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Scott on Assorted Nuts from Rocket J. Squirrel

Tue, 23 Feb 2010 06:43:26 +0000

Some days you’re the windshield, some days you’re the bug. Last year I had a fantastic season, five FTDs in 10 local events, regional driver of the year, yada yada doo-dah doo-dah. This year? I can’t seem to get out of my own way. But y’know what? That’s racin’. I bought my ’64 Spitfire as a street car in 1966 when I was still in college at KU. It was great fun but developed a bad habit of breaking down every October, which was usually just about the time of the MiDiv Solo Championships. MiDiv was the first SCCA Division even to have a divisional solo championship and of course I had to be there. After the third such breakdown, I limped the car back to Lawrence where my brother Buck had a repair shop, and also was into road racing with his MGA. That MGA, by the way, was the first car I ever drove in anger, back in ’65 when Buck lived in New York and was autocrossing every weekend somewhere in the NY metro area. I came home, bought the Spitfire, and the rest is 44 years of history. Anyway, I told Buck to turn the Spitfire into a race car (and I bought a Pinto -- my first-ever new car) and to go race it for a couple of years, then I’d take it back. Actually he raced it three years, took it to the Runoffs twice, then I got it back for $1500 -- which was $200 more than I’d paid for it in the first place but still a bargain. Now I had a Real Race Car to take autocrossing. By then I’d been autocrossing the Pinto, even took it to the first Solo Nationals and did a season of Showroom Stock road racing with it. Ex-wife got it in the divorce -- I had to choose between two cars and I chose the Spitfire’s tow car. But when I got the Li’l Blue back I also developed a basic philosophy for running a race car. It’s not a question of IF it will break down, but WHEN. Thing is, when you make these cars stronger, faster, meaner, you also make them more fragile. Things are taken out to the limit of their capability and it’s not that far from better to broken. You just hope the breakdown is not at one of the more inconvenient times -- like in the middle of a 100 mph corner. Yeah, I’ve done that too, on the 4th gear Carousel turn at Memphis when the left-front suspension decided it didn’t want to suspend the car any more. Tow 11 hours to Memphis and then gotta figure out how to put the car on the trailer for the long tow home (ended up using someone’s used-up throwaway slick tire under the car in place of the suspension spring). Or like at the National Solo Championships. This year [sigh] nothing but trouble from the get-go. First couple of local events it was niggling engine things. Chasing after it I found probably six or eight little -- I mean, little -- issues, any one of which would hardly slow me down but taken all together meant a car that just would not run right. That was the April and May events (since March got snowed out), and by June it was up to our Divisional already. Okay it was finally running right and then POW! Blew the differential out at the Divisional. I mean, really blew it out. Ring gear had maybe four teeth left. Fortunately I had spares, which in this case meant the separate pieces to build a new one. Just happened to have a carrier the right size (takes the big axles). Just happened to have a couple of spare 4:55 gearsets I bought from Canley Classics in England when people on this side of the pond were saying they were flat unavailable. Put a new rear end together and took the car to the Divisional in Neosho, Mo. -- my longest tow of the season and oboy, I get to use a Divisional as a test session again. Neosho turned out to be the high point of the year. Car ran great, I won the class and the points there meant I only really needed to start the Divisional finale in Lincoln, Neb., to win the MiDiv GP Championship. So we tow up to Lincoln, but it’s still not running right. We re-set the valves (and I burn myself on a hot rocker arm). Second day the car seems to be running better until, just coming around the final turn on the second run, the engine goes blaaaaah. Passed on my final run and put it on the trailer. Still not sure what it was, but at that point I called my engine guy up in Michigan. He already had my other engine for a rebuild and told me earlier it was basically ready to go. Crate that sucker up! With two weeks between the Divisional and Nationals I got the new engine back and stuffed into the car. It’s supposed to be a little stronger too. Back in Lincoln for Nationals, in the paddock I start it up, sounds good and strong. Go out for my first run on the first day, and I'm just going through the opening offsets and the engine’s roaring until ... sudden silence. I’ve heard that sound (or lack thereof) before when I blew one up, but this time it was a simple fix. The rotor inside the distributor -- the little springy thingy that spins around taking the spark from the coil wire and distributes it to the four sparkplug wires, had broken into four pieces. Yes, again, I had a spare. Also replaced the distributor cap just to be sure, and went and did my last two runs (but apparently distracted enough by all the chasing back and forth between grid and paddock -- glad I rented that golf cart! -- I drove like a doofus and ended up next-to-last for the day. Yuck! Okay, let’s do better on the second day. Lined up on the East Course, fired out and again the opening sequence was a series of offsets, then around a big 180 curve when blaaahhhhhh from the engine again. Not so easily diagnosed this time. I drove Bill Cutrer’s Fiat X1/9 on my last two runs. Always wanted to try Bill’s car. Very responsive. That was fun, the high point of the Nationals week, and managed to pull up three positions from the first day. Back home I’m just too busy with post-Nationals work for SportsCar Magazine for two weeks to go look at the Spitfire. Thank you Bill Dayton for letting me drive your Cobalt, and thank you Dr. Swenson for letting me have a turn in your Miata. Finally last weekend I have time to look under the hood. Called my engine guy a couple of times. Ran a compression check. Tried starting it with no luck. Then for some reason I touched the little “chopper” inside the distributor that interrupts the light beam that fires my electronic ignition. It was loose! Probably got knocked askew when my distributor rotor blew up. Put it back on the distributor shaft tight, where it should be, rough timed the engine and hit the key. Varoooom! (Sigh). But that’s racin’. And worth it because when the Spitfire is running right, it’s a LOT more fun.

