JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2011 THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF NORTH SUBURBAN SPORTS CAR CLUB. The Rod Knock January / February 2011 Page 1

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1 JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2011 THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF NORTH SUBURBAN SPORTS CAR CLUB The Rod Knock January / February 2011 Page 1

2 THE ROD KNOCK January/February 2011 In This Issue: Call To Grid: Resolutions 2010 NSSCC Awards Banquet Triumph GT6 Racing Dreams Pt.1 HSAX News Volunteerism BOD Meeting Minutes Classifieds 2011 NSSCC Elected Officers President / Rod Knock Editor Brian Garcia President@nsscc.com Vice President Scott Durbin VicePresident@nsscc.com Treasurer John Churchill-Treasurer@nsscc.com Secretary Tom Tarr Secretary@nsscc.com 2011 Appointed Board Positions Chairman Lynn Serra Chairman@nsscc.com Membership Chairperson Jim Kane Membership@nsscc.com Competition Director / Club Steward John Saccameno W2WSteward@nsscc.com High Speed Autocross Director Eric Barnes Autocross@nsscc.com Vintage/Historic Director Kevin Palmer-Vintage@nsscc.com Program Chairperson Dave Bralich ProgramChair@nsscc.com ON THE COVER False Grid in White Technically, it was still fall when this taken but you wouldn t have known it by taking a stroll down the false grid at Blackhawk Farms that day.. Photo: Brian Garcia The Rod Knock January / February 2011 Page 2

3 CLUB CALENDER NSSCC AND OTHER EVENTS OF INTEREST 2/11-2/20: Chicago Auto Show McCormick Place, Chicago IL 2/17: NSSCC Board of Directors / General Membership Meeting* Guest Speaker: Tony Kester IMSA racer and Autobahn Country Club 2/26-2/27: Race & Performance Expo Pheasant Run Resort St. Charles, IL 3/4-3/7: World of Wheels Show Donald E. Stephens Conventions Center, Rosemont IL 3/17: NSSCC Board of Directors / General Membership Meeting* 3/19: NSSCC Indoor Racing School Autobahn Country Club, Joliet, IL 3/27-3/28: CHUMP CAR at Road America Tony Kester Autobahn Country Club Professional Driving Instructor and former IMSA driver will be the guest speaker at February s NSSCC general membership meeting. Have an idea for a guest speaker? Contact Dave Bralich: H Al\ProgramChair@nsscc.comA dkins Kester in ALMS Action *NSSCC Board of Directors and General Membership meeting are held the third Thursday of every month at Ritzy s in Rolling Meadows. The Board of Directors meeting begins at 7 p.m. sharp with the General Membership meeting immediately following. All are welcome to attend! Ritzy's Cafe and Backerei Algonquin Road Rolling Meadows, IL (847) The Rod Knock January / February 2011 Page 3

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5 CALL TO GRID From the Workbench of the President January/February 2011: Resolutions I ll be perfectly frank I hate winter. While mother nature blessed the human being with many wonderful advantages in this world, we got the shaft when the decision was made on which species get to hibernate. If I could, I d start storing fat right after the Long Race and would then sack out until it was time for Sebring. To be honest, I seem to half of that equation down already The cold temperatures and unrelenting cloud cover can suck the life right out of you and lull you into a false sense that you have all the time in the world to get ready for next season. There are always exceptions, of course. I am sure there are some members that unloaded their cars after the last race, immediately began their off season to do list, have worked diligently throughout the winter (in a nice heated shop if they re lucky) and are well on their way to being ready for tech. Most of the racers that I have talked to in the last month had done some teardown in the fall but were hoping for some relief from the cold to jumpstart work on the car. I am somewhere in between. I have worked through the fall and winter in streaks interrupted by family and work and, occasionally, the lure of a warm couch and it s relative merits over a cold concrete garage floor. Hey nobody s perfect. But, as cliché as I find New Years resolutions to be, I have decided to use the new calendar (or, more appropriately, the end of the first month of the new calendar) as a rallying point from which my assault on procrastination will begin. I had to find something useful to associate with January since it and February are 59 days of meteorological crap and, as such, useless as far as I m concerned. Since I have been pretty good about keeping the momentum going in the garage, the challenge will to approach the other aspects of my racing life (tow vehicle maintenance, club paperwork, race planning, etc.) with the same level of commitment. That s easier said than done. Race cars are cooler than computers. Always. Sorry Mac guys but it s true is another busy year for NSSCC and it starts sooner than you may realize. We start off at Autobahn Country Club on March 19th with our Indoor Racing School. A flyer for the school can be found in this issue of the Rod Knock. Please pass it along to anyone that you feel would be a good match for the event. The primary function of the day is to provide an orientation to those looking to get a start with race staffing, high speed autocross, or wheel to wheel racing. We want to give them a feel for Midwestern Council competition and North Suburban Sports Car Club as an organization. Track touring around the full Autobahn Circuit will be offered (weather permitting) after the classroom portion of the days activities. This year, there will be a $20 fee for students wishing to participate in track touring. This fee can be applied toward 2011 NSSCC membership dues as an incentive to get them to join the club. Getting those students to sign up as members allows us to continue to help them though our mentor program and other club activities. We want members, but we want members that participate more. We need help that day to answer questions, greet guests, hand out materials, and also lead conga lines for track touring. Please contact me if you are able to help. For race events, NSSCC stepped up and took two weekends this season. On August 27th and 28th, we will host another double race weekend at Road America. Last year s event was a great success thanks to all of the volunteers that made it possible. It goes without saying that we need help again. Please check out the Corner Station later in this issue for more details. Five weeks after Road America we will host a HSAX event at Autobahn South on October 4th and a W2W event on October 5th. That s a short turn around time between events but I am confident we can pull it off. No other club was willing to take on either event and in both cases, if we can t pull off successful weekends we risk losing those tracks from the schedule. We can t afford to let that happen. As I write this, the weather forecasts are calling for snow for the next four days and spring feels a long way off. If you re not feeling up to a cold garage just yet, get the ball rolling by getting your membership, license, and medical renewals taken care of and mark your calendars for the IRS, Road America, and Autobahn South. I m sticking to my resolution. Now if I could just do something about that hibernation fat storage The Rod Knock January / February 2011 Page 5

