The August issue of Supergrass is available now.

In it we take a close look at round three of the 2010 British Autograss Series, the biggest event ever with 779 drivers taking part.

There’s also the usual mix of news, nonsense and first class photography that makes Supergrass unmissable.

Use the links to the right to buy a copy of the current issue of subscribe.

This issue brings you the usual in depth report from round two of the championship at Cwmdu as well as pictorial features from Severn Valley/MAP Open events and the Class Seven outing at Birmingham Wheels as well as a report on the first round of the All Ireland Autograss Series. There’s also the essential news as well as  stuff and nonsense in BAS Gas.

Use the links to the right to buy this issue or subscribe to Supergrass.

Covering the first round of the 2010 Kent Cams/Maxsport British Autograss Series, the magazine  is available for sale now (see adverts to right) and trackside at major events from BP Grassing, Vision Plus and Sandy Williams (find her with the results team on the finish line).

There’s a fresh new design, superb new uncoated paper and a useful new year planner page in the 2010 edition.
We’ve changed a lot, but some things never change: The calendar is the same great quality as usual and we’ve kept the price the same as last year – just £10 inc p&p (£9 trackside).

The first batch will be packed and delivered to Royal Mail on Monday November 9 – order before 0900 on Monday 9th to have yours sent in the first mailing.

You can order your copy now by clicking the ad to the left or here. Here are a few preview pages to whet your appetite.

A little later than usual, the fifth annual Supergrass calendar will be back from the printer in the next few days. There’s a fresh new design, superb new uncoated paper and a useful new year planner page in the 2010 edition.
We’ve changed a lot, but some things never change: The calendar is the same great quality as usual and we’ve kept the price the same as last year – just £10 inc p&p (£9 trackside).

You can order your copy now by clicking the ad to the left or here. Here are a few preview pages to whet your appetite.

Registered and non-registered racers will continue to share the track in the 2010 BAS.

Events forming qualifying rounds of the 2010 British Autograss Series will retain their current format with registered championship contenders and non-registered drivers racing directly against each other on the track.

The BAS Committee announced a proposal for separate races to be run for the two groups of racers at events in the 2010 series, but that has now been dropped. Other changes to the series; making all five rounds count towards the end of year points total and introducing a ‘Jackpot’ round in which the highest score achieved by each driver during the year is doubled, will be introduced as planned.

The full story will be included in Supergrass 10/1, published in December.

Events forming the 2010 British Autograss Series will separate registered BAS racers from other competitors under a new proposal put forward by the BAS Committee to the host clubs.
Under he revised plan BAS events will comprise three qualifying heats and finals for BAS registered contenders and a separate set of races for non-registered competitors who wish to compete in the event. The latter group will not have a final, and races from this second section will be the first to be reduced should the timetable come under pressure.
The new plan has been put forward after the BAS Committee withdrew a proposal put to the August meeting of the NASA directors. The withdrawn proposal sought to close BAS events to all except registered drivers and home-league members (Supergrass 09/5).
Three other changes outlined in this proposal have been retained by the BAS Committee which intends for all five rounds to count towards the 2010 championship, a ‘Jackpot’ round will be introduced, the right to cap registrations is retained.
It is possible for events to be run to the new plan largely because of the computerised system of drawing up race grids that has been pioneered by the BAS. The system can easily create two different sets of grids, one containing only BAS registered racers, the other accommodating non-registered drivers.
Using data from the first round of this year’s championship at Evesham, a model has been produced to illustrate how the event would work. Creating two different sets of races does not greatly affect the number of races in an event; the Evesham model requiring just three extra races per heat to accommodate the entry.
The BAS has brought forward its proposals in the face of continuing growth in the number of competitors at BAS events and a recognition that non-registered competitors are very often those involved in on-track incidents or technical disputes.
“The revised format fits within the rules and addresses the concerns of competitors as well as the needs of event organisers,” said BAS Committee member Steve Langley.
There was broad approval from racers as details circulated during the final round of the 2009 championship, perhaps most succinctly summed-up by Autograss veteran Mal Cooper; “Perfect. That’s a great solution, it gives everybody something. It stops trouble with non-registered drivers and let organisers plan events better because it’ll be easier to predict numbers,” he said.