danova on Steel Cities test +Tune 30 August 08 recap

Sun, 17 Jan 2010 05:33:23 +0000

The voltage regulator on my car took a dump and was causing my volts to jump to 18. Well, batteries don't quite like that spike and it was spitting caps and acid all over the bottom of my hood.

04deamon on Welcome to Lincoln, Nebraska!

Mon, 24 Aug 2009 20:58:20 +0000

Cool. Looks like some people have done some good scoping out of the area. Hopefully everyone brings back some good notes and can share advice to make my first trip to Nationals next year a great one! Good luck to everyone and have fun in Lincoln!

Scott on Welcome to Lincoln, Nebraska!

Mon, 24 Aug 2009 07:34:19 +0000

Since most of us who are attending the 2009 Solo National Championship have not been to Lincoln, NE before we thought it would be useful to provide some information to make your visit to Lincoln more enjoyable. Hopefully the information here will give you a head start on having an enjoyable experience. While my name is listed as the author I can assure you that the content herein has come from Ed George (FSP 96) and Velma Boreen (CSPL 87) who did the research and provided me with all the information for this piece! This is meant to be an interactive experience so click the links, explore and enjoy! In broad strokes the following links will give you a sense of the Big Picture: Lincoln for the football fan (bars restaurants) Lincoln things to do: Restaurant Reviews: Traveler's articles: FYIs: Liquor Sales: Monday-Saturday 6am-1am Getting Around: Lincoln's major arterials are laid out in a simple grid. Numbered streets run North to South, Lettered Streets run East to West. O Street is the N/S dividing line. Many downtown streets are one way. Speed limits are 25mph unless otherwise posted. Right turn on red is permitted unless posted. Right turn on LEFT are permitted from a one-way to a one-way street. Seat belts are required for all front seat occupants and anyone under the age of 16. U-turns permitted and arterial intersections unless otherwise posted. Map of area: Lincoln Parking: On-street meters are $.50, length varies from 10min to 10hrs. Meters are not monitored on Sundays or after 6pm. Nebraska State Patrol offers road conditions by dialing 511. Food: Misty's Restaurant & Lounge 6235 Havelock Ave 402-466-8424 Steaks and Prime Ribs, in bus. 40yrs. Also have Restaurant Brewery on 11th and P. Lazlo's Brewrey and Grill - Haymarket 710 P st. 402-434-5636 Casual dining, hickory fired grill, private and outdoor dining. FireWorks (same owners, sounds similar to the place in Topeka, more upscale than Lazlo's) 5750 S.86th. Steak House 3441 Adams 402-466-2472 Established 1949. Featuring 21-day naturally aged Midwestern beef. Seafood, chicken and pork also available. Local owned "fast" food daVinci's - pizza, pasta, salad Runza - made to order sandwiches and burgers Valentino's - Italian Buffet Other area eateries (click on the name for more info) Wilderness Ridge-Lodge Restaurant Romanos MacAroni Grill Vincenzos Ristorante Spaghetti Works Parthenon Famous Daves Bar-B-Que Parkers Rib Ranch Venue Restaurant and Lounge Lone Star Steakhouse and Saloon Chipotle Mexican Grill Brewskys Food and Spirits Skeeter Barnes Old Chicago Granite City Food and Brewery Scrumpy Jacks Beacon Hills For more information on Lincoln eateries click here. Vet