6 LAST LAP OF 2010 NSSCC BANQUET On November 20, NSSCC held its annual awards banquet at Chicago Indoor Racing in Addison, IL. Before the dinner and awards, attendees were able to turn a wheel in anger one last time for the year on CIR s karting track. It was a great way to wrap up the season and also a fine venue in which to salute the achievements of our members both on and off the track. Congrats to our winners and thanks to all of those who attended NSSCC W2W Season Points Champions DP Justin Enlow* GT1 Phil Daus* ITGT Robert Currey* ITB Steve Burns* GP Richard Larson* ITS Charlie Peterson* ST2 Egidjius Sadauskas* SM Jason Stiplosek ITA Ray Cuenca SSC Michael Donlan* FA Rudy Mazzeo* CFF Scott Durbin* S2000 Rob Wismer* SREN Neil Rodgers * Denotes MCSCC 2010 NSSCC HSAX Season Points Champions C Race Tim Bellamy* E Race Meghan O Malley* Street Mod Carl Komosa* Street Restricted Bill Minor* X Stock James Mikucki* A Stock Robert Dudek* B Stock Jason Kroot* C Stock John Qualich* D Prepared Greg Donlon* D Stock James Morris* E Prepared Chuck Larsen E Stock Scott Lampe* 2010 SPECIAL AWARD RECIPIENTS W2W Driver of the Year Charlie Peterson W2W Rookie of the Year Egidjius Sadauskas HSAX Driver of the Year Carl Komosa HSAX Rookie of the Year Megan O Malley VH Driver of the Year Bill Oakes Worker of the Year Nancy Mizura Member of the Year Jim Kane Thanks to our Awards Raffle Sponsors: Blackhawk Farms Raceway Victory Lane Magazine Road America Wonderland Multivintage Advanced Autosports River Front Chrysler Scott Durbin Jim and Barbara Kane Burt Levy Autobahn Country Club Brian Garcia Ritzy s Café The Rod Knock January / February 2011 Page 6

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8 TRIUMPH RACING DREAMS COME TRUE By Jason Ostrowski VH COMPETITOR Part One The Evolution of GT6 Race car Blood Racing and the MCSCC way of life run in my blood. My fingernails have underneath them the deep black dirt of Blackhawk Farms going back to All my dreams have always been about the race track. First it was my father, racing a Triumph GT6 for ten years in Council and his friends and competitors (my heroes) fueling the visions and noises of my dreams. Me, 30 years ago, a fixture at M.C. events. Then myself, road racing Go Karts on the national level, quite simply, living to race and racing to win. After about 20 years of fun and several years of championship contention, all good things in karting came to an end. It seemed like I was spending more money to race for the win in tiny go karts than many people spend racing automobiles. I had a nagging urge to go back to my roots and buy a vintage race car. For me it would have to be a Triumph GT6. Our family still owns the car that my Dad raced in the seventies and eighties. It is a Showroom Stock period correct restoration which prohibits it from serious racing. The recent and ongoing frame off project has produced a gorgeous example of a factory fresh, gleaming paint beauty. The car is more suited to occasional laps and car shows than the strains of even our friendly gentleman s racing in current vintage sanctioning bodies. Although I love and cherish it, the cars last race was in 1985 and we re going to keep it that way. I needed something faster, stronger and more race worthy if I was going to race in Midwestern Council and VSCDA. Because of great childhood memories helping my Dad and my unique relationship with lifelong friend and childhood hero John Reed, I have been infatuated with GT6 s since birth. John s racing legacy spans 3 decades and includes wins, championships and some 300 races in his locally and Triumphniche famous 1969 Triumph GT6+. He raced against my Dad back in the day and I always rooted for one of them to win in Showroom B. Then later as young teen ager, with my dad racing in Showroom and John racing in D Production I had two GT6 s to race prep and cheer on, as well as several years learning the lessons of life around MCSCC campfires. Those days, in the true spirit of The Giant Killer, The Rod Knock January / February 2011 Page 8

