DLRA

DLRA News Issue 78 has now been released

Speed Week 2022 is CANCELLED!
I can't believe that I'm writing this again, but due to record rainfall over the lake and the surrounding area last weekend we are left with no choice. Over 3 days Mt. Ive received 181mm of rain (more than 60% of it's annual average) with many of the surrounding homesteads receiving similar rainfall (Nonning - 131mm, Buckelboo - 165mm, Kimba - 160mm). This has been an exceptional event and you have to go back to 1974 for the highest recorded totals.
It will be many months if not much longer for the area to recover from this amount of water in such a short time.
There is an estimated 500mm of very dirty standing water on the lake. The rocks at the shoreline under the canteen are not visible. Today there were waves lapping at the shores. You will see from the photos just how much water there is https://www.dlra.org.au/2022-01.htm.
Worse than that, the roads are destroyed. The two creek crossings are washed out and are probably impassable, but definitely would be after a little bit of traffic. The road into Mt Ive station has a very large channel cut across it.
In the only bit of good news, the DLRA camp looks fine.

In making this decision we did consider what feasible options there were, including a postponement, but upon working through them, none of them would have worked for a number of reasons. But most compelling is the widespread damage to all of the sealed and outback roads washed away in the north west region, it is going to take considerable time to effect the prioritized repairs required, plus the work that Mt. Ive will have to go to the homestead and it's private road to get access to the homestead and the lake.
The lake itself will take some time to repair, with dirty water, soil and other debris washed off the surrounding hills onto the lake surface.
We respect the lake and the landowners around the lake and we do not want to be responsible for any further damage or hardship to the region by introducing up to 1000 people to the area.

Entrants for this year's event who have lodged their entry forms and paid their fees please note that these will now roll over until next year. If you wish to apply for a refund, as per the entry form "if meeting is canceled due to adverse weather conditions or force majeure" we reserve the right to withhold $100 to help cover the cost of outgoings that are not recoverable to the club.

Look for further announcements in the coming days and weeks.

We are currently gathering information to make an assessment to determine if Speed Week can still go ahead, look for an announcement later in the week. The main issue is the run off onto the lake from the surrounding hills which have also received record rainfall and the debris that will be washed onto the lake. Plus there is more rain forecast in the next 10 days. We remember after the rain-out in 2011 going back the next year and you could see the layer of red under a thin top layer of salt and that was only a fraction of the rainfall they have had now. We are concerned that even if it does dry up there will be a red lake for some time to come. Plus we need the roads passable to get there and with so much damage to main roads it may be some time before the secondary roads are repaired. See this Channel 9 report

The track layout maps have just been updated for this year. Changes include removal of exit on track 2, re-alignment of support vehicle road on track 1 and re-alignment of fire and rescue vehicles and the road they use. And relocation of Impound to be opposite Technical Inspection.

Most will be aware of the (once in a lifetime) storms and heavy flooding in South Australia right now and the Lake Gairdner area has copped the brunt of it with Mt. Ive seeing 140mm (Kimba 160mm, Buckelboo 165mm) of rain - 58 percent of its annual average on Saturday 24th and another 25mm predicted today. The good news is the weather right through until Speed Week is meant to be mid to high thirties and given that we are still 4 and a bit weeks out from the event, all this water should be well and truly gone by then.

We have been asked by Mt. Ive station to remind those who have booked accomodation and no longer need it to contact the station and let them know of your cancellation. They have many people on a waiting list wanting to get accomodation.

The final inspection of the lake will take place on the 17th February 2022, look for confirmation shortly after that.
There was an inspection just after Christmas and the lake was looking very dry, hard and smooth.

Fully vaccinated international travelers will no longer need to isolate after landing in South Australia and COVID-19 border rules for domestic arrivals have been scrapped. Unvaccinated international travelers must still continue to isolate. Positive cases, regardless of vaccination status, will be able to leave isolation after seven days from their positive test. But SA will continue with a 10-day quarantine period for cases and close contacts and is not following the national definition, pointing to its different circumstances such as lower case numbers, and is instead classifying a close contact as someone living or intimate with a positive case.

Helmets with a Snell rating label of 2010 are due expire on January 1, 2022. The event committee have decided to accept all deviation requests from entrants as it is only an extension of 1 month*.

NOTE: these helmets must be in good serviceable condition with no obvious damage to the helmet.

Helmets with a SA2015 or M2015 still have 4 years of life left. If you are buying a new helmet, look for the SA 2020 or M2020 certification.
Current FIM Homologation or European ECE 22.05 or E 22.05, 2010 or Australian/New Zealand Standard AS/NZS 1698:2006 or newer.

* This is based on the previous experience where entrants were forced to buy new helmets and the event was canceled due to COVID-19.

Unvaccinated arrivals will still be required to quarantine for 14 days. Travelers will also need to take a PCR test within 72 hours of arriving.
Meanwhile in Western Australia, travelers from every State and Territory in Australia will have to quarantine if they want to enter WA from Monday, as the Government introduces new rules for people coming from Queensland and Tasmania. But are still planning to bring down the border on February 5.
And in Queensland, from Monday 13 December 2021 Queensland’s border restrictions have eased. Fully vaccinated people will be able to travel to Queensland without quarantining under certain conditions.

South Australia Covid-19 Restrictions update: Internally they are currently at Level 1 which is just above no restrictions at all. International arrivals are required to undergo 14 day quarantine along with days 1, 5 and 13 testing. Interstate travelers are required to complete border registration and check-in with SA Police. Currently Victoria, ACT and New South Wales travelers are prohibited from entering South Australia.
South Australia will ease its border restrictions for double-vaccinated people from November 23 and there will be 7 days quarantine for vaccinated international travelers, 14 days for unvaccinated authorised arrivals. COVID-19 management plans remain.

Entry forms and tickets for Speed Week 2022 released

Entry forms and tickets for Speed Week 2022 will be released in October 2022