Care: Veterinary Emergency Hospital: 402-489-6800 The "It" Part of Town: Downtown Haymarket and Iron Horse Park (Similar to Cleveland's Warehouse District, but from the 19th century. Tons of restaurants, bars, clubs, and shopping). Information here and here. Cool Museums: Lester Larsen Tractor Test Museum Museum of American Speed (where Monday night reception will be, very cool!) Strategic Air and Space Museum - 30min east on I-80 28210 West Park Highway Ashland, NE 68003 They have a SR-71 and a B-36! Mueller Planetarium (also Nebraska State Museum) Hyde Memorial Observatory Spring Creek Prairie Audubon Center (20min SW of Lincoln) 800 acres, miles of walking trails. 11700 SW 100st, Denton, NE Go Karting: Champions Fun Center 1555 Yolande Ave, Lincoln, NE 68521 1/4 mi track, 22 karts (not counting the family karts) Replacement for Maggie Moo's: UNL Dairy Store 38th and Holdrege Streets 402-472-2828 On campus dairy, ice cream store on UNL campus for 90 yrs! Ivanna Cone 701 P St. 402-477-7473 (website not up yet) Lincoln's one and only old-fashioned ice cream parlor and soda fountain Souvenirs: Nebraska Bookstore 1300 Q St. Huskers Authentic 625 Stadium Drive Husker Headquarters 1120 P. St. Happenings: Nebraska State Fair - through Sept 7th Tractor Pulls, Pig Racing and a beer garden... can u say utopia? Cornhusker Football Sept 5th (1st Game of Season) vs. Florida Atlantic Sept 12th vs. Arkansas State Auto Racing: Eagle Raceway (12 miles east of Lincoln) Nebraska Raceway Park (20 Miles east of Lincoln) Wavelink Raceway Park Hopefully this will be enough information to get everyone started! Drive carefully on the way to Lincoln and everyone here at rogues-racing.com looks forward to meeting each and everyone one of you. Scott HearneÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â GP 149 Mike HearneÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â GP 49 Paul MageeÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â FM 95

86FSP on Get your 2009 Nationals Rogues-Racing.com T-shirts!

Mon, 17 Aug 2009 13:44:38 +0000

who has paypal?...

mageep on Get your 2009 Nationals Rogues-Racing.com T-shirts!

Wed, 12 Aug 2009 13:38:08 +0000

Headed to Lincoln for Nationals? ShowÂ your competition they shouldn't mess with you becauseÂ you're a friend of the rogues... Rogues-racing.com is doing a 2009 Nationals T-Shirt and would like to offer everyone an opportunity to purchase one. The shirtÂ is a 90% cotton/10% synthetic blend and is high quality.Â The shirt isÂ white as depicted, and the graphics will be a high quality screen print. That means they'll last longer and look sharper than the newer digital printing technology. The graphic represents Nationals 2009 - Lincoln, Nebraska. Mark the first year at the new venue right. And support some good guys in the process. CostÂ is $13.50 / shirt, and they will personally delivered to Lincoln, NE by the Rogues! If you have an interest please contact scott@rogues-racing.com with a shirt size.Â Your order needs to be placedÂ by 08/18/09 and shirtsÂ must be paid for at that time,Â so we can place the final order and get them to you in Lincoln.Â Upon receiving your email request,Â ScottÂ will letÂ you know how to send payment via PayPal. Please feel free to pass thisÂ link along to anyone elseÂ that Â might be interested. Thank you, The Rogues

