We are half way through the year already, how time flies....  There has been some great racing throughout the first half of this year, not only with some of the more experienced drivers, but also with some of the youngsters who have managed to come to excel in the class thus far.

There has been a significant growth within the club this year, and the potential for further growth is always there.....  The recent discussions being held between some of the senior nitro drivers regarding  the development of the ‘replacement ‘ class rules to the old pull start class is going to make things allot more affordable, the competition allot closer, as well as potentially increase the numbers of competitors running in the class.   There is also increasing numbers of new drivers that have been attending regularly, not only in the novice classes, but within the touring car classes as well.  Great to see all the faces on a Sunday morning ready and raring to get into the day.

Recently some of the members ventured up to Bendigo for the Mini Nationals, this was a multi day event that attracted some of the best Mini drivers from around the country.  It was however unfortunate that the weather was to play such a pivotal role in the outcome of the weekend.  Saturday qualifying was dry and hotly contested in all levels, but due to Mother Nature and her poor sense of humour, Sunday’s finals were a wash out.  There were some positives to come out of it though...SERCCC has been awarded the honours of hosting the 2012 Mini Nationals.  Dates for this event will be made available soon, and the track layout will be a closely guarded secret up until the event, that way there will be no significant advantage to anyone.   Although the actual layout will not be available to practice on, the current track is very competitive for the mini’s and all who wish to come down and give it a go, try some set ups and do a bit of tyre testing are more than welcome.  The final tyre combination for the M-Chassis class(s) is also yet to be determined, but the committee are always open to suggestions from drivers as to the combinations that they seem to think work the best.

It has been a while in the planning, longer in the execution, but the NEW club clothing is now available to pre-order.  Last Sunday I had a sample of the Polo Shirt and the Hoodie that are available, there is also a plain T Shirt.  The samples can be viewed next Sunday the 17^th and all the information regarding sizes, prices etc will be available then.  So come and see me with your list.

The ACT indoor titles are coming up very shortly, with this in mind we have had a small run of the new Shirts & Hoodies done for those that are heading up there, it will good to see SERCCC representation at yet another title event this year.  All the best to Patrick, Gab, Tilla & Wayne, for most of them it will be there first run on the indoor carpet track, so that will be an interesting learning curve.   There is also the Dandy cup, and the Ron Wilson Trophy days coming up later in the year, so take the opportunity now to get some testing in and be ready to take on the rest of the Melbourne RC community in these big events.

With the warmer weather not too far off, we will be getting the area in front of the container excavated and prepared ready to be concreted.  This is one of the tasks scheduled for the upcoming working bee.  There are a couple of other small projects that we would like to have completed at the same time.  Date for the working bee will be advised shortly, but if you could spare ½ a day to come down and help, especially if you are a concreter, it would be most appreciated.

Looking forward to seeing you all this coming Sunday morning for Bacon and Egg Sangers, and a good days racing.  Fingers crossed that the weather will be kinder to us this time.