Tappet Chatter - Journal of the MG Car Club of Canberra - the MG Car Club Canberra
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Tappet Chatter
June 2020
Tappet Chatter
Journal of the MG Car Club of Canberra Number 456 June 2020
0413 646 321 2 MG Car Club Canberra June 2020
Tappet Chatter
Number 456 June 2020
Contents: Official Journal of the
MG Car Club Canberra Inc
Presidents Torque 6 ABN: 49 156 199 381
Torque 8
Correspondence to:
Committee Bits 10 Post Office Box 4141
MGCC Canberra Nostalgia Piece 12 Weston Creek ACT 2611
MGCC Canberra Pre-History 14
Monthly Meetings are held
A Very Early MGB 20 on the second Thursday of
Club Calendar 25 each month, (except
January), at St Peter's
Sporting Report 28 Anglican Church Hall, cnr of
A Members Response to Malcolm’s Opinion Piece 36 Parkinson St & Watling Pl,
McGrath MG has Moved 37 Weston at 7:45pm.
Council Communique 40 A ‘Lunchtime Natter’ is held at
Cancellation of the 2020 Silverstone Classic 42
Services Directory 45 Banking Details
Help Line 47 BSB: 633-000
Account: 144920741
Marquet 48 Account Name: MG Car Club
Acknowledgments – the editorial team thanks all Canberra Inc
who contributed articles and photographs for this
Weston Park, Yarralumla
month’s magazine. (second picnic spot on the
right) each Tuesday from
12.30pm.
Photo Naomi Horsfield The MG Car Club Canberra Inc.
accepts no responsibility for the
accuracy or reliability of
articles, correspondence,
opinions and advertisements
contained herein.
Articles may be copied for
publication by Car Clubs, but
an acknowledgement and
due accreditation is
expected.
Printed Post Approved
100003009
Club members Kelly and Glenn Lyons with
Kelly’s pristine MGA “Ivy”.
So young and in Love.
June 2020 Tappet Chatter 3
MG CAR CLUB CANBERRA INC.
LIFE MEMBERS: Margaret Brown OAM, Malcolm Robertson, Ian Holden,
Brian Oxley, Kent Brown & Brian Calder.
COMMITTEE 2020
President: Vice President
Peter Dalton Kent Brown
0412 788 217 0412 558 029
president@mgcccanberra.org.au vicepresident@mgcccanberra.org.au
Secretary Treasurer
Bryan Tuckey Brian Calder
0484 636 355 0434 307 742
secretary@mgcccanberra.org.au treasurer@mgcccanberra.org.au
Committee Member Committee Member
Mike Lawless Trevor Clement
0412 093 151 0411 102 759
(Social) (Membership)
social@mgcccanberra.org.au secretary@mgcccanberra.org.au
Committee Member Public Officer
Mark Horsfield Bryan Tuckey
0415 400 044 484 636 355
(Editor)
editor@mgcccanberra.org.au publicofficer@mgcccanberra.org.au
4 MG Car Club Canberra June 2020
MG CAR CLUB CANBERRA INC.
NON COMMITTEE 2020
CACTMC Delegates:
Brian Calder 0434 307 742 cactmc@mgcccanberra.org.au
Social Coordinator:
Vacant social@mgcccanberra.org.au
Asst Social Coord:
Graeme Corbett 0437 679 497 social@mgcccanberra.org.au
Motor Sport Coordinator:
Kent Brown 0412 558 029 sporting@mgcccanberra.org.au
Club CRS Registrar:(Historic Plates:)
(Northside)
Greg Whitfield 0498 107 658 historicplates@mgcccanberra.org.au
(Southside)
Robert Chilman 0412 024 228 historicplates@mgcccanberra.org.au
Manager of Club Regalia:
Bob Tazzyman 0418 410 482 regalia@mgcccanberra.org.au
Manager of Club Library:
Ewan Ward 4911 112 291 library@mgcccanberra.org.au
CAMS Delegate:
Kent Brown 0412 558 029 cams@mgcccanberra.org.au
Natmeet Coord :
Mick O’Brien natmeet@mgcccanberra.org.au
Club Car Trailer:
Laurie Gardiner 0418 488 931 trailer@mgcccanberra.org.au
Tappet Chatter Distribution:
Laurie Gardiner 0418 488 931
Club Workshop & Equipment:
Laurie Gardiner 0418 488 931 workshop@mgcccanberra.org.au
Webmaster:
Mark Horsfield 0415 400 044 webmaster@mgcccanberra.org.au
June 2020 Tappet Chatter 5
President’s Torque
W elcome to winter everyone. So reach into your cupboards
and bring out your Ugg boots, beanies, thermals and enjoy the crisp
clean air in the Brindabella sunshine. I’m sure that like me many members have
been getting into various projects at home and there’s always lots to do in the
garage.
Hear Ye Hear Ye! To avoid getting those old rocking chair winter blues you can
get even more MG news. Our club has long been affiliated with MG Car Club
UK. Instead of our club receiving just one copy of their monthly magazine Safety
Fast our members will now be able to read an electronic version at their leisure.
Your ever clever TC editor has successfully negotiated this arrangement.
Furthermore we will now also be able to access the magazine for the T Type
Register on line.
Very pleased to say that we seem to be tantalizingly close to be a return to
something approaching normality providing the current trend of infections is kept
very low. Your club committee is meeting monthly as usual and we are keen to
resume as many of our various activities as soon as possible. Secretary Bryan
Tuckey is chanting at the bit to be the bearer of good news once the green light
appears.
Break-out time. The scheduled Wakefield Park Historic Racing Event in late Au-
gust is clear to proceed at this time and you are invited to participate in your MG
in a few parade laps at the luncheon interval at a moderate maximum speed of
80 kms. The event will be compliant with current health safety guidelines. Can-
teen food and beverages will be available and track entry is free. Further details
will be available next month.
Perhaps over the past you may have been quietly harbouring a good idea for a
future monthly run. Both Graeme Corbett and I would welcome a chat with you
about it.
Stay tuned everyone.
Warmest regards
President Pete
6 MG Car Club Canberra June 2020
Editorial
Hi De Ho Neighbouroonies,
W e have a great issue this month with the inclusion of a couple of magnifi-
cent extra’s for your reading pleasure. As you all know I am a avid pun-
dit of information sharing when it comes to our beloved MG’s.
In my humble opinion if you belong to one MG Club you belong to all MG Clubs
around the world. I have found this to be so true in my travels abroad and when
receiving guests from overseas clubs here in Canberra.
MG is definitely the “Friendly Marque”.
Some view my opinion as heresy others as a salient point.
You will note on page 3 of Tappet Chatter the paragraph that states
“Articles may be copied for publication by Car Clubs, but an acknowledge-
ment and due accreditation is expected.”.