spitfire4gp on Assorted Nuts From Rocket J. Squirrel

Thu, 11 Jun 2009 06:32:06 +0000

Salina was about to lose its record as the â€œHost with the Mostâ€? â€“ the most times as the locale for the SCCA Solo Nationals. But last year the club decided to move the event from Topeka to Lincoln, Neb., so â€“ barring a return to Topeka, which seems unlikely â€“ Salinaâ€™s record is safe until at least 2025. Wonder if I can hold out and still be a 100 Percenter by then? Iâ€™ll only be 84 years old. And my Spitfire will only be 61! Iâ€™ll take credit for bringing the Nationals to Kansas, and to Salina, in 1975. I was chair of that third running as, then, a member of Kansas Region. That means that although the Nationals were in Salina 15 times and in Topeka 14 times, Kansas Region was host 15 times and thus holds that record -- also safe until at least 2025. In fact, no other region is even close. Salina Region and Wichita Region each were host five times, Kansas City four times, Texas and Chicago Regions twice each, and five other regions (St. Louis, Ohio Valley, Houston, San Francisco and Saginaw Valley) once each. No, the Nationals were never held in California or Michigan. San Francisco co-hosted with Kansas City in 1983 while Saginaw Valley was only a nominal host as a device to permit a 1985 experiment in drawing specialty chiefs from all over the nation. It worked. Previously the host region was in charge of the event, including providing event workers. Part of the 1985 experiment included using all competitors as event workers, which today is SOP wherever you go. Since 1986 the host region has been truly a host and no longer the organizer. Salina Region was not chartered until 1990, so although the 1988 and 1989 events mostly fell to the then-Salina Chapter of Wichita Region, from 1986 to 1989 the official region host was Wichita -- thatâ€™s how they are credited with five events although the only one Wichita truly was responsible for was the 1978 Nationals at Sunflower Aerodrome south of Hutchinson. Six Nationals were held at the East Crawford Recreation Area, then called Airport Park; today the site of local Salina Region events. When the organizational concept formally changed in 1986 that was also the year the Nationals moved across town to what today is the Salina Municipal Airport â€“ it was Schilling AFB, a Strategic Air Command bomber base until the Air Force closed it in 1964. Nine Nationals were run there until we outgrew it and moved to Forbes Field in Topeka. Forbes held 11 Nationals, the record for a specific venue until at least 2020 if we stay in Lincoln. Salina Municipal Airport stands second at nine, then Salina ECRA at six, Heartland Park Topeka had three, Greater Southwest in Fort Worth did two, then five other sites were visited one time each.

Miniac on Neohio 6-14-09 event

Mon, 08 Jun 2009 13:05:29 +0000

Bill Crowe has an event posted on the Neohio site for 6/14 at Lakeland. Also a meeting on 6/10 at the Winking Lizard in Independence for interested parties. Check it out at Neohio-scca.org

Betsy

MustangGuy on Anyone looking for a co-driver for some events?

Tue, 14 Apr 2009 22:03:03 +0000

If so, I'm available. I'm not that good and all i have driven is a big, heavy ass brick, but I won't be racing the mustang this year.

