April 2010 www.ncrscca.com The Official Newsletter of the North Carolina Region SCCA REport Hello all. I continue to gain By Rex Deffenbaugh experience as a new RE, having attended the National Convention and SEDIV annual meeting and now working with other region's REs in a real world environment. During the past month we have had our March Memories race at VIR, where we successfully integrated a PDX (Performance Driving Experience) into a traditional race weekend. Almost no negative comments were heard and overwhelmingly positive comments were heard from the participants of the PDX. They all want to know when our next one is. While the participation was up on our PDX, the participation of our racing was down and I fear this was not a profitable event. Further data gathering and analysis will tell us the results. The weekend of 3/12-14 members manned a booth at a car show at the NC Fairgrounds. The booth sported 2010 is off to a good start so let s keep working hard to make it our best ever! cars owned by Sam Fouse and Neal Harrison and a TV with DVD and VHS players showing SCCA promotional and in car video. Many attendees were told about the aspects of the SCCA that we all know and love. Surely some new members will come from those encounters. Our Solo program has had its first event of the season and was successful despite threatening weather. The Solo program continues to have very good organization and planning that results in well participated events. More are scheduled in the near future. Details can be found on the schedule page on our website. Lodging Arrangements in Danville SCCA workers, drivers and crew will be given a reduced SCCA rate if they mention "SCCA Rate" when they call to make reservations at the Innkeeper and Sleep Inn. Contact these facilities directly: Innkeeper Danville West 3020 Riverside Drive, Danville, VA 24541 (434) 793-6911 Sleep Inns and Suites 1483 South Boston Road, Danville, VA 24540 (434) 793-6090 NCR Covers Your Hotel Bill for the Oak Tree Double National April 16-17 After you register to work at this April event, regional staff will contact you to coordinate your lodging arrangements at a local hotel providing for double occupancy. Special Request from the NCR BOD The North Carolina Region (NCR) Board of Directors feels it has reached a point where it is necessary to establish a more professional and more responsive website presence and the BOD is considering the idea of paying a qualified individual or firm to assume administration of and responsibility for such a web site. Accordingly, the NCR is requesting proposals from any and all interested persons to be submitted to NCR RE, Rex Deffenbaugh, 1 week prior to the next BOD meeting which falls on the 3rd Wednesday of April. Please try to keep all submittals to one page or less, not including examples of, or links to, current or previous work. Thanks from the NCR Board of Directors.
NC Region SCCA Board of Directors and Contacts REGION EXECUTIVE www.ncrscca.com 800-342-7390 www.scca.com 800-770-2055 NCR Officers MEMBERS-AT-LARGE Chapter Coordinators CAPE FEAR CHAPTER REGISTRAR, OFFICE MANAGER Specialty Chiefs EV FLAGGING & COMMUNICATIONS F&C CO-CHIEF REX DEFFENBAUGH 919-467-2884 (W) HAPPYJAP @MINDSPRING.COM ASSISTANT RE BUDDY MATTHEWS 336-312-8858 REDSTARRACING@ TRIAD.RR.COM BRAD DRAUGHON 910-233-8348 DRAUGHONB@ YAHOO.COM TRIANGLE CHAPTER, MEMBERSHIP CHAIR GINNY CONDREY 800-342-7390 919-542-5388 (H) 919-542-5384 (Fax) GINNYCONDREY@ HOTMAIL.COM SCRUTINEER/TECH TIM GARDNER 336-849-9978 CMBRACETEAM@ YAHOO.COM TIMING & SCORING MARK BIAMONTE 919-303-2306 MBIAMONTE@ ECDS-INC.COM F&C CO-CHIEF HEATHER POWERS 336-691-0127 (H) 336-707-1344 (C) HAPPYFACERACING@ MINDSPRING.COM SECRETARY RON GENTRY 704-892-3972 RRGENTRY@ BELLSOUTH.NET JAMES SHANKS 919-571-2913 JRSHANKS@ BELLSOUTH.NET WEST CHAPTER, PACE CAR CHIEF JEFF LENGEL CO-CHIEF H- 919-469-9739 C- 919-614-1018 JFL@DELTAFORCE.NET BULLETIN EDITOR ANNA CRISSMAN 919-215-7255 KF4USQ@ GMAIL.COM PADDOCK MARSHAL ERIC DANIELSEN 540-366-7841 (H) 540-527-3742 (C) ERIC@ ALLSTARIMPRESSIONS.BIZ F&C CO-CHIEF JERRY PELL 336-855-6419 (H) 336-312-9312 (C) PELLJERRY@ AOL.COM TREASURER JOHN LINDQUIST 336-622-6225 (H) 336-549-0144 (C) JOHNDLINDQUIST@ HOTMAIL.COM ED WENTZ 336-643-9356 SPEEDRACERRX @CS.COM WEB MASTER JOHN KEADLE 919-601-5552 NCR.SCCA.BULLETIN @GMAIL.COM HAYDEN BEATTY 336 584-7808 HAYDEN17@ BELLSOUTH.NET LICENSING CHAIR DAVID TURNER 336-667-2557 DFTURNER@CHARTER.NET STARTER Vacant Positions STEVE KEADLE 919-601-5544 STEVEKEADLE @YAHOO.COM WAYNE QUICK 919-894-1254 (H) 919-824-9890 (C) PDQPARALEGAL1 @EMBARQMAIL.COM SE DIV SARRC REP JOHN UFTRING 919-641-2118 JOHNUFTRING @GMAIL.COM PITS, GRID, SOUND CONTROL LOOKING FOR A VOLUNTEER... Who wants to step up? PETER KRAUSE 919-740-1871 PETER @PETERKRAUSE.NET BRUCE DOVER 919-423-6015 RACESTARTER@ HOTMAIL.COM BLAIR PEPE STITT 919-231-0701 RACERPEPE @YAHOO.COM The Bulletin Page 2 April 2010
