Chairman’s Message, November 2019
There was a healthy attendance by most Club Reps at this year’s AGM, where a number of topics were discussed.
The Championship Regulations for 2020 are being submitted with permit applications now a potential date clash has been avoided. Our thanks to the Clubs involved in getting this sorted out.
There are a few Blue Book changes being added, so they should be published in a few weeks unless Motorsport UK throw anything else in the pot before then.
We will be changing the number of counting rounds in the Sprint Championship to nine, along with a change in Classic scoring to bring it into line with the rest of the Championship and with the majority of wishes in those classes.
We have removed the requirement in A8 to request the car club of a new entrant to write to the club, the existence of a car club for that particular marque will be enough for the Committee to decide on inclusion or not.
Our 2019 results were approved and congratulations are extended to all the winners, some of whom we will see at this weekend’s awards night in Perth. Our thanks to all who competed this year and we look forward to seeing you all in 2020.
Finally my thanks to all those on the Committee for their support during the year, along with our sponsors.
Tim Thomson
Chairman
Important Changes to the 2019 ‘Blue Book’
MOTOR SPORTS COUNCIL APPENDIX A5
Changes to Section S Motorsport UK Yearbook (Blue Book) 2019
It seems that an element of text relating to cars self-starting has been missed out of section S of this year’s Motorsport UK Yearbook (Blue Book). This was approved by Council in September 2017 for inclusion now, and a copy of the relevant notice is linked below.
S 7.1.6a The requirement to make a declaration of alternative procedures if a car is not self-starting is not new. But it may have been overlooked by competitors, and some entry forms may not already have made it clear that the declaration is mandatory.
S 10.3.3 Should read: “Must be provided with a means of starting which does not involve push starting, or the use of external equipment or personnel, except in the case of force majeure unless period defined or vehicles in possession of a competition Car Log Book or Vehicle Passport prior to 31 December 2018”. This means that all new builds with a Competition Car Log Book or Vehicle Passport issued from 1 January 2019 must have onboard operational starters and batteries to permit self-starting.
S 10.3.3.1. This is a new paragraph: “Any connections to assist the starting of the car must be either in the driver’s cockpit or at the tail of the car requiring a horizontal connection”. This means that external jack plug sockets must face to the rear so that in the event of the car starting in gear, the connection will pull out safely.
A copy of these changes can be downloaded here: 08 – Appendix A5 – Speed Events Committee Action Sheet – Approved[1]
Chairman’s Message March 2019
The committee met last weekend and I am pleased to announce that we have 108 registered competitors for this years championship, may I wish you all a successful season.
We have been advised by the organising clubs that following the recent blue book change some will adopt a one practice run only for their events please check their regulations for more details.
On the subject of blue book changes, there have been some to self starting options and I am advised further expansion of these provisions could be on it’s way so please check your Motorsport UK bulletins for any changes to section S.
The committee agreed the production of a new championship sticker, which will give exposure to all our sponsors and should be available shortly, championship entrants are reminded this sticker should be displayed on the competing car.
The dinner dance was a great success last year although there were some problems with the venue, Vicky has worked hard with Murrayshall staff to ensure our concerns are addressed. The hotel has been through an update of it’s rooms and the bar area will be exclusive for this year, the date will be 23rd November and Vicky will put out more details shortly.
Colin has decided that after “stepping in” to help out in the secretary’s role that he will retire at the AGM this October so we are looking for an interested party to take over his good work, Colin has ensured a full handover for whoever takes the job, please let us know if you know of anyone or are interested yourself.
I hope your winter preparations are going well and wish you all the best for the coming season.
Tim Thomson
Chairman
Chairman’s Message 20th January 2019
Scottish Sprint and Hillclimb Championship – Chairman’s Message
January 2019
Dear member
Welcome to 2019 and a new season of speed events in Scotland.
Our regs for 2019 are now published on the website, our thanks to all involved over the winter in reviewing these regulations and bringing some long overdue updates.
We have an extra sprint round this year as well as a new class (A9), which will add some more interest to the championship.
Our governing body has been busy over the winter as well, as you will notice when your licence arrives and you find a name change to Motorsport UK as the MSA is now known. There are also promises to bring more member benefits to its licence holders, so check their website for details of offers and discounts from major suppliers. I am all for change if it makes a difference but am already bored of typing Motorsport UK as they will not allow it to be abbreviated for obvious reasons!
