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Clutch Chatter -- January 2000

1999 AWARDS BANQUET

December 4 was the Indy Region Annual Meeting and Awards Banquet. Official business consisted of installing the new officers who will guide the club in the year 2000 and hearing reports from the outgoing officers on the results of 1999. With that out of the way, we got down to the important business of recognizing our outstanding members and competitors.

The Region’s highest honor, the John McGee Award was presented to Dave and Cathy Hart who have been an integral part of the Solo, Racing, and Rally programs for the past several years. The Worker of the Year Award was presented to Dave DeBolt who has chaired the rally program for the past three years as well as serving as Secretary for the Board. The Competitor of the Year Award was presented to Matt Curry who scored the most points in all three categories of competition, Race, Rally, and Solo. The Hergenroether Award, given to the outstanding competition driver of the year went to Dave Daughtery who added yet another SCCA National Championship gold medal to his collection at this year's Runoffs. The Rookie of the Year Award went to Les Moore who moved his Neon from the solo ranks into Club Racing this year.

The individual Region programs then handed out their awards as follows:

1999 Rally Awards

1999 Solo Awards

1999 Regional Racing Awards

1999 National Racing Awards

The most involved members of the year were then recognized with jackets. They were Dave Jarvis, Julie Hanson, Cindy Hylton, Pete Hylton, Linda Osiecki, Ken Osiecki, Aeron Hylton, Cathy Hart, and Dave Hart. Appreciation awards were presented to Hoosier Tire Midwest, Firestone Tire, and Sears Hardware of Avon for their support of the Region during 1999.

Central Division Racing Awards were presented to the following:

1999 CenDiv National Series Awards

1999 CenDiv Regional Series Awards

The Midsummer Madness Regional Racing Series Champions were also recognized. They were Ken Johnson , Don Baker, Lloyd Jennings, Ken Stiver, Mylon Stockton, Bill Campbell, Bob Pfeffer, Pete Hylton, and Bob Sirico.

And last, but not least, the "Bad Steps" award for the top dancer of the evening was presented to Aeron Hylton as selected by the members of the band.

CALENDAR

Jan 10--Board Meeting, 6:00 PM, Laughners at Southern Plaza
NOTE: 2000 Points Rules will be discussed at the January 10th Board Meeting. If you have input, plan to attend or contact a Board Member prior to the meeting.

Feb 6--Road Rally School

Feb 8--Board Meeting, 6:00 PM, Laughners at Southern Plaza

BOARD MEETING HIGHLIGHTS

December 4, 1999
by Bob Burns

At-large Board Members: Rick Swarts, Dave Hart, Terrence Garrett, Cindy Hylton, and Jan Castelluccio were elected At-large Board Members.

Treasurer: Out-going Treasurer Cindy Hylton will work with in-coming Treasurer Cathy Hart to get the treasury converted to Cathy's control.

Solo: Dave Hart appointed Solo Chairman. Dave is working on a schedule and will need help with the BFG event.

Rally: Chuck Hanson appointed Rally Chairman. Chuck is planning a rally school for February and the first points rally for April.

Clutch Chatter: Cindy Hylton was appointed Clutch Chatter Editor.

Racing: Jan Castelluccio was appointed Competition Chairman. Races and Race Chairman: 8-9 Apr, Drivers' School/Regional, Sam Crites; 6-7 May, Double Regional, Terrence Garrett (tentative); 8-9 Jul, National, Cindy Hylton.

The next board meeting will be 10 January 1999 at Laughner's Cafeteria on US 31 South.

RE News

by Mark J. Badgley

The election is now over and we can begin the new year with some sense of excitement about a new decade, however, it begins for me with a heavy heart. For those who do not know, Linda Osiecki passed away on December 8, 1999. Linda, was the wife and partner of Ken Osiecki and could most often be found chasing cars in the pit and grid area of the Indianapolis Region races. Over the course of the last year, Ken and Linda had been traveling to races outside of the Indianapolis Area to share their passion. My heart-felt sympathy goes out to Ken and their respective families.

