“Take it easy, learn the course and remember nobody wins an event on their first run.”, wise words and often heard during the drivers’ briefing.
However, today was the day this advice was wrong.

The normal format for Atherfield is the first few runs are very slow as drivers slip and slide over the short lush grass and as the day progresses a nice dusty and grippy trail gets cut into the surface and the times plummet and the final run is often the quickest.
After weeks of unbroken sunshine, club members were looking forward to the fast open and often dusty unsealed surface event but this Sunday was awash with heavy rain and high winds. 14 competitors braved the conditions and lined up at the start of a very wet grass field.

Wayne Hole is known for being one of the first drivers to put a time on the board, while others prefer to stand back and watch drivers go round because they are not yet sure of the course. Wayne posted a respectable time and with this time topped the table at the close of round 1 in his class 4 Ford Focus. So far nothing seemed out of the ordinary.
By the mid way point, drivers were still slipping and sliding, knocking over cones. This was made even more difficult for class 1 and 2 cars as they are required to run on standard road tires and with those grip was non existent. But it soon became apparent that not only were cars still struggling, everyone’s time seemed to be getting slower.

Where normally the grass would have been ripped out from the top soil, the grass was just being compacted and making a mushy boggy mess.
Studying the timing screens at race control, competitors were amazed to see Wayne was still top of the leader board with that first run of the day.

We also welcomed the return of Vicky Cox who has been absent from the club for over a year but who put the lads in much more powerful cars in their place by not only claiming fastest lady of the day award, she was also the highest placed driver with a passenger (PCA) and 4th overall.

Despite it being a miserable and horrible day, it also proved entertaining, in part due to Jamie Duff, who, after his MX5 died soon after round 1, went home and returned with a Mercedes SLK AMG and in front of amazed onlookers drove the car around the muddy field on its rev limiter as it was stuck in first gear.

With the event coming to a close, and the rain still falling, the final runs seemed impossible to drive the event closed with an amazing realisation.
As far as we are aware Isle of Wight Car Club history was made where the first car out in round one also produced the fastest time of the day. Now that’s a record Wayne can be proud of. Second place went to Jo Moore in his all wheel drive Subaru Impreza and Andy Williams claimed the 3rd step in his class 5 single seater special.

Thank you to Young Plumbing for sponsoring the podium and supplying the bubbly.
The next Isle of Wight Car Club event is the Autocross weekend on the 11th and 12th of August. This is an event not to miss. Spectators are more than welcome and if you are quick you can even enter as a driver. Please go to our website www.iowcc.co.uk for more information.

29th of July 9am start

This large flat open grass field is smooth and suitable for road cars.

After a successful first outing at Cheverton Chalk Pit we were invited back to this amazing venue for round 6 and the 3rd unsealed surface event of 2018.
This fast and dusty chalk pit is a hit with competitors and now spectators thanks to the raised viewing platform in this natural amphitheater.
Only 14 drivers competed during this round but with the reduced number of competitors even the drivers at the back of the field are collecting decent points and we all know what points mean.
In class 1 new member Will Melon returned to have a go at his first unsealed event, however, this time he brought his mate Marcin Anszczak in his Nissan Micra. These two drove this little car with gusto and managed to finish 11th and 12th with Marcin taking the win in this class.
Tony and Dean Long returned, this time back in a class 2 MX5. Dean has always been fast in these little cars and his driving style is mesmerizing. However, he was obviously having too much fun drifting around the big piles of chalk as he incurred penalties in in his final 2 runs but despite this finished 1st in class and 4th overall.
A cheer went up first thing in the morning when Steve Brett drove into the pits. Steve has been absent for some time and it was great to see him thrash his classic Mini between the cones once more. Steve had no class battle to contend with as he was the only car in class 3 and finished 6th overall.
On the other hand, we had a skirmish in class 4 as 5 drives were fighting for class honors. In a mix of cars ranging from Steve Glass in his Toyota Corolla to James Bolan in his Peugeot and Wayne Hole in his Ford Focus who out performed much more powerful cars and achieved a PB by standing on the podium for the first time in 2nd place overall. Barry Richardson experienced a first at this event by driving a much more powerful car than he is used to thanks to Jo Moore letting him drive his Subaru Impreza. Jo has owned his Subaru for 10 months now and has obviously got to grips with it as he also hit a personal best and on his 5th run posted the fastest time of the day crowning him as the overall event winner.
Class 5 cars, however, struggled but Andy Williams was more than pleased to spray bubbly supplied by our sponsors Young Pluming from the 3rd step of the podium.

Not feeling one with the course and worried about damaging his special before the up and coming Autocross Chris Wilson sacrificed championship points by retiring midway through the event.
The USS championship is now wide open with Andy Williams leading Jo Moore by only 5 points.
The next unsealed event is on the 29th of July at Atherfield. This wide open flat grass field has to be ranked as the best venue on our calendar, suitable for road cars with road tyres, so if you have always fancied at unsealed event, don’t miss out.

