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4th March 2011
Titles Preparations Commence
We again called on the Wellington Volunteer Fire
Brigade to wash the track off in readiness for next
weekends event. Valuable
assistance from the local Fire Brigade crew will ensure
a high grip level for this years titles.
During the wash down we found quick a few R/C bits n
pieces. Washers, screws and nuts were washed out from
under the poly pipe. Beggsie did find a body pin he lost
last race meeting, but there was a an incredible find
...... the item will be returned to it's owner next race
meeting.
28th February 2011
Pit Stop - Series 1 Round 4
For the moment we are getting down to some
serious racing rather than the frequent stopping
throughout each race to check motor temps. Most have run
2 meetings now without any updates to firmware, and it's
great to see most are getting a handle on the new
technology. I am sure, all will agree, that Round 4
showed us some great racing with a few close battles.
Lee demonstrated intense concentration in fielding
his Open class Mi4CX, a pair of mini's and 3 club cars
for use by novices and spectators. Finally Lee's hard
work and member's generosity in donating cars/equipment,
have paid off with 3 youngster's (and 1 not so young)
having a ball experiencing R/C racing with novice class
equipment for the first time. We hope this will be a
regular occurrence at race meetings, in an attempt to
attract new members.
28th February 2011
Hobart Raceway Round 4
Yesterday's results have been posted in the results
section for those interested in how those lap times and
race distances are going in comparison to last year's
classes. Unfortunately we had an issue with the
pointscore, so there will be a slight delay.
13th February 2011
Pit Stop - Series 1 Round 3
ESC software and settings seems to be the
constant topic for discussion around the pit area. It
has been handy having all versions of the
Hobbywing software on the laptop as today several ESC's
and program boxes were updated/changed.
Matt
Cleaver has had some good results with his Xtreme Stock
ESC. "I've had to turn my breaks right down cause they
were so good the speedie would have gone through the
windscreen". Later it was noticed he had race tape on
the windscreen for safety sake.
Did Magoo make a
return to racing today? Some say it was his twin
brother. Either way it will be up to the Committee to
accept or reject his membership application form. So no
points today for Magoo!
It was great to see some
more "Northerners" venturing down to race our Goodwood
circuit. Paddy Hume today joined STMCC members Sam Wells
and Graham Viney in the tourers. Paddy is a Latrobe clay
track regular and today was his 1st run of a touring car
and he chose the 13.5T class for the experiment.
13th February 2011
Hobart Raceway Round 3
Today's results have been posted in the results area for
your viewing pleasure. The pointscore fairy will be hard
at work calculating and recording points. We should have
the full pointscore, after 3 rounds, posted during the
week.
2nd February 2011
Pit Stop - Series 1 Round 2
The continual updates to ESC firmware/software has
received a few comments such as "This is doing my head
in" (Benny), "Do I need to update the software" (Matt)
and "I'm not updating and changing things, I am going to
have a race meeting this week" (Peter). 2011 has started
with 2 updates to the Stock (21.5T and 13.5T) software
for the Hobbywing ESC's in the 1st 4 weeks. Lets hope
things settle down.
We welcome the return
to EP racing of Jack Gard. Mixing his racing between GP
and EP will see Jack at a good number of STMCC meetings.
Initially running an Open set up, he will join the Super
Sports (13.5T) group following the titles.
It
seems Rob Sims didn't find his lost steering in the
Mini. Following completion of the sale of the said Mini
to Greg Gard we heard a muffled "It's got no steering"
coming from the rear of the Gardy Race HQ. Is Gardy
ready to give EP racing another shot and join son Jack
at both Kingston and Goodwood circuits.
2nd February 2011
Round 2 Results
Results are now posted for Series 1 Round 2 race
meeting. I am sure everyone will agree it was
interesting to see Lee and Jack on the track race
testing their Open set ups in readiness for the titles.
