MGF Challenge in Australia

Hi, it seems that we just can't shake our need for MGF racing in Australia.

We have had a history of "one make" racing series in Australia ( there is still an ol "Holden" series but with the most enduring and successful being the Porsche Carrera Cup - but factory-built Carrera Cup racing Porsches are expensive and not for your average racer).

A few years ago we had the MGF Trophy series where you could lease one of the cars to race... and pay for all damage... but never own the car. The guy running that series went broke (and I only JUST managed to get back a couple of thousand dollars he owed me when I pulled out before getting involved in the series).

Now a local (South Australian) is firing up a copy of the UK "MGF Challenge" series, even using some ex-MGF Challenge cars and building others to spec, with a view to taking it national. They say in this series you can buy one of the spec MGF cars (a modified/uprated, gutted and fully race-equipped 1.8 litre VVC model), ready to race, for less than $AU20,000.

They have the initial approval from the Australian national officiating body and of the organisers/promoters of a local race series for a full grid of their own once they get the required minimum number of entrants.

It would be great to see these cars going hard at it. The last series (the MGF Trophy series) suffered mostly from the fact that it became a "rich boys and their toys" competition where guys who couldn't drive threw down a lot of money to play on the racetrack. Who else would spend large amounts of cash to lease a car (arrive and drive) like that? Maybe one or two - but a whole field? Don't get me wrong, there were a few good drivers up the front but the rest were biff and barge cowboys.

This time the cars will be owned so maybe they will take a little more care of them - and maybe they will take the racing more seriously. Hey, there will ALWAYS be cowboys, but what a cheap way to go racing. We don't really have any other modern "spec" or formula type competition here except in open wheelers.

I'll let you know how it develops. I know they are anxious for the series to start next year. There were two of the cars on the track with us this weekend for a try out and they went very well.

Here is one of them:

EDIT: pre-rollcage, of course!

Wish I was back in OZ. I think it cost me that to build the LJ back in the 80s on a smaller income.

We actually had quite a few MGFs out with us this weekend but most were street cars having a bit of track time and therefore they weren't very fast. Like this one: