Region Members Get Involved. Impressive Street Rod Show In York. June The Official Newsletter of the Susquehanna Region of the.

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1 June 2012 March 2012 The Official Newsletter of the Susquehanna Region of the Sports Car Club of America, Inc. - Incorporated June 29, 1959 Region Members Get Involved May was a slow month for Susquehanna Region as our only activity was to assist Carlisle Productions with its Import & Kit Car Show s autocross on May As in past years, our members were there to work the event. Don Tocket shares his views on Page 8. June 8-10 brought Hershey s Grand Ascent hillclimb, in which our members actively participated, and The Elegance Concours. June 17 found us knee-deep back in our regional summer autocross series with a double-header event at the Farm Show. With two events back to back, it was a busy day. q Impressive Street Rod Show In York June was a great month to get outside, enjoy some comfortable weather and be entertained with car events. The Street Rod Nationals East was held at York Fairgrounds and featured a wide array of one-of-a-kind rods and customs that expressed each of their owners imaginative and unique vision. With many of these creations, it s obvious that no expense had been spared in the build. This is an annual York event and one you should not miss. I ve been to several of the York shows and they never disappoint. See Cover Story on Page 4. q A gorgeous Healey 3000 navigates the course at the Carlisle autocross. Don Tocket Photo This beautiful Street Rod named Speedstar was one of the finest at York. John Rudy Photo

2 From the Editor s Desk I had a hard time getting this issue out. My goal is to get it to you by the Friday before each month s meeting, but I shared my editing time with the television. It was hard to concentrate on the newsletter with Formula 1 and Barrett- Jackson on TV. Three days of F-1 practice, qualifying and the race, mixed with auctioning fantastic vehicles laid claim to my attention. It was tough tearing myself away. I can understand how celebrities and the wealthy get addicted to car collecting. If I were in Jay Leno s shoes I d have a warehouse full of vehicles just like him. When I m watching Barret-Jackson or meandering through car shows, at least half of the cars make me think, Wow, I d like to own that one. That s the car junkie in me. I admire those who take the time and make the effort to restore and customize their rides, but I d prefer to buy one completed rather than build it. I m old enough now to better appreciate someone else s efforts than I am at contemplating building my own. I enjoy the program Overhauling, not so much for the show s 7-day builds, but more for Chip Foose s designs. He is The Master. I love his work. But anyway, here it is, the June issue. I hope you enjoy it. Thanks to everyone who contributed this month. Together we put out another diverse issue. Keep it coming. Our June 17 double-header autocrosses made for a long day, but the events ran smoothly. Series Event #3 in the morning had 87 entries and Event #4 had 89 entries in the afternoon. Event results, photos and much more can be found on our Region s website at q John MARCH 2012 Page 2 The Squeal is a monthly publication of Susquehanna Region, SCCA Send editorial, scheduling and advertising to: The Squeal John Rudy, Editor 3800 Hillcrest Road, Harrisburg, PA mail@johnrudy.com Susquehanna Region s membership meets at 8:00 PM on the fourth Tuesday of each month, except December, at Gilligan s Bar & Grill, 987 Eisenhower Blvd, Harrisburg, PA. For more information, go to our website at REGION OFFICERS Regional Executive Steve Limbert Assistant Regional Executive Henry Brillinger Secretary Dennis Cipriany Treasurer Alan Lesher Directors Dave Walter 3yr Alan Pozner 2yr Geoff Craig 1yr ASCC Representative Markus Houser AUTOCROSS COMMITTEE JUNE 2012 Kate Ritter & Geoff Craig Co-chairs Henry Brillinger Site Aquisition/Relations Geoff Craig Course and Grid Design Chris Paveglio Pre-registration Kate Ritter Registration Dennis Cipriany Safety Ryan Hetrick Tech Inspection Anne Demmy Timing Charlie Demmy Starter Greg Hagan Novice Program Dan Woland EMT Services Paul Sciukas Workers Markus Houser Results

