Rod Knock. Organizational. Skills. Club & Racing News January / February 2017

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1 Rod Knock Club & Racing News January / February 2017 Organizational Skills Basically, this is an introductory discussion of what needs to be done during a racing season, what needs to be identified as risk, what processes will be put in place to manage both, and who will do the deeds. Let s explore this at a 50,000 foot level. Most folks agree that most efforts are easier to accomplish if most details are planned and organized ahead of time most of the time. It can be difficult to get through a track day when most of your stuff is left in the garage at home. So, if you re naturally organized (I have been called anal ) you may just have your arms well around the issues. But if you aren t, some suggestions and samples may be in order. A point of interest is how different folks define or limit or confine their sense of organization. How much is enough for you? Are some areas so habitual they take care of themselves? Do some tasks or responsibilities lend themselves to structured organization better than others? Any why oh why do airline pilots go through that same pre-flight checklist over and over again, day in and day out? Don t they get it by now? Aren t they professionals? I watched my granddaughter open Christmas gifts and was amazed at the aftermath. She was organized in her approach to present-opening, but was buried in a pile of boxes and paper toward the end of the evening. She was oblivious to the chaos, which means one of us or the other is confusing Do you have Organizational Ideas, Routines, Habits? Spreadsheets? Lists? Business Plans? Budgets? For Sponsor Solicitation? For Crew? For Pit Set-up? Travel Tips? Share them through the Rod Knock with fellow NSSCC rs. C mon, Brag. Tell us what works: rodknock@nsscc.org organized with neatness. She couldn t find her phone, so we had to call it for her to locate it by the ring tone. That doesn t sound organized or neat. As racing efforts expand and your event attendance increases, a successful team expands as well, both in scope and personnel. That introduces a whole new level of complexity where responsibilities for tasks and details are assigned to other people added to the effort. But whether a Team McLaren or a lone van towing a trailer, a lot of the tasks remain the same. They gotta be done. You simply have to find the most correct framework with which to structure your attack on the track. Create your effort-specific playbook to manage what are the universal steps & tasks within certain Zones of Organizational Structure. Assign a responsibility to the Zones not to blame, but to manage achievement and make the music: The Plan = Me (Objective, Dream, Program) The A-Team = Dad (Who will pull it off for you?) Engineering = _JJ Motorsport_ (The car, safety & speed stuff) Track Day = Mom (Manage/stage your events) Review = Dad (What went right/wrong/why) Acknowledge = Me (Sponsors, People, ThankYous) These Zones have varying complexity and skills requirements. Note, the larger the team, the larger the budget, you will probably participate in the activities within the Zones, but don t have to run the show so to speak so you can concentrate on the driving and, therefore, have the most fun of em all. We ll try to touch on this vague subject on occasion. The March 18th Indoor Drivers School will talk about it some. Other schools will, too. Seek professional help. Editor s Note: Surely you don t have to stick with these terms used for Zones of Organizational Structure for your racing pursuits. Various resources will divide tasks differently, but the puzzle pieces are pretty similar. We re using these major task divisions on Page 3 to help clarify. And, yeah, I know, Don t call me Shirley. Page 1