9 TRIUMPH RACING DREAMS COME TRUE the little GT6 in D prod would often be seen as a mighty underdog, begrudgingly poised on the grid next to overpowering, fire breathing, GT1 Corvettes and beastly sounding Camaros for the big production races. In my eyes it was a sight to be seen and a race not to be missed. It was not uncommon for the cute and innocent, tiny little, poor man s Jaguar E type to come out ahead. The little beast had just enough meat on its bones to hang on in the straits and light as a feather, with someone like John Reed driving a demon on the breaks able to dive into the turns and hold off many of those giants in the twisty bits. Photographic moments like that are somehow embedded in my memory and those times of my life are simply magical. My Dad and I working on the car until all hours of the night, my heroes racing for the win, fixing broken cars in the paddock, the glow of the campfire and the deep woods of Blackhawk Farms and the Iceman campground near Road America echoing stories of triumph and defeat are my best memories and the fuel for my racing desire. Greg Ostrowski Heading into Turn 5. The Fiercely Contested Showroom B. My 2 GT6 Heroes Racing Nose To Tail At Blackhawk Farms I lost touch with John for about fifteen years. I was racing karts and he was still developing and beating the hell out his GT6 in Vintage. I thought about him and the car often during that time. In the year 2000, I was walking on vendor s row after the 1 st F1 race at the speedway in Indianapolis. I was tipsy, feeling nostalgic towards racing and thinking about how I could find a GT6 to race. There was a stand selling books and I recognized the distinctive voice of ride mooch Burt Levy hawking the crowd with luring tales of his storied racing folklore. (Burt raced against my dad in his blazingly fast Alfa back in the day. I knew him well but I m sure he didn t know me. I was just a mere Track Brat back when, decades ago, he raced with my dad. However, I was with my dad and Burt did remember him. And In typical Burt form was quick to point out that my dad didn t race with him rather behind him. ) Whatever. I knew he was a friend of my long lost pal and GT6 Hero John Reed. Perfect. I said to Burt, The Rod Knock January / February 2011 Page 9

10 TRIUMPH RACING DREAMS COME TRUE Have you seen John Reed in a while? Seen him in a while? He s right over there. I was in shock. What were the chances? There he was with a 16oz Bittburger beer in hand, just as I remembered him. Instantly, we picked up right where we left off and I was at his next race, a big one The Brian Redman race at Road America. For the next 7 years I went to all his races as crew and friend. He raced every important event on the Vintage circuit in the Midwest we raced a lot. It was great. We even went all the way down to VIR for a special all Triumph race. Virginia International Raceway is a beautifully revived and world class track with great history. I was learning everything there is to know about the GT6 and it was so fun. I was learning great lessons about racing sometimes you win sometimes the car breaks. John Reed at the wheel of the Zippy Racing GT6. Three decades of Triumph persistence, snarling its way to the front. All this time I was looking for a car to buy. For one reason or another I could not ever seem to get the timing right with having enough money to spend when a decent car came up. Or, more importantly, good racing GT6 s just weren t out there. About 30,000 Triumph GT6 s were sold in the U.S from 1967 to Of those, maybe a couple hundred were made into race cars. Forty years later, few decent race cars survive. I had toyed with the idea of building my own, but was repeatedly told that it was a bad idea. I knew exactly what I wanted, but it turned out to be a needle in the haystack when it came to finding one. Then, one magical day, I was working in Indianapolis. In a down time while working I typed into a Google search GT6 racecar For Sale Indianapolis. Bang, in bold writing, an exact hit. There was a GT6 race car with significant racing history for sale in Indianapolis. I made the phone call, set up an appointment and went to see the car. It was nice. Right there was the car of my dreams. However, it was about 3 times what I was willing to spend what I thought the car was worth. I was sick, but realistic, he was asking more than what the 1969 Group 44 championship winning GT6 had sold for just a few years before. Granted, I knew the car, and I knew its history. I had been searching for this car for almost 10 years. Ironically, I actually had a photo of the car racing at the SCCA Runoffs at Road Atlanta in 1972 as the screen saver on my computer. But, too much is too much. I knew as much if not more about the car The Rod Knock January / February 2011 Page 10

11 TRIUMPH RACING DREAMS COME TRUE than the owner. He bought it twelve years ago and had never raced it. He had taken it out to a couple of track days. It was well maintained. But had been sitting for years with very minimal use. I showed my interest but was like With all due respect, and from someone who would really, really, like to own this car you just want too much money. Here s a shot of the car, battling for 4 th place in the esses at the SCCA Runoffs 1972, with driver David Dooley Going like Hell. I left. Sad, dejected, and feeling cheap and broken like I had left the chance of a lifetime. Dammit, I had been throwin`g money in my sock drawer for years waiting for a car like this to come up but this was too much money. I went home and counted my money. Yep. Not enough. I actually had saved up a decent amount but not near what he was talking. I let it go. That was February. I tried to put it out of my mind but thought about it quite often. I had a baby on the way anyway. Six months after I had gone to see the car, the guy called me out of the blue. Hey, Jason? Listen my situation has changed. If you re still interested, I d like you to make an offer on the car. I was surprised but optimistic. I ran to my secret stash where I had added more money regularly in hopes that I would be more prepared next time. Here it was. I counted my cash and called him back with what I had. He raised me a bit and a deal was made. It came with spares galore, log books listing races since 1971 and most importantly, the car had competed in the SCCA RUNOFFS, 1971, 72, 73, 74. In my mind, perhaps The Rod Knock January / February 2011 Page 11

