Thanks for opening another issue of The Observers Stand online edition. We’ve had all programs wound up and running flat out over the past several months. Solo has completed their first season at Fortress Obetz and is already looking towards next year. Rallycross is still playing in the dirt and the SCCA National Championships will be at the Ross County Fairgrounds on October 15-17. Our last Track Event is October 15, at Mid-Ohio followed by the Autumn Classic on October 16-17. As I type this many are getting ready for the Runoffs at Indianapolis in just a few days.
This issue is a bit lighter as This is a member driven club and the members provide most of the content for these issues. I’m always looking for more so don’t be shy!
As the year has gone on its been challenging for all of us on the Board of Directors to not be able to meet in person. Early in 2020 I set us up with Zoom to facilitate our meetings and as of today thats how we continue to meet monthly. Its not ideal and most of us on the meetings would rather not have to do it that way. We continue to look for places to safely have meetings as well as our year end banquet and annual meeting. Just know that we ARE looking for ways to get back to normal as soon as its safe.
As you may remember in 2020 we did not have elections for Board of Directors. We will have elections this year so if you have interest in a BOD position please be ready for our nominations process. We are pleased to share that the Nominations Socializer will be held at Joe’s Pub & Grill Powell on TUESDAY October 5th at 7pm. Nominations will be open from 7pm until 8pm. Joe’s is located at 9890 Brewster Lane in the Powell Crossing Shopping Center just off Sawmill Parkway. We hope to see you there!
Elections will be held at the same place on November 17th, 2021 at 7pm. Mark your calendars and be looking for updates and election materials in the mail.
2021 Governor’s Cup Champion
Richard Verret
OVR Spec Miata Drivers Visit Horsepower Farms in Powell
Frank Todaro, Brian Murdick, and John Guthrie
BM
Mark Miller
1979 Legrand MK18 DSR
Governors Cup on the Big Screen
Seen at the Solo
You never know what kind of car will take part in our events.
July Membership Data
Family 247
Reg 468
Life 25
Dual 30
Free 5
Total 740
August Membership Data
Family 246
Reg 472
Life 26
Dual 31
Free 5
Total 744
News from the Solo Nationals:
The 2021 Dick Berger Perseverance Award went to Phil Alspach of Ohio Valley Region. In 47 years of Solo Nationals competition, Alspach has only trophied thrice. But he is a “100 Percenter” in that he’s attended every Solo Nationals held to date, though that fact comes with a small asterisk as Alspach had to depart the 2001 event early. But he was indeed entered and was on site for a portion of the event.
Ohio Valley Region Does It Again – We Welcome Cooper Pavilion!
As a region, we have always prided ourselves on our great race get togethers at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course Honda Pavilion. We always were the first to attend a party, and our members were the last to leave at the end of the night! A lot of memories are held in that area for well over 40 years, where the workers and drivers and their families all got together to celebrate attending an event at Mid-Ohio. In October 2019, OVR became the last club event to ever hold a party at that pavilion as Mid-Ohio Management deemed the building to be torn down for future endeavors at the track. Many of you signed the official Honda Pavilion Sign, that night bidding the building an official “good-bye”. There were a lot of tears shed that night as I recall. (And a lot of serious Halloween beverages were consumed.)
This September 4th, OVR became the first to welcome (break in) the new Cooper Pavilion at Mid-Ohio!
Above is a pic of the new pavilion with folks coming in early and visiting with each other. We had new and old friends congregating and lots of comradship and discussions… and yes toward the end of this get together, it did start to rain! But if you notice, there was plenty of room for all, we had a paved floor, the location gave way to some very good parking (as in not mud), porta potties were located on pavement, not soggy mud, and honestly? It’s a good viewing area for racing too. It’s not as bad of a location as people have thought. It was nice to sit and visit with each other and catch up on the latest events! We also opened with the old fashioned picnic for Labor Day weekend of Brats and Hamburgers, Potato Salad, and Brownies… the desert by the way was killer!!!!!!! So Welcome Cooper Pavilion, we hope to have many more fun times under your roof! (We still will hold the Honda Pavilion near and dear to our hearts.)
