September/October 2014 Trivia questions are on p. 13! Photos on page 12 & 13 by Doug Patterson, PattersonPrints.com
2014 KC Region Officers REGIONAL EXECUTIVE Chris Kern - 913-558-1265 thefourkerns@icloud.com ASST REGIONAL EXECUTIVE Neava Ford - 913.522.9872 missneava@yahoo.com SECRETARY Paula Diehl C 816-225-5100 pdiehl51@yahoo.com TREASURER Norma Williams H 913-262-6330/C 913-233-9645 kcmomwilliams@aol.com PAST REGIONAL EXECUTIVE Joe Tasler - 816-550-9007 joe.tasler@gmail.com BOARD MEMBERS Donna Cross 913.908.0380 donnarcross@gmail.com Mike Hill - 816-779-4562/ H 816-678-3540, mikehill@fairpoint.net Roy Lopshire - 816-868-3975 roy_lopshire@comcast.net Ken Ragan - 913-422-5778 kenrragan@sbcglobal.net Brad Smith 913.708.4531 Brad.smith.kcrscca@gmail.com Dave Vincent 913.306.3284 dvincent@kc.rr.com To Contact the SCCA National Office Call 1-800-770-2055 or Visit the website: www.scca.com Kansas City Website & Forum www.kcrscca.org 2014 KC Region Officers and Board of Directors 2014 SOLO ADVISORY COMMITTEE Jeff Bartz - 603.727.6042 jeffreywbartz@gmail.com James Cahill 413.358.0844 jwracer05@yahoo.com Al Hermans - 816-478-2386 alhermans@sdc-corp.com Mike Hill - 816-779-4562/ H816-678-3540 mikehill@fairpoint.net Jeremy Salenius - 913.608.1648 jeremy.salenius@gmail.com Other KC Region Contacts Race Group Chairman Charlie Clark 816-257-7305 Solo Group Chairman Al Hermans 816-478-2386 Webmaster Doug Patterson and Joe Tasler Checkpoint Editor Barbara E. Garrett composer1953@gmail.com Business Ads and News Reporter Norma Williams, 913-262-6330/913.233.9645 kcmomwilliams@aol.com Club Historian Sharlene Smith 816-353-8922 KC Region Representatives To Kaw Valley Race Group Chris Kern, 913-558-1265 Alex Clark, Treasurer, 913-558-0176 Charlie Clark, 816-257-7305 Other KVRG Representatives Kent Prather, Asst. Chair Rick Taylor, Secretary Jesse Prather KVRG Race Officials Race Chair - Gary Kern, 913-515-3878 Co Race Chair - Chris Kern Paddock Marshall - Chris Kern Chief of T & S - Sharlene Bettinger Asst Chief of T&S - Bruce Bettinger Registrar - Linda Henson, 816-795-8520 Chief Instructor PDX - Jim Wheeler Chief Driver s School Instructor - Chief Scrutineer - Michael Pearson Chief Starter - Adam Miller Chief of Pits - Bob Nowlan Chief of Grid - Larry Hinton Course Marshall - Ken Ragan 913-422-5778 Hospitality - Marla Worthington Chief of F&C - Chris Keith Worker Coordinator - Char and Ken Keith, KVRGRACEWORK@ATT.NET Chief Medical - Robert Thompson Mid-Div Contacts Peter Zekert, Area 6 Director Richard Holden, Rep to SEB Keith Pfaust, Executive Comm. Chmn. Bill Allman, Driver Licensing 785-267-5613(w) 785-478-3235 (h) Scott Bowman, Executive Steward bowmansc@kjww.com Commercial Ad Rates Members Non Members Business Card 15.00 25.00 Quarter Page 20.00 30.00 Half Page 40.00 50.00 Full Page 65.00 75.00 Prices are per issue, Banner Ads included YOU MUST PROVIDE ARTWORK Classified ads are free as they benefit our members. We will run an ad for three (3) months and request that you let us know if you would like it removed earlier. Contact Norma Williams 913-262-6330, 913.233.9645 email: kcmomwilliams@aol.com
Words from Chris, our RE: Election time is coming around again. This year s nominating committee for open Board positions are Lisa Kern, Chairman, Doug Patterson, Sharlene Smith, Darren Crozier, and Ken Snyder. Expect your phones to be ringing. Congratulations for all 48 local and regional participants at Solo Nationals in Lincoln and the two participants at RallyCross Nationals. Out of the Solo participants, there were 10 top 3 finishes and the following people won their class: Greg Reno, GS; Ron Williams, STC; and Keith Lamming, CAM-C. Good Luck to team members at RunOffs in Laguna Seca, CA. They are Jim Wheeler and Roy Lobshire. Hope to see everyone @ the Hallowine-e on October 25th and the Halloweenie on October 26th. We need you at the next two general meetings. This is because at November meeting we will announce the ballot and call for any add-ons to it. December will be Elections for the 2 open seats on S.A.C. and Board