February 2018 REmarks
I hope everyone is doing well or at least getting better. The FLU has been terrible this season and I for one can’t wait for spring to arrive. I was just at the SCCA National Convention and despite the freezing temperatures and nagging cough, I returned energized.
I thoroughly enjoyed meeting and talking with others who share a passion for racing. There were some great sessions where important information was shared and new ideas discussed. While I have gone to the convention before, I have always come away with some new ways to try things and verification of many things that we do so well. I know it can be easy to forget or become complacent because we have had many years of success with great leadership. I hope I don’t end that streak. It’s amazing how many former RE’s are still helping and working to make our club even better. A huge thanks to all of them.
Inspired? Yes I am! At the conclusion of the convention was the SCCA® Hall of Fame and Awards Banquet. We had an awesome group of inductees this year. While there were many good speeches, Janet Guthrie’s was personally entertaining and inspiring. She spoke of her career and how SCCA was a large part of it. She also spoke of the barriers she encountered at Indy Car and NASCAR, at which she heard some shout “get the tits out of the pits”. Is it pride or ignorance that this didn’t occur at SCCA? I feel an overwhelming pride on what SCCA has done over the past 74 years.
You can go back and look at the others we have inducted into the SCCA Hall of Fame — our club is pretty “freakin” awesome and cool. We have had legends in motorsport come through our ranks and everyone will recall that they were just another person at the track. When they tell their stories of their time in SCCA, it is of passion and admiration.
At the same time we hear of the “graying” of the SCCA membership — and you can be sure that every one of those gray hairs were earned — we also are seeing an influx of youth and excitement that have now experienced how “cool” we are, even though you will never hear them use that term. Instead, they will share some sort of Snapchat story or Instagram post that I won’t see, I know it has the same meaning as cool. Let’s all make sure we support these members, be open to new ideas and let them share in our super coolness. I am sure I won’t fully understand them but they can help lead the growth and continuation of SCCA into the 22nd century. Remember we are tied together by our passion for motorsport no matter what generation we are.
I am looking forward to a great 2018, I love the smell of Hoosiers in the morning.
Chris Gregor
Regional Executive- Chicago SCCA