Momento’s were a success with insulated totes for hot or cold foods given to all, drivers and staff. Door prizes were again Visa gift cards, of which 30 comprised of $50 and $25 were given out. Tony Kasper (Timing and Scoring won the $100 MSR Cash door prize). This IS the last season, this award will be given out, so for October? PLEASE SIGN UP!!!!!!
Summary for those of you that are curious… There were 136 entrants that officially participated. There were 109 volunteers. Because not all of the volunteers signed up on MSR (as in about 40), we had to at the last minute come up with other provisions for lunches/planning. I can not express how much we really need you to sign up on MSR, so that we can plan in advance for our events. It makes a big difference. This being said ALL of you are appreciated and we as we always do, we make sure that everyone is taken care of that support our events. Everyone had a lunch that wanted one, and there was food for all Saturday night.
Congratulations to all of our particpants at our race and to our chiefs and volunteers who participated! For those of you going to the Runoffs, we wish you all the best of luck! We will be cheering you on. We hope to see you In October at our event!
Thanks everyone for your continued support!
Jude Summers, OVR Race Chair
Notes from the Director’s ChairArea 4 Director Update for August, 2021
Boy oh boy was July busy….and it’s not even done yet. I write this just before heading off to Kansas City for my first face to face meetings with the Club Racing Board (CRB)and the Board of Directors (BoD).This will be the third consecutive weekend that I’ve been away from home. The good news is I have a very understanding wife…..I’m sure I’ll find out what the bad news is once I buy it for her.
Video Conference Meetings:
•CRB (7/6): Once again, mid-season, pre-Runoffs CRB meetings can be very mundane. This one was no exception. In addition to the regular agenda, we had time to discuss agenda items for the meeting in Kansas City on 7/30.
•Electrified Vehicle Advisory Committee (EVAC)(7/14): Our meeting had to be cancelled for a variety of minor reasons.
•BoD (7/26): Our regular Zoom meeting was cancelled as we will be meeting in person on 7/31. I’ll report about that meeting next month.
•Rally Cross Board (RXB)(7/27): Due to some staff changes in Topeka, RXB is now under different management. The group discussed these changes and went over preparations for the National Championships, rules changes for 2022, etc.
SCCA Events:
•GingerMan Raceway (7/16 to 7/18): Friday was a Track Night in America (TNiA) event and the rest of the weekend was filled with a Time Trials National Tour event. While I’d attended a couple of the TNiA events before, this one was the first where I was there just to watch and see how the event was put on. On the other hand, I had never attended a Time Trials event and was really looking forward to seeing how that was operated. The good news for a guy trying to learn how these events work is that Jon Krolewicz and John Hunter (Time Trials Managers) were both at the track for this one. They were very helpful and took time to walk me through their system. They clearly know what they’re doing as the event went off without a hitch and everyone who attended had a great weekend. This program fills a slot on the racing continuum between Solo and Club Racing. If you like to tinker with your car and go fast on a race track but not in a “wheel to wheel” format, this is the program for you.
•Pro Solo @ Toledo Airport (7/23 to 7/25): Once again, I was faced with attending a type of event that I had never been to before. While I had participated in several Solos over the years, this was a different type of critter. They use two, mirror image courses and drag strip style start lights (Christmas tree). Drivers run twice on both courses during each of three heats.The best times from each side during the 12 runs determines the winners in each class. Way back in March, I reached out to Charina Jones (Northwest Ohio Region RE) and asked about attending so I could observe the process. She pointed me towards Scott Dobler. He and his team operate out of Topeka. They schlep the trailers from place to place to support the events. I arrived Friday afternoon at about 2p, checked in and met with them as they explained the event details. The event went off pretty well with only a couple of minor hitches. Scott’s team and the locals from NWOR could not have been more gracious hosts. They answered all of my questions and were very helpful. Scott even asked me to hand out the trophies on Sunday. I will investigate entering one of these next summer. It looks like too much fun to pass up. Just as July was very busy with lots of trips, August will be a bit more relaxing. I only have one trip planned and that’s to Grattan Raceway to support my local club (Western Michigan Region) and work our Major Club Racing event. After that, September and October have me going to a Solo at Grattan Raceway on Labor Day (9/6), the Runoffs (9/24 to 10/3) and the RallyX National Championships (10/15 to 10/17). Thank you for your time and I look forward to hearing from you soon. Please feel free to contact me with any questions or comments you may have about any facet of the GLDiv. I want you to make the most of your membership and I will help out in any way possible to make that happen.