I hope your preparations for the season are going well and look forward to seeing you at our amazing venues throughout the country.
Marshaling continues to be as important as ever, if you know someone that is interested please introduce them to your own club, to SMMC or to Motorsport UK for more information about getting involved.
As ever, should you have anything you wish to bring up with the championship please let your club rep know (they are listed on the website) or drop a line to secretary@sshcc.org.uk
All the best for your racing season
Tim Thomson
Chairman
Scottish Sprint and Hillclimb Championship
Entry form and reg’s available for the 2019 championship
Chairman’s Message 22nd October 2018
SCOTTISH SPRINT AND HILCLIMB CHAMPIONSHIP
CHAIRMANS MESSAGE 22ND OCTOBER 2018
The Committee held the AGM last weekend and I am pleased to confirm that the championship scores as published were approved, therefore congratulations to our champions and thanks to every competitor who took part in this years competitions.
We look forward to awarding the champions and other winners at our awards night next month at Murrayshall Hotel near Scone on the 24h November, I believe there are a few tickets left so please contact Vicky Park for more information.
If you are able to provide a raffle prize for the dinner please let us know as every little helps.
As long as I have known our entry fee has remained the same, the Committee elected to raise this to £25, the first rise I believe since the championship started so whilst it is a large percentage increase it’s more catch up for the last years.
A further discussion took place about the Ladies Awards and again it was felt these should remain as they carry so much historical value, we will also research further into the history of all our trophies with the aim of adding this information to the website.
It was agreed to amend the Sprint regulations with regard to the counting times being from all of the competition runs rather than from the first two, this may not change many venues running but it removes the temptation to just do two runs and go home when more competition runs are happening.
The regulations have been drafted for 2019 and await slight alterations following the meeting where it was agreed to add class A9 to the championship.
Keith Rose was elected Sprint co-ordinator for next year, my thanks to Tess Keenan for her custody of the sprint results this year, and also thanks to the Executive Committee for their support as ever.
Finally thanks to all those who competed, marshaled, officiated, organised or volunteered to help our sport we thank you and look forward to seeing you for 2019.
Tim Thomson
Chairman
Message from the committee September 2018
As a competitor in our Championship, I wanted to let you know that the Committee will be holding the Championship’s AGM on October 20. As is the custom, we welcome your suggestion of specific subjects you would like to see discussed by the Committee at its meeting, or questions you would like to pose?
To be able to have any item considered in this way, I have to ask that you reply to me (as Secretary) absolutely no later than October 12 – and rather earlier would be better! Of course, you are also welcome to contact your Club Representative to ask them to raise matters at any of our meetings.
At our AGM, three of the six executive posts must be re-elected by rotation each year. This time it is the roles of Chairperson, Treasurer and Hillclimb Coordinator. Unusually, two further positions will also subject to election: Vice Chairperson, which is open; and Sprint Coordinator, which has been filled by a co-opted member. There is a formal process for nomination and election, but please feel free to contact Tim, me or your Club Representative if you or someone you know would be interested in getting involvedto help manage the Championship.
Finally, we would appreciate hearing your views on an item raised at last year’s AGM, when we were asked to consider the future of ‘gender-specific awards’. These are The Engravia Trophy Centre Ladies Award in Sprint, The Ladies Award in Hillclimb, and The Agnes Mickel Trophy in Speed.
While there was wide discussion, there was a sense that views among competitors would be split. There was certainly wide agreement that these trophies were an important part of our heritage, and had significant memorial value – and that no change affecting them should be made without proper consideration of their future. But we did agree to ask for your views before this coming meeting, which will help to inform further discussion. Can you please let me have your thoughts on this question?
regards, Colin McLatchie
Scottish Sprint and Hillclimb Championship Awards 2018
Murrayshall House Hotel, Scone, PH2 7PH
On Saturday 24th November 2018, 6.30pm for 7pm.
Tickets £35 per person
We are at the time of the year where we look forward to joining together to celebrate another year of great motorsport. Join us for a 3 course dinner followed by the presentation of awards and then dancing the night away. There will also be the usual raffle to cover the cost of the band so all donations welcome. The band is the same as last year Whiteside.
To book your tickets please email vickypark2202@hotmail.co.uk and advise as to how many tickets you require. You will then receive an email with further details for making payment and menu selections.