This is our way of sharing our knowledge with other clubs and enthusiasts with-
out the need for time consuming evolutions to obtain permissions etc. I see no
point in keeping information from MG enthusiasts simply because they belong to
a different MG club, and I will continue to petition that view. We do however
have a 2 month hold on placing magazines on the website for the public.
We here in Canberra are in an enviable position by virtue of our electronic mag-
azine which enables us to incorporate other club’s electronic magazines within
our own. Essentially turning it from one magazine to many with a simple mouse
click. Sharing information with the proper and appropriate acknowledgements
and accreditation that are due, and thus keeping our cars on the road for longer
and in a safer condition.
The magazine is for the people, no matter which club they belong to and the
cars that we hold so dear, and keeping them going so others can enjoy them
too. We should not bring ideologies or non-relevant banner waving into the mix.
That said, every member has a right to be heard.
Yours in MG’ing
Mark
June 2020 Tappet Chatter 7
8 MG Car Club Canberra June 2020
Torque
MG Car Club Canberra on the Web
Website: (http://mgcccanberra.org.au)
View our website for information on upcoming events, past events and Gallery's
Facebook Social Page: (https://www.facebook.com/groups/MGCCCSocial)
See what other club members are doing, interesting articles from around the web, or,
just catching up or chatting.
Please send contributions for the July 2020 issue of
Tappet Chatter to the Editor by Friday 26 June 2020 at:
editor@mgcccanberra.org.au
Club Trailer Bookings Some members have already gone
T
online and ordered to improve their
he procedure and protocol for
visible fashion reputation.
booking the MG Car Club car
trailer is: Many colours and styles to choose
from.
1. Bookings for the trailer must be
made during business hours; https://leatherglovesonline.com/
collections/mens-leather-gloves?
2. Bookings must be made at least 48
_=pf&pf_t_style=Driving
hours in advance;
3. The trailer must be picked up from
the storage facility during business
hours;
4. Only genuine emergencies will be
considered outside these timeframes.
Driving Gloves
Have you been looking for those
“Must Have Man Accessories”? Well
look no more. Club member Greg W
has found these online and says
“They are Spiffy and very kind to my
sensitive hands”!
June 2020 Tappet Chatter 9
Looking for ‘Stuff’
The Cooma Car Club is looking for a
couple of items for the Car Club
museum. Old cash register and old
telephone. If you know of any that
may be available for loan or sale
please contact
info@coomacarclub.com.au.
OTHER ITEMS
Regalia Club Coffee Mugs (Bendigo Pottery) $12.00
CLUB CLOTHING Club Grille Badges $22.00
Shirts - Cotton Long Sleeve $32.00 Club Lapel Badges $ 6.00
Shirts-Cotton Short Sleeve $30.00 Car Lapel Badges $10.00
Polo Shirts - Men's & Ladies $25.00 Club Windscreen Stickers $ 2.00
Polo Fleece full zip Jacket - Men's $35.00 MG Octagon Car Lapel Badges $10.00
Micro Fleece full zip Jacket- Ladies $35.00 MG Key Rings $ 7.00
Nylon full zip Spray Jackets-Unlined $30.00 Sew-on Embroidered MG Logo in cloth
10 MG Car Club Canberra June 2020Committee Bits
With the current restrictions in facility ($700), and our monthly Zoom
place regarding face-to-face account fee ($23.09).
gatherings please find here
The Committee considers that the
information normally provided at
Club is in a sound financial position.
General Meetings.
While the value of membership re-
ceipts received in June will affect the
final result, the Treasurer has forecast
Treasurer’s Finance Report to
to the Committee a manageable oper-
Members
ating loss for the 2019-20 Financial
Year. The accounts will be presented
The Committee has considered and for audit after 1 July 2020, and then to
approved a detailed Finance Report members at the next AGM.
prepared by the Treasurer for the Members who make electronic pay-
month of May 2020. ments to the Club trading account are
A concise summary is: reminded to ensure that they include
an identifying reference. The mem-
• Receipts for May 2020: $0.09 ber’s name or membership number is
(Bank interest receipts) ideal.
• Expenditure for May 2020: Members who request additional infor-
$1811.09 (Administration ex- mation on May’s receipts or expenses,
penses, Donation expenses, or on the Club’s Investment/Term De-
Workshop & Equipment expens- posit Account should contact the
es, Postage expenses) Treasurer direct using the contact de-
tails advised in Tappet Chatter.
Trading Account Balance at 31 May
2020: $486.38. There are no debtors
or creditors. The Club also maintains Meeting Minutes
an Investment Account currently held
Members are reminded that copies of
as a Term Deposit that will mature on
meeting minutes can be requested
17 October 2020
from the Club Secretary at email
Our May expenses included our 2019-
secretary@mgcccanberra.org.au
20 Community Support donation – this
year to ACT Wildlife ($1000), our
quarterly rent of the Club Workshop
June 2020 Tappet Chatter 112020-21 Club Membership Zoom - Video Conferencing
Subscriptions
Mentioned in last months edition of
The Club membership year is 1 July to Tappet Chatter, the club has an ongo-
30 June, so please aim to pay your ing month-to-month subscription to
membership subscription prior to 30 Zoom Video Conferencing.
June 2020.
This subscription enables up to 100
Annual membership fees have not people to join a meeting or webinar for
changed since 2012: longer than 40 minutes; 24 hours, 7
days a week.
• Family Membership $70
Not only has the facility been used for
• Single Membership $60 Committee meetings, it has also been
used for the initial planning meeting
Associate Membership (non-marque
for MG Pre-War and MG TYme 2021
motorsport only) $40
and Sunday Morning breakfast (see
The preferred method of payment is article further on in this magazine
EFT. The details are: about “Not @ Poppy’s Breakfast)
• Bendigo Bank If any member of the club would like to
use this club asset for any MG type
• BSB 633-000 gathering, whether it is virtual coffee
or ladies having a virtual knitting
• Account Number: 144920741 circle, contact the webmaster at
• Account Name: MG Car Club webmaster@mgcccanberra.org.au or
Canberra call Mark on 0415 400 044, who will
assist in setup, notification and
Identifying reference: (Your name)
hosting your virtual gathering.
membership
Alternatively you may make a direct
deposit at any Branch of the Bendigo
Bank, or if this is not possible, forward
a cheque to MG Car Club Canberra,
PO Box 4141, WESTON CREEK ACT
2611.
Also don’t forget to submit any
database changes to Trevor at
memberships@mgcccanberra.org.au
12 MG Car Club Canberra June 2020MGCCC - Nostalgia Piece
Sandman’s Soup - Does it work?
by Life Member Ian Holden
The following article was written by
Life Member Ian Holden for a
magazine called ‘The T-Type’. It
was featured in the 10th Anniver-
sary issue of Spring 1980 and
re-printed here as the topic and
content is probably as relevant to-
day as when it was written. The
bundle of magazines this article
comes from was recently given to
us by Bob Larkin of the South
Coast.
