MX-5 Club Track Day - SMP South Circuit - 27th October 2012

Hammer · Postby **Hammer** » Tue Oct 30, 2012 10:04 pm

I spoke to Mike during the track day, and he's confirmed that so far we've got two booked at EC/SMSP next year. Great stuff.

Suspense · Postby **Suspense** » Tue Oct 30, 2012 10:10 pm

Definitely would like to run at least 2 if not 3 events at SMP SC next year. It's a great circuit and having a smaller pit area meant everyone was more closely bunched in which was great for the vibe and social element of the day.

It just needs some shelter from the elements! I can't imagine a rainy day or a day any warmer than that would be very enjoyable.

PaulF · Postby **PaulF** » Tue Oct 30, 2012 10:48 pm

mx5racing wrote:

I will never look at my mum's car the same way again.

cooper1896 · Postby **cooper1896** » Tue Oct 30, 2012 11:04 pm

My vote would be a mix of SMP North, South, GP & Wakefield,
I would be happy to pay 200+ once a year to have the GP or long circuit!
I would even be cool with have one round at MDTC.
Variation is the spice of life.

Hjt · Postby **Hjt** » Tue Oct 30, 2012 11:18 pm

OK, so now that this one is out of the way, what is the general thought on having more club track days on the SMSP south circuit? Mike's plan is to have 2-3 rounds on the south circuit and 3-4 at Wakefield Park. Is this the right mix? What do you think?

I think this is a brilliant idea, I think North Circuit shouldn't be ignored totally, perhaps once a year?

Jeo · Postby **Jeo** » Tue Oct 30, 2012 11:31 pm

gussteinberger wrote:but most importantly, it is a lot closer to most of us (if not all)

It's a hell of a lot further for the Canberra/South Coast people. Admittedly we get a far better deal with Wakefield than most Sydney people, but 7 hours worth of driving to and from Eastern Creek will rule it out for me more often than not. You either get a 4am-8pm day, or you pay for a nights accommodation, neither of which are particularly appealing.

By all means, still keep doing the EC thing guys, but remember that there's more to (the MX5 club of) NSW than Sydney.

Black_Penguin · Postby **Black_Penguin** » Tue Oct 30, 2012 11:48 pm

For me WP is 2 hours drive and SMSP is 3 hours drive, I have family I can stay with in Sydney so accommodation is no trouble there but WP means either a very long day or a night in a motel. I'm happy with just the South circuit for now, North doesn't really interest me and Full/GP would likely be out of my rather limited budget.

Hammer · Postby **Hammer** » Wed Oct 31, 2012 12:03 am

Jeo wrote:...You either get a 4am-8pm day...

Welcome to my world when we race at Wakefield.

I usually pre-pack the car the night before so that all I have to do in the morning is to prepare myself. but I still get up around 4am, leaving Sydney @ 5am to be at Wakefield around 7am.

Having said that I don't mind, as I like Wakefield. Eastern Creek just gives us another track to race on. It mixes things a bit. :mrgreen:

Hammer · Postby **Hammer** » Wed Oct 31, 2012 1:14 am

First session of my very first drive on the South Circuit. It's more of a bloopers reel, than a driving highlights reel. :mrgreen:

Thank goodness by the second session, I've sorta worked out best gearing for the track, and reduced the number of times I visited the rev limiter. Figuring out the best lines, is another matter. Though it was fun experimenting with different lines.

Guran · Postby **Guran** » Wed Oct 31, 2012 7:29 am

Jeo wrote:By all means, still keep doing the EC thing guys, but remember that there's more to (the MX5 club of) NSW than Sydney.

You're very right Joe. Travel is a bugger. I know that from personal experience living in the Illawarra. So it was fantastic to see a lot more drivers and a big group of spectators who came down from the Hunter, Gloucester and even Port Macquarie! Yep it's a big state we live in and we need to provide a fair solution for everyone. It could be argued that Canberra has had a cushy ride until now with the shortest commute to Wakefield Park, yet we have fairly few Canberran competitors. Canberra is hardly forgotten, and it would be nice to see more support from them with track day attendance. :wink:

Jeo · Postby **Jeo** » Wed Oct 31, 2012 8:00 am

Sorry guys. Re-reading what I wrote now comes off harsher than I intended. Mainly it was the "most (if not all of us)" that got my goat. That and I've been dealing with Tourism NSW recently a lot at work; they don't seem to realise that there's things past Katoomba/Woolongong/Gosford.

Guran · Postby **Guran** » Wed Oct 31, 2012 8:10 am

No worries Joe.

It's fantastic to see lots of people keen to try out the other circuits at SMP. Maybe one day the club will be able to host a round beyond the south circuit. North, GP and Long circuits are a much bigger commitment in terms of costs and officials required, but will keep it in mind. For now we'd love to see more club members join us in the state supersprint championship, which utilizes all four layouts at SMP plus a couple rounds at Wakefield Park. Club members can enter ANY of these events, even if they're not championship entrants. Come along in 2013 and give it a try!

Charlie Brown · Postby **Charlie Brown** » Wed Oct 31, 2012 8:43 am

cooper1896 wrote:My vote would be a mix of SMP North, South, GP & Wakefield,
I would be happy to pay 200+ once a year to have the GP or long circuit!
I would even be cool with have one round at MDTC.
Variation is the spice of life.

Join us at Supersprint and you can do this plus the extended circuit.

Guran · Postby **Guran** » Wed Oct 31, 2012 9:50 am

Hammer wrote:I spoke to Mike during the track day, and he's confirmed that so far we've got two booked at EC/SMSP next year. Great stuff.

Yes that's correct. Our tentative dates at SMP South are 4th May and 6th July ... both are Saturdays. Mike's trying to get one more on the south circuit in 2013. We're also hoping to fit in a driver training day at Marulan in March. All of this is work in progress and to be confirmed.