FEBRUARY 2020 Table of Contents

Nuts & Other Loose Things - Wayne Armbrust, Region Executive FEBRUARY 2020

We need to talk. There is a myriad of stories Table of Contents and news to cover. Let’s back up for a second or two and wish you a Happy New Nuts & Other Loose Decade as we roar into the 20s. With the Things 1 start of this new year, we have an obligation to glance in the mirror to see what is behind Summit Point Update 3 us as we head into our first lap.

One Team, One The quick glance back fills the mirror; sometimes it is hard to realize what we have Experience 4 been through, accomplished, and changed. There are also things bringing changes into GCR Changes for 2020 5 the new year as part of the continuous process of improvement and development. Program Updates All the while, we move ahead at full speed in Rallycross 6 to the new year, and new decade with our existing programs. Autocross 7 iRacing 10 We can’t do it alone. SCCA is an amazing world being driven by members of a HPDE & TT 12 club with a common thread of passion. Through this uncommon collection of Road Racing 13 talent, passion, and experience is born the organization that opens opportunities Dominion Raceway 14 to take our love of cars and abilities and apply them to their fullest extent. NEDiv MiniCon 15

Beginning in 2020, Dominion Raceway will be a regular venue for Washington DE Features Region’s Track Events Program, as we host a full-fledged HPDE program and a Futile Gesture—Club Time Trials series. With our involvement in Dominion Raceway, we will be looking Racing Retrospective 16 for ways to help develop and improve the track and its facilities in partnership with Helmets Off to Heroes the owners, much as we always have in the past with others. Photos 19 Summit Point is undergoing some considerable changes with transition in Sue Roethel Award management and a few new changes in the way of doing things. Xator tells us Winners: Skip and Carol they are 100% committed to supporting motorsports events and operations. We Reber 21 are working with local management and through Xator Corp. in order to meet conditions to continue our long tenure as the Home Track for our MARRS and Britain on the Green: Road Racing Program long into the future. April 26, 2020 23

Our Track Events Program for the Northern area of the WDC Region at Summit Letters to the Editor 24 Point has a new Director. Lin Toland has stepped up to the bar and taken the hand off from Chuck Edmondson. Our TE and associated TT program is the only stand- Editor’s Note 25 alone SCCA Track Events Program in the nation. That alone is testimony to the commitment our folks have had in putting the WDC Region program on the national map.

WDCR Road Racing with its well-known and established MARRS Championship is still rockin’ along. It is rapidly becoming the center piece in the division as we work more closely with our neighboring regions to build MARRS into a true multi region championship series.

Bracket Racing is still making waves across the country. Inquiries into format and structure are still coming in as more and more regions look to any means to increase wheel to wheel participation. We are also exploring the opportunity for fine tuning the Bracket Racing Program and offering more space and track time to competitors.

Autocross Program is full bloom and going strong. Opportunities are being explored to expand available sites and resources. Enthusiasm is stronger than ever in participation and pursuit of the perfect run.

Rallycross is finding its own in participation and venue selection. Doing the Rally thing in the dirt is an experience every one of our members should give a try. It is simply amazing and thrilling to make the runs. Of course, it takes a couple of days’ worth of hot showers to get down to the bottom layers, but it is worth every sliding moment of fun.

Road Rally is rolling along with our annual schooling program and early season event.

More irons are in the fire, getting ready to spread the brand, stay tuned.

We are officially in the ‘20s, let’s make the Roar! They can hear us all the way to Topeka and beyond.

Summit Point 50th Anniversary Season Photo Book Now Available

As a means to archive our fiftieth year of Road Racing at Summit Point. Sissy Connolly spent the season behind her camera g the gathering our special year spent together. As we celebrate moving into the beginning of the next 50 years this book makes a wonderful mile marker along the way. These books would make wonderful gifts for your special driver in the family.

Direct ordering from the Shutterfly.com publisher is available through: https://link.shutterfly.com/e/A2oKUKzlm3

Summit Point Raceway is Ready. Are You? C.W. Armbrust

Are you ready? All the pieces are now in place to have a fabulous season of performance driving, racing, rally runs, and gathering with friends. Washington DC Region has completed the agreement process with Summit Point Raceway (A subsidiary of Xator Corporation) to secure event operations through 2021.

Working together, the Agreements are similar to previous years of cooperative support and promotion. There are some changes in the behind the scene operations, but the racing and driving programs will not see most of that process.

There will be some changes in the long-term camping area management and those with long term camping arrangements in the “Worker Camping” area. Summit Point Operations may re-introduce an entry admission for the general public, however SCCA members and their guests will have no charge access to our events.

Welcome to the decade of the twenties. Let’s make them roar!

One Team, One Experience

2020 SCCA National Convention: Thursday, January 16th, 2020, through Sunday, January 19th, 2020

Building on the success of our 75th Anniversary year, the SCCA 2020 Convention provided great opportunities for Members, Region Leaders and Event Leadership to continue our collective Mission of delivering a safe, fun and exciting motorsports experience for enthusiasts.

In short, we will fuel future SCCA growth by delivering excellence as one team in pursuit of delivering a more unified enthusiast experience.

