What is a Log Book?
A log book is evidence of registration of an automobile with Motorsport Australia. It contains a description and specification of the automobile to which it refers.
Who Needs a Log Book?
A log book is required by all cars that are not road registered in order to compete in all state level and higher speed events (ie supersprints and hill climbs).
Road registered cars are encouraged to obtain a Motorsport Australia log book but this is not a requirement. However, it is recommended that road registered cars competing in the Motorsport Australia NSW Supersprint Championships obtain a log book.
Does a Road Registered Car Need a Log Book?
The short answer is that it doesn’t need a log book but it’s driver can really benefit by obtaining a log book if the car is run regularly in a event that conducts Targeted Scrutiny, such as the Motorsport Australia NSW Supersprint Championships. The greatest benefit is that a car at these events does not need to conduct self-scrutineering or line up for scrutineering at the start of each event. That can be a saving of an hour each morning and a great reduction in the stress and hassle at that peak time. Vehicles without Log Books are also subject to random full inspections at every Round.
There is just the one time cost (with no annual fees) of $97.00 for a Motorsport Australia log book for a road registered car without a safety cage.
If you have a Road Registered car and are competing in the Motorsport Australia NSW Supersprint Championships you can have your car inspected for your new Log Book at one of the Championship Rounds through the year or as otherwise arranged. Please click here to email the Series Scrutineer, Ian Williams, to book a time and date for your Log Book inspection.
What is Targeted Scrutiny?
Log booked cars at Motorsport Australia permitted State level events are automatically included in the Targeted Scrutiny system. Some approved multi club level events also use the Targeted Scrutineering system.
With Targeted Scrutiny, log booked cars do not join the scrutineering queue prior to competition, instead drivers bring their helmet, scrutineering sheet and their log book to Scrutineering for checking.
If the car has not been audited in the last 12 months or if the event is the fourth event since the car has been audited, Scrutineering will retain the drivers log book and scrutineering sheet, and ask the driver the pit location of the car so that they can come around and do a targeted audit later in the day.
Other drivers of log booked cars will have a record of the event entered into their log books and the log books are returned to the driver.
Once the log book check is completed, each driver will be issued with a scrutineering windscreen sticker to apply to their car that will allow them to complete without having their car actually scrutineered.
This system streamlines the entry process for drivers and enables scrutineers to audit targeted cars outside of the early morning peak period.
It should be noted that the above is the minimum. The Chief Scrutineer can require a car to be audited at any time. Poorly presented vehicles are magnets for full audits.
Once a car has been audited, the driver is given their log book back and their car usually won’t require another audit for another 4 meetings.
How Do I Apply For a New Log Book?
1. You need to be the bona fide legal owner of the vehicle in order to obtain a logbook.
2. Please download a New Log Book Application Form, then print it out. Please click here for a list of Motorsport Australia Log Book Forms that you can download.
3. If your car is not road registered, your car must be inspected by an approved scrutineer before a logbook can be issued. Using the link above, please download a list of accredited Motorsport Australia Approved Pre-Log Book Inspection Scrutineers, then contact a Scrutineer that is on this list and who is handy to you It is recommended that you do this before you commence work on your car to make sure that what you plan to do is compliant. This will save you having to make changes in order to get your car approved.
If your car is road registered, please refer to the “Does a Road Registered Car Need a Log Book?” section above that makes this process much easier.
4. Have your safety cage built by a Motorsport Australia accredited workshop and make sure that you obtain a Motorsport Australia Safety Cage Registration Form from them and that the safety cage has a Motorsport Australia Compliance sticker and compliance number attached before you take delivery.
5. Arrange for the Approved Pre-Log Book Inspection Scrutineer to inspect your car and complete the Pre Log Book Scrutineers Inspection Declaration on your Application Form.
6. Take a digital colour photograph of the 3/4 front and 3/4 rear of your car as prescribed in the Log Book Application form and save them in .jpg format.
6. Complete and sign your Application Form, then scan it together with your Safety Cage Registration Form then attach the scanned Application Form, the scanned Safety Cage Registration Form and the two digital photographs of your car to an email and send it to logbooks@motorsport.org. You will receive your new log book back by mail.
What Happens if I Change the Appearance of my Car?
If you make a significant change to the appearance of your car such as painting it another colour, you must send the logbook and new photos to Motorsport Australia. The logbook will be updated and returned to you.
How do I Change or Update Any Details in My Log Book?
If you need to change or update the ownership, engine configuration or any other detail that is recorded in your logbook, download the Motorsport Australia Logbook Change of Details form (using the link above), complete the new details and send it in with your logbook to Motorsport Australia at the address shown on that form.
What if I have a Race Log Book but Don’t Have an FHR?
All cars competing in a Motorsport Australia Speed Event (ie Supersprinting) are required to use a FHR (Frontal Head Restraint system) if the car is subject of a Motorsport Australia Log Book classification that requires the mandatory use of a FHR. This includes RACE, RALLY/ROAD, OFF ROAD or 5th CATEGORY log book classifications.
The use of a FHR is not required for a Road Registered automobile for a SPEED Event, except when it has been log booked to one of the above competition categories which requires the use of one.
If a car has a log book whose category requires the mandatory use of an FHR and that car will only be used at Speed events, the owner can send the car’s log book to Motorsport Australia with a completed Change of Ownership/Details form and request that the Log Book Category be changed to 7 Other, which is a Speed Event only category. Cars log booked to Category 7 are exempt from the mandatory use of FHR at Speed Events, but will not be able to compete in the competition classifications listed in the first paragraph of this section.
A Motorsport Australia Log Book is not required for cars competing in Club and Multi Club level events so the mandatory FHR requirement does not apply to those vehicles.
Questions?
If you have any more questions about log books and Targeted Scrutiny please email the Series Scrutineer, Ian Williams