I n the Winter issue of THE
T-TYPE was an article on
"Sandman's Soup", which is a
solution of oxalic acid to be used one of the "slushing com-
as a rust neutraliser. pounds" (KREEM etc), but found the
instructions call for the surface to be
My petrol tank started to leak from free of rust. I ~heref0re assume that
underneath. Further investigation the rust would continue to spread.
revealed that indeed the underside
of the tank was riddled with rust There are two easy ways of removing
holes permitting the petrol to weep the rust - the first involves cutting out
out over a large area. A temporary the bottom of the tank and then sand
repair was effected by draining and blasting the interior of the tank, and
inverting the tank, grinding the rust the second by treating the rust with a
affected area and smearing it with chemical. After speaking to a panel
Araldite. beater about the problem of cutting
around the tank internal baffles, I
I'd decided to repair the tank by using chose to use the chemical method.
June 2020 Tappet Chatter 13I'd checked with a chemist for oxalic acid but was horrified to be quoted $8 per pound. I then rang a chemical company who quoted per kilo. Oxalic acid is apparently used in the building industry for cleaning up brick- work. I followed the advice given in the earli- er article (reprinted from the Classic MG Car Club of Hawaii), by wearing gloves when handling the acid. The product comes in powdered form, and the easiest way of making up a good strong solution is to pour the powder into hot water. I used 2kilos to a full petrol tank. The interesting part then started. After letting the solution cook for 4 days, the solution was drained off into plas- I tic containers. I determined that 4 days was long enough by suspend- ing a similarly rusted piece of metal on a wire into the petrol tank filled with the solution. After 4 days of pulling this test strip out I was satisfied with the result. 14 MG Car Club Canberra June 2020
MG Car Club Canberra
Pre-History
by Life Member Malcolm Robertson
Life member Malcolm Robertson
fills a gap in the history of the MG
Car Club in Canberra…
T he Canberra MG Car Club’s offi-
cial history is largely based on
the newsletters and magazines pub-
lished by the Club and a summary has
been compiled by the late Peter Daly.
Students of history, or interested Club
A convoy of MGs on the road to
members, will find that this modern
Tidbinbilla for a club run in 1970
history starts with a Newsletter pub-
lished in February 1976 announcing
pectations of participation. Over the
an AGM for the following month com-
past year or two Brian and I had la-
bined with a barbecue at Weston
mented that one of the disappointing
Park. It went on to invite prospective
aspects of community organisations in
members to bring their MG, a $1
general and car clubs in particular was
membership fee, their friends and
the hounding of members to
families and their supplies.
“participate”. In fact, that first News-
As I recall, it was a successful barbe- letter opened with the comment that
cue on a gorgeous sunny Sunday af- “the last club faded away through lack
ternoon on the shores of Lake Burley of support” and went on to say that
Griffin back in the days when cars “this club does not expect support but
were welcomed on the grassy slopes. if you are prepared to give it then all
At least 20 MGs attended. In a pre- the better for the club”. Our unwritten
determined set-up, the AGM was dis- rule was no hounding, no bullying. If
pensed with quickly and Ian Holden we organize the right sort of events,
was elected Treasurer, Brian Oxley then the members will come. If not,
Secretary and I took on the role of they won’t.
President. While we hoped the MG
The fact that you are reading this
owners in Canberra would appreciate
nearly fifty years later means that our
being semi-organised and would at-
philosophy must have set the right
tend events, we didn’t have high ex-
June 2020 Tappet Chatter 151968 seems to be the start of organ-
ised MG activity in Canberra with the
first recorded use of the MG Car Club
name. The mother Club of course
was established in England in 1930 by
John Thornley, then a more junior ex-
ecutive in the MG Car Company in
Abingdon. MG’s legendary managing
director Cecil Kimber, who had creat-
Neville Jenner in his TD leads the ed the marque with his first MG-
convoy to Tidbinbilla badged cars in 1923, saw the for-
mation of a Club for owners as a use-
tone and has been embraced by later ful marketing and loyalty program. It
committees as the Club evolved and also served as a framework for provid-
matured. Participation today is at an ing his increasing band of privateer
all-time high. sports and racing drivers with factory
support without having to declare
However, as you can see from the
them official “works” drivers or cars.
above, there must have been some
In Australia, it took longer for MG Car
“pre-history” to that first barbecue and
Clubs to be formed with the first
possibly some “hounding” that had left
emerging in the 1950s in Melbourne
a lingering concern. Indeed there
and Sydney as the numbers of T-
was, a rich and interesting range of
series cars on the roads gathered mo-
activities and publications dating back
mentum.
to 1968 which Brian and I felt is worth
capturing for your interest and for the
historical record.
The Kelly gang gathers around Brian
Kelly’s TC at Bungendore during a
club outing in 1971. Other cars are
Fuel pump troubles are nothing new. Geoff Collinson’s TD and Geoff
Nigel Barkham’s TF receives atten- Venn’s TC
tion on a club run to Captain’s Flat in
1971
16 MG Car Club Canberra June 2020Geoff Collinson, Bruce Shirmer, Paul
Atkin, Chris Dahlberg, and T-register
captain, Geoff Venn. Sadly, by the
time I returned to Canberra in 1971,
the club had lost momentum, partly
due to the disruption of its military ex-
ecutive being posted and deployed
(Australia’s commitment to the Vi-
etnam War was in full swing) and part-
Club cars gather at the Lake in 1971. ly due to a loss of focus on the
Darryl Martin’s TD, Gae Raby’s ex-
Harry Firth racing TC, Geoff Venn’s marque and members’ interests. Min-
TC,and Nigel Barkham’s TF is had somehow crept in and focus on
the interests of members with Minis
In Canberra, living memory tells us
that a keen group of young men,
largely military, decided to form a club
locally in 1968 to organise sporting
events and social activities. Gather-
ings were arranged and held initially in
a very small room in Civic called the
French Reading Library, but later in
the Larke Hoskins BMC showrooms in
Mort Street, Braddon. It was here as
a young MG TF-owning graduate that
I attended my first meeting in late
1969 just prior to an eighteen month MG families gather at the Lake –
absence on geophysical duties in Ant- where are these people today?
arctica and Western Australia. The
meeting room was buzzing with enthu- displaced traditional MG activity, es-
siasm and the street outside the pecially the emerging interest in col-
showroom lined with MGs of various lecting and restoring T-series MGs.
