AC Owners Club Forum
AC Owners Club Forum => ACOC News and Events => Topic started by: C9OBY on September 19, 2016, 22:59:45
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The AC Owners’ Club is once again very pleased to invite you to join us at this year’s AC Owners’ Club Clubman’s Sprint Meeting, to be held at Goodwood Motor Circuit on Saturday 5th November. The event will continue the format of previous years, with a number of different AC and non-AC classes competing under MSA Sprint rules and regulations.
We would love to ensure that we once again we have a full complement of AC members in AC cars competing in what promises to be another fun, exciting event. Of course, AC owners are also able to support the event in a non-AC car if they don't wish to dirty their pride and joy or if their beloved AC is currently off the road.
To obtain an entry form and event information pack, please contact Bruce Claassen (Secretary of the Meeting) at bruce_claassen@hotmail.com or on 07958 570 718. Please note that entries close on Friday 28th October, being 1 week ahead of the Sprint.
For anyone interested in coming along to watch, please do join us! Entry is free and you will have full access to the paddock and circuit and are free to look over the cars and chat with our competitors. People start gathering from around 8am onwards and festivities tend to wrap up at around 4.30 following the prize ceremony. You do not need to be a member to attend, hence please feel free to invite your friends and family too. Food and drinks are available at the circuit and in nearby country pubs - an ideal way to spend a day out.
As always, your support is very much appreciated and we look forward to seeing as many of you as possible at Goodwood!
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Hello all, a quick update.
With only 2 weeks left to go before the deadline for entries to the Sprint closes (Friday 28th October), we have 3 members in AC's and 5 ACOC members in non-AC cars confirmed. So if you've been sitting on your paperwork or just haven't got around to deciding on whether or not to join, please do so asap.
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In addition to competitors, spectators are also very welcome to come along and watch, walk the pits and mix with competitors. Note that there is no entry fee or restriction on access, just come along and enjoy a free day at the track side.
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Is it obvious when you get there to find where spectators need to park?, I am planning to come along in the Ace Brooklands, but just to watch.
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The long term weather forecast is good for the 5th so I will be attending in my Cobra as a spectator and have been told that I can park it inside the circuit. However! I'm not sure if that's only allowed because it is an AC!
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Well where is all the AC Owners' Club event support from all those AC owners in the southern counties? No doubt they are all stuck in the garage and never used unless they can afford a Kirkham replica to race???
See you on Saturday
Malcolm
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The forecast is looking really nice for Saturday so I will be going to pop up...
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What a great day that was,! Weather was spot on, if chiily for spectating. It was nice to put faces to names too. I can post some photos up soon.
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A big thank you to all of the team who once again pulled together to make today such a big success. Some memories from the pit lane...
https://www.flickr.com/photos/bruceclaassen/albums/72157675000809360
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Many thanks to Bruce and all the rest of the team for another great event, and this year with a dry track!
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great pictures, thanks for sharing :-)
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The day started with a blue sky and a damp track which soon dried out as usual, but sadly the temperature did not push beyond 10 degrees.
Superbly organised as usual thanks to Bruce and his ACOC team of helpers.
Apologises from Sarah for not competing due to her knee operation."
I hope our ACOC council will look much harder at ways of improving the our turn out of participating AC cars.
Would there be enough interest from other ACOC members and invited clubs to take a track day at Goodwood the day before the Clubman Sprint?
Malcolm
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Great pictures !!
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quote:
Originally posted by SB7015
.....I hope our ACOC council will look much harder at ways of improving the our turn out of participating AC cars.
Would there be enough interest from other ACOC members and invited clubs to take a track day at Goodwood the day before the Clubman Sprint?
Malcolm
Would be a good idea, Malcolm.[:)]
This would allow someone like me to engage on a 1400 kms trip, not just for two or three laps on the Goodwood circuit during the Sprint meeting, but getting the most out of a full track day followed by the Sprint. If the dates could be advanced, it could also help.
Mind you that over here we had temperatures around freezing point this w/e and they are typical for this time of the year, so it is not easy to jump into the Cobra and off for a 1400 kms round trip to do just a few laps at Goodwood.
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quote:
Originally posted by SB7015
Well where is all the AC Owners' Club event support from all those AC owners in the southern counties?
A great ACOC day at Goodwood last Saturday, not least for the friendly spirit which so characterises our Club. Whilst there were not too many ACs on the track, there was a tremendous variety of other interesting machinery, and the paddock and pits were full of familiar faces thoroughly enjoying the event.