1. This is where it all begins, where voices are heard and decisions made. Leaders from across the country. Spent time learning to identify and encourage talent and potential within our Regions to build stronger leadership and a better future.

2. Better communication, understanding, and teamwork to build trust and a better Member experience.

In all, there were over 90 classroom presentations and discussion panels offered in program development and knowledge sharing opportunities. Literally every facet of the Club’s operations was presented and discussed.

At last count, 500 people attended, making this Convention one of the largest in the history of the gathering.

Through the professional staff that organized the Convention, they built the event that gave all of our membership the opportunity to develop skills and knowledge freely offered by the experienced members willing to share and teach.

We are beginning to see growth again within the club membership and activities. We are still the leaders in amateur automotive sports by a long shot.

A little peek into the inside workings of SCCA: it takes a lot of people, giving their time and delivering results. It doesn’t all come together by accident.

Passion for action brings us all together.

The Straightpipe, an award-winning publication of Washington DC Region SCCA, is always looking for content from those involved in the club. The deadline for the next issue is April 1. Not sure if your story is ready for publication? Reach out to the editor and he can advise. [email protected]

GCR Changes for 2020

New information for all of our Road Racing Competitors and Friends:

GCR 2020 9.3.32. LIGHTS

A. BRAKE LIGHTS All non-Formula cars shall have two operating red brake lights.

B. RAIN LIGHTS All cars shall be equipped with rain light(s) clearly visible from the rear.

1. Non-Formula and Sports Racing cars shall utilize red tail lights, the rain light described in 9.3.32.B.2, or both.

2. All Formula (open wheel) and Sports Racing cars shall be equipped with a red taillight of at least the equivalent illumination power of a 15-watt bulb. This light shall be mounted as high as possible on the centerline of the car. Light assemblies shall be considered one light for the purposes of this rule, irrespective of the number of individual lamps the assembly may contain.

3. Light assemblies may perform both rain and brake light functions provided they have two distinct illumination levels. Lights that function as strobe lights are not permitted except in Formula and Sports Racer classes. The taillight may strobe when directed to be used as a rain light.

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As we move into a new decade, there will be a fifth year series of approved helmets that will be available on the market later this year. Until the GCR is revised with when the 2020 series helmets come out (probably late 2020 or early 2021) we will still use 2010 cutoff for helmet certification.

GCR 2020

9.3.79 DRIVER’S SAFETY EQUIPMENT

C. Required Equipment

1. Crash helmets approved by the Snell Foundation with Snell sticker 2010 or later Special Application SA2010/SAH2010, or SA2015/SAH2015, or by the SFI with a SFI Sticker SFI 31.1, or by the FIA standard 8860-2004 or later, or British Standards Institute BS6658-85 type A/FR. Each driver’s helmet shall be labeled with a minimum of the driver’s name

Program Update: RallyCross

DC RallyCross announced its 2020 competition schedule, with six single-day events and one two-day event beginning in March and ending in November. As in 2019, the 2020 season will see events at both Summit Point Motorsports Park and at the Panthera Training Center in West Virginia, giving competitors two substantially different venues to compete on. The 2020 schedule is as follows:

RX 1 March 22 Summit Point Raceway March 29 Rain Date

RX 2 April 19 Panthera Training Center April 26 Rain Date

RX 3 June 7 Summit Point Raceway June 14 Rain Date

RX 4 Two Day July 11-12 Panthera Training Center July 18-19 Rain Date

RX 5 August 23 Summit Point Raceway August 30 Rain Date

RX 6 October 11 Panthera Training Center October 18 Rain Date

RX 7 November 8 Summit Point Raceway November 15 Rain Date

We hope you'll join us for one or more events in 2020 and experience some great courses and some of the top RallyCross competition in the country. All levels of drivers and cars are welcome – your stock Civic, Miata, or Impreza or anything else can play in one of the three stock classes (we suggest some snow tires). The Prepared classes are perfect for many modified daily drivers retaining full interiors and with some basic mods (and rally tires are allowed). And the Modified classes allow highly modified cars, track cars, and stage rally cars with few limitations amongst some of the biggest competition groups.

Our venues are relatively smooth compared to some other regions and stock-height cars will do just fine (depending on your driving, of course). Our competitors are always happy to help out first-timers with advice and ride-alongs. If you're not ready to drive, come out anyhow and check it out, take some rides, and watch the action – maybe you'll get hooked!

Program Update: Autocross

Firstly and foremostly, it’s almost time to celebrate the successes of the 2019 season. The awards ceremony is going to be held on Sunday, March 8 from noon to 4 p.m. at Aslin Brewery (847 S. Picket Street, Alexandria, VA 22304). We hope you can join us.

Who's looking forward to another season of playing in parking lots at FedEx Field? I'd imagine that at least two hundred, and probably closer to 250, are eagerly perusing vehicle upgrades and that all-important tire choice during the dark days of winter eagerly awaiting their next chance to dance between the cones. For those, there is good news: we have a schedule for 2020.