3 «Meeting Minutes «The May General Membership Meeting convened May 22, 2012 at Gilligan s, Harrisburg, at 8:00 p.m. by RE Steve Limbert. Alan Lesher gave the Treasurer s Report, and with the autocross season in full swing, there is income from the Carlisle Events Autocross, and he ll be paying the expenses for the upcoming double header on June 17th. Henry Brillinger said we have 275 members, up two from last month. Steve Limbert reported we d received the Region Charter from National. Dave Walter made the motion, 2nd by Alan Pozner that the Charter be kept in Steve Limbert s shop. John Rudy discussed The Squeal, the Region Newsletter. John asked for the articles and contributions to keep coming in to him. Henry mentioned that Dr. Gerson Gus Rosenberg, a long time member and national road racing competitor, had contacted him and said, Great job on The Squeal. For those who don t know, Gus was on the development team for an artificial heart at the Hershey Medical Center. Chris Paveglio said registration is open for the June Double Header. He received the contract for June and other Farm Show events. John Rudy asked why our events are not published in Sports Car. Henry said they weren t published until the sanctions have been sent in. Markus Houser said the Carlisle Events Import Show Autocross had 59 paid entries, with six club members competing. Charlie said there were about 230 Saabs at the Carlisle event, out of about 1200 cars. Henry said Carlisle Events wants us back in the future. Henry discussed the article on safety Dennis had in The Squeal. We can have 12-year-olds and older in the grid area, which we must police better at the Hershey events, due to the proximity of the curb to the grid. Old Business: None. Page 3 New Business: Charlie Demmy discussed the June 8th and 9th Hershey Hillclimb/Elegance and will report on it next month. Suzi Zimmerman was soliciting workers for the event, for 10 AM-4PM on Friday, 9 AM-4 PM on Saturday. Suzi said it would be a very interesting weekend. Alan Lesher said he was going to go before the SVVSCC to plead the case for his Barracuda to run the Hershey hill climb event during Charity Laps on Saturday. Chris Paveglio discussed the B.R.A.K.E. [Be Responsible And Keep Everyone Safe] teenage driving program activities at Manheim Auto Auction. There were some teens instructing, and some parents driving. The tent was donated, and there were 16 vehicles from Chevy [Cruze] and Ford [Focus]. The local fire department waters down the area to allow for wet driving experience. The employee lot was used, which is large enough to have an autocross and/or a school. He s proposing to contact the township to do a school to benefit the B.R.A.K.E. program. John Rudy said that the large gap between our August and October events would be a good time to try Manheim. Chris will pursue this. Steve Limbert discussed the Jefferson 500 event at Summit Point. There were 190 cars, and Peter Brock, the designer of the Cobra Daytona Coupe was there. He said weather was perfect and that when Brian Redman was there, the weather always seemed to be less than perfect. Charlie discussed the region merchandise, and asked club members to wear their shirts to the next event. Good and Welfare: None. Motion to adjourn made by Henry Brillinger, Dave Walter, 2nd. Adjourned at 8:48 p.m. q Respectfully submitted, Dennis Cipriany, region secretary

4 York Expo Hosts Street Rod Show Street Rod technology continues to advance on a classic and traditional theme. John Rudy Photo Automobiles have always elicited interest, imagination and ultimately competition. We in SCCA focus on activities that involve speed. After all, it s said the first automobile race took place immediately after the second automobile was produced. But as important as our activities are to us, SCCA isn t the only avenue of automotive activity. We are but a slice of the enthusiast pie. One must recognize that others interests in automobiles are wide and varied and organizations representing those interests abound. Wheels and engines have been a gloriously creative stimulus for the human species and the inventiveness of their creations can stagger the imagination. Powered vehicles stir some profound emotional need in a great many of us that goes far beyond basic transportation. Satisfying that need can be overwhelming and expressing it can lead us in a variety of directions. From monster trucks to rat rods, from swamp buggies to low riders, from dragsters to road racers, it seems every creative variation of the automobile has been explored. The National Street Rod Association rolled into York June 1-3 to present the 39th annual Street Rod Nationals East Plus. This NSRA Cover Story Page 4 event was billed as the East s largest outdoor street rod show. Vehicles gathered at the York Expo Center from all over the country and included models of nearly every make, model and style. The event s promo said that more than 4,000 street rods, customs, muscle cars and specialty vehicles worth well over $100 million would be on display. While 4,000 may have been a bit optimistic, they certainly numbered in the thousands. The York Fairgrounds facility is huge. I covered a lot of acrage, but I doubt I saw everything at the show. I did see some pretty amazing vehicles. Some were very tastefully done and some just plain off-the-wall crazy. Cars of every shape and size were represented from a tiny but highly modified Vespa 400 to an enormous, fullon custom Lincoln Zephyr. Every conceivable variation seemed to be represented from mild custom to all out insanity. Modifications like chopped, channeled, frenched and shaved were well represented, and the full range of the color spectrum was explored. Paint schemes too went from mild to wild. Flames remain popular. Hot rods marry powerful engines with classic chassis. Customs dwell more on body enhancements and one-of-a-kind paint schemes. (Continued on Page 5) Taken to the extreme - a tiny Vespa 400 powered by a blown big-block Chevy motor. John Rudy Photo

