CAMS NSW Supersprints - 2013 Season Wrap-up

A crowd of MX-5 competitors at the final round of the 2013 Supersprint season, Sydney Motorsport Park Amaroo Circuit.
Attribution: Gustavo Elias Date: 26/10/2013 Location: SMP South Circuit Attribution: Mini Car Club of NSW Date: 26/10/2013 Location: SMP South Circuit

27 October 2013 / Story by David Lawler; Photos by Bryan Shedden, Gustavo Elias and the Mini Car Club of NSW

CAMS NSW Supersprint Championship - Round 8

The 8th and final round of the CAMS NSW Supersprint Championship was run by the Mini Car Club at Sydney Motorsport Park "Amaroo Circuit" (aka South Circuit) on Saturday 26th October.

Luke K braking hard

A full field of drivers, including 22 from the MX-5 Club of NSW, were greeted by a fine day that started cool but then warmed up to the high 20s by early afternoon.

Drivers had the opportunity for 5 runs of about 5 or 6 laps each during the day, with the first and last runs typically being the fastest due primarily to the cooler temperatures during those runs.

Guss oversteer

CAMS NSW Supersprint Championship - 2013 Wrap-up

The MX-5 Club of NSW had a theoretical chance of closing the 100 point lead of the ARDC in the club championship at this final event for 2013, but given the ARDC lead, and that SMP is the ARDC home track, it seemed almost beyond hope that we could win.

By the end of the day, the ARDC had accumulated a total of 1097 points, winning by only 7 points from the MX-5 Club of NSW. It was a tantalisingly close result which has fueled the determination of many MX-5 supersprint regulars to win back the club championship next year.

Congratulations should go to the 34 club members who registered for the 2013 championship and contributed to the club pointscore. They are, in alphabetical order:

Adam Callender, Bryan Shedden, Chris Ballard, Chris Flak, Craig Durrant, Ed Cory, David Lawler, Glenn Thomas, Greg Bunn, Gustavo Elias, Guy Coles, Ian Caldwell, Ian Combes, James Glissan, Joel Garrigues, Keith Monaghan, Kevin Addison, Lindsay Burke, Luke Kovacic, Melissa Keller, Michael Hicks, Mitchell Bennett, Peter Browning, Peter Feutrill, Phil Abraham, Phil Ashton, Ralph Thompson, Ray Estreich, Robert Kai, Russell Maxwell, Scott McGarry, Steve Green, Stewart Temesvary, and Tony King.

A number of other MX-5 Club members also competed in selected rounds but without registering for the championship. Hopefully these members will enter the championship in 2014 and so accumulate points for themselves and for the Club.

There are a couple of outstanding performances in 2013 that should be highlighted.

  • In class 3B for 1601cc to 2000c improved production race cars, Ed Cory was the runaway winner against a very competitive field.
  • In class 1B for standard 1601cc to 2000cc cars, Bryan Shedden in his standard 1600cc NA as usual punched well above his weight to place 2nd in class and Type 1, to a wickedly fast Toyota Celica (the driver upgraded to a Toyota 86 for the final two rounds).
  • Ralph Thompson (2B) and Mike Hicks (SVB) recorded close 2nds in their respective classes behind drivers in much more capable cars.

Hopefully in 2014 with most of the 2013 MX-5 Club runners returning and with some new members joining the championship, the MX-5 Club of NSW can regain the club championship and also see more members placing well in the various classes.

More information about the championship and supersprinting can be found on the NSW Supersprint Championship website, or by contacting the MX-5 Club supersprint co-ordinator David Lawler.