Positions. It would be really nice to have a huge election turnout. Your vote really does count! Chris Kern LAST of our 2014 Races Coming Up! SOLO (Aka Autocross) October 18, Event #11, at Heartland Park, Topeka, KS w/ Kansas October 19, Event #12, at Heartland Park, Topeka, KS w/ Kansas October 26, Event #13, Halloweenie, MCC Precision Driving Center, Proceeds from this event will go to Pedal the Cause. See p. 11 for a few more details. CLUB RACING Oct 6-12, Runoffs, Laguna Seca, Monterey, CA RALLYCROSS November 2, 9:00 AM Leonard s Farm, Garnett, KS contact Chris Kern or Doug Patterson for more info Nov 8-9, Lawrence, KS ROAD RALLY Contact Rich Bireta for more information
September Birthdays 2 Melanie Cahill 3 Michael Litscher Marv Wolf 4 Larry Barry 5 Danielle Henson - d of Bob & Linda Joe Tasler 6 Alan Bennett Jack Wolf - (7) grs of Victor LaViola & Ellen Wolf 7 Kirk Collier Bob Henson Steve Wolf 9 Chuck Walter Seven Williams - (5) d of Brian & Jennifer 11 Terry Irvine - (11) s of Jerry & Lorena 12 Brandon Barthel Tim Edmondson 13 Charlie Williams - s of Keith & Cheryl 14 LeRoy F Brown IV Ken Ragan 15 Tim Mourlam 18 Maddox Bachenberg - (5) grs of Steve Ethan Duke Ron Mallak 19 Amanda Plude d Derva Bill Rinke Danielle Schumann Brent Alan Simmons 20 Joshua Read Leo Smith 21 Chuck Clark Vern Kinney 25 Ann Brown Keith Keirsey Harvey Kinnard 26 Timothy Grayson William Wolf - s of Steve & Marsha 27 Chris Berg Craig D Wilcox 28 Jim Rand 29 Jennifer S Brown Kade Owen Disher - (9) grs of Chuck & Sue Woloscsuk 30 James McAllister - grs of Charlie Clark September Anniversaries 4 Gary & Jackie Kern - 15 years 9 Kyle & Stacey Ritter Gary & Sharon Wolfe - 35 years 21 Jerry & Lorena Irvine - 24 years 22 Ron & Jan Reynolds - 52 years 24 Lenard & Mary Holsworth - 31 years 24 Paul & Alicia Moylan -20 years
1157 COMPETED, 1146 FINISHED THE COURSE BOTH DAYS CLASS NAME PLACE # IN CLASS TROPHY PAX AS JAMES KING 17 26 899 CS FRANK FINKS 46 55 932 DS LARRY BARRY 23 24 1103 GS JEFF BARTZ 14 29 585 GS GREG CHENEY 22 29 762 GS JOHN HERRMAN 25 29 965 HS GREG RENO 1 18 T 251 HS MIKE HILL 11 18 787 HSL LINDA DUNCAN 2 9 T 818 HSL EMILY RENO 5 9 1023 HSL DONNA HILL 3 9 T 977 SSR FRANK WIETHARN 21 29 280 SSRL DEB JARBOE 4 5 1027 ESR DAN WHEELER 4 8 646 ESR DAVID AVARD 6 8 756 STC RON WILLIAMS 1 28 T 104 STX CRAIG WILCOX 8 67 T 205 STX JOE SILVA 13 67 T 292 STX DOUG HITCHCOCK 41 67 591 STX BOB BUXBAUM 44 67 616 STX CHUCK WILSON 50 67 669 STX KENT EDMONDSON 57 67 769 STX SONJA HITCHCOCK 63 67 1004 STXL JULIE AVARD 5 11 729 STU MARK HILL 2 18 T 434 STF JEREMY SALENIUS 7 25 T 370 STF BRIAN HARMER 13 25 549 STFL JESSICA DORN 3 4 1087 CP ALBERT HERMANS 17 41 483 CP CHARLIE CLARK 36 41 1033 CP DICK BERGER 41 41 1133 FP DARREN CROZIER 13 16 693 GP BILL CUTRER 3 5 842 SM JAKE DIEHL 15 24 371 SM TODD WAYMAN 16 24 454 SML PAULA DIEHL 7 7 979 SMF MATTHEW GRAINGER 7 17 179 CAM-C KEITH LAMMING 1 8 T 1041 CAM-C LANCE HAMILTON 3 8 T 1085 CM BOB QUALKENBUSH 13 17 563 CM VERN MAXEY 17 17 886 EM TONY GIORDANO 13 13 1153 FM BRAD SMITH 25 26 1032 KM JARED LANGENFELD 4 32 T 161 KM SHAWN HILL 8 32 T 248 KM BILL SCHMIDT 32 32 1125 KML JANET SCHMIDT 6 6 1126 FSAE KAITLYN JOHNSON 3 6 984
2 Patrick Kern - s of Chris & Lisa 4 Sarah Watney - d of Guy 5 Mark Funk Jim Wheeler 6 J Douglas Patterson 8 Arthur Johnson - s of Bill & Nancy Jeremy Scotten Jonathan Tasler 11 Neil Rowland Adam Shames 12 Debra Pearson 13 Timothy Blaine Friest 14 Nathaniel J Green D Keith Voyles 15 Jason Whitney 16 Tom Davis Charlie Peter - s of Hans & Susan Kyle Ritter 17 Ken Deitchman Deb Erpelding Tyler Fox Chris Frensley 19 Ethan Hill (8) s of Shawn & Holi Tiffany Whitney 20 Pat dinatale Cindy Hodges 21 Paula Diehl October Birthdays 22 Nancy Johnson Michael Schulte 23 Mark Macoubrie Mike McGinley Kathi Toombs Chris Weeks 24 Kent Edmondson Brian Williams 25 James Cahill 27 Alex Clark 28 Matt Mosakowski 29 Susan Deitchman Claire Meyers - (12) d of Kirk & Amy Collier Carolyn Wilson 30 Randy Eickhoff Doug Hitchcock Micaela Johnson - d of Bill & Nancy Nico Vicente Nioce - (2) gr-grs of Brian & Bonnie Haupt 