5 York Expo Hosts Street Rod Show This wild Lincoln Zephyr is a prime example of the full-on customs displayed at York. John Rudy Photo (Continued from Page 4) Street Rods combine the best of both. The latest trends involve adding modern fuel injected,computer-managed engines and modern drivelines to early classic bodies. The engineering and execution are quite impressive. I may not agree with the result of an individual s creation, but I have to admire the individuality and creativeness of their expression. Their dedication to their sport is unquestionable. Is participating in a car show a sport? According to Webster s, the noun sport is defined first as a source of diversion: recreation. Whether you regard such a static display a sport or not, it certainly is a competition the show car owners take seriously. Their vehicles are intensely scrutinized in the judging and trophies and titles are awarded. The neatest thing about customs is that you can build anything your heart desires. There are no rules, unless you intend to drive it on the street of course. There were some trailer queens at the York show, but the majority of the cars displayed were street legal and driven to the show. Some were considerably more Page 5 impressive than others, but all were interesting. See for yourself. I have posted a photo gallery of but a small portion of the cars displayed at the event. I couldn t cover them all. You can view them by clicking on or navigating to (The link is case sensitive, all lower case). q John Rudy More Car Shows Susquehanna Region is back in the thick of its autocross schedule, but there are several Summer and Fall car shows in the central Pennsylvania area that don t conflict with our event dates. The Antique Automobile Club of America museum in Hershey is featuring an exhibit celebrating Chevrolet s 100th anniversary. The 100 Years of Chevrolet exhibit is now open and will run through October 14th. AACA is also hosting its 17th Annual Car Show & Flea Market on Saturday, June 23rd. It s open to all years, makes and models. There are more. Here s a brief list. Many of the car shows also feature swap meets and flea markets. A Google search of each event will give more details. June 23 AACA Car Show/Flea Mkt., Hershey July 7 Carlisle Mopar Nationals, Carlisle Aug 3-5 Carlisle Truck Nationals, Carlisle Aug 11 Center Point Car Show, Macungie Aug 18 Supercars on State St., Harrisburg Aug 24 Carlisle Corvette Nationals - Carlisle Oct 3-7 Fall Carlisle, Carlisle Oct AACA Fall Meet, Hershey Here s a link to a more extensive list of 2012 Pennsylvania car shows. Click on or navigate to PA.htm. q John Rudy

6 Le Mans Experience Part 1 In the mid 1980 s, my husband s employment took us to England for six years. When you lived on that island in 1984, Europe was a short flight or ferry ride away - the Chunnel hadn t been built yet. So, after becoming acclimated to car bonnets, silencers and boots, the 24 Hours of Le Mans beckoned. I saw an ad in Autosport magazine for a tour package and thought that it would be a good way to go. It included air fare from Gatwick Airport, a coach to take us to the track, catering for breakfasts and snacks and chaise lounges for napping. Grandstand seats with a great view of Start/Finish and pit lane were also included. We arrived early on Saturday morning with a map of the track and great anticipation as spectators of a legendary event. After watching the start and spending a couple of hours in our seats, conversing with some French people (almost all Europeans speak English), we set off to find lunch and explore. We came upon a huge rotisserie, about five feet wide and six feet tall, with an unbelievable number of chickens roasting on racks, and decided that would be lunch with French bread and a bottle of wine (but of course). Then we made our way to the motor museum. Did you know there was a museum at Le Mans? So we spent some time looking around and admiring cars we had never before seen in person. Next, it was time to go hunting and gathering for some souvenirs to take home. Along the way, we saw the modular building that was in the movie, Le Mans where Steve McQueen met up with his lady friend. Another surprising discovery was a family living inside the track (driver s right) just before the Mulsanne Straight. They were having a meal at a picnic table in their front yard. Imagine that! Page 6 Most of the time, we just walked around looking for great vantage points and photo ops. There is no shortage of those it is, after all, Le Mans. Sometimes, well after dark, we wandered back to the hospitality tent for a snack and a nap. I m not sure how much sleep we got but the desire to know what was happening with the race was too tempting so we found a spot between Indianapolis and Porsche turns to spectate. We eventually returned to our grandstand seats to watch the finish. Klaus Ludwig and Henri (that s ahn-ree) Pescarolo won in the Joest Racing Porsche 956B. Nice. If you enjoyed this narrative, I will write about our second trip to Le Mans in a later edition. q Suzi Zimmerman SCCA Lifetime Member since Le Mans winners Klaus Ludwig and Henri Pescarolo s Joest Porsche 956B. July Region Events Chris Paveglio, pre-registration chief, reports that registration is now open for Series Autocross #5 on July 8th at the Giant Center in Hershey. Register at MyAutoEvents.com. Also coming up at Giant Center in July is Series Autocross #6 on July 22nd. MAE registration generally opens about three weeks prior to an event. q