12 TRIUMPH RACING DREAMS COME TRUE the most significant privately owned Triumph GT6 of all time. It raced against the factory teams of British Leyland, the Bre Datsun s, and factory Jensen Healy s. Big teams and builders such as Group 44, Kas Kastner, Mothers Meuller, raced right along side this baby back in the day. I was in Heaven. The car was mine. My Dad and I drove down to pick the car up on Labor Day. It came with a major spares package and an open trailer. I completely filled the back of my Sprinter with boxes and boxes of parts, extra race motor, blocks, heads, cams, rear ends, transmissions, gears, bodywork, gauges, wheels two and three of just about everything Did I mention I was in Heaven? We paid for everything, hitched the trailer, pushed the car on and tied it down. Driving home, about 30 miles from home, I looked in the rear view mirror and saw one of the tie down straps bouncing along the road way. No big deal I had used three straps at the front and a huge chain in the back. Problem was with the construction on 294 there were two lanes of quickly moving holiday traffic and absolutely no way to pull over as the concrete barriers were almost too close for comfort just normally driving along the road way. I was starting to sweat already and then I heard a loud series of clunks and bangs and could see strap number two bouncing, like a crazed sparking firework, the hook dancing between my van, the trailer and the ground. I was freaking out. I had not driven the car one foot and it was going to end up in the ditch on the way home, a mangled pile of twisted nothingness. In the most agonizing five minutes of my life I slowed to about 40 miles an hour and limped the car to a narrow unintended emergency pull off area. I was drenched in the sweat of stress and my voice was horse from stringing together a world record run on sentence of high volume swear words something I learned from my father in those long nights of working on the race car as a kid. With semi trailers whizzing past inches away, I used every strap, bungee cord, rope, block of wood and blanket I had in the truck to get home the last twenty five miles. So not without drama, we got the car home in one piece. Lifelong Triumph dreams had come true. I was in Heaven. The story continues next month VINTAGE HISTORIC NOTES 2010 Season Stats In 2010, 59 different drivers participated in the VH class of Midwestern Council Competition 48 of those 59 drivers were Midwestern Council members 24 of the 48 Midwestern Council drivers were NSSCC members. The next closest club was Madison (6) Participation from outside Midwestern Council broke down as follows: VSCDA (8), SCCA (2), SVRA (1) Participation by event in VH: BFR 4/18: 16 RA 8/14: 26 ACCN 5/23: 12 RA 8/15: 20 BFR 5/30: 22 MM 9/5: 5 BFR 7/19: 10 ACCS 10/3: 11 Grattan 7/24: 4 BFR 10/21: 30 Grattan 7/25: 3 Total: 159 The Rod Knock January / February 2011 Page 12

13 CIR TO HOST CHARITY ENDURO Chicago Indoor Racing and Continental Motors of Naperville have teamed up with DuPage PADS for a 6 Hour Team Endurance Race for Charity - the Drive for 25! DuPage PADS is a non-profit organization with the mission of ending homelessness in DuPage County. To commemorate the 25th Anniversary of DuPage PADS, the goal is to raise $25,000 to support programs that provide housing, job training and other support services to assist men, women and children who are homeless. Space is limited and pre-registration is required. CCONTACT EITHER CIR LOCATION FOR MORE EVENT INFORMATION The Rod Knock January / February 2011 Page 13

14 Volunteerism BY Faarge DeVilbiss Faarge DeVilbiss, here, Professional Observationalist. When I worked for the Detroit Zoological Society many careers ago I found myself in the remote Burmese jungle sifting through a rare white tiger s scat for bacterium rareabellum to prove my origin of the species theory. It was a dirty job, but no-one else would do the research and data gathering. But, when forced into elemental tasks, it s surprising what can be learned from life s basics. There are a lot of lessons that can be applied from those dung mining days to current daily life in the Chicago metroland area. Uh.No, no there aren t. I lied. I don t usually do that. But I needed a perky opener for a relatively awkward, touchy, sometimes irritating, and here-we-go-again boring subject matter: Volunteering. I guess it s like preaching to the choir. Although, I never reeeealy understood what they meant by that. Does that mean that the choir has heard it all already so they don t need any more preaching? They re the regulars so the preaching is wasted on them?.but I digress. I volunteer once, maybe twice each season. No applause, please, I do it because it performs a mindcleansing and to get another little taste of a cargasm. It s so easy to get worked up all over again with the noises and the smells and the colors and the speed and the teeth clenching. You can t beat being there. Peering through the quiet cool of the moist morning air to see people emerging, uncovering their rides, wiping off the newness of the day, you can feel the anticipation. Your senses come alive. Registration is bustling with impatience. No matter how early I get there, I always think I shoulda come earlier. No one likes to wait in line unless you re on the grid waiting for the start. Registration is a great vantage point to see the arriving transport rigs event after event. And always wish for a good turnout. Rejoice when your enemies appear looking eager to beat you. Racing alone misses the point. Be surrounded by worthy adversaries so as you slay the dragons, doggonit, it felt like you really earned it! Yeah, sure, Tech is a routine you d probably like to skip, but would it have been wise to run with the loosening battery they found? And the moist brake line really did need your attention. Argue if you must about the age of your fire suit, but remember, these inspectors are persistent just to improve your odds of finishing the battle. They are remaining neutral as they observe and notate the details that you may be too emotionally involved to notice yourself. I love it when the control tower comes alive with the first crackle of the speaker system. It s good to know that there are people in charge that know what s next that know what they re doin. God love em. I d hate to take over the friendly chaos that erupts early each raceday and provides a constant flow of rapidsuccession hard choices to a few hearty souls that are in charge. You don t want to start there at the top, so get your feet wet in a support discipline so you can peer into the in group s activities to choose your heading. You may want to volunteer in a singular discipline first, but a great way to get really close to the action is to co-chair an event. It s kinda like jumping into the deep end of the pool with life guards all around you. It s a daunting task, but paired with an experienced event chairperson, the club secrets open up to you, and you go home giddy and self-satisfied after a hard job done well. Make mistakes? Sure, it happens, but the Club s been doing this for so long, there are enough experts to help you through it so there s always a soft place to land. You can get those feel-good feelings from working a corner or assisting grid, too. If you re on a radio you hear it all. You ll be one of the first to know that there s a snapping turtle trying to cross the track in the long back straight at Autobahn. And you ll know when the popsicles are on their way out to the corners on a hot summer afternoon. And the best kept secret volunteer duty? Sound Control. Don t tell anybody, but it s a great way to earn a suntan and a free lunch. The Rod Knock January / February 2011 Page 14