31 Deana Brown Patrick J Wall October Anniversaries 10 Joe & Linda Schulte - 44 years 12 Scott & Chris Peterson 12 years 31 LeRoy & Jennifer Brown For sale: 1990 Ford E-350 one ton conversion van. 460 engine, new Jasper transmission, new shocks, new radiator, dual fuel tanks (new pump in forward tank), 160,000 miles, fresh rebuild on rear brakes, new king pins at front suspension, new battery. I have some tune up parts that can be included with the sale. Open to offers. Contact Al Hermans at 816-564-6176 PLEASE CALL MOM WITH YOUR NEWS. YOU CAN REACH HER BY PHONE 913-262-6330 (h) 913.233.9645 (c) or by mail 19185 Hadley St., Stilwell, KS 66085 or by email kcmomwilliams@aol.com
Greetings from the National Office We re at the end of Championship time of year. The 2014 racing season is coming to an end. The Tire Rack Solo National Championships and the Road Rally National Championships are already in the books. The RallyCross National Championships jus took place just around the corner, Oct. 3-5. The following week, the SCCA Runoffs put a bow on the season, as they are set to take place Oct. 6-12 at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. Since mid-august it seems like everyone around the National Office has been focused on the planning of one championship, or another. Unlike many of the regularseason events, which are largely organized and staffed by folks from the local region, the National Office staff is responsible for many of the details involved in event planning and operation for the Championship meets. From technical inspection, to event setup and teardown, National Office staffers are tasked with completing these responsibilities, or coordinating the volunteers to do so. To put things in perspective, the Tire Rack SCCA Solo National Championships is the largest motorsports competition in the world, boasting just fewer than 1,200 entrants. The event itself spans four days during the first week of September. By comparison, National Tour Solo events typically average 150 entries. Needless to say, the scale of the Championship event makes each of the tour events look like child s play. On the Club Racing front, the SCCA National Championship Runoffs is the Club s marquee Championship event. With an entry list sitting at just over 525, it s pretty clear to see how the production of this event becomes a monumental task. Especially when one considers that the largest U.S. Majors Tour races usually attract entry numbers in the 300s. In short, it is a herculean effort to make these Championship meets go off without a hitch. National staff, with the willing assistance of regular Club members, allows each competitor the ability to see how they stack up against the best amateur motorsports competition in the world. With that said, please keep in mind that we only have about 30 full-time staffers in the Topeka office. When working with these folks this time of year, having a little patience will go a long way. We may be unable to answer a phone, return an email or fulfill a request right away, but everyone here will do their best to provide the top-notch customer service you have come to expect. The reality is it may take a little more time to make something happen, even if it is a seemingly simple task. Public Relations and Marketing are also two core competencies which every successful organization must have. Whether it s the local Girl Scout troop or a mom-and-pop business down the street, letting the general public know who you are and what you do is important. With the large sums of money that are put into motorsports, getting the basics of your organization out to the masses makes things like selling sponsorship much easier.
