Area 4 Director Update for May, 2021

As we head into the competition season, I am reminded just how busy all of us are.  Not just the competitors who have to get ready for the upcoming season but all the behind-the-scenes folks who make the races happen.  They make the sausage, folks.  They deserve a lot of kudos for all their hard work so the rest of us can play with our cars.  No matter how you help “make the sausage”, your efforts are not forgotten.  The competitors, management of your division and regional officers salute your efforts on our behalf.  And drivers, be sure to thank those folks in person and offer a generous donation to the Worker Appreciation Fund of the events you attend.

I had even more meetings this month for a couple of reasons.  One, a new sub committee was formed under the Club Racing Board (CRB) called the Electric Vehicle Advisory Committee (EVAC) and we held our first meeting on 4/14.  Details about this will be announced later.  Two, an additional meeting was held by the CRB to focus on “strategic planning”.

  • CRB on 4/6:  This was a routine meeting and was finished in less than 90 minutes (a new record during my tenure).  Nothing really exciting happened but we’ll see how the driver corps accepts the results (which can be viewed here).
  • EVAC on 4/14:  Again, details to be announced later.
  • CRB Strategic Planning on 4/22:  Some long-term planning discussions were held.  The Club Racing program is strong but the changing economy, Club demographics and other factors lend uncertainty for its future.  The overarching theme of “how do we make the product better” was applied to a wide variety of topics.  This will be an ongoing conversation so we’re planning on meeting monthy to discuss these issues.
  • BoD on 4/26:  I’ll report on this meeting next month.
  • RXB on 4/27:  I’ll report on this meeting next month.

My personal travels for race events started this month as I visited my brother in NC for a couple of days before heading to VIRginia International Raceway (VIR) for a Hoosier Super Tour (HST) event there.  Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the race was considered a “private event” by the State of Virginia.  This meant no spectators, no over crew and everyone had to be an SCCA member.  They also limited the entries to 300 plus ‘double dippers’.  It was a very well-run event with nice weather (other than the Saturday night thunderstorms with a tornado watch in nearby counties).  

I’ll be off to Pittsburgh International Race Complex (PIRC) for another HST race on 4/30-5/2 and MidOhio for an OVR Major Club Race on 5/22, 5/23.  OVR could always use more workers.  If you want to sign up, please follow this link.  To view all the SCCA events I’ll be attending this year, visit my schedule which is posted on the GLDiv website.

Speaking of the GLDiv website, I am pleased to announce that the new, revised GLDiv website is now operational.  Many congrats go to the webmaster (Rob Dietz) as he molded the new site into its present configuration.  The plan was to make this site a “one stop shopping” experience for all of our members.  It’s still a work in progress so please feel free to offer constructive criticism, high quality photos for the backgrounds, etc. so we can make sure this site helps all members with their GLDiv needs.  His email address is gldsccaweb@gmail.com.

A quick note to our F&C worker corps, we could use your help with a non-Club Racing event this summer.  Topeka is bringing a Time Trails National Tour event to GingerMan this summer (7/16-7/18).  They could use some experienced corner workers to support the green volunteers at the event.  Please reach out to the Ed Arthur (GLDiv F&C DA) if you can help out.  His email address is flagging_rocks@sbcglobal.net.  I’ll be there and am really looking forward to seeing a TT event in person.

One more quick request for our membership.  The easiest way to get in touch with you is by having up to date contact info in the SCCA database.  Please make sure the SCCA has accurate contact information for you.  Go to my.scca.com, sign in and click on the “Edit Contact Info” button in the “Profile Details” box.  If you have any trouble doing this, please do not hesitate to reach out to the membership staff in Topeka as they will be glad to help you with this.

Thank you for your time and I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Dayle Frame