15 Volunteerism BY Faarge DeVilbiss It s winter now. I m hibernating because I m not one of the lucky ones with year-round shop facilities to play in. If you re like me you re missing the car thing, and are doing some planning for next season. As you renew your membership think about showing up to an event or two with the idea of being a support player. It s like free track time! You may even bum a ride during worker rides and learn a few new tricks. Check out a track you ve never been to in great insider style. It s kind of a pay-it-forward thing. You can help make an event go smoothly while learning how events are run. When you finally get your ride out on track, your insights will raise your experience to a much higher level. At the same time others Club members will be enjoying their first support role while helping you out. And so on, and so on. We re all in this together to make it safe and joyful. Volunteers make it happen. And remember drivers, nobody s tryin to "get" ya - - Each and every volunteer in their own discipline in their own way is trying to get EVERYBODY back into their paddock in one piece at the end of the ½ hour Drive Fast. Drive Safe! Some of the volunteers that stepped up and helped in 2010 The Rod Knock January / February 2011 Page 15

16 HSAX NEWS Breakdown of 2010 Season Participation MIDWESTERN COUNCIL 2010 HIGH SPEED AUTOCROSS PARTICIPATION ANALYSIS PARTICIPATION BY EVENT MC CLUB ACCN 5/22 BFR 5/31 MMILE 9/6 BFR 9/18 ACCS 10/2 CSCC FTRC GLSCC LSCC MSCC NSSCC SCCR SCSCC No Club TOTAL PARTICIPATION BY CLUB MC CLUB #DRIVERS 5 EVENTS 4 EVENTS 3 EVENTS 2 EVENTS 1 EVENT CSCC FTRC GLSCC LSCC MSCC NSSCC SCCR SCSCC No Club Sub Total % 17% 16% 22% 35% NOTES: In 2010, 222 DIFFERENT DRIVERS PARTICPATED IN MC HSAX EVENTS (in 2002, 301 different drivers participated) OF 222 TOTAL DRIVERS, 114 OF THEM (51%) RAN ONLY 1 EVENT. 75 of the 222 drivers did not joint a MC Club. 7 of the 15 drivers that competed in all 5 events were NSSCC members: Eric Barnes, John Churchill, Greg Donlan, Tim Bellamy; Robert Dudek, Nancy Mizura; Bill Minor Source: results 2010 mc.php tabulated by John Churchill, NSSCC : The Rod Knock January / February 2011 Page 16

17 THE CORNER STATION RACESTAFF INFO Registrar Road America 8/27-28 We are in need of a detail-oriented person or persons to head up registration for the Road America Weekend in August. Pre-event: You will keep track of entries as they come in from myautoevents as well as take receipt of any entries that are mailed in. At the event: coordinate registration booth for racer and worker check-in Friday night through Sunday morning. We will absolutely train no throwing to the wolves here. See your name in print & enjoy the air conditioning what more can you ask for?. This is a vital job and we need you. Co-Race Chair Road America 8/27-28 We need someone to be a go-to rock star at Road America. Carry a radio look important. Heck, we ll even give you a clipboard to carry. We have a co-chair already that can take care of all of the pre-race planning, contracts, paperwork- all that fun stuff. We are seeking a person that can keep an eye on things at the track and be available to address any needs of the track or staff when they arise. The plans will be there just need someone to follow through. If you are cool headed, a clear thinker, and can get things done we need your help. You ll have our support we need yours. Registrar / Co-Registrars Autobahn South 10/1-2 See the Road America description above, substitute track name and dates, get inspired, and volunteer. Simple. For all positions please contact: Brian Garcia president@nsscc.com The Rod Knock January / February 2011 Page 17

18 SNOW DAY IN CASE YOU FORGOT IT S WINTER. ROAD AMERICA pre-blizzard and only 2 days after the Packers beat the Bears.not a good day for a flatlander to visit Wisconsin. I did get the chance to meet with track management and check out the scenery. RA has a great schedule for this season. In addition to their normal marquee events, Grand Am and Chump Car are making appearances. Let s hope there s a little less snow off Apex through 6. Brian The Rod Knock January / February 2011 Page 18