Huge thanks to Bruce Claassen, Mike Smith, Mike Berrisford, Michael Billington, John Anthistle, Des Chapman, and about 20 other volunteer officials and helpers - both ACOC and non ACOC. Some of these people have been helping to organise and run this event for more than 20 years, and it is their hard work behind the scenes which continues to make the event both possible and viable.
The origins of the ACOC Sprint can be traced back continuously to circa 1953. It has often been the case that there were few ACs competing. Indeed, at one time a Council member was specifically tasked with drumming up support! Nevertheless, for decades the event has been very highly regarded in the motor sport community, and is very important to the wider standing of ACOC. Long may it continue to so do.
Next weekend is the Classic Car Show at the NEC. There, another hard working volunteer team of AC enthusiasts, led by Jeremy and Tony Witt, will again be placing ACOC firmly in the public eye with the Club stand. Please give that team your full support too.
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Event results:
The overall fastest time of the day was set by Glyn Sketchley in his Force PT with a time of 81.99 seconds.
Official Class Winners (for non-AC classes, 2nd and 2nd/3rd place awards are linked to class size):
Classes 6 (AC Ace, Bristol)
1st: Ted Shepherd, AC Ace Bristol, 110.37
2nd: Mark Aldridge, AC Ace
Classes 12, 15 (AC Frua, MKIV)
1st: Andy Shepherd, AC Cobra MKIV Lightweight, 96.91
2nd: Martyn Garbutt, AC Cobra MKIV
3rd: Tony Valenti, AC Fastback
Classes 14, 16 (AC 3000ME, Brooklands Ace)
1st: David Goose, AC Brooklands Ace, 115.29
2nd: T Andrew Stevens, AC Brooklands Ace
3rd: Bryan Moseley, AC 3000ME
Class 17a (AC Member not driving an AC car - 1950's)
1st: Mark Aldridge, Jaguar D-type Recreation, 97.36
2nd: Jeremy Aldridge, Jaguar D-type Recreation
3rd: Robert Clarke, Aston Martin BD2/4
Class 17b (AC Member not driving an AC car - 1960's & 1907's)
1st: Tim Philpott, Lotus Elan S4, 100.07
2nd: Malcolm Mitton, Lotus Elan S4
3rd: Malcolm Thorne, Lotus 35
Class 17c (AC Member not driving an AC car - modern's)
1st: Cheng Lim, RAM 427SC, 97.82
2nd: Kirby Boggis, BMW M3
3rd: Jon Doubleday, Ford Cortina
Class 18 (Aston Martin Owners Club)
1st: Steven Atkinson, V8 Vantage Prodrive, 94.60
2nd: David Humbert, Aston Martin DB2/4 MK2
Class 20, 27 (VSCC, The Pre-Was Austin Seven Club)
1st: Julian Wilton, Cooper Bristol MK2 T23
2nd: Stephanie Wilton, Cooper Bristol MK2 T23
3rd: Richard Wadman, Alvis Speed 20
Class 21 (BMW Historic Motor Club)
1st: Alistair Pugh, Frazer-Nash BMW 328, 112.47
2nd: Alastair Pugh, Frazer-Nash BMW 328
Class 22 (500 Owners Association)
1st: Jan Nycz, Starride MkIII F3, 120.68
2nd: Dennis Williams, Kieft F3
Class 23 (Frazer Nash Car Club)
1st: Philip Champion, Frazer-Nash Mille Miglia, 104.64
2nd: Andrew Mitchell, Frazer Nash Mille
Class 24 (BARC)
1st: Glyn Sketchley, Force PT, 81.99
2nd: Geoff Gouriet, Mazda MX5 MK3
3rd: George Grant, Mazda MX5 MK3
Class 25 (Jaguar Enthusiast's Club)
1st: Jeremy Aldridge, Jaguar D-type Recreation, 98.75
2nd: Andrew Keith-Lucas, Jaguar XK120
3rd: Mark Aldridge, Jaguar D-type Recreation
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Hello everyone, while going through my 2017 Sprint-admin I came across a draft write-up of last year's event that never made it onto the forum. Better late than never! Please note the section at the bottom...
AC Owners Club – Annual Clubman’s Sprint at Goodwood on 5th November 2016
Once again the ACOC members and their fantastic driving machines descended upon Goodwood’s motor circuit along with their friends from our invited clubs for what turned out to be another fun, social event.
As always, our crew that runs the day arrived at the circuit a little before 8am, settling quickly into our respective routines: Mike Smith (Clerk of the Course) began co-ordinating things with Goodwood’s trackside team and track-side officials, Mike Berrisford (Chief Paddock Marshall) began organising the paddock team, and I started off by getting our MSA Official comfortable with all of our paperwork and setting up the driver sign-on area. Many cars and drivers were already on site, the rest arriving in a steady stream, many heading over to the onsite hospitality van to ward off the early morning chill with teas, coffees and bacon rolls.
