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Clutch Chatter -- April 2000RE News
|
Date(s) | Points Event | Event/Site |
Apr 2 | NO | Informal School / Test & Tune / 16th Street Speedway |
Apr 16 | 1 | 16th Street Speedway |
May 14 | 2 | TBA |
Jun 6 | 3 | Australian Pursuit / Speedrome |
Jun 18 | 4 | TBA |
Jul 22-23 | 5 | BFG #4 / Converse, IN |
Aug 20 | 6 | 16th Street Speedway |
Sep 17 | 7 | Australian Pursuit / Speedrome |
Oct 15 | 8 | TBA |
Points Event #1
SUNDAY, April 16
Rain or Shine
*** Location Change ***
16th Street Speedway Parking Lot
1501 West 16th Street, Indianapolis
Karts Welcome!
(Contact Dave Hart for Rules)
It is the judgment of the Solo Safety Steward whether the
course design, surface, solid objects, and type of karts
running present an unsafe mix (2000 Rulebook 2.1.D).
Please contact the Solo Chairman prior to the event to
determine the likelihood of limitation or exclusion
occurring.
Registration & Tech--9:30 AM - 10:30 AM
Driver's Meeting--10:45 AM
Event Start--11:00 AM
$15.00 Members
$18.00 Non-Members
Contact: Dave or Cathy Hart at (317) 849-2495 E-Mail: dave.hart@insightbb.com
SUNDAY April 2
Rain or Shine
(Its only April dress appropriately)
*** Location Change ***
16th Street Speedway Parking Lot
1501 West 16th Street, Indianapolis
This event will begin with an informal school geared toward those interested in learning what Solo II Autocrossing is all about. First-Timers, Beginners, Novices, (and of course, all others) are welcome.
The new Kart, Novice, and Street Tire classes will debut here, along with the new Junior Driver Program.
Following the school will be a Test & Tune session to allow school participants to practice what they have just learned. The Test & Tune session is also open to experienced autocrossers interested in clearing the winter cobwebs from their vehicles (or minds), and anyone else with the desire to have a good time.
Karts Welcome!
(Contact Dave Hart for Rules)
It is the judgment of the Solo Safety Steward whether the
course design, surface, solid objects, and type of karts
running present an unsafe mix (2000 Rulebook 2.1.D).
Please contact the Solo Chairman prior to the event to
determine the likelihood of limitation or exclusion
occurring.
School Registration--7:15 AM - 7:45 AM
School Session--8:00 AM - 9:45 AM
Registration & Tech--10:00 AM - 10:30 AM
Driver's Meeting--10:45 AM
Test & Tune Start--11:00 AM
$12.00 Members
$15.00 Non-Members
RSVP is appreciated, but not required to attend. Contact: Dave or Cathy Hart at (317) 849-2495, E-Mail: dave.hart@insightbb.com
April 29 at Walesboro Airport
Registration and Tech--9:00 to 10:00 AM
Classroom--10:00 to 11:00 AM
Break
Personalized instruction in sections on course: Noon
Entire course instruction afterwards
Fee $15 for school.
$25.00 for school and next day autocross
Instructors:
Warren LeVeque -- 10 yrs road racing, 30 yrs autocross,
McKamey Grad
Lee Miller -- 35 yrs autocross experience, McKamey Auto-X
School Grad
Andy Bratt -- Novice Orientation--1999 student success
story
Sherri DeCoursey -- Graduate of: Skip Barber, Panoz, and
Lyn St. James Schools
Bring a fun attitude, a safe car, and a Snell 90
approved helmet.
We will have loaner helmets available.
For more information call Warren or Lee at 765/643-9290 and 765/779-4391 or LeVair@aol.com
Because of the last minute change in the location of the Solo tuning session, Clutch Chatter is probably in your hands before the April rally. The first rally of the season is an easy touring concept TSD rally run entirely on paved roads. Touring rallies do not have any course following traps. In other words, nobody should get lost. The weather has been so nice that there is a good chance that there will be some color in Bartholomew County by April 2. Join us for a leisurely drive through the hills of south central Indiana.
Two teams from Indy Region made the trek to Michigan for the Moonlight Monte Divisional Rally. Steve Phillips and Paul Gilbert won the Limited Class with a score of 120 points for 22 scored controls. Outstanding. Lets cheer them on as they are planning on running the entire Divisional schedule. For the record, Divisional Rally speeds are relatively brisk. Even a touring rally is challenging. Dan Cook and yours truly ran our first rally as a team in the Stock Class. We are rationalizing it as a learning experience because we finished last in class. The biggest thing that we learned is that old men need lots of light both inside and outside the car when the sun goes down. We averaged 20 points over 18 of the controls, and if we could have done as well on the other four we would have been in the middle of the pack. We hope to run again in May.
The May event is shaping up nicely. The course uses lots of interesting roads, mostly in Morgan County, and so far they are all paved. Scoring is planned to be similar to last years Wright Stuff event. A good event for people who are less than thrilled with calculations.
The June event will be a map rally similar to last years. It will be run in Hancock County. More details on it next month.
