Hello and welcome to the September competition report. Firstly I’d like to thank Andrew for his years of service as Competition Secretary and thank you to those who nominated for this role.

By way of introduction my name is Mark Thomas and I’ve been an Alfa Car Club member since 2007. I’m relatively new to sprinting, having only competed in 5 rounds. I’m thoroughly enjoying my new found love for this sport and had I known it was this much fun, I would have started a lot sooner.
In the garage is a ‘68 GT Junior, a very original car complete with the 1300. A few years ago I purchased a GTV 2.0 to help me deal with the extended restoration the junior is going through. The GTV has turned out to be a brilliant car and an absolute ball on the track. (1:26.67)

The results for sprint round 3 held on the 19th July were as follows:

Racing Under 3L
1st: Andrew Scadding

Racing Under 2L
1st: Peter Axford
2nd: Michael Katsikitis
3rd: James Wiltshire

Modified Under 2L
1st: Adam Savis

Slightly Modified Under 2L
1st: Neil Haywood

Standard Under 2L
1st: Mark Thomas

Non Alfa over 2L
1st: Paul Connelly
2nd: Ian Crouch

Non Alfa under 2L
1st: Keith Wong

On the 16th August sprinters assembled at Mallala for sprint round 4. It was a grey start to the day and thick fog greeted us just outside of Two Wells. As if planned the fog lifted by the time we reached Mallala and we were welcomed with a beautiful morning with intermittent sunshine.
Early reports suggested the track was a little greasy. Conditions improved throughout the day and some excellent times were laid down.

Entrants for the day were good at 82, and 13 were from the AROCA. The high number of starters in group 2 provided a great spectacle for those watching from the hill. On the track patience was required as a procession of cars circulated and some good battles ensued. Despite the congestion good lap times were attained.

A number of personal best times were also achieved and the field remained strong throughout the day. The times for the day were as follows:

The next sprint round is scheduled for the 27th of September and it’s AROCA’s turn to provide flag marshals. If a front row seat at the track and a free lunch sounds like a good day out then please contact me.

The regulations for the new sprinting category Formula 98 have been posted on the website. For members who have a modern Alfa and haven’t tried sprinting before, this category is a great opportunity to get amongst it and have some fun with likeminded individuals. I promise you if you love driving your Alfa in a spirited manner through the Adelaide hills you’ll thoroughly enjoy taking your car to the limit on the track.

Until next month remember – corner speed is everything.

Mark Thomas