In this Issue of The Bulletin: Lodging Arrangements in Danville...1 Special Request from the NCR BOD...1 You re Invited to a PARTY!...3 Triangle Chapter Report...3 New Format for the 2010 ARRC...4 Minutes of Monthly Board of Directors Meeting...5 You re Invited to a PARTY! (Continued from p. 1) And, not just any party, but a party for a very special person, E. Gordon Warren. Many of you remember E. Gordon. He was a long time member of the North Carolina Region. He started in SCCA in 1963 as a driver but he supported our club in many ways. He was a Steward for our Division for many years. He worked many races at Summit Point also, especially after he retired to Hillsborough, NC. He made a substantial contribution to the rebuilding and strengthening of the steward program in the D.C. Region. Additionally, he was proud to be a regional racer. He raced the same ITC Sirocco for many years, going 60 plus races on the same engine. Following his cancer diagnosis in June 2005, he underwent a round of chemotherapy. During a period of remission, he raced and turned his fastest ever lap times at VIR at the Goblin s Go the weekend of October 29-30, 2005. He passed away December 5, 2005. We still miss him, but instead of mourn; Advertising rates for The Bulletin we take time each year to celebrate his life. The social at VIR s Double National Race on Thursday evening, April 16, 2010, will be in his memory. So, please come and join us in celebration of E. Gordon. Triangle Chapter Report By James Shanks The March meeting of the Triangle Chapter was held just a few days before the March Madness race meeting, as the SCCA members back in the 50 s used to call them, so it was a surprise to have such a good turn out. We could have squeezed in a couple more people, I guess, but they d have had to play musical chairs to see who could eat. We even had new face join us for the first time driver Zane Stephens. Welcome! The business meeting was short because the preceding month s Board of Directors meeting was short. We did not have enough time to consider the 2010 budget nor a few other weighty matters because we were visited by VIR s General Manager Josh Leif. Josh had requested that he be allowed to speak with us about the fee increase for the Double National. In his view, we have not been doing enough to promote that event to the public and he plans to use fifty per cent of the fee increase to do just that. But that was not his only message. Mr. Leif emphasized that the SCCA was an important customer for VIR and that we both had to work together to ensure sustainable events. He reminded us that he is VIR s fourth general manager and the first to make the facility operate in the black. He then openly offered to work with us when we had problems and then he took questions from the floor. He promised to look into providing a level, shaded area where people could set-up their cars and he reiterated his opposition to corner workers having their personal vehicles on station. And finally, he assured us that some kind of accommodation could be made so that SCCA volunteer workers could be a part of the SCCA Pro Super Weekend coming in September. December 2009 Page 3 The Bulletin