What do I need to compete at Autocross? –

MSA Licence (National B Non-race or better) – Helmet (Snell SA2010 or newer, FIA 8860-2010, FIA 8859-2015 are all common approved standards – sticker will be inside the helmet somewhere) and goggles/visor unless in a closed car. – Overalls (FIA 8856-2000 is the most common approved standard – it will be stitched onto the outside of the collar) – Gloves (preferably ?ame retardant meeting FIA 8856-2000) – Classes other than standard production cars will also require a FHR device (FIA 8858-2010) It’s worth getting hold of FIA 8856-2000 rated overalls and gloves as you can use them for sprint, hillclimb, rally, circuit racing etc as well.

What does my car need? –

Mud?aps – Yellow tape on the battery negative lead and a sticker marking the ignition on/off positions are recommended. – You can strip the car out, but make sure you retain the dashboard and door cards so there are no sharp edges to cause injury. There are more requirements for the modi?ed and special classes, but provided your car is safe it should pass scrutineering with no issues. Competitors are advised to read sections J, K and N of the current Blue Book.

How can I help Marshal?

Do you fancy seeing all the action up close? The IOWCC requires trackside Marshalls for its forthcoming Auto X event being held over the weekend of Saturday 11th – Sunday 12th August at Sticelett Farm, Northwood, so if you love motorsport then why not try your hand at Marshalling. Experience is not needed as we will pair you with a person who knows what is involved and they will show you the ropes. All we ask is that you are over 18yrs of age, can communicate clearly and precisely, be committed and can remain focused at all times whilst cars are out on track. If you think you’d like to be involved in assisting at our event in August or any of our clubs further events then please contact the Isle of Wight Car Club via our email address or FB page and we will get back to you or pop along and see us at our next event on 15th July at Cheverton Chalk Pit where a member of the committee would be happy to talk to you in more detail. Oh, did I forget to say that we will also provide you with lunch from the onsite catering facility and supply you with some goodies whilst out on track during the Auto X event.

What is a Marshall?

Motorsport events can not happen without satisfying lots of legal/safety requirements and even if these are met an event can not run without Marshalls. Marshalls are people that love motorsport but not necessarily wish to compete and give up their free time to assist with driver and spectator safety, track repair’s, ensuring competitor’s adhere to the rules of the event and many other tasks during an event. The requirements may differ from event to event but the core skills remain the same and there is no better place to be than out on the track in the thick of the action. Although no experience is required (as previously mentioned) you may wish to have a look at the following website where you can undertake free online training and will give you even more opportunities to Marshall at events around the UK. We have club members that are often on Welsh rallies, trackside at Silverstone and many other locations throughout the UK.

Click here for a link to the MSA Marshal website page

Hope to here from you soon.

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PLEASE DOWNLOAD A POSTER

Autocross poster 2018

 

 

The Isle of Wight Car Club held their 5th round of their forward only autotest championship within a heat wave that has so far dominated the summer of 2018.
BAE Northwood hosted this round and its huge open car park is a favourite amongst club members. The course was a simple double lap of the car park incorporating tight chicanes and 180 turns. However simple it may have been the hot weather played havoc with cars and drivers alike.
The only un modified cars competing were in class 2. This consisted of MX5’s, a Suzuki Ignis and a wonderful Austin Healy driven by Gerald Wilby. But it was John Cooper and Wayne Hole who battled for class honours in their shared MX5. Wayne not only won this class but finished 8th place overall.
With no class 3 cars, all modified saloon cars were in class 4 and this time there were 7 drivers vying for this title.
New member Will Mellon campaigned his nicely prepared MX5 and took advantage of the clubs PCA rule allowing him to have a passenger. Toby Allan kindly volunteered to sit in with Will and guide him around the course and invited him to sit beside him in his own MX5 during his runs.
The new PCA rule can only help with the confidence of new and experienced members alike, so if you would like to try this at a future venue just ask at race control during sign on.
Mather Price piloted his highly modified MX5, clad with aero dynamic aids into the top position in class and finished 5th place over all.
Class 5 was a 50/50 split of single seater ex autograss specials and two-seater Locost style sports cars.
Championship leader Chris Wilson had his sealed surface championship lead reduced to 10 points after his special had electrical issues forcing him to retire.
Andy Williams, as hard as he tried, could not catch Steve wells in his Sub Zero and had to settle for 3rd place overall, however, Steve was kind (foolish) enough to let Mr S drive his car for the day. Despite Mr S having his hand in plaster he humiliated Steve by out performing him in his own car and took the top step of the podium.
Thank you very much to Young Plumbing who sponsors the podium and supplies our winners with champagne
The next event is an unsealed surface event and we have been invited back to Cheverton Chalk Pit on the 15th of July. This is an event not to miss