From DER Prez

Get Ready for 2003!

by Don McGilvery, aka NINE44T

    While all of us have been digging out from under a more “typical” winter, your Board of Directors has been busy planning for the New Year. As we do every year at about this time, we assemble our proposed club calendar for 2003 after reviewing the previous year’s events. Like all weather-related events, when the rains came, the people and cars didn’t. Such was the fate of our spring event in the greater Camden area both in the spring and when it was rescheduled for the fall in conjunction with an Owl’s Head event. Otherwise, our events were very successful, well attended, and enjoyed by many members of the Down East Region. In general, attendance at our events was up this year, and many new faces (and their cars) took part at one or more of them. Therefore, we are currently planning a similar calendar for 2003 but, as always, remain open to new ideas for events, so don’t be afraid to chime in with your two cents worth at any point. We accept phone calls, e-mail, and snail mail!

            The “Taste of the Track” event at NHIS, held late in October in conjunction with our neighbor, North Country Region’s Make-A-Wish weekend, was also a victim of cold and wet weather. This event is being moved to the Memorial Day weekend for 2003 and is part of a 4-day driver ed event at NHIS.  Look for further details later in the spring. In addition to the “Taste of the Track” day, our calendar will include car shows hosted by others in which we are invited to participate as individuals or as a club; social tours that always seem to include eating as a key element; our annual autocross/time trial at Oxford Plains Speedway; an open house at Morong in Falmouth; and a “fun” concours.

            To kick off the year, we will hold our annual banquet at the Marriott in South Portland on March 15. We are finalizing the speaker/program at this time. We will provide further details of this special event in an upcoming mailing, but suggest you reserve the date now.

            The 2002 Driver Ed track season was a great success for our dedicated group of trackies. Our events included at least one of us, and most often several of us, traveling together to attend one or more track days at Mosport, Tremblant, NHIS, Watkins Glenn, Pocono, Lime Rock, and Ned Vadakin will be heading to Virginia International Raceway again this year. We always welcome newcomers, so don’t be afraid to give it a try!

            We have assembled our slate of officers for 2003, with two new members stepping forward. Russ Radcliffe has decided to step down as Vice President because he plans to spend 50% of his time in Maine and the other 50% in Florida. He will likely be a dual member and will remain an active participant in our club. Joe Thrift, a past President and continued active member of the club, has accepted the position of Vice President.  Ned Vadakin has accepted a position on the Board to be responsible for Driver Education, and Brian Poulin has moved to the Autocross/Track position.

            Twice a year, Zone 1 of PCA, of which Down East Region is 1 of 19 regions, has a meeting in central New York to share calendars, discuss national events, discuss Zone 1 sponsored events, and help set policy and direction from our collective perspectives. We are part of the largest Zone in PCA, represent approximately 25% of the total membership (which is now approximately 52,000), and, as such, we have a strong voice and representation at the national level. Because we are so large geographically, as well as in member numbers, these bi-annual meetings provide an effective way to disseminate information and provide our “voice.” Joe Thrift and I just returned from the fall meeting in late November and have shared what we learned with the Board. If you have specific questions concerning events, procedures, protocol, etc. as related to DER, Zone 1, or PCA National, please feel free to contact Joe or me, and we will be happy to try to answer your questions.

            Time to go shovel some more snow. Perhaps I’ll go peek in the barn to be sure that the P-car is resting well – spring sure seems like a long way away right now! Hope to see you all at the banquet, at a Board of Directors meeting, or any of the other upcoming 2003 events.

              Don

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