Other items of business that were discussed included the announcement that we would be participating in a car show at the Sate Fairgrounds in Raleigh the weekend following March Madness and a request by Bulletin editor John Keadle that members send him copies of their photos after an event so that he could include some in the next issue. And that was it. We ended the meeting by going round the room and introducing our selves for the benefit of some of the newer attendees and then we broke as we usually do into small groups to discuss the upcoming race. Why don t you make plans to join us at the April meeting, Wednesday, April 8, and find out how everyone did? I ll see you there... or at the races! Triangle Chapter at the Car Show who provided the videos which entertained everyone. The Triangle Chapter had a presence at the Carolina Collector Auto Fest in Raleigh over the weekend of March 12 14. We talked to a lot of people and gave away brochures about the Club. Special thanks goes to Neal Harrison for displaying his ITA Nissan 240 and to Sam Fouse for displaying his GTL Mazda MX3. Thanks also to everyone who manned the booth and to Mike Spencer who provided the TV and to Mark Senior New Format for the 2010 ARRC Butch Kummer Competition Director Atlanta Region, SCCA Since it s resurrection by Atlanta Region in 1994, the American Road Race of Champions Presented by Grassroots Motorsports (the ARRC by GRM) has billed itself as the National Championship event for non-runoffs classes. To keep from competing with the Runoffs for entries, none of the Runoffs classes have been invited to compete each November at Road Atlanta. Even though limited to regional-only classes the ARRC by GRM has featured 20-lap championship races, victory laps, Winners Circle interviews, professional race announcers, and coverage by national media. Over the years the event has grown in stature and truly become a destination event on the SCCA calendar. In reaction to recent decisions by the National BoD, we are now modifying that format slightly. Starting in November 2010, the ARRC by GRM will be open to ALL SCCA classes including Runoffs classes. To preserve the regional-only nature of the event, however, the caveat is that you The Bulletin Page 4 April 2010
cannot run the ARRC by GRM in the same class you competed in at the Runoffs. If you ran in EP at the Runoffs, for example, you d have to enter a different class if you also wanted to compete at the ARRC by GRM. Most of the Runoffs classes also fit in a regional-only class with minimal modifications (in the previous example EP can run SPU), so if you want to run both events in the same car it s very doable. March Memories Pit Road MM: Ricky Thompson Group 3 Winner ITR BMW Due to the support demonstrated by IT and SM communities in the past, those four (4) run groups will see minimal changes. Those groups will still have exclusive use of the Club Race paddock as they did in 2009, we ll have split starts to retain the championship atmosphere of the races, and we ll feature extensive compliance checking during Impound (which means you ll stilll race before lunch on Saturday). For those wanting additional track time we will still have the Pro-IT race on Friday afternoon plus the Three Hour (which will be part of the SEDiv s 2011 ECR series) on Sunday afternoon. The major changes will be experienced by the groups operating out of the Infield Paddock. The dates for 2010 are November 4-7 at Road Atlanta. Following are the anticipated run groups (not necessarily in this order): IT7, ITA, SP-2*, SP-3* ITR, ITS, SMX ITB, ITC, ITT, SSB, SSC SM*, SM2*, SSM AS, GT-2, GT-3, ITO, ST, ASR, CSR, DSR, FA, FB, CFC, FC, FE, FM, FS GT-1, GTA, SPO EP, FP, GTL, HP, SPU, SRF, STU F5, F6, CF, FF, FST, FV, STO, T-1, T-2, T-3, TCC *SP-2 & SP-3 are 944 Cup classes. SMX is 99+ with no restrictor and MX-5 with a restrictor TBD, SM2 is 97 & earlierr SMs Summary of the Minutes of NCR- of Directors SCCA Monthly Board Meeting Summary of the Minutes of NCR-SCCA Monthly Board of Directors Meeting: Present: Steve Keadle, John Keadle, Steve Rose, Heather Powers, Ron Gentry, John and Annie Lindquist, Mark Senior, Josh Lief, Blair Stitt, Rex Deffenbaugh, RE, Patriciaa Deffenbaugh, James Shanks, Brad Draughon, Wayne Quick, Scott Gallimore, William Scooby Little, Jerry Pell, Richard Franklin, John Uftring, Michael Spencer, Neal Harrison, Bruce Dover and Ginny Condrey 1. The meeting was called to order by Rex Deffenbaugh, RE, at 7:33 p.m. at the Sagebrush S2 February 17, 2010 December 2009 Page 5 The Bulletin
