2010 Nationals in W.A.

It’s been a long time in the making, but the Club is very excited to announce that the 2010 Nationals will be finally heading to Western Australia . The dates for the event have been confirmed and all the A9X action will take place over the weekend of 19-20-21 November 2010 - so get those leave forms in now.

Planning for the event is well and truly advanced and the W.A. Event Co-ordinator has provided the following information on the arrangements made to date:

Accommodation has been group booked for the Club and an attractive package has been negotiated for the Members as follows: Double (Queen Bed) is $126 per night, a Triple (1 Queen/1 Single) is $137.70 per night for 3 occupants, and for the newly married or more adventurous, Spa Rooms are available at $148.50 per night.
The motel will provide a perfect base for our Nationals Event and there is a courtesy coach to and from the Airport for your inbound and outbound flights, and a 24 hour Reception so it doesn’t matter how late or early you arrive.
The Club has made an arrangement with the motel to ensure there is a hassle-free booking process for everyone involved, and there will be one person only at the motel who is be responsible for taking our bookings. Further details are available in the Club Newsletter - or alternatively you can email Paul for further details at: pkalhunis@optusnet.com.au

The first official day of the Nationals will involve a drive up to the Avon Valley to check out the York Motor Museum which has a large collection of veteran, vintage, classic and race cars, and is currently home to Bob Morris’s A9X hatch. The museum houses the Peter Briggs collection of motor vehicles and there are many fine examples from each era to drool over on the day. The Club has negotiated a special discounted Admission rate and members will only have to pay $5.50 instead of the $8.00 normally applicable.
After visiting the museum it will only be a short skip and a jump along the main street of York to the Castle Hotel where we will settle in for lunch. The Castle is the oldest existing inland hotel in Western Australia and has a fully licensed bistro with delicious wood-fired pizzas and a barbecue area.

After lunch we’ll head off for a drive along the back road to Northam (the major town of the Avon Valley ) before returning to Perth via the Great Eastern Highway . The days outing through the valleys and the rich farmlands will be approximately 200km all-around, before we end up back at the motel where the Annual General Meeting will take place later that evening in the Motel Conference Room.
At the conclusion of the AGM we only have to head outside the door where everything is laid out for us to have a barbecue and a few beers - there’ll be no worries about having 1 or 2 too many to drink and then having to avoid the gendarmes on the way back home!

We are very pleased to announce that the Motorcycle Racing Club of W.A. have invited our Club to participate in what is their biggest event of the year at Barbagello Raceway. This event will be the third time the “Kings of Wanneroo International” event has been held and it features international Superbike riders competing against the best riders from Australia over three days.
Due to a combination of different pressures the event will not be as high profile as previously expected, however we are still looking forward to participating on the day.

Barbagello Raceway is the most isolated motor racing circuit in the world and is located in Wanneroo which is approximately 50km north of Perth . The circuit was originally known as Wanneroo Park when it opened in 1969 and it has become the home of motor racing in Western Australia .

The Club is extremely fortunate to receive the support of the M.C.R.C. of W.A. in granting us permission to display our cars in the Pit/Paddock area and also for allowing us to take to the track for some parade laps. It will be a very unique opportunity for both car owners and race fans to see these legends of motor racing in the environment they were built for. At this stage, track time will be in the vicinity of 15-20 minutes and a nominal charge of $10.00 will be payable for those who are interested. Throw in the officials, flag marshalls and race fans around the track and it becomes a great experience and a wonderful photo opportunity!

The day will commence with a pleasant drive through the beautiful Swan Valley before arriving at Wanneroo where it is anticipated we will be trackside from approximately 10:00am until 2:00pm. At the end of proceedings, we’ll casually make our way back to Perth where there will be plenty of time to give the cars a spit and polish in preparation for tomorrow’s show’n’shine.

