laregionale2018

July 2018 Newsletter

Stewards & Scrutineers Licence Fees - Another Reduction

Last year we introduced a rebate of $45 for Stewards and Scrutineers meaning the cost of their Officials Licence went from $140 down to $95. We are pleased to advise that the rebate has been doubled in 2018/19, therefore the Official Licence will only cost $50 once the Steward or Scrutineer card has been issued. And once our new electronic licensing system is up and running, the rebate will disappear and the flat $50 fee will be charged. There’s never been a better time (or reason) for volunteers to get involved in these vitally important roles.

Licence Fees Remain Unchanged

We are also pleased to advise that all other licence fees, being competitors, crew and other officials are unchanged for the fourth season in a row! This is part of a continued effort to keep costs down for competitors, while utilising our resources in more efficient ways. Over the last several years we have been able to offer more and more support to tracks and divisions without any increase in these fees, so it’s fantastic that this is now set to continue.

Updated Rule Book

The latest electronic update to the Speedway Australia Racing Rules & Regulations is now available here and includes changes to both the SSA & Formula 500 appendix’s. The SSA changes start from page 116 while the Formula 500 changes are highlighted from page 125.

Sydney Office Opening Soon

At last week’s meeting, the Board of Speedway Australia voted to procure a location in Sydney and will have a small team operating between Sydney and Adelaide in addition to the Adelaide Head Office.

This has been brought on by the increase in services Speedway Australia is bringing, headlined by a focused approach to both youth development and training in respect of safety and licensing, together with our view that having a presence on the East Coast is advantageous. Full details will follow soon.

Now Hiring: Youth Development Officer Sought

Speedway Australia is embarking on a transformation to secure the future of the sport via the nurturing of all forms of junior speedway. By increasing the skill base of new and existing youth competitors, the entire sport will reap long-term benefits.

We are recruiting for the exciting new role of Youth Development Officer to contribute their skills to ensure a variety of key functions are managed efficiently and effectively. These include:-

• Develop national age-appropriate training schemes for all forms of junior speedway
• Create a high-quality learning environment and culture that competitors and trainers thrive in, and strive to be part of.
• Co-ordinate junior training in all states and territories.
• Train any other additional trainers that are required to successfully deliver youth programmes.
• Work in consultation with the divisional bodies representing junior speedway, to ensure their needs are met.
• Act as an advocate for youth speedway within the sport.
• Develop pathways to ensure increasing numbers of youth competitors transition to adult racing.
• Work with the Track & Safety Development Officer to ensure junior speedway is conducted in the safest possible manner (venues, safety equipment etc). This may involve assisting with track inspections from time to time.
• Attend selected Blue Ribbon junior events as a Speedway Australia representative.
• Encourage and mentor the development of Junior Officials.
• Work with external partners who can assist with funding and/or delivering youth speedway.
• Plan, co-ordinate and conduct the annual Rising Star Programs.
• Attend the National Forum and annual Awards.
• Other duties in consultation with the General Manager.

Location can either be in Adelaide or our new Sydney office and remuneration is open to discussion, as we are trying to seek the best person for this exciting new position.

If you think you have the skills, passion and experience to make a difference in a broad and interesting role, please get in touch with Speedway Australia’s General Manager Tim Savell by Monday 23 July. A full copy of the job description is available on request, and it’s preferable that resumes and letters of application are sent in Word format, with a 5mb size limit.

Email: [email protected]
Mobile: 0424 923 494

Safety Committee - Nominations Open

It’s some years since the structure and composition of the National Safety Committee was reviewed, and following a number of expressions of interest to join the committee it has been decided to inject additional formality into the process. As noted above, the committee will play a part in next year’s National Forum and as a result we are inviting both the existing members and anyone else who thinks they have something to offer to submit a nomination.

Anyone wishing to join the committee are encouraged to submit a brief outline of their relevant skills, qualifications and experience to [email protected] Closing date is 31 July.

