Group Nc Bellett Sedan

[RobSA]

Love it, keep up the good work.

Cheers
Rob

[PR91]

hi all.
just letting u know the Nc project is still on the go... albeit a stand still coz CAMS are taking their sweet time with any further info since December!
i'll be contacting them over the next few days about it all, and hopefully over easter i'll get the car home and start the strip down, even if this is before CAMS give approval as the clean up, body prep and paint can be done while the specs are being finalised.
I'll keep u posted!

[Glenn]

Brett, i guess Group "Nc" means standard engine type ? no SOHC, DOHC etc ?

glenn

[PR91]

yep.
can do period mods and some things to update in certain areas but in essence must be as produced.
engine swaps like that would make it a Sports Sedan, and i've already got one of them!

[PR91]

CAMS is still taking their sweet-ass time.... but i'm told by other guys in the Group N world that this is nothing new. they're pissed about it too coz they really want my Bellett out there with them ASAP.
i'm onto CAMS a fair bit about it (most recent contact by me was last Monday 14/5), so i'm not gunna let up till the approval is done.

discussions with the Nc boys has been teaching me a HELL of alot. the problem is that building one without the approval made, which then the specs are done afterwards, is frought with much danger, coz of a few reasons:
1- if u build it without specs, it's a 99% chance they'll knock it back when the specs are done, coz they'll always find something...., and
2- u simply can't race a non-approved (read: Nc homologated) car. period....

anyway, i'm quietly informed that there are other ways of pushing the approval/spec process thru, which while CAMS don't like it, they are left with no choice over, and as the boys have been saying, it's not like i haven't been following their protocol with no results for long enuf already, so i'll see what comes about.

stay tuned!

[Glenn]

what about an 1800 SOHC? They came out with those or are you looking at ealry Bellett

glenn

[PR91]

Na & Nb uses the normal FIA specs on the cars coz we followed the same guidelines with "series production" based touring cars, but Nc is a mish-mash of the FIA "series production" and Australian only "improved production" rules we had in the day, as there were 2 different sets of guidelines used in respect of which touring car category you raced in.
that means the cars must be as raced in Australia, meaning an Australian spec sedan, and in either 1965 teardrop or 1966-68 square tailight style only as the later 1969 flat tailight cars weren't raced.
we never got anything SOHC Bellett, so normal OHV it is.

[PR91]

well here we are on 16/8, and still not even as much as a reply from CAMS over the Nc Bellett matter since Decemeber, so i've been onto them again....
i'm NOT going to give up!

we all know what us racers say that "CAMS" actually stands for, and atm, it's ringing true....
u would think they'd be bending over backwards to have yet another type of car out there to boost the interest and variety in historic racing, so i can't understand why it's taken 8 months without even a reply after things started so well.

anyway, stay tuned.

[mrflibbles]

Cams is government run? them and councils are the only ones i knowthat are that slow or slower in getting back to you!
Keep it up mate i would love to see a bellett out there...

[PR91]

folks....

oct 1 and not even the decentcy of a reply from CAMS. still. it's pushing 10 months since i last heard from them!
so i've just informed them that'll i WILL push ahead, with or without them, and force their hand on homogation if needed, but obviously i'd like to go about things without making waves.

the HTCAV guys are pissed too.... really pissed.... coz they want the Bellett out there with them, and this just a joke. none of us can work out 100% why they are just ignoring it, but i have a feeling as to what the reason is that i won't go into here....
but the guys are helping me get it done "via other methods", shall we say, to get out there and mix it up with them!

stay tuned.

[Glenn]

good luck wit it Brett.

we all want to see a Bellett on the tracks
glenn

[PR91]

guys and girls...
i think my last email got thru to the rite people because i received a quick call from one of the guys in the historic dept at CAMS yesterday...
the basic context of the conversation was:
they've realised that not only that the PR90 GT has been left off the list of Nb approved cars, but they've also acknowledged the racing history of the PR20 sedan after 1964 in Australia and are adding it to the approved list for Nc!
obviously the specs themselves for the Nc sedan are yet to be approved as i am yet to forward them to CAMS, which will be done in the next few days, but after briefly running thru the proposed specs with the guy there, it sounds like it's just a case of the powers that be giving it the rubber stamp coz he was more than happy with them..
and then it's away we go!
pretty excited about the developments now and will keep u all posted.

[Glenn]

Great news Brett !

sounds like things finally rolling.

[PR91]

after a long time, the final eligbility approval is thru and race spec approval is close.
i've had long discussions with the powers-that-be, and after forwarding the spec sheet for the Nc sedan, CAMS have gone through it, but some issues have been raised....
for some reason, they re-wrote it all.... after i sent hours and hours researching it to get it all spot on , and in the process made some critical errors.... namely in the area of brakes and some other silly little points. while the brakes issue is pretty serious to make it competitive, the other little things don't seem like much, but i'd hate for an issue to come about in the future if someone read one thing on the approved specs and we had another fitted to the cars. hopefully some verification has sorted that out as everything is noted in official Isuzu documention from the day that i own.
i'm just waiting now for some further contact with CAMS and i think it's all set.
keep u info'd!

[mrflibbles]

that is taking a long time! im sure once its all settled and sorted you will be up and running fairly quick?

[dave]

Looks like they love headaches and being the cause of them!

I'd be all like <flips the bird> and go sprinting in an open category.

Having said that, because I'm HONEST, when I was sprinting my Gemini with revised capacity, carburettor, exhaust AND brakes, it put me in the same category as SR20-powered, 600kg Lotus 7-replica Clubmans.... so any hope of a trophy was simply ludicrous.

So swings and roundabouts!

[Redzone]

Any news on this mate? I'm curious as to whether they will allow discs on the front!

[Pombellett]

Hi Brett....just echoing Redzone's query.....have you had any joy with Cams?

As I see it, the job is in persuading them that the factory Sports Kit was raced in period, would that be a fair assessment?

Mark