Trofeo Series Rules
Title
The name of the series shall be "Alfa Romeo Trofeo Series". The Series operates as an unincorporated club, consisting of the registered entrants in the current season.
Aim
The Series is intended to promote friendly, competitive, and relatively affordable motor racing, using Alfa Romeo cars. Modifications are limited, with the aim of enhancing the acceptability of the Series at classic race meetings and ensuring that all competing cars in a class are of similar specification, so that all competing drivers have an equal opportunity to win the series.
Application of Rules
The Series shall be run under the MSNZ Handbook and these rules.
Entry
Entry is open to all members of the Alfa Romeo Owners Club of NZ (Inc) (AROC) with eligible vehicles and to drivers of other Italian marques (Invited Series Members) who are invited by the Trofeo Committee to join the Series each year.
Eligible Cars
Alfa Romeo cars that comply with the Series class vehicle specifications and these rules, and non-Alfa cars accepted by the Trofeo Committee under the Invited Series Members rule below, are eligible.
All cars must be smartly maintained and presented. Initial and periodic eligibility inspections will be arranged by the Eligibility Officer or Chairman. Series entrants must make their cars available for eligibility inspection as required. Any questions regarding vehicle eligibility or specification shall be decided by the Committee.
Series Class Structure
Series entries are divided into 4 classes for scratch races as follows:
Trofeo Class: Mildly modified Alfa Romeo cars with standard bodywork and interiors and 8 valve boxer engines.
Veloce Class: Alfa Romeo cars with standard bodywork and interiors and engines up to 3200cc with modified brakes, suspension and engines.
GT Junior class: Alfa Romeo cars with modified bodywork, brakes and suspension and interior, with standard specification engines.
GTA Class: Open class Alfa Romeo cars.
In submitting a Series entry, the entrant is required to specify the class entered.
Invited Series Members
Owners of non-Alfa Italian marque cars may apply to the Committee for an invitation to compete as an Invited Series Member for a season. Applications require a full description of the car, including details of all modifications and photographs and information about previous lap times at Hampton Downs Motorsport Park, Pukekohe Park Raceway and Bruce McLaren Motorsport Park (Taupo), if available.
The Committee will rely upon the description provided by the applicant to decide whether the car is suitable for competition in one of the Series classes and to assign the car to a particular Series class. If the Committee is unsure whether a proposed car is entirely suitable for another class, it must assign the car to the GTA class.
Invited Series Members must compete in the class to which they are assigned by the Committee when invited to join the Series annually. All Invited Series Member cars must be maintained unchanged from the specification in which they were accepted by the Committee for the entire season.
Trophies & Prizes
Trophies will be awarded to each Class winner, to the Series Handicap competition winner and to the Overall Series Points winner, determined as follows:
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The Class Winners will be the drivers accumulating the most Class points awarded in Class races for each class in the course of the season. The Handicap Winner will be the driver recording the fewest points in Handicap competition over the course of the season.
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The Overall Points winner will be the person with the highest score produced by deducting their Series Handicap points from their Class points.
Series Event Structure
The Series race meetings for each season should consist of one Manfeild round which may be run at the May Madness meeting, two Taupo rounds, and less than 4 Hampton Downs rounds, and are expected to fall between September each year and the following June. The Series should consist of at least 5 or more race meetings each season. While dedicated Series grids are preferred, Series entrants may be required to race within larger grids arranged by the club hosting the meeting.
To be eligible to join a dedicated Series grid, to score Series points or to receive a Series award, a driver must have entered the Series, compete in an eligible car, and comply with the Series rules.
At each race meeting, the first two races will be for class points. The first will be a scratch race for class points, the second race format (either scratch or handicap reverse grid) will be decided by the committee having regard to the series entries, both overall and by class, and the expected meeting conditions. The chosen format for race 2 will be advised at the series briefing at each round. If no decision is made and advised at the series briefing, the default format will be a handicap race.
5 additional class points shall be awarded for each competitor who enters a series race meeting, completes documentation, attends the series briefing, and starts the programmed series races. No attendance points will be awarded if a member withdraws from the meeting subsequent to completing documentation without advising the meeting secretary and the series co-ordinator or the person preparing the handicap grid at least 30 mins prior to the start of any handicap grid race (unless the committee decides that the reason for the withdrawal was outside the drivers control) If a race meeting is cancelled prior to the meeting date, the meeting shall not count as a Series round and no points will be awarded. Attendance points shall be awarded to entered drivers if the meeting is cancelled on the meeting date.
