Triangle Chapter Report – February 2014

The first meeting of the Triangle Chapter for 2014 was held on February 5th at our usual spot, the El Rodeo restaurant in the Townridge Shopping Center in Raleigh. No one had any video to share, but those present were not short on enthusiasm for the new season at VIR. We can’t wait to see the newly repaved and reconfigured surface! And the track isn’t the only thing that’s new. Lots of things are changing in the Region and in the Southeast Division.

RE Rex Deffenbaugh and others, notably SARRC rep “Pepe” Stitt, and Tarheel Cup administrator (and now Region Secretary) Steve Rose, had recently returned from the annual SEDIV convention. Rex highlighted the fact that the National Office has changed the process for obtaining a racing license. The old distinction between Regional and National license levels is gone, and one can go from a novice permit to a full competition license in just three weekends of racing. There’s also a new process whereby a driver with experience elsewhere may be observed on track rather than go to a separate school. And all cars will require brand new SCCA Club Racing stickers which highlight the Club’s involvement with the Safe Racer program. Rex also mentioned that the SARRC rules are being changed for the first time in decades, in order to make room for the Southeast Division’s new SECS series, which provides drivers with an alternate path to the RunOffs outside the SCCA Majors series. It’s time for everyone involved in SCCA racing to bone up on the new rules! If you’re driving in SEDiv this year, go to the SEDiv website and read about the changes.

In other news, John Uftring mentioned that our neighbors to the North in Washington, D.C. Region have revamped their driver’s school as well. Drivers who participate in that Region’s PDX event prior to the school can get a discounted entry to the school, and school participants can get discounts to subsequent MARRS races at Summit Point. The point is to take advantage of the new SCCA rules and get fledgling drivers up to speed in just one season. If you’ve ever wanted to get started in Club Racing, it sounds like this is the time.

It’s also time to make plans for attending the SCCA National Convention in Charlotte, March 7-9. If you’ve ever considered attending, it will never be closer, and this year it’s held in conjunction with a motorsports expo. The expo is free and the convention fee just $295 for all three days, which includes the ever-popular Hall of Fame induction ceremony Saturday night. Then on Sunday afternoon, be sure to catch the seminar on amateur racing and tax law presented by the NC Region’s Treasurer Steve Keadle. Learn what you can write off and what you can’t! Steve hopes to see you all there!

Appropriately, we closed our meeting with the “what’s new” theme by welcoming a new attendee, Ken Waters. No stranger to SCCA racing, Ken was the 2010 Formula Continental SARRC champion, and a long-time member of the Club, but this was his first Chapter meeting – ever! Welcome Ken! We hope you can repeat as champion again! And we hope you’ll join us for more meetings in the future. Speaking of which, why don’t the rest of you plan on joining us for our next meeting, March 5th and see what’s up? I’ll see you there…or at the races!

James Shanks
Triangle Chapter Coordinator

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