Shelley Circuit: A New Direction
31 March 2026 / Story by Bryan Shedden, Video by Alex Shedden
Sprint Championship action returned to the Shelley circuit at One Raceway on Sunday 29 March, with the event hosted by the MG Car Club Newcastle under the CSCA banner. For any organising club, running a round at One Raceway comes with huge financial exposure, so Event Secretary Brett Gilles was quick to acknowledge—and warmly thank—our club for contributing 40 of the 80 entries. He noted that the support of our members, particularly since last year, has been instrumental in keeping the CSCA series alive.
For our part, the collaboration has proven equally beneficial. By partnering with other CSCA clubs, we’ve been able to maintain a strong calendar of competitive track days without placing the full organisational burden on our own committee and officials—a genuine win-win for everyone involved.
This round marked a first for nearly all competitors: running One Raceway in the reverse direction. While the corners themselves were familiar, tackling them “backwards” created an entirely new challenge. Nowhere was this more evident than at the notorious Fishhook, which proved a handful all day—a high-speed braking zone on a curve feeding into a tightening radius corner. It demanded commitment, precision, and no small amount of bravery—with plenty of enthusiastic departures onto the grass. In effect, drivers were learning a brand-new circuit, and with no historical lap records available, the groundwork has now been laid for establishing fresh benchmarks for the 2027 season.
The day began with a brisk run down to Goulburn, with temperatures dipping to just 2.5°C on arrival. Fortunately, conditions improved rapidly, delivering a superb autumn day: clear blue skies, light winds, and a comfortable 20°C—ideal for supersprinting. Despite a lengthy interruption to clean up a significant oil spill, competitors still managed up to six runs, with some drivers logging more than 50 laps across the day.
As always, a strong contingent of British marques was on display. The host club fielded 16 drivers, though notably only a single classic MGB appeared among a diverse line-up that included everything from Mazda RX-7s to a Lexus IS200—short-lived after shedding a wheel on the main straight after just three laps. The Triumph Sports Owners NSW contributed nine drivers, predominantly in classic Triumph machinery, with the exception of Ian Mash—one of our own committee members—who exercised his dual membership in an NA MX-5.
Outright honours for fastest lap went to Benjamin Jackson (MGCCN) in his Radical SR3, who set a blistering 1:02.280—some four seconds clear of second-placed Jie Ren (MX-5 Club) in a BMW M2. Curiously, Jackson was competing in Group 3 rather than the top-tier group, raising a few eyebrows in the paddock. Lou Iezzi was the fastest of our MX-5 contingent, placing fourth outright in his ND race car.
The Sprint Champion pointscore once again delivered a tightly fought contest, particularly among the Standard class drivers. Chris Andry (97.48%) narrowly edged out Bryan Shedden (97.42%) in a margin that could scarcely have been closer. Kyle Robinson (96.18%) marked his return for 2026 with a strong third place from the Modified class.
Clubman class proved exceptionally competitive, with the top five drivers separated by less than one percent—ranging from 95.86% to 95.14%. The headline story here was the family duel between John and Charlie Karayannis. Session by session they traded times, pushing each other ever harder, until Charlie ultimately got the upper hand—beating his father by a mere 0.075 seconds. Having already shaken things up in motorkhana, it seems the next generation is now making its mark in supersprints as well.
Class Results
Standard Class
1st Chris Andry
2nd Bryan Shedden
3rd Alex Shedden
Clubman Class
1st Charlie Karayannis
2nd John Karayannis
3rd Luke Kovacic
Modified Class
1st Kyle Robinson
2nd Reece Lyndon
3rd Paul Dierking
Open Class
1st Lou Iezzi
2nd Ian Spinks
3rd Sarah Medley
Non-MX-5 Class
1st Jie Ren (BMW M2)
2nd David Phillips (Toyota GR Yaris)
3rd Jason Atkins (Toyota GR Yaris)
Alex Shedden in his Standard 1999 NB8A MX-5
