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Thrilling Result for the Lazer Rally of the Bay

By News, Rally of the Bay 2022

The Lazer Rally of the Bay has ended in thrilling circumstances with a dead heat declared for the top step of the Podium. The Mitsubishi Lancer team of Clayton Hoy and John Allen shared the event win with the Shamrock Motorsport team of Richie Dalton and Mac Kierans.

The roads in the Eurobodalla Shire are in the best condition they have been in for several years and driving conditions were ideal with a small amount of rain on Friday evening settling the dust.

A large crowd had gathered at the spectator point on the Dog Trap Stage, SS1, ready to cheer on their favourite teams and catch some of the exciting action. And they were in for a treat, as a mammoth battle was about to begin for the win in the 2022 Lazer Rally of the Bay.

Dalton set the early pace in his ProDriver Yaris AP4, winning the first stage on Dog Trap Rd by a margin of just 2 seconds over Hoy in the older Lancer Evolution 6. Dalton then extended his lead by a mere 1 second in the Buckenbowra stage, and then took another 4 seconds in the 25km Clyde Long stage to be leading by an overall margin of just 7 seconds.

But Hoy would fight back in the next stage, taking the win in the 10km Big Bit stage by 8 seconds to move into the lead. With one stage to go in Heat 1, and just 10km of competition left for the first pass over the stages, Hoy was quickest again, taking another 3 seconds off Dalton to win the first heat of the rally by 4 seconds.

Going into the Service break, Dalton felt he’d made a few wrong choices.

“Yeah, huge battle from stage one”, Dalton quipped. “We tried something different. We went on soft DMack tyres , which was a completely wrong choice for the first two stages and they were destroyed, especially as there was a lot of road cleaning in the second stage. I was speaking to Clayton afterwards and he actually went on a soft Hoosier tyre, so we changed over to the Hoosier’s for the last three stages and they worked well.”

“But we were as committed as we could, and he still took eight seconds off us. I don’t know where he got eight seconds in 10km’s, but good on him.”

Hoy also felt like tyre choice was a key factor in the morning stages.

“We put the pedal down a bit”, Hoy said. “But I think we had too soft of a tyre on the first two stages and we were rolling around a fair bit. But I’m quite surprised to be at Richie’s pace. It’s been a long time out of the seat and I’m quite happy. You can’t ask for anymore.”

“The roads suit the car,” Hoy continued. “You don’t need much suspension travel here, and I’m only driving at 90%. But hopefully we can go a bit quicker on the second loop and put a bit of pressure on Richie.”

The second loop around the stages was as just as thrilling as the first. Hoy won the second pass over Dog Trap and then Dalton won Buckenbowra. Dalton then took the win in the Clyde Long stage to take back the top position on the score sheet and was now leading the rally by 2.4 seconds.
The final stage was the repeat run over Big Bit in the dark, and with such a small margin, it was going to be a nail biter. Dalton was first into the stage and set a time of 5 minutes and 56 seconds, two seconds quicker than his previous pass in daylight.

At the end of the final stage, Dalton would need to wait for Hoy to arrive to see the time set.

“We gave it everything”, Dalton said. “I’m actually surprised Clayton took 8 seconds off us on the first run here today, because every other stage is 1 or 2 seconds either way. We had a really good run the last time, so we gave it everything. If it’s not enough, it’s not enough, but man, what a brilliant day.”

“The roads were just the best I’ve ever done. It was a really, really fast rally and it took massive commitment. What an enjoyable day and a big thanks to Mac for stepping in. We had a mighty time. So, I’m really, really happy. Whether it’s a win or not,

“I would like just want to thank all the organisers and volunteers, what a super day.” Dalton concluded.

But when Hoy arrived at the final control, he was faster by 2.8 seconds and that was enough to seal the win.

“Awesome,” Hoy exclaimed. “That was great. No doubt at all. Awesome.”

“This is only the fifth rally I’ve ever finished. And for sure, this tops it all. Finishing third in the Australian Rally Championship is nothing compared to this.” Hoy said.

But the competition conditions don’t allow for 10ths of a second timing, making the final result a dead heat.

Former NSW Rally champions, Tony Sullens and Kaylie Newell, finished the rally third in their Subaru WRX and were the only other crew to win a stage, taking the Buckenbowra 1 stage win by a 3 second margin.