2 The President Speaks Dear NSSCC Members Well since our last publication of the Rod Knock lots of activity has taken place. First, we had our annual NSSCC awards banquet and Christmas Party which was held at the Old Towne Hall Banquet facility in Crystal Lake, Illinois. As last year, the food was great and the atmosphere was a joyous one as we honored our racing champions and our workers with awards for the 2016 racing season. Next year the banquet will be held on Saturday December 2, 2017, same place, same time so mark your calendars now. The second event of importance that took place was our hosting of the Midwestern Council of Sports Car Clubs 2016 Awards Banquet, which was held at The Ridge Resort in Lake Geneva, WI. It was a great night for our organization and our members. Our membership group stepped up huge in this moment of hosting a banquet of over 150 people. Some notable helpers were Lynn Serra, Scott Durbin, Nancy Mizura, Rob Roderick, Ray Kollock, Larry Noble, Steve Burns, Eric Barnes, Jason Ostrowski, Dave Bralich, Dee Bralich, John Churchill, Mitch Lelito, Mary Lenehan, Eric Lattas, and Wilma Palmer. Without these above individuals I would not have been able to pull off this awards banquet. I for one owe them a huge THANK YOU! It was also a fitting event to close out the tenure of the President of Midwestern Council of Jan-Feb 2017 In This Issue: Pg1 Organizational Skills Ya Need Em Pg2 Our President Speaks Pg2 MCSCC 2017 Season Schedule Pg2 Our Sport s Terminology Explained Pg3 Zones of Racing Organizational Need Pg Class Winners + Council Champs Pg4,5 NSSCC Awards Banquet Pg6 3 Questions Profile: Dave Bralich Pg7 MCSCC Awards Banquet Pg8 Hidden Gems: Yves Boode, HSR Pg9 Rod Knock Tech Tip: Fastener Failure Pg9 Bonus Tech Analysis: Skyactiv Jinba-Ittai Pg9 Mentor Support Available Pg10 Just So You Know Newsclips Pg10 Jack Murphy Salute from NSSCC Friends Pg10 Club Officers and s Pg10 Sponsor Logos Pg11 For Sale: 1981 VW Scirocco Project Pg12 MCSCC 2017 Survey. Please do & Pg13,14 NSSCC 2017 Membership Form Sports Car Clubs, our very own club member Lynn Serra. Lynn did a great job and handed the reigns over to our new President of MCSCC David Wessel, a member of our sister organization Great Lakes Sports Car Club. Now that 2016 is finally in the books, let s all look ahead to the 2017 racing season. First we are hosting our annual Indoor Racing School on Saturday March 18 at Blackhawk Farms Raceway. We are looking for volunteers and whomever wants to spread the word and help newbie s, come on out for that day. Breakfast and lunch will be catered and we will have a form to sign up on Motorsportreg.com soon. Next up is our event we are holding on Memorial Day weekend. We as a club are hosting a Saturday HPDE, Sunday Wheel-to-wheel race, and Monday HSAX for this weekend. The weekend will be titled The Memorial Sweepstakes Celebrating 60 years of Midwestern Council of Sports Car Clubs. We have named this race for two reasons. The first is to pay homage to the Indianapolis 500. When the Indy 500 first started it was titled an International Sweepstakes and was held on Decoration Day, which later became Memorial Day. The second reason was to celebrate the 60 years of Council racing here in the region and to remember its past while building toward its future. More details will be Our Sport s Language: vo- kab-yu-,ler-ee \ n We ll try to make the unfamiliar familiar with this feature. Often newbies of any endeavor are buried in the terminology of the new thing they re trying to conquer. That can only offer barriers to progress. So, in an effort to encourage faster and deeper understanding of the way we seasoned veterans talk, each issue will offer explanations of a couple of terms you may hear us throw around. Data Logging: So much is happening to the racecar on track that an objective review may point out areas of improvement to the driver. Collected speed, g- loading, and accelerate/brake points on track are key. Data tracked and recorded via GPS computer program and overlaid on video will log this data for after -session review on graphs, tables, video. Log Book: This log is the event by event history of the RACE CAR, and it travels with the car from owner to owner creating its story, its successes, its incidents, its idiosyncracies as noted by the owner/drivers. Each sanctioning body will require some form of log book for competition to prove reliability, safety and ownership & performance history. coming out shortly with a racing packet for all to register and see on motorsportreg.com. Our third event for the 2017 season will be a two day High Speed Autocross Championship weekend in October on the weekend of the 7 th and 8 th a Saturday and Sunday. The 7 th will