Restaurant, at Exit 147, Highway I-85/40, Graham, NC, Highway 87. introduced at the meeting by Mark Senior. MM: #12 SRF Mike Waters Finished 9 th Overall 2. Rex Deffendaugh, the new RE, advised the Board that he felt he has big shoes to fill, as the successor to Glenn Long, the Region s past RE, and that he appreciates the past efforts of the Board of Directors, the Competition Board, the Budget Committee and many others who have brought the Region to where it is today. OLD BUSINESS 1. Track Rent for NCR s Double National. The BoD is happy that Josh Lief, the General Manager of VIR, is present at this BoD meeting. Josh was Membership Information The Bulletin Published by The North Carolina Region, Sports Car Club of America Editor: John Keadle Approving Executive: Glenn Long Except where indicated, The Bulletin and all material contained herein is Copyright 2009 North Carolina Region SCCA. All Rights Reserved. Any duplication or reprint except for personal reading and use is strictly prohibited without the written consent of the NC Region SCCA. All material submitted for publication is subject to approval by the Board of Directors and the Editor. Any opinions expressed herein are those of the individual authors and are not representative of the NC Region SCCA except where indicated. The SCCA Wheel and Logo are Registered Trademarks of the Sports Car Club of America. The plan is for The Bulletin to go to press on the Monday after the last Chapter meeting of the month (see Where NCR Meets, elsewhere in this issue, for Chapter meeting schedule). There is no hard and fast deadline for editorial submissions, but they should be in by the weekend after the last Chapter meeting for inclusion in that month s issue. MM: #07 FV ShannonWaters Staley NC Mr. Lief favored the Board with his remarks regarding the business philosophy of VIR and some of its history in conjunction with the SCCA. Mr. Lief explained the rationale for the increased rental rate being charged the Region for its Double National Race event in April, and the additional advertising expense that the track is incurring for the NCR s Double National event. Mr. Lief also advised the Board of his own history as a member of SCCA and his participation as a driver in SCCA events. Mr. Lief further advised the Board as to using SCCA corner workers for SCCA Pro races, via participation of SCCA volunteers (workers) at such events. Mr. Lief emphasized the importance of VIR and the SCCA working jointly in the marketing of the SCCA race events at VIR. He further advised the BoD of the tracks plans to build a new registration building outside of the entry guard- house gate (in the race-plex area). Mr. Lief covered many subjects of interest to the BoD, including promotional activities which the track was open to participating in for charity organizations. The RE expressed the BoD s appreciation to Mr. Lief for taking an evening of his time to come to the BoD meeting, to answer questions and for sharing, with the BoD, his views on the operations of VIR and some of the track s plans for the future. 2. Approval of Minutes. Motion was made, and seconded, to approve the Minutes of the December 16, 2009, BoD meeting, as corrected for spelling of last names; Passed. The Bulletin Page 6 April 2010
Cape Fear Chapter - Wilmington First Tuesday of the Month 7:00 pm Meeting location will alternate between: National Speed (Feb, April, June, Aug, Oct) 6779 Gordon Road and German Speed Merchants (March, May, July, Sept, Nov) 300 Old Dairy Rd. Just off Market Street Brad Draughon*, Chapter Coordinator Triangle Chapter - Raleigh First Wednesday of the Month 7:00 pm El Rodeo Mexican Restaurant Hwy 70 at Pleasant Valley James Shanks*, Chapter Coordinator West Chapter - Greensboro First Tuesday of the Month Dinner at 6:45 Meeting at 7:30 pm Cooper's Ale House 5340 W Market Street Ed Wentz*, Chapter Coordinato NCR Board Meeting - Graham Third Wednesday of the Month Dinner at 6:00 Meeting at 7:30 pm The Sagebrush Steakhouse 800 South Main Street, Graham, NC. Take exit 147 off of I-40/I-85. All Welcome! *see Chapter Coordinators contact info on pg. 2 direct expenses incurred in connection therewith; Passed. NEW BUSINESS 1. Sound Control at VIR. Ron Gentry explained the waiver of sound control penalties for SCCA club racing events at VIR, in 2010. He advises that sound control will still take readings and will post the results, but that the Executive Steward of the SEDiv has waived SCCA sound control penalties in 2010 at VIR. 2. Region Dues for all of NCR s past RE s. Motion (Gentry/Keadle), that the NCR pay the Region s dues for all of the NCR s past RE s, who maintain their own National SCCA membership; Passed. 