May 2010 Solo News
Posted: Thu May 13, 2010 4:17 pm
Solo News
Final Edition
May 2010
Howard Duncan, SCCA VP Rally/Solo
hduncan@scca.com
• It is hard for me to believe it has been nearly 4 months since the last Solo News in late January! It has been an amazingly busy 4 months beginning with the National Convention, followed immediately by the SEDIV Convention, the MIDIV Convention a couple of weeks later, Tire Rack National Solo equipment renovations and testing, and then the beginning of the season. Where did the winter and early spring go??
• Above we have called this the final edition of Solo News and that is true as we are finally ready to launch an actual e-newsletter on the second Wednesday of June, followed by an issue on the second Wednesday of the month for the rest of the year. In addition, as topics arise that should be sent out sooner than once a month, we will distribute smaller Special Editions.
• As you will recall, we asked for suggestions for the name of this new e-newsletter back in December and January. While we got a good number of suggestions from the December request, we really got swamped from the January request. Lesson learned to not ask for input during the Holidays! Anyway, the suggestions ranged from the straight forward, to the humorous, to the hilarious, and even to the questionable (but hilarious); ask Rick Ruth. What was most interesting about reading through these suggestions at least 50 times, was the sense of identity and community of the sport, along with the depth of passion of the Solo Community. That realization, or more correctly, the reaffirmation of that realization that I had some 35+ years ago about the sport, lead me to the decision on a name.
• In keeping with trying to keep a sense of the sport as a key part of the publication, Heyward Wagner has agreed to be the editor, who without question has worked hard over the years to keep the fun quotient high and will definitely keep the Solo “voice” in the coming publication.
• Before I announce the winner, there were several suggestions that we will be using for sections of the e-newsletter from time to time and the folks that submitted these names will be receiving a $50 discount coupon for entry into any Tire Rack National Solo event in the next 12 months. In the case of a selected suggestion being submitted by more than one member, we selected the name of the person that submitted it first, unless that person was already a winner for another suggestion. As the e-newsletter evolves, we may use other suggestions for sections in the future, which will also be acknowledged and rewarded.
o “Solo Buzz” for news briefs: Denise Cashmore, Milwaukee Region, CENDIV
o “Cone Count” for news regarding the numbers in Solo (event entries, financials, etc.): Rich Grunenwald, Ohio Valley Region, GLDIV
o “Cone Remarks” for selected letters from members: Don Eisinger, St. Louis Region, MIDIV
o “Drivers’ Meeting” for entrant info: Jim Garry, Mohawk-Hudson Region, NEDIV
o “Looking Ahead” for coming topics/features: Hsun Chen: Colorado Region, RMDIV
o “Off Course” for an occasional commentary piece by yours truly: Tim Wilson, Susquehanna Region, NEDIV
o “Pointer Cone” for member spotlight features: Keith Brown, Northwest Region, NORPAC
o “ReRun” for items that will be run more than once to reinforce a message: Michael Feldpusch, Colorado Region, RMDIV
o “Solo Shop” for technical info on cars and rules: Steve Towers, CalClub Region, SOPAC
• Since I have a particular bent towards double entendres and I want to have this publication build on the pride most of you have in the sport, the selection of the name of the e-newsletter is reflective of that. The winner is Steve Schmidt from the San Diego Region, SOPAC, who submitted “Solo Matters”.
• Steve will receive a free entry into the Tire Rack Solo National Championship, and more importantly, will have a place in Solo history. Congratulations Steve on a very thoughtful and germaine suggestion!!
• With that, let’s get started with a teaser version of Solo Matters.
Off Course
• As noted above, one of our objectives is to build on the sense of pride and ownership in the Solo program. To that end we are going to resurrect a promotional piece we used several years ago and elevate it to a reoccurring theme of the sport: The Three C’s; camaraderie, competition, community.
• Please note that “competition” has been purposefully placed between the two other elements as a way to underscore the Solo version of the old hockey/fighting joke: “A bunch of sports car friends and fanatics got together and a competition broke out”.
• Sometimes we let ourselves get a bit too “wicked up” about something regarding event operations that our friends and fellow fanatics are trying their best to manage, resulting in some truly abhorrent behavior that is counter productive to both the fun quotient of the moment and the ability to draw folks to the party. Enough said, I hope.
