Mike Kertscher, President of Road America pays Chicago Region a Visit.

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Wednesday March 16, 2022 The Chicago Region SCCA held its first General Membership Meeting of the year.  Mike Kertscher President and General Manager of Road America was our guest speaker for the evening.  Accompanying Mike were Earle Hollings who is now managing business development efforts and Erick Heling who handles group events, driving schools, and motorplex programs at Road America.

Mike brought us up to speed about what is new and happening at the track.  For you racers in the main paddock a new washroom facility has been built. For those of you that haven’t been to the track in a while there is a new food concession building where St Johns stood with a new patio and an enclosed eating area.  More improvements have been made to the property to help with water control from heavy rains to prevent flooding.  New service /access roads have been created to allow better access and viewing for the fans. The Johnsonville bridge at turn 9 is being rebuilt. The racetrack is going to be resurfaced while still maintaining the original track layout.

As one of the side benefits coming out of all this work, some of the rocks and boulders are becoming works of art.  Mike provided one of these art pieces, a three-dimensional stone cutout of Road America, as a giveaway at the meeting.  James Stacey was the lucky recipient of this lovely, limited supply, piece of artwork. There will be more of these stone cutouts available for sale at the Paddock Shop at Road America, but supplies are limited so don’t hesitate if you would like one.

Other business that took place were the presentation of membership anniversary pins, and 2021 Service Awards.  The following are the individuals that were present for their service to the Chicago Region and SCCA.

2022 Anniversary Pins
50 YearsClaire Ball
Tom Stephani
40 YearsDorn Lynch
35 YearsDavid Paul II
Richard Walke
30 YearsOlaf Abrahamson
Chris Buccola
Wayne Buttermore
Eddie Danecki
25 YearsDarren Murray
20 YearsRick Bentson
15 YearsJeff Reglin
10 YearsJames Schmuck
Janet Schmuck

                                                            

2021 Service Awards

  • Claire Ball
  • Peg Ball
  • Dennis Bednar
  • Rick Bentson
  • Chris Gregor
  • Steve Laske
  • Ed Locke
  • Bob Malm
  • Caroline Malm
  • Jeff Reglin
  • Roger Vilmur

Our next meeting will be held on April 20, 2022 at K-1 Speed in Addison Illinois.  John Doonan, President of IMSA will be our guest speaker.  Don’t miss out on this opportunity to learn firsthand about the changes, new class structure, and the exciting racing you’ll see this year.