That Little Red Race Car and the long Journey East

Friday June 12 our team meets at the traditional place for many a year, Tailem Bend.

Our team has been reduced to only two intrepid travellers, Jim Stratmann and Malcolm Ebel, with his Italian Flag on wheels sitting proudly on the trailer. A quick look around the Shell car park and we see the “Little Red Race Car” being admired by many with Jim dressed up in the wet weather gear and ready for  anything that might be thrown at him and it was.

We had hardly turned a wheel heading for Karoonda when the rain came tumbling down and yes the road was under repair, no bitumen just mud, so ended the thought of having a couple of nice clean cars to show our friends in NSW. Luckily Jim was the leader as we can only imagine what the end result might have been. In no time at all we are driving into Loxton, just a little change of plans as you do, a bite of lunch a much needed coffee and a quick chat with your sister and we are on our way again in what can only be described as an excuse for sunshine, we adjust the cabin temp to 24 in the Commodore and Jim, well Jim tightens the chin strap on his helmet.

The sunshine begins to fade as we drive into Mildura, after a short stop, the little Red Race car decides enough is enough and does not want to play anymore and we still have a 3 hour drive before we have our first o/nite stop in Hay.

Thoughts quickly turn to those large “Hoppy things we might encounter if we drive on in the night, however it is not long before we are mobile again as “little red bursts into life with the roar and rumbling of a well tuned race car and we head for the open road. We have soon put many Km’s behind us and the lights of Hay loom bright like diamonds in a very dark, cold and wet night, more rain, more road repairs and any thought of clean cars is now just a distant memory.

We have arrived and it is 8pm, one bloke is in jeans and a T shirt the other is dressed like a motor bike rider (Jim was a few years ago) but we have made it. Discussion soon has us thinking of a good evening meal, what about the pub, we are advised naah doubt it, probably stopped cooking by now, then we remember that president Laurie suggested before we left Adelaide that if we needed a good meal, the Mobil Roadhouse that would be a good walk away, has great meals, Laurie was right, the best serve of veggies and biggest schnitzel you ever did see.

Sleeping came easy with no nasal singing from either weary traveller.

Saturday morning, weather looking good, breakfast over, all packed up, little red fires up, Jim soaks up the water from what will be his arm chair for the next 6 or so hours, Malcolm checks the climate control is still set and makes sure the little tree he knocked over trying to park car and trailer looks like he never did it.

We have travelled some 20 or so Km’s down the road and more rain, again.

Jim is looking resplendent in the wet weather gear and crash helmet; well it kept the ears warm, a fashion statement for the open air driver / traveller.

The semi’s go past without fear of our small convoy travelling at 100km, Jim and his little Red Race car disappear for a short moment in time midst a haze of water, dirt and anything else they care to throw up. All part of the adventure really.

The clock ticks over to 3.30pm as we head out to Pelican Point Sheep station, our cabin accom for the next two nights. Through the mist or was it fog we see the Wakefield Park race circuit and we realise that all the challenges we had along the way will be worth every minute of track time on Sunday.

Mobile phone crackles into life and soon arrangements are being made with AROCA NSW comp sec, Brad Wilson inviting this very enthusiastic pair of SA blokes down for a coffee to meet n greet some of the NSW team.

More rain and Goulburn needed every drop, we drive down with trailer and Alfa attached, 200 yards from our accom, well it was raining, immediately Jim is offered the carport for “Little Red which is accepted with a smile wider than the farm gate. Meet n greet all done with the coffee tasting like gold, we fire up the commodore to drive back to our cabin, the heavy rain has created more challenges, you see things were a bit slippery, thanks to traction control we made it back, a quick clean up and we are picked up and on our way to the restaurant for evening dinner, here we meet many more enthusiastic AROCA NSW friends with plenty of discussion about who was going to be quicker around the “Park on Sunday. All too soon the evening dinner is over and we are on our way back to the Sheep Station for a good nights rest.

7am Sunday morning we are on our way, in no time at all, 5 mins, we are trackside and parked under a covered pit (No Charge) and ready to blow the water out of every little nook and cranny that gathered along the way.

We view the track from the mound with Brad and some of his team and you soon realise this track is very much a drivers circuit and could be a tad demanding, and that it was.

First run and we arrange to follow Brad and Orst, (supplier of the coffee machine) to get the lines right, well nearly right, this is a great drivers circuit.

After a max of 26 laps, first runs were 3 laps then later in the day 4 laps with 10 cars at a time on the circuit, fantastic, closest you can get to racing without racing, well maybe!!

Barbeque lunch was supplied for a couple of SA blokes and for that we thank the AROCA team, by the way the Bar B just had to have the Alfa Badge proudly displayed on the facia, well done guys.

Soon the day is over and we are packed up saying our farewells to this very friendly and supportive team of Alfa folk.

Monday morning as a little sun yes just a little sun is trying to come through the trees, Jim is seen wiping the ICE from Little Red and carries the tonneau cover inside like a block of wood, thank goodness Jim did not drop it as we would have just swept the pieces outside.

9am and we are on our way back to Hay and no rain, on arrival we are asked about the little tree, after explaining with a smile we were just expanding the camping area everybody was happy and the gift of a nice bottle of SA red was gratefully accepted.

Tuesday morning and we are off to Adelaide via Loxton and a bowl of soup and much needed coffee with the sister.

Karoonda we see the devastation of the tornado, we can only but wonder what those poor folk must be going through that lost the roofs of their homes, however, it is not long before Jim “cops more rain all the way into Murray Bridge, we fill the cars up with some go juice, it is here we say our goodbyes and the fantastic Journey East comes to an end.

“That little red race car attracted plenty of attention along the way and did an excellent job, not to mention the driver.

Just for interest, listed are some of

Wakefield Park fastest lap times for day:

Fastest car was,

Chris Fox, 5L VS Commodore. 1:07.26

 Listed are some AROCA times

• Jim Stratmann, 1:22.93

• Malcolm Ebel, 1:21.30

• Cameron Ramsay, Alfa 75, 1:21.70

• Brad Watts, Alfa 147 Selespeed, 1:29.25

• Robert Muir, Alfetta GT, 1:18.01

• Bruce James, Alfetta GTV, 1:18.11

• Demetrios, Alfa FT Veloce, 1:18.17

• Stuart Bailie, Alfa 105 Coupe, 1:18.74

• Dean Frye, Alfa GTV6, 1:16.89

• Brad Wilson, Alfa GT Junior, 1:13.03

• Alistair Liles, Alfetta GT, 1:13.48

• Paul Newby, Alfetta GT, 1:14.33

• Col Wilson – Brown, 1750 GTV, 1:14.62

• Richard Knox, Alfetta GT, 1:15.14

• John Pucak, Alfetta GT, 1:18.28

• Jenny Hart, Alfetta GT, 1:21.46

25 AROCA NSW members competed.

Full list of results can be seen on Natsoft ( http://www.natsoft.biz/cgi-bin/results.cgi?2005 )

 We have invited Brad and some of his team to join us for the MSCA twilight event on Oct 29^th, will keep you posted if they take up the challenge.

Malcolm Ebel

AROCA SA Comp Sec.

Dated June 20^th 2005