7 Page 7 Car Chatter Grand Ascent The Second Annual Grand Ascent Hershey Hillclimb was recently held over two days (Friday, June 8 Saturday June 9) on the winding road behind the Hotel Hershey. This event is presented under the direction of the Vintage Sports car club of America (VSCCA) with assistance from the Susquehanna Valley Vintage Sports Car Club (SVVSCC) and is part of The Elegance weekend at Hotel Hershey. It was a fantastic weekend with delightful sunny days and comfortable temperatures. The Honorary Hillclimb Chairman was Wayne Carini from the TV series Chasing Classic Cars, and the VSCCA assembled an amazing collection of vintage race cars including a 1959 Cooper Climax, Lotus 18 Formula Jr., 1935 Ford Indy car, 1933 MGTB and a 1922 CS Amilcar to name a few. The times up the hill were surprisingly quicker for the old timers this year. Last year s FTD was 1:00.38 turned in by a 1958 Lotus 7. This year 12 drivers broke the 60 second mark. (Keep in mind the overall hill record is set by Ken Taggart driving an Eldon Super V in 2004). A huge round of applause goes out to the 41 hillclimb workers under the direction of SVVSCC members Suzi Zimmerman, Flagging and Safety Chairperson, Ray Beekler, Chief Starter, and Steve Limbert, Course Marshall. There seemed to be a decent amount of spectators with a lot of old friends and car lovers in the crowd. A great time was had by everyone and we look forward to seeing all of you next year-same time, same place. Hillclimb Trivia Question: Janet Guthrie became the first woman to compete in the Indianapolis 500 in Janet also entered the ASCC Hershey Hillclimb in Does anyone know what car she drove? Answer: A 1956 Jaguar XK 140 MC. She placed second in class. The top 12 drivers for 2012 are: 1. Graham Long, 1958 Lotus seconds 2. Wayne Carini, Porsche Special seconds 3. Steve Morici, 1963 Cooper T seconds 4. Roger Cassin, 1956 Alfa Romeo seconds 5. Robert Laepple, 1957 Porsche 356 A seconds 6. Ben Bragg, 1935 Ford V8 Special seconds 7. Jim Donick, 1951 Allard J seconds 8. Peter Rehl, 1957 Cooper/Norton seconds 9. Frank Buck, 1957 Corvette seconds 10. Nick Grewal, 1959 Lotus seconds 11. Richard Odgers, 1957 Morgan seconds 12. Joe Delucia, 1959 Lotus seconds. q Charlie Demmy Graham Long took The Grand Ascent s first place trophy with his Lotus 7. John Rudy Photo