Scott on A Conversation with Jeff Dahnert SCCA President & CEO

Tue, 17 Mar 2009 07:53:20 +0000

We recently had the opportunity to spend some time with the new President of SCCA, Jeff Dahnert. In an effort to bring our readers relevant and topical information, Jeff agreed to an interview with Rogues-racing.com. We want to thank Jeff Dahnert for sitting with Rogues-racing.com, and helping our readers better understand his views and philosophies regarding Solo. RR: Can you tell us a little bit about yourself (married / not married, children / no children, hobbies, education background, and career background)? JD: Iâ€™m married and have a 17 year old step-son. I was born and raised in Minnesota. My father was a carpenter and I grew up helping him build houses, which is great experience for anybody. My degree is in accounting and I hold a CPA license, although it is no longer active. I spent four years in public accounting and have been in finance positions in industry since then. My last two positions prior to SCCA were in the finance department of Sprint in Kansas City, and prior to the Sprint job I was the finance director at an arena and civic center in Minnesota Iâ€™ve always been involved in sports such as running, basketball, and triathlons. Iâ€™m currently preparing for a half-ironman triathlon scheduled for mid-June. Iâ€™m often asked what my first car was. It was a 1969 Opel GT which was a very fun car to have as a senior in high school. RR: You have been with the Sports Car Club of America since November 2004 in a financial position. How is that background important in the execution of your new responsibilities? JD: In addition to the inherent financial perspective that I gained, that position gave me visibility to the operations of all areas of the Club. I became familiar with many of the region volunteers as well as the members of the Board of Directors. RR: Many of your predecessors have had some connection with motorsports. It appears you do not have that sort of background. Is a motorsports background necessary to understand what is important to the membership? Why or why not? JD: I think itâ€™s all a matter of your point of view. You could look at it this way; I have spent the last four years as the financial and business manager of the largest amateur motorsports organization in America. So, saying I have no motorsports background is a bit misleading. But I know where you are coming from. I think itâ€™s more important for this particular position to have a business background and a personality that can work with the many different groups that make up this Club. RR: Describe your first National Convention as President of SCCA. Did it meet your expectations? Why or Why not? What were the most important issues that members expressed? Has member feedback shifted your agenda? JD: I was a bit nervous going into the convention, I wonâ€™t kid you. However, it went very smoothly and the comments from the attendees have been overwhelmingly positive. Most of this is due to the efforts of the staff that handle all of the details of putting on an event of this size. As for member feedback, almost everyone I spoke to agreed with our initiatives to shift our marketing focus to the local level and work to make participation easier and more fun. RR: How do you and the BoD intend to make participation easier and more fun? JD: One way is to simply make people aware of our events. This will be accomplished in part by a new â€œmarketing toolkitâ€? aimed at helping the local regions promote their events. Another part of the process is to get everyone to think in terms of our participants being customers and to have a customer service mindset that makes the participants want to keep playing with us. Please note that when I say â€œparticipantsâ€?, Iâ€™m referring to drivers and workers alike. Honestly, I think a lot of the best ideas will come from the regions themselves once they start looking at â€œhowâ€? and â€œwhyâ€? they do the things they do. They are the ones on the frontlines with the most visibility to what works and what doesnâ€™t. RR: What is your perspective on the responsibility of your position relative to that of the Board? JD: My job is to carry out the policies that the BoD establishes. They set the direction of the organization and I manage the staff and resources to get us there. I also bring forth to the BoD any issues or improvements that I feel will benefit the Club. RR: What do you hope to accomplish in your first twelve months on the job? In twenty-four months? In thirty-six months? JD: There is a slogan that we used at the convention, â€œMake it Easy. Make it Fun.