19 NSSCC Board Meeting Minutes December 16, 2010 Board Members In Attendance: Dave Bralich, John Churchill, Phil Daus, Scott Durbin, Brian Garcia, John Saccameno, Lynn Serra Members In Attendance: Gary Cooke, Robert Dudek, Bill Marquardt, James Mikucki, Bill Minor, Nancy Mizura, Larry Noble, Rich Olsen, Jason Ostrowski 7:01pm - Called to Order Lynn Serra There was a Motion (Bralich) & 2nd (Durbin) to approve the minutes from the November meeting. Passed. Treasurer s Report Scott Durbin NSSCC has issued a check to MCSCC as a loan in response to the recent dilemma with the MC treasury. See New Business (below) for more information. Tom Tarr ed the NSSCC BOD a comprehensive financial/accounting report on the NSSCC banquet. The report disclosed a small amount (-$236.00) over budget. There was also a discussion and consensus that the 2011 NSSCC Banquet be held at the same venue Chicago Indoor Racing Addison, IL. A great time was had by all. Kudos to Tom Tarr for putting on a terrific event! There was a Motion (Cooke) & 2nd (Mizura) to approve the Treasurer s Report. Passed. Steward s Report John Saccameno The Following are highlights from December, 2010 Midwestern Council Board Meeting) The results of MC Officer elections (by acclamation - unanimous Pass) for 2011: Competition Director-Gary Weis, President-Chuck Cassaro, Treasurer-Dick Kneubuehl, Vice President- Tim McCarter, Secretary-Sue Boldt. Stephanie Anderson of LSCC has volunteered for the position of Driver School Registrar for There are no updates at this time on the former Treasurer situation. There will be a MCSCC Finance Committee meeting on Wednesday, 12/29 at Sams Ristorante in Rockford. The Competition Board listened to several miscellaneous W2W proposals most of which have to do with the MCSCC GCR being consistent with the SCCA GCR especially in regard to the rules for Formula Continental (FC) and S2000 race cars. The proposals were referred back to the Clubs for discussion and voting. There has been a full-track Enduro event added to the 6/11/2010 date at Autobahn CC- details to follow. Jarod Cromas (SCSCC) has assumed the responsibility of assembling Class Champion photos to be displayed at the MC Banquet in January. Please photos to mc-integra111@sbcglobal.net. (Note: The complete minutes from this MC Board meeting will be posted at mcscc.org) President s Report Brian Garcia Long time NSSCC member Larry Logan has passed away. Our condolences to his family. There was a Motion (Garcia) and 2nd (Churchill) to send flowers to the funeral home. Brian will handle this. The Rod Knock January / February 2011 Page 19

20 NSSCC Board Meeting Minutes Continued... While Club and racing activity is light at this time of year, Brian encourages our members to submit interesting photos and articles for the Rod Knock. Format changes and modifications to our web site are ongoing. Brian passed out a comprehensive Schedule of 2011 Events a copy of which (suitable for downloading) will be available on our site shortly. General Membership Meeting Dave Bralich Dave is working on scheduling a guest speaker for future meetings. It was mentioned Ann Snyder has a Powerpoint presentation on the USA s first auto race which tool place in Also Nancy Mizura will contact Tony Kester (Autobahn CC Instructor) to see if he would be willing to be a guest speaker. Mentor Program Churchill / Garcia / Tarr Churchill will make a concerted effort to follow up with all HSAX novices who participate in 2011 MC events. There was a lot of discussion about Churchill s recently published analysis of MC HSAX participation specifically noting that of 222 HSAX participants in 2010, 75 of them (34%) did not join any MC Club. It was also mentioned it appears Autobahn Country Club appears to be the premier facility for MC HSAX events in that attendance at both ACC events in 2010 was the highest of any other venue. Focus & Change Committee John Saccameno John mentioned the committee will continue to work on improving our web site and possibly on developing a blog format for the Rod Knock. No date yet for the next meeting. NEW BUSINESS There was a Motion (Saccameno) and 2nd (Marquardt) to elect the nominees for the 2011 NSSCC Board of Directors by acclamation: President, Brian Garcia - Vice President, Scott Durbin Treasurer, John Churchill - Secretary, Tom Tarr. Motion Passed. The 2011 Officers will be officially seated at the January 20, 2011 Board meeting. The most recent tally for NSSCC membership indicates total Full Members at 202. There was a Motion (Saccameno) and 2nd (Cooke & Mizura) that in 2012 monthly bank statements for NSSCC financials be sent to Treasurer, President, & Chairman. Passed. Brian Garcia mentioned the NSSCC loan to MC is still (somewhat) in question as to acceptance. Apparently, there were questions as to the promissory note terms. However, the amount did appear on the MC financial statement presented to the membership at the December MC Board meeting. More to follow on this subject. 9:05pm: There was a Motion (Durbin) & 2nd Bralich) to adjourn. Minutes taken and transcribed by John Churchill (for) Tom Tarr, Secretary NSSCC The Rod Knock January / February 2011 Page 20