Route Changes for Lazer Rally of the Bay

By News, Rally of the Bay 2022
Mick Harding in the Subaru WRX in wet conditions at the opening round of the NSW Rally Championship
Photo: Roy Meuronen

 

With less than three weeks before the Lazer Rally of the Bay, organisers have had to make several changes to the route.

“It’s not ideal to be making changes, but sometimes the weather can affect the condition of a road, so it makes sense to change it”, said Road Director, John McCredie.

“Runnyford Road has been impacted the most and Eurobodalla Shire Council made the decision that it was not suitable for our use. There are parts of the road that are fantastic, but then there are sections that are so wet, it’s impossible to use it for a rally. The Council are also doing road works in several sections and it’s just unsuitable for us to use.”

“We’ve extended the Buckenbowra stage by 6km. We’ve also changed the Clyde Long stage to avoid an area where there has been significant timber harvesting operations”.

“The changes mean the event is now 134km for the State teams and 124km for the Clubman competitors. We purposefully made the original route longer because we anticipated some weather events may play a part in the final route”, McCredie concluded.

With a full entry of 70 cars, there has been additional teams who wanted to enter. The revised route can now accommodate those extras and Event Manager, Nigel Bland is excited about the opportunity to allow more cars to enter the event.

“It’s fantastic to have a full field two weeks before entries close”, said Bland. “Plus, it’s great to be able to give a few more teams the opportunity to experience everything the Rally and the Eurobodalla Shire has to offer.”.

The Lazer Rally of the Bay is set to take place on Saturday the 13th of August in the forests surrounding Batemans Bay on the NSW south coast. The rally cars will be flagged away from Corrigan’s Beach Reserve in Batehaven. Lazer High Performance Lighting is the naming rights partner.

The 2022 Lazer Rally of the Bay is a round of the NSW Rally Championship and East Coast Classic Rally Series (ECCRS), and also incorporates the NSW Clubman and NSW Hyundai Series.

Entries Open for Lazer Rally of the Bay

By News, Rally of the Bay 2022, Spectators, Wheelspin
North Shore Sporting Car Club (NSSCC) has today opened entries for this year’s Lazer Rally of the Bay. The event is on 13th of August Crews will be able to commence unlimited reconnaissance immediately once their entry has been received.
NSSCC closely reviewed the event costs and this has resulted in an increase in the entry fee. For competitors who kept their entry with NSSCC from last years cancelled event, the increased fee will not apply, and the club will absorb the difference.
“We didn’t want to raise the entry fee”, said Brett Middleton, NSSCC President. “However, the cost of running the event has increased yet again, with many of our suppliers also increasing their fees. Rallysafe, Radio Network, Council road use Fees, Service Park Hire, Forestry Fees, the Medical Intervention Vehicles, and a bunch of other costs, are just some that affected us. Over 70% of our costs are fixed and non-negotiable.”
“We believe the event is still great value, but for the future sustainability of the sport, we as a club and the sport as a whole need to be realistic about event costs and make sure that it generates enough income to cover expenses and to guarantee the long-term viability of the rally”, he added.
 “Some clubs use sponsorship to reduce entry fees, but our club has a policy of only spending sponsors money on promoting their brand through promotion of the event and its rally teams .”
“Our organising committee is based predominantly in Sydney, therefore the costs of setting up and running the rally needs to be taken into consideration with things such as fuel and accommodation costs. Our team already donate hundreds of hours of time, the club can at least cover their costs. Our sports organisers are predominately an ageing crew, we need to encourage younger volunteers, we need to plan for the future sustainability of the sport,” Middleton concluded.
Event Manager, Nigel Bland, has put together a handy visual cost breakdown to help teams understand how their entry fee is distributed.
  • Fees includes all Bank, Credit Card Merchant, PayPal, NSW Rally Panel, Motorsport Australia Permit, Service Park Hire, Council Road Usage Fees, Forestry Permit and Forestry Per Car fees.
  • Operations includes Rubbish Bin Hire, Portable Toilets, Door Stickers, Rally HQ Hire, Printing Costs, RallySafe, RallySafe Support, Stationary and Postage.
  • Infrastructure includes Radio Communications, Rally HQ Equipment and Setup, Medical Intervention Vehicles and Staff, Barriers, Bunting, Signage and signage equipment.
  • Mandatory Advertising includes forest signage, newspaper advertisements and associated communications to local residents.
  • Setup and Accommodation includes the costs associated with the rally setup and pack up including accommodation, fuel, meals and other essential travel costs for senior officials who invest 50 hrs or more in volunteer time.

