From the Editor's Desk

Hi, there — 

I hope that everyone had a very happy Thanksgiving!  Mine was spent with my great family and enough food to feed an army, just the way it should be! I am thankful for the terrific racing family I've acquired over this past year, from all of our region's programs, and I look forward to growing that family next season. 

I'm sure many of you are having racing withdrawal symptoms... as I know I am.  At least we have our holiday preparations to temporarily distract us from this cold weather and off season.

Keep it Classy Susquehanna - Melissa Mauro
Editor, The Squeal

Note from the RE

I find myself a bit lost for words, which many of you know is somewhat unfamiliar territory for me. Susquehanna Region has officially wrapped up the 2017 season, and what a season it was! We saw record numbers of drivers for both autocross and rallycross programs. We've seen a huge jump in membership numbers and increases in novice drivers coming out to join us. We've made great progress in streamlining event operations across the board. And so, so much more. There's quite a bit to be thankful for as we enter the holiday season. So here's to one hell of a 2017 season! Cheers!

p.s. I hope to see you all at the banquet, January 13th where we can have a proper toast to the season. Watch for registration to open December 1!

Susquehanna Region's 2017 end-of-year banquet will be held Saturday, January 13 at the Sheraton Harrisburg/Hershey Hotel in Harrisburg. Registration will open on December 1, 2017, so watch your email and Facebook for further announcements. 

Epic AutoCross Season-Ender

I don't think we could have possibly ended this year's AutoCross season any better!  The Hershey events the final weekend in October went off without incident.  We had two completely different, and amazing courses, created by 2 talented designers, Eric Simmons and Sam Strano.  Everything went smoothly from setup, registration, timing, and our runs, that we even got in some Fun Runs on Sunday.  We had a record breaking turnout on Saturday, and were still finished early.  It's a true testament to what an amazing job our Executive Staff, Chiefs and volunteers all do.  A huge thank you is in order for everyone involved in this program.  

To check out the results from the final events of the season, click below:

Photo credit: SAB Photography

A Mud-Slinging Finale

To say that I got my feet "wet" with my first RallyCross would be quite inaccurate if you look at the above picture for last week's event.  I feel like I'm getting muddy just thinking about this!  It was quite an experience to see how crazy these events are depending on the weather.  I was so excited to attend an event, to start to get a real feel for how the events run and the differences between Autocross and Rallycross.  Especially considering, come hell or high water... we will have a functioning RallyCross car for 2018.  It was a very rainy, soggy, muddy... amazingly wonderful day.  A very unique and crazy way to end the season! 

Motorsports, Susquehanna Style

November Regional Meeting

WEDNESDAY, November 29th • 7:30 p.m.
Our final membership meeting of 2017 will be held on the second floor at Appalachian Brewing Company, 50 N. Cameron Street, Harrisburg, PA 17101. All members are encouraged to attend. Come early for dinner (and a drink) with other members.

Meeting Agenda

• Autocross:
  • Recap of Autocross events October 28 & 29 — Chris Benfer/All
  • Update on timing trailer progress — Chris Benfer
• RallyCross:
  • Recap of Rallycross event on November 18 — John Roscinski
• Old Business:
  • Update on purchase of business cards for board members to utilize — Kristen Poole/All
  • Update on venue searches and possible committee creation — All
  • Update on national convention booking — Kristen Poole
  • Update on end-of-year banquet progress and needs including announcement, registration, program, raffle and trophies — Doug Austin
  • Update on any progress with the new truck — graphics, title transfer, etc — Markus Houser/Kristen Poole
  • Regroup on new sponsor outreach — All
• New Business:
  • Voting for 2018 board nominations & election announcement — Brian Holmes
  • Discussion on possible sticker/decal order for Susquehanna Region — All
  • Discussion on relocating to new host for the website — Kristen Poole/Markus Houser/Doug Austin
  • Report on attendance of NEDiv mini-con — Kristen Poole, Doug Austin, Bryan Roper

SCCA Releases 2018 Schedules

Just when you think there is nothing else race-related to look forward to in 2017, SCCA National announces next year's schedule!  So far, they've just released the AutoCross schedules, but I'll be sure to update everyone as more are released.

If you haven't participated in a National-level event, you should really consider giving it a shot!  The events have complex courses, and more rules than you'll see at local events, but that also brings some amazing cars and talented driver to watch during the events!  The Match Tour Events and Pro Solo Events are different than normal AutoCross events, and offer different elements for more seat time and experience.

Listed below are details on how the events work and run, and the schedules for next year.

News from SCCA

2017 Rules