Hall of Fame & Award Winners Found

The third annual Australian Speedway Awards & 7th Hall of Fame ceremony took place in Brisbane last weekend. The night was a glamorous affair, hosted at Rydges South Bank in front of record crowd of 130+ attendees. Five new personalities were inducted into the Hall of Fame, while 12 Australian Awards were handed out. The winners are as follows;

Hall of Fame Inductees
Gene Cook
Warrenne Ekins
Keith Mann
Doug Robson
Bob Tunks

Australian Speedway Awards
Photographer of the Year, Gary Reid
Innovation of the Year, Kingaroy Speedway (Digital event programme)
Official / Volunteer of the Year, Bill Barrows (Mount Gambier)
Promotional Item of the Year, Hi-Tec Oils Speedway (Ultimate Pink Night)
Most Improved Track of the Year, Maryborough Speedway
Track of the Year, Borderline Speedway (Mount Gambier)
Six Crown Speedcar Series Winner, Joe Lostitch
V8 Dirt Modified 5 Star Dirt Series Winner, Mark Robinson
Junior Competitor of the Year, Ardie Jonic
Karting Competitor of the Year, Blake Hancock
Modified Competitor of the Year, Kevin Britten
Open Wheel Competitor of the Year, Kaidon Brown
Sedan Competitor of the Year, Mat Pascoe
Sportsperson of the Year, Kaidon Brown

Rising Star Officials Program Returns

Launched last year, the Rising Star Officials Program saw five current officials join the Speedway Australia team during the World Series Sprintcars Speedweek. The experience gave these officials an insight to events during five busy nights of racing over the holiday period. We are extremely pleased to announce that this program will return once again in 2018, with five more officials to be offered places in this initiative. With the current average age of officials in our sport being over 60, officials under the age of 40 as of Boxing Day will be eligible to apply. Any officials interested in applying are encouraged to do so via this link. wedding without train

World Series Calendar Announced

We are excited to announce there is now a confirmed 2018-19 World Series Sprintcars calendar. A compact 10 round series has been considered the best option, taking on board the thoughts of key stakeholders, being the teams and tracks. If the calendar announcement wasn’t enough to get you pumped up, we can also confirm that defending champions Monte Motorsport & James McFadden have already confirmed their inclusion at this early stage!

The 10 round series, with 11 nights of action thanks to the iconic Australian Open event, is set to be an all-out challenge of speed and consistency. Every fan knows just how gruelling World Series is on the teams competing, but this year’s championship will offer even more importance on surviving every night.

WSS Commentator Tender

In the interests of transparency, we can advise that the commentary role for the 2018/19 World Series Sprintcars tour is being put out to tender, with the desire to ringfence these costs. Any commentators from around the country who may be passionate and interested in this role are advised to contact the office for a copy of the tender document.

Wheel Covers

Please be advised that some tracks will be enforcing additional attachment requirements for wheel cover fitment from the start of the 2018/19 season. Venues always have the right to provide additional terms and conditions for competitors racing at their venue, and Speedway Australia endorses their decision.

Horse Collars

A quick reminder to everyone that rule changes in regard to Horse Collars, Socks & Arm Restraints came into effect as of July 1st 2018, as outlined in the Speedway Australia Racing Rules & Regulations. Please ensure all Scrutineers are checking all items of safety gear and that competitors are as educated as possible to ensure compliance with these rules. A special note to remember, is that all foam Horse Collar neck braces must be SFI 3.3 Spec. To view the current Speedway Australia Racing Rules & Regulations, please click here. Relevant rule changes can be found starting from page 104.

Head & Neck Restraints

Please note that SFI Spec 38.1 Head & Neck restraints must have an in-date compliance sticker on them. The SFI 38.1 Spec requires them to be re-certified every five years. Competitors and officials please take time to check the dates on all Head and Neck Restraints to ensure compliance with these rules.

SCCA Licences

Licences for SCCA recognised divisions, being Sprintcars, 360 Sprintcars & Wingless Sprints will now expire June 30th of each year, regardless of when the licence was initially issued. This change has been made to align with a rule in the SCCA rule book.