be the 4 th round of the Midwestern Council HSAX Championship for the year end points and awards. The following day will be a non-points day with cash prizes and purses up for grabs, and a National Champion will be crowned. More details and rules will be released at a later date on the October event, since this event needs massive staffing and rules solidified. Our sister club, Chicagoland Sports Car Club, will be helping us with this event, as well as we, in return, helping them staff their traditional event, the Looong Race held the last weekend of October this year on the 28 th and 29 th Membership forms were sent to you either via Constant Contact , or US mail. You should have received forms by now. If you have not gotten either notification, please me at president@nsscc.org. The form is in this Rod Knock as well just in case. Thank you for your support and let s make 2017 the best season to date! Sincerely, Michael Palmer Next Rod Knock Issue: Go to School.Again and.more organizational stuff NSSCC Monthly Meetings held on 3rd Thursday of the month, 7:30 pm in the private room, Sweet Baby Ray s BBQ, Higgins Rd (Rte 72), Elk Grove Village (Board meeting = 7:00pm) MCSCC 2017 Season Schedule Jan 21, 2017 MCSCC Banquet, NSSCC hosting The Ridge Resort, Lake Geneva, WI Feb 25,26 Race & Perf. Expo Booth, Schaumburg March 18 NSSCC Indoor Racing School BHF April Drivers School & W2W Blackhawk May HPDE /HSAX & W2W BHF (NSSCC) June 16,17,18 Staff VSCDA Blackhawk July 1,2,3 HPDE/HSAX & W2W Blackhawk July Drivers School & W2W Blackhawk Aug HPDE/HSAX & W2W Milw. Mile Sept W2W/W2W/Porsche Road America Oct 7-8 HSAX & HSAX Blackhawk (NSSCC) A uniquely new schedule dedicated to Autocross Oct W2W & W2W Blackhawk Dec Banquet, Old Towne Hall, Crystal Lake Page 2

3 Zones of Organizational Structure The Plan No matter where you look, what you read, who you talk to, they re gonna ask, Well, what s the Plan? And somehow, even though you may not have written it down or formalized it yet, we ll bet you have one already. As you seek assistance with your progress toward goals, hired guns will want some pretty specific guidelines from you as to what you want to accomplish. How will you market yourself to gain sponsors? What separates you from other requests to sponsors? How realistic are your goals? Do you have a budget that fits the class & car you define? Is travel, finances, track food, parts, personnel schedules, gas accommodated in the plan to minimize surprises and allow concentration on success? Prior Planning Prevents Poor Performance old proverb The A-Team Eventually, you ll need someone to help out. As time and progress move on, the number of helpers probably will increase. You ll need to define tasks, relationships and responsibilities. And, as you seek out official help, whether hiring expertise to rebuild a motor or book hotel rooms, you are, in fact, developing a racing team. You re entering the realm of being a manager. You re the boss and you ll need to balance happy & sad, done & not done. It s communication and coordination and negotiation at its finest. Starting with friends and family, it may morph into more of a business thing as success underwrites your need to get the best team working on the right jobs at the right time. Develop a capable, strong team that s crosstrained in case of absence, willing to go beyond, proud to be a part of something fun and special. Uniforms & identity wear not only help sponsors, they foster pride. Engineering There a lot of us who like to get our hands dirty. For some of us, that s part of the personal satisfaction we get out of racing. We may have an emotionally favorite car in mind and a couple of parts sources to tap. If we re smart, we ll have a plan of attack with a specific outcome in mind, and maybe have a suitable home shop to perform the magic. But above all, knowing what to do, when, in what order, and testing the results of changes and confirming all s OK on track need to be managed by a clear, objective thought process. Anytime we walk a different path from a manufacturer s engineering design, we may want to equal that brainpower somehow to make sure there is a value to our divergence. Sometimes the hardest step is to admit someone else should do it. The Plan provides me and my help