ages. A gleaming new MGB was on Berating and bullying the members by
display in the showroom. the executive in Octagon for poor par-
ticipation, lack of interest and attend-
Over the next two years, a club maga-
ing events in their family cars became
zine called Octagon was published,
commonplace and this quote from
runs and events were held including at
editor Di Morrison-Smith in April 1971
least one Ball, and enthusiasm
bears repeating:
seemed to run high. Names on the
list of committee members included
June 2020 Tappet Chatter 17“Finally, as an outgoing Com-
mittee member, I’d like to thank
you all for the wonderful support
you have given your Committee
over the past few months. It
really made our efforts to organ-
ise events for you feel worth-
less. Turn up to events was
negligible. Support for other
Club activities such as produc-
tion of the mag was nil. You Geoff Venn in his P-type Special in
couldn’t have found a more ap- Red Hill in 1973
athetic membership if you’d Fortunately, MG owners have always
tried.” been a resourceful lot, SU fuel pumps
make sure of that, and two of that old
Committee, Brian Kelly and Geoff
Venn held the fabric together. In
1970, Brian had bought a TC to re-
store with his son Jock in a father-son
bonding exercise and in 1971 invited
Brian Oxley with his TF initially, but
then other T-type owners to bring their
lunches to his garage in Duntroon on
Geoff Venn pushes his TC through
a Tuesday to kick tyres, observe pro-
the motorkhana course at the Can-
gress and share hard luck stories.
berra Showgrounds in March 1970
Heather Kelly usually appeared at
some stage with a tray of coffee and
Although a formal structure continued
for a further year, the writing was on
the wall for the club. T-type owners,
Geoff Venn, Darryl Martin, Bruce
Shirmer and Brian Kelly tried to keep
the flame alive with a softer more con-
ciliatory Committee approach but their
final Octagon was issued in 1972
when Darryl and Bruce were posted
out of Canberra leaving MG owners to
fall back on their own initiative for get-
T-type MGs line up at Geoff Venn’s
ting together and sharing companion- place in 1970
ship and technical information.
18 MG Car Club Canberra June 2020lar.
During the next three years, the mo-
mentum gradually gathered pace so
that by 1975, the idea of starting an
“association” of owners for social and
technical activities was being actively
canvassed. With the echoes of the
old club’s hounding still fresh in the
ears of some owners, an association
seemed a more comfortable frame-
Malcolm Robertson’s J2, newly ar-
work for what was needed and didn’t
rived from Perth in 1972
involve committees, meetings, argu-
ments and constitutions, and those
who had served before were certainly
biscuits. Tuesday lunches became a
not interested in serving again.
regular feature in the lives of many T-
type owners, and when Brian and
Heather moved to Lake Bathurst on
Brian’s retirement they continued in a
new central location adjacent to Lake
Burley Griffin and remain a legendary
part of the Club’s activities.
At the same time, Geoff Venn worked
hard at rounding up old and new T-
type owners and bringing them into
the fold. His “day job” was actually an
evening milk run which was invaluable
for doing this. In the evenings on his
round in his VW Kombi he would
“spot” MGs in driveways and garages,
and during the off-period of his day he
would find the owners and talk them
into joining the club. Also, as a highly
visible T-type driver during the day, he
had been the catalyst for Brian Kelly
buying his first MG TC in 1970 and
Geoff Venn’s P-type Special with Mal-
was often sought out by new arrivals
colm Robertson’s TF in 1973
in Canberra for information about MGs
generally and club activities in particu-
June 2020 Tappet Chatter 19In the end, it was decided to resurrect with a new philosophy - no hounding
the old club to access the bank ac- the members, no constitution or meet-
count (banks were more forgiving ings and a minimal annual subscrip-
back then) and to run the club along tion of $1 to cover the cost of enve-
the lines of an association with a cou- lopes, stamps and ink for our Roneo
ple of someones setting the pace, a machine.
relaxed pace of occasional events to
The rest, as they say, is history…
reflect the requirements of the mem-
bership. Brian Oxley and I volun-
teered to be those first someones and
we persuaded a more recent MG own-
er, Ian Holden, to be our first treasurer
and look after the bank account.
And so it was in March 1976 that Bri-
an and I ran the first of a new breed of
events and formed an MG Car Club
MG families cluster around their cars outside Parliament House in Canberra for
a group photo in about 1975. Cars are Kirstie Rae’s TC left rear, Brian Lock-
wood’s TD, right rear, and the three TFs of Malcolm Robertson, Geoff Venn and
Brian Oxley in front
20 MG Car Club Canberra June 2020Ladies Corner
by Deb Bailey
H ello there lovely people hope
you are all staying well ?
Another month has just flown by,
hopefully we are all slowly coming out
of hibernation/lockdown.
Like a caterpillar coming out of a
chrysalis, we are coming out of trackie
pants to become the beautiful butter-
flies that we are. Well ok now that win-
ter is here maybe we will keep the
trackies on a little longer haha.
In the Canberra area we have had two
long weekends, although for you lucky
people who are retired every weekend
can be a long weekend. I would love
to hear what you have been up to ?
Just drop me a line
Deb.wiz@bigpond.net.au So as the rules are slowly changing
some of you have been able to ven-
ture out a little further than the super-
Unfortunately we have missed our market (even though some of you may
Ladies day luncheon date, we won’t have taken on the online shopping
be dressing up yet for presentation and like it that way) the golf course or
night ( still something to look forward the walking track.
too ) so we aren’t able to be social
butterflies yet. Although there has The south coast would be a definite
been a group of rebels taking on the welcome change for a few of you not
chill of Sunday mornings to join up for only to escape the Canberra chill but it
breakfast at Armadillo cafe at Gold is so nice for a change of scenery.
Creek.
June 2020 Tappet Chatter 21As this time of year is always a nice Then if you want horse power of a
time to go north we decided last week- different kind you can have a ride
end to head south to Echuca. The aboard the horse and carriage.
town had only been opened up the
day prior and everything was a buzz. I
think the Victorians were doing a great
job of working on social distancing.
With limits of people allowed in the
shops and venues people were pa-
tient and thoughtful to everyone
around. For those who aren’t familiar
with Echuca it is a port for the paddle
steam boats on the Murray river.
So I hope you are all looking forward
to catching up slowly. So take your
time stay safe until next month
It also has a Museum for Holdens and
has a great deal of memorabilia
22 MG Car Club Canberra June 2020FLOOR JACK PAD: MG T-SERIES
FRONT
Front Cross Mbr
BOTTOM VIEW
6.500 Drain Plug Alignment Lines
Visable on Edges
PRINT "ACTUAL SIZE" "100%"
Depression For
Jack Center Washer
If Needed
FRONT
Diff
1" Diam Hole
Diff Drain Plug
WOOD DISK
Diam = Jack Inner Lift Surface
Thickness = Depth of Tabs on Lift Surface
Two Layers 3/4" Plywood L. Cook - 2019
9.000
CREATED USING CADSTD LITE FREEWARE FROM WWW.CADSTD.COM. NON-COMMERCIAL USE ONLY.BOTTOM TOP
• Disk on bottom of pad sits inside the cup of • One-inch hole protects diff drain plug from
the floor jack to keep the pad from moving. damage by jack.
• Size the diameter and depth of disk for brand • Optional carpet on top of pad protects paint
of jack. on diff and front cross member.
• Relieve center of disk to clear washer in cup • Affixed with carpet tape or contact cement.
if necessary.
• Glue to center of pad.