As I mentioned at the Awards Banquet my focus for the year 2000 would be to look into the future and to see where we are going as a region and how do we set a path that will lead us there. It is my opinion that we do not have a problem with knowing how to do what we do well. We are definitely blessed with hard working talented individuals that give all to insure that we as competitors have a place to play. My concern is that every year we have to recreate ourselves. By that, I mean that we sit down and try to figure out race dates, acquire solo sites, and decide who the rally masters will be for the coming season. These are absolutely vital to our success in the short term, but I think that if we had a long term plan that these decisions would flow a great deal more seamlessly. Yngvar is going to be putting together a focus group to define what our members want the future to be in order that we as a board can decide how to get there. We may fail to get there, but at least we will have had a goal.

In addition, I am going to encourage the various competition factions of our club to develop committees that will help in the decision making process for their respective programs. I feel that this would help to define Chairpersons for the future as well as lightening the load on the current group of chairpersons. Part of each of our responsibilities must be succession planning as we look into the future. Maybe the club isn’t graying, we just forgot to ask for help.

I am looking forward to the possibilities in the year 2000 and I look forward to seeing all of you in the coming year.

RALLY REPORT

by Chuck Hanson

It is with great sadness that I have to start my tenure with the untimely loss of August Rallymistress Linda Osieki. She has been a tireless supporter of SCCA both in the rally program and the racing program having just finished fifth in the 1999 involved member standings. Ken has stated that he is going to honor her enthusiasm by continuing to support SCCA.

I am pleased to announce that Jim Bredle has agreed to assist me as Assistant Rally Chairman. He has already taken up his duties by assisting me in preparations for the rally school. We are planning to concentrate on course following this year with a minimal amount of attention to calculation. We are going to do the entire school in the classroom and review the techniques that applied to various 1999 rallies. The Nov. 14 rally will get the most attention, but I plan to cover the traps used in the May and Sept. rallies as well. Rally is kind of like golf. You are competing with yourself to get the lowest possible score. You have no idea how well your competition is doing. Makes it a real challenge. Bring your questions and your own chairs.

The season has started to shape up. Kurt and Dustin Weisner have agreed to put on a rally in April. Bob Burns has offered to do an event. I have talked to several other people about doing events and have tentative agreements. There were six events in 1999, and I would like to increase that in 2000. I am also hoping that we can have at least three new event chairmen for the season.

RALLY SCHOOL

February 6, 1999

2302 S. Shelby Street (west side of street, 1-1/2 blocks south of Raymond Street and just west of I-65)

Park on west or south side of the building.

PRE-REGISTRATION: Pre-registering for this event would be appreciated in order that I may plan for the refreshments more effectively. Call 317-780-9007 and leave a message. You may register the day of the event from 12:30 PM to 1:00 PM.

SCHEDULE:

Registration: 12:30-1:00 p.m.
Class: 1:00 p.m.
Break: 2:15 p.m.
Class: 2:45 p.m.
Review: 4:00 p.m.

COST: $5.00 team, member or non-member, to cover drinks and munchies.

NOTE: Chairs are limited - attendees are requested to bring their own chairs. Smoking is prohibited!

ON THE ROAD AGAIN

with Aeron Hylton

Not much is happening in the off season, but here are two tidbits. The Phillips/Gilbert SAAB rally team headed north again to the Thumbs Up divisional tour rally. This was a 211 mile event over mostly gravel roads north of Detroit. They finished third in class (their best yet!) out of a field of 32 and finished seventh in the limited class in the yearend standings. Now they are ready for the winter snow and the start of a new rally season.

Ken Stiver has joined the TRV Motorsports team in an assault on the Daytona 24 Hour race in February and the 12 Hours of Sebring in March. They spent two days testing at Roebling Road the first week of December in preparation. It was Ken’s first time in the car and first time on that track. He had a lot to learn but came up to speed nicely and is excited about the upcoming races.

