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In this issue: Final 2016 Autocross Details & Season Recap (so far) • Nominations! • 2016 Region Awards • September Meeting Minutes • October Meeting Agenda • Motorsports, Susquehanna Style • Track Night in America • 2016 Runoffs OnDemand Videos • Ballots Mailed for 2016 BoD Elections • Understanding Tongue Weight when Towing • Winner Videos: RallyCross National Championship
From the Editor's Desk
Hi, there —
It's hard to believe it's already the end of October and we're approaching our final weekend of autocross events at Hershey Park! I hope to see you all out for one last time this season!
Although our season is coming to a close, we've got some exciting things happening for the club. This year will mark the first that we'll have online voting for the region's executive board. Watch for details on that in the coming month, and find details on nominations in this newsletter.
We're also exploring several new prospective venues, and looking at the possibility of holding an autocross school in the 2017 season as well.
That's it for me this month! I'll see all of you autcrossers at the registration tables next weekend!
Until next time — Kristen Poole
Assistant Regional Executive & Editor, The Squeal
NOMINATIONS!
It's once again time for nominations for the Susquehanna Region board of directors. The following positions will be open for nominations at both the October & November meetings:
- Regional Executive
- Assistant RE
- Secretary
- Treasurer
- Director (one three-year position)
An overview of the responsibilities of each position can be found on page two of our bylaws.
2016 Region Awards
If anyone has any suggestions for year end awards, please pass them on to the the board soon. Has anyone done well as a worker, crew, driver? Anyone gone "above and beyond" for the Susquehanna Region? Let us know. Peer recognition is a great thing; so, let us know of anyone who deserves to be recognized.
FINAL 2016 AUTOCROSS DETAILS
It's about to be a wrap, folks! The 2016 autocross season with Susquehanna Region SCCA will wrap up with our final two events at Hershey Park next weekend. Although we've been a bit lighter on our schedule than years past, it's still been a heck of a season for our competitors, and we thank each of you for joining us!
Chris Benfer took some time to write up a fun recap of the season (so far) with top competitor information by class. You can check that out, and find more information on the final two events below.
Event #9 | October 29, 2016
Slots are going VERY quickly for autocross event #9, at Hershey Park next Saturday. These events are often the most popular in our region, and the courses are always challenging and fun.
Only 150 people can register, and there are only 10 registration slots left, so if you aren't already registered, stop what you're doing and get in before the spots are all gone!
Event #10 | October 30, 2016
The final event of the season! 115 out of the allowed 150 people are already registered, so spots are filling up quickly. Register today!
Schedule for both events:
6:30AM: Meet for course setup
7:30AM: registration opens
7:45AM: Tech opens
8:30AM: course open for walking
8:45AM: registration and tech close
8:45AM: novice walk through
9:15AM: First heat cars to grid
9:30AM: drivers meeting
10:00AM: first car off
Important Reminders:
- Club tee shirts will be sold for $10 each at registration. CASH ONLY!
- Bring proof of SCCA membership or weekend membership to registration along with your driver's license
- Competitors are responsible for bringing and placing numbers on their cars. No paper numbers will be provided.
October Regional Meeting
Tuesday, October 25 • 7:30 p.m.
Our next meeting will be held in the front dining room
at Gilligan's Bar and Grill, 987 Eisenhower Boulevard, Harrisburg, PA 17111. All members are encouraged to attend. Come early for dinner (and a drink) with other members.
Meeting Agenda
- First round of nominations will be accepted for 2017 executive board members
- Update on online voting process setup
- Discussion on end-of-year meeting date to allow enough time for trophy production
- Old business: Presentation/discussion of pricing for customized timing trailer possibilities
- Old business: Update on new venue possibilities
- Review of any last minute details for the final two autocrosses of the season
September Meeting Minutes
Meeting minutes are now posted in the News section of the Susquehanna Region website. View them using the button below.
Motorsports, Susquehanna Style
Susquehanna members were busy taking part in events hosted by other regions in September and October; from PHA's Weatherly Hillclimb — which saw 13 region members participating — to autocrosses with NEPA, Philly and Central PA regions, and even one member participating in the RallyCross National Championship event. You can check out the results for our members using the link below, thanks to Tracy Holmes for gathering the results together for us. If you know of other events that should be included for our Susquehanna members, please let us know by replying to this email!