LIFTING @ DIFF LIFTING @ FRONT CROSS MEMBER
• Pad parallel to jack. • Pad perpendicular to jack.
• Marks on sides of pad help position the hole • Pad and jack cup under center of front cross
in pad under the gear oil drain plug. member (left & right / fore & aft).
• Pad and jack cup under center of diff. • Photos of bare MGTF chassis.
L. Cook - 20192020/21 MG National Meeting
Albury / Wodonga
Bulletin No 9
May 22nd 2020
possible.
F or all of you still self isolating
and getting bored by looking at
the four walls here is the latest
Entry Fee Refunds
By now you should have received
news. your refund of the whole of your regis-
tration fees.
Next Year If not please let me know.
We are still intending to run the event
as planned at Easter next year. National Meeting Regalia
All the venues have been rebooked in We are now in a position to send off
anticipation. all the regalia items that were ordered
Of course this is subject to the Federal prior to the 3rd of March.
and State Governments lifting all re- As previously advised no orders after
strictions on mass gatherings and this date were processed nor monies
travel movements. We may not know deducted from your account.
this till very late in the year.
Apologies for the delay but it has been
difficult to organise give the lockdown
Accommodation Bookings and self-isolating restrictions.
We understand that there is a major We will bundle up the orders by Club
Hot Rod Show being planned for over Centres for bulk delivery to Club Pres-
Easter 2021. This will be held at the idents and local distribution. If you are
Albury Racecourse. It will have a large located remotely from your Club we
impact on the accommodation availa- will make arrangements to send di-
ble. We have heard that motels are rectly to you.
filling fast. Each order will be separately pack-
If you are intending to join us we aged and labelled.
strongly recommend you make your
accommodation bookings as early as
June 2020 Tappet Chatter 23National Meeting Photographic and A wide variety of register activities
Magazine Competitions complementing the overall club and
national activities.
The judging has been done and we His comments on the individual maga-
are pleased to announce the winners zines………
of both the Magazine and Photograph-
The Time Machine – Gold Coast MG
ic Competitions. Car Club
Note the awards for these competi- • Great publication full of run re-
tions will be presented next Easter views and people pics
together with the awards for 2021.
• Particularly enjoyed “The history
of the MG series”
The Magazine Award • My most enjoyable pieces
Our Judge, Keith Mortimer is a former Peking to Paris Aug/Sept
President of the Victorian Jaguar Car
MG 11/4 Turn signal conversion
Club and an avid car enthusiast. He
April/May
was involved over many years in the
production of the Jaguar Club maga- Best Pictures
zine. He owns several Jaguars and 58 MG in the wall page 29 Oct/
Rolls Royces; his favourite MG is the Nov
TD. He brings a wide perspective of
Abingdon page 19 Dec Jan
Club magazines and very much en-
joyed the experience of reading and
The Octagon – MG Car Club of
judging our magazines. Thank you Queensland
Keith.
• Another excellent publication rich
in register activities
Keith’s overall observations - fabu-
lous to see • Particularly enjoyed
• Inclusion and embracing of the National Rally Write up May 19
new MG’s
1954 club run write up
• Support for the MG Sporting tradi-
Best Pictures
tion
• Focus on young members where
Tawny Frogmouths page 7 Nov
2019
possible
Cover Picture May 2019
• Quality information around State
and territory Historic Registration
Programs
24 MG Car Club Canberra June 2020MG Motoring – MG Car Club of SA March 2019
Inc.
Great to see the young driver de-
• An excellent 11 issues velopment course
• My particular likes were Best pictures
Bobs Crosswords Cover Pic November 2019
Lotus cornering on page 14 also No-
The tech article on “Don’t knock vember 19
wire wheels” – April 2019
The life of Brian’s Theory Series Opposite Lock - MG Car Club Syd-
ney
Best Pics were
• A very enjoyable read
MGA in full flight – Life of Brian’s
Theory March 2019 • Of particular enjoyment were
Cover Pic Jan/Feb 2019 Restoring my MGA Austral hard-
top – March 2019
MG Monthly Motoring News – MG
Car Club of Tasmania A boys own adventure – March
2019
Engaging 12 issues
Favorite pieces were Safety First “Just for fun” - April
2019
MG Car Club Early Days – Brain
Roberts Aug 2019 MG Musings and the regular Quiz
spots
Flying Past October 2019 – reprint
from the UK The clubs new MGB Sebring Rep-
lica July 2019
Best Pictures
Goldie does Morocco – August
Cover Picture October 2019 2019
Cover Picture August 2019 Le Petit Tour – December 2019
Notable pictures were
Club Torque – MG Car Club of New-
castle Inc. • Australian Grand Prix article – All
11 monthly publications with a of the MGA pics page 26 April
focus on MG and motorsports – I 2109
note a very eclectic range of vehi-
cles involved in competition. • Ken Jones at 90 driving his sons
TC page 29 December 2019
My most memorable features
were
The Daniel Riccardo story from
June 2020 Tappet Chatter 25Wheel Spin – MG Car Club Victoria The Winner
• Another vibrant publication reflect- The award for the best publication this
ing a great variety of club activities year taking into account the many in-
fluences in creating the publication
• Features for me were goes to The Time Machine – Gold
Coast MG Car Club. An amazing job
Pics of new members each month of a bimonthly publication from club
numbering 265 and a production cost
Behind the wheel road test series,
of between $3.00 and 4.00 per unit
in particular John Vicar’s Y Type
no page 50 March 2019 and Tied for a close second are Wheel
Louise Crowther’s ZA Magnette Spin – MG Car club of Victoria and
on page 30 Sept 2019 Opposite Lock - MG Car Club Sydney
of which I could not separate.
Prince Charles in a MG TD in Ha-
Please note the above represent
vana - June 2019
views of the reader and are in no way
History of the Car Radio – page critical of the excellent publications
54 June 2019 submitted or more importantly the
contributors or their editors
Guarantee Plate Tales – page 36 Oct
2019 Well done Gold Coast !!!!!!!!
Best Pics
Photographic Competition
Cover picture April 2019 Daniel
Riccardo Australian GP in MGA Our judge Robin Page is well know to
most of you being a former President
MG Antics MGA under B Double of the MGCC Victoria and the Director
lead trailer page 46 June 2019 of the very successful 2015 National
Meeting held in the Yarra Valley. A
October 2019 Cover picture
prolific photographer of all things in-
November 2019 Cover picture cluding our MGs his works have been
featured on the front cover of many
December 2019 Pages Ponder- editions of Wheel Spin. He holds a
ings 2 boat tail M types with a Diploma of Illustrative Photog-
Modern raphy. An interesting ongoing com-
mission for the Anglican Church of
MG Antics December 2019 – a collec-
Australia is to photograph all their
tion of MGs
churches. He should be well and truly
blessed by the time he finishes.