This schedule comes with the usual warnings Photos by Lee Raynes that nothing is actually set in stone, especially towards the second half of the season. Those familiar with WDCR Solo should know by now that our schedule is created before the NFL's regular or pre-season schedule is known, so we set our dates with the knowledge that late-season dates will probably change if the Redskins are playing a home game on what we initially thought was one of "our" dates.

Having said this, you can punch the following dates into your Palm Pilot:

April 25 (Saturday) - Level 1 School / Junior Kart School April 26 (Sunday) - Practice Event May 2 (Saturday) - Level 2 School May 3 (Sunday) - Championship Event #1 May 15-17 (Friday-Sunday) - National Pro Solo May 30 (Saturday) - Test and Tune May 31 (Sunday) - Championship Event #2 June 27 (Saturday) - Championship Event #3 August 9 (Sunday) - Championship Event #4 August 16 (Sunday) - Championship Event #5 September 27 (Sunday) - Championship Event #6 October 4 (Sunday) - Championship Event #7

Just as a reminder of how things work with WDCR: The practice event is run just like a championship event, but it does not count towards season points. Anyone can enter championship events regardless of whether they're just doing one a year or the whole season. To qualify for a championship, you have to run at least four championship events, and your best five results will be counted towards the points standings.

There will be a season subscription available soon. Stay tuned to the WDCR SCCA Solo Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/WdcrSolo/) for the latest updates.

The wrinkle in the schedule is the mid-May Pro Solo. This is part of the SCCA National Solo program and does not count towards the WDCR championship. Having said that, I strongly encourage anyone interested in trying autocross at a higher level than locally to enter.

In the past, Pro Solo meant that there were two courses laid out in the lot, courses that would be fairly similar to each other (the goal would to have two mirror-image courses, but that is not possible at FedEx Field). Cars would line up to start side-by-side at a drag racing Christmas tree, and the reaction time would be added to the run time so it was important to get as close as possible to a perfect half-second reaction time to not give away time sitting at the start. Leave the start early and the reward is a red light and that run would not count.

New for 2020 is what the SCCA is calling "PS1," which means Pro Solo but with just a single course. SCCA will be running PS1 on certain lots where mirrored courses are almost impossible to lay out, and the DC Pro will be the first PS1 to be run, so a lot of us will be learning exactly what that entails on the fly. We do know that PS1s are scored differently than traditional Pro Solo: instead of the total of each driver's best left side and best right side, it will be the total of each driver's best run in two of the three sessions (Saturday morning, Saturday afternoon, and Sunday morning). Each session will see each driver get three runs on the single course, still starting at the Christmas tree.

While we don't really know exactly what to expect at the DC Pro, we do know that it's going to be popular. It's part of the Pro Solo Series, which culminates in the Pro Solo Finale in Lincoln, Nebraska in September. Since drivers hoping to make the Finale need to either accumulate enough points in multiple Pros, or accumulate enough starts (typically three) in Pros during the course of the year, and that there aren't that many Pros on the east coast, this will attract drivers from many states away and will likely sell out quickly. East coast Pros in the past have filled up within a few minutes of the opening of registration, and we don't expect this to be any different. If you're thinking about trying the DC Pro, it wouldn't hurt to have your account information set up already in MotorsportsReg.com so you'll be ready to sign up when registration opens in a few weeks.

SPORTS CAR CLUB OF AMERICA WDCR SOLO Season

Awards Party

ASLIN BEER COMPANY 8 MARCH | 12:00 P.M. - 4:00 P.M. 847 S. PICKET STREET ALEXANDRIA, VA 22304

Kids welcome! Snacks provided! Beer and food available for purchase.

Program Update: iRacing

The 2020 Spring iRacing season kicks off on Wednesday the 22nd of January and continues for the next 8 weeks – see schedule below. We’re racing the super popular Skip Barber Formula 2000!

The track selection has been trimmed to tracks that the SCCA is more likely to race on and 2 of the 8 events are 60-minute endurance rounds including GT3 cars, GTE cars, Daytona Prototype, and possibly the new GT4 Cayman.

The format for the championship races is changing and we will hold two races per evening; a 15-minute sprint followed by a 20-minute sprint race.

All 8 events will be livestreamed by SYMtv and we’ll post links and info on the Region’s Facebook page prior to each event.

Current league members will receive additional information in the coming weeks; for anyone interested in joining the league please contact [email protected] and we’ll be happy to steer you in the right direction.

To join the WDCR iRacing league you’ll need:

• An SCCA membership or a referral from a WDCR member • An active subscription to the iRacing Motorsports Simulation service • A D-Level or better Road Racing license • To own or be prepared to purchase the cars and tracks not included as free content from iRacing

2019 iRacing Winter Series Recap

After 8 weeks of action-packed multiclass (virtual) racing, the WDCR iRacing Winter season came to a close on Wednesday, December the 18th and two class champions were crowned; WDCR's own David Alessi claimed the TCR Class championship with multiple race wins and an average finish of P3. David finished the season with 195 points; 27 points ahead of WDCR road racer, Darin Treakle who bested yet another WDCR road racer, Dave Fitzgerald by a slim 9 points for 3rd place in the Championship.