Solo Report

by Dave & Cathy Hart

Cathy and I are continuing to work on the 2000 Indianapolis Region Solo II program and schedule. We mentioned last month that Indy Region was considering hosting a BFG Series event this summer. It is now official that we will be at the Converse Airport on July 22-23. Converse is approximately 1 hour north of Indianapolis. We are now looking for additional volunteers to help staff this division-wide event in the premier BFGoodrich Cendiv Solo II Championship Series. This event will probably be counted as one of the events in the Indy Region points series. Please join the fun and e-mail dave.hart@insightbb.com or call Dave at (317) 849-2495 with your particular interest and/or questions.

We are still requesting that you e-mail dave.hart@insightbb.com with your E-mail address. We intend to use E-mail to share late-breaking Solo II news, schedule updates, etc. Now would be a good time to indicate your interest helping to organize the 2000 program and or help with the BFG Event.

The next board meeting is Monday, January 10, 6:00PM at Laughner’s Cafeteria (just north of I465 on US31 on the south side). You are welcome at these meetings…come join us and help shape the future of the Indianapolis Region and our Solo Program!

SOLO NOTES FROM CSCC

by David Alexander

It's about time that I answer rumors going around.

YES! We have lost our event site. NO! We did nothing to warrant this. The reason is a FAA rule, not anything we did wrong. The good news is that the Walesboro site is still available to us, and we will be moving back there.

If you are not familiar with this site it is approximately 15 min. south of the airport site, and is itself and airport (but smaller), with .75 miles of course pavement.

In Memory -- Linda Osiecki

One of our most active members passed away at the beginning of December, when Linda Osiecki succumbed to ongoing health problems that had plagued her for several years. Linda and husband Ken were previous recipients of the Indy Region Worker of the Year Award. Had she been able to attend the Annual Banquet, she would have been recognized with an Involved Member jacket for the fourth time. Linda was a regular in Timing and Scoring at IRP and also in Grid & Pits where Ken works. They had both competed in SCCA road rally and pro rally in the past and were rallymasters for one of the Region’s events in 1999. Ken chose to demonstrate Linda’s love of SCCA and her sports car friends by surrounding the casket with racing memorabilia. She will be greatly missed when we come together for the next racing season.

From the Director’s Desk December 7, 1999

News from SCCA Area 4 Director Pete Hylton

Change with Continuity. Although my term as the newly elected Director from SCCA’s Area 4 does not officially begin until January, I attended the December Board of Directors meeting along with Gary Pitts, the new Director from the Northern Pacific Division. The presence of the two of us as replacements for Chuck Shapiro and Roger Eandi was not the only change at the meeting. Serious discussions regarding the need for change both in leadership and direction occurred. However, they were tempered by recognition of the fact that there was a need for continuity during the next few months while defining agreements are hammered out regarding the future of SCCA Pro Racing and the succession of the SCCA presidency. This situation led to an unprecedented move by the SCCA BoD that achieved both change and continuity. George Bovis was reelected Chairman of the Board for 2000 which is his last year as a Director. But with the concurrence of the Board, Mr. Bovis announced that he wished to step aside at mid year after the current set of Pro Racing negotiations and the presidential search efforts were concluded. The Board, therefore, pre-selected his successor, K.P. Jones, who will take over as Chairman at mid-year. From now until Mr. Bovis steps aside, the two will work hand in hand to assure that there is a seamless transition during this critical period. JoAnne Jensen is the new Vice-Chairman, and Tom Campbell is the new Treasurer. In recognition of my previous six years experience on the BoD and as Treasurer, I was asked to serve on the Budget & Finance Committee and to chair a reactivated Planning Committee. I will also continue as Club Archivist.

Club Racing Insurance. Our insurance carrier has had to deal with two very large reserved losses this past year. The result is that we are faced with a significant insurance premium increase for 2000. The BoD chose to deal with this in a manner that actually spreads the insurance cost more equitably than has been done in the past. The cap on car count, which formerly subsidized large races at the expense of small ones, has been eliminated. That is the bad news for most CenDiv races. The corresponding good news is that the per car insurance fee has been dropped from $28 to $26. Race organizers should make note of this when working on their 2000 budgets. Insurance rates in all other programs will remain the same for 2000.