16th January 2011
Hobbywing ESC Software Update
Hobbywing have released a new update for the Xtreme
Stock ESC. Named STOCK0119, it is available on our links
page (click there -->
 ,
complete with updated operating instructions. If you
have any issues updating your software, the latest
version is loaded on the club laptop and will be
available on race days, along with some software
assistance - Ben/Lee/Mark.
16th January 2011
Pit Stop - Series 1 Round 1
Rob Sims hadn't lined up for the 1st Mini Final. A quick
check to determine if he was going to be a starter, his
response was "nah, I've lost my steering" which prompted
a call for everyone to keep an eye out for Rob's
steering.
Following the Super Sport races numbers
were being shouted out and some thought we were starting
a Chinese Restaurant. Peter was becoming quite confused
with the Xtreme Stock ESC program options and what to
change, so Lee reverted to calling out the option number
and then what to set it at.
The new classes of
21.5T and 13.5T were given club names today. 21.5T (the
old Stock class) will be known as Pro Stock and 13.5T
(the old Super Stock class) will be know as Super Sport.
A decision hasn't been made on what to call the Mini and
F1 classes. We were thinking of going with Mini and F1.
Are you confused yet!
The Off Road track finally
gets some use.
We must state there were no animals, R/C cars or
children harmed during today's test session!
16th January 2011
2011 - Series 1 Round 1 - Hobart
Raceway
Results of our 1st meeting
have been posted. Go to Race Results and check out
today's times of the new classes and compare them to the
2010 times of the old classes ........ and the verdict
is .......
A wander around the pits today and
boy, Santa was very busy making lots of new toys:
Rob Gillie - Xray T3 2011 edition, Hobbywing Xtreme
Stock ESC and Fantom 13.5T Ion II
Lee Harvey -
Schumacher Mi4CX, Hobbywing Xtreme Stock ESC and
Fantom 13.5T Ion III
Matt Cleaver - Hobbywing Xtreme
Stock ESC and Fantom 13.5T Ion II
Peter Townsend -
Hobbywing Xtreme Stock ESC and Fantom 13.5T Ion III
Scott Minehan - Schumacher Mi3, Spec 21.5T Brushless
(Pro Tourer)
Mal Hatty - Spec 21.5T Brushless (Pro
Tourer) and a flash new body
15th January 2011
2011 Racing Season - Technology
Overload
As we prepare for our 1st
race meeting of 2011 with 21.5T and 13.5T classes
running the new generation fully programmable ESC's, we
are confronted with a whole new type of technology that
seems to be a moving target.
A few have only just
taken delivery of Hobbywing Xtreme Stock ESC's and new
motors and given them a small amount of track time.
Before we can get our heads around all the different
programmable options, there is already an update to the
ESC's Firmware and the Program Box Software.
In
order to ensure all members have access to the latest
software updates, we will have new versions loaded on
the club laptop and also downloadable from the Links
Page at stmcc.com.au. At present we only have the latest
version of the Hobbywing software. If any members are
running or have the latest versions of software for the
other brands of ESC's, please supply a copy to Peter (CD
or USB stick) so it can be loaded on the laptop and
stmcc.com.au.
8th January 2011
STMCC Car Rally a Huge Success
Seven teams lined up to
contest the 1st event of the 2011 season, a car rally
around the Hobart area. A beautiful sunny day greeted
the competitors as they arrived at the track for a
10:00am start. Rally Director, Rob Gillie, was on hand
to start the event with Assistant Director, Mal Hatty
handing the 1st clue to Beggsie and waving him off.
Navigator, JB did a sterling job getting the team to
Nick's Hobby Shop but from that point on they slipped
back through the field.
Next stop was Risdon Dam
where Kate greeted us, handed us the clue, a quick snap
and then off to Richmond sweet shop. Who could have
guessed that $1.95 could purchase in excess of 400
lollies? The young assistant handed over the 5 cents
change and our next clue. We were now off to Sorell
Football Club and a kick of the "footy" to score points.