Solo Buzz
• Competition for the Solo Triad Award begins this weekend with the Tire Rack SEDIV Solo Championship event in Georgia and the Tire Rack Western States Championship National Tour at Wendover. The Triad recognizes those drivers that win championships at three levels of National Solo competition; a Divisional Championship, a States Championship National Tour, and a National Championship all in the same class. Triad winners receive a free entry to the following year’s Nationals, a special fleece vest, and a chance at a lifetime membership. Jeff Cashmore, Clemens Burger, Mark Madarash, and Michelle Seelig were the inaugural winners of the Triad last year, with Michelle winning the lifetime membership. This year there are more opportunities to be involved with all 9 Divisions involved in the program and 3 States Championship Tour events; Western States Championship at Wendover (5/15-16), Southern States Championship at Blytheville (5/29-30), Northern States Championship at Peru (7/3-4). Please remember that minimum class sizes apply; 3 at Div and States Champ events and 5 at Nationals, with undersubscribed classes merged into an index class for Triad scoring.
• Those who attended either of last year’s back to back events at Blytheville will tell you that this is a special experience. Not only is it a large piece of smooth concrete, with courses for both events (Tour and ProSolo) being designed by Doug Gill, but the local hospitality is second to none. For last year’s Tour they had a welcome party at the site with food and drink provided by the local Fire Fighters and a LOT of local community leaders in attendance to welcome us. For the ProSolo, they moved their local custom car show, “Cars and Cycles Against Cancer” to the airport from downtown for greater interaction with us. This show, which is part car show and part county fair, has over 400 custom cars and bikes. We even take an extended lunch break so our folks have a chance to enjoy the festivities. If you are in the eastern half of the country, these are definitely events to put on your calendar!!
• “Nationals” registration is open and we have already made our trip to Lincoln for course and site layout. The courses are fantastic and I wore out a set of tires testing/tweaking/enjoying them!! I only wish that I had planned to have more tires with me so I could have “tested” them some more, but I already had a glaring group of folks who wanted to get the course painted. Additionally, we will be entering the site through another gate near the middle of paddock, so that has allowed us to refine the traffic patterns that should make for less congestion and a greater safety margin in some areas, specifically the west course grid. More on Nationals next month.
Pointer Cone
• This will be an abbreviated version of a member spotlight as we are using this space to announce a new award that is named in honor of two young Soloists. This will only be the third time that a National Solo award is named in honor of members of the community, the others being the Johnson Spirit of the Sport Award (Roger Johnson) and the JCJ Cup for the annual overall winner of the ProSolo Series (Bill Johnson, Charlie Clark, Roger Johnson). Thankfully, we are currently out of Johnsons to recognize.
• The Solo Triad Award mentioned above is not available for entrants in supplemental classes such as the new STR class or the Formula Junior classes since they are not awarded National Championships. While this is fully understandable for class ideas that are in development and have not yet reached full National status, it seemed a shame that this also impacts FJ since it has been a part of the Solo landscape for over 13 years. However, it does not always work well intermixing adults and juniors in any kind of competition environment due to fragile egos. I am referring to the adults, not the kids.
• Anyway, we decided to create a Triad type of award for the dedicated FJ drivers and families. With this decision it seemed only natural to name it in honor of some young drivers that had come up through the FJ program in its early days and gone on to win National Championships in “regular’ classes. Therefore, for FJ drivers winning the same events as the Triad, they will be presented the McClintock-Berry Cup named in honor of Jeremiah McClintock and Christine Berry.
• Jeremiah began in FJ in 1999 and went on to win the F-125 National Championship in 2006 and 2007. In addition, he continues to coach FJ at many events during the year.
• Christine began in FJ in 1997 and ran the first National Solo event that offered FJ that same year. She went on to win the BSPL National Championship and the L2 ProSolo Championship in 2007. She has also coached other young drivers, including her sisters, and was the Official FJ Mentor when Formula Junior first ran at Nationals at Heartland Park a couple of years ago.
• Congratulations to both Jeremiah and Christine for their accomplishments, as well as to their families for their support and encouragement!!
Drivers’ Meeting
• Drivers are reminded that you must sign up for contingencies in advance of participating at an event. Contingency info for Solo is available at http://www.scca.com/contingencies.aspx?hub=3" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;.
• You can also add the contingencies you are signed up for at a particular event if you are running a different car or tires by going to the link above. This can even be done at a Tire Rack National Solo event during registration.
• Again, it is the driver’s responsibility to meet the requirements of a particular contingency program, including being signed up and properly displaying any required decals.
Looking Ahead
• In the July issue we will have the information regarding contingency programs for the Tire Rack SCCA Solo National Championships.
• In the June issue we will have more info on plans for “Nationals” regarding site layout, schedule, awards banquets, and other social activities.
• Next month you will get the chance to experience Heyward’s unique personality and sense of humor, while I will get to begin my career as a censor.