21 NSSCC Board Meeting Minutes January 20, 2010 Board Members In Attendance: Dave Bralich, John Churchill, Scott Durbin, Brian Garcia, John Saccameno Members In Attendance: Eric Barnes, Gary Cooke, Robert Dudek, Ray Kollock, Dave LeGare, Bill Marquardt, Bill Minor, Nancy Mizura, Jason Ostrowski, Kelvin Palmer, Dale Szymkowski 7:03p- Called to Order- Brian Garcia There was a motion (Scott Durbin) & 2nd (Bralich) to approve the minutes from the December meeting. Passed. Treasurer s Report- John Churchill No formal report. Churchill has replaced Durbin as treasurer, Signing names at the bank have been changed, Durbin has relinquished all NSSCC Treasurer materials to Churchill. Loan check to Council has been cashed - they are working on a standard Promissory Note. Looking into bonding treasurer, approximately $270./year. Down payment for IRS and Autobahn due soon. Steward s Report- John Churchill (Following is highlights from January, 2011 Midwestern Council Board Meeting) 194 attended MC banquet. July 23,24 Madison/SCCA Grattan race W2W only. Council is sponsoring Autobahn north, need volunteers, there will be an Enduro. No GCR yet, there will be new rules dealing with questionable driving. Finance Committee met, bridge loan to be repaid ASAP. When (at an undetermined time) the MC treasury reaches $60,000, the 8 MC clubs loans will be repaid to the clubs. Cassaro has appointed NSSCC member Robert Dudek AX Director. In regular AX competition events Novices will be moved to practice group 5 or 6. Milwaukee Mile management is looking to MC for help putting on a fundraiser, need staff - more info forthcoming. Race and Performance Expo at Pheasant Run Resort, St.Charles, IL will be held on Feb NEED RACE STAFF CHIEF. Need to train more Stewards. Helmets SA2000 good to end of NSSCC s Indoor School will be March 19 th at Autobahn CC. There will be a $20 fee to do track touring fee applicable to NSSCC annual membership. (Note: The complete minutes from this MC Board meeting will be posted at mcscc.org) President s Report- Brian Garcia NEED VOLUNTEER HELP! RA, ABCC South. Need Registrar, Race Chair. Need workers. Paying workers costs money!! Rod Knock/ Web Site- Brian Garcia Need content. Updated schedule done. Membership- 31 as of 1/19 The Rod Knock January / February 2011 Page 21

22 NSSCC Board Meeting Minutes Continued... Membership Meeting- Dave Bralich Next month Tony Kester (ACC Instructor) will be with us. Ann Snyder is adding to and improving her presentation on The First Race Focus and Change- John Saccameno Next meeting in February. Need to get documentation onto web. Larry Logan Celebration: Saccameno, Noble, Serra and Durbin attended. Some fine words spoken by Noble. Warm remembrances shared by all. NEW BUSINESS Installation of Officers- Brian Garcia VP and Treasurer have traded places, John Churchill is now Treasurer and Scott Durbin VP. Brian Garcia remains President & Tom Tarr remains Secretary. MC Banquet - NSSCC Special Award Winners Churchill HSAX Rookie of the Year Meghan O Malley HSAX Driver of the Year Robert Dudek W2W Rookie of the Year Egidijus Sadauskas MCSCC Member of the Year John Churchill Finance Committee- Saccameno Next meeting Feb 15th Indoor Racing School- Garcia ABCC has agreed to do box lunches for $8, no buffet 8:26pm There was a motion (Churchill) & 2nd (Durbin) to adjourn Minutes taken and transcribed by Scott Durbin, edited by John Churchill (for) Tom Tarr, Secretary NSSCC The Rod Knock January / February 2011 Page 22

23 CLASSIFIEDS L ITA / Spec Miata $ 7,900 The car was originally built on the east coast by Dave Del Genio and I bought it from the previous owner 2 seasons ago to go through school and get started racing. I recently bought a car to race in vintage so am looking to sell this one. The engine was rebuilt 3 seasons ago by Kelly Arrenson of Heads Up Motorsports and put out 116hp on a Dynojet dyno. The car was given an end to end check up last winter by Advanced Autosports and any bearings, brake discs etc that needed it were replaced.. The car has never failed to start or finish a race because of a mechanical breakdown since I've owned it and is a very solid car. The paint/body is in great shape with minor a wrinkle in the driver front fender for a tire wall. With a 220 lb driver and a 1/4 tank of gas this car is right on minimum weight. With a solid driver this should consistently be a upper mid-pack car and for the price is great value. All it needs is a transponder to be race ready. The car has current Midwest Council and SCCA logbooks l motor Aluminum Competition Radiator MazdaSpeed Spec Miata suspension Spin Induction Intake Springfield Dyno exhaust Fat Cat Shock Hat / Bump Stop Upgrade Fuel Test Port Sparco Pro 2000 Seat Race Quip belts (good until 2014) Hawk Blue / Carbon Brake pads FireSense 4 nozzle fire system Roll cage with nascar bars on driver's side Wired for 2 way radio (radio not included) APR wheel studs Driver side rain window You'll get 2 set of Kosei wheels. I have 3 sets and am keeping one set for HPDE but you can have a choice of either of 2 sets of Toyo RA1s with 4 races on them (4/32 shaves) or a set of full tread R888s with 3 practice sessions on them which I used for rains. I have extra brake pads and other misc parts. I know "ready to race" isnt always (as I learned with the new vintage car I purchased) but this one is. I also have an open trailer that might be available if you are looking for a complete package. Best Regards, Tim Andriesen 130 Cutter Lane Barrington, IL The Rod Knock January / February 2011 Page 23