26 MG Car Club Canberra June 2020Robin writes……… tive, and relatively straight forward,
mobile and tablet Apps that are more
Thank you to all those who submitted
than often free and which can trans-
entries. There were not as many en-
form a mundane image into something
tries as are generally received and
that grabs the viewer. Film is cheap
this was possibly due to us requesting
now (what is film you ask?) so it is not
entries by mail in advance of the
expensive to experiment with the cam-
event. This was aimed at making the
era and learn new skills.
judging easier. On reflection I believe
it advisable to go back to entries being But the good thing is that people are
lodged during registration on arrival at using their cameras or phones when
the meeting. out with their cars at events, or just
cruising, to capture moments of time
To temper any disappointments I must
and their results do just this. Any
say that all art, including photography,
work beyond clicking the shutter is in
is subjective as per the well-worn cli-
the pursuit of personal satisfaction,
ché ‘beauty being in the eyes of the
perfection or a National Meeting tro-
beholder’. The judging was challeng-
phy.
ing as in each class there were sever-
al entries that could have taken home Here are the winners for the
the silver. There were a couple of 2020 MG National Non-Meeting.
entries that resonated with me imme-
diately I saw them and this is the aim
we have whenever we take a photo Best Action. Jeff Newey, Newcas-
whether it is of something ordinary, tle. Caught the action with the dust
special or spectacular. I also believe and flying dirt and as a bonus the face
we should be always trying to improve of the concentrating driver.
our photography both with our use of
the camera/phone and with editing
after the event.
There were photos sent to be judged
that could have benefited from a modi-
cum of editing by cropping, reducing
or increasing exposure and/or lifting
shadows. This does not mean that
everyone should go off and buy Pho-
toshop and invest the hundreds of
hours needed learning how to master
that powerful but complex pro-
gramme. There are some very effec-
June 2020 Tappet Chatter 27Best Still. Mark Wellard Queens- 2020 Photographic Competition
land. Captured the cars with the nice- Judge.
ly distressed sort of period back-
Well Done Jeff, Mark, Lyn and Da-
ground we would all like to find when
vid
out in our MG with a camera to hand.
Well that’s it for now; we will keep you
posted on developments as they hap-
pen for next year.
We look forward to seeing you all at
Easter next year.
Keep Safe, Social Distance and wash
your hands.
Best Novelty. Lyn Hayward, Regards
Queensland. Viewing the line up
through what could be a window, but
is a print on a Tee shirt. Well spotted Ian Prior
and caught.
Event Director
2020 MG National Meeting
Albury Wodonga
Best Digital Manipulation. David
McNabb, SA. Extreme manipulation
taking a full colour image to a black
and white line depiction, complete with
ghostly figure what’s more.
Until next year, keep at it!
Regards
Robin Page
28 MG Car Club Canberra June 2020The MG Jukebox
Songs that feature our favourite Motor
Click images to
hear songs
Peter Tork of Monkeys fame
owned and loved his MGBGT.
So much so that he wrote this
Sports Car Sally by Bernadette Castro.
Although this clip has many and varied
sports cars in it, the song itself is about an
MG.The first line of the song
“She polishes her MG on a Sunday After-
noon” leaves no doubt that this song is
about a magnificent English ride.
Red MG by Ron Winters was a popular
song during the early 60’s in Southern
California. A very pleasant and easy
going rhythm in the old Doo Wop style
which was also so popular back then.
June 2020 Tappet Chatter 29The intro says it all MGB-GT by Richard Thompson OBE. Richard was an alternative musician which is he wrote a song about an alternative sports car. 30 MG Car Club Canberra June 2020
Songs that feature our favourite Motor
No Room To Rhumba in a Sports Car Sung by Elvis Presley
This song is from the movie “Fun in Acapulco”, and features Elvis’ own Twin
Cam MGA. Here you can see him with co star Elsa Cardina’s as they are driving
along in the MGA while Elvis serenades her with No Room To Rhumba. Elvis
came to own this MGA through the producers of the movie Blue Hawaii. The
car was featured in the movie and Elvis loved it so much that he bought it from
Producers on completion of filming. I wonder who has it now?
The MGA in Blue Hawaii
June 2020 Tappet Chatter 31A Very Early MGB, Hollywood SPORT CARS
and Ronnie Bucknam
Part 1 of 2
by Kent Brown
It came to light recently that we are A little bit of MGB history first to paint
privileged to have within our club one the scene. The general public first saw
of the earliest MGBs built. Club Mem- the MGB at the Earls Court Motor
ber Bill Marshall is the proud owner of Show in 1962 although by this time
MGB GHN3L 157 (the L code is for around a 1000 MGBs had been built
left hand drive), engine number 18S- in order for there to be plenty of stock
GUH 139. Bill has owned the car for on hand; my calculations suggest 424
over 10 years. It was given to him as out of the first 426 went to the USA.
a 60th birthday present by his children
who purchased the car in Melbourne
and then drove it to Canberra.
Bill Marshall with MGB GHN3L 157
32 MG Car Club Canberra June 2020As an aside the Earls Court Motor The 2 exceptions were GHN3 101 (the
Show of 1962 was the last with Britain first right hand drive car) and GHN3
outside the Common Market. How 318 which was a development car.
times have changed! Apparently there were gaps in the
numbering sequence because the
MGB production line was shared with
the final MGA variant, the 1600 Mark
11, the last of which was completed
on the 7th June.
So Bill’s car was the just the 57th MGB
built and probably assembled in early
July 1962. Bill is fortunate to have the
The cutaway MGB on display at the original bill of sale (covenant or agree-
Earls Court Motor Show – ment) with the car which shows it was
September 1962 delivered to its first owner by the Bur-
bank Sports Car Center, 633 S.
The official launch date for the MGB
(South) San Fernando Blvd., Burbank
was 20 September 1962 however pro-
Ca on 22 December 1962. An early
duction actually started on 22 May
Christmas present perhaps?
1962 with car number GHN3L 102, a
left hand drive car in Iris blue. Unfortunately the person writing the
covenant may have been a doctor in
Records show that 11 cars were built
an earlier life as it is not possible to
in May, 138 in June, 181 in July and a
decipher the purchaser’s last name.
further 96 in August. All but 2 cars of
The buyer, first name Joseph, lived at
those cars were left hand drive for the
2415 Gower Street, Hollywood, Cali-
American market.
fornia, an address that still exists. Bill
An early Iris Blue MGB (LHD) per- also has the original BMC Pre-
haps GHN3L 102 Delivery Service document from the
Burbank Sports Car Center.
June 2020 Tappet Chatter 33Now the Burbank Sports Car Center is
not far north from the initial owner’s
residence. And just a kilometer or so
south from his home, if you look at the
Google map below, is the location of a
modification/ tuning business, Holly-
wood SPORT CARS. Why is this im-
portant?
The original sale document for
MGB GHN3L
Nearby are Universal Studios, Walt
Disney Studios and the Hollywood
Sign.
