A Great Time Had By
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
November 2008 ROADROAD&&TACHTACH Newsletter of the Reno Region, Sports Car Club of America AA GreatGreat TimeTime HadHad ByBy AllAll TheThe 20092009 AwardsAwards BanquetBanquet Candidates for Board of Directors - page 3 Award Banquet Photos - page 4 2009 Solo PAX Factors - page 5 Track Program Wrap Up - page 6 November 2008 2 Reno Region Officers Regional Accent Regional Executive Jim Gandy Words from Reno’s Regional Executive 1541 Stephanie Way, Minden NV 89423 775-267-1183 [email protected] by Jim Gandy Asst. Regional Executive Randy Jones 1615 Shadow Lane, Sparks, NV 89434 AX Revisions: Ya Gotta Go Faster. Don’t VCR, there’s a whole lot of SCCA racing on the 775-825-9299 Pknow if it comes from the Emerald City or tube this time of year. Every one of the 25 na- not, but the Great and Powerful Wizard of PAX tional championship races from the 2008 Run- [email protected] has issued the revised PAX factors for 2009. Just offs at Topeka is being shown on Speed Chan- Secretary a brief review: PAX is an unofficial system that nel, though nowhere near prime time. Wednes- Debbie Kerswill allows drivers in different classes to compare day mornings at 9 and 10, two races per week 2295 Titleist Ct, Reno NV 89523 775) their Solo results with each other. It’s been are broadcast. Several have already aired, but as 624-0805 around for, oh, a couple decades at least. Each of this writing, this is the remaining schedule: [email protected] Solo class has a PAX factor. Multiply your run Nov. 26, Spec Racer Ford and Formula Vee time by your factor and you get your PAX time, Treasurer Dec. 3, Spec Miata and Formula Continental or more properly, your PAX score. Doug Driver Dec. 10, GT2 and GT3 PAX is a hot topic in Reno Region, ever since 419 West Plumb Lane Dec. 17, D Sports Racer/ Showroom Stock C the Board of Directors opted to no longer subjec- Dec. 31, Formula 500 and Touring 1 Reno, NV 89509 tively pick Solo Drivers of the Year. All that’s Jan. 7, H Production and Formula Ford 775-333-6400 left for deciding who’s the Big Dog in Reno Jan. 14, GT Lite and Sports 2000 Solo is PAX. Winning PAX at an event, and [email protected] Jan. 21, Showroom Stock B and C Sports winning the year-end PAX championship, is a Track Events Director Racer Big Thing around here. Dave Deborde Jan. 28, American Sedan and Formula Enter- Enough background. The new PAX numbers 2910 Santa Inez, Minden, NV 89423 prises are out (they’re elsewhere in this newsletter), 775-267-4845 Feb. 4, F Production and Formula Atlantic and it’s fair to say things are getting tougher for [email protected] Feb. 11 at 9 a.m., GT1 most of us. Whether you think nationally (A That final race, GT1, should be a treat – I un- Solo & Rally Director Modified class is the PAX standard) or locally derstand the drivers did a special “missing man” Matt Roy (our PAX frontrunner is the Yeo/Miller B Street formation on the pace lap to honor the late Paul 4793 Amber Hill Court, Reno, NV 89523 Prepared Corvette), the vast majority of classes Newman. I’ll also be keeping a recording of the 775-787-0122 will have to find more speed in 2009 just to tread Spec Miata race – a driver I’ve crewed for (and [email protected] water in the rankings. who also competed in a Reno Region Solo event Membership Chair Want some specifics? Okay, let’s assume a a few years ago), Aaron McSpadden, started course that the fast guys are running a course in 13th, finished sixth with a last-turn pass, and Carol Deborde around 40 seconds. At Reno Region Solo events ended up getting the third-place trophy when 2910 Santa Inez, Minden, NV 89423 next year, our F125 shifter kart drivers will have three cars flunked their post-race inspections. 775-267-4845 to go more than 0.3 seconds faster, just to main- Convention Update(s) [email protected] tain their current PAX deficit to the BSP Cor- Director at Large vette. Ditto for Street Mod 2, the hairy-chested Within the SCCA, conventions are something of a conundrum. There’s so much communi- Don Smith Corvettes. And our bad-boy Subarus running in Street Mod class will have to scrape up an extra catin’ goin’ on already through the internet, and 316 California Ave #546, Reno, NV the club’s planning and rules-making processes 89509 775-329-1780 0.25 seconds to keep from falling farther behind. Hardest hit is F Stock, where Dave Jansen made are such year-round things, that a person could [email protected] a run at PAX in 2007 in a Camaro. Any driver be excused for wondering why we still have con- Director at Large venturing into F Stock in 2009 will be greeted ventions. In fact, that kind of thinking has just Dean Benz with a 0.44-second deficit compared to 2008. killed the 2009 NORPAC Division get-together. 