Susquehanna Region's season may be winding down, but you still have a couple of opportunities with other clubs in the area to get in one (or two) more autocross or rallycross events. Check out the Puttering Around PA article on the website for a roundup of what events are coming up in regions around us.
Member Spotlight
Name: Jason Fraley
From: Dillsburg, PA
Runs: Jason runs autocross, hillclimb & time trials. Next year, he's looking to get the family road race car back on the track & take some time to do a few rallycrosses.
Drives: Currently, Jason runs a 2006 Audi A3 #142 in DSP. He is also working on a 1997 Subaru Impreza for rallycross.
Member since: 2015
Sponsors: PYROTECT racing, D2 Racing, Valvoline & Winding Road Racing. Looking for more sponsors for the 2017 season.
In the past year, I've taken a little break from autocross to focus on hillclimb and time trials. In that time, I have set three class records and taken DSP points for the year with PHA. I am looking forward to getting back out to the lot with the autocross crew for the Hershey events.
Track Night in America
by Alan Lesher
SCCA national office is organizing and presenting Track Night in America at race tracks all over America. I recently attended and drove in one at Pocono. It is a straightforward lapping day with three, 20 minute on-track sessions. The novice group received additional coaching sessions off-track.
The cars must be road cars; licensed and insured. Passing is allowed within group-specific parts of the track, and only with a point-by. The big surprise was the level of preparation of the cars, especially in the advanced group where I landed. A lot of the cars were "track day" only types with no particular set of build rules to follow. So, the cars were very fast.
In my group, there were several Vettes, a new SS Camaro, a couple of Mustangs, a bad a** Viper, something that looked like a Miata, a Honda S2000 with a turbo, a nearly new Challenger with an aftermarket supercharger and all the accouterments of a World Challenge racer, at least one Audi S-something, several I can't remember and my 100% stock Focus.
Needless to say, I got a lot of point-by practice. I didn't pass a single car. While I could stay with many in the 2 infield sections, there was no way I was going to keep up with these kats on the straights. The Challenger driver told me the engine tune was set at about 600 hp, but could be much higher. Only in America.
After one session, the brakes on the focus were smoking. It reminded me of the time the local Dodge dealership allowed a bunch of SCCA types to test drive the then new Neon. Ask Charlie. Still, it was fun, and I recommend it to anyone who wants to get a taste of road racing. That's my story, sue me if you don't like it! Ha!
News from SCCA
2016 Runoffs OnDemand Videos
October 17, 2016 — All 28 race videos are now posted for the 2016 National Championship Runoffs presented by Garmin VIRB. Watch the drama unfold once again from Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.
Ballots Mailed for 2016 BoD Elections
October 14, 2016 — It’s SCCA voting season again, with four of the 13 designated Areas electing a new member to the Board of Directors this year. Board members serve a three-year term.
Understanding Tongue Weight when Towing
October 10, 2016 — At a recent Comericial Vehicle Safety Alliance Conference, U-Haul demonstrated why properly distributing the weight in your trailer is vital to a safe journey.
Winner Videos: RallyCross National Championship
October 3, 2016 — The very last event of the 2016 SCCA RallyCross season, over 100 ferocious combatants fought it out across nine competition classes that navigated through a total of three courses in two days.
——— Sponsors ———
2016 Event Schedule
10/29/16: AX 9, Hershey Park
10/30/16: AX 10, Hershey Park
2016 Meeting Schedule
10/25/16: Regional Meeting, Gilligans
11/22/16: Regional Meeting, Gilligans
2016 Officers
Regional Exec: Steve Limbert
Assistant RE: Kristen Poole
Treasurer: Alan Lesher
Secretary: Ed Womer
Director 3 Yr: Geoff Craig
Director 2 Yr: Charlie Demmy
Director 1 Yr: Markus Houser
Contributions:
Have suggestions for the type of articles or info you'd like to see in The Squeal? Feel free to email me with questions or content suggestions.