Region News

2018 Solo Nationals

Over the past few weeks you might have overheard people talking about or seen an endless number of social media posts about the Tire Rack SCCA Solo Nationals and wondered what it is all about.  To put it simply, and accordingly to Donour Sizemore, it is “THE autocross” in which cone avoiders from near and far converge on Lincoln AirPark in Nebraska to compete at the year-end Championships.  It is truly an impressive event that overshadows any of our local events at MetLife Stadium with its 1375 entries and four days of competition.

It is a little murky when it comes to counting how many NNJR members participated in this year’s event, so let’s just say there were a lot of familiar faces from Lot E.

All competitors were met with challenging conditions no matter which days they competed.  They were either affected by torrential downpours or changing conditions.  For a few unlucky ones, they even had to deal with car problems and an off-site accident that totally hampered their first Nationals experience.  I even witnessed a car self-disassemble while it was being trailered to Nebraska.  It was that wild!

Onto the good news, this was the year of many “firsts” for NNJR.  We had 11 first-time Nationals competitors (out of 23 officially registered under NNJR), 5 first-time trophy winners, and 2 first-time National Champions.

We would like to congratulate the following individuals on their achievements in the 2018 Tire Rack SCCA Solo Nationals:

2018 National Champions

Evan Schickel - D Street Prepared

This was Evan’s fourth trip to compete at Solo Nationals.  From 2015 to 2017, he competed in B Street and Super Street R driving Corvettes and finished in the trophies all three times.  This year, he picked up a ride in a 2002 BMW 330Ci that had just won the class in 2017.  Evan adapted to the car quickly, with only two events in the car, and was able to drop 1.4 seconds on his last run on Day 2 to clinch the title, beating the car’s owner in the process.  

Evan Schickel 2018 Solo Nationals West Winning Run

James Vincent Tatad - Street Touring Xtreme

This was James’s third trip to Lincoln.  His first trip to Nationals in 2016 was a last-minute decision, registering as a walk-up and hopping into an unfamiliar car.  In 2017, he finished at the 9th trophy spot, narrowly missing the win by only 0.9 seconds.  This year on Day 2, James took advantage of the tighter East Course to make up time, beating the second place RX-8 by 0.193 seconds.  Congratulations to the Tatad family, who have been by James’s side at every major event, most notably his father and crew chief Jose.  

James winning run

Trophy Winners

Austin Don (F Street 7^th Place)

Austin was on fire in 2018.  Having won both the NJ ProSolo and the Finger Lakes Champ Tour, he was on track to do some damage in his E92 M3 against the pony cars of F Street.  His 7^th Place finish is quite the accomplishment for his first Nationals appearance in a deep class.

Talha Sadhik (Street Touring Ultra 3^rd Place)

Talha bought a bunch of parts off another Evo X and built his daily driver in a short period of time at the beginning of the season.  He took the class FTD on Day 2 and sling-shotted himself up from 8th Place to the podium.  A very impressive performance indeed.

Gary Tsui (Super Street 4^th Place)

Gary piloted his GTR through torrential rains to a 2^nd Place position on Day 1 against a field of Porsches and a lone McLaren.  The drier conditions on Day 2 gave the advantage to the Porsches, but his 4^th Place finish less than 0.6 seconds behind the leader is quite the accomplishment.

Elias Roman (G Street 3^rd Place)

Elias made a last minute class change puts himself in a somewhat familiar car in G Street (the class of hot hatches). He led the class after Day 1 and was able to finish in the last podium spot.

Rich Wayne (E Street 15^th Place)

Rich was forced to find a ride in a hurry due to car issue.  Thanks to the generosity of fellow autocrossers, he found a seat in a Miata and finished 15th out of 60 drivers in a car that he has never driven before.