The third race at each of the Series race meetings shall be a handicap reverse grid race for all Series entrants for the Series Handicap Trophy. The points awarded shall be the same as each driver’s placing among meeting entrants according to the results declared by the meeting Secretary but such that the placings include DNS & DNF results. All DNF entrants listed in the Handicap Race results sheet will be awarded one more point than the last driver who was classified as a finisher. All drivers who are classified as DNS in the Handicap Race results sheet will be awarded one more point than a driver classified as DNF. If there is more than one DNF, the points will reflect the number of drivers classified as DNF.
Drivers not entered in the race meeting will receive 20 points. If there are more than 15 entries, drivers not entered in the race meeting will receive 5 points more than the number of entrants.
The Handicap Trophy winner will be the driver with the fewest points in the last season.
Series and class identification and sponsorship
All cars entered in the series must carry a Series windscreen banner decal of the appropriate class colour for the car. The windscreen banner may be changed from time to time by the Committee to reflect sponsorship arrangements and to provide consistent class and series identification. To facilitate any sponsorship arrangements that may be in place from time to time, as a condition of Series entry and acceptance into the Series grid at any race meeting, competing vehicles must carry a sponsor’s decal/decals if required to do so by the Committee. Sponsors decals will be of a size negotiated with the sponsor/sponsors by the committee and may be of a size up to 210 x 150mm, The committee may require up to 5 decals to be displayed.
Entry to Series Grid by invitation
The Committee may, in its discretion, accept into the dedicated Series grid at any race meeting, on an invitational basis and on such conditions as they see fit to impose, cars or drivers either not entered in the Series, or otherwise ineligible to compete under these rules, subject to the provision below:
Cars driven by invited drivers must meet the minimum safety standard set out by the Class rules.
Drivers competing on an invitational basis (invited competitors) cannot score Series class or handicap points and will take priority for entry behind Series members. No expectations concerning its exercise arise from the existence of this discretion.
Disciplinary
Any Series entrant, including a Committee member, may refer any concern about rule infractions, excessively aggressive driving, unsportsmanlike behaviour or other conduct likely to adversely affect the aims and reputation of the Series to the Chairman or Secretary.
The Chairman and Secretary shall decide whether to give written notice of the concern to the driver seeking a response. Such a reference in writing is required before any disciplinary action can be taken.
After allowing the driver a reasonable opportunity to respond to the concern, the Chairman and Secretary, in consultation with other members of the Committee, shall take such disciplinary action as they see fit. The possible penalties include issuing a written warning or admonishment, deduction of Series points, suspension from the Series for a period or exclusion from the Series. In imposing a penalty, the Chairman and Secretary must have regard to the seriousness of the conduct, the response of the driver and the prior record of the driver.
Finances
The Series shall be financially independent of the Alfa Romeo Owners Club of NZ (Inc).
An annual registration fee is payable to enter the Series. The registration fee for the following year is set each year at the Annual General Meeting (AGM).
Funds will be used to purchase trophies and prizes, and to cover the costs of running and promoting the Series. The Secretary or another assigned Committee member shall look after all funds, keep records of all money transactions and present a financial report for the Series AGM.
The Committee should proceed with promotion and/or sponsorship opportunities, including expenditure of such Series funds as are necessary to co-sponsor or fund Series promotion and the imposition of requirements to display sponsorship decals, in accordance with the wishes of Series entrants reached in the General Business section of the AGM. Guidelines should be presented by the Committee for ratification at each AGM.
Annual and Special General Meetings
The annual general meeting (AGM) of the Series is to be held at the end of the season on a date to be set by the Chairman. The Secretary must receive in writing, all proposed rule changes and nominations for the Committee at least 21 days before the AGM. Remits and nominations must have a seconder. The Secretary must advise all members of all remits and nominations received at least 14 days prior to the AGM.
Election of officers and amendment of the rules and the associated vehicle class specifications can only occur at the AGM or at a Special General Meeting (SGM) called by the Chairman on at least 28 days notice (and, similarly, with nominations or remit proposals received 21 days prior and circulated by the Secretary 14 days prior to the meeting). No more than 2 SGMs, in addition to the AGM, may be called in a 12 month period.
All rule amendments require support by an enhanced majority of a minimum of 60% of the registered entrants present at the AGM or SGM in person or by proxy. Members present who abstain are not counted.
Organisation
A committee of up to 6, being the Series Committee, shall be elected at the AGM or a SGM. Election of officers is by a simple majority of those voting in person or by proxy (excluding abstentions). Nominations, within the timeframe specified in the previous section, may be made for Chairman, Secretary, Eligibility Officer or roles may be assigned by the Committee at the first Committee meeting following the AGM. No nominations for any officer position may be accepted from the floor at the AGM or any SGM if a written nomination has been received for the position in accordance with the procedure specified in the previous section.