The Global MX-5 class championship was even closer and came down to a paltry 2 championship points by the time the checkered flag waved. It was series regular and NWOR Autocrosser, DJ Alessandrini with 5 race wins who eeked out the victory over Michigan's Paul Darling (previous winner of the SCCA SRF series) and NY/DC resident Josh Kaidanow who took 3rd with 149 points.

With the Championship title comes some really great prizes. As the WDCR member with the most championship points, David Alessi will have his choice of an HPDE weekend entry or a MARRS Road Racing entry as a reward for his efforts. For the highest placed non-WDCR member, DJ Alessandrini was awarded a Track Night in America gift certificate but in a most unselfish move, DJ passed the TNiA prize along to 2nd place finisher Paul Darling as a thank you for his camaraderie and close competition throughout the season.

The series even saw IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge, Tom O'Gorman stop by for a few rounds to put on a clinic on how it is to run with the big dogs and made it very clear that to win you can't make mistakes or friends!

The WDCR iRacing League will return in a few weeks so if you want to join us go to https://wdcr- scca.org/virtual-racing for more information on how to get involved.

If you have questions, feel free to email sim- [email protected] and we'll try to help with whatever you need.

Congratulations to our winners!

Program Update: HPDE & TT

Event pricing for 2020 season:

Program Update: Road Racing

Race dates for the MARRS 2020 are below:

The link to MSR for reserving your car numbers for the 2020 season is here. Rules for having your number(s) pre-assigned for 2020 are here

Tech Days have been scheduled:

• February 29 (Saturday): At RP Performance (Bret DePedro's shop) in Gasoline Alley at Summit Point. 8:30AM - 4:00PM

• March 7-8 (Saturday-Sunday): HPDE & TT Track Events Program Summit Point (Main Circuit Tech Shed). 8:00AM - 4:00PM Both Days

• March 21-22 (Saturday-Sunday): At Competition Driver School, Summit Point (Main Circuit Tech Shed). 8:00AM - 4:00 PM Both Days

• March 29 (Sunday): At Dominion Raceway (At main facilities Building) Thornton, Virginia. 9:00AM - 3:00PM+/- Other dates and venues will be announced later.

Have you ever watched the last lap of the most exciting race you've ever seen...and wonder what happens next? Become the Washington D.C. Regions next Podium Trophy Presenter and you can find out. The position allows you to be in the heart of the excitement after the race is over. The person who takes on this role will present the podium finishers with their trophies, take their photos and post them to our very interactive Facebook page. You'll get to re- experience everything that happened on track as the drivers hop out of their cars ready to tell their stories. Hanging out with the drivers and their families is the best experience there is. Let us know if you think you'd be a great fit to volunteer for this position within the region.

WDC Region Expands into Richmond Metro Area By Robert Hasychak

During the Fall of 2019, my wife and I traveled down to Dominion Raceway, Thornburg, Virginia, about ten miles south of Fredericksburg. We were responding to an email sent out by the Region stating they were looking for volunteers to help start a new HPDE/Time Trials (TT) program at Dominion.

As we entered the main three- story complex, we took the elevator to the third floor, walked pass the suites overlooking the NASCAR oval track and entered into the Champion Suite which had windows on all three side. Along with us were about thirty people who sat and listened to a presentation giving by Wayne Armbrust (RE), and Dave Fitzgerald (Assistant RE). At the conclusion of the presentation we all had an opportunity to take pace laps around the 2-mile road course, and then we were treated to dinner. Also, we were given free tickets to a country concert that evening in their lower level events center, for those interested.

Myself and a handful of other individuals volunteered to take on this new venture. Our first event, an HPDE instructor clinic and solo HPDE, was scheduled for November 23, about two months away. We had a lot of work ahead of us. To make a long story short, with the help of Chuck Edmonson and the HPDE/TT group at Summit Point, we had a very successful first event and learned quite a lot.

We are currently working on our 2020 events at Dominion which are an instructor clinic and solo HPDE on April 11, and combined HPDE/TT events for May 23-24, June 27-28, and September 26-27. These events are listed on the Region website, although you will only see the HPDE events. That is because we only recently acquired Scott Merker as our TT Competition Director. We are planning to have the Dominion TT program in place for the upcoming May, June and September events and possibly combining the Summit Point and Dominion programs into a WDC series.

If you have not been to Dominion lately, give it another try. Over the winter they will repave parts of the road course, remodel the portable offices into classrooms, advertise their luxury garages and make other improvements. There is a brand-new Sheetz gas station just outside the track, and several food and hotel options all within a mile radius. So, what do you say? Give the WDC Region HPDE/TT program at Dominion a try. We would love to see you there!

It seems to me that the words "SCCA" and "volunteer" are synonymous, and all of the above would and could not have happened without volunteers. I would like to personally thank the handful of volunteers that meet that day in the fall of 2019 and helped put this all together. They are Andrew Gordon, James Avellina, Shelly Avellina, Bobbie Breden, Ed Howard, Steve Kahre, Al Seim, David Alessi, Lou Alessi, Paul Anderson, and Steve Hayes.

Also, I need to give a special shout-out to Wayne Armbrust, Dave Fitzgerald, Lin Toland, and Heidi S. Weir for their hard work and late hours to make this new venture happen.