You are receiving this message because of your involvement with SCCA. We respect your privacy and will not share your email address with other companies for marketing purposes. We'll only use it to let you know about SCCA program-related items. However, if you do not wish to receive future communications from us outside of that directly related to your personal membership, please contact Members Services at (800) 770 - 2055
Sports Car Club of America
6700 SW Topeka Blvd
PO Box 19400
Topeka, KS 66619
(800) 770 - 2055
Final Edition
May 2010
Howard Duncan, SCCA VP Rally/Solo
hduncan@scca.com
• It is hard for me to believe it has been nearly 4 months since the last Solo News in late January! It has been an amazingly busy 4 months beginning with the National Convention, followed immediately by the SEDIV Convention, the MIDIV Convention a couple of weeks later, Tire Rack National Solo equipment renovations and testing, and then the beginning of the season. Where did the winter and early spring go??
• Above we have called this the final edition of Solo News and that is true as we are finally ready to launch an actual e-newsletter on the second Wednesday of June, followed by an issue on the second Wednesday of the month for the rest of the year. In addition, as topics arise that should be sent out sooner than once a month, we will distribute smaller Special Editions.
• As you will recall, we asked for suggestions for the name of this new e-newsletter back in December and January. While we got a good number of suggestions from the December request, we really got swamped from the January request. Lesson learned to not ask for input during the Holidays! Anyway, the suggestions ranged from the straight forward, to the humorous, to the hilarious, and even to the questionable (but hilarious); ask Rick Ruth. What was most interesting about reading through these suggestions at least 50 times, was the sense of identity and community of the sport, along with the depth of passion of the Solo Community. That realization, or more correctly, the reaffirmation of that realization that I had some 35+ years ago about the sport, lead me to the decision on a name.
• In keeping with trying to keep a sense of the sport as a key part of the publication, Heyward Wagner has agreed to be the editor, who without question has worked hard over the years to keep the fun quotient high and will definitely keep the Solo “voice” in the coming publication.
• Before I announce the winner, there were several suggestions that we will be using for sections of the e-newsletter from time to time and the folks that submitted these names will be receiving a $50 discount coupon for entry into any Tire Rack National Solo event in the next 12 months. In the case of a selected suggestion being submitted by more than one member, we selected the name of the person that submitted it first, unless that person was already a winner for another suggestion. As the e-newsletter evolves, we may use other suggestions for sections in the future, which will also be acknowledged and rewarded.
o “Solo Buzz” for news briefs: Denise Cashmore, Milwaukee Region, CENDIV
o “Cone Count” for news regarding the numbers in Solo (event entries, financials, etc.): Rich Grunenwald, Ohio Valley Region, GLDIV
o “Cone Remarks” for selected letters from members: Don Eisinger, St. Louis Region, MIDIV
o “Drivers’ Meeting” for entrant info: Jim Garry, Mohawk-Hudson Region, NEDIV
o “Looking Ahead” for coming topics/features: Hsun Chen: Colorado Region, RMDIV
o “Off Course” for an occasional commentary piece by yours truly: Tim Wilson, Susquehanna Region, NEDIV
o “Pointer Cone” for member spotlight features: Keith Brown, Northwest Region, NORPAC
o “ReRun” for items that will be run more than once to reinforce a message: Michael Feldpusch, Colorado Region, RMDIV
o “Solo Shop” for technical info on cars and rules: Steve Towers, CalClub Region, SOPAC
• Since I have a particular bent towards double entendres and I want to have this publication build on the pride most of you have in the sport, the selection of the name of the e-newsletter is reflective of that. The winner is Steve Schmidt from the San Diego Region, SOPAC, who submitted “Solo Matters”.
• Steve will receive a free entry into the Tire Rack Solo National Championship, and more importantly, will have a place in Solo history. Congratulations Steve on a very thoughtful and germaine suggestion!!
• With that, let’s get started with a teaser version of Solo Matters.
Off Course
• As noted above, one of our objectives is to build on the sense of pride and ownership in the Solo program. To that end we are going to resurrect a promotional piece we used several years ago and elevate it to a reoccurring theme of the sport: The Three C’s; camaraderie, competition, community.
• Please note that “competition” has been purposefully placed between the two other elements as a way to underscore the Solo version of the old hockey/fighting joke: “A bunch of sports car friends and fanatics got together and a competition broke out”.
• Sometimes we let ourselves get a bit too “wicked up” about something regarding event operations that our friends and fellow fanatics are trying their best to manage, resulting in some truly abhorrent behavior that is counter productive to both the fun quotient of the moment and the ability to draw folks to the party. Enough said, I hope.
Solo Buzz
• Competition for the Solo Triad Award begins this weekend with the Tire Rack SEDIV Solo Championship event in Georgia and the Tire Rack Western States Championship National Tour at Wendover. The Triad recognizes those drivers that win championships at three levels of National Solo competition; a Divisional Championship, a States Championship National Tour, and a National Championship all in the same class. Triad winners receive a free entry to the following year’s Nationals, a special fleece vest, and a chance at a lifetime membership. Jeff Cashmore, Clemens Burger, Mark Madarash, and Michelle Seelig were the inaugural winners of the Triad last year, with Michelle winning the lifetime membership. This year there are more opportunities to be involved with all 9 Divisions involved in the program and 3 States Championship Tour events; Western States Championship at Wendover (5/15-16), Southern States Championship at Blytheville (5/29-30), Northern States Championship at Peru (7/3-4). Please remember that minimum class sizes apply; 3 at Div and States Champ events and 5 at Nationals, with undersubscribed classes merged into an index class for Triad scoring.
