The rationale in holding a track day away from Melbourne in the >middle of winter= is based firmly on the proposition that the weather elsewhere is almost certainly going to be better ... well that was true this year. Whilst is rained, sometimes heavily, off and on most of the day at the Winton Motor Raceway, the weather from all reports was better than that experienced by those who decided to stay home in Melbourne. Track conditions varied between very wet to very damp, so it proved to be an ideal environment for those who wished to develop their wet weather car handling skills!

The day started with very wet conditions with water present on the track on the entry and exits to a few corners. Before too long a Aracing@ line began to emerge and times gradually improved until the next major downpour. By about midday, most of the serious rain had fallen and the track whilst still very damp and slippery, particularly on some corners, dried to intermediate conditions where it remained for most of the day. Apart from the periodic heavy shower the track was usable for the entire day.

Perhaps the greatest risk was the fear of getting bogged. The penalty for leaving the track, particularly in the new sections, according to the local who was handling recovery, was to see your car sink to the axles in the soft clay surrounding the new track, not that it wasn=t soft everywhere else! Fortunately, there was only one occasion where we had to get into >rescue= mode and the vehicle in question was quickly retrieved from the murky track interior.

With adhesion a problem, particularly in the morning, drivers new to the long track and the wet conditions found the turn from the old back straight to the first long straight on the new extension more difficult than they thought. Many found they had not turned in hard enough (the corner turns back in) and as a result turned in a bit more, usually too late, only to find themselves being passed by the back of their car. It=s an interesting corner.

Due to the time of year and the location, the entry level was relatively low. The small number of entrants provided everyone with the opportunity to spend plenty of time on the track. Many of those who had taken the opportunity to make a Aweekend@ of it decided to take advantage of the late scrutineering option decided to listen to the rain in bed and then have a leisurely breakfast before venturing out to the track.

For the 20 or so who arrived on the Saturday night a reservation for dinner had been made at the Kim Wah Restaurant. Winston Kim once again displaying his culinary skills with Chinese food not only organised the menu, but had taken steps to ensure that only the finest and freshest vegetables from the market were available to compliment what was a most magnificent meal. Our thanks to Winston whose efforts transformed what is usually a good chinese meal into a memorable one.

As usual we have presented below the times recorded on the day. Due to the vagaries of the weather conditions, times recorded had as much to do with the time you were on the track. Generally morning times were most affected and improvements throughout the day were often difficult to assess due to the changing conditions.

As usual a track day does not come together without the special efforts of a few dedicated people. Thanks to David Floyd, Norman May, Greg Aimers, Carol and Travis Williams. And a very special thank you to Alison Rose and John Aust who alternated at a flag point at the distant end of the track and experienced the worst of the weather in the open. Well done, our sincere thanks!