For those of you who many not know me, a handful of years ago I was working toward assembling a budget to move from karting to professional-level, open-wheel racing. I had been doing many years worth of research into the best way to attain sponsorship for racing. Among books, blogs and other sources, I read just about everything on the subject that was available at the time. I even went as far as hiring a sponsorship headhunter to leverage his business connections to find the funding. I have spent half my life working toward the goal of becoming a professional racer, but if I had known then what I have learned about motorsports marketing in the last couple years I would have been much more successful. At the point I was actively behind the wheel, and looking to make the transition to cars, I didn t even have a website. My wife could attest that my Facebook presence was minimal, and I had a Twitter account but never used it. Social media was more of a hassle, in my eyes, and traditional media coverage for my racing efforts was non-existent. At the time, I didn t know any better. But, as they say, ignorance is no excuse for not doing. In the late 90s and early 2000s, sponsorship for motorsports was much easier to attain. It was a different era where businesses, big and small, were more willing to spend money on fun marketing efforts that may or may not deliver a sizeable return on investment (ROI). In the current economic environment, marketing expenditures are scrutinized more closely and need to equal measurable returns. In many cases, personal connections are not even enough to offset a negative ROI. Working closely in and around pro-level racing for the past two years, I have learned that the key to successful sponsorship searching and procurement is self-promotion. A website, coupled with a good social media presence, is the bare minimum needed in order to be a successful promoter. What makes some more successful than others is external media exposure. This includes traditional media sources (newspaper, magazines, radio and TV) and new media (blogs, special interest websites, podcasts and other online publications). Both local audiences and national audiences are equally important. Thinking outside the box, by getting covered in seemingly unrelated publications will also score you points with potential partners. College and University Alumi magazines, trade publications and local business journals are some examples of these nonmotorsports of outlets. In many instances, potential marketing partners are looking to back someone, or an organization, that has an intact public presence. A local celebrity, no matter how minor, has shown they have the skill and foresight to get themselves into the public eye. In most cases a flashy business proposal will do little to sway a marketing professional to sign off on financially supporting a racing effort. Not to say this isn t an important piece of the puzzle, but the target partner is less interested in the skills one can bring forth in the controlled environment of the boardroom and more interested in what a racer or organization can do to promote their particular brand the other 364 days of the year. As we move forward in planning for the 2015 race season, this can be some very important food for thought. Learning how to properly self-promote can reap benefits, not only on an individual level, but also on an organizational level such as our KCSCCA Region. Whether it s competing in,
or administering, motorsports events, the cost of doing business will not be going down in the future. For that reason, corporate partnership is a necessity in the current racing landscape. Be safe out there and we ll see you at the track. Hallowine-e Rally October 25, 2014 This is a gimmick rally to provide a great social outing for our club members. There will be some gravel roads and this is a non points rally. This is a fill in the blank rally. Instructions will be given at the start of the rally. Designated driver s are required since this is a wine tasting rally. Fee: $10.00 per car load Starting Location: Registration: 11:00 AM Kill Creek Park 11670 Homestead Lane Olathe, KS 66061 Shelter #4 First car off 12:01 PM Wineries being visited: Blue Jacket Winery, www.bluejacketwinery.com 1969 N. 1250 th Rd, Eudora, KS 66025 (785) 542-1764 Feel free to bring snacks to eat at the wineries. Davenport Orchards & Winery, www.davenportwinery.com 1394 E. 1900 th Rd, Eudora, KS 66025 (785) 542-2278 White Tail Run Winery, www.whitetailrunwinery.com 2327 N. 400 Rd, Edgerton, KS 66021 (913) 893-6860 Ending location: Tanner Bar & Grill 10146 W. 119 th St Overland Park, KS (913) 345-1217 We will end at Tanner s with prizes for the top 3. Rally Master: Adam Miller Registrars & Checkpoints: Donna Cross and Neava Ford Safety Steward: Rich Bireta Chase Car: Chris Kern
