Steel Cities Region News from our Regional Executive

From Area II Director Jerry Wannarka

Below are some updates from the recent Board of Directors meeting that you might find of interest. Some comments may be redundant to what has already been disseminated.

I am sure that by now most of you are aware that the SCCA has a new CEO and President. Jeff Dahnert, our former CFO, was selected to become the next leader of our Club. He will take over from Jim Julow some time around the middle of January. Jeff brings a very extensive understanding of the internal workings of the Club along with an extensive understanding of its financial needs, both attributes deemed important for the Club's welfare in the tough upcoming years.

Sanction fees for Solo will go up slightly next year but will be offset by a reduction in the insurance costs in spite of liability claims experienced this year. Club Racing sanctions will remain the same and will see a $5 per car reduction in insurance claims. Several factors have contributed to our insurance going down with the major factor being the process used for insurance renewals this year. For the first time in my recollection, the Board of Directors had the staff place the insurance needs out on bid. This resulted in four companies competing for our insurance business with the result that we obtained the same coverage as last year but with a significant reduction in cost.

A new system of hard cards will be introduced this year. For those of you not familiar with a hard card, it is a program where you are issued a picture id which can be used to enter any competition event without going through the usual process to sign a release. The release is signed at the time the hard card is applied for and will be good for the remainder of the calendar year. This is another step to minimize or eliminate some of the bureaucracy in our Club yet meet risk management needs.

The TransAm will be revived this year and events will be held in conjunction with a number of SCCA Pro events and with some selected National races. As of this writing, the schedule is not complete but many of the events have already been announced. On the East Coast, events will be held along with Nationals at Road Atlanta and Watkins Glen. Contrary to rumors, there has been no decision made to include a TransAm race at the Runoffs. The staff, however, has been asked to develop a race schedule that would include a TransAm race for review by the Board at the Convention. While I like the sizzle a TransAm would bring to the Runoffs, I am concerned about anything that would compromise Runoffs track time for the competitors. And, as a former Chief Steward of the Runoffs, I have personal experience in the difficulties in moving the event to a new venue. I am leaning toward thinking that this might be an idea that should be re-cons ider for the second year at Road America. Your thoughts?

The Board of Directors elected the following individuals to positions for the 2009 calendar year: RJ Gordy - Chairman, John Sheridan - Vice Chairman, Mike Sauce - Treasurer, myself as Secretary, and Lisa Noble - Executive Committee. I have been appointed Chairman of the Planning Committee, Liaison to the Club Racing Board and a member of the Rules Process Review Committee.

Speaking of rules, the Chairman has appointed a committee from the Board to review how we make rules for Club Racing activities. In some situations the process is poorly defined, in others it is very cumbersome, and in others it is just takes too long. The result is a process wherein the Club Racing Board (CRB) spends too much time dealing with small detail items which in turn detracts from their being able to look forward to improve the program. Most folks believe that there are too many rules changes during the year resulting in confusion to drivers, scrutineers and stewards alike. The direction seems to be going toward a "rules change season" and much fewer competition adjustments throughout the year. The CRB's job is further complicated by the internet world where competitors want a change for their car in the same week that they make the request.

The Planning Committee is working to developing Strategic Plans for SCCA Inc., Club Racing, Solo, Rally and RallyCross. The objective of the plans is to develop a multi-year roadmap that will serve as a management tool for the various programs within the SCCA. Most of these plans have already been completed and a condensed version of the plan for SCCA Inc. will be presented to the membership at the Convention. Implementation plans supporting the Club Racing Program are being worked on by the Executive Stewards and the CRB. Drafts will be reviewed by the Committee at the Convention,

It is my intent to start the new year with periodic updates as this, usually after the Board's quarterly face to face meetings, to highlight of what is going on at the Board level. The Board believes that successful Regional operations is the key to a strong SCCA, and to be successful, REs and Regions need to be current on what is going on within the club.

I have addressed this to the current list of REs available to me for Area II, so if the RE is someone else, please let me or them know so we can make the list complete. Of course, any questions or comments are always welcome.

Jerry Wannarka
Director, Area II