March 23, 2013
CVAR Board of Directors Meeting Minutes
Texas World Speedway
College Station, TX
March 23, 2013
The meeting was called to order by the President, Dan Ruehs, at 12:07 pm.
Board Members present were Dan Ruehs, David Griffith, Bill Johnson, Merl Hansen, Herb Hilton, Jay McClanahan, Tom Yemington, and Chalmer McWilliams.
Visitors present were Art Summerville, Greg Reynolds, Greg Hibbs, John Furlow, Sr., Bob Green, George Curl and Bobby Whitehead.
- Consent Agenda
Herb Hilton moved the minutes of the previous meeting be approved as written. David Griffith seconded the motion, which carried unanimously. - Unfinished business:
- Jay McClanahan discussion–discount for second car different group
- Did anyone take advantage of two cars same group
- Merl Hansen: on instance of Missouri fan with two cars and did enter both
- Multiple cars were discounted years ago (before move to DLB)
- Propose: $175 for second car different group
- Jay McClanahan: to simplify can we get rid of the second car same group?
- George Curl: second car on Friday was for just a test. Doesn’t know where different group came from.
- Jay McClanahan: get rid of second car different group and second car same group and just have ‘second car’
- Merl Hansen: example – David drives V and BSR. He can run every session
- Proposal: summary
- Race day: second car is $175 for both days
- T&T: $50 for second
- Motion – Jay McClanahan
- Second Herb Hilton
- Question: Merl Hansen – when effective?
- Jay McClanahan – Hallett
- Jay McClanahan -modify motion
- Second- Herb Hilton
- Motion Passed
- Membership Report
Herb Hilton reported 56 new members and 15 dropouts that have renewed.
Q: Dan Ruehs – if we keep using DLB do we have to use Authorize.net?
Herb Hilton – thinks it is included
AR: Merl and Tom to explore whether we can split - Other Unfinished Business:
Adding V-class was open action item. No recommendation from Don Gwynne. Herb moved to drop it. - Treasurer’s Report:
Tom Yemington presented a preliminary report.
Q: Dan Ruehs – 2600 too low for 25 students;
A: Put $100 fee into students; $300 into entry fees
Q: Car rental – worker fee? Jay McClanahan volunteered to provide the car next time so save us the fee.
Bob Green: proposes to distribute it again as it was originally intended.
Jay and Bob to discuss a plan. Bob to get list and drive reward with attendance.
Incomplete report so no motion to accept the report.
- Technical Inspection
David Griffith presented a tech report.
Q: Herb Hilton – question about reconciliation of cash accepted at track.
A: David Griffith sends list to Tom/Merl. Fee for at track registration is $100
Herb to bring membership and licensing lists? Also has RMVR licensee list.
David wants to check roll bar installations more closely.
Blue, burnt Orange, hat colors requested
Q: David Griffith – feedback on school?
A: Herb Hilton – Berkeley sent out a thank you letter and asked for feedback
Q: Dan Ruehs asked about website status
A: Rules not up yet; Jay added sponsor content; Dan to contact Ned and check status - Timing & Scoring
Merl Hansen discussed permanent numbers.
- pulling data from DLB
- color coded for not a member and not for car not active recently
- proposes to purge based on either not active or not a current member
- plan to have in place by summer
- have been ignoring preceding zeros in timing and scoring
Dan Ruehs: Rule is that you must use a number within two years or it goes back in the pool - Chalmer McWilliams – wants to keep permanent number on cars the members maintain (i.e., if the number is in the stable member gets to keep it)
- Herb Hilton: make it an AND– not active car AND not a current member
Dan Ruehs:
1) enforce rules as currently working.
2) set up DLB so new entrants cannot select a permanent number
Need to make clear to membership that they MUST request a permanent number
David requested (Merl agreed) to summarize permanent numbers and rule enforcement for new web site
- President’s Report (and discussion inputs)
Dan Ruehs:
- COTA update:
- Tony back from Sebring
- Incredible pre-registrations more than 340 cars
- At COTA on Thursday to ask for additional days (from 3 to 5 day event)
Tom Yemington: - Schedule for major series (F1, MotoGP) set in Oct/November for following year
- Prefer staffed/stocked track model
- Very focused on world-class experience for ALL events
- Looking at variable pricing for off months (December, February, July, August)
Merl Hansen: - SCCA was a mess
- People not trained
- No EV without full-course yellow
Advertising
Done advertising for the year based on budget
1 ad in VM
1 ad in Victory Lane
David Griffith: local publications?
Jay McClanahan: Who are we going after? Vintage racing mags already know about us
SCCA, local newspapers before events, Google ad words, MG clubs, Porsche clubs
Dan Ruehs: VM is in book stores and has non-vintage racers
George Curl: VM has lots…
Tom Yemington: Distribute our newsletter and push for links
David Griffith: two steps
1) who we are
2) how we spend
Bobby Whitehead: Grassroots Motorsports, Classic Motorsports
Chalmer McWilliams: Recommend a committee to analyze and build a plan to market to new - Focus efforts on what we’ve done in the past
- For next year and future
Dan Ruehs: What do we do for this year? We need to keep support for existing magazines
Chalmer:
How much money do we have to spend?
Need to make a projection based on our best guesses
Dan: Monterey deadline coming up
Chalmer: Irresponsible to operate without a budget; need a budget
David: Motion to make budget $3000 for remainder of 2013. Herb seconded David’s motion; motion passed.
