ARDC Fanbelt, June 2024
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ARDC Fanbelt, May 2024
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ARDC Fanbelt – May 2023
In this month’s FanBelt:
• Presidents Report
• ARDC 2023 AGM Notice
• ARDC Member Exclusive Bathurst 1000 Suite Ticket
• ARDC Members Invitation: AMHF Presents – Bondy ‘Mr Versatile’ Fireside Chat
• ARDC Presents: Masterblast 23′
o Plus Sponsorship Opportunities
• Nightshift Dates
• May Events
• News from our Partners, and more…
MAY 2023
Last month I hinted that an announcement was imminent for another feature event in the 2023 motorsport calendar at SMSP, and we were delighted to announce on 13th April that the first-ever TCR World Tour event to be held in Australia will be under lights at SMSP on November 3-5. This will be the week prior to the Supercheap Auto Bathurst International and will also be the penultimate round of the 2023 Supercheap Auto TCR Australia Series. ARDC is excited to be co-promoting this key race meeting with Australian Racing Group (ARG) and we are looking forward to seeing our Australian TCR drivers matched against the world’s best, right in the heart of Western Sydney.
The TCR World Tour weekend will follow on from World Time Attack and Sydney MasterBlast in early September, Supercars in late July and the Shannon’s Trophy series in mid June. There is plenty of high quality motorsport coming for ARDC members in 2023!
At a more grass-roots level, Round 2 of the NSW Motor Racing Championships was extremely well supported on 15/16 April. There were approaching 300 competitors across ten different categories competing on the weekend, which made for a very busy paddock area! I know there were some delays getting access to the circuit on Saturday morning, and we are working on expediting the gate entry process for the next round. To assist, I encourage all competitors to remember to download their entry tickets before arriving at the circuit. Despite those irritations it was a great weekend of motorsport and despite a threatening weather forecast early in the week I think a light drizzle was the worst of the rainfall.
As I mentioned last month, on 19th April, the Hon. Chris Bowen, Federal Minister for Climate Change, addressed a lunch co-hosted by ARDC and the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry at SMSP to launch of the Federal Government’s National Electric Vehicle strategy. Over 100 motor industry representatives attended, and while there are doubtless many competing interests in this space the government’s desire to implement a minimum emissions standard for vehicles sold in Australia was well received. I was surprised to learn that among developed nations only Australia and Russia do not currently have a minimum emissions standard, which clearly does not incentivise vehicle manufacturers to prioritise Australia for sales of their most environmentally friendly products!
Our Annual General Meeting will be held on Wednesday 24th May, commencing at 7:30pm in the Champions’ Room at SMSP. As usual we will present the annual reports to members, followed by a Q&A session for members. No election for Directors was required this year as the only Nominations received were from those current directors whose two-year term had expired. Therefore, congratulations to Jamie McDonald, Peter Preller, Rachelle Stirling and Terry Thompson, who are each re-elected for another two-year term.
The process by which (under the Constitution) the Board might appoint a further two Directors has been on hold for the last month or so. A number of high quality candidates have expressed interest in being considered for these positions and the Board will progress these appointments after the completion of the AGM.
Enough from me this month! As usual the June newsletter will include a copy of my annual report, presented at the AGM.
Cheers,
Andrew
president@ardc.com.au
If you plan on attending the 2023 ARDC AGM, get in touch and let us know so we can ensure everyone is catered for!
To RSVP, just send an email to Ian.Hansen@ardc.com.au or call 9672 1000.
The Great Race: ARDC Born and Bred – Exclusive Premier Suite
The Australian Racing Drivers’ Club’s history is intrinsically linked to Mount Panorama, and it’s about time the Club went back to reminisce and celebrate.
This year is set to be a huge year for the Repco Supercars Championship with the introduction of the new Gen3 Mustang and Camaro, which make their night-time racing debut at SMSP in July at the Beaurepaires Sydney Supernight.
And 2023 marks 60 years since the ARDC first ran the Armstrong 500 at Mount Panorama, later to evolve into ‘The Great Race’. Plus, it’s also the 50th anniversary of first Hardie-Ferodo 1000, where the ARDC introduced the now famous 1000km format. We feel it’s only appropriate to celebrate this rich history with our Members in style: at the spiritual home of Australian motorsport. For this reason, the ARDC has booked a Premier Pit Suite at the 2023 Repco Bathurst 1000 and is offering Members an exclusive opportunity to join us. But you’d better be quick to book, as numbers will be limited and well-priced packages will be made available on a first in best-dressed basis.