with a fixed, referenceable guideline to objectively act and measure to confirm progress. Track Day Much of what you encounter on the internet and other resources are focused on this organizational zone. How you enable the rubber to hit the road. What to pack, what routines to establish, checklist suggestions to remember it all. Post schedules & checklists on the van for the A-Team. Nothing should be assumed, overlooked. Tiny details can ruin the best plan. (See this month s Tech Tip) The day is successful when all elements come together as a tuned instrument. Elements that fall short should be noted, revisited, revised. Each subtask should have a report card, if nothing else, a completion check and a comment. The success of the day should produce smiles. If disappointment, is it from process failure or not winning? Even so, track time, good or bad after all, is what it s all about! Wheeeeee. Review Analysis The A-Team can start the aftertrack analysis even as soon as the ride home: reviewing notes, discussing observations, checklists, track data, outcomes and even subjective issues that impacted the day s effort. Tasks can be done, but not feel right. The secret to mastery of a skill lies in the locating and repeatedly hitting the sweet spot - where it feels right. And that s not only found in abstract data. Is winning your only mark of success? How do you measure progress toward the goal? Are your metrics purely math? What works consistently? At which tracks? In what weather? They say hindsight is 20/20. Are you building a database from which you can draw proper conclusions? What do others in your class do? What do others not in your class do? Open mind is good. Acknowledgement & Reciprocity At the end of the day, the season, the effort, you have many people to thank for assisting you to live your dream. Maybe better described as an all-consuming passion, right? There are many reasons for folks to step up to lend a hand. Do you know how to identify, appeal to and thank those individuals or entities that were so dedicated to your cause? Sponsors probably have a defined reciprocity they expect as simple as decals on the car, signage in the pit, logo shirts, your car on the lawn at their picnic, etc. Volunteers usually aren t paid, and a thankyou smile and handshake mean a lot. Can you create any other gesture to offer your appreciation in recognition of them doing your thing rather than sleeping late in a warm bed at home? Page 3

4 The Rod Knock January-February 2017 North Suburban Sports Car Club s Official Newsletter NSSCC Event Coverage Awards Banquet, December 3, 2016 Hey, does anyone have a picture of Michael Palmer? Dave Farnsworth Wheel to Wheel Class Champions: Steve Burns ITB Steve Burns ITGT David Farnsworth ITS Chuck Peterson Chuck Peterson ST1 EP James Griffith Gary Cooke SM SP CFF Tim Richmond Walt Kelley Scott Durbin High Speed Autocross Class Champions: AM AS Rob Roderick John Qualich BS DP DS Greg Nemec Dale Szymkowski Edwin Smith XM XP Daniel Speer Jeff DuBeau Edwin Smith BOLD denotes MC Champ Special Awards HSAX Driver of the Year Rob Roderick Jason Ostrowski Rob Roderick Wheel-2-Wheel Driver of the Year Scott Durbin Scott Durbin Nancy Mizura Vintage Driver of the Year Walter Kelley Worker of the Year Nancy Mizura Member of the Year Larry Noble Sportsman of the Year Mark Atkinson Ross Fossbender Enthusiasm Award Jason Ostrowski Special Contributions Award Eric Lattas Larry Noble Hey Guys, I won the free NSSCC membership! Cool!. Joe Porcelli Almost the whole NSSCC Board in one place. And no one is talking! Page 4

5 The Rod Knock North Suburban Sports Car Club s Official Newsletter January-February 2017 Banquet Frolic Fun on Film: Page 5

