Category: Club News

Spring has finally sprung and the GLDiv/SCCA calendar has lots of events on it across all of our programs. I hope your calendar is full of events you can attend this summer.

As you may have heard, the CDC announced dramatic changes in mask policy a couple of weeks ago. With this in mind, the SCCA has amended its Covid-19 protocols and has posted them here. Please review them and make sure to follow all guidelines mandated by your local authorities.

A momentous occasion this past month was when the SCCA issued a press release about the Electrified Vehicle Advisory Committee (EVAC) on 5/4 via Kerrie Speed’s weekly email blast. This was a big deal as it announced to the general membership about the formation of the committee and signaled the beginning of a new era in SCCA. EVs are the future for personal use and the SCCA will be on the forefront of incorporating them into all levels of every program SCCA has to offer. For me personally, as the committee Chair, EV owner and competitor, I am very proud to be able to help usher the SCCA into this realm.

My schedule has gotten busier because I am now going to events instead of just sitting in on virtual meetings (although I’m still doing a lot of that)…..and the bulk of my calendar hasn’t even started yet. Oy vey! As I mentioned last month, I had a couple of meetings in late April that would carry over to this month’s update.

• BoD (4/26): As usual, we discussed a wide variety of things. The usual financial update was given by Jeff Dahnert. We’re doing remarkably well considering the latent effects of the pandemic. A proposal was presented by Chris Robbins of how we might change the annual convention. Final decisions have not been made yet but I will notify you once a schedule has been squared away. We’re still in the midst of a swap from one BoD software/website platform to another. The BoD will have to have a few meetings to do some training as the new system is incorporated.
• RXB (4/27): A National Tour event was held by STL Region that had a few major issues and the RXB was dealing with the aftermath of that event. A survey has been sent out so attendees could voice their opinion about the failings of the event. The RXB also discussed a variety of topics (National Championships, expanding the appeal of RX, Divisional Stewards responsibilities, etc.).
• CRB (5/4): The CRB reviewed a considerable list of topics and letters. Much like last year, the CRB proposed a waiver for our Canadian members who wished to go to the Runoffs. Due to Covid-19 travel restrictions, Canadians have difficulty crossing into the US. The BoD approved this as a way to minimize the hurdles they have to clear in order to attend the event at Indy.
• EVAC (5/12): As this committee gets its “sea legs”, we started to carve a path forward for EVs as well as the safety aspects of incorporating them into the various programs SCCA offers. We’re taking baby steps to make sure that safety is not compromised and that everyone involved (workers, drivers, tracks, etc.) understands the parameters to make events safe and fun.
• BoD (5/24): We covered a variety of topics. Once again, the financials continue to look good. The Solo Events Board (SEB) reported that several regions applied to participate in the Junior Driver Program (JDP). Three regions have been selected and the pilot program will begin this summer. We also discussed the recently created EVAC and where it should fit in the SCCA hierarchy.
• RXB (5/25): The RXB meeting continued its practice of working on enhancing the program while also focusing on this season’s events (national championships, etc.). The STL Region event survey results were reviewed. Steps will be taken to ensure a repeat of the event’s shortcomings will not occur again.

In addition to the virtual meetings I attended, I started actually going to races this past month.

• Pittsburgh International Race Complex (PIRC) trip (4/29-5/2): This trip had it all…..interesting weather (cold, rain and wind while doing the load in on Thursday, cold and windy on Friday, warmer in Saturday and Sunday), great competition and a fantastic (challenging) track layout. I was there crewing for friends and I used the event to catch up with friends. I got to meet Kristen Poole (SCCA Marketing Manager) and Dan Dennehy (Partner Relationship Manager). I’d spoken with Kristen many times but it’s always good to put a face to a voice.

• GingerMan trip (5/16): As my wife and Mother in Law decided to have some “girl time” together, I decided to bail on that and head to GingerMan Raceway for the Spring Festival of Speed hosted by South Bend and Detroit regions. As this was the first race event in my area that I attended as Director, I wanted to make sure I visited with the workers, walked the paddock and spoke to drivers and generally took the temperature of things. The weather was great, SBR/DET were fantastic hosts, and I had a wonderful time. I look forward to returning to GingerMan for the Time Trials National Tour in July.

One additional “GingerMan adjacent” note for racers going to South Haven. Last year we were told that Sherman’s Ice Cream stand would not be selling their ice cream anymore. The store would remain open but use another vendor’s products. While visiting there on 5/16, I discovered that another vendor stepped in and is producing ice cream using Sherman’s recipes. I can report that nothing has changed…..same great taste, same great service.