Going back in time just a little, Bill
Marshall spoke to me about where he
could have his MGB “refreshed” but
not to a full concours standard resto-
ration. That would be over the top
and very expensive. I suggested a
friend of mine who lives in Thirlmere
just down the road from Bargo could
undertake the work because as his
prime business Bob Rowntree builds/
rebuilds/refreshes MGBs, Midgets and
Sprites mainly for competition. But he
does other MG work as well. I have
BMC Pre-Delivery Service
known Bob for many years. And
document
raced against him in our MGBs! Bill
34 MG Car Club Canberra June 2020made some other enquiries and then
settled on Bob Rowntree for the work.
A couple of weeks ago Bob rang me
to ask was I aware of the significance
of the plate on the rocker cover of
Bill’s car which was hollywood SPORT
CARS? Short answer, no!
“But you must know about Ronnie
Bucknam” Bob said. Short answer
again, no! It was respectfully suggest-
ed that I Google Ronnie’s name and
see his involvement with an MGB fet-
tled by hollywood SPORT CARS.
What a fascinating story turned up.
To be continued…..
hollywood SPORT CARS brochure
Plate attached to the rocker cover
of Bill Marshall’s MGB – “engine
modifications by hollywood
SPORT CARS”
June 2020 Tappet Chatter 35Mail Cheques to Post Office Box 4141 Weston Creek ACT 2611 The new membership year begins on 1 July 2020, so memberships are to be paid by 30 June 2020. If you have CRS (Historic) regis- tration, it is a legal requirement that you are a “Fully Financial” member of a CRS endorsed motor Club. Don’t risk being caught - pay your subs today preferably online, but you can pay at the next club event or by cheque Banking Details BSB: 633-000 Account: 1449 20741 Account Name: MG Car Club Canberra Inc Don’t forget to include your name on the transaction 36 MG Car Club Canberra June 2020
Club Calendar 2020
Sunday’s Cancelled UFN
Breakfast @ Poppies Cafe at the Australian War Memorial.
Simply turn up for 830am in your MG. Underground parking!!
Tuesday’s Cancelled UFN
A morning tea at the National Arboretum, simply turn up at 10:00am in your MG.
Followed by a Lunchtime Natter at Weston Park (2nd right turn), simply turn up for 12:00
pm in your MG
Upcoming Events
Cancelled until further notice due to the beer bug
Notes:
Club Events
Organised: An event that is organised by the club and consequently having a “club
organiser, meeting points, schedule of events”
Approved: An event listed in the calendar or Tappet Chatter for the purpose of allowing
members to use their concessionally registered vehicle where there is no club organis-
er .
Tappet Chatter: There may also be events not listed on calendar but appear in the club
magazine, Tappet Chatter. These events may be identified in an article, such as the
Sporting Report or upcoming event related article, or by way of an advertisement or flyer
printed on a page. These events, if not listed in the calendar, are to be taken as
Approved events. If however a member wishes to take on organisation of an approved
event, they should contact the Social Team to begin the process.
June 2020 Tappet Chatter 37FORECAST 2020
This list is advisory and by no means exhaustive. It is also subject to change.
Details are available in the Club Calendar. Click here
What you are missing November
Thursday 5 MWM
out on Sunday 15 motorkhana
Sunday 29 monthly run
Garage run(TBA)
June December
Thursday 4 MWM Thursday 3 club Christmas function
Saturday 6 ladies run (TBA)
Sunday 21 monthly run Saturday 5 ladies run
Battle of Waterloo (TBA) Sunday 6 Terribly British Day display
July
Thursday 2 MWM
Sunday 19 monthly run
Saturday 25 Presentation Dinner
August
Thursday 6 MWM
Sunday 16 monthly run
Sunday 30 Wakefield Park run
September
Thursday 3 MWM
Saturday 5 ladies run
Sunday 6 motorkhana
Friday 11 to Sunday 13 Wagga
Gathering of the Faithful
Sunday 20 monthly run
October
Thursday 1 MWM
Sunday 18 monthly run
Last week Spring extended weekend
away (dates TBA)
See calendar for detail.” (Click here)
38 MG Car Club Canberra June 2020June 2020 Tappet Chatter 39
Wet, Cold and Bleak but Great
Day out at Wakefield Park
GEAR - 10 June 2020
By John Harriott
W ith the April GEAR Event can-
celled due to COVID-19 re-
strictions members were delighted
pit crews, no spectators or visitors and
limited numbers of officials.
The weather was typical for Goulburn
with the opportunity put away their slot
at this time of the year with fog, then
car sets and enter the 10 June event
drizzle and rain during practise and
to be conducted at Wakefield Park;
the first heat. Some sunshine during
subject to strict social distancing poli-
lunch dried the track and the after-
cy.
noon sessions went well. Brian Wes-
Wakefield Park has recently reopened ton in his green Midget took social
but COVID-19 restrictions meant no distancing to the extreme in that he
separated himself with a by half a lap
Social distancing during lunch lead throughout the day.
40 MG Car Club Canberra June 2020Social distancing in the garage lane. If MGCC of Canberra members would
like to be part of the ‘castor oil atmos-
Slick management by the clerk of
phere’ of GEAR without competing.
course and the dummy grid manager Wakefield Park is an hour from Can-
meant that all 59 cars in seven cate- berra and the GEAR meetings provide
gories entrants enjoyed six laps of a great opportunity to get your car out
practise and three heats each of six of the garage for an extended run.
laps. The day was finished by 4:00pm The opportunity to wander through the
and the flaggies seemed to appreciate garages or volunteer to assist with the
liberation from the little concrete bun- conduct of the meeting can be a most
kers in the cold. Thanks to MGCC of rewarding day out. Check Tappet
Chatter for dates but generally the
Canberra member Malcolm Robertson
second Wed of the even months.
for his officiating and photos.
Social distancing on the start grid
June 2020 Tappet Chatter 41Other Club & Online Magazines
Click the images to view the magazine
May 2020 Edition
42 MG Car Club Canberra June 2020Video’s - click image to view video June 2020 Tappet Chatter 43
Shannons Club
Kent Brown
Are you a member of ‘Shannons Club”? Do you have an online ‘Garage’
If so, let me know, and we can share your page
1947 MG TC “Albert”
History
“Albert” was born on the 28th October 1947 with
chassis number TC3914 and engine number XPAG
4552. TC3914 arrived on the S.S. Arawa berthed in
Sydney on the 11th of February 1948. Albert was
one of 8 TCs on the voyage; 7 were Red/Red and
one was Green/Green. The TC was sold to Mr. L.L.
Eastmuir of Bondi and he took delivery on the 20th
February. Its original registration number was
(NSW) XC 969. What happened from that time un-
til around 1968 still remains a mystery. However from the late 60’s
TC3914 was resident in Queensland at the premises of a Mr. Col Bennett.
At some point Mr. Bennett decided to “restore” the car and took it apart.
As he was not going to finish the project Mr. Bennett approached Brian
Darke of Maintaining the Breed to undertake a full restoration. As Brian
told me the story a heap of parts arrived one day on the back of a truck
complete with a blank cheque!