6 The Rod Knock North Suburban Sports Car Club s Official Newsletter January-February Questions Member Profile Dave Bralich NSSCC Members can answer some questions that help describe their racing passion and history and offer commentary about their cars and experiences. Dave Bralich, who has been enjoying a vintage MGB in Council W2W events, uses those questions to walk us through his track antics for almost two decades. Sometimes known as Cowboy Dave because of his distinctive western attire and smiling cowpoke demeanor, Mr. Bralich is a force present in the tech barn at all Council HSAX events and on the track during the vintage race. He is an active member of the CMGC and has been known to lead a few laps in VSCDA as well. Now, just in case you are sitting around the campfire discussing the value of NSSCC s Not quite ready yet Indoor Drivers School, listen to what Dave says: I started out just with parking lot AX with the ChicagoLand MG Club. In 1999, I came into contact with NSSCC thru the InStill not quite ready yet door Racing School. I only attended to learn how to drive better in the AX events I would compete in. I already knew the Lead Instructor (ML Hillard). It was during these sessions I really got to know ML and him me. Ready! As a member of CMGC, I became quite knowledgeable with how to fix and maintain the MGB. So loaded with this knowledge ML ask me to crew for him. So, like a fool I agreed. I was hooked from the start. I helped out in the paddock every event and joined NSSCC that year. So now we know that our Spring Indoor School tradition attracts qualitaking the X off ty people to the sport and the Club. Cool. Now back to our story. As I recall, Dave said that this all started while he was doing parking lot autocross. What happened next, you ask? Just prior to the Loooong Race in 2000, some friends pointed out in the KLAXON a MGB race car for sale up in Madison. On Saturday afternoon of the Loooong race, I went up to look at it, and came home with a new purchase. I went to MCSCC s racing school on June 9, And got my temp license and have been racing since. Above: On Track at Full Song Below: At the 2015 Race Expo with Mike Palmer & Lynn Serra Now comes the mysterious part. It seems that most of the NSSCC members we feature on these pages become involved in the Club beyond the track. Must be fun and rewarding..and, it may be proven addictive. Back in May of 2012 Lynn Serra called me and asked if I could help out at the next event. The current Chief of HSAX Tech had to step down and they needed someone to work the next event. I should have known that by saying yes to the ONE event would be a longer commitment than just the one time. Many critical functions must occur at both W2W and HSAX events before any tires can be spun in anger. Some folks find out, often accidentally, that they are well suited to manage those functions to all our benefit. I worked the first two events of the year with the help the sponsoring clubs. On the third event, my crew chief (Dee) was tired of not seeing me at our paddock. But instead of asking me to stop, she joined in on the fun. In 2017, this will be our 6th year doing this. Dee loves to see all of the drivers. We both look forward to seeing all of you during the course of the 2017 season. Thanks Dave and Dee.Ed With Dave busy inside, Dee helps out a newbie get through HSAX tech Page 6

7 The Rod Knock North Suburban Sports Car Club s Official Newsletter January-February 2017 MCSCC Banquet January 21, 2017 This year it was NSSCC s Party to Host! The Ridge Resort Lake Geneva Wisconsin Page 7

8 Hidden Gems Yves Boode, HRC, VSC Priceless Healey Old world skills practiced here Lucky us in the Chicago mega-metro area, we are surrounded by expertise. Seek, and ye shall find, and in this case, Bob Kendall, NSSCC corner worker, blogger, and historian used his Facebook skills to find Yves Boode. Seems like some of us have already discovered this hidden gem from a search or word of mouth, driven by need. The Woodstock, Illinois, workshop and multi-business operates under two names Historic Race Cars and Vintage Sports Car. HRC is listed in the sponser tab on Midwestern Council s website, and is actively involved in vehicle repair and prep for current MC vintage drivers. Yves brings an eclectic European racing pedigree to our shores, first mastered in his Netherlands homeland, and expanded in multiple participations in Recycled Wisdom: A truly happy person is one who can enjoy the scenery on a detour Martini MK9 F3 Same rare carb for the Maserati the famed Mille Miglia, most recently in a Siata. His stories of the political, social, local pride and overall confusion of the Roman road rally are as enlightening as fascinating. His exotic accent and wry smile add to the romance of the adventure. Yves has been driving on American tracks (Road America receives