Good times
The popularity of Enzed Central Muscle Cars (CMC) continues to boom, with the club receiving many enquiries from both experienced, well-known drivers and those new to the circuit-racing scene.
One of the newcomers to the class who’s proven himself, not only with a good vehicle but also by showing talent behind the wheel, is Manawatu’s Ian Easton. Ian comes from a comprehensive speedway racing background and has excelled in his first series with CMC, where he’s currently sitting at fifth place in Group 1 behind stalwarts of the class.
As mentioned last month, with an influx of new cars on the cards, the committee has tightened any loopholes within the rules to ensure that all vehicles are up to scratch, with all current vehicles also inspected.
Wet-weather woes
Race four of round four, held at the New Zealand Festival of Motor Racing (you’ll find coverage of the meeting earlier in this issue) was somewhat controversial. As the drivers sat on the dummy grid, it poured with rain. Therefore, the meeting was declared wet. Most, but not all, of the cars raced back to the pits to fit wet tyres. However, not everyone was notified or heard the announcement.
The rain stopped just before the vehicles were released, but they went onto the track without the officials checking them. Consequently, some cars went out on slicks, which was the better choice, as the sun was now out. After two laps, drivers on wets were searching for water; after eight laps, the wet tyres were destroyed and the drivers on slicks were going much faster.
The issue was whether penalties should be applied — by the race officials, not CMC itself — or all points for the race should be scrapped. After much discussion, the committee agreed to give everyone who finished the race the same number of points, which seems to be the fairest outcome — although not the outcome for which some drivers were hoping.
Writer wanted
NZV8 and CMC are on the hunt for a new event-report writer. Ideally, the person would already be attending the events in which the class competes and have a knowledge of both cars and drivers — although neither of these is essential. What is essential is a great grasp of written English and the right attitude. If you think you can produce a round report along the lines of the one you see in the issues each month, email centralmusclecars@gmail.com.
Points after round three (top 10 and top five only):
Group 1
715 — Dean Perkins
710 — John Midgley
660 — Steve Ross
646 — Greg Honnor
604 — Ian Easton
546 — Calvin Andrew
510 — Bruce Anderson
451 — Steve Scoles
446 — Clarke Hopkins
445 — Grant Dalton
Group 2
750 — Andrew Sinclair
741 — Steve Noyer
729 — Bruce Kett
699 — Paul Boden
570 — Greg Holden