I soon had a queue of drivers in the sign-on area in the Jackie Steward Pavilion, with friendly early morning banter punctuating the shuffle of licenses and other sign-on documents. Along with the collection of ‘usual suspects’ were a number of new faces, all eager to find fast times and all hoping that the dry weather held for the day. Over recent years we’ve had a mix of dry and damp, but today promised to be dry and clear throughout.
The collection of cars parked in the paddock spanned 9(!) decades of automotive history, with a similar spread of driver ages. Some looked a little haggard, others well polished and recently serviced, others out for the last time before disappearing indoors for the winter, but enough about the drivers... let’s get back to the cars! We had the usual mix of AC’s, with our invited guest clubs bringing with them everything from single-seater formula 3’s to sports saloons and vintage collectibles. From the ACOC we had Ace Bristols, MKIV Cobras, a 428 Fastback, Brooklands Ace’s, an AC 3000ME, plus a number of ACOC Members in non-ACs. Our guest clubs were the Aston Martin OC, VSCC, The Pre–War Austin Seven Club, BMW Historic Motor Club, 500 Owners Association, Frazer Nash Car Club, BARC and Jaguar Enthusiasts’ Club.
As always, one of the best vantage points for the day’s racing is to watch the cars accelerating off the starting line... the odd tail wiggle, puffs of smoke from the tyres and the oh-so-lovely sound of engines under throttle! But then I am biased – I spend much of my time coordinating the timekeeping of the day from the pit wall. It’s also a great place to be to watch them return at full speed across the finishing line, before hitting brakes hard in order to return back to the pits via the slip road. With full access to the track and paddock, there’s no limit to the number of vantage points from which spectators can watch the action unfold. One of my highlights of the day is accompanying the Mike Smith as he leads the convoy of competitors around the track on the pre-event sighting lap, from which I’m able to enjoy the track and take a few photographs from the back seat of his Buckland (some of which you can see by looking on the club online forum).
As per usual, post sign-on formalities begin with the driver briefing, followed shortly thereafter by the parade lap mentioned above. Competitors then return to the paddock before lining up to take turns doing their official practice laps - a standing start lap followed by a flying lap. This is followed by two official timed laps, with the fastest lap deciding where they finish in their respective class. Remember that in a Sprint event there is no overtaking, the competition is against the stopwatch only. These lap times are marked on each competitors ‘driver card’, enabling the paddock team to ‘seed’ each car as they come to the start line later on in groups of 4 to begin their official timed laps.
For AC members, classes are determined by respective model of AC car. Non AC members compete within their respective “club class”, i.e. the Jaguar Owners Club is a standalone class, within which its members can compete in whatever car they choose. We do not run our event in class order, hence at any moment in time you will have a mixed grid comprising different cars and clubs lined up in each wave of 4 timed competitors. In addition to making the management of the starting grids a little more interesting for Mike Berrisford and his paddock team, it ensures that spectators are treated to a constantly changing mix of cars to watch. It also helps to make our event a little more relaxed and social – a key ingredient that has helped to make our Sprint so popular.
The first round of timed runs completed just before lunch, with proceedings halted for the obligatory ‘quiet hour’ between 12 and 1 in order to appease Goodwood’s neighbouring residents. Back we headed to the hospitality trailer for more burgers, teas and banter, with tables filled by competitors comparing stories while others tinkered with their engines. After lunch with the dry track giving everyone the same conditions after lunch that they’d enjoyed in the morning, times steadily fell with each subsequent lap as the fast try to go faster. For those with less lofty ambitions, simply being at the Goodwood circuit was enough with success measured by the width of a smile.
We reached the end of formal proceedings at around 3.30, at which time we opened up the track for ‘free runs’. Many took the opportunity to gain extra track time, whilst others began packing trailers ahead of the awards ceremony and drive home thereafter. At around 4pm we closed the track. Competitors began gathering at the Jackie Steward Pavilion ahead of the prize giving and the track staff descended upon the Clerk’s office to enjoy a final chat and grab a bottle of complementary wine - a gift from the club to thank all of the staff who make the event possible.
Once again, the Sprint lived up to its reputation – a competitive event designed to showcase both man and machine but in a fun, social atmosphere. The number of thank-you notes I’ve received from both competitors and spectators reinforces how valued this event is to everyone. A huge thank you goes out to all of those people who work so hard to make this event happen, and to all of our competitors who come back year after year.