â€? My efforts and those of the staff will be to bring this slogan into practice. I havenâ€™t put a timeline on it but I suspect there are enough areas to be looked at to keep us busy for a while. RR: Why are these actions important? JD: We are a club of participants. Our focus should be on doing whatever we can to drive increased participation. RR: How many members does the SCCA have? Out of that number what is the breakdown? JD: We have approximately 48,500 members. As for a breakout, we do not have a definitive way to identify between the programs. However, a large percentage of our new members are coming out of the Solo weekend membership program. RR: Membership decreased 2.5% in 2008. What factors contributed to this? The economy? NASA? JD: The economy definitely has had an impact on all areas of the Club. However, we did a survey of non-renewing members last year and the number one reason they did not renew their membership was because of how they were treated when they went to their first event. RR: What specifically is on your agenda to grow membership and / or improve the experience in SCCA? JD: We have developed a â€œmarketing toolkitâ€? for the regions to use at their local events which will drive participation and membership. We are also going to work to support the BoD in simplifying rules as much as we can. RR: What specifically is going to be included in the â€œmarketing toolkitâ€?? JD: There will be banners, posters, and â€œyard signsâ€? that will help direct people to the events. There will also be a CD that will have digital copies of forms that can be customized with the local event information. In addition there will be a guide and timeline that will help the region work with local media outlets to publicize their events. If a region wants more information they can contact Rick Myers our Region Development Manager. RR: Is there an effective communication channel for regions to share what is and isnâ€™t working to ensure best practices are being identified and implemented on a broader level? JD: Last year the Jumbo Regions formed a group to share ideas of what is and isnâ€™t working for them. We are looking to expand this approach to other sized regions in 2009. At the convention the Jumbo Regions held a session where anybody could ask them questions about how they operate their regions and events. RR: Do you subscribe to the point of view that SCCA appears to be road-racing-centric? JD: I know that this view exists but I feel that Solo and Rally are just as important. RR: In many regions there exists a distinctive â€˜Road Racerâ€™ mentality that looks down upon Solo and conversely in other regions, a â€˜Soloâ€™ mentality that looks down at the Road Racers. Is the SCCA aware of this, and are there any plans to address it? JD: Yes, we are aware of the regional differences that exist. The best way to address this is through open communication and interaction. One very effective event that accomplishes this is the Tire Rack Street Survival teen driving program. We see volunteers come from the Club Racing, Rally, and Solo areas within a region to put on these events. It gets them together and working with each other which helps to break down the â€œusâ€? and â€œthemâ€? mentality. RR: How do you perceive Soloâ€™s role? Do you see it as a core component? Do you see Solo as a ladder for SCCA members? JD: I believe Solo is definitely a core component of this Club. It is one of the easiest programs to get involved in and we always hear stories about people who start in Solo or Rally and move on to Club Racing. That said Solo has certainly proven to be the chosen activity for many people who have no interest in doing anything else. Itâ€™s both a great point of entry into motorsports and a destination wrapped in one. RR: When did you first autocross? If you have not participated in an autocross what are you waiting for? JD: My first autocross was a couple of years ago when I co-drove Cal Cranerâ€™s A Stock Corvette at the Solo Nationals. By the way, I donâ€™t believe I came in last. RR: Last year SCCA instituted a program requiring non-SCCA members to purchase a â€˜weekend membershipâ€™ if they wanted to participate. What was the reason for instituting the program? Has feedback from regions been positive or negative? Any changes for 2009? JD: The SCCA by-laws state that we are to put on events by and for our members, so we needed to get the realities of our events in line with the purposes of the Club. This was secondarily driven by liability issues. As a member you have $1 million in Participant Accident coverage whereas a non-member only has $10,000. We were concerned that injured non-member participants posed a potentially significant liability exposure that could be reduced through making all participants members. There was some initial resistance to the program, but most of that was either lack of information or a misunderstanding of requirements. I did receive numerous comments during the convention and all were very positive in regards to the program. RR: The number of classes in Solo has continued to increase over the years. In SCCA Road Racing there is a cap on the number of classes that can participate in the Runoffs. Is this something that Solo should consider doing for their National Championship? JD: While Solo has a significant number of classes, the nature of a Solo event allows this without running into logistical issues with the site. If the number of classes continues to increase this may need to be looked at. RR: If yes, expand upon why you think there is a practical limit and talk about what the SCCA and its membership can do to address the issue. If no, how do you address