APRIL 2, 2000
The start and finish of the event is at West Hill Plaza on State Road 46 (about a half mile west of Interstate 65 on the west side of Columbus, IN). There is a traffic light at the top of the hill. Turn right to enter the shopping center on the north side of SR46 and look for the check point sign.
SCHEDULE:
Registration--11:30 - 12:30 PM
Drivers Meeting--12:30 PM promptly
First car receives route instructions--1:00 PM
First car starts course--1:01 PM
First car completes course--Approximately 4 PM
Members of SCCA: $10
Nonmembers: $20
Concept of the rally: This is a Time-Speed-Distance touring rally. Enjoy an easy drive through Bartholomew and Brown counties during their spring glory. All roads used on this rally are public roads, all are paved.
For further information: Charles Hanson (317) 780 - 9007 (Leave a name and phone number if you get voice mail. I travel a lot.)
News from SCCA Area 4 Director Pete Hylton
7217 Creekwood Court, Pittsboro, IN 46167-9798
Phone: 317-892-4206 Fax: 317-892-4206
E-mail: pete@petehylton.org
Web Site: www.petehylton.org
During the recent campaign that led to my election as SCCA Area 4 Director, much was said about the situation with SCCA Pro Racing. Any member not aware that our professional racing activities had lost over $1.25 Million during the past two years must have been living in a very isolated world. One of my campaign vows was to push for changes that would rectify that situation. And in previous updates to you, I have explained that the BoD was working on a solution which would build on our strengths and avoid our shortcomings. Well, much has happened in the past month, and I thought you deserved an update, so here goes.
Trans-Am: The cornerstone of SCCAs professional activities is the Trans-Am, Americas longest running road race series. The Trans-Am has had its highs and its lows across 35 years. It has been a good series and a popular series. But it has never achieved the stature that many think it deserves. In part this is because SCCA is primarily a race organization body. Simply put, we stage good races. What we dont do particularly well is manage and promote them. That is one of the reasons that SCCA Pro Racing was slow to react to the changing motorsports marketplace, which led to the financial losses of the past two years. As you have probably seen in the media, SCCA has entered into a strategic partnership in which we will provide sanction and organizational skills for the Trans-Am while its promotion and marketing will be handled by two major league names in American road racing, Don Panoz and Ralph Sanchez. The agreement extends to Trans-Am participating on several of the American LeMans Series race weekends and includes SCCA Pro Racings assistance in race organization for parts of the ALMS program. This lets us concentrate on what we do best, and lets our partners focus on what they do very well. With income derived from both a licensing agreement and from race operation services, SCCA Pro Racing should be able to operate in the black again. And the potential exists for the Trans-Am/ALMS partnership to take both series to new heights as a very desirable race weekend package for both track promoters and television networks. It is my belief that the deal was not only a good thing for the series, but frankly may have been the only way to simultaneously preserve Trans-Am and protect our financial health.
SCCA Pro Racing, Ltd.: SCCAs professional racing subsidiary is being reorganized and redirected. SCCA Pro President, K.C. Van Niman will continue to oversee the operational aspects of the company, servicing the various pro series including the joint Trans-Am/ALMS events. Meanwhile, Nick Craw will assume responsibility for managing the Pro Racing budget and developing a long range plan for our involvement in professional racing. The BoD has made it abundantly clear that further losses in SCCA Pro Racing will not be tolerated. I have every confidence that Nick Craw understands these marching orders and that the objective will be met this time through.
Rally USA: One other area of professional involvement that has been in the news recently is the postponement of the proposed Rally USA international pro-rally event which had been scheduled for Colorado this June. This began as an exploratory venture to determine if there was interest in bringing America back into the world championship rally program. It generated significant interest from the FIA which wants a greater presence in the US. It generated considerable interest with the manufacturers who participate in the world championship series, with most of them committing to participation. And it generated some real support in the US Pro Rally community over the increased exposure that such an event would bring to the sport in this country. What it did not generate was enough sponsorship to pull off the event in 2000. In keeping with the BoDs instructions that Rally USA had to be financially self-supporting, the staff had no choice but to postpone the initial event. There is still work ongoing to parlay the interest of the FIA, manufacturers, and US rally community into enough support to stage the event in 2001.
NOTE: This was forwarded to us via racing friends from Ohio.
WOMEN:
MEN:
The Phillips and Gilbert rally team took a win in the limited class (5th overall) at the March 4 Divisional rally in Imlay city, Michigan. The next stop for their trusty SAAB is The Wisconsin Glacier Tour in April.
Jay Quinn and Jeanne Spellman were headed for the 12 hour race at Sebring. Well be looking to hear how the combined ALMS and Trans-Am event went after everything Daddy has said about the new SCCA Pro Racing arrangement.
James Shanks got a first look at the newly reopened Virginia International Raceway. James says all the buildings look historic (even the new ones) giving the place the same feel that the track had when it was shut down over 20 years ago. He compared it to a cross between Road America and Disneyland (sounds cool, maybe I can get Daddy to race there).
FOR SALE: 1973 Triumph GT6, British Racing Green. Runs good and looks good $1800.00. 1971 Porsche 911 Targa. Complete, but doesnt run. $1500.00. Call John Holman at (812) 333-1623. (3/00)