Catch up on all the action from round four of the 2018 CSCA series, held at Sydney Motorsport Park and hosted by the Morgan club, with this report by Craig Sheppard of the Motorsport Committee and photos thanks to Seth.
CSCA Report: Round 4: 11th August 2018: Sydney Motorsport Park: GP Circuit
The Wooden (aka Morgan) Round
The 11th of August dawned clear and cool, and Eastern Creek’s cold air did little to discourage the large entry of ‘super sprinters’ who arrived at Sydney Motorsport Park before 6am to grab as many carports as possible due to the limited number at this event. The Morgan Club always put on a great day – over 60 volunteers were there to assist and the day went mostly very smoothly.
The Grand Prix layout of Sydney Motorsport Park always attracts an increased number of entrants, as it’s rare for club motorsport to get access to the ‘old circuit’ – and what a great circuit it is. Smiles, smiles, smiles were the order for most of the day.
Group 1 was a virtual CLA lockout with 12 of the 16 runners coming from the Club. This was great to see, especially with the already healthy friendly competition within the group. Cars were split across four classes, showing the competitiveness of our Lotii across the whole field.
Duncan Andrews (DM4) set the fastest time of the day with a 1:42.4, despite a bout of the flu. He was fifth fastest overall and the fastest non-open wheeler – a great result. Tim Mackie (R1) was a close second in the CLA stakes with a 1:44:4 – a PB I believe. Tim was followed closely by Stephen Wan, DM4, (1:45.08) and then Martin Duursma with an almost identical time in the Green 430 Cup.
Despite a teething issue or two the Green Machine continues its rise and boy does it sound great! Leigh Fuller chimed in with a 1:46.1 – only for a slipping clutch to end his day after 2 laps.
Syd Reinhardt (R1) continues his form with a 1:48.6, luring a number of our younger punters to believe that they have his measure, only for him to show them a clean pair of heels.
The ongoing battle and mentoring between Rex Hodder (DM2) and Liam Sheppard (DM4) continued, closely followed by James Kinghorn. Rex and Liam were at all times not much more than a few lengths apart and pushed each other hard. Each time a session finished, big smiles and debriefs were had between the two – which led to Liam (1:50:3) pipping Rex (1:50:5) by 0.2 sec in the last session of the day. A punter on the roof was heard to say, “it’s worth coming just to see these two battle it out nose to tail!”
Peter Deller brought his Commodore home with a 1:51.4. James Kinghorn (DM2) continues his fine form with a 1:51:2 – an awesome time in a standard S1 Elise.
Dave Mackie started strong, but that pesky drive shaft halted his progress once more. Much effort was put into convincing said shaft to go back on the spline, but with no luck. It may subsequently get used for a trophy of sorts!
Kyle (Doc) Lange (DM2) bought the S1 Elise home with a 1:53:3, with no issues. Gino Valdes (DM4) did a 1:53:7 and was followed closely by Terrence Waugh (R1) with a 1:54:8 in the resplendent Banks Europa. Terrence was followed closely by Keith Edwards in the Audi RS3 (1:54:8) and Denis Brady put in a solid performance with a 1:59:1 in the 2004 Elise.
Mel Valdes aimed for an under two-minute lap and nailed it with a 1:59:8! Mel was ecstatic – as were the rest of the CLA who gave her a big cheer on this great time. Well done Mel!
On Saturday an electric vehicle ran at a CSCA sprint for the first time. John Deller set a time of 2:03:2 in the Telsa – hopefully a time he was happy with. It was a first to hear a car go flying down the main straight with only tyre and wind noise announcing its arrival.
Unusually Len Goodwin only set a few laps, as the Elan couldn’t shake a misfire, which halted its progress for most of the day.
Overall a great day was had by the CLA team and we’re looking forward to Round 5 hosted by the MG Car Club Sydney on the 25th of August.
Until next time,
Craig Sheppard,
Club Lotus Australia Motorsport Committee