We do not wish to offend other regions by claiming the following trophy winners as NNJR members, but they have been attending our events long enough that NNJR has adopted them (or they have adopted NNJR).  Regardless of their region of record, we want to extend our recognition to the following people for their performances:

G.J. Dixon - SS 2nd

Amy Dilks - FP 2nd

Rich DiMarco - STS 8th

Elisabeth Flannagan - HSL 3rd

Ken Houseal - STS 10th

Joshua Lipman - SSR 7th

Jake Namer - SSM 6th

Randy Petschauer - SSP 6th

Pat Salerno - SS 5th

Eric Simmons - STX 7th

Daniel Stainback - SM 3rd

Tamra Hunt - DSP 2nd

Andrew Krystinik - DSP 5th

Samuel Krauss - STH National Champion

Regardless of the results, we hope everyone had a great time and commend you for making the trip to represent NNJR or your region.  If you did not attend this year, we hope to see you in 2019.

2018 - May - NeDiv Council News

NeDiv Council News…………………….

Greetings from NeDiv. I’m Chris Mosley, the newly elected Chairman of the NeDiv Council. You may be wondering what is NeDiv? It stands for the Northeast Division of the SCCA. It is made up of the now, twenty two regions that range from Mahoning Valley region (on the Ohio border) to New England region (up to and including Maine) to the Washington DC region (and parts of Northern Virginia).  These are overseen by the NeDiv Council. The NeDiv Council Board for 2018 is Chaired by myself, Chris Mosley, our Treasurer, Kathy Barnes, Secretary Alan Kintz and Council members Jim Bucci and Bill Stewart.

So, what’s happening in the Northeast Division? This coming weekend is race weekend number two of the NeDiv Divisional Race Series at Palmer. I am also Chairman of the Divisional race program. It is an eight event race series aimed at giving the regional racers a meaningful Championship. The series also provides an alternative path to the SCCA Runoffs. There are events at seven of the best tracks the Northeast has to offer. Rules and the schedule for the series can be found on the NeDiv web site.

BREAKING NEWS…..It was just announced this week that the Susquehanna Region will host the 2018 Mini Con. It will be held in February of 2019 in the Hershey Pennsylvania area. Details will be announced as they become available.

If you have any questions or would like to contact a member of the Council, go to the NeDiv web site and you will find our contact information.

Chris Mosley, Council Chairman. Email – This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

2018 - April - BoD Report

BoD Report, Program Boards April 2018 - By Bob Dowie

You haven’t heard from me for a while so I thought while we all waited patiently for spring I would talk some about how the Club functions at the national level to manage the programs. Many think the BoD makes the decisions but that isn’t really how it works. We’ll look at how they work and communicate with the membership.

When it comes to running the programs like road racing, solo, rally and rally cross those responsibilities lie with committees that are charged with making the decisions necessary to assure a safe, fair and desirable activity. Each of these committees have at least two liaisons from the BoD that listen in on the committees conference call to better understand what the membership asking for and to get a feel for how the programs are serving the membership. For this discussion I’ll focus on the Club Racing and Solo Events Board as they receive the lions share of member input and I’m most familiar with them. The other boards certainly appreciate input and if you would like to share your thoughts and opinions with the program leadership please send it in.

Each of the program boards have ad hoc committees that are responsible for their particular category, in some cases there are sub committees that take on the responsibility for a particular class. When a letter is submitted on SCCA.com to either the Club Racing or Solo Events board it goes to the appropriate committee first where they will discuss the issue and collect any incoming opinions on the subject and make what they feel is the best recommendation to the program committee. These recommendations could be in the form of a Tech Bulletin; this is a change that’s effective on the first of the month that the Fastrack is dated if no other effective date is included. These changes will generally include a specification change for one vehicle usually weight, air restrictor or tire size change hopefully making the car a better fit in the class.

Read more: 2018 - April - BoD Report

Women On Track Leadership Team

Hello from Philadelphia Region's division of the national Women On Track Program. If you haven’t heard, Women On Track is a grassroots initiative spreading throughout the SCCA, started in 2018. We are trying to attract more women to motor sports at all levels, encourage camaraderie across 

 the disciplines of the SCCA within our regions, and do fun things outside of racing cars!

Philly Region Women On Track would like to partner with the Women On Track division in NNJR, or, if there has not been one established, invite women currently involved in NNJR SCCA to join our Region's Women on Track events. We plan to attend motor sports events throughout the Mid-Atlantic Region, and would love to be able to have women from NNJR join us.