Futile Gesture—Club Racing Retrospective By Michael Mulroney

Taking a cue from Hercules running the river through the Augean stables, I was recently cleaning out my garage archives and came across this photo of my 1962 Plus 4 Morgan at Summit Point. (As usual, the sellout crowd was having a helluva good time and paying scant attention to the activity on the track--and neither was the overtaking driver)

I bought the car from a Dutchman the year after he drove it to the 1984 FIA European Overall Historic GT Championship and the Benlux Historic Championship. I had previously owned a couple of bog-standard Plus 4s, and got this one simply to drive to work and take the kids to Baskin Robbins on weekends, with no thought of racing it. Indeed, the only car race I had ever Summit Point, 1990 attended was an SCCA event at Marlboro in the late 1960s.

But the car slowly seduced me. It sat there in my driveway looking back at me with its wide tires, loud exhaust, roll bar, front wheels that were a little closer together at the top than at the bottom, and an engine that redlined at 7000 rpms rather than the standard 4500. So, in 1988, at age 56, I gave in and signed on for an SCCA drivers school at Summit Point. That led to 28 years and 123 races in it, 82 of which were at Summit Point.

Measured by any standards, my racing career with the Plus 4 was manifestly lackluster: five class wins, eleven other podium finishes, 104 also-rans, and, three DNFs. The archetypical mid-pack competitor, at least in the early days, but creeping further toward the back of the pack as overtaken by technology and superannuation. But at least I never finished last (other than on the tow rope).

Given its European provenance, and heavily constrained by my law professor’s unimpressive salary, rather than keeping up with the inexorable E Production technical advancements, over the years I decided to leave it pretty much alone in terms of alterations and upgrades. The only ones were GCR-compliant items: roll cage, fuel cell, five-point harness, and a fire suppression system. No fiberglass, no Carillo rods, no fancy head, no overbore fudging. The result was a rolling time capsule, a mid-1980s tuned car running in the first two decades of the 21st century. (Also, I admit, I wanted to maintain its original FIA configuration for eventual resale.)

When I reached age 80, of necessity at license renewal time I became a once-a-year pen pal with Dr. James Butler, the SCCA Club Racing Medical Director with a sense of humor. I learned that a study done several years earlier involving the physiology of race car drivers measured stuff like reaction time, eye-hand coordination, and stamina. It concluded that a driver reached the height of his physical prowess at about age 34, and it diminished at the rate of one percent a year thereafter. Accordingly, I figured that I started each race at a 46 percent statistical disadvantage. And Dr. Butler pointed out that of the thousands of Club Racing drivers, there were only about a double handful who were over 80. Both factors provided cover in my own mind for an inexorable march toward the back of the pack.

OK, but you are wondering why didn’t I simply do my racing thing in the more relaxed confines of vintage events where everyone is a gentleman in the corners (yeah, right). Three main reasons: SCCA tech inspection, F & C, and cost advantage. For example, in 2019 a MARRS race cost $315 while an SVRA event was $550.

Beginning in Turn One of my first novice race, and ever thereafter, it occurred to me forcefully that racing was serious stuff, always dependent on the level of safety provided by the sanctioning body and its workers. There was no question in my mind that SCCA Club Racing routinely topped vintage organizations in those crucial aspects.

For example, in a VSCDA event at Grattan Raceway the guy in front of me in the tech line obviously knew the scrutineer very well. After a protracted exchange of pleasantries, the complete tech inspection was: Inspector, “So, George, how’s the car going?” George, “Going good.” Later, George’s car lost a front wheel at speed about 20 yards ahead of me. (In God we trust; all others are vintage tech inspectors? Maybe that’s too harsh but in my experience it at has at least a grain of truth.)

Or, in a VDCA race at Roebling Road, while spectating at a corner before my group was called, the single flag worker left his post to walk out of sight of the turn to get a soda pop. Or, at a VARAC race at Circuit Mount Tremblant, I came into a blind turn and noticed the flagger’s absence because he was out of sight around the corner helping a driver push his stalled car off the racing surface. Or, during a VSCCA race at Pocono, the communications grid was down for half the race because of a glitch in the radio net, but the race was not red- flagged or put under a full-course yellow.

I don’t mean to sell vintage organizations short: I have had a lot of good, safe races with them. And without question, the vintage organizations I know have made, and continue to make, sound improvements in their procedures and practices. For example, SVRA’s Tony Parella has moved it well beyond the Alex Quattelbaum L’etat c’est moi era. The SVRA 2013 and 2014 Vintage Invitational events I ran at Indy were models of safety and organization. But, I must say, after the excitement of getting through your very first lap of the banked oval Brickyard superspeedway in a 90 mph 1937 Singer Bantam Special, the remainder of the race becomes pretty boring: just stomp hard on the gas, keep the tires on the track-left white line, go to the end of the straight, and turn left.