8 Carlisle Event Viewpoints Carlisle Autocross Viewed As A Worker This was my first time attending an autocross at Carlisle Fairgrounds and my first time to sign up as a worker. From the worker viewpoint it was a blast. I had a chance to talk with some of the long standing club members. What a great group of guys. Everyone helped out getting set up on Friday. Working the event went smoothly enough on Friday. Not a lot of racers signed up for the morning sessions, but the afternoon did pick up. Workers were given the chance to run in the morning, but our run times were not included in the event. It was fun getting the track time. Saturday was hot and the sessions were full all day. An interesting thing on Saturday was the number of spectators. Carlisle set up bleachers on the hill to overlook the course. It was great because you could see the whole course from up there. The bleachers filled up and people started to line up along the railing on the hill over looking the course. It stayed this way most of the day. Sunday had full sessions in the morning and tapered off to one session in the afternoon. The day went well with one exception. We had one over-exuberant driver take out the timing light when he drifted off course. It took a few minutes to get timing back up and running again. Driver, car and timer quickly returned to action. The day was fun for all. Carlisle Autocross Viewed As A Racer As a racer, when I saw the track, my first thought was how small the course was. At first glance it looked like little more than a couple of asphalt rectangles with 90-degree turns, but strategically placed pylons refined the course. Page 8 The course looked easy, but once I got the car on the course, I was quick to realize that while small, it took all your skills to turn in a fast time. The course was hard on the brakes, ground levels changed, some of the course had upward slope and some had downward slope. When all put together, it was a blast to run. The difference with this small course compared to most autocrosses is that you make three consecutive laps per run. It was neat to change your line during your three laps to see what worked and what didn t. It kind of gave you the sense of racing on a race track, not an autocross course. I really enjoyed the course. Carlisle Autocross Whole Event Overview This event will always be on my calendar. I enjoyed working it and watching the drivers smiles as they came off the course. I think the autocross event at Carlisle was best summed up when we had a driver finish his third run on course, parked his Jag E-Type by the tent and got out shaking. He said that he never did anything like that and it was the coolest thing he ever did with his car. He must have had the shakes for 15 minutes before he calmed down. He just kept smiling and saying, That was so cool. It made me remember my first time behind the wheel on course. I believe we hooked another driver on autocrossing. It was the same for most of the first time drivers. They all had fun. The chance to take your car on course and see what it is capable of will never grow old. What a great group of club guys to spend three days of racing with. Carlisle s car show offered a lot of prime cars to look at and the flea market offered some good deals as well. q Don Tocket

9 What Am I Doing Wrong? Why am 15 seconds slower than the winner of my class? What am I doing wrong? Competing at the Farm Show in June brought back memories of me being there more than 41 years ago with my 1966 SAAB 96 Monte Carlo, a 57 HP, 2-cycle popcorn popper. Forrest s SAAB 96 allowed him to explore the limits of traction four decades ago. Forrest Graeff Photo I witnessed this weekend something that I remember happening to me for many years: drivers with less experience, finishing in a different time-zone than the leaders of their class. Today, I will never be a threat to win my class any longer, but I try to be a cone-away in case the fast guys over-drive. So how do new participants get a coneaway? Except for the truly gifted, the rest of us need seat time. And I mean serious seat time. That means if you are running for points with your local club, which puts on 10 events during the summer, you should be running 10 additional events elsewhere during the same season. Within about two hours of driving, my 2012 calendar is showing 25 events without conflicts. Next - don t be ashamed to join the novice walk-throughs. And don t be shy! Ask good questions: How should I enter this corner, Page 9 Where should my eyes be now, How do I set up for the next gate? And if you know the class leader, or someone who is very fast, ask them to be an instructor on your first run. Ask that instructor to do more than point you to the next gate. Ask them to shout out meaningful critiques such as Faster here, Hard brake now, Back on the gas sooner. It s your job to learn the course use the instructor to go quicker. The next item to remember comes from the mouth of the editor of this newsletter: Trust YOUR TIRES! I don t care if you are running DOT stickies, the latest highly rated, supersoft, street tires or All-season OEMs. Your tire is your only connection to the course surface. The friction of your tires to brake, turn and accelerate your car generally is higher than you are using. But don t ask the tires to do two things at a time. Braking and turning, or turning and accelerating at the same time should be something you do only with years of experience under your belt. But, take your tires to their limits. Accelerate hard, brake hard, turn hard but only ask them to do one thing at a time. The last item I want to discuss is prepping your car. Keeping your mouth shut is your worst enemy. Ask questions of the fast guys on the lot. Ask a lot of questions. Don t be afraid that you may appear stupid. Just don t be a jerk. Don t tell the class leaders how smart and wise you are about setting up your car when they are 5 seconds faster than you. That will put you in the blow-hard category in their book. Here is a list of stuff you want these experts to discuss with you: tire selection, tire pressures, sway bars, front and rear wheel (Continued on Page 10)