mixed reviews) for decades with Council and VSCDA. I m guessing his favorite ride was the 1972 Martini F3 pictured above. But his stories of Mille Miglia and the Italian culture it s spawned seem to hold special meaning. But, like others drawn to preservation of special old cars, he brings a unique passion to his rare and interesting projects. The day we visited he was describing the difficulties obtaining (now forcing fabrication) carb jets for the Maserati s Webers and brake drums for the DB HRB5. Even locating the rare carbs themselves was a year-long effort, but now tuning them to the specific need is now art mixed with science, with a splash of manufacturing. So casting and machining has become a dimension of the business by necessity. He muses about the amount of worldwide demand there may be for new Deutch- Bonnet brake drums. Interesting business Early Alfa 2500 triple carb Italian art plan. The shop is like other old-world metal artisans hangouts. Miracles are common. Pride is evident throughout. Highend cars and owner expectations are welcomed. Cars are fixed, returned to owners and most are well-used to match the original manufacturer s intent for track or rally use. All s well. A red Healy from the 50 s was sitting in all its racing decal splendor minus motor & trans. The motor was finished and waiting for the mating of a Getrag trans via custom machined-from-billet flywheel and throwout bearing set-up before re- turning to Mile Miglia duty. A red Maserati was minus its engine waiting for the aforementioned rare carbs to be hand tuned. Seems that jets aren t available at AutoZone, so, testing to determine correct size is through trial & error, weld & drill until perfect. A noted exception was an Al Capone era wooden wheeled 4-door Oldsmobile sedan. It was from a floor display in the old Motorola HQ lobby, and was in the shop to get functional again. It is a car with it s own real history: The first mobile radio. Pretty much done, now waiting for returning chrome bling to make it complete again. No Mille Miglia candidate, but also treated with the utmost respect. And don t even get me started about the cars in his storage space. By the way, the historic town of Woodstock has plenty of charm in its own right. It s recent history includes being the filming site of the Bill Murray movie Groundhog Day, so it s fitting this feature is in the February edition of the Rod Knock...Ed Fiberglass Deutch-Bonnet HRB5 Page 8

9 Rod Knock Tech Tip: A look at a new fastener issue.. On several occasions Rod Knock has gleaned valuable insight from the pages of Grassroots Motorsports magazine, and here we go again, boys & girls. GRM has a 2012 Mustang GT project car that is being built as a streetable autocrosser for NASA s CAM class, which basically targets pony cars. It s a typically thorough and detailed build story fitting the quality of the magazine and its personnel. The December 2016 issue took a bit of a detour from their plan so they can report on a big oops. The oops involved a near disaster with one of the aftermarket improvements that could similarly surprise any of us who drive our modifications to the track as it did them. And if we re assigning fault, it was not the manufacturer s it was the owner-installer s. So far the Mustang has been vinyl wrapped with badging and numbers, received big BFG rubber & 18 x11 wheels, tuned and tweaked, and scientifically suspension redesigned and Watts linked, and other cool stuff. The car was driven to SCCA Solo II Nationals in Nebraska from its Florida home. After the third run, the Watts link s center pivot had dropped to the ground, coming loose from the differential cover bolt location, dragging ominously, but little damaged. The article goes into CSI-level detail about its NORD-LOCK installation and the failure diagnosis. Instructions from the manufacturer were dutifully followed to retorque Watts link wedge-locking bolts 99% of the time. Except for the runs on the practice course. Also to blame was the long drive to Nebraska on undulating pavement and rhythmic expansion joints, heavy gear and people loading, essentially beginning to work itself loose. The errant parts were recovered from the course and were remarkably damage free. Things went back together just fine, but the