Now maybe SCCA has the same sort of problems as those highlighted above, but if so I have never experienced them. Of course, SCCA does not always shine in the annoyance-avoidance department. Consider the SCCA tech inspector at Pocono who needed six tries to count the number of spokes in each of my four identical 72- spoke wire wheels (the GCR didn’t specify a requisite number of spokes). Or, what kind of mindset motivated the CRB to decree the installation a fuel sampling port in EP cars? Presumably the perceived need could have been met by a pipette kept in the scrutineers’ stash at the track. Instead it cost me about $600 to comply and I never saw a sampling port used at tech or at impound.

Quibbles aside, racing the Morgan for over a quarter of a century leaves interesting residual memories. Some big ones like how the day slows down to a crawl at Watkins Glen while you are trying to decide if you should get on the brakes during 50 yards in the weeds tilted up on two wheels at about a 30-degree angle when you overshoot Turn One. Or like the deer-in-the-headlights feeling at VIR when you spin at Hog Pen and end up facing uphill at the rest of the pack coming straight at you three abreast.

And there are some little memories of the sort you recall while trying to get back to sleep after visiting the loo at 3 a.m. (For you young guys who don’t understand that reference, wait until you get older.) Like Al Fiala, D.C Region Chief Tech Inspector Extraordinaire, explaining patiently (usually) to a succession of idiot-driver wannabee-documentarians why they couldn’t mount their 6-pound video camcorders on their roll bars with racer tape (before there was a camera spec in the GCRs). Or like Bob Robello who graciously gave the Morgan its initial SCCA inspection in his driveway and signed my first tech sheet on the couch in his living room over a cup of coffee supplied by his mother. Or like driving school instructor and Bugeye Maestro Randy Canfield who showed me how, if you get into the Summit Point Carousel correctly, you can go all the way to Turn 8 without moving the steering wheel. Or like the incredible embarrassment of finishing a race behind a Ford Fiesta.

Also, in nearly three decades of racing I must report I have been a sad witness to the Darwinian decline of the pur sang true sports car, inexorably replaced by the rise of the ubiquitous competition car. That is to say there are almost no true sports cars left in the Production classes. The preponderance of today’s field consists of two-door family sedans that aren’t sports cars at all but are simply tarted up with (sometimes illegible) fancy racing numbers and lots of free speed-equipment decals. (OK, so they can accelerate and corner impressively; however, “If you put lipstick on a pig…”.) Can you imagine Gen. Curtis LeMay in the early days letting a Plymouth Belvedere onto one of his SAC road courses?

And Miatas aren’t true sports cars because they have sissy stuff like screen wipers, defrosters, and electric windows. (The most enlightened Competition Committee decision in recent memory was when it left a trail of breadcrumbs for Miatas to follow from E Production to Spec Miata). And Pintos aren’t true sports cars either because—well, because they’re Pintos. (For those of you who think this screed is apostasy, send your death threats to me c/o the public relations folks in the National Office.)

Anyway, all’s well that ends. Four years ago, the Morgan went back to a new Dutch owner. In 2018, it finished 20 out of 61 on the Circuit de la Sarthe in the Le Mans Classic after being sidelined for over an hour in the pits during the night session to replace a dead generator. And in 2019, it finished fifth in class at the Monza Historics.

So (with apologies to General MacArthur): Some old SCCA EP cars neither die nor fade away, they just emigrate.

Michael Mulroney Phlexed Sphincter Racing Team Motto: “Never Undefeated, see Ecclesiastes 9:11” Member No. 130668

Photos: Helmets Off to Heroes Track Day by Travis Dixon

Sue Roethel Award Winners: Skip and Carol Reber

The Sue Roethel Award shall be awarded from time to time to a member of the Region whose lifetime record of service to the Region reflects dedication to the Region, its members, and its programs; who is always cheerful and ready to work, regardless of the nature of the job, and who displays excellence in everything he or she undertakes for the Region. Skip Reber may be best known as the driver of #17 CSR, but that’s only a fraction of his SCCA history. Carol Reber may be best known as Skip’s wife and a recent fixture in Timing & Scoring, but again, that’s not the full story. Around 1957, Skip started working as a flagger at Marlboro Raceway. By 1959, he had joined SCCA and began racing a Porsche 356 Coupe, while continuing to flag. Skip was often a race chairman for the events at Marlboro. It was Skip who set up a system – new to DC Region – for recording drivers’ times and producing results. This system, with modifications and improvements, was used until the development of computer timing programs in the 80s. Skip’s racing continued in a Porsche Carrera Speedster, and included autocrosses, hill climbs, and road races. This car, as well as a 356 Coupe, served as both daily driver and race car. In 1970, Skip moved into an E Production Elva Courier which had belonged to Mark Donohue. Then, around 1976, he began racing a C Sports Racing Lotus. Skip stayed in CSR with other cars, ending with the Ralt RT5 which he entered in the April 2011 MARRS 1 race. Sadly, he never drove that weekend, and passed away shortly thereafter. For many years Skip combined racing with volunteering for the DC Region. In the mid-70s and 80s, he worked pit. He was an instructor at DC Region Drivers Schools for many years, and served on the SCCA National Competition committee. Skip first served on the DC Region Board of Directors when Dave Roethel was the Regional Executive, and became RE himself for two separate terms, the first in 1973. As RE, Skip initiated the system whereby all aspects of DC Region activities were represented. Each board member acted as a liaison to some area of club activity (road racing, autocrossing, road rally, etc.). This program of activity liaisons continues today. Carol was hardly inactive in the region at this time. Already familiar with drag racing, she was ready to help Skip with the race cars as well as volunteer after their marriage in 1972. She’s worked in Registration, Timing & Scoring, and was the first woman allowed to be a DC Region Starter. In the years before email and a Club Administrator, much of the work needed to produce and mail entry forms and other official announcements was done by board members and committee members. During Skip’s second term as RE, all entry forms were printed, copied, and folded at Skip’s house, with help from Carol, of course. When Summit Point opened in 1969, the DC Region started racing there. Unfortunately, the track closed shortly thereafter for a year, and the workers and racers were forced to become “Road Runners.” Some workers chartered a bus while Skip, Carol, and others drove to area tracks, such as VIR, Pocono, Nelson Ledges, and