Motorsport Australia State Council and Panel Nominations Called

By News, Wheelspin

Have you ever wanted to be on one of Motorsport Australia’s decision making councils or panels? Are you a Motorsport Australia Member? Then here is your opportunity to contribute to the direction of Motorsport in NSW.

Motorsport Australia is seeking nominations for 2022-2024 NSW & ACT State Council Executive Office Bearers as well as 2022-2024 NSW & ACT Panel Nominations. The Panel Nominations can be for any of the panels including:

  • Autocross Panel
  • Hill Climb Panel
  • Motor Race Panel
  • Off Road Panel
  • Officials Panel
  • Rally Panel (We currently have several NSSCC members on this panel)
  • Scrutiny Panel
  • Stewards Panel
  • Supersprint Panel

If you want to nominate, you’ll need to download the nomination form and fill in the details. You’ll also need another member to be a seconder and sign the form. Should there be difficulty in obtaining a signature from a seconder, an email endorsement from the seconder containing their name, and member number will be sufficient.

  • Nominations for State Council Executive Office Bearers must be returned by Tuesday 14 September 2021
  • Panel nominations must be returned by Monday 1 November 2021

Please attach the email with your nomination form when submitting. All nominations forms must be returned via email to nsw@motorsport.org.au and you can download the forms using the buttons below.

AMH Automotive Group Rally of the Bay pushed back to November

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

The 2021 AMH Rally of the Bay organising team recently met to decide on the 2021 running of the AMH Rally of the Bay. The team considered a range of options and have decided to consult competitors and partners with the view to running the event on the 13th of November.

Event Manager, Nigel Bland said that there are many factors to consider in making any decision and that North Shore Sporting Car Club (NSSCC) has a responsibility to both the Community of Batemans Bay as well as rally teams to run the rally this year.

“We have major partners on the South Coast who supported our event this year, plus some have also been involved with the rally for many years”, Bland said. “We need to do the right thing by these partners and also consider what our competitors want from us”.

“We know our partners want us to proceed, we know the community of Batemans Bay want us to run the rally, so we now need to understand what the majority of our competitors want.”, added Bland.

“We know that the date we are proposing is going to be unpopular with some as the end of the year will have a lot of events close together, but unfortunately we have been put in this position by circumstances beyond our control”, Bland concluded.

In choosing the proposed date of the 13th of November the club carefully considered other events, however, that was the only date available to NSSCC and club President Brett Middleton expects that most competitors will want the rally to go ahead.

“It’s been a difficult time for all motorsport events”, Middleton said. “We’ve already asked some of our teams what they want to do, and the vast majority have agreed we should run the event. We’ve still got 76 entries confirmed and we plan to contact each team and give them the opportunity to provide us their feedback on the proposed date”, Middleton concluded.

NSSCC will give teams and stakeholders the opportunity to provide their feedback and input. The club will provide further information in coming days.

Photo: Taylor Gill and Peter Harris at the 2020 AMH Rally of the Bay – Photo by Roy Meuronen.

Opportunities Galore for Molly Taylor

By Events, News, Rally, Results, Wheelspin
PHOTO: Molly Taylor and Seb Marshall in the Rally3 M-Sport Ford Fiesta – Rally Estonia – Source: Facebook

North Shore Sporting Car Club Member, Molly Taylor, has been exceptionally busy over the past few months, and with a range of different international events on her calendar. For Taylor, the second half of 2021 is packed with excitement.

Taylor last competed in Australia at the Accent Benchtops Rally of Queensland in an Orange Motorsport Subaru WRX STi. With Malcom Read in the co-drivers seat, Taylor was placed third in Heat One, overcoming issues with the rear suspension. A damaged radiator in the second heat on Sunday would see the team making urgent repairs to the car after completing the first three stages, but despite their best efforts, they were forced to retire.