Yakety Yak Dear Mom: For those of you who were traveling by the I-35 and 7 th Street exit in Kansas City, Kansas this summer and noticed a billboard with a large twinkie on it, well this was the works of our own Brad Smith. Brad, who is an employee of 3 Axis Inc which is located on Roe Lane in KC, KS, said the billboard was up for 10 weeks. Brad designed the Styrofoam Hostess Twinkie which was 50 feet wide and weighed 2,000 pounds. The sign on the Twinkie read The Sweetest Comeback in the History Ever. Victor LaViola and Ellen Wolf who have moved to Tucson, Arizona, states that all is well with them They have made three trips in their move and still have at least one more load for all the remaining car parts. They have moved from an 11,000 square foot, 3 story building to a 1600 square foot home. They will erect a storage/shop/ studio building on their property in the near future. The following is an email from Ellen: Hi, We thought it was about time we checked in and gave you some information that you might want to share in Checkpoint. So many people were so nice to us over the years, we didn t want to completely disappear without saying, Thank You! It seems impossible that we attended our first meeting of SCCA in Kansas City in 2001. All of those race seasons of volunteering as workers! Victor on the corners and Ellen in Timing and Scoring. That s a lot of tee-shirts, jackets and monogrammed goodies ago! We even managed several years of 100%. What we gained the most were the relationships from all the people we met. Many became lasting friends who will not be forgotten. And Ellen added, Thank you, everyone, for your kindness and generosity over the years. Our guest room is complete and our door is open. You are always welcome here. Sorry we will miss the Majors this year at Heartland Park, but we wish all the racers in the KC Region the best of luck. Until we get our phone service sorted out, the best way to keep in touch is email. Victor s computer is still in a box, but all correspondence is shared through Ellen s email: ewwolf4@gmail.com. Again, thanks for all the terrific memories. Come visit! We ll make some more memories!! Until the next pit stop, Victor LaViola and Ellen Wolf. Rockhurst University honored four alumni on Sept 20 th for achievements in their professional lives and commitment to public service. One of the alumni honored was Pasquale Trozzolo, who received the St. Ignaius Award. Trozzolo, who graduated in 1975, is the founder and executive chairman of Trozzolo Communications Group in Kansas City. The Alumni Awards Luncheon was held during Rockhurst s annual family and alumni weekend. What a year this has been for Bill and Barbara Correll! Barbara s mother passed away on January 29 th. Bill had his shoulder surgery March 14 th and has missed out on all but one of the Solo events this year. Bill s 95 year old mother broke her neck the first of June and was in a neck cast until the 1 st of August. On Sept 1 st she came down with bronchus and was in the hospital for 4 days and after being home only 6 days she fell, so back to the hospital and then to rehab until??? Barbara s son had knee surgery a few weeks ago. Friday Sept 19 th Barbara had back surgery at the KU Medical Center. She says it will be 2 or 3 months with no lifting or bending over! WOW time for this family to all get well!! Barbara Garrett had her 13th eye surgery on August 27 th. She says all reports are great and she can see better now than she has for the past 5 years. It pays to go to a great eye surgeon. Saturday Sept 27 th Isabella Williams was crowned Little Miss Tea and was honored by riding on a special float at the Fall Festival in Liberty, MO. She