3. The Board was advised that there will not be a paid announcer at the Region s March Memories race event at VIR, thus saving the Region the cost of same. 4. Sports Car Weekend. Information as to a Sports Car Weekend communication for the State of North Carolina is being referred to the Central Carolina Region, as this proposed event is located in their territory. MM: Grp 11 Winners Paul Dubinsky and Mark Masters 3. Greensboro Car Show. John Lindquist reported as to the car show held at the Greensboro Coliseum Complex, on the weekend (Jan. 30 and 31, 2010) of the big snow in Greensboro. John Lindquist discussed the idea of also obtaining a booth at the Raleigh Car Show, in March, at the Raleigh Fairgrounds. Motion (Keadle/Shanks), that the Region rent two slots for the March Car Show in Raleigh, scheduled for March 12, 13 and 14, 2010, at $200, plus the cost of any additional MM: Grp 6 Spec Miatas 5. SCCA National Convention Reports. Some information obtained from attendees at the SCCA National Convention, including that HANS type devices will be mandatory in SCCA Club racing, beginning in 2012, was shared with the BoD. December 2009 Page 7 The Bulletin
REPORTS 1. Chapters: A. Cape Fear Chapter: Brad Draughon, Chapter Coordinator, reported that at their last Chapter meeting that there was a great deal of interest shown in the upcoming PDX program, scheduled for the March Memories event at VIR. MM: Grp 1 CCPS Joseph Cooley MM: CCPS Action #60 John Peterson 6. Award Presentation. Steve Rose was presented with the Hard Luck award, as he was unable to attend the NCR s Annual Awards Banquet in January, to receive same. 7. Newsletter. John Keadle advises that he needs photos from NCR race events on a timely basis; a discussion ensued and it was suggested that Art may be able to provide such. The same inquiry was made with reference to photos from the Region s Annual Awards Banquet, which photos have not yet been received by the Newsletter Editor. The Newsletter Editor is anxious that the Region s website program will allow the Newsletter to be posted on the Region s website as quickly as it is completed. B. Triangle Chapter: James Shanks, Chapter Coordinator, reported that 27 people attended their last Chapter meeting, which meeting received reports as to information coming from the National SCCA Convention MM Grp 5 SRF B. Triangle Chapter: James Shanks, Chapter Coordinator, reported that 27 people attended their last Chapter meeting, which meeting received reports as to information coming from the National SCCA Convention. C. West Chapter John Lindquist, Chapter Coordinator, reported that 12 people attended their last Chapter meeting wherein the Chapter discussed information from the National SCCA Convention, the upcoming PDX program, to be held at VIR, and the Crash and Burn school scheduled to be held at VIR in February. 2. Committees: A. Awards: It was reported that the recipients of the annual awards were enthused and expressed positive reactions to the quality of the awards. The RE thanked James Shanks for chairing the Awards Committee. B. Banquet Committee: The Chairman of the Banquet Committee, Brad Draughon, advised the BoD that the Cape Fear Chapter is willing to host again, in 2011, the Annual Awards Banquet, in Wilmington. The Bulletin Page 8 April 2010
C. Competition Board: Heather Powers advises that a Crash and Burn school is planned for this coming Saturday and Sunday at VIR. Further, she advises that at the last Competition Board meeting the Board worked on the Supps. for all the race events for 2010, after the March Memories event, which Supps. for the March event have already been published. D. SOLO Committee: Brad Draughon, SOLO Committee Chairman, reported that the first SOLO event has 77 pre-registered cars. E. PDX/TT Committee: It was pointed out that our Region needs to line up a sufficient number of instructors for the upcoming PDX event at VIR. It is reported that as of this evening about 27 people have signed up as students for the upcoming PDX event at VIR. Heather Powers, reporting on behalf of the PDX program, indicated her desire to continue to work towards a cooperative