It was straight to the airport following the Rally of Queensland, with Taylor heading to Senegal in West Africa. Senegal, made famous in rally circles because of its capital city, Dakar, hosted round 2 of the Extreme E Racing Series.

After a brilliant drive with Johan Kristoffersson at the first round of the Extreme E Racing, Taylor and the Rosberg X Racing (RXR) team went into the Ocean X Prix round leading the series. The RXR team were competitive from the outset, securing a place in the final and ultimately winning the event. They now lead the series with 71 points, 14 points in front of Cristina Gutiérrez and Sébastien Loeb from X44 Racing.

Taylor was thrilled with another win, saying: “It feels so good to take our second win of the season in Senegal. The semi-finals were wild because of the course here on the beach and the close racing, but we really enjoyed it, and it got us even more pumped for the last race. The Final was my first time racing wheel-to-wheel at the start of a race and getting the inside line heading into Turn 1 was really important. From there I just had to bring the car home for Johan to jump in and do what he does best for the second lap.”

“The win didn’t come easy”, Taylor continued. “And it’s been a great reminder of how competitive this series is, but that makes this victory even more special. We’ll savour the moment and look forward to the next race in Greenland.”

The next event for Taylor was the WRC Rally Estonia, driving for the M-Sport Poland team in an all new four-wheel-drive M-Sport Ford Fiesta Rally3. In the leadup to the event, Taylor said she was happy to be getting the band back together, referring to re-joining with co-driver Seb Marshall for three WRC events.

“I’m really excited to have this opportunity and get back to some of my favourite WRC events in Finland, Estonia, and the Acropolis, which has always been on the bucket list. We’ve been working towards this programme for a while, so it seems like it’s been in the distance for so long. You don’t want to get too excited, because you’re always trying to put programmes together, and it’s often that nothing happens. Then it all started to come together, and it looked like it was finally happening.”

“Now it’s coming around really soon, so it’s pretty surreal. It’s exciting to be a part of the beginning of the [Rally3] category and I think, from everything that I see, it looks like a really good package, so I’m really excited to give it a go”, she continued.

“When this opportunity with the new Rally3 car came up, I think it was a combination of all the little things that just fell into the right place, and so when the opportunity arose, it was possible to jump at it. I always wanted to get back into the WRC. I feel like it’s been many years of trying to get to an opportunity like this – that I was trying for back in 2012 – but I’ll take it now!”, Taylor concluded.

But things didn’t go according to plan in Estonia, and a crash on stage 4 would see Taylor and Marshall retire with a badly damaged M-Sport Fiesta.

In a Facebook Post, Taylor announced: “Gutted to say we are out of Rally Estonia. On stage 4, I ran a little wide on a very fast section and caught a drainpipe hidden in the ditch. Doesn’t take much over here to have a big one. Certainly not the start to our program we wanted and I’m really sorry to the team and all our partners for this mistake . Seb and I are OK. Thank you for all your messages and support through both the good times and the bad.”

The other WRC events Taylor and Marshall will be seen at in addition to the Rally Estonia will be the Acropolis Rally Greece from the 9th to the 12th of September and then Rally Finland from the 1st to 3rd of October.

But there will be little time to think about what could have been in Estonia with Taylor heading straight to yet another challenge. She is entered in the Baja Aragón Rally, based out of the city of Aragon, Teruel, located in eastern Spain.  The 824km Baja style cross country rally raid event takes place on the 23rd and 24th of July and Taylor will be driving a South Racing prepared Can-Am Maverick X3.

The opportunity to drive the buggy style vehicle in Baja Aragón came about through an invite and she will be joining with rally raid and Red Bull Off-Road Junior Team Co-Driver Dennis Zenz. Taylor met Zenz while testing prior to Estonia where he had been co-driving for Fabio Schwarz, son of rally driver Armin Swartz.

There are other testing and driving opportunities in the pipeline for Taylor, but her focus will be on the remaining two WRC events, and of course the next Extreme E Series on the snow and ice surface at Arctic X Prix on the 28the to 29th of August in Kangerlussuaq, Greenland.

To keep up with all of Molly’s adventures, you can follow her Facebook Page or visit her website.

