VOLUME 06.01.08 THE HUMMER CLUB, INC. ® 2 AZIMUTH Club News CONTENTS 5 President’s Message FEBRUARY 2008 7 Dealer KUDOS 8 Club News 12 HOPE: From Behind The Lines Land Use Advocacy 14 Of Boards & Bureaucracies Event Information 16 2008 Event Schedule 18 Driving Academy and Team HUMMER 2008 Schedules Features 20 Team HUMMER 2007 24 Snow Run 26 Homestead 28 HUMMER Help Tech Tip 30 Differential: Fluid Check and Change 32 Truck Tech 5: Cracking the Code Part II COVER PHOTOGRAPH PROVIDED BY RICK GUTTERSOHN SALES Consultant - HUMMER OF Novi AZIMUTH 1 Club Directors Marshall Henderson Glen Peck President Chief Financial Officer 289 Rolling Hill Road [email protected] Mooresville NC, 28117 704-663-6510 (home) Mike Morris 704-309-9427 (cellular) Director – HOPE Program [email protected] 1420 South Walnut Street South Bend, IN 46619 Bob DeVore 574-232-6000 (work) Events - Co-Chair [email protected] 8390 Cappy Lane Swartz Creek, MI 48473 Rick Grucz 810-691-5087 Director [email protected] 6446 Sober Rd. Fowlerville MI 48836 David LaMarca 517-223-4885 (home) Events - Co-Chair 517-223-8551 (fax) 404-932-4701 (home) [email protected] [email protected] Sam Wallis Secretary 6333 Malvey Ave Fort Worth, TX 76116 817-994-7056 [email protected] 2 AZIMUTH The HUMMER Club, Inc. is a non-profit mutual benefit corporation organized under the California Nonprofit Mutual Benefit Corporation Law. We are a national organization dedicated to promoting the safe use of the HUMMER in a family oriented atmosphere. We emphasize responsible four-wheeling and are serious about safety and environmentally correct off-roading. We encour- age our members to be active in land use advocacy and community service and to use both vehicles and land resources safely along the guidelines set forth by Tread Lightly! and the United Four Wheel Drive Association. Both regional and national events run by member volunteers are sponsored throughout the year where members can drive trails with levels of difficulty ranging from moderate to extreme. These events, our website and the publication of a quarterly magazine also offer an opportunity for exchange of information to develop a better understanding of Photograph Courtesy of Team HUMMER the HUMMER vehicle and its safe use. As the only recognized national HUMMER orga- nization, the Club enjoys excellent relationships with AM General and HUMMER/General Motors Corporation and frequently has factory technicians and parts support at major events. The Club welcomes all HUMMER vehicles. It is a strong, established organization that will only get better with your help. Join in, support the HUMMER Club. With your participation, the Club will contin- ue to grow for the benefit of HUMMER owners. H ©Copyright 2008 - The HUMMER Club Inc. All Rights Reserved for all original material herein. HUMMER trademarks used with the written permission of General Motors. For membership information visit www.thehummerclubinc.com For Advertising information contact Sean Hunter at The Field Group (800) 446-4718. Azimuth is designed by: The Field Group 1402 West Yakima Ave. • Suite 102 Yakima, WA 98902 www.thefieldgroup.net For permissions and reprints of this magazine, contact The Field Group. AZIMUTH 3 Photo courtesy of the Midwest Hummer Group 4 AZIMUTH CLUB NEWS keeping track of everyone’s membership sta- features of local area interests. Dealers, ven- tus, allowing online registration for events dors and local groups will be able to have and providing a mailing list for the Azimuth these custom versions of Azimuth produced magazine, the new site will allow more in- for their market. We also hope to feature teraction among members. Say you were more articles covering the HUMMER Lifestyle going to have an event in your area and in its entirety. All in all we hope to build wanted to invite everyone within 50 miles. upon the avid interest in the magazine. The site will allow communication and pro- Yet another change in the club’s activities re- mote activity in regional areas, mimicking gards the membership in general. The initial a local chapter or affiliate. The Texas or club membership was exclusively what we Michigan area members will have a way to today call the H1. With the advent of the coordinate and manage activities in their ar- H2, the H3 and the halt of production of the eas. This would also let the club localize H1, the demographics of our membership are certain other activities such as HOPE trail changing. We will strive to create club ac- certifications and the like. tivities to appeal to the full club membership and that will include events that are not hard We write up trail reports in Azimuth and will core off-road events. be posting the reports online, but the new site will take this a step further. Members will I am up for a group to travel to a fly