SCCA Pro Racing. As discussed during the Area 4 election campaign, SCCA Pro Racing is on its way to losing another half million dollars for the 1999/2000 fiscal year. I had said throughout the campaign that this was totally unacceptable. The BoD has now gone on record with that same position. Toward that end, Pro Racing has been forced to produce a 2000/2001 budget that contains cuts in all expense areas and does not rely on uncertain income sources. Pro Racing was told that nothing less than a break even budget would be accepted, and that is what they have produced. In addition to expense cuts, they are partnering more races with CART and ALMS with less stand alone events which are financially more difficult. Additionally, they are focusing on forming a strategic partnership which would take SCCA out of the business of doing our own promotion and marketing and permit us to focus on race organization which is our strength.

SCCA Bylaws. The BoD has been considering a number of possible bylaws changes which could be presented to the membership next year. Among the proposed changes is a redistricting of the areas which determine the election of SCCA Directors. CenDiv and its two areas (4 & 5) would be unchanged. However, if CenDiv were ever to consider being split into two divisions, now would be the time to promote the idea. I have gone on record as saying that I personally am not in favor of that step. However, I recognize why some people think it is a good idea. And I vowed that if the division’s membership wanted to go that direction, I would support it. So now is the time. If individuals or regions feel strongly that CenDiv needs to be split, you need to speak up and let your Directors know. If not, silence is likely to be taken as agreement with the status quo.

Bits & Pieces. A Request for Proposal to replace the current National Office computer system with a new network has been prepared. Unfortunately, the current cash flow bind created by losses in Pro Racing has delayed the submission of this RFP to potential vendors. The BoD accepted a Competition Board recommendation that Timing & Scoring transponder systems be permitted, but not required. The AMB or AMB compatible systems have been approved. Due to low car count in 1999, Club Racing classes CSR and T1 will be on probation next year. Probation for T2 has been extended one more year. If these classes do not meet the required 3.5 car per event minimum for next year, they could well lose their National status. The following Central Division officials were appointed for 2000: Kent Williamson, Executive Club Racing Steward; Jim Mickle, Road Rally Steward; Bruce Domeck, Solo Board representative; Ann Klem, Solo II Steward; Barry Burke, Solo I steward; Bruce Weinman, Club Rally Steward. Bob Burns and Bob Lybarger were both reappointed to the Competition Board.

CENDIV RACING SCHEDULE NOTE

In case you have heard rumors, Land O’ Lakes has requested to change their Labor Day weekend event to a Double National, but they have not yet gotten the necessary approvals from the other CenDiv regions. We will let you know if this schedule change occurs. A revised CenDiv Racing Schedule can be found by clicking here.

THE CLASSIFIEDS

FOR SALE: 1988 Porsche 944 Coupe, black/black, leather int., 5-spd., Florida car, no winters, LSD, Koni Adj. Shocks, K&N, four 16" 7-spoke (Design90) with Dunlop SP8000, eight 15" phone dials with Kumho V700, clutch and water pump replaced, recent tune-up and O2-sensor, new timing belt, fastest C Stock 944 in the country, 127,000 mi., $8450/OBO. Call Clemens at (765) 643-0470 or email: burgerc@iquest.net. (1/00)

FOR SALE: 1999 Grand Prix Trans-Am car that competed in the Trans-Am series last year. Just like Leighton Reese car with professional V-6. Would make a nice National car. Sell as roller or complete with spares, excellent shape. Might be a collectors item as being the last V-6 to compete in the Trans-Am. Contact Glenn Andrew at (812) 696-2149 or e-mail at racingcoach@yahoo.com. (1/00)

FOR SALE: 1988 ITA Honda CRX SI, Lap Record at Road America (2:43.8), Route 66 (1:43.0), Blackhawk Farms (1:23.8). Over thirty straight podium finishes. Exclusively prepared and maintained by King Motor Sports, best of everything. Mugen limited Slip, Koni shocks, OMP seat, .040 over, prepared to the limits of the rules. Three sets of wheels, one Panasport and two Revolutions with monsoon rains and intermediates. Peter Cunningham’s 1988 World Challenge championship winning #42 General Tire car. Ready to win anywhere, including AARC! $16,500 with running street ’88 CRX SI. Contact Chris at (630) 499-8635. (1/00)