A clear surprise was Peter's sterling effort considering
he has no idea what AFL actually is. A fairly cryptic
clue then led us to Cambridge, which was the downfall of
the Beggsie/JB team. Ignoring the specific task of
"Collect a coaster but not a beer" saw the pair at the
Horseshoe Inn bar collecting both a coaster and a beer.
This was a clear breach of the instructions and a 30
minute penalty was incurred.
The final leg was to
Sandford with an R/C skill test as the final task. Each
team nominated their best steerer to drive Mark Davis'
Slash up the slippery gravel track, across a rough
grass/tree stump/rocky paddock and back down the
slippery gravel track for 2 laps. It was then an anxious
wait as Director Rob calculated the points, which seemed
to take forever as there was an esky near by and
apparently it had beer in it that needed to be consumed
before it went bad!
Matt and Tash Cleaver were
crowned overall winners of the rally and received a
voucher for a meal at Cabbages Cafe Rosny. Beggsie and
JB crowned overall loosers and Scott Minehan scored the
1st DNF for 2011.
Our thanks go to Rob Gillie and
Kate for doing such a marvellous job organising the day.
Mal Hatty for allowing us onto his property for a great
BBQ (many people wouldn't) and Mark Davis for letting us
all thrash his Slash.
5th December 2010
540 Silver Can Motor Down and Almost Out
Brushed motors are definitely a
dying bread and STMCC have just agreed on, what is probably the
most dramatic change in class structure since RC racing began,
axing the 540 class as we have known it for years. From 1st
January 2011 the old 540 classes (Novice, 540 Tourer and 540Pro)
will undergo a dramatic face lift within the technical rules.
The class names of Novice and Pro Tourer will carry a new
motor/esc specification. 540 Silver Can motors will still be
allowed, however the addition of 21.5T Brushless Motors and
ESC's could see a resurgence in the class. Motors must be either
Speed Passion 21.5T (available from Actionrc) or Tekin 21.5T
(available from Feral Batteries). The ESC must be set at ZERO
Turbo Boost and ZERO Timing to be legal for use in these
classes. Testing in Qld and Vic have shown a 21.5T motor with a
basic esc is on par with the speed of a good 540 motor.
By going down this path, at an approximate cost of $220 for say
a Hobbywing Xtreme Stock esc and Speed Passion 21.5T motor esc,
once the racer is ready to step up to the full blown 21.5T
class, it's just a matter of learning the esc function
adjustments, re-calculating gear ratios and you're ready to
race.
A cheaper alternative is the Speed Passion Ultra
Sportsman 21.5T Motor and Stock Club Race ESC at $165 posted
from Actionrc. With this combo, you could only compete in Pro
Tourer. Investing in an upgraded ESC would then make the combo
competitive in the 21.5T class.
Check the Rules section for
full details
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5th December 2010
2010 Winners and Champions Announced
A grey day was the backdrop for the
annual STMCC BBQ and Presentation day at the picturesque Tolosa
Park. It was great to see nearly every current racing member on
hand to enjoy the cooking of Rob G and JB once again.
Go to
the Member Awards page for full details of the winners and
grinners.
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27th November 2010
2011 State Titles
Everything is ready for the
influx of entries for next year's titles meet. stmcc.com.au has
been updated with the 2011 rules, entry forms and other details.
We are happy to announce that entry fees can be paid via your
PayPal account for the 2011 event.
We are also pleased to
announce a range of T-Shirts, Hoodies, Sweat's, Mugs and
Stickers printed with the 2011 event logo and sponsors' logos
are now available for order online. Check the Titles pages for
details or click here
to order from our 2011 Titles Collection
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26th July 2010
Round 3
Results
The Hobart Raceway Series 3 Round 3 results have now
been posted. Racers may have noticed a gentleman taking a few
snaps around the track and pits. Some of those snaps appeared in
the Mercury today. Beggsie's 3 wheeled mini featured on page 2
and a 2 page spread on page 13. Some good publicity for the club
and the Model Park.
