Austin 7 Club (S.A.) Inc.

Regularity with an Austin7

(an alternative to All Bran!!)

By Robert George, 1935 Austin 7 Sports

You’ve just rebuilt/restored a sporty Austin 7 or A30 (remember Peter Brock), and, apart from the weekend club runs or the Bay to Birdwood, you would like to give it a bit more of a spirited run - think no more

At a recent Historic Racing weekend at Mallala, with fingers crossed and a slightly nervous expression I entered my 1935 ‘7’ sports in the regularity events.

What is regularity? - Well, it’s the opportunity to drive 4 timed laps per session around Mallala having estimated your lap times following a practice session. The driver who laps closest to their nominated times wins, or in my case the driver farthest from their nominated times comes last! (You see, you get excited and forget what you’re doing - besides in a ‘7’ you go so slowly that on your last lap there’s no one else left on the track and your lap times drop by 30 seconds!!!)

To start with you’re in a mixed group of 20+ cars including a couple of Cortinas, an E-Type, Clubmans, MG TC’s, Specials and a smattering of historic exotica such as H.R.G.’s, Allards, Elfins, the odd Sprite etc. You are allowed to pass albeit carefully, obeying the flag marshal's warnings and obeying the Clerk of Course’s pre practice briefing.

You get the full deal, - wind in the face, the smell of Castrol R from all those who are passing (most everybody), and a great rush of adrenaline. The pit atmosphere and camaraderie is fantastic.

What do you need to do to your car? - You need to undergo scrutineering by the meeting officials who are very helpful and considerate folk who know that an Austin 7’s wheels wobble and that the brakes don’t work too well!

You need to make sure that the car is basically mechanically sound and safe, and doesn’t leak oil (well - not too much anyway). Tyres need to be good. A seat belt is not necessary depending on age. A fire extinguisher of the correct type is mandatory, and must be secured and reachable from the drivers normal position. The battery must be secured and covered to prevent acid spillage in the event of an overturn (!!). You need to wear wrist-to-ankle fire protection, but this means a long sleeve woollen pullover and non-flammable trousers eg. jeans - a full Nomex driving suit looks impressive, but is unnecessary. Gloves, whilst not essential are a good idea but must be non flammable if worn. Goggles for an open car must not be glass. An approved crash helmet is mandatory.

You also need numbers on the left hand door or side of the car and on the bonnet as well to assist the timers. These need to be at least 400mm high by 50mm wide, either white of black to be clearly seen - on a roundel is a good idea.

What does it cost? - Numbers cost about $15.00 from a sign shop - if you have a dark car, white shoe cleaner is surprisingly effective - if you are a neat writer!

Crash helmets can often be borrowed from a friendly bikie - please ask first!! Remember they MUST be the correct Australian Standard to be CAMS approved - you only get one head, please protect it.

Entry fee is approximately $95.00 depending on who is running the event - you can double enter the car with a friend and share the events - and no, you can’t stop halfway around and change drivers. You also can’t carry passengers.

The fire extinguisher is about $25.00 but you should have one in your garage anyway.

What do you take or do on the day? The first thing you do is get there early as scrutineering takes a while and starts early. If you trailer the car, (which is a good idea as you have a spare to go home in to get the bit you’ve left behind!). You get a tender pass as well as four or more gate tickets. After unloading the car in the paddock (the area that is often incorrectly called the pits), the trailer goes to the trailer park. On a two-day meeting it’s fun to camp over but otherwise you can leave the car under a tarp.

Take appropriate spares including a jack and a piece of wood to put it on, a 12V compressor and tape for the glass on your lights. Oil and water are useful for a ‘7’ of course! The other competitors are great sources for parts, assistance, insults and rude comments about the size and speed of your car (or lack of both!)

Also, take a friend for timekeeping in practice, and for encouragement / commiserating, to share lunch with and take all those photos of you hurtling through the esses in opposite lock!!

In summary- it’s cheap, safe (if you’re not silly), great fun, exciting, exhausting and what the cars were designed for - so go do it!!

If you need further encouragement / support or have any queries email the competition secretary of the Austin 7 Club of SA Inc.