Local Drivers to Star in NAMSC Combined Sedans
While next weekend’s second round of the Hi-Tec Oils Super Series at Hidden Valley will see many interstate visitors making the north-bound trek to Darwin, an assortment of local drivers and teams will have the opportunity to showcase their abilities at a national-level race meeting.
The North Australian Motorsport Club (NAMSC) Combined Sedans category will run alongside the Australian Super TT Championship, and includes a mixture of Commodore Cup and Improved Production Cars.
Commodore Cup may have ceased to exist as a national series, but it is still going strong in the NT and according to NAMSC representative David Ling, it has become one of the most popular local categories.
“Back in the mid-2000s, when the Commodore Cup national series upgraded to VS Commodores, a lot of the old VBs, VCs and VHs were sold to Darwin and we created our own series up here,” Ling said.
“We also travelled south for some of the bigger national rounds. One of my fondest memories was the enduro at Mallala in 2008, where my son Steve and I ended up finishing second overall because our tyre changes were quicker than all the national guys! “Unfortunately, the national Commodore Cup series finished about 10 years ago but up here, the category is still going strong – Bryce Fullwood even raced in it before going to Supercars.
”Mechanically, the Commodore Cup cars have stayed true to their original philosophy – they are powered by the venerable 253 cubic inch (4.2 Litre) Holden V8 engine driven through a four-speed manual gearbox.Apart from Ling, other notable Commodore Cup drivers include Garry Dempsey, Geoff Cowie, Ian Roots and Shane Smith, while they will share the grid with Improved Production cars piloted by Ross Salmon, Rodney Jessup (Commodores) and West Australian Evan Bartlett (Falcon).
“Evan is based in Perth, but he drives up to Darwin on a regular basis to compete in our events, which is a tremendous effort,” Ling said.Northern Territory drivers will also showcase their talents in the Hyundai Excel Dash for Cash and the HQ Holden Crocodile Cup, which will be contested by a mixture of local and interstate entrants.