experience did raise a few questions. The campfire talk now became how to prevent a repeat, with what kind of fastener options, and any changes to pit routines. The decision was to use wedge-locking washers with a pinch of thread locking compound. The writer listed a wide range of locking fastener options. Data points that were considered were use parameter pros/ cons, cost, availability, re-use, strength and reliability. Bonus Rod Knock Tech Analysis Skyactiv is an overarching descriptor of Mazda s marketers for lighter, efficient engines, transmissions, body, driver assists, and other component contributors to the Zoom Zoom driving experience. The technical mantra behind the labelling is said to be total design theory that improves economy, reduces emissions & enhances Jinba-Ittai the sense of connectedness between car & driver that differentiates Mazda. Technical elements that bundle to accomplish this objective are multihole direct injection, high(er) pressure fuel delivery, high(er) cylinder compression (13:1 USA, 14:1 Other), exhaust magic applied to both gas and diesel motor variants. Transmissions are lighter and more compact. Bodies (and chassis) are designed for optimal load distribution. Driver software actively improves stability and safety and offers programmable degrees of fun. OK. So you ask why is what Mazda doing so uniquely different than other manufacturers? Darned if I know. Seek out a friendly Mazda driver at the next event and ask if it s more than just brochure rhetoric. The next leap of engineering? Homogenous Charge Compression Ignition, or HCCI. Mazda is pretty much alone in its quest to master this magic: a gasoline engine that ignites its fuel charge with compression, not sparkplugs. A nod to the diesel world to some degree. Mazda was once also alone in the pursuit of an off-beat technology that employed rotors, not pistons. Successfully, I might add..ed 1. cap: a friend of Odysseus entrusted with the education of Odysseus son Telemachus 2. a: a trusted counselor or guide b: TUTOR, COACH men-tor-ship \-,ship\ NSSCC Mentor available: \ men-to(e)r, ment-er \ n [L,fr.Gk Mentor] n 3. a: colloquial v NSSCC usage i.e., [to mentor] of or pertaining to darn valuable insight and assistance of mind, body, and vehicle to promote safe, fast, fun racing b: a strong breath mint n Mentor@nsscc.org can connect you with an experienced club member that can answer, obfuscate, and open horizons. Page 9

10 Just So You Know.. Source: Washington Post, December 2016: Honda: People love (or hate) their cars. With the unveiling of Honda s NeuV, the feeling may be reciprocated. The January Consumer Electronics Show was pegged to be the event that introduces a concept vehicle that will be able to understand the driver s emotions, and, in turn develop emotions of its own. AI software jointly developed with Softbank will enable the car to grow up with its driver, share experiences, prompting the driver s stronger emotional attachment. To quote every Valley Girl movie: Eeeeeeee-yuuuuuu Source: Daily Herald, AutoThursday section, November 24, 2016: Jaguar: How about a facial recognition software than unlocks your car for you? Yes a selfie has a functional purpose in the future. Jaguar-Land Rover filed a patent in October for car-mounted cameras that will observe face and gait (as you walk toward the car?) to identify owners. Seems that the popular fad of keyless entry, auto-unlocking fobs, whatever, is a cheap challenge to thieves. My cheeks and hips are harder to synthesize, I guess. Another Eeeeeeee-yuuuuuu Source: Daily Herald, AutoThursday section, November 24, 2016: 1:6 Scale Die-Cast Model Engines: This is unique enough for a mention. Remember the Visible V-8 (which can still be found in hobby shops)? They were fun and instructional. But generic and big. Seems that Liberty Classics have expanded our hobby-fetish selection to include a sampling of iconic Ford, Chevy, Chrysler engines.. 