[Widget Codriver]

Recently I posted an editorial called "Why NASA?" Last September JKS started a thread called "Why USAC?"

It seems like time for someone to write "Why SCCA?"

This should come from a staunch SCCA activist like Bruce, but here's a starting point until someone else steps up to flesh it out.

Why SCCA?
[ul][li]Established organizational heirarchy--PRB, PRDept, PRDir, Pres, BoD.
[li]Established rulebook--standard across the nation.
[li]Large membership--67,000+ and counting, all potential participants.
[li]National magazine promoting the sport--SportsCar.
[li]Been around a long time--SCCA was founded by a bunch of rich cats in the thick of WWII who wanted a place to race their "furrin' cars."
[li]Offers strong support in some parts of the country--where the SCCA local regions are involved, they sometimes offer financial support and worker promotion. In other parts of the country, the regions have little to none to negative involvement.
[li]Offers a national championship with a TV package.
[li]Part of ACCUS, along with USAC, IRL, CART, NASCAR, and IMSA--provides a link to FIA.
[/ul]

[hr]

[p align=right]John Dillon
John @ WidgetRacing.com
www.WidgetRacing.com

 

[Charlie KA8OQF]

"Blessed are the peacemakers,for they shall catch hell from all sides."

 

[ihbobry]

>This should come from a staunch SCCA activist like Bruce,
>but here's a starting point until someone else steps up to
>flesh it out.

This should come from Steve Johnson, or anyone else authorized to express an opinion in Topeka. A well placed reply here would do a lot for the organaization in the "We Care About Rally" department. It could also end (or start) a lot of wild speculation if they don't.

Yes, I'm calling them out.

Bernie

 

[RallyVolvo]

Offers strong support in some parts of the
>country--where the SCCA local regions are involved, they
>sometimes offer financial support and worker promotion.

This should be the norm for ALL regions.

In
>other parts of the country, the regions have...negative involvement.

This should be actively discouraged by national. The SCCA exists to promote all forms of motorsport that it is involved in. It's a shame that some regions impede a rally program, when there are members interested in doing it. That comes from individuals who see thier form of motorsport as being "better" than another.

Ofcourse, on the flip side, one can't deny that there are a good many rallyists who look down on other forms of racing. It's differant discaplines of the same thing. Its all about competition and going fast with cars, guys.

With differant people in charge, or perhaps people in charge with a differant attitude, the SCCA could be an outstanding place for Club level rallying. I believe that part of the problem here in the northeast is that while there are a large number of lisence holders, there simply aren't enough people willing to step up and organise rallys. The easiest way to make sure that those in charge agree with you, is to BE one of those in charge. What is needed is more people willing to get involved to change the course of things, and less people willing to throw thier hands up in disgust claiming the situation is hopeless. (And for those that have been majorly involved in rally efforts PLEASE don't take offense at that. That means you too Mark B. I'm sorry I havn't been more involved until recently.)

I believe in what the SCCA has been and what it has the potential to do, and I plan on helping it reach that potential.

Nick Polimeni
[email protected]
www.odysseyhouseonline.com

 

[hilmera]

>Why SCCA?
>Established organizational heirarchy--PRB, PRDept, PRDir, Pres, BoD.

I like the fact that there is an attempt at a republican institution in electing board members, but despite the nice words, the organization isn't functional. The elements with final authority over rally are universally disliked, with some reason. The PRB, which is appointed, not elected, tends to have credibility among the unwashed but still has no authority.

>Established rulebook--standard across the nation.

Because of problems with the rulemaking process, the rulebook is decreasing in quality. I like having Group 5 and 40mm restrictors in 4wd, but in general I think we could do just fine with the CARS ruleset.

>Large membership--67,000+ and counting, all potential
>participants.

Which it treats alternately as mere magazine subscribers or unpaid help, not customers who race cars and create events.

>National magazine promoting the sport--SportsCar.

Very slick. A nice product, much like the independant Grassroots Motorsport -- of course, it's contracted out, so it isn't an indication of home office ability. It also serves as a bottleneck for club communication.

>Offers strong support in some parts of the
>country--where the SCCA local regions are involved, they
>sometimes offer financial support and worker promotion. In
>other parts of the country, the regions have little to none
>to negative involvement.

Funny, in our neck of the woods, people accept the national staff only as a necessary evil. Our organizing group was quite healthy before we began our official SCCA ties. Now, with all the SCCA's "help", after Oregon Trail 2003, a number of our most key, senior folks, including a few who I thought were completely unflappable, were in a state best described as "apoplectic rage". A month later, the state of most of our folks can be described as merely "seething".

>Offers a national championship with a TV package.

True enough, but other packages can be put together.

>Part of ACCUS, along with USAC, IRL, CART, NASCAR, and
>IMSA--provides a link to FIA.

Considering the eye-rolling FIA folks engage in when the subject of the SCCA comes up, this is of minimal value. The possibility of international FIA/SCCA rallies only exists where the event organizers disassociate themselves from the SCCA, whether by ditching the SCCA altogether or merely by joining the eye-rolling.

andy

 

[Don Kennedy]

I don't see any of these mentioned reasons as benefiting to the ralliest! (except for rulebook being standard across the nation).