the issue of class dilution? JD: The SEB is looking into the issue of class dilution and I will defer to their expertise on this subject. The hope with each new class is not to â€œcannibalizeâ€? existing classes but to draw new participants into the sport, such as with Street Touring. RR: Do you think that National Champions should be crowned if there are no other competitors in the class? If a particular class is under, say less than five entrants, would it make sense to combine classes at any event that has National status (including Tours for example)? JD: If there is a recognized class at the national championship event, then it should have a champion. I would think if a class continually only had one participant it would be phased out naturally. RR: Despite the best intentions with regard to classing cars, there often seems to be one or two cars that manage to rise to the top. This drives many competitors to gravitate to the â€˜perceivedâ€™ cars to have in the class. The competitors that donâ€™t change to these cars often lobby for another class for â€˜theirâ€™ car. Has this trend contributed to â€˜class creepâ€™? Should everyone just acknowledge this is always going to happen and just set up a Mazda RX-8 class, a Honda S2000 class, etc.? JD: This is an issue that the SEB has wrestled with for years. The goal is to have as many marques competing as possible, but I think it is inevitable that one or two cars will rise to the top in each class. RR: How long are we committed to Lincoln? JD: Currently this is a one year contract with the option to renew it as a multi year contract. RR: Initial testing has shown significant tire wear at the Lincoln site versus previous sites. Does the SCCA plan to treat the surface? Will a solution be completed by the May 2nd Pro Solo? JD: In April the facility will be sweeping the area with a runway sweeper which will basically â€œexfoliateâ€? the surface. RR: Many Soloists believe Pro Solo has a more compelling format versus â€˜conventionalâ€™ Solo. Significant money has been spent to improve the equipment and process over the past few years for the Pro format, which many believe has not been money well spent. What is your view? JD: Pro Solo is viewed as an integral part of the Tire Rack National Solo program and weâ€™ve tried to make a number of these upgrades, such as laptops and wireless capability, also be usable for the National Tour program. Many of the specific Pro Solo investments were done to allow more participants at each event by increasing event efficiency and therefore the cost of these investments will ultimately be paid for by increased participation. RR: Why are there only two Pro Solos in the east in 2009? JD: If you use the Mississippi as your dividing line there are actually three events in the east, three events in the west and one in the center of the country in 2009. RR: Have teen participants become active in Solo? If no, is that a goal? How will you achieve it? JD: At this time we cannot easily quantify the number of teens participating. However, classes such as â€œStreet Touringâ€? were put in place to draw a younger audience and many regions have told us that their average age of a participant has dropped dramatically in recent years. RR: Does participation in the Street Survival program lead to increased participation in Solo? JD: First I would like everyone to understand it is not the goal that the Street Survival program be a lead in to increased Solo participation. Rather, the purpose is to teach basic car control skills for street driving with the goal of saving young peoplesâ€™ lives. Additionally, the program has not been in place long enough to know if program participants are signing up for Solo events. RR: What initiatives are in place to specifically grow participation in Solo? JD: I believe the marketing toolkit I mentioned above will greatly improve the visibility of Solo events and drive participation. The revised Tire Rack divisional program, the Solo Triad Award, and the new Nationals location are all components expected to increase participation at various levels. RR: What is the greatest strength of the Solo program to SCCA? JD: Ease of participation by new members. RR: The greatest weakness? JD: Lack of consistency from event to event at the regional level. RR: The greatest opportunity? JD: The current wave of automobiles that are well suited to the sport. RR: What is the largest threat to Solo? JD: Safety issues and site availability. RR: NASA has enjoyed tremendous growth in the last few years especially in the area of road racing. They are now beginning to actively promote their Solo program. One of the chief ways they differ with the SCCA is their establishment and promotion of a points system to get a handle on the many kinds of cars and modifications to limit the number of classes. What is your opinion of this? JD: Iâ€™m not yet familiar enough with the details of their program to be able to comment with any level of surety. Iâ€™m sure that the SEB will review NASAâ€™s methodology to see if it is applicable to SCCA. Have a question for Jeff we didnâ€™t ask? Email us your question at info@rogues-racing.com