• MidOhio trip (5/21-5/23): My first Major Club Race as Director……although, truth be told, I had no “real” function at the event. I schmoozed, talked to drivers and workers and generally tried to help where I could. I crewed for a couple of friends as well. The weather was OK and, for once, I did NOT have horrible sinus issues when visiting MidO.

The next month isn’t as hectic in terms of traveling. I only have two track events on my schedule for June (June Sprints; Road America; 6/4 to 6/6 and “Original Unrestricted” Double Regional; Grattan Raceway; 6/19, 6/20). July is when it gets ugly as I have a whole slew of track events on my flagging_rocks@sbcglobal.net.

Don’t forget that our revised gldsccaweb@gmasil.com) if you have any comments or corrections. If your region has and event you’d like to see on the divisional calendar, please reach out to him with the details (event title, date, location, registration link, etc.).

Dayle Frame

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

Another busy month as we all get ready for the upcoming season.

Probably the biggest highlight of the past month was our GLDiv Spring Training meeting held on 3/7. Due to continued pandemic restrictions, the event was held remotely. Many kudos go to Val McCammon as she made all the arrangements. She had a lot of help from her husband Pat and Velma and Raleigh Boreen. The four of them acted as moderator and guided a flawless day of sessions. There were over 100 people who attended a session during the day.

Work continues on the revised GLDiv website. If you are an RE, Race Chair, etc. and want your event posted on the divisional website’s calendar, please send the pertinent details (date, location, contact person, registration link) to Rob Dietz (gldsccaweb@gmail.com). He’s the webmaster and will be able to collate the divisional events into the calendar.

The usual monthly meetings occurred in March. It started off with the Club Racing Board (CRB) meeting on 3/2. There was the usual agenda of 100+ letters that the CRB dealt with…..most fairly mundane. The biggest item was the introduction of the tentative schedule for the Runoffs. Eric Prill said a survey of drivers indicated that over 1000 will attend the Runoffs at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) this year. This puts pressure on them to generate a schedule that meets a wide variety of criteria (multi-class drivers, track limits, daylight hours, etc.). It has since been released and can be found here. There’s nothing quite like IMS and I know I’ll be there. I had the pleasure of racing there back in 2017 when the Runoffs first visited the facility. Please consider attending in some form (worker, spectator, crew, etc.) as I am sure you will have an excellent time. It’ll be held from 9/28 to 10/3 and other details about the event can be found here.

We had a BoD meeting on 3/22. As usual, there wasn’t anything too flashy that came from this meeting. We discussed the financial report submitted by Jeff Dahnert. Things look pretty good so far this year. The steps taken last spring as the pandemic was taking hold have continued to bear fruit. The President (Mike Cobb) submitted his update to us a week beforehand and we discussed that a bit during the meeting. There were a couple of “hush, hush” items that I cannot comment on at this time. Nothing too terribly earth shattering and I’ll let you in on it when the time is appropriate.

One nice thing to come from the meeting is that we are planning on meeting face to face in late July (7/30 – 8/1). By then, it will have been well over a year since that occurred. We’ll be heading to Kansas City for this, and I can’t wait to see my fellow Board members. I’ve only met four of them over the years (Albin, Dowie, Isley and Jankovskis) so this will be quite exciting for me. Another BoD meeting will take place in December (12/3 – 12/5) and it will also be held in Kansas City.

The next night (3/23), there was a RallyCross Board (RXB) meeting. This group is diligently working on expanding and raising the profile of the program. Among other things, they are working on coordinating their National Championships which will be held in our backyard. They’ll be held in Chillicothe, OH on 10/15-10/17. Details about the event can be found here.

On the next evening (yes…..I had SCCA meetings three nights in a row), we held the first meeting of a committee dedicated to electric vehicles (EVs) and how they will be folded into every level of all competition programs within SCCA. We are charged (get it…charged about EVs….I know, don’t quit my day job) with not only incorporating EVs into competition but also the safety and liability aspects of bringing them into the fold. The SCCA wants to be the leader for the current (yet another pun) and next generation of automobile enthusiast and EVs will definitely be a part of that future. As an EV owner and competitor, I am VERY excited to be in on the ground floor as we move into this realm.