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3rd July 2010
Tamiya F1
Class Taking Shape
With an F103 and a few F104's being prepared, we would
expect our first races to be staged at the round 3 race meeting
on 25th July. Mark Davis and Peter Townsend held a test day and
were very pleased with the initial performance of their cars. We
look forward to some cars making an appearance at the next race
meeting. We can confirm that Rob Gillie and David Rush have
F104's on the way and a few other members have showed interest
in this class.
Interim rules have been developed. You can
check them out
HERE
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29th June 2010
VORTEC 2011 Rules
Finalised
Member clubs met to finalise class rules for implementation
January 1 2011. Whilst the new rules may not be exactly what we
all may have wanted, they will be the best options for each
class and should slow the car speeds of each of the classes back
to a more realistic speed. We expect the rules to be finalised
within a month, which will provide all competitors approximately
5 months to prepare for the changes.
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13th June 2010
VORTEC To
Discuss 2011 Rules
STMCC will submit their ideas of what
2011 classes and rules could look like. Members today discussed
several options for 540, Stock and Super Stock. We will put
forward our proposal/suggestions, as will all other VORTEC
Member Clubs, that will be discussed at the VORTEC meeting on
Tuesday 15th June.
We would like 540 to be a progression
from the brushed "Silver Can" motor to a brushless set up. Stock
and Super Stock become a bit more complex when the new
generation ESC's are considered. We expect several options will
be formulated and then be put to a vote by the member clubs in
the coming weeks. Hopefully we will have a clear picture of the
2011 Classes and Rules by August.
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6th June 2010
Movers and Shakers
Mal Haffy becomes 3 Racing
team driver for Tasmania. Running the newly released 3 Racing
Touring Car, Mal will receive support in car set up from team
drivers in other states as well as discounted spares from the
Sydney based importer. Good luck Mal!
Has Rob
Sims purchased an M05 to join the TRF416 in his Tamiya Stable?
That's the rumour, he hasn't unveiled it at the track yet.
T3 or Mi4 for Matthew Cleaver. A correct guess can get you a
drive of his new car (that's ok with you Matt?)
Peter Townsend
sells one of his Serpent S400's. What will be Pete's second car,
cause we know running one car sees him standing around looking
lost and bored on race days! Guess correctly and you get a drive
of Matthew Cleaver's new car!
Rob
Gillie showed off his new midget R/C Jet Boat recently ..... is he gearing up for
another wet winter? We all hope not!
Lee
Harvey was seen at the track on a recent race day with a his
Super Stock Mi4, M03 and M05 Mini's in addition to a flash looking
car sporting a Toll Holden V8 Supercar body ...... a secret peek
revealed ....... wait for it ......... a 540 powered GV Ready to
Run Tourer. What's Lethal Leeeeeee up to? Will this be his new entry
into the Modified class? He was probably using the illegally
powered 540 GV to bed in tyres and bearings before bolting in
his 3.5T brushless.
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4th June 2010
New STMCC Members
We would like to welcome Mal
Haffy, Brett Balderston, Phil Reibel, Ben Hoare and Allan Hall
as recent new members of the club.
Mal will be running
Pro Tourer and Mini, Brett and Phil in Mini, Ben joins the Super
Stock ranks and Al returns after a little more than a year of
Large Scale and Nitro Tourer racing at Kingston.
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30th May 2010
Series 2 Round 5 Washout:
It didn't rain all day
but the track just wouldn't dry out after the overnight rain
last night. All members did venture to the track and waited
around hoping a breeze would pick up and the sun would shine,
but alas all was calm and cloudy. Only a few dry patches had
appeared by 1:00pm, so the day was cancelled. We will use the
rain day allocated for 13th June to run Round 5 of the current
series.
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5th April 2010
Track Change for Series 2:
After a few runs on the
proposed layout for Series 2 it was decided the layout was not
suitable for driving from the current driver's stand. Too many
of us were hitting blind corner discs, crashing into poly pipe
and generally not having a fun time. Series 2
will now be run on the Goodwood Park layout. Go to
Our Track for details.
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5th April 2010
New STMCC Photo Gallery:
Work is
nearly complete on a new Photo Gallery, integrated into our
website. The new gallery is up and running, however files are
still being transferred across, which will continue for the next
few days (or a week, as I get time). It's a very slow process,
so keep checking back over the next week. Once all work has been
completed members will be able to create their own galleries and
upload photos.
Click here to check it out.
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26th March 2010
Test & Tune Day - Sunday 4th April:
We will be conducting a
morning classroom style session and afternoon on track testing
to assist members understand the finer points of car set up,
what all the technical terms mean and what each adjustment can
do to tame a difficult to drive R/C car.
We will have all
the equipment to allow members to work on their car set up and
then venture to the trackside to feel the difference the
adjustments can make. Experienced members will be on hand to
guide drivers through the range of adjustments to fine tune the
on track handling of their cars.
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21st March 2010
STMCC Raffle Drawn @ The DEC:
A ready to run XB
Tamiya M03 Mini was up for grabs. Thanks to the generous support
of McCanns Model World, the club's raffle was a huge success as
a fundraising effort.
And the winner is ............
Glen Wakefield of Hobart takes out the major prize. He purchased
the ticket at the 2010 State Championships 2 weeks earlier and
was quite surprised when Rob Gillie called him moments after the
draw took place. He raced down to the DEC to claim his prize on
the day.
The club member's prize of 1 years membership,
including race day fees, goes to ....... Lee Harvey
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20th March 2010
2010 Model Makers & Collectors Exhibition:
A bi-annual event, the
10th exhibition was held on Saturday 20th and Sunday 21st March
at The Derwent Entertainment Centre. Model enthusiasts displayed
their working model
railways, lego construction, assorted collections of model cars
and aircraft, working
scale live steam railway, electric helicopters and fixed wing
aircraft, 20m x 15m pond for watercraft, a scale model of the
Battle of Britain and an R/C drift racing layout. And that was
just indoors.
Move outdoors and the STMCC had the
portable drivers stand set up with a temporary track marked out,
complete with transponder bridge to stage a race meeting. The Hobart Aero Modellers were
flying IC helicopters and fixed wing aircraft from a
temporary landing strip. Patrons moved through the maze of rooms
and displays over the 2 days with all proceeds from gold coin
admission going to the Glenorchy Lions Club charities.
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8th March 2010
2010 Tasmanian
Championships - What a Fabulous Weekend:
With threatening
weather forecasts in the days leading up to the titles, the
organising committee planned a few contingencies in the event of
bad weather. We were greeted with a fine sunny day for the
Friday practice session but one thing we didn't expect was the
enthusiasm of our interstate competitors. By 8:00am we were
introducing ourselves to Boronia and Templestowe club members.
Soon after we completed the first meet and greets we were saying
"HI" to the first of the Bendigo contingent. The planned 10:00am
start for Official Practice went out the window as we saw the
first of the interstate entrants out on the track by 8:45am.
With a temporary pit area set up, the gang were at it,
learning the track and fine tuning their car set ups. There were
a good many laps completed by most of the competitors with only
minor casualties throughout the day. As the day progressed, we
saw lap times tumble, particularly in the 540 and Stock classes.
It was shaping up to be a hotly contested championship meeting.
Click Here for a full run down on the weekend.
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19th February 2010
Record entries for 2010 Tasmanian
Championships:
45 entries have been
received for this years event, with competitors travelling from
Qld, NSW and Vic to do battle with the local Tasmanian
contingent. 22 entries have been received from Victoria alone,
more than double the number in our biggest year, 2008.
All track upgrade work has been completed in time for our last
club race meeting before the titles. We look forward to
welcoming all interstate competitors to our track.