Scott on Merry Christmas to All!

Thu, 25 Dec 2008 07:16:29 +0000

From everyone here at rogues-racing.com all the best!

neomogo on Interview: Raleigh & Velma Boreen 2008 Solo Cup Recipients - Part 2

Thu, 04 Dec 2008 20:10:43 +0000

MH: In the 27 years you've been involved in Solo is there anybody along the way or multiple people that has helped or encouraged you guys along the way from the beginning to where you are now? RB: Well, one of the people when we lived in Ohio that today is still a very close friend is Phil Schmidt. He was the one that was either a curse or a blessing in the sense that got us hooked. Like I said we're still very close to Phil and his wife and son....Debbie and Andrew...it's just a cause where he had a big impact. And I think over the years there have been different people have had an impact. I look at Lloyd Loring who was the voice of Solo II. To me he really made the big events really enjoyable and today I enjoy announcing and it's really because of Lloyd. How do we make everyone feel good about themselves? Whether they are winning their class or dead last? I would say probably the people along the way. We have close friends all over the country because of Solo. I don't know how we would have ever met that many people from literally all 50 states. A couple of years ago I had co-driver from Alaska. This past year my co-driver was from Hawaii. VB: Phil Schmidt definitely is one that I would say. When we got the Dodge Challenger that we thought was so cool and he was like "Oh my gosh you need to autocross this" and it was like OK "We'll give this a try".Â He is one person form the beginning...he and his wife encouraged us to try it. I think what keeps me going more than anything now other than the fact of the pure competition it's not just seeing anybody we know from many years ago, but seeing the new people coming along and the enthusiasm that they have. Maybe they only ran 6 local events. Now all of a sudden I call it setting the "hook". We've gotten to them the point they are going to the Divisional events, Tours, and all of a sudden we're telling them to go out to Nationals. That gives me a really good feeling to know that we are perpetuating the sport and we're encouraging the young people to come along because and if we don't replace ourselves with younger people the sport is going to die. Mike, I really enjoy seeing the new people coming along. MH: What is so great about Solo racing? What gets you guys excited about it? VB: What I like about it is the fact that it is one of the only I guess of the big 3 things that happens with SCCA (Road Racing, Rally, and Solo) it's the one type of racing that happens that you do not need to have a special group of workers to come in and work. The people who are competing are also the workers. It just doesn't happen in the other 2 sports (Road Racing and Rally). People try and get together after the event. They say let's go out to dinner together. There was a group of people from the SE division this year, and maybe they have done this in the past, but they rented one of the garages and I know at least 2 nights that I know of that they had their big grill out grilling brats and gave anyone that one wanted a brat. That sense of community and welcoming anybody in. I think that is that what's make us seem like really friendly people, because we are. RB: To me there are 2 things that kind of make it happen. There are an awful lot of fun cars to drive. You can buy an awful lot of cars that can go into HS (Mini Cooper, Honda Civic,) to Corvettes and just about everything in between. There are a lot of cars that are fun to drive that a lot of people want to play with them a little bit. Then it's a case where it's just the camaraderie. Helping people to try and get excited about doing it. And having some fun and realizing that they can do things with their car and not hurt their car. I just think that's the real attraction of Solo is it's something you can go out on a Sunday or a 1 day or 2 day event and have an awful lot of fun. The nice thing that Velma said is we don't have to have special workers come in....in essence all of the people that are running are running the event. I think it makes everything run a lot smoother. MH: Describe your involvement in the SCCA as it pertains to Solo. Have you been active on a board, chief of timing and scoring, any other capacity? VB: We haven't been to the point where we've been on the board in the Indy region. We maybe run 4 or 5 Indy region events per year. They are always looking for people to design a course or chair an event and that is where we offer our services. RB: We're dual members of Indy and Saginaw Valley. What we've really done here is (Indy) because we're not available to run every event (8-10 events) many times they run against a National Tour, Divisional, or a GASS (Great American Solo Series) series event. We've chosen to chase the GASS series, Divisionals, or 1 or 2 national tours a year. One of us or both of us try and attend every Solo Board meeting to try and help the club and attend regular board meetings. Velma has been more involved, because I travel a lot for work. We have been real involved with any big event the SCCA holds. We've hosted a lot of events at our house. We have just tried to support Indy region as much as possible. MH: So the basic gist is if it's an official or unofficial position...you're always bending over backwards to do whatever is necessary for Solo. RB: Yep, that's pretty true MH: How involved are you with the GASS series? RB: Velma and I with Chuck and Ginnette Sample, Davey and Joyce Looman, and Marlene Obennauer...are the 8 people that originated the CenDiv series 23 years ago. Over the years we've been off and on the board since the beginning. MH: In your 27 years together as a couple you've gone above and beyond the call of duty in Solo and I had the privilege at the Friday banquet at this year's 2008 Solo Nationals to watch you both receive the 2008 Solo Cup (To the SCCA member who has made an outstanding contribution to the Solo Events Program. The winner is selected by the Solo Events Board from nominations submitted by the membership at large. Ed.) Was it a big shock? What was your reaction? VB: It was a huge shock. It truly was. To be listed with the people that have received it in the past and it started in 1978. It is such a great group of people that are on that list. I was truly humbled. I couldn't believe it was happening. RB: Yeah, I'm the same way. I couldn't believe it. You hate to say it, because of being the Emcee I was thinking about other things that were coming next...I kind of had the order of things coming next. So I was listening to Bob Tunell when he started talking, but I wasn't listening real hard. When I realized what he was doing and what he was saying I couldn't believe it. Put it this way. We've gotten more back from SCCA then we've ever given. We have close friends all over the country. We see these people in SCCA more than we see our family who we haven't lived close to in 35 years. MH: Well I guess that pretty much sums it up! Raleigh and Velma I want to thank you for spending the time to share a little bit about yourselves with our readers. We'll see you next year!

mageep on SCCA Area 4 Director: Talking with the Candidates

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 09:55:52 +0000

Sweet! Congrats Marcus!!

neomogo on SCCA Area 4 Director: Talking with the Candidates

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 23:32:09 +0000

Congratualtions to Marcus Merideth on winning the Area 4 director postion. It was a pretty close battle (Marcus 634 votes, Steve 558, and John 449).

Miniac on Placing bets...

Thu, 06 Nov 2008 23:01:28 +0000

Sorry everyone - Bill Crowe decided to cancel the event. Seems a bit too chilly for the MINIs. I sort of wanted to see how the Potenzas would run that cold. Oh well, there's always next April. Thanks everyone for making it a fun season! With any luck I should be able to get the season points on the Neohio web site this weekend.

Betsy