Events of the past month have had an impact on my summer schedule. Here’s my revised (and still tentative) schedule:

• 4/29 – 5/2: STC @ PIRC (Super Tour)
• 5/22, 5/23: OVR @ MidOhio (Major)
• 6/4 – 6/6: Champ Tour Solo @ Grissom
• 6/19, 6/20: WMR @ Grattan (Double Regional)
• 7/16 – 7/18: Time Trails National Tour @ GingerMan
• 7/23 – 7/25: Pro Solo @ Toledo
• 730 – 8/1: BoD meeting in Kansas City, MO
• 8/21, 8/22: WMR @ Grattan (Major)
• 9/6: WMR Solo @ Grattan
• 9/24 – 10/3: Runoffs @ Indy
• 10/15 – 10/17: RallyCross Nationals in Chillicothe, OH
• 10/24: WMR Solo @ Grattan
• 10/31: MBR Covered Bridges Road Rally
• 12/3 – 12/5: BoD meeting in Kansas City, MO

Woof! This will keep me busy. See you at the track.

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

Dayle Frame

With the racing season looming on the horizon, February started getting “real”. Schedules for Club Racing, Pro and Champ Tour Solo, Track Night in America, etc. were coalescing and my summer schedule could start to gel around those dates. Preparation continued for GLDiv Spring Training meeting and I sat in on a few more SCCA Convention sessions and various other meetings.

My tentative schedule for the summer looks like this (for now):

• 4/29-5/2: STC @ PIRC (Super Tour)
• 5/22, 5/23: OVR @ MidOhio (Major)
• 6/4-6/6: Champ Tour Solo @ Grissom
• 6/19, 6/20: WMR @ Grattan (Double Regional)
• 7/16-7/18: Time Trails National Tour @ GingerMan
• 7/24, 7/25: SBR/DET @ GingerMan (Major)
• 730-8/1: Pro Solo @ Wurtsmith
• 8/21, 8/22: WMR @ Grattan (Major)
• 9/6: WMR Solo @ Grattan
• 9/24-10/3: Runoffs @ Indy
• 10/31: MBR Covered Bridges Road Rally

That should keep me busy and off the streets causing havoc. Obviously, this could change for any number of reasons (C-19, weather, “honey do” list, etc.) but I’ll do my best to represent our division at as many different types of events as possible. I need to throw in a Rally Cross event or two as well. If I have time, I may slide over to Lincoln, NE and visit the Solo Nationals…..I’ve never been and I would really like to see this event in person.

By now you should have seen some emails from Val McCammon about the GLDiv Spring Training meeting. She is doing a fantastic job at herding the cats and coordinating this event. You can register for the event through motorsportreg.com (MSR) at this Link (https://www.motorsportreg.com/events/gld-virtual-spring-training-2021-zoom-meeting-scca-great-lakes-division-283923) . Reach out to her via email (pyramid@bluebirdview.com) if you have any questions.

I am also starting to gain some traction in my “Ask the Director” appearances at regional meetings. These are so much fun and this is one of the few upsides to the pandemic. There’s no way I could visit Cincinnati, Dayton, Cleveland, Louisville, Charleston, etc. if these meetings were held in person……but in our new virtual world, it’s as easy as logging into my office PC.

To that end, I was invited to sit in on the NEOhio Region virtual meeting on 2/2. As the convention was going on that evening, their meeting had to wrap up by 8p. This meant my portion was pretty short. But it was productive and that’s all that matters. I look forward to visiting with them at future meetings.

I followed up the NEOhio meeting by sitting in on a CRB meeting later that evening. There was a lot of discussion about Miata front hubs. And since the Miata can compete in so many classes, this was germane to a wide variety of competitors. There were also dozens of other rules debated. For info on what was finalized and promulgated, visit the latest Fastrack update here (https://www.scca.com/pages/cars-and-rules).

I sat in on my first Budget, Finance and Risk management committee meeting on 2/4. This was a very short meeting (15 minutes?) hosted by the Chairman (K.J. Christopher) to let us know about a budgeting issue that had popped up. Nothing serious but he wanted to let the rest of us know about it. I’d try to explain it but I’m only a chemist and I haven’t been allowed near the home checkbook for 30+ years..

We had a BoD meeting on 2/22. It was pretty straightforward with no fires to put out. We were re-introduced to Jeff Dahnert. He is the new financial guru for the Club. As a past President, he certainly knows his way around the “ins and outs” of the SCCA. He gave us a brief overview of the financial status of the Club. Considering all we’ve been through in the past year, the National Staff has done a GREAT job responding to the situation. We briefly discussed and ultimately OK’d one minor rule change for Club Racing (FYI…..I voted for it). We are still trying to coordinate a face to face meeting during the summer.

