Joe's NB8B

[Jeo]

First one I'd seen. Even to the point where as we're walking through the pits before kick off, Dad asked me what it was. I immediately said GR Yaris but as we got a little closer I thought Corolla, but also activley said out loud that I didn't think they had been released yet so reverted back to Yaris. It was only as I realised that it had back doors did I settle on Corolla.

[Jeo]

And photos, courtesy of Chequered Flag Photography
Full album on the book face

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[Jeo]

Another MG Club motorkhana this past weekend, but now with added bloodless coup!

After the last event in March myself and two other regulars were approached by the club and asked if we wanted to help run the next couple of motorkhanas with the intent for use to take over entirely in the not too distant future. I had been asking for a while now how I could help give back to the club that adopted me despite never having, nor ever really had any interest in MG's, so I of course jumped at the opportunity. I made the joke with the guys in person so I feel relatively comfortable making the joke here, but when I took part in my first event with the MG club back ~15 years ago, I thought the team running it were real old then... Turns out when you've been running something like this for close to 40 years, you aren't 40 anymore.

Anyway. Couple of meetings at various pubs/clubs and the odd afternoon tea at someones house, and we broadly had a plan of how it would all transition over to myself and two other guys. The three of us shadowed the MG guys in the weeks leading up the the event, learning how the submission process to Motorsports Australia and the venue worked, helped picked out the courses, and assisted with paperwork and the like. The day before we met at the home of one of the previous/current organisers, loaded all the gear, and headed out to the skid pan to set everything up under their direction. Wow but was that a funny experience. You never appreciate how much work goes into something as simple as setting up the cones for a motorkhana course until you actually do it, but I can only imagine how frustrating it must have been for the experienced guys watch us make small mistake after small mistake. Obviously the whole point was for us to do exactly that as a learning experience, but you know how when you're watching someone do something that you know you could do better? They were absolutely chomping at the bit to step in a 'fix' things for us, but they mostly restrained themselves and let us make our own mistakes, realise ourselves, and then watched us do it a second (or third... or fourth) time. What normally takes the two of them around an hour to set up took three of us more like two and a half, but we got there!

On the day itself we largely just hovered. I floated between timing, coaching the first timers, getting my own runs, and generally just being around. Lots of little 'behind the curtain' style mistakes were made throughout the day, but nothing major and certainly nothing that affected the competitors in any way. For example we somehow printed the wrong map on the competitors - no real drama, just change of plans and turns out we are now doing that test instead of the one we had planned. Slightly more work required in moving cones between tests, but we were lucky as that changeover was at lunch anyway so nobody even noticed the delay. Adapt, improvise, and overcome!

All told the day went went off without a hitch, and received many compliments which felt lovely. We've got lots of ideas on how to improve some aspects of it, but are absolutely running with a slowly-slowly approach here, taking as much time as possible to learn from the significant experience of those in front of us.

Also I came second in class, <1second behind Ian in his NC. I think I was 6th overall? Who care, wasn't the goal of the day in the slightest. Was tremendous fun though.

[ManiacLachy]

Well done, Joe. Great to hear about the passing of the torch, and your good results on the day.

How do the MG Club take to an MX-5 owner being involved, or is the motokhana day pretty open and platform agnostic?

[PaulF]

Good on you for stepping up and getting involved with the running Joe; someone's got to do it!

[greenMachine]

Great work Joe, there is a lot that goes on behind the scenes, and if nobody wants to help out with the chores things stop working quickly.

Well done on picking up a result behind the wheel too!

[Jeo]

How do the MG Club take to an MX-5 owner being involved, or is the motokhana day pretty open and platform agnostic?

MG's have been the minority at these events since well before I started, but they have also been steadily declining for as long as I've been there. Last weekend saw a MGB and a TF competing, plus a couple of spectators. The three of us who have taken over drive an MX5, M3, and Focus RS if that gives you any idea of how much they're worried about it being marque specific - they just want to see it continue.

Also photo courtesy of 'We love cars photography' on bookface, and a bonus video that a mate managed to catch of one of my runs.

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[bootz]

Oi you! Gimme my wheels back.

[greenMachine]

Cool vid - you didn't leave much on the table there!!

[ManiacLachy]

they just want to see it continue.

Great attitude to have!

I've always liked MG's, my dad had a yellow MG-B when I was a boy, which probably explains why I have an MX-5 now. (Mum had a Volvo station wagon, and I now have a Subaru station wagon as well ) I'm sure there aren't too many MG's left in a state that would standup to the rigors of motorsport driving, but seeing one on the road always brings a smile to my face.

[Jeo]

First khanacross of the year that I've actually been able to enter! Was scheduled for the 24th of June.

After bending one of the Integra wheels I thought this was a good opportunity to finally use those SSR's I picked up two years ago... Unfortunately upon closer inspection I realised on of those was also pretty seriously buckled. Still not unhappy with the price I paid for them, now that they're a set of three, but was certainly annoyed with past me for not at least giving them a cursory inspection at the time of purchase. Oh well. Mismatched dirt wheels it is! Threw a coat of rattle can red on them because of course, then swapped over two of the tyres from the Integra wheels and we ended up something like this.