However, it would be remiss to sign off this summary without a small request to our members...
In recent years we’ve had a slow but steady decline in AC-car entries - we need to find a way to reinvigorate participation from within our own ranks as we’ve become increasingly reliant on other clubs to provide us with sufficient numbers to sustain our event. In some instances, members have swapped their ‘competition car’ from their AC to a ‘modern’ car (but on a positive note they are still competing and enjoying themselves!). In other cases, they’ve simply stopped competing altogether. The rising value of our vehicles is one explanation, the ageing demographic of our club may be another – nobody’s getting any younger! The costs of the required safety equipment and annual fees also makes it harder for the ‘once a year competitor’ to justify the expense.
Whatever the reasons, the reality is that this slow decline in participation is starting to impact upon our ability to sustain this event. Put simply, we need more of our own membership to join us, in addition to encouraging their friends in other invited clubs to join us.
It’s worth highlighting that based on some of the emails that I’ve received there appear to be a few misconceptions out there about the Sprint that may be putting some of you off joining:
You do not need to be a regular or experienced racer – you can go as fast or slow as you like. From a licensing perspective the MSA requires a minimum of a National-B license – easily applied for through the post. Whilst the event centres around the official timed laps as described above, those who remain until the end are able to enjoy additional untimed laps. Yes, a track day for twice or three times the price may give you more track time, but without the safety of the no-overtaking control of the Sprint or the kudos of spending time on the wonderful and historic Goodwood circuit. This makes for a significantly safer event with vastly reduced risk of accident or injury. And last but not least, there is no charge to spectate! Anyone and everyone are free to come along and watch the event, with full access to all areas. Only the drivers pay to attend, hence an unaccompanied driver pays the same price as another driver accompanied by the entire entourage. As a day out for the whole clan, compare that to the cost of going to any other motor sport event!
Adding to these pressures, at the time of writing this [in late 2016] Goodwood have decided that they are no longer able to sustain the 50% discount that we’ve enjoyed to date, with fees now stepping up to close the gap. Due to the popularity (and increasingly reduced number) of 105bds days, they have a long queue of people willing to pay full price. Historically, our discount was in part due to us accepting a late date in the calendar. Some people feel this makes our event a little less attractive, however it does help us to retain our slot at this historic venue. Following various discussions over recent days, Goodwood have kindly provided us with an extended part-discounted price for 2017 and I have thankfully been able to reserve 4th November, but this will not last forever.
A number of people are working in the background to find solutions to these and other issues but if you have any practical suggestions please do let us know – you can reach me or one of the council members through the club’s online forum or ACtion magazine list of contacts. If you’ve not competed before but are keen to join, please do let me know as having a sense of possible participant numbers would help us to calculate overall economics that may arise from some of the changes currently under consideration. Suggestions on a post card please... and I hope to see lots of you at Goodwood later this year!
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quote:
Originally posted by C9OBY
AC Owners Club – Annual Clubman’s Sprint at Goodwood
In recent years we’ve had a slow but steady decline in AC-car entries .....
Adding to these pressures, at the time of writing this [in late 2016] Goodwood have decided that they are no longer able to sustain the 50% discount that we’ve enjoyed to date .....
Historically, the Sprint can be traced back to the ACOC's formation in 1949, its membership of 750MC and then the Combined One Make Car Club (COMCC) - ACOC being a founder member of the latter. Earlier venues have included Lidden Hill and Brands Hatch.
In terms of participants in the sprint and in racing, there is a long history of marginal support from ACOC members. At one time the Council was moved to detail member John Day (of PAR 419 fame) to r(h)ustle up some competitors, lest the Club had to resign its membership of COMCC!
Conversely, there has always been good support from the wider Car Club community for the Sprint. This is in no small way due to the relaxed and friendly style in which the Sprint is run. This has consistently resulted in a good day out for hundreds of people, whether participants, volunteers or spectators.
Equally importantly, in my personal view, through the links with other clubs the Sprint has maintained the ACOC's standing in the wider 'Classic Car' scene, and our Club has many long-standing friends as a result.
The increase in circuit fees is a concern. Whether or not this is recoverable through increased entry charges, or the ACOC is prepared to cover a loss, is a matter for the Council. If ACOC decided to let Goodwood go, it would probably be irrecoverable, and be a very sad day.
My personal view is that there is a strong case for ACOC to continue with the Sprint at Goodwood.
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I understand the VSCC sprint is not being held this year, I believe due to circuit costs, if this is the case then AC Owners Sprint might fined more competitor's will want to take part, I agree we should continue with this event if possible.
Robin