We hope that as many of you as possible will join us for the whole weekend.
To book your accommodation please call the hotel directly on 01738 551171 and quote Scottish Sprint and the date (24th Nov) we have block booked the hotel so online it may look full so please call.
Rooms are £145 BB per room for 2 nights or £79 BB per room for one night. (Supplements apply for upgraded rooms)
We are still currently looking into options for some kind of activity for during the day on the Saturday.
Possible ideas so far are-
- Land Rover Experience at £130-145 per person for a half day including lunch. (need 30 people as minimum)
- Blue Sky Experiences (team building challenges) at £60 per person. (need 30 people as minimum)
- Gin Tasting in the hotel £25-50 per person (need 15 people as minimum)
- Afternoon Tea £25-35 per person (need 15 people as minimum)
- Silly Games and Pub Quiz £10 per person (need 15 people as minimum)
If you are interested in joining us during the day please email vickypark2202@hotmail.co.uk urgently and advise how many people and which activity you would prefer. We will then go with the majority and run that event. (This needs to be booked asap so please let Vicky know by 1st September)
Tickets must be booked by Monday 5th November 2018.
Goodbye Flatchat, Hello Uphillracers
We have agreed to create a new community forum that replaces Flatchat’s existing platform and will be hosted on Uphill Racers from June 1. The decade of contributions represented on Flatchat will be retained and still be accessible as an archive, but those postings will be closed.
http://www.uphillracers.com/forum.php
Flatchat has served as the forum for speedsport in Scotland from when it was first devised by David Baker. With the support of the Scottish Sprint and Hillclimb Championship and a great many independent volunteers, it has operated in something close to its current form for the benefit of everyone with an interest or involvement in our sport since 2007.
Since its inception, a lot has changed in social media and technology, and Flatchat has seen less usage in recent years with many preferring to rely on facebook or other media. Recently, Flatchat’s hosting service was changed, and we have been advised that it really needs some extensive updating ‘behind the scenes’. But, considering the necessary expense and continuing responsibility for its operation, we have looked for an alternative that would widen usage and improve support.
Uphill Racers is a similar bulletin board to Flatchat, but includes participation from across the UK. And the operators have agreed to provide two new sub-forums for us for each of ‘Scottish Hillclimb’ and ‘Scottish Sprint’, again for the use of the wider speedsport community in Scotland. Many of you may already be members, but if not you will have to register there before posting.
Of course, Flatchat has developed as a great archive of our sport, and we do not want to see that lost. So, when the new forums are working, and Flatchat is closed to new postings, it will continue to be available as a read-only service while interest continues.
Chairman’s Message #26, March 2018
Guyson Scottish Sprint and Hillclimb Championship
Chairman’s Message #26, March 2018
Dear All
Welcome to another season of speed events in Scotland. On behalf of the committee we thank you for your entry or interest in our championshipand wish you every success this year.
The committee met on the 10th March to agree the entries and set out our aims for 2018 and beyond. I am pleased to say of the 102 entries we have 9 newcomers so a special welcome aboard to them.
The committee discussed communication, which included our website and social platforms. It was agreed that a new website be commissioned thatwould bring faster communication on all methods of viewing, especially mobile devices. More news on the new site will follow soon, but our thanks go to Peter Locke for safely hosting the current site over many
years and the fantastic job he has done.
During the transition of the website to a new host there will be certain times that information or the site will not be available. Please bear with us we will get it done as quickly as possible.
In accepting the entries the committee agreed the inclusion of the Cox GTM in class A8, this class is an eclectic mix and brings out some great competition we look forward to seeing it in action. And while referring to road classes, let me remind competitors of the importance of arriving at events with all of the documentation our scrutineers require – please
reread the entry form, if in doubt.
The Dinner Dance which has been hosted in Aviemore for a few years now is changing venue after a lot of feedback, this year it will be in Perth and more details will be posted as the plans are confirmed thanks to Vicky for her work on this.
Finally, I want to thank everyone for their support and patience while we make improvements to our processes and communications that will allow us to engage better and quicker with competitors, and everyone else who follows our sport, should you have any suggestions or comments for us to consider please let us know by dropping a line to secretary@sshc.org.uk .
All the best it’s time to go racing again.
Tim
Tim Thomson
Chairman