24 CLASSIFIEDS 1976 Porsche Vintage/Historic Race Car Package $ 10, (last year, only 4062 made) Porsche 914-4, 2.0 Vintage race car (#44) 19 years of reliable on track experience (MC Vintage racecar of the year(s) 96, 97, 98, 99, Won very 1st sactioned race at Gingerman 1996 Group 1 Race 1 -Driver Ed or AX - street legal for joy riding - best of all worlds. Complete original interior, Evo 2 race seat, 6 point harness, full cage with removable side bars for easy entry, short shifter, solid body and suspension rust free (always garage kept). Big brake setup front and rear, newer 21 mm torsion bars and 22 mm stabilizer. Revolution race wheels with new race tires, one on track heat cycle session. Extra set of wheels with standard street tires full treads. Two complete engines, 1 newly rebuilt - top to bottom, 1 with 9 races, flywheels (1 lightened) and 2 transmissions. Accu-sump, oil coolers, and 12 Gal fuel cell. New starter. Many extra parts. Low profile light weight trailer with electric winch. Asking $10,000 for all, or will separate. Complete and ready to RACE. Contact Len Larson or larson1@att.net The Rod Knock January / February 2011 Page 24

25 CLASSIFIEDS For Sale 92 Spec Miata Car is an upper Midwest car that was built as a Spec Miata in I am the second owner and have owned it since The car has primarily been raced in the upper Midwest; Blackhawk (1:22.9 fastest lap), Road America, 2008 Race Trim Milwaukee Mile, Autobahn North/South/Full Track and has had trips to Gingerman, Gateway, Mid-Ohio and Summit Point. The car has had wins and many top five finishes (driver limited). Since 2007 the car has been maintained, up dated and serviced (shop and track) by Advanced Autosports, com, in Beloit,WI where it is kept and can be seen. Expendable and service items such as; brake pads, rotors, wheel bearings, tie rod ends, suspension parts, fluids, filters, tires, etc. are evaluated and serviced/ changed after every race and are to numerous to list here. The car is kept race ready. This is a complete race ready package which includes a trailer and draw bar. All that you will need is a tow vehicle which can handle a 7,000 lb trailer and has a brake controller to take it away. Package price - $17, US Delivery is possible for an extra charge. The car and trailer are titled in Illinois Race Trim The Rod Knock January / February 2011 Page 25

26 CLASSIFIEDS 92 Spec Miata for Sale Continued... The car has: Current, 2010, SCCA and Midwestern Council annual tech and logbooks plus 2007 NASA logbook. Big KOYO Aluminum radiator Raptor shift light AMB Blind Apex lap timer Hard wired AMB Transponder SpinDuction 1.6L induction system Dyno adjusted and tuned AFM Team Dynamics Pro Race 2 wheels with shaved RA-1 tires Extended wheel studs with lug nuts 99 Fat Cat shock hat kit MoMo steering wheel with quick release 99 Torsen rear end 12 quart F.A.S.T. cool shirt cooler Fresh air ducts in driver (NACA) and passenger (Advanced Auto) vent windows Strap style window net, spring loaded Center window net Ultrashield Spec Miata Racing seat Safecraft cam lock 2 lap/3 shoulder belts, 2010 manufacture date. Helmet hook on roll cage Driver side NASCAR bar Passenger side double bars Springfield Dyno exhaust system Autometer auxiliary Temperature and Oil Pressure gauges Advanced Auto remote oil pressure sensing kit Advanced Auto coolant gauge adapter Advanced Auto fuel sample port Braided steel clutch line Braided steel brake lines ACT clutch Fresh Steward engine with no races on it (12/2010) Transmission rebuilt (2010) Brake system rebuilt (2010) Suspension system rebuilt (2010) New coolant hoses (2010) New ignition wires (2010) New throw out bearing (2010) New Battery (2008) The Rod Knock January / February 2011 Page 26

27 CLASSIFIEDS 92 Spec Miata for Sale Continued... Spares included: Advanced Autosports straight shot Air intake ART tuned AFM Mazda crate motor, 8 races on short block, new cylinder head unused. Transmission Stock radiator Fuel pump Mounted set of shaved RA-1 s on Pro-2 wheels Mounted set of R-888 rains Driver and passenger side windows with quick install brackets Two extra drivers side window nets Car cover Stock passenger seat with five point harness (2007 date) for worker rides, etc. Miscellaneous small parts Trailer: 20-foot Pace Shadow, two axle with electric brakes, beaver tail, ramp door, three roof vent/sky lights, three 12-volt interior lights, winch pad in the nose and e-track in the floor. Four new tires and steel wheels New spare tire and steel wheel Pit Product 10 tire folding tire rack Pit Products double fuel jug rack (2) 5 gallon fuel jugs with funnel Metal shelving in the nose e-track anchors Car tie down straps Mounted spare tire Reese draw bar with 2 5/16 ball (2) Reese load bars with saddle sway control Contact Info: Ph Or Ph The Rod Knock January / February 2011 Page 27