I also sat in on a RXB meeting on 2/23. The team was working on several ideas on how to grow the sport. They discussed their rules updates, heard from various committees (RallySprint, National Championship, Divisional Stewards, Growth & Development, etc.). They reviewed the presentations made during the SCCA Convention. Everyone was very pleased with the event and the turnout.

March will be busy with a CRB meeting on 3/2, the GLDiv Spring Training meeting on 3/7, a BoD meeting on 3/22 and an RXB meeting on 3/23. I’m sure other things will pop up too.

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

Dayle Frame

It’s time to register for this year’s free Spring Training 2021 Virtual Zoom experience on Saturday, March 6. Register on MSR to get the Zoom link and the recordings for later viewing: https://www.motorsportreg.com/events/gld-virtual-spring-training-2021-zoom-meeting-scca-great-lakes-division-283923
We’ll start with a one hour Ask-The-Director session with Dayle Frame, BoD rep. Then, it’s a one-hour Solo session (Ray Jason, Raleigh & Velma Boreen), followed by a short road race preview with Exec Steward Duane Harrington. Be sure to join the 1.5 hour Road Rally Safety Training and a few specialty meetings, including a GLD RE meeting, too. (schedule being finalized)

When you register, you’ll also get info about the Test & Tune Pre-Zoom Session on Wed, March 3, at 7:00 pm. Check your link, learn tips, and laugh with friends and your host Raleigh Boreen!

Because SCCA’s online National Convention covered so much already, the focus of this year’s short meetings will be GLD-centered. Register on MSR to get the Zoom link and the recordings for later viewing: https://www.motorsportreg.com/events/gld-virtual-spring-training-2021-zoom-meeting-scca-great-lakes-division-283923

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us using contact us form on our website, or on Facebook.

January was a busy month. As I mentioned in last month’s update, in addition to the BoD meetings, I also sit in on the Club Racing Board (CRB) and Rally Cross Board (RXB) meetings. There were BoD meetings on 1/11 and 1/25 as well as a CRB meeting on 1/5 and RXB meetings on 1/12 and 1/19. I also sat in on a couple of regional meetings doing an “Ask the Director” session with them. Throw in the SCCA Convention sessions that I attended (five on 1/23 and several more during the rest of the convention) and there was a lot of time spent on video conference sessions.

The BoD meetings were fairly mundane in that we dealt with a lot of boring, procedural stuff. We go over financial reports and other miscellaneous items. For example, we’re getting a new board management platform in the next few months. This is a web based, software package that will help us vote, manage meetings, post agendas, etc. Really interesting stuff, huh? We’re also trying to coordinate a face to face meeting at some point once the pandemic gets quenched a bit. As you can imagine, we’re all pretty busy during the competition season and finding a suitable date has been pretty tough. Yes, there are some super-secret, hush-hush details that I cannot mention here but I will tell you that most of that isn’t nearly as interesting as you might imagine.

The CRB meeting was pretty long (3.25 hours) and they discussed a whole myriad of rules and policy changes. The RXB folks discussed policies for expanding RallyX’s footprint. For details check out the latest FasTrack bulletins here. I must say that I really enjoy attending these sessions as it reiterates how much passion there is for our sport across all the disciplines SCCA covers.

I’ve been working on a few other things too:

1. I’ve started talking with more regions about sitting in on their regional meetings. I have a couple of them already scheduled and am willing to do some more.
2. I’ve been working with the various divisional stewards about our event schedules. I am REALLY interested in going to a bunch of events this summer. I’ve penciled in a visit to GingerMan to watch/work the Time Trials National Tour in July (7/16-7/18). I also hope to go to at least one of the Pro Solo events. I’ve attended and participated in a few Solos over the years, but they’ve always been of the regional variety. Seeing a Pro Solo will be eye opening I’m sure. I also want to make sure I get to a Road Rally event this summer.
3. I’ve been working with our webmaster on a complete reworking of our divisional website. It’ll look fantastic once it’s done.
4. I’ve been working with Val McCammon, Velma Boreen and Tony Brown on the GLDiv Spring Training meeting. If you haven’t done so already, please respond to Val’s emails for guidance on what the divisional membership would like to get out of this virtual meeting.

That about sums up January of the BoD for me. 24 hours in front of my PC screen on video conferences and a bunch more wrestling with “all things Area 4”. I’m slowly getting into the waters (more than “dipping my toes”, less than “up to my neck”). I’m sure the pace will increase as the club maneuvers around Covid-19 in the next few months.

As always, please feel free to reach out if you have any questions or comments. Thank you for your time and I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Dayle Frame