And then the event got rained out.
But then we got to simply postpone to the following weekend!
And wow it was slippery but it went ahead. Multiple people got bogged, significantly more hit cones or spun than usual, and we had to entirely abandon one of the tests due to time lost from each of those problems. I managed to hit 6 cones over the 11 tests and still managed to come 5th outright. Normally a single cone would put you multiple places down the order.

We Love Cars Photographs on the bookface managed to even catch my first penalty of the day. You have to look real close but I barely touched it (with my numberplate...). Was the last cone in a set of four to slalom and coming into the last cone, slightly downhill on muddy grass and I was simply a passenger. Properly annihilated the cone though so I thought that was a nice touch.




Jump to last weekend and Mazda ACT was hosting a show and shine to celebrate 7's day and the 45th anniversary of the RX7. Was a nice morning with significantly more cars/people in attendance than I would have expected, including a few local pollies and the Japanese ambassador. Easily the most FD's I've even seen in one place but also a spattering of other interesting rotary swapped things. And of course more MX5's than you could poke a stick at.

I of course prepared my car back to concourse condition for the show and thoroughly enjoyed overhearing some of the snide comments about the loser who obviously doesn't care about their car

[greenMachine]

I like your style Joe, that is my approach to concours too!

You want to mess with their heads? Pair the odd wheels, so pair on one side, different pair on other. See if any of the smart asses pick up on it.

[Jeo]

Slight delay in updates but here we are.

Another MG Club motorkhana on 20/8/23. I came 5th outright and 2nd in class (with first outright and first in class also being my car, just not with me driving it...). The day went really well - incredibly straight forward from both an organiser and competitor. I got to take a couple of first timers out for passenger runs which was nice, weather was perfect, nothing broke. Overall it was just a great day.

And then knowing that nationals were only a few weeks later, a couple of us stuck around and setup a few different tests that are typically run there. Three Canberra people were planning on competing in Sydney so given we still had the tarmac for a little while, it seemed like a good opportunity to get some practice in. Specifically we each had 5~10 goes at the reversing portions of some tests. The MG Club has never been keen on running patterns that involve reversing but they always show up at nationals, so again, good opportunity to get some practice in.


Fast forward to today and the car got a general nut & bolt check, new gearbox oil, tidied up a few loose ends (broken wheel liner tabs and the like), and I put the stock seat back in. Learned my lesson from my last trip to Sydney a few months ago that I'm not 20 anymore and the fixed back is not comfortable for long drives.

Next step is to head to Sydney next Saturday morning, scrutineering and practice sessions on Saturday, competition Sunday, presentation dinner Sunday night, and home Monday morning. Three of us are heading up which if I understand correctly is the largest ACT contingent to make it to the AMC.

[greenMachine]

Great stuff Joe, good luck next weekend to you and the others from the National Capital!!

I'm hearing that Sutton Road have pulled the plug on motorkanas, any substance to that? I hope not!

[Jeo]

Yeah... also that happened. Venue pulled the plug on us. Still working on a few other angles but I'll avoid commenting publicly just yet.

For simplcities sake I'll jsut post the email from the MG Club below

Dear former Competitor and Interested Party

It is with great regret that I advise the MGCCC, or the new team taking over the running of the events, Reece, Bernie, Joe and Tyrie, will no longer be able to conduct a motorkhana in Canberra at the Sutton Road Training Centre (SRTC).

Yesterday morning I was summoned to a meeting with Peter Hill, the CEO of SRTC.

Mr. Hill advised me that motorsport events would not be conducted/permitted at the facility he “owns”. Mr. Hill apparently did not understand, until recently, what a motorkhana actually was, and said that his organisation was ONLY for driver training, and is not a motorsport precinct in any way, shape or form.

Over many years the MGCCC has regularly conducted motorkhanas at the facility and a quick check of my records, reveals that around 40,000 individual pattern runs have been successfully timed with no injury to either a competitor of official.

During my 1½ hour meeting with Mr. Hill I explained that a motorkhana is a non-speed event, as recognised by Motorsport Australia, and it was a fantastic opportunity for juniors, in particular, to learn car control. I also covered many other aspects in favour of motorkhanas as a learning experience.

Indeed, I suggested to Mr. Hill that he may like to speak to seek the thoughts of Neal Bates who taught his children Harry and Lewis , now Australian Rally Champions, their basic car control skills at a number of our motorkhanas. Or Mr. Hill could talk to Rick Bates similarly. 5th Gear hire the Sutton Road facility from time-to-time for driver training. Mr. Hill declined.

Let me be quite clear, however, Mr. Hill had no issue with the MGCCC, how it ran the events or conducted itself as a hirer. The Club would be welcome back at any time provided it had nothing to do with running a motorsport activity.

Mr. Hill reaffirmed in conclusion that the SRTC was a driver training facility only and will not be used for any motorsport activity i.e. an event that is competitive in nature (even just against yourself) or involved timing.

Chris Hillman and I thank you all for your support over the years; it has been a pleasure organising and running motorkhanas as a community grass roots motorsport activity in the Canberra region.

Unfortunately, the nearest locality to now participate on a sealed surface motorkhana is Sydney.

If you have any suggestions as to a possible venue that I, or the new team of Reece, Bernie, Joe or Tyrie could explore please drop me a line.


Thanks again.

Kindest regards,
Kent

Kent Brown
Motorsport Coordinator
MG Car Club Canberra