Molly Taylor and Seb Marshall – Rally Estonia – Source: Facebook

AMH Automotive Group Rally of the Bay Proceeding on 28 August

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

Photo: Bruce Moxon

The 2021 AMH Rally of the Bay organising team has officially announced that the 2021 running of the AMH Rally of the Bay will now take place on Saturday the 28th of August.
Event Manager, Nigel Bland is confident that when the current NSW lockdowns are lifted the team from North Shore Sporting Car Club (NSSCC) will be ready to run the event.

“We’ve been really lucky to have a number of volunteers based in Batemans Bay come on board to help us get things ready. Whilst we can’t get down to the Bay ourselves, our volunteers have been getting out into the forests preparing for the rally”, Bland said.

“The current COVID situation is very fluid, and we really don’t know what restrictions will be in place by the end of August, so we are moving forward with the event as planned. Should things change, we’ll make that decision closer to the event”, added Bland.

The proposed date of the 28th of August was originally slated for a Rallysprint run by Shoalhaven and Kiama Districts Auto Club (SKDAC) and was offered to NSSCC.

“We really appreciate SKDAC giving up their rallysprint date so we could re-schedule our event. In fact, we didn’t even have to ask them. They offered it up to us when it looked like the restrictions would impact the event. We really want to thank SKDAC and particularly SKDAC President Peter Ewing for the club’s generosity” Bland concluded.

The Rally of the Bay is still looking for officials and volunteers and if you would like to assist on the 28th August, simply send an email to andrew.benefield@nsscc.com.au

AMH Automotive Group Rally of the Bay postponed

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

Organisers of the 2021 AMH Automotive Group Rally of the Bay have made the difficult decision to postpone the event and are working with relevant authorities and the NSW Rally Panel to secure August 28.

With ongoing restrictions in Sydney and beyond, North Shore Sporting Car Club (NSSCC) is not confident that travel constraints will change sufficiently to allow the event to proceed on the 17th of July.

Event Manager Nigel Bland said the decision was extremely difficult. “Even if the stay-at-home order in Sydney is lifted, there’s still a good chance people will be restricted from travelling” he said. “And whilst many of the competitors are not Sydney based, the entire organising team is.”

“That’s left us in a difficult position. Do we continue with the event and hope that everything gets opened up next weekend, or do we make the decision now to give competitors the opportunity to plan for a new date.”

“There are so many variables at play here that it’s just not worth the risk to continue with the original date.”, Bland said.

The proposed date of the 28th of August was originally slated for a Rallysprint run by Shoalhaven and Kiama Districts Auto Club (SKDAC) and was offered to NSSCC.

“We really appreciate SKDAC giving up their rallysprint date so we could re-schedule our event. In fact we didn’t even have to ask them. They offered it up to us when it looked like the restrictions would impact the event. We really want to thank SKDAC and particularly SKDAC President Peter Ewing for their generosity” Bland concluded.

The event organising team met today and were confident the date change was the right decision based on the evolving health situation.

“The other option was to cancel the event altogether”, said NSSCC President, Brett Middleton.

“But there’s so many businesses in the Eurobodalla Shire that rely on our event. Last year we estimated the rally brought $750,000 worth of economic benefit to the region and it’s important for us to support the local community”, Middleton continued.

“Three of our major partners are local to Batemans Bay including the Batemans Bay Marina Resort, the Village Centre and Bridge Plaza shopping centres and the Eurobodalla Shire. We’ve already invested in a major marketing campaign in the lead up to the event so moving the date is the best outcome for everyone.”

“We understand this now puts some pressure on competitors because there are other events that are now closer to ours, but the Rally of the Bay is such an iconic event and we know our rally teams will expect us to reschedule and go ahead with it”, Middleton said.

“With event scrutineering due to start this weekend, it’s important to make the decision before people start to get prepared. We hope our customers stick with us and that the event goes ahead in August and is a great success”, Middleton concluded.

NSSCC expect to formally announce the new date early next week.

Penny swaps WRX for Classic Nissan for AMH Rally of the Bay

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

Regular NSW Rally Championship contenders, Andrew Penny and Rhys Llewellyn have swapped their Subaru WRX for a Classic Nissan 240RS for the AMH Automotive Group Rally of the Bay. The pair have intensified their commitment in 2021, taking on the NSW Championship as well as the Motorsport Australia Rally Championship (ARC).

