Preparing for a Come and Try Day
Welcome junior racers and thrill seeking folk!
The purpose of this page is to teach you a little bit about the requirements to put your vehicle in the top condition it needs to be in to participate in a “Come and Try Day” that is able to pass CAMS scrutineer checks so you can enjoy your experience safely! We have reviewed the general advice of CAMS and expanded upon these points to help you make sure you’re ready to go as soon as you arrive at an event!
The Confederation of Australian Motor Sport (CAMS) is an organisation designed to make sure that all racing is above board and everyone is as safe as possible. As such there are rules that apply to all aspects of racing that you must abide by in order to participate in events. This is done to ensure your safety and that of those you are participating with.
There are a few aspects that are core to passing these tests, and this article will hopefully help you with that
Secondary bonnet closure for all vehicles except those with forward hinged bonnets.
This means there must be a secondary way to make sure that your bonnet cannot fly open! Anyone who has been involved in motorsport for any period of time has seen the worst case scenario of this occur! In the middle of putting the pedal to the metal and out of no where – the bonnet flies up and you have ZERO visibility! This rule is about finding another way to secure your bonnet in case the basic clasp fails.
There are several ways this is achieved. You can drill holes in your bonnet and put proper bonnet clasps, some examples are;
- http://www.revolutionracegear.com.au/?PCID=10498 – Race ready – but it does mean work on your car – BEST SOLUTION
- Leather belts – another way to “pass the muster” is using a leather belt. It’s a little bit ‘hick’ but has been proven to do the job. A belt wrapped around the front of your car and wrapped around a structurally sound part of the bonnet will hold it down enough that in an emergency situation you will be “alerted” but not “alarmed”
Note Whilst the belt works, GGOCC always recommends proper bonnet clips – they look cooler too.
All forward facing glass (apart from windscreen) covered by plastic
This particular regulation applies to things like head-lights. In the event of a front on collision – the last thing anyone needs is the risk of glass ending up on the track, another car, on the road or at worse in another person. Generally – this applies to the headlights on your vehicle. Get yourself some cloth tape and put it on an X pattern on your headlights. If they crack, the tape will hold it together so you can dispose of it (sadly) in a more appropriate fashion.
A safety belt or harness as prescribed in Schedule I of the current CAMS Manual of Motor Sport.
For full details on this one, you should read the official guide but our advice is simple – you MUST wear your seat belt. If you are doing any real competition – then the standard seat belt is simply not recommended. Look at any race car – look at any of the race cars in the club – a proper 5 point harness is the best way to keep you safe. For a come-and-try day you can get away with your belt, but if you do not feel secure in it so that if you crashed it would hold you, then you should NOT race. Remember, it’s all well and good until it isn’t – ask any racer.
Always take the advice of an organisation like CAMS above anything you read, even here!
A fire extinguisher
You will need an extinguisher conforming to Schedule H of the current CAMS Manual of Motor Sport. (AS 1841 [except 1841.2]) firmly fitted and readily
Accessible (BCF/Halon Type extinguishers will not be accepted).
This means you MUST be able to reach your device in the event of an emergency – none of this “in the boot just in case” stuff. It needs to be within reach. This does not mean you have to drill holes in your car to put a proper mount so it’s available (whilst this is preferred). The rules essentially revolve around how secure it is to the car body in the case of an accident so you can ALWAYS reach it. One way to work with this is how you secure it to elements of your car like your car seat mounts. They are designed to manage the force of an accident to protect a person – they can definitely hold the weight of an extinguisher.
All removable objects (including tools, jacks, spare wheels and wheel trims) must be removed from the vehicle.
Empty your car. NOTHING should be left in that can fly around – remove all spare tires, things from the boot, cats, dogs, canaries and iPods. Anything left unsecured could fly at you in the middle of an accident (or someone else!!). Your car should be a clean slate before you jump onto the race track. At 100kmph it doesn’t take much to do real damage to you flying around the cabin!
All competing vehicles are required to have an effective muffler in the exhaust system
On the race track – no one thinks you’re “cool” because your car is noisy. Most race tracks in one way or another are around areas where people are accepting of the fact you get to race and they appreciate a little bit of courtesy. No one wants to see excessive smoke. Ever driven through fog? It’s not fun! Nor is it fun driving around at high speed with “smokey and the bandit” blowing blue smoke in your face.
If you do not have a proper exhaust and your car is not in a good enough condition to not blow smoke everywhere – DO NOT RACE!
There is a limit on how much noise your car should make from a particular distance. It’s not much more than a particularly loud lawnmower. Most of the Gemini Owners won’t have this problem but it’s something to take into consideration.
Numbers are to be displayed during the course of the competition
You want to win right? If you’re racing, and it’s more than a gentle cruise around the track – show your number! If you’re a double entered car – be diligent – you wouldn’t want Sally taking your time because you forgot to fix your number!! Racing is about diligence and precision!
Fuel shall comply with Schedule G of the current CAMS Manual of Motor Sport.
This means no rocket fuel! No Moonshine! E38 fuel is available, but then we would probably not recommend putting it into a gemini! Either way – use the correct fuel for your car and observe the guidelines for the event. Generally for any come and try day – you will only need the normal fuel for your vehicle. If we catch you putting nuclear fission related materials in your fuel tank – we will find you! But in all seriousness – this is a common sense issue.
We at GGOCC really hope this helps you ensure your car is up and ready for any come and try day and that you don’t have any issues jumping onto the field. The committee members that wrote this article are CAMS registered racers and will more than happily answer any questions you have and refer you to appropriate resources where needed.