The ARDC’s suite is positioned at pit exit with a balcony and views of the main straight and turn one. The experience includes access to the event, an air-conditioned suite with TV’s so you won’t miss a second of the action, full catering for all three days, beverage package, a goodies bag on arrival, and much more to come! All this for just $2000pp inc GST.
We are so excited to share this limited Anniversary experience with our Members: Packages will be available to book NOW by emailing the ARDC’s Membership manager at Ian.Hansen@ardc.com.au
See you trackside at The Great Race!
The Australian Motor Heritage Foundation Presents: Bondy ‘Mr Versatile’ Fireside Chat
Our friends over at the AMHF are starting their fireside chats with a bang, hosting Mr Versatile himself on the 23rd of June at 10am at SMSP in the Hinxman Room!
ARDC Members have the privilege of first access to tickets for this one off event! Just click here to claim your free ticket!
Sydney Masterblast 23′ featuring Muscle Car Masters and Sydney Hillclimb
New date; same great event!
Save the weekend of September 9-10, 2023 for all the metal and muscle, displays and drone shows; a great two-days for any car enthusiast!
Sydney Masterblast this year will feature our beloved Australian Muscle Car Masters™ categories, along with modern metal and great door-to-door racing and parade laps of historic cars both days during the break.*
At night on Saturday, Tuned International is bringing back its best cars for a huge Monster Meet on the SMSP main straight, while the brand new Sydney Hillclimb takes on the Amaroo South Circuit hills, under lights.
And at 7pm Saturday**, the whole Park will stop for our feature Drone Show in the sky above. Five hundred drones will create 3D imagery in the air to music; as seen at Sydney’s VIVID light show and last year’s Super 70 event. It’s a night not to be missed!
Stay the night at our nearby hotels, or camp out at SMSP’s final turn for the best view in the house.
Park-N-View also returns this year: this ticket allows you to pull up anywhere along the north-east of the precinct, and gas BBQs and cookers are allowed. It’s a great day out!
ARDC Members will get into the event for free, PLUS access to free camping, and Park-N-View tickets!
Sponsorship opportunities in a variety of forms and activations are now available! For enquiries, please contact Peter Larum at peter@ardc.com.au or 0419 732 029.
Nightshift for Cars will be back in May, with a combined Intermediate/Advanced group joining Race Cars. Grab a mate, give us a call for your discount code and come enjoy one of Australia’s premiere motorsport facilities under lights!
When: Wednesday 24th May
Groups:
• Intermediate/Advanced
• Race Cars
Remember, ARDC Members are always entitled to a full refund. So book now and if we need to postpone, we can rebook or refund you!
To get your 50% Members discount, email reception@ardc.com.au, or give us a call at 9672 1000.
Follow the link below to our ticket page and book now!
Membership in 2023
Just a reminder, as of the 1st of January, the ARDC returned to an annual Membership with a common expiry date of 31st December each year. Most Members currently have an expiry date at some point in 2023 already, but don’t worry, we’ll pro-rata your Membership fees till the end of the year so everyone lines up!
Plus, you can always upgrade to a Three-year Memberships early! Just give us a call and we’ll pro-rata the fees to carry you to December 31st, 2025.
If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to reach out!
Cheers,
Ian
ian.hansen@ardc.com.au
MAY 2023
Friday 5th
Driving Sports GP Circuit Drift
FREE FOR MEMBERS & GUEST PASS HOLDERS
Saturday 6th
Beat the Blue 2023 Main Event
FREE FOR MEMBERS & GUEST PASS HOLDERS
Saturday 13th Day
Australian Drift Club – Wetpan Warriors
FREE FOR MEMBERS & GUEST PASS HOLDERS
Saturday 13th Night
Roll Racing #79 + Terminal Speed Challenge
FREE FOR MEMBERS & GUEST PASS HOLDERS
Sunday 14th
Rotary Revival Sydney
FREE FOR MEMBERS & GUEST PASS HOLDERS
Saturday 20th
Post Classic Racing Association – Club Championships
FREE FOR MEMBERS & GUEST PASS HOLDERS
Sunday 21st
Roll Racing – All Jap Day
FREE FOR MEMBERS & GUEST PASS HOLDERS
Thursday 25th
Street Outlaws Australia
FREE FOR MEMBERS & GUEST PASS HOLDERS
Friday 26th
Australian Drift Club – Figure-8 Drift Series
FREE FOR MEMBERS & GUEST PASS HOLDERS
Saturday 27th – Sunday 28th
NSW Motor Race Championship R3
FREE FOR MEMBERS & GUEST PASS HOLDERS
Sunday 28th Night
Australian Drift Club – Figure-8 Drift Nights
FREE FOR MEMBERS & GUEST PASS HOLDERS
NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS 
Celebrate the end of financial year with a Fastrack V8 Race experience
Every Supercar fan or performance driving enthusiast would love a race experience in powerful V8 Holdens and Fords.