To read more and see Kent’s page CLICK HERE
44 MG Car Club Canberra June 2020COVID - 19 Humour
For the MG generation
June 2020 Tappet Chatter 4546 MG Car Club Canberra June 2020
SPORTING REPORT
June 2020
by Kent Brown
W hile the Coronavirus or Covid-
19 has seen some more can-
cellations or postponements of
important role in the Australian com-
munity. In economic terms, it is esti-
mated that motorsport contributes al-
events the light at the end of the tun- most $3 billion to the Australian econ-
nel – and one hopes it is not a train omy, generating approximately 30,000
coming the other way – seems to be full time jobs. Motorsport Australia is
getting a great deal brighter. From a the beating heart of a vibrant, passion-
motorsport perspective, Motor- ate and active community, with over
sport Australia (formerly CAMS, which 170,000 participants from 972 motor-
is much easier of the tongue I must sport clubs taking part in almost 7,000
admit) has published their Return events across Australia per year from
to Race document which is the FIA World Championships to social,
strategy for the resumption of motor- grassroots and community gatherings.
sport activity in a COVID-19 environ- Motorsport Australia’s 40,000 licensed
ment. competitors and officials spend on
average $14,618 each per annum to
pursue their passion, with a quarter of
all activity based in regional areas.”
In the development of the Resumption
Plan, Motorsport Australia makes two
key points:
Motorsport is conducted outdoors
with participants isolated in their
vehicle. It is a non-contact sport.
Whilst Level B Restrictions remain
in place, passengers will not be per-
mitted; and
The introduction makes interesting 2. Motorsport venues invariably
reading with respect to financial as- comprise a large site area which
pects of motorsport and participation. provides event organisers with an
It says in part “Motorsport plays an opportunity to segregate groups of
June 2020 Tappet Chatter 47people to ensure that mass gather- an upcoming expiry in April, May or
ing requirements are met. If the June 2020 will have their expiry date
event is likely to have more than 10 extended to 30 September, 2020
people attend in total, event organ-
an upcoming expiry in July, August
isers will need to work with their
and September 2020 will have their
venue and Motorsport Australia on
expiry dates extended to 31 Decem-
the development of a “COVID-19
ber, 2020
Venue Plan” to ensure compliance
with mass gathering requirements. an upcoming expiry in October,
November and December 2020 will
A matrix is also included which match-
have their expiry dates extended to 31
es the government’s policy to a wide
March, 2021
range of motorsport disciplines.
an upcoming expiry in January,
The Board of Motorsport Australia
February and March 2021 will have
have also made a number of licence
their expiry dates extended to 30
related changes:
June, 2021
All Junior and Speed licences to be
Speed licence holders will also receive
subject to a price freeze until 31 De-
a $25 Motorsport Australia E-store
cember, 2021;
voucher valid for 12 months if they
All National and Clubman licence renew prior to 30 June 2020.
holders whose licence has expired in
the period from 1 January to 31
March 2020, and have yet to renew,
will be extended to 30 June, 2020
Return to Race matrix
48 MG Car Club Canberra June 2020In my May 2020 Sporting Report I
wrote that F1 was thought to be re-
suming with the Austrian Grand Prix.
This has now come to fruition with the
first race taking place in Austria on 3-5
July weekend at the Red Bull Ring, a
motorsport race track in Spielberg,
Styria, Austria. A second F1 race
meeting will be conducted at the same
venue the following weekend.
HRCC race poster
And the 25th Anniversary Leyburn
Red Bull Ring aerial photo Sprints have been postponed to 2021.
Just to refresh your memory Leyburn
is located in the Southern Downs Re-
gional Council area of Queensland.
Now generally a sleepy little township
it was once a bustling goldfield. Ley-
burn is 219 km southwest of Brisbane
and 36 km from Clifton. Toowoomba is
approximately 75km away and War-
Red Bull Ring track layout wick is approximately 60km away so it
is out there on its own except for two
Locally, Historic Queensland, brought
days each year when it comes alive
to you by the HRCC, has postponed
for the sprints. I wrote an article in the
their scheduled 11/12 July at Morgan
November 2017 Tappet Chatter (pp60
Park Raceway, Warwick to 3/4 Octo-
-66) about the sprints if you would like
ber 2020.
to go back and check the archives.
June 2020 Tappet Chatter 49Col Schiller piloting his 1939 MG TB
Special Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix –
Cancelled
Col Schiller’s car was originally known
as the John Nind Special. In its hey- And from Road America which is a
day it raced in five Australian Grand motorsport road course located near
Prix (1948, 49, 50, 52 and 53) includ- Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. The largest
ing Lobethal in South Australia and nearest city is Milwaukee on the
Albert Park in Melbourne scoring two shores of Lake Michigan. It has host-
ed races since the 1950s.
seconds, an eighth and two DNFs.
Road America was to be held on 18-
John Nind’s MG Special Bathurst 21 June 2020
1954 (AMHF Archive)
Now for the REALLY GOOD NEWS!!
As other major motorsport cancella-
Wakefield Park is open………..
tions from overseas I’ve picked a cou-
ple from the US of A as they historic The HSRCA Spring Festival on 29/30
events and many competitors partici- August is definitely a “goer” (subject of
pate in MGs. course to anything that come out of
left field!) and this is the event when
the MGCCC will put together a display
on the Sunday and then enjoy some
laps of the track as we did last year.
50 MG Car Club Canberra June 2020for a club like ours however we could
consider a sharing arrangement with
another club to help defray costs. An-
other option is to join in an already
organised Track Day run by the circuit
management itself.
Malcolm Robertson, MG TB Special
replica, waiting for his group to go out
Given there hasn’t been any (historic) on track
racing for the last 3 months and we
still have June and July to go, I think Mick has put together an information
on balance of probability that there will sheet which I have précised below that
be bumper fields. I know the Group S outlines the requirements a participant
would have to meet. Please have a
Racing Association, with whom Brian
close look at what is needed and let
Weston and I race, have heavily pro-
me
moted the event it would not come as
a surprise to see a maximum grid den-
sity field with plenty of MGBs and
Midgets in action.
HSRCA know at kjpbrown@bigpond.com if you
poster would like to express an interest. If
you have any questions just send me
an email and I’ll do my best to answer
promptly. Depending upon the level of
interest I’ll then, with Mick, move onto
the next step.
Track Day at Wakefield Park – a
OUTLINE
possibility?
MGCC Members could assemble at
Mick O’Brien, our Goulburn based
an ACT departure point and proceed
MGC driving member, suggested the
to and from the venue. The “run” could
other day that the MGCCC should
be entered into the MGCCC calendar
consider conducting a Track Day at
to cover members and those on con-
Wakefield Park. To hire the circuit,
cessional registration.
even for a weekday, is very expensive
June 2020 Tappet Chatter 51You can also read