Dinner on Saturday night will no longer be a buffet and will now be held in one of the restaurants at the Burswood Casino (which is approximately 5km from the Motel). This will provide a much better setting and will be more suitable for our group - and it’s not too pricey!

Our guest speakers on the night were to have been none other than former HDT Driver - Mr Wayne Negus, and Privateer owner/driver - Mr Tim Slako. Unfortunately, Wayne Negus is no longer able to attend as he will instead be re-couperating from a double knee re-construction. We wish Wayne all the best for his operation and recovery!

As a result, we are in the process of organising a replacement guest - none other than Graeme Hooley who you may recall as being a Group C & A Race driver from the 70’s and 80’s. Graeme is a great bloke and he has expressed a willingness to attend, providing it doesn’t clash with anything else on his calendar at the time.

We are also pleased to announce that Joe Felice has been confirmed as a special guest for the evening. Back in the day Joe was the Administrator of Motor Sport and Public Relations for Holden, and some of you may have already had the pleasure of meeting him if you made it along to last year’s Nationals in South Australia .

We can assure you all that these gentlemen will give an insight of vastly different perspectives of racing in that era. They are extremely approachable men who are humbled by the fact that we still hold dear their memories and achievements after all these years.

We will be attending the GM Owner’s Day Car Show at Steel Blue Oval in Bassendean, which has been the venue of choice for a number of years. The GM Day is held every second year and is the main event for the Holden Car Club of Western Australia. It surpasses all other such events in W.A. significance and keeps getting bigger and bigger each time it is held. Here we will be able to display our cars for all to appreciate in a family (GM) type environment!

If you wish to show your car at the event, it will be necessary to complete the official Holden Car Club of WA Entry Form which can be found under the “Club News” section of this website. Alternatively, you can check out the host’s website at www.holdencarclub.org.au and download a copy of the entry form from there.

The entry fee will be $40.00 for those who wish to have their car included for judging (includes a free T-shirt) or $10.00 if you don’t want to be judged. Judged entrants are strictly limited to 150 and the closing date for entries is 8 November - so get in soon to make sure you don’t miss out. Please note that the judging is part of the Show & Shine and has nothing to do with our Nationals event.

When the GM Owner’s Day winds up in the afternoon, it will mark the end of official proceedings for the 2010 Nationals event.

If you are attending the Nationals, we’d like you to register for the event by completing the Registration Form that can be found under the “Club News” section of this website. This will enable us to assist with planning and catering.

All attendees will receive a “goodies bag” which will include a 2010 Nationals Commemorative Patch. You must complete and email the Registration Form to pkalhunis@optusnet.com.au by 5 November 2010 to ensure that you receive a goodies bag.

The Club will also be doing traditional Polo Shirts, with a breast pocket in a unisex style for both men and women, ranging in size from S-M-L to 5XL. Please contact Paul on mobile: 0429 099 971 for any additional information regarding the shirts and sizes.

The Order Form for the shirts (and additional patches) is contained at the end of the Registration Form and also needs to be completed and emailed by 5 November to pkalhunis@optusnet.com.au. All merchandise is to be paid for and collected at the Nationals.

If you are not attending the event but still wish to purchase merchandise, shirts and patches will be available on the website at the completion of the Nationals.

So there it is - the 2010 Nationals are shaping up to become an event not to be missed. We would like to encourage everyone from the Eastern States to think very seriously about taking some time off and making the trip over to the west. Likewise, we encourage all the W.A. members to get involved and join in the events across the weekend. And don’t forget to get in early and make those bookings, and don’t forget to tell the motel that you are a member of the A9X Torana Club of Australia to receive the discounted accommodation package.

Should you have any further queries or just wish to pass on a constructive comment or suggestion, please contact the W.A. Event Co-ordinator at: pkalhunis@optusnet.com.au

The 2010 W.A. G.M. Owner’s Day is proudly brought to you by the Holden Car Club of W.A.

http://www.holdencarclub.org.au