10 Page 10 What Am I Doing Wrong? (Continued from Page 9) alignment, and shock settings. Then, if your class/category allows it, ride heights, spring rates and wheel sizes/offsets. In conclusion, this is the best sport I know. It makes you reschedule family vacations, miss a lot of church from April through October, but it makes you feel superior to almost everyone on the road - and with practice, rightfully so. Autocrossing will make you a better driver. q Forrest Graeff The Checkered Flag Long-time region chapter club member Martha Martie Fellman, passed away on May 11th. A 1951 graduate of John Harris High School, Martie taught English and Speech at her alma mater for more than 30 years. She earned her Bachelors degree at Shippensburg and Masters at Penn State. Martie was very active in Appalachian Sports Car Club in the 60s and 70s competing in her MGBs and a modified SAAB. She ran road rallies, autocrosses and hillclimbs including placing many times in the Hershey Hillclimbs. She also served for many years as the club s newsletter editor. More recently, she and her son Bob had served in several of the club s administrative positions. Martie s other passion was breeding and showing prize winning pedigree cats, often winning regional and national awards. Martie, we ll miss you. q 2012 Region Event Schedule June 26 Membership Meeting at Gilligan s July 8 Autocross #5 at Giant Center, Hershey 22 Autocross #6 at Giant Center, Hershey 24 Membership Meeting at Gilligan s August 19 Double Header Autocrosses #7 & #8 26 Double Header Autocrosses #9 & #10 28 Membership Meeting at Gilligan s September 25 Membership Meeting at Gilligan s October 23 Membership Meeting at Gilligan s 27 Autocross #11 at Giant Center, Hershey 28 Autocross #12 at Giant Center, Hershey November 27 Membership Meeting at Gilligan s December NO Membership Meeting this month January Year End Banquet at Grantville holiday Share the Action! Our Honored Members Each quarter, SportsCar magazine runs a list of member anniversaries. The July issue honors three Susquehanna Region members for their long continuous membership. 40 years - Dennis Cipriany, 6/1/ years - Marla Davidson, 6/25/ years - David Lavertue, 4/9/1987 Congratulations! q

11 The Grand Ascent 2012 This was the second year for the revived Hershey hillclimb, The Grand Ascent, and for 2012 it was expanded to a two-day event, June 8-9. Being the diehard flagger that I am, I took two days off from work so I could catch all of the action. The weather was great and the cars were fantastic. For celebrity drivers we had the return of ex-national Football League coach Dick Vermeil, this year driving his dad s 1932 vintage sprint car, and Wayne Carini, the host of Chasing Classic Cars, who brought a gorgeous sports racer that was listed as a Tojeiro Jag, but according to Wayne was actually a mislabeled Coventry Climax. Unfortunately the Climax suffered a blown head gasket while giving rides for charity during lunch on Friday. It did give me the opportunity to get some photos of Wayne and the car as he broke down at my corner one flagging station. Fortunately, Wayne brought a backup car, and if you saw his show last Tuesday on cable, the car was the legendary Carrera-powered VW Special built by Bill Rutan, a VW chassis with a cam Porsche engine. In 1961 Rutan drove to the Mt. Washington Hillclimb record, a feat that remained unbroken for 29 years. Rutan also held the Hershey Hillclimb record for a time back in the 1960 s. Wayne s driving was impressive considering that this was his first ever hillclimb. He wound up with the second fastest time of around 57 seconds bested only by the Lotus 7 of Graham Long. In speakng with the official timer for the event, I was advised that the target for most of the drivers was to break a minute, and most would get very excited if they accomplished that feat, and would let out a shrill cheer. Page 11 Unlike last year s first event, this year most of the drivers were really trying to push the limit. As a result we did have a couple of incidents, but we also had a much more exciting event. There are some good videos of a few runs available on you-tube. Click on or navigate to: PtVx08feature=related watch?v=wos35wo6ndk I got to meet and talk with Wayne Carini at the event s Saturday wine and cheese party and again at breakfast on Sunday. He really is a down to earth car guy just like the rest of us. He claimed he was having so much fun that he hopes to return next year. And I hope to be working a corner for him then, too. Following breakfast on Sunday they took a dozen of the classic race cars up the hill to the Hershey for display in the Elegance, and I followed the procession up the hill in my S2000 The first time for me and my little car upthe Hill and even at slow speed it was a thrill. Gee, 12 more years and my S2000 will be an antique but then so will I. q Wayne Steigerwalt Wayne Carini finished 2nd at the Grand Ascent in his Porsche powered VW. Wayne Steigerwalt Photo

12 If you re like me, you ve got a favorite race series, and you watch it regularly on TV. It s nearly an addiction, because as soon as you see the cars at speed, you ll watch the whole rest of the race. Give me an in-car camera, and I m glued to it like a moth to a flame. But then there s your wife, significant other, girl/guy-friend, or even kids. They can t understand why you re into racing so much. Either they think it s boring, or they just can t understand all the stuff going on (multi-class racing), or it s too technical, or the cars all look the same. So what s the big deal? Your perspective has been shaped by your growing up with it or growing into it. For you it s second nature. You ve been to races inperson and understand the skill level of drivers and mechanics. The other people in your life might not have that up-close experience with racing. So seeing it on TV is just like watching any other show or sport. My wife s family has had zero experience or interest in racing; cars are simply transportation. But I was able to take my wife (to-be at the time) to a Champ Car race and she not only saw the race, but we talked Page 12 Getting Others to Share Your Addiction Armchair Entertainment I m a Formula One geek. I haven t attended an F-1 event since Watkins Glen in 1980, but I m still a follower. I ll watch other forms of racing, but F-1 heads the list. With seven different winners in the first seven 2012 races, it s hard to tear myself away from the TV. I also find it difficult to get off the couch during broadcasts of a Barrett-Jackson auto auction. As this issue goes out, it s jackpot! Both the F-1 Grand Prix of Europe and the Barrett- Jackson Auction from Orange County, CA are with drivers, got autographs, and talked with mechanics. We had the whole weekend to learn and live the race, and more importantly, see and meet the people under the helmets and behind the scenes. After having that experience, and going to a few other races, my wife has her favorite driver she roots for, and watches the Indycar races with me. If you have some people in your life that you d like to make race fans, at least get them to appreciate what your favorite hobby/sport is. Take them to a race weekend. Put extra effort into meeting drivers and mechanics, or getting autographs and photos together. If you can talk to team members (when they aren t actively busy rebuilding a car), you can really get a great insight to the sport and make a personal connection with that team. Some of the lower tier teams or series people love to talk about their car, driver, or team. So take your friends or family to a race weekend and do your best make it click with them. The people they ll meet will make an impression that lasts. q Chris Paveglio on Speed channel, so you know where I ll be this weekend - glued to the set. I spend more time watching Speed than I care to admit. I m still a car nut and if I can t get out to an event, I can still enjoy the events vicariously. There s a host of channels that broadcast motorsport events. Speed is just one, but with an extensive schedule. To see what s coming up on Speed, click on or navigate to q John Rudy

13 Autocrossing the World Challenge Neon (Or Just Another Tire War) The season is getting into full-swing by now, and I tried to drive the car as delivered in a few events. It didn t work too well because the tires were old and rock hard. I bit the bullet and got a set of R-compound tires before the Carlisle event. What a difference! With old tires, I had to go to 3rd gear to stop wheel spin. Now, it hooks up from the get-go. In the past, I had used BFG tires in my showroom stock racing. Loved em! Most of the Neon nuts used them in the late 90s with great success. Then they disappeared around the time Michelin bought out BFG. More on that later. Flash forward 15 years, BFG is back in DOT tire sports car racing. The new line is also called R1 and is available in a standard compound or a soft compound, which are good for autocross and/or cold track days. One big difference between the original R1 and the new R1 is the sidewall construction. The original was asymmetric, with a very stiff outer wall and a very soft inner wall. This concept helped create better camber in Showroom Stock and Solo stock cars that were not allowed chassis adjustments outside of the factory limits. The new R1 tire is symmetric and needs an agressive camber adjustment for best results. So, why did BFG stop making the old tire? And, why not bring the asymmetric design back? I had assumed that Michelin did not want to compete with it s existing line of Pilot tires. Bad assumption. Here is what happened ( as told to me by an industry insider, who will be nameless). The pattern for the asymmetrical sidewall is held by Goodyear, and was licensed to BFG. Page 13 BFG was small enough that Goodyear was OK with the arrangement. But, when Michelin took over, Goodyear did not want to give anything to their world-wide competitor, so they did not renew the licence. Tire wars: it s nostalgia all over again. q Alan Lesher Alan s new BFG R-1 tires were put to the test on the Carlisle autocross course. John Rudy Photo Staff Change Greg Hagan has stepped down from his position as Susquehanna Region s Autocross Committee chair. Greg s employment demands have changed and require more of his time. Greg will continue to head the novice program at our events. That position now rests in the capable hands of Kate Ritter and Geoff Craig, who have agreed to share the responsibilities of that position as co-chairs. In sharing their duties, Kate will take on the responsibility for the administration of our events and directing registration. Geoff will handle the responsibilities for course, grid and paddock design and event operations. Their first test of leadership under fire came at the June 17 double-header autocross, by all accounts two very successful events. q

14 Page 14 The Elegance At Hotel Hershey Was Truly Elegant James Patterson s 1936 Delahaye 135M Competition Court Coupe doubled up taking the Governor s Cup/Best of Show and Most Elegant Closed Post-War awards. John Rudy Photos The Rolling Sculpture award went to this sleek 1953 Fiat 8V Otto Vu Speciale Berlinetta. Scaglietti-built 1955 Ferrari 500 Mondial Series II Spyder won for Most Elegant Sports & Racing. This one-off 1963 Pininfarina-bodied Corvette Rondine won the Ciao Italy Post-War award. On a very warm and sunny June 10th, The Elegance showcased more than 60 of the world s finest collector automobiles on the formal garden lawn behind Hotel Hershey. Billed as a combined auto show and garden party like no other, The Elegance lived up to that claim. Many notable marques were featured in this display of classic, vintage, and one-of-akind automobiles, the majority dating to the pre-wwii era. Duesenberg, Delahaye, Delage, Rolls-Royce, Cord, Packard, Bugatti, Stutz, Lincoln, Bentley, Pierce-Arrow and Rolls-Royce were well represented. In a more sporting vein were Ferrari, Cisitalia, H.R.G., Maserati, Aston Martin, Fiat and Siata. There were also a dozen vintage race cars on display from the previous two-day Grand Ascent hillclimb competition. The Governor s Cup/Best of Show trophy was awarded to the 1936 Delahaye 135M Competition Court Coupe of James Patterson. If you appreciate cars from the past and would like to see more images from this car show, I ve posted a photo gallery. Click on or navigate to (The link is case sensitive, all lower case.) The Elegance was just one more example of the area s quality car shows. q John Rudy

15 Graphics by Chris Paveglio Page Hartzdale Drive Camp Hill, PA Monday-Friday 8:00am-5:30pm Maintenance: Pennsylvania State Inspection Certified Pennsylvania Emissions Regularly Scheduled Factory Maintenance Complete Tune-ups Automatic Transmission Flushes Fuel Injection Cleaning Cooling System Services Replace Windshield Wipers Coolant System Flushes Diagnostic & Repair: Computer Diagnostic Service Expert Brake Service and Repairs Air Conditioning Svcs & Repairs Diagnose & Repair Chargintg Systems Diagnose & Repair Driveline Repair Overheating / Temperature Issues (717) Wheels & Suspension: Mounting Tires up to 20 Dynamic Spin Balancing Computerized Wheel Alignment Suspension and Front End Service Weighting of Race Cars Custom Alignments tailored for Racing Custom Suspension Work Tell them you saw the ad in SUSQ SCCA s Squeal Newsletter UTO SEAT COVER CO. Accessories - Restyling 1500 Paxton St., Harrisburg, PA (717) Auto Air Conditioners Auto Tops Cruise Controls Upholstering Sun Roofs Power Windows Power Door Locks Security Systems Old Mountain Road Wellsville, PA (717) Race Car Fabrication, restoration and preparation Parts, fuel cells, safety equipment, and trailers, specializing in Porsche. SCCA Tech Inspections and Novice Permits Sponsor Space Available If you d like to join our sponsorship ranks, we ll make room for you. Please contact me at mail@johnrudy.com for details. q