effort with the South Carolina Region for future (joint) PDX events. In that regard, she suggested that the NCR lend its sound control equipment to the South Carolina Region for its next event at Kershaw, with the South Carolina Region being responsible for any damages caused to the NCR s sound control equipment. The Board, by consensus, authorized same and also authorized a payment of $30 to each PDX instructor who instructs at the NCR s PDX event in March, at VIR. F. Membership Committee: James Shanks reports that membership in the NCR continues to decline, but that said decline does not include a decline in the number of licensed race and SOLO drivers in the Region. There are about 765 present members in the NCR, including 26 new members last month, however, 39 people did not renew their membership last month. James advised of a program being offered by National SCCA to give credits to members, against their dues, for working SCCA race events. There is also an awards program for members for referring people who sign up for new and to renew lapsed memberships. G. Publicity: A request was made that photos need to be submitted timely to the webmaster for the Region s website. The Board discussed the need for a generic SCCA/Region pamphlet for use at car shows, wherein the Region has a booth at a show. The next car show involving the Region will be in March at Raleigh. The Chairman of the Publicity Committee, John Uftring, indicated he would work on trying to get such a generic pamphlet ready, as soon as possible. H. Website: A proposal has been submitted to the BoD to upgrade the Region s publicity program and its website. The RE has a copy of same in his possession. A copy of the proposal will be made available to all the members of the BoD, via e-mail, and the matter(s) will be put on the agenda for the next BoD meeting to be held in March. I. Charities: No report, though Ginny says the Region has about $300 to cover some of the expenses of the Boy Scout weekend, which funds were raised at the Goblins Go event at VIR, in Oct., 2009. These funds are to be used to cover some of the fees and charges for entry and camping at VIR for the Boy Scouts. ADDITIONAL NEW BUSINESS The RE advises that the Treasurer wants to have the budget approved ASAP and that the process can be handled partly via e-mail, as a minor modification is needed to reflect the additional costs of a worker notification program; the Treasurer needs such approval so that he can disperse funds for same. Said e-mail system (program) for notices to workers can also be used to not only contact workers, but can be used for contacting all NCR members, and it may also be usable to distribute the NCR Newsletter. Motion to adjourn at 10:12 p.m.; Passed. March Memories Checkered Flag December 2009 Page 9 The Bulletin
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North Carolina Region 4455 NC Highway 87, North Pittsboro, NC 27312 PRSRT STD US POSTAGE PAID DURHAM, NC PERMIT 287 February 20-21: Spring Fling AutoX, Annual Tech, Pre-Season Test & Tune. Cape Fear Community College - North Campus, Wilmington. March 6-7: March Memories Club Racing. SARRC, CCPS, ECR, PDX. VIR March 27-28: Back in Blackwater AutoX. Free Novice School. Cape Fear Community College - North Campus, Wilmington. April 10-11: Redline on the FlightLine AutoX. Free Novice School. MCAS Cherry Point - Havelock April 16-18: Oak Tree Double National Club Racing. VIR. May 8-9: Al Fairer SARRC/MARRS Challenge Club Racing. Double SARRC, Double MARRS. VIR. May 16: AutoX (TBD) June 12-13: 24 Hours of Blackwater AutoX. Two Day Event! Cape Fear Community College - North Campus, Wilmington. July 24-25: Sounds of Freedom AutoX. Free Novice School. MCAS Cherry Point, Havelock August 15: Riverfront Grand Prix AutoX Cape Fear Community College - Downtown Campus, Wilmington. September 25-26: Return to the River AutoX. Free Novice School. New River Air Station, Jacksonville. October 9-10: Back to Foxtrot AutoX. Free Novice School. MCAS Cherry Point Havelock. October 23-24: Goblins Go Production Festival Club Racing. SARRC, CCPS, Double ECR. VIR. October 29-30: Charge of the Headlight Brigade 13-Hour Enduro Club Racing. VIR. November 21-22: Blackwater SOLO Shootout - Charity AutoX. Cape Fear Community College - North Campus, Wilmington.