Watkins Glen. When Summit Point reopened in 1973, Skip and Carol attended many “work parties” there, helping to build tire walls and get the track ready for racing. After Skip’s death, Carol resolved to continue her involvement with the region. She worked in Timing & Scoring, and occasionally traveled to nearby tracks. In 2012, Carol came to the Runoffs to assist the T&S chiefs. She’s been to all the Runoffs since then, making the chiefs’ job much easier. Carol was given the opportunity to work with the Pirelli World Challenge series in 2016. She accepted this challenge, and proved her value immediately. Since 2017, she has been instrumental in bringing Super Tour Timing & Scoring to the high level it has attained. Plus, as she says, “they’re a fun group!” In 2018, Carol was named the SCCA Worker of the Year for Timing & Scoring. The previous recipients of the Sue Roethel Award are Sue Roethel, Marie and Bud Williams, Forrest and Lorraine Minor, Carla Heath, Stan and Shirley Wantland, Josh and Sheila Cockey, Jim Harrison, Shirley Thompson, Tom and Jeannie Hoffman, Paul Anderson, Steve and Dottie Huemmer, and Jack Burrows. In attendance at the banquet to help with the presentation were Josh and Sheila, Jim, Shirley, and Carla. Representing Sue Roethel were her two daughters, Betsy and Susan, who had grown up with the Summit Point racing family. Worthy recipients and a very fun evening.

23rd Annual Britain on the Green: April 26, 2020

The Capital Triumph Register is proud to announce that the 23rd annual Britain on the Green (BOG) will be held at historic Gunston Hall, the colonial home of patriot George Mason, in Lorton, VA, on April 26, 2020. BOG, which welcomes all British cars and motorcycles, is well-established as one of the premier all-British shows in the metropolitan DC area. Mark your calendars now and plan to attend as we expect this year to be the best ever! In addition to hundreds of beautiful British vehicles on display, we’ll have live music, a Food Truck Alley, a sponsor/vendor Midway for your automotive needs, activities for children, and tours of the Gunston Hall mansion and gardens for participants and spectators. For 2020 we will feature a special display of classic British cars and their modern counterparts. For example, a classic Jaguar E-Type from the 1960s will be paired with a current Jaguar F-Type sports car. Other marques in the display of pairing of classic and modern examples will include Land Rover, Mini, Morgan, and Lotus. Participant’s Choice honors will be awarded in 25 or more classes of British cars and motorcycles. There will also be a number of special awards including Best Resto-Mod, Best Survivor, Best Display, and of course, Best of Show. In addition, we will have Hagerty Youth Judging in which the next generation of British car drivers picks their favorites. Please plan on joining us on April 26th for the 23rd annual Britain on the Green. It is a great day to bring out your car, celebrate the arrival of spring, and kick off the British car show and driving season with friends, family, and fellow enthusiasts. Cars pre-registered by April 15 will receive the collectible 23rd anniversary show poster by famed artist Joseph Craig English. All for $25, a savings of $10 from day-of registration. Further information on Britain on the Green can be found at: http://www.capitaltriumphregister.com/bog/

Date/Time: Capital Triumph Register contact: April 26, 2020 John Buescher 9:30 AM - 3:00 PM 4519 North 19th Street Arlington, VA 22207 Location: 703-522-6571 Gunston Hall [email protected] 10709 Gunston Road Lorton, VA 22079 BOG Show Car Registration Prices: http://www.gunstonhall.org/ Early registration received by April 15: $25 per car Registration after April 15, 2020: $35 per car Sponsored by: Mail in registration: $35 per car Capital Triumph Register http://capitaltriumphregister.com/ BOG Spectator Admission Prices: Adults: $10 Children 6-18: $5 Children under 6: free