At the Accent Benchtops Rally of Queensland ARC event in May, Penny rolled the WRX, putting them out of the event and leaving the car damaged.

“With Queensland, we had a bit of a misdemeanour in the forest with the GC8, so that’s in the process of being repaired”, Penny said.

“I saw the 240RS for sale online and it turned out that Michael Harding had it and over a work-related conversation we struck up a deal. I didn’t actually mean to buy it but decided that it would be a bit of fun. It’s super cool, and that’s why I bought it. And I’d just sold a ski boat, so I swapped a ski boat for another rally car”, Penny joked.

Penny and Llewellyn have entered the AMH Rally of the Bay to continue their bid for the NSW Rally championship, but also to get some practice in the new car before the Alpine Rally at the end of the year.

“We’re going to do the Alpine because someone said it was a fun rally to go to. But, I’ve actually never driven a rear wheel drive rally car and I figured the only way to learn was to get in and have a go. It looks like fun, but I don’t know how fast I’m going to be, but the car is allegedly very quick” Penny says.

The Nissan 240RS has some rally heritage and was built in Victoria by well-known rally driver Darren Snooks. The car has rallied in New Zealand with former Australian Rally Champion, Simon Evans behind the wheel. The car has a five-link rear end, FJ240 motor, twin 48 webers, dry sump, electric steering with a ratio reducer and was built to a high specification.

The Alpine Rally is a road book event, but Penny says he is planning on using Pace Notes at the Rally of the Bay.

“Rhys asked me if we’re going to use the Road book, but I said no, we’re going all in. I want to go as fast as we can with as much knowledge as we can. And I reckon knowing what’s around the next corner is going to help me learn faster”, Penny added.

“We want to go as fast and as hard as we can, because I don’t want to drive slow. I’m too competitive”, Penny concluded.

The Nissan 240RS is also eligible for the East Coast Classic Rally Series and this will be Penny and Llewellyn’s first appearance in the classic rally series. They currently rank eight overall on the 2021 NSW Rally Championship scoreboard with 28 points. Nathan Quinn and Ray Winwood-Smith lead the series on 50 points.

The AMH Automotive Group Rally of the Bay is set to take place on Saturday the 17th of July in the forests surrounding Batemans Bay on the NSW south coast. The first car will be flagged away from Corrigan’s Beach Reserve in Batehaven at 8:45am.

Rally Proceeding as Planned – COVID Update

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

The 2021 AMH Rally of the Bay organising team would like to reassure the Rally Community that North Shore Sporting Car Club (NSSCC) is proceeding as planned with the running of the Rally of the Bay and at this stage expect the event to take place on the 17th of July.

Whilst the greater Sydney area is in a NSW Government imposed Stay at Home Order, the current advice is that the lockdown will end on the 9th of July and the rally can therefore proceed. Should government regulations or conditions change, the NSSCC organising team will make further announcements closer to the event.

“We have permits, we’re COVID complaint, our submissions are approved and everything’s in place”, said Event Manager and NSSCC Vice President, Nigel Bland. “It’s important that we focus on getting on with running the event and making sure that everything is ready for the 17th of July. We’ve put so much effort into preparing for the rally, and we know that teams are going to love the new format and roads that we’re using”, Bland added.

“Additional planning is underway to allow us to easily change things if we need to to meet government controls. We ran the Service Park with pretty stringent controls in place last year, so if we need to do that all again, we’ll be ready” Bland concluded.

NSSCC President Brett Middleton said there was more than just the rally to consider. “The Eurobodalla Shire has invested significantly in our event”, Middleton said. “We have many partners locally and across the motorsport community that have also invested in the Rally. The Batemans Bay business community also needs our support, especially after the fires, and last year’s COVID lockdowns.”

“The Rally of the Bay always has a significant impact on the local economy and last year we know there was a huge economic boost to Batemans Bay and surrounds because of our event, and we want to repeat that again this year”, Middleton concluded.

The Rally of the Bay is still looking for officials and volunteers and if you would like to assist on the 17th of July, simply send an email to andrew.benefield@nsscc.com.au

Competitors with any concerns can call the event manager on 0411 644 193 or send an email to media@nsscc.com.au