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8th February 2010
Track Upgrade Nearing Completion:
A last minute decision
to hold a working bee today saw a few members gather at the
track to complete the track upgrade. Plough disks were fastened
down and painted, some adjustments were made to a couple of
sections of the poly pipe where the fastening spikes had
loosened and some additional track painting were completed. The
track is looking fabulous :)
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6th February 2010
2010 State Titles Entries Closing Soon:
Entries close on 15th
February 2010. Get your entries in so all details can be
finalised for a fabulous event again this year.
We have
had an great response from Victorian competitors for this year's
event already, with more still to be confirmed.
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1st February 2010
Track Working Bee - Monday 8th February:
We are planning a
working bee to fix down the corner plough discs, a few dots in
needed positions and a general tidy up around the drivers stand.
We also need to complete building the 3rd riser for the driver's
stand before the State Titles.
All hands on deck please
as many hands make light work!!
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22nd January 2010
2010 State Championships - Entry List
updated:
Entries from Qld, NSW,
Vic and Tas now total 24. Only 7 weeks till the titles and only
3 weeks until entries close.
Early entries allow us time
to ensure we provide enough undercover pit area, tables and
chairs.
If you haven't entered yet, get your entry in
before 15th February.
Click Here
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17th January 2010
stmcc.com.au Migrates to a new Host Server:
Problems updating our
website were experienced with our host server over the past few
months. Attempts to contact our host via email and phone
following the most recent problem all went unanswered. Thanks
Tony L for the speedy change to a host that will answer phone
calls and reply to emails. We expect smooth sailing from now on.
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12th January 2010
Track Layouts and Series Changes for 2010
Season:
Be sure to check out the changes to track
layouts and series structure
-
Click Here
for Track Layouts
-
Click
Here for Race Calendar
In brief, each series will run
the one layout for all 5 rounds. The series will be named after
the track layout name rather than the 4 seasons. These changes
will assist drivers comparing results from race meeting to race
meeting and enable easy identification of which layout was run
for a particular race meeting. Once we get some results history
recorded in this format it will enable comparisons from year to
year.
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10th January 2010
2010 Season Gets Underway:
Implementation of the
new VORTEC rules came into effect for the 2010 Racing Season.
Download the latest copy -
Click Here
6 minute races and a reduced weight limit
were well accepted by members. In addition, changes to the
meeting format worked well. 2 qualifying rounds followed by 3
finals for each class ran smoothly.
The STMCC Committee
have also implemented other changes within the Race Meeting
Rules and Format section. Download the latest copy -
Click Here
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18th December 2009
Website Updates:
Our website is a
continual work in progress. Changes have been made to simplify
browsing with drop down menus. Check out all the sections and
keep coming back.
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16th December 2009
2010 Tasmanian State Championships -
Entry List Updated:
Entry list has been
updated. If you haven't entered yet, get your entry in before
15th February.
Click Here
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22nd November 2009
2010 Tasmanian State Championships -
Entries Open:
Entries are now being received for the
2010 EP On Road Tasmanian Championships on the weekend of 6th &
7th March 2010. Go to the titles page for full details.
Click Here
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21st November 2009
2010 STMCC Rules
Updated:
Our new club
rules and regulations have been updated for the 2010 season.
Following our affiliation with VORTEC, we have adopted the
VORTEC TC rules and the National Mini Rules, with a couple of
minor changes to reflect the current equipment being used by the
STMCC members. Go to the Rules and Regulations page for further
details and download a copy.
Click
Here
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1st November 2009
STMCC Affiliate with VORTEC:
STMCC has been accepted as a member
club of VORTEC.
The Victorian On Road Tracks Executive
Committee was established to put together a general set of basic
rules for all clubs to adopt. As STMCC members venture to
Victoria to race in events and members of Victorian clubs race
at our State Titles, the Committee felt VORTEC affiliation was a
logical step, rather than affiliation with AARCMCC.
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