The Build

In Late 2024 I attended two meetings of the Southern Yorke Peninsular Dirt Circuit Club, based at Brentwood S.A. and was so impressed by the SYPDCC organization, management, track, food and beverage facilities and of course the ever vital amenities, but more so by the gusto of the volunteers that lend their time to make these events possible. A grass roots event where you and your family can roam the pits, talk to the drivers, inspect the various types of cars racing on the day, and enjoy a constant program of good down to earth racing.

I was hooked, and there started the “Birth of a Dirt circuit racer”

Day 1 November 16 2024 in shorts n singlet, usual attire for a warm day in the workshop.

Everything must go

Removing flammable body deadener

Removing flammable material

Best mate of many years, Neil at the ready to get his hands dirty and start the strip out of the car.

SYP61 Built to the A.D.C.C.S.A. Rule Book, if your going to build your own car you will need this book and a good plan to get the job done. Read the book and make a decision on what Class of Vehicle you are going to build and stick to it. Your Roll Cage is probably the most important part of your build and MUST be Built to the Standards set out in the Rules n Reg`s, and will be heavily scrutinized when you show up to race for the first time.

Always try to think forward in planning your build as parts of the build are subject to many steps prior to committing to the CUT or WELD , trust me you can easily make mistakes, then sit back and think, “Why didn’t I do that before I did this”? But hey that’s learning. Don’t cut corners, don’t hide mistakes, fix them , you must always think of your Safety and the Safety of others. Your car will be heavily scrutinized when you roll up to the track and the last thing you want is to be turned around and sent home. I personally attended meetings, talked to drivers, talked to the scrutineers, the track Marshalls, took notes and lots of photos. When you take the plunge to build, try and do as much of the work yourself and with mates to keep your costs down. Dirt circuit racing is relatively cheap in comparison to most Speedway etc BUT you can rack up the dollars quickly if you dont plan ahead. Race Seats, Harnesses and your racewear will be some of your off shelf big ticket items, but they are necessity’s not luxury items, so put aside a few grand for those.

Click on the photos below to read the captions.