stage to be just 2.9 seconds behind Harding’s Subaru at the end of the night. Jake and Ian Lambie were 3rd in a Mitsubishi Lancer EVO 5.

It was a trying night for North Shore Sporting Car Club organisers who had to contend with 45km/h westerly winds disrupting course setup and making barrier placement extremely difficult. But in the end, the event started on time and was praised by competitors. The first round used a new starting location adding an extra 400m to the technical course.

The first round of the Summer series was also the first time the event included a coaching and mentoring programme specifically for Juniors. The GFB Junior Development Program included coaching from Rally Ace Brendan Reeves and Professional Co-Driver Dale Moscatt. The three juniors entered in the programme for the first round were Tom Donohue, Louise Taylor and Taylor Gill and were driving a Hyundai N-Performance Hot Hatch. The competition between the juniors was intense, with 15 year-old Gill beating Donohue by just eight tenths of a second.

The 2nd round of the series will be held on a Tuesday night the weekend after the WRC event in Coffs Harbour and entries are now open. The Whiteline Tarmac Rallysprint is open to both experienced rally drivers through to novice and first-time competitors. The event is 100% asphalt, conducted on private roads within Sydney Dragway precinct. The event is run as a special stage rally with cars starting at 30 second intervals. To compete at the Whiteline Tarmac Rallysprint Series, entrants need to be over 14 years old. No drivers licence or vehicle rego is needed.

REMAINING DATES FOR 2019/2020 SEASON
Round 2: Tuesday 19th November 2019
Round 3: Thursday 5th December 2019
Round 4: Thursday 13th February 2020
Round 5: Thursday 12th March 2020

Go Fast Bits

GFB BACKS TARMAC RALLYSPRINT

By Events, Rally, Rallysprint, Tarmac Rallysprint

GFB (Go-Fast-Bits) has again renewed its support of the Whiteline Tarmac Rallysprint for the 2019/2020 season. In addition to providing support of the event in general, GFB will be once again support the Junior competitors by continuing the “GFB Junior Challenge award”. The prize, which includes $100 in prize money (per event) and trophies, is awarded to Junior Drivers at each round of five round series.

Showcasing their Australian Manufacturing capabilities, GFB will also provide customised trophies manufactured at their facility in Sydney.

In announcing the continued relationship, North Shore Sporting Car Club (NSSCC) President Brett Middleton said “We’re glad to have GFB back on board as one of our major partners this season, they are a great supporter, and they also actually use the event to test their products.

Middleton added, “It’s also fantastic that they’ve chosen to once again support the Junior drivers. NSSCC want to encourage and mentor the next generation of rally drivers and co-drivers and with GFB providing these prizes, we’ve probably got the best junior driver opportunities in the country.”

In addition to the GFB junior challenge award, Junior drivers also have the opportunity to compete in a fully sponsored Hyundai i30 N Hot Hatch.

GFB products are proudly made in Australia in accordance with the ISO 9001 quality management system. Their range of innovative and high-quality products include diverter/ blow-off valves, boost controllers, wastegates, fuel pressure regulators, pulley kits, short shifters and other performance components. Their products are meticulously designed and manufactured in Australia from the highest-grade materials and deliver real performance outcomes, without making the car difficult to live with on a daily basis. GFB has a team of dedicated, enthusiastic and passionate individuals who are regular competitors at the Whiteline Tarmac Rallysprint Series and make the GFB name what it is today.

The 2019/2020 Summer Series of the Whiteline Tarmac Rallysprint will once again comprise of five exciting rounds starting in October. The series is open to both experienced rally drivers through to novice and first-time competitors.

DATES FOR THE 2019/2020 SEASON
Round 1: Thursday 17th October 2019
Round 2: Tuesday 19th November 2019
Round 3: Thursday 5th December 2019
Round 4: Thursday 13th February 2020
Round 5: Thursday 12th March 2020

WHITELINE BACK FOR ANOTHER TWO SEASONS

By Events, News, Tarmac Rallysprint

The popular Twighlight Rallysprint run over the summer months at the Sydney International Dragway has again secured Whiteline as the naming rights partner for a two-year contract.

Known as the Whiteline Tarmac Rallysprint Series, the events are organised by the North Shore Sporting Car Club (NSSCC) and are held on a weeknight once a month from October to March.

In announcing the continued relationship with Whiteline, NSSCC President Brett Middleton said “It’s fantastic to have Whiteline back as the naming rights partner. We’re really looking forward to having them onboard again, they’re a great bunch of people to work with and we both benefit greatly from the partnership.”

Whiteline boasts a worldwide reputation as a leading manufacturer of replacement, enhancement and performance suspension components that deliver significant gains in vehicle balance, steering precision, grip levels and outright driving performance. Whiteline makes the perfect partner for the rallysprint events, with their ‘Grip Activated’ tagline reflecting the nature of the series.

The 2019/2020 Summer Series of the Whiteline Tarmac Rallysprint will once again comprise of five exciting rounds and the team at North Shore Sporting Car Club are already well into the planning phase and are looking at many options to make the event even better than previous years.

The series is open to both experienced rally drivers through to novice and first-time competitors. To compete at the Whiteline Tarmac Rallysprint Series, entrants need to be over 14 years old and can drive a standard, modified, race or rally car on a road circuit in a safe and controlled environment. Junior drivers are especially welcomed and NSSCC will have some more exciting announcements shortly regarding Junior opportunities.

DATES FOR 2019/2020 SEASON

  • Round 1: Thursday 17th October 2019
  • Round 2: Tuesday 19th November 2019
  • Round 3: Thursday 5th December 2019
  • Round 4: Thursday 13th February 2020
  • Round 5: Thursday 12th March 2020