Dayle Frame
Dayle Frame Area 4 Director Great Lakes Division 517.889.1117(h) dframe@scca.com
Notes from the Director’s ChairArea 4 Director Update for September, 2021
I headed out to Kansas City, MO for the first, face to face meeting of the Club Racing Board (CRB) and the Board of Directors (BoD). After months of “meeting” my fellow BoD and CRB members via Zoom conferencevideo connections, it was nice to actually meet them in Kansas City, MO at the end of July. I also managed to frequent a couple of my favorite BBQ joints while I was there.
The CRB was first on 7/30. This was an all day meeting was designed to be more strategic and focus on the long-term goals of the CRB. We discussed data acquisition strategies, class structure, CRB and ad hoc committee membership and Majors run groups among other things. It was universally agreed that this was a very successful meeting and something to build upon. Again, so much more is accomplished in person than across a video feed.
The next day was the BoD meeting. This was also an all day meeting and it was designed to allow us to get updates from the various Boards and SCCA staff. We heard from Bob Davis (Solo Events Board Chair), Jeff Dahnert (Finance and Administration Director), Heyward Wagner (Director of Rally & Solo), Kristen Poole (Marketing Director), Eric Prill (Vice President of Road Racing) and Peter Keane (CRB Chair) among others. Imade a short presentation about the EVAC and its goals. Once again, a very productive meeting. We are scheduled to meet face to face again in early December.
I had a really nice time meeting new folks and seeing old friends. I drove my EV out there (round trip of 1550 miles for $23.09) and caught up on my backlog of podcasts. Man, there’s a lot of corn between here and there.
Video Conference Meetings:
•CRB (8/3): After having met just a few days earlier, the CRB got back to the task of wading through letters sent to the CRB for review. The results can be seen here.
•Electrified Vehicle Advisory Committee (EVAC)(8/11): We reviewed some documents the committee is working on (super secret stuff). We prepared for the release of these documents over the course of the next few months and making significant announcements about EVs in the SCCA.
•CRB (8/17): A sub group of us met to discuss the rules process.
•Rally Cross Board (RXB) (8/24): The group is working hard to prepare for their National Championships. They’ll be held at the Ross County Fairgrounds near Chillicothe, OH on 10/15-10/17. I am looking forward to being there and watching the action. I encourage all of you to do so as well.
•BoD (8/30): I will report about this next month.SCCA Events:
•WMR Major @ Grattan Raceway (8/21, 8/22): I attended this event as an F&C worker and thoroughly enjoyed it. Yes, it was pretty hot and humid (hey, its August in Michigan) but a very large car count by our standards (160 ish) made for some exciting action on track. WMR also had its usual GREAT Saturday evening, all attendee dinner catered by Q-It-Up…a fabulous meal. September and October have me going to a Solo at Grattan Raceway on Labor Day (9/6), the Runoffs (9/24 to 10/3) and the RallyX National Championships (10/15 to 10/17).
Please forgive me but I’ll probably be too busy at the Runoffs to publish an October update. In addition to crewing for several friends in our six driver, six car, seven entry compound at Indy, I’m also working for the data acquisition crew, I’m a reserve pace/safety car driver and I’ll be giving away trophies for three classes in the Winner’s Circle. November’s update will be EPIC!