I would like to keep you apprised of future events, so please feel free to join us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/groups/phillywot/, or feel free to email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., and you will be added to our email list.

I have included the link to our first event below; please feel free to share it with anyone interested. I know this first event is a bit far for most NNJR members, but we have plans for numerous events this year, some at NJMP.

https://www.motorsportreg.com/events/women-on-track-meet-greet-bertuccis-montgomeryville-scca-philadelphia-507147

We look forward to seeing NNJR members this season!

Rachel Leach

Women On Track Leadership Team member

2018 - Road Rally Announcement

Northern New Jersey Region – SCCA
January 2018 - Road Rally Announcement

During 2018 the Northern New Jersey Region is planning on conducting at least five events, including a rally to reintroduce Time-Speed-Distance (TSD) rallying to the area.

Since we have revitalized our program in 2016, we have limited our events to Question/Answer and mileage based navigational rallies.

Bob Shore is designing a simple straight forward TSD event to be conducted during last half of April or early May. This event will be scored on how well you can stay 'on-time'. We will have at least four timed controls. You just have to follow the route instructions and maintain the average speed listed in the instructions. The speeds will all be at or below the posted speed limits.

We will time you as you pass the controls. We will start off by telling you the location and exact time to pass the 1st two checkpoint. At the next control we will tell you the exact mileage to the control, but not the time to arrive, and fourth checkpoint will be 'hidden' along the route so you can get a real feel of TSDing, by trying to stay 'on time all the time'.

Each checkpoint will be timed to the 1/100th of a minute and there will be a short break between each 'Leg' and at the halfway point of the rally. At the half way point, we can address any questions you might have from running the 1st half of the event, to help you on the second half of the event.

We will keep you posted as the date and details of the event get finalized.

For anyone that is interested Vera Shanov and Clint Goss are sell copies of the "Road Rally Handbook" on Ebay for $19.95 plus $5.00 shipping. Clint Goss is the author and was very active in rallying in the northeast when he wrote this book back in 1993. The book was endorsed by John Buffum, Kerry Voll and Gene Henderson. This is not a book of rally tables, but a true 'how to' book on TSD rallying. I have owned this book for several years, and this is the first time I have seen it up for sale by the author at this price. I just got four of them for the SCCA Convention and they arrived in 'new' condition still in shrink wrap from the publisher. They are on sale 'new' on Amazon for $113.75. So buy direct from Clint & Vera for less on Ebay (link). - Peter Schneider

2017 Nor’Wester TSD RoadRally video is available on YouTube (link). A three day 600 mile gravel rally conduced in western Washington State and NNJR-SCCA was there!! 

2017 - A quick note from Bob Brookfield

I continue to enjoy your communications. It is one way, other than my wife and I being among the volunteers at NJMP, to keep in touch with my birth state. With all that in mind I would like to submit the following for your use.

Here in the 21st century we have Solo and RallyCross programs. But sixty years ago it was different. Back in 1958 I became a member of the Jersey Sport Car Club. I later helped form the Middlesex County Sport Car Club. Back then we had Time Trials and Gymkhanas. We ran events on shopping center parking lots, Old Bridge Stadium (now gone), Hightstown Speedway (last I was able to check that appeared to be a banked dirt track. The Jersey club also put on events in 1959 and 1960 at the Morris County Fair.

Things (venues) began to change after the Two Guys From Harrison chain got the laws changed and shopping centers would now be open on Sundays. Prior to the change I and my kid brother did a Gymkhana at the Paramus Mall and had a ball. I and a friend also did a Gymkhana in the Ft Dix Motor Pool staged by the Flying Burros club that was enthusiasts from Dix and McGuire AFB. I do not know of any group putting on such events. Sad, because they were a lot of fun.