was sponsored by AnnaMarie s Tea Shop in Liberty. She is the daughter of Keith & Cheryl and the grand-daughter of Charlie & Norma. Our condolence to Allen Newcomb. His wife Vanna Bonta passed away July 9 th in Texas at the age of 56. She was an Italian-American poet, novelist, actress, inventor and artist s model. She was a voice talent on Disney s Beauty and the Beast film. Our condolence to the family of Bill Riggs. Bill passed away on July 30 th at age 81. He was an old-time member of the KC Region. Bill owned a service station on Main Street and he raced a TR3. He moved from KC several years ago and lived in the Cayman Islands until he retired and moved to Emporia, KS.
Our condolence to Bill Rinke and his family on the death of his wife, Dodie, who died August 6th. She fell at the Tablerock Healthcare Alzheimer Unit and was unable to recover. Dodie worked in Timing and Scoring at Heartland Park Topeka. Our condolence to Barbara Garrett and her brother Minor on the death August 17th of their father, Dr Gene Garrett, who was 95 years old and lived in Clarinda, IA. Dr Garrett was the Chief Psychologist at the Clarinda Mental Health Institute for 23 years before retiring in 1988. He was also chairman of the Glenn Miller Birthplace Society Scholarship Committee for over 20 years. Our condolence to the family of Steve Eberman, who passed away August 19th. Steve & his wife Mary were members of the KC Region several years. Steve raced a Sports 2000 and was a 2 time Midwest Champion. Steve & Mary were owners of Function Junction in Crown Center. Our condolence to the family of Greg Scharnberg. Greg died in a car accident Monday morning September 22nd in Urbandale, IA. A medical condition may have been the cause of the crash. Greg, who was 69 years old was the Midwest division Solo Treasurer. He was multiple time B-Modified MiDiv Solo champion. He and his late wife Sam were recipients of the England-Stipe Award in 1995.. don t look back Halloweenie Event 10/26/14 Kansas City Region SCCA Donations for Pedal the Cause To help create A WORLD WITHOUT CANCER 100% of the money raised stays in St. Louis to fund cancer research at The Siteman Cancer Center and St. Louis Children's Hospital. The Pedal the Cause mission is to provide funding for cancer research at Siteman Cancer Center and St. Louis Children's Hospital through our annual cycling challenge. It is our hope that research funded by Pedal the Cause will ltimately lead to a cure for cancer and a WORLD WITHOUT CANCER. Founded in 2009, Pedal the Cause had the goal of creating a community-wide cycling fundraising challenge in which 100% of all donations go directly to provide cancer research direct funding for cancer research, cancer discovery grants and clinical translational care not currently eligible for federal funds. Online registration for Event #13 - Halloweenie on10/26/2013 is now open http://msreg.com/kcrevent13 September - October 2014 Trivia Question: 1. Who won their class or came in second or third at the Autocross Nationals in Lincoln, NE, in early September? Answers are on page 5. All correct responses will be entered in a drawing to be held at the December 2014 General Meeting. Winner will receive a $35 gift certificate towards an event of your choice. Send the answers to composer1953@gmail.com
How a regular diet of traffic cones improved my life By Jim Clark Somewhere back in the dimly-recalled days of 2013, the television show Top Gear (the UK show, not the sad illegitimate offspring produced in the U.S.) broadcast a comparison of cars I could relate to: hot hatches. Featured were a Renault Clio, a Peugeot 208 GTI, and a Ford Fiesta ST. The short version of the story: the boys loved the Ford. As soon as one sat in the well-bolstered Recaro seat and pressed the starter button, the growl of the engine whispered drive me. And the kick in the backside that resulted from stomping on the throttle, combined with wellmanaged driving characteristics (aren t front-wheel drive vehicles supposed to suffer from massive understeer? well, not the Ford) and a