12 motors, stock & race & hot-rodded for $40..with remarkable detail like wiring and removable air cleaners that reveal wonderfully lifelike carburetors. If I read the website correctly, there are even moving parts to mesmerize the other folks at your house gathering for the club meeting. Try Cool..Ed 2016 NSSCC Board President, Michael Palmer President@nsscc.org Vice President, John Saccameno VicePresident@nsscc.org Treasurer, Scott Durbin Treasurer@nsscc.org Secretary, Mitch Lelito Secretary@nsscc.org Competition Dir./Club Steward, John Saccameno W2WSteward@nsscc.org HSAX Competition Director, Eric Barnes Autocross@nsscc.org V/H Competition Director, Jason Ostrowski Vintage@nsscc.org Membership Chairperson Jim Kane Membership@nsscc.org Rod Knock Editor Larry Noble RodKnock@nsscc.org Jack Murphy Murph Another NSSCC Friend Passes It is with great sadness that we are writing about the passing of Jack Murphy. Jack was one of those guys everyone was drawn to. He was always having fun especially racing cars which most recently was a Mazda Miata. Whether autocrossing or wheel to wheeling, touring Autobahn Country Club, Mazda or Porsche, he always had a smile on his face and (after a closed track) a beer in his hand. There wasn t an MCSCC r who didn t say He was the nicest guy or Whatta great guy! Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends. Services were held on December 28, 2016, at Williams-Kampp in Wheaton. Wind at your back, Jack The Rod Knock is the official news publication of The North Suburban Sports Car Club. The publication is provided to North Suburban Sports Car Club members as part of the annual membership deliverable and commitment from the Club. material published herein may be reprinted provided that usage is credited to the author, and North Suburban Sports Car Club. Opinions expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Board of Directors of North Suburban Sports Car Club, the Midwestern Council of Sports Car Clubs, or it s Bod. Article submission is encouraged and accepted in MS Word format via . When submitting photos or artwork, please request the material to be returned if that is desired. Electronic copies of photos should be sent as attachments. Questions and comments should be directed to the Rod Knock Editor: RodKnock@nsscc.org. Page 10

11 Rod Knock Classifieds Rod s List So far, most of the for sale items listed this year have been offered by your Rod Knock editor Larry Noble, Rolling Meadows larrynoble@att.net. Our intent was to start a footprint in the newsletter for your selling needs. A cleaner garage. Fewer parts to step over in the basement. Clear out the last project s leftovers. Here s MY leftover! Volkswagen Scirocco PROJECT CAR, not finished: Spent Summers elevated in the garage for suspension, brakes, gas line, fuel pump, gas tank, valve job. Winters in driveway under cover. Moved in/out seasonally since View the world from under a car! Some summers get more done than others. Originally bought in 2000 to convert to IT racecar, but too much fun on the street. Put aside to do component replacements with HSAX in mind. I allowed bad gas to do bad things. All gas system new parts purchased, not installed yet... In the middle of running new line and gas tank purge & cleaning. Add new pump & accumulator & filter, then vroom vroom. Was billed as California Car when I bought it, but large part of its adult life was in the Midwest. Lots of spares and documents and factory manuals and stuff. $ If interested, contact me (use info above) for more details. Larry Noble Here s where you come in. Have any items you d like to list in our Club s newsletter? Just description, price, photo(s) and contact info to Rod- Knock@nsscc.org at your convenience. Use Larry s contact information above if you prefer. Hey, this has a better chance for money than winning the lottery. Oh Yeah, One Last Thing Speaking of being organized. Do you like checklists? Yep, me too. Can you think of any more deserving things to create a checklist for than these? OVERALL CAR PREP - TRAILER - TOW VEHICLE - PARTS LIST - ACCOM- MODATIONS - PRE-RACE - AT THE TRACK - POST-RACE - STORAGE - SPONSORS - POST TRACK REVIEW - GUESTS - WEATHER - OFFICIAL DOCUMENTATION - PRIORITIES - OTHER TEAM s GOOD IDEAS NOTED IF IT WORKS, REPEAT. WANT TO DO IT, MAKE A CHECKLIST. USE YOUR CHECKLISTS. Real Estate Laws that suck: It s illegal to wear roller skates in a bathroom in Portland, Oregon, and to sing in a tub anywhere in Pennsylvania. (Hey, that s a checklist!) Bumper sticker: Who Needs Santa? I ve Got Grandma Page 11

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