2010 BAS proposal
• BAS events comprise three heats and finals for registered drivers plus a separate set of races for other competitors.
• All five rounds to count
• Introduce a ‘jackpot’ round where the highest scoring round for each driver scores double points
• Reserve the right to close registrations due to excessive numbers

Antony Jackson is the overall Mens BAS champion. © Tim Whittington

Class Five racer Antony Jackson and Class Three lady Lisa Almond claimed the overall titles in the Kent Cams/Maxsport British Autograss Series in the final round of the championship at York. the two Junior titles had been decided ahead of the final round, but there is a point of interest in Junior Special champion Tom Chadwick’s end of year haul of 1079 points, making the teenager the highest scoring driver in the series.
Jackson won the Mens title despite being beaten to the Class Five crown by Darren Lodge – this situation perfectly highlighting the effect of including a
drop score in the championship (the class title decided on the best four scores while the overall battle counts all events). The overall Ladies title could not have been closer, Class One champion Helen James and Class Three star Almond ending the year with 997s points each. Under the championship’s tie-break rule the decision goes to Almond who has the highest single score (twice attaining a maximum).
The Young Guns section of the championship (for drivers under 21) was won by Chadwick. All results are subject to official confirmation.

The 09/6 issue of Supergrass for October-December 2009 is available now.

Covering the final round of the 2009 Kent Cams/Maxsport British Autograss Series at York, we also have details of thje revised proposals for the 2010 championship, s a report from the final round of the All Ireland Autograss Series and all the essential news.

NASA’s Scrutineers’ Committee has proposed that traction control be permitted in Autograss racing from 2010. The committee has made this proposal on the basis that it is unable to effectively police the current ban on traction control – so it may as well allow it.

Traction control will deskill driving and kill the show. © Daniel Moffatt

The proposal will be put before the NASA directors, but at this stage Technical Director Dave Walker is minded to recommend it is rejected. “It’s not up to me to overrule the scrutineers but I have not yet heard anything that makes me think it’s a good idea,” said Walker who has sought independent technical advice on the issue. “I don’t believe that anyone is using traction control and certainly not a proper ‘intelligent’ system. I don’t think that it’s something we want or need in Autograss; costs would be astronomical and it would de-skill driving. I also disagree with the argument that it cannot be policed and the advice I have had backs this up.”

Comment
Almost nowehere in motor sport is traction control permitted, so the stance of NASA’s scrutineers is unusual and would appear to display a poor grasp of technical issues in motor sport as a whole.Perhaps more susprising is their assertion that traction control is difficult to police: we’re not technical experts at Supergrass, but we do understand that if a computer does not have inputs for engine speed relative to wheel speed, it is difficult to produce effective traction control. More parameters are needed for a fully effective system. The relatively simple expedient of prohibiting all and any sensors on the driveline would just about nail it.

Ballast discussion moves to batteries – and legalised ballast
In the continued fallout of ‘Ballastgate’, the use of batteries as a method of ‘legitimately’ incorporating weight into a car has come sharply into focus.

NASA’s Technical Director, Dave Walker, has circulated a discussion document with draft proposals and a timetable to move to the exclusive use of ‘racing batteries’ by 2011. At the same time, Walker has also offered the prospect of ballast being accepted within the technical regulations for the sport.

“Batteries are used for two reasons – primarily to provide the basis for an electrical system and secondarily to provide ballast. Batteries can be in the front of the car one week, in the rear the next, they can be in the passenger compartment, in the boot or in the engine bay,” said Walker whose discussion document suggests that all saloons have the battery mounted in a secure metal box in the passenger compartment next year and that only dry, racing batteries, are use from 2011.

The question of legalising ballast is also open for discussion; “I agree with the argument that a car correctly set up for a 15-stone man wil not have the same characteristics if it is then driven by a seven-stone woman,” said Walker who is now seeking opinions on the idea of using ballast and for a  prescribed method of using and fixing removable ballast.