price that didn t cause me to look deprecatingly at my bank book and frown led the hosts of the show to declare it easily the most fun to drive. Astonishingly, astoundingly fun to drive. Then, come the end of the season, they named the turbo-charged bucket of fun with wheels their Car of the Year for 2013. So I bought one. Oh, sure, there s more to the story, I suppose, but nothing anyone really cares about. The point is that just a few days into the New Year, and just a few months after the car had begun gleaning rave reviews across the U.S., I had a 2014 Ford Fiesta ST sitting in the garage. Race Red, of course. There are other colors, but no one really knows why. (In fact, the single largest mistake Ford made with regard to this fabulous little car is a color: Green Envy. This color is the sort of choice that makes every other decision seem at least slightly less bad in comparison. That call to a late-night singles chat line? It could have yielded a fulfilling long-term relationship, really. But Green Envy is a color option that should come with a mandatory visit to an eye clinic. And it costs extra, too, so there s monetary insult added to the ocular injury. But back to the hot little car sitting in the garage. As spring approached and bits of not-quite-soawful weather sprang into brief existence now and again, I found myself looking for opportunities to find twisty roads that needed driving upon. When the weather wasn t cooperative, I found myself longing for the balmy days of summer and contemplating means by which I could increase my enjoyment of my new car. I started watching reruns of Top Gear. I started reading online about sports cars. I joined a Fiesta ST forum, found at fiestast.net. In and amongst these activities I of course came upon reference to various activities within the motorsports world, but many were either much too expensive (road or track racing of pretty much any ilk) or bore some other fatal flaw. But one option seemed both attractive and (depending on just how I presented the idea to my wife) at least not immediately and obviously unaffordable: autocross. Forum members described their early preparations for the upcoming season. Stories of previous events tantalized the unknowing souls. A complete and utter disregard for safety wasn t a prerequisite. And it sounded like an event inspired by a Mazda commercial: zoom-zoom! Small, quick, agile cars and driver skill were the elements required. And it was fun! I thought of my bright red Fiesta. Fun! Driving as fast as possible around tight little courses. Fun! Learning and improving upon driving skills. Fun! And maybe the people wouldn t be the cynical, hyper-competitive, back-stabbing, ill-tempered, ungrateful and unwelcoming sort found in pretty much every other walk of life outside of abbeys, nunneries, and the like. I soon discovered that also lurking on the forum was a local guy who seemed both experienced and highly capable in autocross. He went by the moniker Smokin, although there were also occasional references to Wahoo as well. Okay, I figured, this young guy probably got his MBA a couple years ago and has since been frittering away his parents money doing this sort of thing while he dabbles in working
at a local bank, but he sounds pretty knowledgeable. At least maybe he ll serve as a useful connection to getting an introduction to the sport. Some of you know this guy as Greg Cheney. What followed both took forever to get started and then seemed like a series of storms. Lots of calm surrounding whirlwinds of activity and timed competitive events emphasizing driver ability and car handling. I attended a Kansas City Region SCCA meeting and won money pretty much by standing up when my name was called. I was warmly welcomed and encouraged to jump right on in. Jumping in was only slightly less invigorating than jumping into a northern Minnesota lake in early June, right after taking the first sauna of the season. One goes from all warm and toasty and ahhhh... to a sudden intake of air, gasps, sputters, and fleeting thoughts of whether one