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May, 2002
NEXT EVENT! Montana ExpoPark (the fairgrounds in Great Falls) is the site of our next event on Sunday, May 5, 2002. The site always lends itself to a great course and a terrific turnout. Club members are urged to arrive early to assist with setup, safety, tech inspection and all of the other details that always eat up manpower. The earlier the start, the more time for competition runs.
Be advised that fees have gone up to $15 for members and $25 for non-members for this year, except for the folks who let their registration for the ill-fated opened at Bay Drive (Damn weather!) “ride” until the next event.
Come early, bring helmets for loaners if you have them (Do we need to do something about the continual dance of the loaner helmets in the pre-grid area? It sure makes pre-grid hectic.), and prepare for a full day of fun and burning rubber. Finally the winter cobwebs get shed!
WE WANT YOUR BODY The Corvette Club will have an autocross on June 26, Memorial Day Sunday, at ExpoPark. Last year those stalwart folks assisted us with Top Gun, so this is the club’s payback to the plastic car people. Jim Messick is spearheading the organization of SCCA help for the event, so call him at 268-1742 for details. We know it’s a Sunday, but fair is fair. We owe these folks, and we will see to it that they have a successful event. See you there
And Steve Nutter, at 454-1333, is getting the manpower together for the Demo Derby at the Montana State Fair on August 3. Be there, the ground is already shakin’. Seriously, the club gets a real good deal from the Fair Board on ExpoPark event rental for this little metal-crunching assist, so please call Steve to volunteer. More bodies make for faster and easier work. Here’s mud in your eye!
WE GOT YOUR BODY Two dozen members at the last general meeting! Terrific, thanks for the support. And for those who were not there, the meeting place has changed. All meetings (board on the second Thursday of the month, general meeting on the last Thursday of the month) will now be at the !0th avenue HARDEES RESTAURANT! These gracious folks are letting us use their place for all of our meetings, so thank them next time you dine there. Tip heavy.
WEATHER OR ACTS OF GOD When unfortunate and unpredictable circumstances force an event to be cancelled, the club has generally opted to give participants a choice of asking for their money back or letting it ride to the next event. That seems to work pretty well. We can’t do much about other incurred costs (the club takes a beating on the track and perhaps porta-potty rental, anyway that travelers have to pay. We truly appreciate the effort and time that folks invest just to get here to compete, but Montana is a very unpredictable weather environment. Just ask the drag racers in Lewistown how many cancellations they have had over the years. As for the April 7 event, we were in contact with the National Weather Service at all times, but we had to make a call at some point for safety reasons. Wet, cold tracks and tires do not mix well with curbs and new drivers, so the decision to shut down may have saved some hurt parts and wallets. Maybe even pride.
MONEY MATTERS Just note that local and National dues (the only way you can join SCCA) have increased to $65 for a single, $75 for a spousal inclusion (sounds dirty, doesn’t it!), $88 for a family, and $35 for Speed Feakz. Inflation, or is it George W’s fault? Go figure.
AWARDS The debate continues over awards and trophies. These trinkets, dust collectors, or badges of courage and skill (depends on who you talk to, doesn’t it?) cost the club plenty over the course of a season. If you have ideas to better use our money, don’t be shy. We are always looking to do better.
COURSE DESIGN Autocross courses do not just appear by magic, nor do they come from a recipe book that always guarantees success. Lately, our own Sports Car Magazine has even focused on course design, with some great useful tips about what works and what doesn’t work. We have some very good local designers, but even the best intentions sometimes yield a course that just never “feels” smooth. So? If you would like to try your hand at course design, just say so. With regards to safety, the fun factor, and sort of equalizing the differential between big and small cars (big and small horsepower, too), course design is a real fun and rewarding challenge. Try it, and we’ll put you in touch with more experienced folks so you don’t look too green.
STUFF Next event, ExpoPark on May 5 Corvette autocross on May 26 Still searching for a June site, and still looking at rules to be in effect for Top Gun.
For more information, call Regional Executive Ed Austin at 452-1135 or Assistant RE Jerry Rukavina at 761-4357
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