News – 12th June

All is set for a great day’s competition tomorrow, with fine and cool weather scheduled. Progressive scores can be viewed during the day here

News – 6th June

Provisional Entry List – here

Bulletin #1 – here

Service Crew Registration Form – here

Crews can download and fill in the Service Crew Registration Form (complete with all signatures) and then hand in at event’s headquarters at the Eden Fishermen’s Club no later than 2000 hours on Saturday 12 June. Remember: ‘No registration – no CAMS insurance’.

Event Synopsis – here

Clerk-of-course Tom Snooks has put together some useful stage descriptions to give crews get a good idea of what to expect at this year’s ‘new look’ Bega Valley Rally.

NEWS – 4th June

Stage Descriptions

Clerk-of-course Tom Snooks has put together some useful stage descriptions to give crews get a good idea of what to expect at this year’s ‘new look’ Bega Valley Rally. A full list will be posted Sunday night 6th June. Meanwhile, here’s a sample . . .

Stage Five

Run over three roads this completely new 21.54km stage is mainly over a firm sandy surface. The first 11km is somewhat narrow, quite so in places, with flowing corners. This is followed for 9km by a fast, wide, flowing run along a road superior to even the Bega shire roads. It will be enjoyable for both driver and co-driver, and ends when it reverts to a typical forest track on its final 2.5km run to the finish. There’s nothing untoward to catch out a driver. A single caution (!) is advised for a gutter across the road at a tee junction, another for a rutted bridge, and a third for a log close to the road. Crews won’t even be able to draw a decent breath on the short 2.28km to the start of Stage Six!

NEWS – 18th May – CAMS COURSE CHECK COMPLETED

The CAMS Course Check of the Bega Valley Rally by Checker Kam Baker was completed over the weekend of May 1st & 2nd.

Kam checked out the course using a full copy of a ‘finished’ road book, prepared by the Victorian guru road book producer, Gary Hodgskiss, the service crew instructions, spectator instructions, and other documents relating to control and service park layouts. As usual, there are some amendments to be made but otherwise the paperwork has been approved.

Some cleaning up of stages will need to be carried out following the very heavy storms in the region of the event a month or so ago, and the organisers will arrange for a ‘clean up’ crew to travel through the stages in the days before the event is conducted.

Kam has publically stated:

“Just back from checking the event over the weekend. All I can say is the selection of roads is nothing short of awesome. There is tight technical stuff, and big wide, fast, open forest roads that leave the Shire roads for dead. Get your entry in, you won’t be disappointed!!!”

Information for competitors

Details below are also available here as a PDF download

VEHICLE ELIGIBILITY

• Competing vehicles must comply with one of the following categories:
• Production Rally Cars (PRC) Group 3C (including FIA Group A)
• Group N
• Historic Rally Cars (HRC)
• Classic Rally Cars (CRC)
• Club Rally Cars
• Any vehicle which is road registered and complies with Schedule R – General Requirement for all Rally Cars#
• Off Road 4WD Vehicles Classes 7 & 8^#

# These vehicles will not be eligible for outright or class awards

The classes that will apply will be as for the respective New South Wales & Victorian Rally Championships.

EVENT DETAILS

(final but subject to change subject to weather conditions affecting roads )

THE COURSE

The course has been surveyed and the road book set and is ready for the CAMS course check in April.

Details of the course cannot be disclosed at this time as the event is a non-paced noted special stage and, as such, reconnaissance of the exact course is not permitted.

The course will be conducted in forests to the west and south of Eden over excellent roads, some of which replicate the lost Bega shire roads. The roads mostly have a hard compact surface, many with a firm sandy base. Heavy rain will not affect the roads to any degree.

Eight stages have been included in the day’s itinerary and there are no repeat stages. After consultation with the State Rally Panels, the length of the stages selected vary from around 20 to 27km. In all, the distance of the event will be 360m, of which 183km (50%) will be competitive. A short course will cover 255km, of which 135km (53%) will be competitive.

For the Victorian Rally Championship the event will be conducted in two heats – the first over 90km and the second over 93km.

Stage lengths are:  25km, 22km, 19km, 25km, 22km, 24km (end of short course), 21km, 27km.

Darkness (assuming dark in forest with heavy overcast conditions at 1700)

Assuming no delays and based on a field of 80 vehicles with 30 minutes late time:

• Stages 1 to 6 will be run in daylight for all vehicles;
• For Stage 7 the first 50 vehicles will be in daylight
• For Stage 8 the first 40 vehicles will be in daylight  

Itinerary

SERVICING

The large (300m long by 100m wide) log dump with its solid base will again be used for central servicing, with competitors making three visits to the service area.  The time allowed for the first three visits will be 30 minutes (20 minutes service plus 10 minutes refuel) and 10 minutes (refuel if needed) for the fourth visit.

Statistics

# Based on 5 litres/km for liaison sections and 1.4 litres/km for special stages

Facilities at Edrom Road

Refuel

An area will be allocated for refuel and the Kiah Bush Fire Service will be in attendance.

Catering

Catering will be provided by the ladies from the Kiah Bush Fire Service.

Toilets

Portable toilets will be provided by the organisers; public toilets along the Princes Highway are 1.5km away

Scoring

Road cards will be scored on the first three visits (until the scorers have to leave for Eden around darkness) and stage times will be posted for the interest of competitors, service crews and spectators.

COMMUNICATIONS/MEDICAL

A two-way radio network will be set up by the organisers using the Forests NSW frequency. In 2009 this network provided excellent coverage for the entire area of the event. All stage starts and finishes, SOS points, manned road closure and spectators viewing areas will be set up with radios.

The system will be used to track competitors in stages, with Rally Control based at the Eden Fishermen’s Club.

Motorsport Safety & Rescue will provide two FIVs manned by a Medical Doctor and paramedics, together with the necessary equipment should the medical crew need to attend a serious incident.

SUPPLEMENTARY REGULATIONS

Supplementary Regulations will be available from mid-April. Some extracts are:Entries Open and Close

• Open mid-April
• Close 2 June

Acceptance of entries will be based upon the following:

• Competitors registered in the NSW and Victorian 2010 Rally Championship and have competed in previous rounds;
• Competitors registered in the NSW and Victorian 2010 Rally Championships  and have not competed in previous rounds;
• Competitors registered in any Series;
• All other entries, in order of receipt.

Entry Fees

Long Course     $575 ($3.15 per competitive km)

Short Course     $375 ($2.78 per competitive km)

These are an increase of $20 over 2009 due to increases in CAMS and Forests NSW charges.

Awards

NSW Championship

1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd outright

1^st and 2^nd Two Wheel Drive (excluding CRC)

1^st in class for each of PRC and Group N

Victorian Championship

1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd outright

1^st and 2^nd Two Wheel Drive (excluding CRC)

1^st in class for each of PRC and Group N

Other Awards

1^st outright in each of HRA, CRC, Club Rally Rars.

SCRUTINY

Scrutiny will take place in Canberra, Melbourne and Sydney on a night in the week prior to the event. For vehicles not presented at these scrutiny locations, or represents, scrutiny will take place at Ron Doyle Motors in Eden.