2008’s convention in Reno spent two days trying [email protected] Looking for a class where PAX gets easier in to answer the question, “Why?” Oregon Region Director at Large ’09? There are only six, and just one of those first volunteered to host a stripped-down gather- Scott Perry picked up anything significant. G Prepared ing in 2009, but they later backed out. Then (think Kevin Sheridan’s Bugeye Sprite on racing Northwest Region took up the banner and pre- 1930 Summer Star Rd, Reno, NV 89511 slicks) gets a 0.2-second break. But since alti- 775-233-2549 sented a plan for a full, Reno-style convention to tude effects condemn those kinds of cars to the [email protected] be held in Tacoma. Objections from Oregon and bottom of the Reno PAX heap anyway, the net San Francisco Regions nixed that idea, so there Newsletter Editor result of the 2009 PAX changes for Reno Region will be no NORPAC Division Convention in [email protected] is to make real PAX competition here even more 2009 – and there’s no plan for one in the future. unlikely. Meanwhile, the national SCCA Convention Opinions expressed in this newsletter are Catch the Runoffs on TV This Winter solely those of the individual contributors soldiers on. After three years in San Antonio, and not necessarily those of the Reno Region If you don’t mind programming your TiVo or (Continued on page 3) of the SCCA November 2008 3 (Continued from page 2) the 2009 affair will be held right here in Nevada, at the South Point Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas on Feb. 19-21. If you’re a committed sports car enthusiast, it could make a good winter break. The price is OVER-REVS reasonable - $260 covers all the meetings and seminars, and you get FROM THE EDITOR lunches and dinners at the various award presentation banquets. South Point is a couple of miles south of the Strip, just off I-15. Reg- BY DON JIM SMITH GANDY istration info is at scca.org. The official SCCA room rate is a bit steep ($90 Thursday, $140 Friday or Saturday), and I noted you can do $20 better on Vegas.com. If you’ve got a car, there are much oney. That stuff of which dreams are made, the thing that can’t lower rates to be had in Vegas; several of the big downtown hotels Mbuy love - but can buy just about everything else, the root of all on the Fremont Street Experience are under $50. evil; what most of us will be trying to hang on to next year. There doesn’t seem to be much doubt that the economy in 2009, and maybe With the bad economy, the ongoing search for a new SCCA Presi- into 2010 and beyond, is going to be tough. Unemployment numbers dent, and a significant loss of steam in the Club Racing program, it are rising and there have been some experts who predict it will hit should be an interesting convention. I have a feeling that what hap- 10% in the Reno/Sparks area, and perhaps even nationally. Dark days pens in Vegas won’t stay in Vegas – some far-reaching changes are to be sure. possible. How’s that going to effect motorsports in general and the Reno Re- Reno Region Needs You gion specifically? There’s no easy answer to that. Since the invention Reno Region’s annual elections are coming up on Dec. 3rd, and to of the automobile only world wars have been able to interrupt racing be candid, we’re having a tough time filling out our slate of candi- in America, they raced through the depression and the first two oil dates. Several of our key players are stepping down, and the econ- embargoes and every recession we’ve had. There’s no reason to think omy has affected quite a few of our members. Some folks are reluc- that NASCAR is going to shut down - even if the Detroit Big Three tant to make commitments, when keeping or finding a job is such a go out of business. They don’t race Chevys or Fords or Dodges any- personal priority. way. All of the racing series are going to see smaller fields, and I can assure you, “the show will go on.” Reno Region will again maybe fewer dates; but I doubt they will disappear completely.