Minutes of the Directors' Meeting 12 August 2009

Race committee

Several race organisers have been contacted with regard to organising race meetings for the 2010 season.

Monoposto drivers have been enthusiastic about entering the non-championship races in the mid-summer gap. Directors discussed whether this showed an appetite for more meetings. Given the current financial situation others thought it wise to stick to 12 championship rounds. Directors hoped that the club would be offered circuits like Thruxton in time to include them in the championship.

Our pricing is very competitive but as always there is an upward pressure to increase the cost of races, the components being: CSCC raising prices, maintaining MRC's reserves, and the pressure from the membership to race at more prestigious venues.

There was a short debate on introducing flexibility into the traditional one qualifying session one race format, for example one qualification session for two race. But, the traditional format seems likely to remain the norm.

Social Committee.

Dinner Dance, The Tewkesbury Park Hotel proved to be a suitable venue in 2009. The hotel is now under new management After debate, it was decided that the club proceed with organising the 2010 AGM and the 2010 Prize Giving Dinner at this hotel. The proposed date is 20/02/2010.

Sarah and Simon are investigating organising a social event at Croft. This could take place off circuit.

Simon suggested that the club hold a technical seminar over the winter, he envisaged this seminar having a social component. If this event takes place it will be the third event of this type that the club has organised. Simon suggested that parts of the 'Blue Book' relevant to the club competitor be a topic (I think that this means that some of our membership could have a better knowledge of the regulations! Ed ).

‘Sandwich boards’ carrying a car’s details have been suggested as a way to raise our paddock profile. Cars that are presentable and have chatty drivers would have a sandwich board carrying their details in their paddock space. This initiative is for the future as we do not yet have the boards, information, or photographs.

Technical Committee.

Directors approved the following proposals for 2010:
• Mono1600, no change other than to advance the chassis age by 1 year.
• Mono1800, no change other than to advance the chassis age by 1 year,
• Mono1000, no change.
• Mono1400. To continue unchanged into 2010. All agreed that this class requires promoting. E.g. a feature in Track and Race Car Magazine. One problem is that the class did not yet have a dedicated Mono1400 car.
• Mono2000 Classic. No change,
• Mono2000 Formula. Remove class and merge with Mono2000.
• Mono2000:

Cap chassis at 2004.
Allow sequential gearboxes.
Flywheel weight free, material as F3
Allow Throttle Body Fuel Injection, subject to a 40mm per choke size restriction.
Allow Ford Zetec engines to have free cam timing (std cam & std pulley).
Block material to be free.
It is the directors’ intention that these Mono2000 regulations are to be unchanged from 2010 to 2013 inclusive.

On the topic of fuel, it was emphasised that the MSA would not deviate from their standard regulations.
Currently we are exempt from the MSA’s requirement to fit 'Dry Fuel Breaks'.

Publicity
An 'old fogies' piece for TRC is in preparation as a companion piece to the 'young guns' item published in the current edition. The author claimed that he was 'spoilt for choice'!

Financial.

The treasurer welcomed the reinstatement of a Donington Park round but regretted that the change in dates had lost us seven entries which had reduced the profitability of this meeting.

Club Administrator's Report.

Membership remains down on 2008 (12%} but a greater percentage of the membership are competing (70% vs 64%} which goes someway to compensate.
Our large grids and low prices are proving attractive to some, the Mono1800s in particular attracting guest members.

A.o.B.

Simon hopes to introduce a final entry date one week prior to the event, rather than the current two and a half weeks, the latter time being dictated by CSCC requirements.

The problems generated at Silverstone by signing in being at one end of the paddock while scrutineering was at the other end were discussed. Signing in staff had refused to process competitors before the prescribed time, while 300m away cars were passing through scrutineering without the requisite paperwork. Those new to the CSCC regime had been unimpressed because, on this occasion, it was both inflexible and did not satisfy competitors’ requirements. A dedicated Monoposto signing in was suggested. However Simon did not think that this would speedup the process. He pointed out that he did assist at signing in.

Directors were made aware of concerns expressed among the regular 1800 field at the points taken by guests at the Silverstone meeting. Several directors had experience of this situation. Many ways of modifying the system were discussed, but all had serious problems. The topic was summed by a driver who had lost a championship because of points lost to a guest driver, ‘one just had to grin and bear it'.

Some drivers had not appreciated standing in the rain to be weighed at Silverstone. Others thought that the scrutineer’s activities essential, part of motor racing and defended the scrutineer’s position. With our changing regulations directors thought that the club needs to equip the scrutineer with a vacuum pump to check F3 and FF1800 air boxes.

Patrick Huston
Club Secretary
14/08/09