Letters to The Editor

To the Straightpipe: To the Straightpipe: My name is Louis Casazza, and I am a member of In the interest of historical accuracy, please be South Jersey Region SCCA. I raced Marlboro aware that "The Straightpipe" also received the Best Racetrack in 1964 and 1965 and won 3 silver second Regional Publication Award (large region class) in place trophies in 1965. SJRSCCA published “AT 1976. Del Owens, SCCA Director of Publications, SPEED” for results when I raced at Vineland made the announcement. I noticed the omission Speedway. I would like to know how to locate when reading about the publication on your Web someone that might be able provide race results site. during those years. Any help that you can provide Regards, would be appreciated. David Zych Thank You, Louis Casazza Thank you for the clarification. A lot of SCCA lore 1506 Garry Ave from the pre-digital days is difficult to come by and Vineland, New Jersey 08361 relying on the memories of those active back in [email protected] those days is less than ideal. WDCR has a team working to digitally archive its history and I hope that other regions (and SCCA National, for that matter) Here’s hoping someone reading can point you in the are doing the same. On a related subject, we’re right direction. I’ve included your email address in striving to uphold the stellar history of The hopes that someone can get a hold of you with what Straightpipe even today. you’re looking for. Want to reach out to us? We’re listening. Drop us a line at [email protected]

HELP WANTED

Track Events Program Volunteers – We are looking to organize a series of HDPE and Time Trials events to be operated out of the Fredericksburg-Richmond area at Dominion Raceway in Thornburg, Virginia. In need for leadership and organizers that will help pull a program together. Please contact the RE at [email protected] or Paul Anderson at [email protected] or through Volunteer at [email protected] SCCA Membership Required

Road Racing Worker Support – 2 Volunteers Needed. To assist with distribution of materials, equipment, water, supplies, etc. throughout the Summit Point Track at MARRS Events. Should be a minimum of 18 (or 16 with parental waiver) and possess a valid driving license. Should be able to drive a delivery van. Check with Registration, Race Chairman, or Flag Chief at any MARRS event. Or write to Volunteer at [email protected] SCCA Membership Required

Road Racing Tech, “Scrutineer” – Volunteer Jobs open to help inspection of competition vehicles for safety and rule compliance. Help with Annual Inspections, Initial inspections for new or replacement Log Books, control traffic and assist with impound management and duties each MARRS Race weekend. Check with Registration, Race Chairman, or Tech Chief at any MARRS event. Or write to Volunteer at [email protected] SCCA Membership Required

Road Racing Flagging and Communications – Volunteer Jobs open, come out and work on the corner stations with the experienced folks. Help make a difference in the races. Check with Registration, Race Chairman, or Flag Chief at any MARRS event. Or write to Volunteer at [email protected] SCCA Membership Required

Track Events HDPE & Time Trials Flagging – Earn track time while you help. Volunteer Jobs open, come out and work on the corner stations with the experienced folks. Help make it happen, become an important part of our programs. Check with Registration, Worker Coordinator, or TE Safety Steward. Or write to Volunteer at [email protected] SCCA Membership Required

Editor’s Note By Alan Claffie

The highlight of this particular issue of the Straightpipe is the submission from Michael Mulroney, who eloquently described his club racing exploits in a vintage Morgan against more modern foes. As I was going through it and adding the photos he sent along with the article, I reached out to him to thank him for contributing to the newsletter, adding that I’m really starting to appreciate the historic perspective. His response was succinct: “There’s precious little readily available on SCCA’s past, and what’s out there is blandly generic rather than anecdotally interesting.” He’s right. I know that there are efforts underway to digitize and categorize race results going back decades both locally and nationally. But one thing that is less easy to find, record, and make available are stories like Mr. Mulroney’s, people who have been involved in the club well before the digital age. My dad (pictured at right in his Parsimonious Racing Spitfire) was a newsletter editor for his local club (Berkshire Motor Sports Club). The paper was hammered out on a typewriter and run through a mimeograph machine before getting address labels and stamps affixed and dumped off at the post office. When people got the newsletter, they read it, and then probably tossed it. At that point, it’s gone. I doubt Dad kept masters of everything he produced and it’s extremely unlikely that anyone else hung on to their issues either. We’re spoiled these days. Almost completely accidentally, I have nearly every article I’ve written, and photograph I’ve taken, from my NASCAR days. Laptops have been very temporary items in my life, especially with the tough travel being an international motorsports journalist entails. But each time I got a new one, I pulled the hard drive out of the retired one and kept it on a shelf with others. With a five-dollar adapter cable from Amazon, I can hook any one of those seven or eight drives up to my current laptop and quickly find, say, my post-race column written after Seekonk Speedway’s Busch North race from August 2001. A lot of us involved in WDCR got there with some guidance from someone who had already been a member for years before we came along. If we’re lucky, we’re still in touch with some of those folks (I’m trying to avoid terms like ‘old-timers’). Imagine how satisfying it might be to invite one the more senior members to a dinner and just start a conversation with, “how did you get mixed up in sports cars, and what was the SCCA like when you joined?” If nothing else, it might be a nice trip down memory lane. It might also be a verbal gold mine from someone who you didn’t even know was involved with the organizing of races at Marlboro Motor Speedway, or the first person to buy a Datsun 240Z when they were introduced. Those are perspectives that we just don’t have in print, and maybe that person never actually told those stories to anyone before. Maybe, just maybe, you could convince that senior member that those stories should be recorded, written down, and put in an easily-archived region newsletter with the help of a willing editor who can occasionally string a handful of words together. This sounds like a pretty good project for the winter months. Let me know if something like that piques your interest and maybe we can retell some history together.