Thank you for your time and I look forward to hearing from you soon. Please feel free to contact me with any questions or comments you may have about any facet of the GLDiv. I want you to make the most of your membership and I will help out in any way possible to make that happen.
Stanley Peter Smith, “Peter,” 81, crossed the final finish line on September 7th, 2021. Peter was born on Labor Day, September 2nd, 1940 in Redwood, New York. Peter grew up on a farm where he learned to steer a tractor with his knee and despise cattle and chicory root. At the age of 12, Peter convinced his father to buy a Briggs & Stratton engine that he modified to fit a reel mower in order to ease farm chores, thus completing his first build of a motorized contraption. Peter graduated with honors in 1960 from State University of New York Agricultural and Technical Institute at Canton with an Associate in Applied Science degree in Automotive Technology. After beginning his career in the automotive industry working in dealerships and corporate sales, Peter opened his own shop, German Village Autohaus, in 1973. Although the Autohaus serviced most European and Japanese cars, Peter specialized in Porsches and became respected throughout the Porsche community for his expertise in both air-cooled and water-cooled platforms. In his free time, Peter enjoyed traveling, woodworking, World War II history, and auto racing. Of all his interests, Peter was by far the most passionate about racing. Peter competed in his first race, a field trial, now called rallycross, in 1964. By 1972, he had completed his first build for autocross, a mid-engine, 3 liter sports racer. Peter competed in 31 events that year and won Fastest Time of Day in 24. In 1973, he took that car SCCA Club Racing in the B Sports Racer class, and qualified for and competed at the SCCA Runoffs in 1974 and 1975. Peter competed in the under 2 liter class of the CamAm series in 1977 through 1981. In the 1978 season he won five of the nine races en route to winning the championship. While taking a hiatus from racing when his daughters were young, Peter built a street legal sand rail buggy and completed a bare metal restoration of a 1974 Porsche Carrera named Alex. In the mid ‘90’s, Peter started competing in SCCA autocrosses with the buggy and quickly realized he wanted something more fun to drive and without Beetle suspension. So, he sat down with a pencil and paper at the drafting table in his kitchen and began work on a racecar of his own design. In 2004, Peter completed the build of Proto, a Porsche-powered, tube-chassis car engineered to compete in the fastest SCCA autocross class. As the name suggested, Proto was a prototype of Peter’s ideas, and in 2011, Peter went back to the drafting table to design a car that would be more competitive for his talented co-driver, daughter Jenny, and him. The build of the Hayabusa-powered, carbon fiber-winged Pete Smith Special was completed in 2018, and it was lighter, nimbler, and quicker than its predecessor. With the addition of son-in-law, David, to the driver line up, the PSS was piloted to Fastest Time of Day in its maiden voyage to the SCCA Solo Nationals in 2019. Peter built and contributed to numerous racecars throughout his life, but his crowning achievement was designing and building a car that won FTD at Solo Nationals. Peter was preceded in death by his parents, Queenie May Smith (Dunn) and Glen George Smith; his brother, Douglas George Smith; and close friends Steve Woods and Scott Wright. Peter is survived by his partner of 32 years, Carolyn Smith; daughters Killian Smith, Jenny O’Maley (David), and Laurie Price (Brandon); and grandchildren Cory Leigh O’Maley, Duke Bradley Price, and David Gregory O’Maley. Peter will also be missed by Diane Smith, the Bridges family, Mark Miller, Calvin Kenneda, Harold King, and many friends and staff at The Glen. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Queen City Hospice or Tri-State Warbird Museum. A Celebration of Life will be held in Peter’s honor at Tri-State Warbird Museum, 4021 Borman Drive, Batavia, Ohio 45103, on September 25th, 2021, from 2pm to 6pm, with a Coors Light toast at 4pm. For those unable to attend, a live stream will be available at https://zoom.us/j/99901101249.
From Jeb Bucher….
Peter Owned German Village Autohaus. Ron Mudock drove Peter’s ITB Golf many years ago. He could beat the Volvos from hell in that car.
Peter was Under 2 Liter Can Am champion.
DOWN