fishing be able to post their comments, pictures and site, go skeet/trap shooting or other special PRESIDENT’S video on the site for all to enjoy. This will be interest events. There is a wealth of possi- especially useful for members considering an bilities out there for us to enjoy while sharing MESSAGE upcoming event. You will be able to check the camaraderie of the HUMMER lifestyle. out the activities and fun from the last group to Got an idea? Get involved and let us see P. Marshall Henderson attend the venue. what we can put together. Watch for the new web site and start contributing. Change is coming to Azimuth as well. Ad- A new year has started and the club is ac- vertising will now be handled by the Field Drive safely and have fun. I will see you on tively updating and changing things as well. Group and the club will take over member- the trails, Over the next month or two you will see a ship services facilitated by features in the new completely new web page, but the beauty is database. GFG Publishing has earned a big Marshall more than skin deep. While past redesigns thank you for their efforts over the past many left the site with a fresh look, this project will years where we have developed an award [email protected] change the way the site works and what you winning publication that is the envy of many as a member can get from the site. other similar special interest magazines. At the root of this project is a fully rede- Many of you will begin to receive special signed member database. In addition to copies of Azimuth with custom covers and Photo courtesy of the Midwest Hummer Group AZIMUTH 5 Photo by K. Morgan 6 AZIMUTH CLUB NEWS BERT OGDEN HUMMER DOBLES HUMMER GERRY LANE HUMMER MISSION, TEXAS MANCHESTER, NEW HAMPSHIRE BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA WWW.BERTOGDENHUMMER.COM WWW.DOBLESHUMMER.COM WWW.GERRYLANEHUMMER.COM 1-956-581-1111 1-800-746-4787 1-866-542-5441 Dew Hummer HUMMER of KNOXVILLE HUMMER of SACRAMENTO TAMPA BAY, FLORIDA KNOXVILLE, TENNESSEE SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA WWW.DEWCADILLAC.COM WWW.HUMMEROFKNOXVILLE.COM WWW.HUMMEROFSACRAMENTO.COM 1-888-WILL DEW 1-865-970-0067 1-800-283-7185 THE DEALERS LISTED ABOVE PURCHASE CLUB MEMBERSHIPS FOR ALL THEIR NEW HUMMER OWNERS WITHOUT DEALER SUPPORT WE COULDN’T KEEP HOSTING OUR GREAT EVENTS. LET THEM KNOW YOU APPRECIATE THEM! The next time you are in one of these dealerships, extend a thank you to Harvey HUMMER, Grand Rapids, MI them for their participation in making HUMMER of Columbus, OH our club great! HUMMER of Naperville, IL Hummer of Sacramento, CA Our thanks go to the following Hurricane HUMMER, Hurricane, WV Independence HUMMER, NC dealerships for their support: Jim Jard HUMMER, TX Lockhart HUMMER, Indianapolis, IN Bergstrom HUMMER, Madison, WI Lynch HUMMER, O’Fallon, MO Bergstrom HUMMER, Milwaukee, WI Rizza HUMMER, IL - Tinley Park Bergstrom HUMMER, Neenah,WI Ron Carter HUMMER,TX Bert Ogden HUMMER, Mission, TX Schepel HUMMER, IN - Merrillville Capitol HUMMER, Greenbelt, MD Scott HUMMER, Emmaus, PA Central HUMMER, Cleveland, OH Tyler HUMMER, MI Classic HUMMER, TX Jerry Seiner HUMMER, South Jordan, UT Dobles HUMMER, Manchester, NH Moore HUMMER, Vienna, VA Galles Davis HUMMER, Albuquerque NM Weil HUMMER, IL - Libertyville Gerry Lane HUMMER, Baton Rouge, LA Woodfield HUMMER, IL - Schaumburg AZIMUTH 7 CLUB NEWS It was early springtime 2005 in the Moun- dinator, then THCI Director and eventually to everywhere... It looked like a hermit crab that tains of Tennessee, just a few years ago writing this article… I met several people at lived through SEVERAL wars... and I was behind when I attended my first HUMMER CLUB my first THCI event in Tennessee… I still have it... In the Mountains... with a new... less than Event. I was enthusiastic, yet apprehensive all frequent contact with many of them today. a year old truck... Evil stares coming from the the same when I arrived... I attended a few The current THCI president, Marshall Hen- passenger seat... Have you ever found yourself local “HUMMER Happenings” at and away derson, was changing his tires in the hotel in this position? (I know Jeff, yours cost a little from my dealership, and felt slightly disap- parking lot when I arrived that evening… (and more! Maybe you’ll follow the Tonka-Toy this pointed with them. The HUMMER HAPPEN- in 2006… and in 2007…) All but two of year?) Earlier in the day, I had forgotten to ING invitations from my dealership showed the current THCI directors, I met that year, release the parking brake... I KNEW my truck the feel of a “Family Reunion” type event, at the very same event… Now we all sit to- didn’t just develop stage fright! Talk about feel- but then failed to make me feel as if I were gether, planning the NEW direction of The ing stupid..