Chalmer: Motion to create an advertising committee to discuss direction of advertising and budget going forward on an annual basis - Tom Yemington, Bobby Whitehead, Jay McClanahan
- Chalmer to chair appointed by Dan
- David requested Dan to consider using non-traditional, local newsletters
- David recommendation for September report out for use in December
Greg Reynolds: - Herb is licensing
- VMC rep is Allen Johnson
- Open vice president position
Herb requested that he and Roy should serve as an ad hoc nominating committee
David Griffith: Group 8 discussion - Lots of questions from club members
- Not good communication from the board
- Lots of misunderstanding
- Support entries (not NASCAR): those cars were neat but they didn’t have a place at CVAR
- Given that group didn’t run, proposes to redefine Group 8 as any legitimate target group of cars to attract new cars
- Potential Group 8 cars: 1990 group 6; 1988 production cars (before NASCAR)
- Group would have to have a promoter and owner
- Promoter must request time in advance
- Must have a much earlier cutoff time
- Not do it on school weekends
Bob Green: - School ran late
- Hard to compress
Dan Ruehs: - Didn’t hear any complaints
Jay: - G2/G7 combination was fun
- Seems to fit schedule
Chalmer: Discussion about point of order
- Member Input
Herb Hilton proposed that we limit member inputs to 2 minutes each
David Griffith recommended that the newsletter be moved to himself temporarily
Bobby Whitehead comments:
- Several cars
- Came with GTA car to run TWS
- G8 cars seemed out of place
- Corvette that was here had no business being here
- Prefers other avenues where we can bring in new members
- Can’t stay with 1972 for the club to continue forward
- How do we bring in the new guys?
- Father and son
- Children’s friends
- G8 not in the best interest
Bob Green - Operational input: consistency essential
- Need to rename G1/G7 to prevent confusion
- Zero cold track time is the goal
Chalmer McWilliams: - Still need to improve drivers’ meeting attendance
- No complaints about people showing up in wrong groups
- Improved communication – Dan asked what else could we have done to improve?
David Griffith – lots of questions
George Curl - Over-communicate to the members
- Don’t count on drivers reading from the
- Who is leading and owning G8?
- Discussion about publishing of newsletter and financials.
- John Gaudette
- Thanks to board for putting in time
- Need people to run the club
- Most members don’t understand commitment required
- G6: Formula Ford/moving time forward (from 1972)
- Wants to exclude Swift and Autodynamics as this would drive out older cars
- This would leave us with a group of ‘old’ Swifts and no other cars
- G8: original concept to bring in groups of old cars to promote CVAR
- Liked Allards and Indy Cars
- The way it was implemented was poor
- Tube frame cars not welcome at CVAR
- Corvettes: tail-lights and should not get a log book; should not be allowed to run
Greg Reynolds: - Came to fire school
- Commended Patrick for fire school
- V group concept is a more correct car (example, Fords that don’t want to put wide wheels)
Greg Hibbs: - VIR: (group 6?)
- All of the cars were on treaded tires
- Leveled field
- Newer cars weren’t any faster
- Safer as everyone’s tires were coming in at the same time
In discussing G-6 and the same proposal submitted each year, Greg Hibbs noted how at VIR newer Formula Fords ran with the older Formula Fords, but no Swifts and on treaded tires. All had a great event. It was discussed that this could be a solution to G-6 debate over extending their years. Greg agreed to come up with a proposal along the lines of what VIR had done, that may make all members of G-6 happy and would allow a growth of G-6. Bill Johnson agreed to work with Greg Hibbs and develop a new G-6 proposal for the Competition committee to be submitted before June deadline.
David Griffith: is there a person that would make the proposal? - Inexpensive to get people started as there are orphan cars
Art Summerville: - Buried in emails and phone calls requesting statement he wants board to take action on
- Might be an opportunity to save on insurance
Bobby Whitehead: - $100 would not make a huge difference in getting out for the weekend
- 1980 model spitfire probably same as existing
Unidentified comments: - Wants board to table group 8
- Wants board to investigate how we can get group by group improved attendance
- What will we do when TWS goes away
Art Summerville: - East Coast club that raised their date to 1960
- Not interested in growing
- Do have young people
- G5 was a run-what-you-brung
- Got out of hand
- Worst accident we ever had was in G5
- Insurance company concerns about demonstration groups
Dan Ruehs: - No one suggested how we might bring in new cars
- At the moment we have no place to put cup cars (for example)
- Aging membership–groups get smaller and get combined
- Aging cars
- We could take the approach to be a much smaller club
- G8: formed NOT to put newer cars in with older
- Financials are fine
- Membership numbers are flat
- Number of entries (entry/days) is going down
- We must look farther out: 10 years
- Members came up with the idea to form G8.
- There were lots of positive folks on G8
Greg Hibbs: - Want a referendum on late model cars
Art Summerville: - Reiterated need to staying with core Corinthian values
Chalmer McWilliams: - Motion to make a committee consisting of all group representatives to meet before the next board meeting in Sept to discuss the goal of bringing more entries into CVAR. Seconded by David Griffith. Passed.
- Next Regular Board Meeting
- September 21, 2013 at 12:00 pm
- Temple, TX Best Western
Meeting was adjourned at 4:01 pm.
These minutes were prepared from notes taken by Tom Yemington at the meeting (thank you Tom); the Secretary was not in attendance.
Respectfully submitted,
Don Gwynne
CVAR Secretary
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