• Those who attended either of last year’s back to back events at Blytheville will tell you that this is a special experience. Not only is it a large piece of smooth concrete, with courses for both events (Tour and ProSolo) being designed by Doug Gill, but the local hospitality is second to none. For last year’s Tour they had a welcome party at the site with food and drink provided by the local Fire Fighters and a LOT of local community leaders in attendance to welcome us. For the ProSolo, they moved their local custom car show, “Cars and Cycles Against Cancer” to the airport from downtown for greater interaction with us. This show, which is part car show and part county fair, has over 400 custom cars and bikes. We even take an extended lunch break so our folks have a chance to enjoy the festivities. If you are in the eastern half of the country, these are definitely events to put on your calendar!!
• “Nationals” registration is open and we have already made our trip to Lincoln for course and site layout. The courses are fantastic and I wore out a set of tires testing/tweaking/enjoying them!! I only wish that I had planned to have more tires with me so I could have “tested” them some more, but I already had a glaring group of folks who wanted to get the course painted. Additionally, we will be entering the site through another gate near the middle of paddock, so that has allowed us to refine the traffic patterns that should make for less congestion and a greater safety margin in some areas, specifically the west course grid. More on Nationals next month.
Pointer Cone
• This will be an abbreviated version of a member spotlight as we are using this space to announce a new award that is named in honor of two young Soloists. This will only be the third time that a National Solo award is named in honor of members of the community, the others being the Johnson Spirit of the Sport Award (Roger Johnson) and the JCJ Cup for the annual overall winner of the ProSolo Series (Bill Johnson, Charlie Clark, Roger Johnson). Thankfully, we are currently out of Johnsons to recognize.
• The Solo Triad Award mentioned above is not available for entrants in supplemental classes such as the new STR class or the Formula Junior classes since they are not awarded National Championships. While this is fully understandable for class ideas that are in development and have not yet reached full National status, it seemed a shame that this also impacts FJ since it has been a part of the Solo landscape for over 13 years. However, it does not always work well intermixing adults and juniors in any kind of competition environment due to fragile egos. I am referring to the adults, not the kids.
• Anyway, we decided to create a Triad type of award for the dedicated FJ drivers and families. With this decision it seemed only natural to name it in honor of some young drivers that had come up through the FJ program in its early days and gone on to win National Championships in “regular’ classes. Therefore, for FJ drivers winning the same events as the Triad, they will be presented the McClintock-Berry Cup named in honor of Jeremiah McClintock and Christine Berry.
• Jeremiah began in FJ in 1999 and went on to win the F-125 National Championship in 2006 and 2007. In addition, he continues to coach FJ at many events during the year.
• Christine began in FJ in 1997 and ran the first National Solo event that offered FJ that same year. She went on to win the BSPL National Championship and the L2 ProSolo Championship in 2007. She has also coached other young drivers, including her sisters, and was the Official FJ Mentor when Formula Junior first ran at Nationals at Heartland Park a couple of years ago.
• Congratulations to both Jeremiah and Christine for their accomplishments, as well as to their families for their support and encouragement!!
Drivers’ Meeting
• Drivers are reminded that you must sign up for contingencies in advance of participating at an event. Contingency info for Solo is available at http://www.scca.com/contingencies.aspx?hub=3" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;.
• You can also add the contingencies you are signed up for at a particular event if you are running a different car or tires by going to the link above. This can even be done at a Tire Rack National Solo event during registration.
• Again, it is the driver’s responsibility to meet the requirements of a particular contingency program, including being signed up and properly displaying any required decals.
Looking Ahead
• In the July issue we will have the information regarding contingency programs for the Tire Rack SCCA Solo National Championships.
• In the June issue we will have more info on plans for “Nationals” regarding site layout, schedule, awards banquets, and other social activities.
• Next month you will get the chance to experience Heyward’s unique personality and sense of humor, while I will get to begin my career as a censor.
You are receiving this message because of your involvement with SCCA. We respect your privacy and will not share your email address with other companies for marketing purposes. We'll only use it to let you know about SCCA program-related items. However, if you do not wish to receive future communications from us outside of that directly related to your personal membership, please contact Members Services at (800) 770 - 2055
Sports Car Club of America
6700 SW Topeka Blvd
PO Box 19400
Topeka, KS 66619
(800) 770 - 2055