The ADRC has a special offer for a Fastrack V8 Race experience for you to enjoy, or as a special gift for a friend.
Book any experience on May 5, 6 and 7 or June 2, 3 and 4 and receive a 15% discount.
More info: https://fastrackexperiences.com.au/
To book, call Fastrack Experiences on 1800 887223 and say you’re an ‘ARDC Member’ to receive this EOFY Deal!
ARDC President’s Report, November 2019
November 2019
Everyone now knows that there will soon be a Supercar team based at Sydney MotorSport Park! ARDC has been working closely with several parties for some time to make this ambition a reality. We are delighted that Australia’s largest city will again have a resident team in Australia’s most popular motor racing category. I know that the team is very pleased to be based not just at SMSP but in the heart of Western Sydney, amongst the fastest growing and most exciting locations in the country. There is a lot of work to be done finalising details and planning permanent facilities, but this is a major step toward developing SMSP as a key location for engineering innovation and education, as well as expanding the motor sport industry in NSW.
Last month I gave some information about the locations on the Sydney MotorSport Park circuit where serious injuries occur most frequently. I described a ‘serious injury’ as one requiring ambulance transport; this could have been more precisely defined as a ‘requiring ambulance transport to hospital’ i.e. away from SMSP. Any injury to a rider or driver is undesirable, but I hope it’s not surprising that the data we follow most closely is for the more serious injuries. ARDC will continue to develop that data and I will keep members informed. The more data points we collect, the better the information we have, but unfortunately every one of those data points mean someone has gone to hospital! It’s a bit of a conflict – we want to give you the best information, but it comes at a price. Warren Buffett says ‘price is what you pay, value is what you get’; we hope that proper use of this information will ultimately mean the value is greater than the price.
Two members wrote expressing their views about other parts of the circuit and we will be looking into the questions they have raised.
ARDC Director Denis Cribbin recently announced his decision to retire from the Board after lengthy service. I know that Denis will continue to keenly support our Club, but he believes it is important that we should continue to renew the talent on our Board and that it is time for him to step down. I have always enjoyed Denis’s contribution to our discussions and thank him for his service and thoughtful participation in the governance of ARDC.
Denis’s retirement created a casual vacancy for an Elected Director position and I am very pleased to announce that at its October meeting the ARDC Board appointed Rachelle Stirling to fill the casual vacancy. Members may not recognise this name, but Rachelle Wilson has been a Board Appointed Director since September 2017 and has made a considerable contribution to Board discussions and overall governance. Rachelle Wilson recently married Jeremy Stirling and has chosen to change her name, so Rachelle Wilson and Rachelle Stirling are the same person. Rachelle is particularly passionate about attracting and supporting women into motorsport. She has been a key initiator and Program Director of the Women’s Motorsport Development Program (http://www.wmdp.com.au/), which is supported by ARDC and NSWRRC, among others. Rachelle will serve the remainder of Denis’s term as an Elected Director and will stand for re-election in May 2021. She has been an ARDC Member since 2016.
This means there are now two Board Appointed Director vacancies, as Natalie Turmine and Rachelle have both been asked to fill casual Elected Director vacancies that have arisen this year. The Board has recently conducted a skills audit, to identify those areas where we would benefit from additional knowledge and expertise. The selection of new Board Appointed directors is a perfect opportunity for us to seek out people who can bring those desired skills to the Board.
So, if you have skills and experience in digital/social media, property development and construction, IT/cyber/privacy/data security or venue/facility management and you are interested in contributing to the governance of ARDC, please contact me at president@ardc.com.au . A passion for motorsport is obviously a mandatory requirement! Please do keep in mind that the Board’s role is not to manage the club but to take responsibility for oversight and governance of ARDC.
See you at SMSP,
Cheers,
Andrew