Back to Trials. They were so called because of the English influence where trials were held in some of the oddest places. I recall seeing a picture of a car competing in England in what looked like a big drainage ditch! We conducted our trials at the stock car tracks and in farm fields. One of our guys flipped his Turner at a trial in a field down in Holmdel. After that he could be seen filing away on a piece of metal to make a new windshield bracket. But the main venue for Trials was the Old Bridge and Hightstown tracks. Old Bridge started out as a half mile oval that was slightly banked in the turns. Interestingly enough, drag races were held there on Friday evenings. Eventually a 1/8 mile oval was added on the front straight and we incorporated that into our Trial course layout. One of the last events I did there was a 3 mile trial before I went off to DC in the Army. Hightstown was an almost flat quarter mile paved oval. This meant that a run may have been 2 or 3 laps.

Read more: 2017 - A quick note from Bob Brookfield

2017 - NNJR Solo Driver of the Year

Happy Holidays!

Merry Christmas or Happy Hanukkah or whichever December greeting is appropriate to you!

2018 - NNJR Region Party!

We will be presenting the awards to our exceptional specialty volunteers for the fine effort they put in during 2017 in addition to our Solo trophies for the winners of their respective classes.

We will have 2 sims!!!! We will also have another driving sim rig from Crimson Simulation and instead of a stand-alone setup there will be two for some head-to-head action for those who are up for it.

Please, come on by at 2PM to watch the finish of the 24 Hours of Daytona, food will be ready by 3PM and our presentation occurring a bit later. Free food, drinks, and conversation to be had by all comers!

Come out and join your fellow NNJR members and guests to throw off the chill of winter. Great food and drink provided. Intriguing conversation. Thrilling race, rally and solo adventures.

Racing simulators will be available to challenge your fellow competitor to see who is faster.

Free!!! --- Fun Events for Adults and Children

Region Party for Volunteers and Solo Awards.

Thanks for a great 2017.

Date: Sunday January 28, 2018

Time: 2-6pm

Location: Packanack Lake Clubhouse
52 Lake Drive West
Packanack Lake
Wayne, NJ 07470

Hot and Cold Buffet
Desserts
Soda, Water, Beer and Wine
(If anyone needs a GF meal, please contact Linda Santangelo-Mosley)

Free!!! --- Fun Events for Adults and Children

• 2017 Solo Awards
• 2017 Volunteer Appreciation
• 2017 William G Giltzow Award will be presented
• Racing Simulator
• and more.....

Good friends, good food, good time!

2017 - The Vinny Blancuzzi Award

2017 recipient of the

Northern New Jersey Region

The Vinny Blancuzzi Award

is

Lou Giallanella

Link

2017 - Rally - Teddy Bear Rally

Northern New Jersey Region SCCA - USMC Toys for Tots ‘2017 Teddy Bear Road Rally’
By Peter Schneider

Results

December 3, 2017 marked the twenty-seventh annual ‘Toys for Tots’ Teddy Bear Road Rally, hosted by Northern New Jersey Region of the SCCA and Motorsport Club of North Jersey. This year’s sponsor and the sponsor for the past five years was Subaru 46 of Budd Lake, New Jersey.

Thirty-three teams competed on this year’s event and only one team ran the rally ‘clean’ and did not fall for any of the three route following traps.

The NNNJR/MCNJ ‘Toys for Tots’ Teddy Bear Rally is the longest running charity rally associated with SCCA and the longest contiguous event hosted by Northern New Jersey Region SCCA. Since 1990 we have collected over 3,400 toys and hope to continue the event for many years to come.

This event is a very simple road rally using the back roads of Morris, Warren and Hunterdon Counties. The event started at SUBARU 46 in Budd Lake and ended about 57 miles later at the Long Valley Brew Pub in the center of Long Valley, NJ.

The rally is open to the general public and requires only a car or light truck with a working odometer and a pen/pencil to compete. The event is not a Time-Speed-Distance (TSD) rally, but a mileage based lightly trapped ‘gimmick’. The entry fee, per car, is a brand new Teddy Bear or new toy, worth at least $30.00 retail which is donated to the USMC Reserve Toys for Tots Program.

Read more: 2017 - Rally - Teddy Bear Rally

2017 - Annual Meeting