EPCC RDA Brake Neck Wakefield Park Sprint Event Report

[quattrokid]

I was out due to drive shaft issues and the numbers were down due the non public holiday Monday however was a really good day with a great mix of cars and drivers of all ages.

The Below is from the epcc.net.au website.

Hello European Motorsport Fans and welcome to the third event report of the European Performance Car Challenge.

With the mercury hovering just above 2 degrees at Wakefield Park in Goulburn (reaching a top of 8 all day only), it was hard work pulling yourself out of your car and off your heated leather seats to muster at the drivers briefing as the field began to assemble...will remember to pack a three layer race suit and gloves next time as my hands as still frozen.

The ‘Turbo’ crowd though was all smiles and so were the spectators faces with a line up of Euro metal set to set the track alight...even with the dark rain clouds menacing above threatening all but the quattro equipped cars.

Ian’s Spine tingling Mercedes Black was one of the first to enter the circuit with the howl of the supercharged V8 engine filling the valley and shaking the foundations of pit wall as he put pedal to the metal to stamping a 1:09.4480 despite scrambling for traction in the low temp conditions...hot lap footage available soon.

Joining Ian to roll first off the blocks was Leigh Hemmings in his silver top Clubman Birkin S3 and Nick Kalis also in a clubman were a treat to watch...they have understeer, oversteer and everything – and on almost every corner too! It takes a fine degree of skill and madness to pilot those little rockets and Leigh had plenty of both up his race suit sleeves’ cutting a 1:06.7140 ahead of Nick’s 1:08.9710 without exiting backwards from the circuit all day...footage also coming soon.

The Audi S4’s of Richard Steven’s and Ben ‘Cranky’ Hinton rolled out next with a mix of twin turbo V6 screams and Germanic V8 thunder filling the crisp air (with a hint of tyre squealing in there also). As ‘Cranky’ was the only Avant at the event he had an easy win from the get go and could have taken it easy all day...he didn’t though with wisps of brake smoke evident from the wheel wells after ever session. Steven’s S4 brakes were the same as the cold intake temps of the S4 V6 twin turbo kept him at full boost all day sling shotting between corners before diving hard on the brakes once more. ‘Cranky’ produced a 1:14.0230 best lap (behind his 1:13 PB) with Richard bringing a 1:15.5080 to the table – and at his first ever advanced driver training track day too! Keep an eye on Steven’s times s they will no doubt continue to fall in the coming months.

The Hot Hatch field was hot indeed with the Audi S3’s of well know track day attendees ‘Macca’ and ‘Timbo’ leading the charge with a 1:13.4310 and 1:14.6260 lap times respectively...just behind Massimo’s best of 1:13:3490 (also in an Audi S3) set last year at the Volkswagen Audi Group Motorsport series – the record may fall this year...stay tuned.

The French charge was left to Martin Bevz in his Renault Meganne 225 F1 Special which cut its way through the field all day...these turbo rockets really do excel in Goulburn with a 1:13.8260 best lap time to his credit – and this is his first ever event...fantastic work Martin! No really champ your less than half a second behind an all well drive (quattro) Audi S3!

The XR5 crowd must have been chained to the office desk (not that the VW guys missed them after the won all the points at the last event) leaving the circuit open for the VW R32’s of Darko with a 1:18.1540, and the father son team of Bill and Peter Szydlik, and as the heavens opened Peter Szydlik came into his own as Nissan Silvia’s, Mazda MX’s, Holden Commodore’s and basically everything else that is RWD left the circuit backwards, sideways and any other ways in front of him...nice work Pete! Bill did claim the top time between them though of 1:19.5490 due to Peter only seeing wet laps – keep any eye on Peter’s time in the future though.

Tim ‘DJ Hi Def’ Fung finally got behind the wheel of his VW Golf GTi at the end of the day to spank in a few hot laps (race footage coming soon) but didn’t secure a transponder leaving his lap times up in the air. Tim doesn’t need prizes anyway – ‘yo yo Dj HiDef races for the respect and lives his life one lap at a time’ commented one source...he looked as fast as always though. Seriously Tim nice to see you and the Circuit Club finally cut some laps instead of being behind the desk all day.

Honourable mention goes to Nick ‘low flying’ Strange who left his white lightning VW GTI in the pit garage to dust of his Toyota Celica ex production race car...(fun to watch) and Ian from Team Rennenhaus who organised to take the wrong day off work (Anzac Saturday instead of Monday)...it happens. Troy Datsan of VW R32 Team Movember fame also returned to the circuit in a Tarmac Special Mazda RX7 – everyone just seems to be buying JDM circuit specific vehicles these days.

Series Sponsor RDA has also stepped up the plate big time this year awarding $100 off the RRP on any RDA or EBC Brakes product for each of the six category winners and not only that, is giving every EPCC Wakefield Park competitor special discounted pricing on all RDA / EBC Brakes products also – how many motorsport series sponsors do that...thanks RDA!

Stay tuned for full event photography, race footage and placing results all coming soon.