would ever draw a normal breath again. And a great thing about both upon climbing up the ladder out of the lake or out of the car after a run, one s first thought is generally very much along the lines of Can I do it again? Can I, huh? I attended the region Solo Novice School in the spring, and immediately competed in my first event the following day. At both the school and that first event (the second of the 2014 season, fondly referred to by some as the deluge event ), I was able to enjoy ride-alongs with excellent drivers and teachers, and get tips for how I could start driving fast and actually miss most of the cones marking the course. It was like getting a free sample of an addictive drug from the local dealer except this was legal! One could even argue it was beneficial for my mental health and well-being. Although I m still trying to have the results of my early events hidden away and suppressed forever, I quickly found that I was enjoying myself immensely. Great camaraderie with fantastic people, adrenalin-pumping competition at which I could compete with myself to get better, and enjoyment watching masters of the art perform led to what is proving a permanent addiction. Yeah, so my braking skills need work. And I haven t even begun to master left-foot braking. I m still learning to look ahead. But I know what late apex means, and I ve tried trail-braking a bit here and there. I m closely acquainted with lift-throttle oversteer, evidence for which includes my spectacular 540-degree spin across the wet asphalt at the Starting Line school witnessed by more and more people as the story gets retold. It all started with a simple desire to just have a little fun with my car. And now look at what s happening. I ve got my own shiny white helmet, a new floor jack, plans for another, lighter set of wheels and new tires next spring, and an omnipresent desire for more seat time. (Yes, I wanted us all to have a fifth run on Sunday, dagnabbit!) I hope to hang around a while. Thanks for the welcome. Now let s get on with the next event!
T c F p h
KCR Recipe Corner SEND ME YOUR RECIPE to composer1953@gmail.com COMING TO A LOCATION NEAR YOU! KC REGION SCCA ANNUAL BANQUET SATURDAY, JANUARY 17, 2015 DEER CREEK GOLF CLUB 7000 W. 133RD (133RD & METCALF) OVERLAND PARK, KS UPCOMING EVENTS ON THE KC REGION CALENDAR October 6-12 Run-offs Laguna Seca, Monterey, CA October 7 6:00pm Solo Advisory Committee Meeting, ALP Auxiliary Room October 7 7:30pm General Meeting, ALP October 18 Solo Event #11, Heartland Park, Topeka, KS October 19 Solo Event #12, Heartland Park, Topeka, KS October 21 7:30pm Race Group Meeting, ALP Auxiliary Room (note location change) October 28 7:00 pm KC Board of Directors Meeting, ALP Auxiliary Room October 25 Hallowine-e See page 10 of this issue for details October 26 Solo Event #13, Halloweenie, MCC Precision Driving Center Proceeds from this event will go to Pedal the Cause. See p. 11 for a few more details. November 2 Garnett, KS, Contact Chris Kern for more information November 4 6:00pm Solo Advisory Committee Meeting, ALP Auxiliary Room November 4 7:30pm General Meeting, ALP November 9-10 Kansas Rally Weekend, Road Rally, Lawrence, KS, contact Rich Bireta for details www.kcrscca.org Kansas City Region s on-line resource for information, Online event registrations, updates, results and other fun stuff! CHECKPOINT IS THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE Kansas City Region Sports Car Club of America. Any opinion expressed is that of the authors and is not necessarily the opinion of the members of the Region, its officers or the CHECKPOINT staff. By publishing advertising in CHECKPOINT the Kansas City Region does not endorse the products of service advertised. Permission to reprint all artwork, photographs and articles published in CHECKPOINT is given to all SCCA regional publications and to SCCA s Sports Car Magazine, provided full credit is given to the author, CHECKPOINT and the Kansas City Region SCCA. Deadline for submission to CHECKPOINT is the 10th of the month before publication.