2007 Welsh Sports & Saloon Car Championship

Fundemantal change of Regulations decided for 2008 Championship

During the year it became apparent that the MSA (the sports governing body) was conducting a review of race championships and it became apparent that the WRDA Welsh Sports & Saloon Car Championship was under review, as the average grids had fallen during the past 12 months. In addition, whilst Terry Brown had first set a lap time for less than 60 second lap time in 2001, by 2007 the lap record has reduced to 53 seconds for the fastest cars! Cars in the other class were simply not able to keep pace and the backmarkers were in danger of being lapped every 2 laps! This was creating a dangerous situation. (This was especially relevant as a life changing accident had befallen Barry Reece, the WRDAs’ first Chairman, when his faster car had collided with a slower car at Castle Combe!)    

Against this background an Extra-Ordinary Committee Meeting was called under the chairmanship of Mike Woods( the then WRDA Chairman), with Senior club members Rhodri Jenkins (a WSSCC double Champion and Chairman of the WSSCC Steering Committee) , Alvin Powell  who had been competing in the Championship since 1992, Alan Jenkins the Championship co-ordinator, in attendance.

The meeting was advised by the Secretary and WRDA founding member, Robert Allender, (who attended despite having just recovered from successful Tripe Heart Bypass Operation) that the Championship had been developed for cars with a Road Car heritage and that although Darrians and later Radicals were available as cars that could be driven on the road, the current Sports Racing Cars like Jades were outside the founding principles of the WRDA and the Welsh Sports & Saloon Car Championship.  Also it was within the constitution & remit of the meeting to decide to change the regulations to exclude Sports Racing Cars and apply a lap time of 60 seconds. It was also proposed that any Cars who set times below 60 seconds would be required to be ballasted! This was therefore decided.

The current lap record holder Graham Cole voiced his objections to these changes. Alan Jenkins advised that he was working behind the scenes on a Championship for Sports Racing Cars only (this became the OSS) where cars like Grahams would race against other Sports Racing Cars.

The meeting closed and new regulations were put in place for 2008.

Extract from the WRDA Founding Principles.PDF