Region Featured on “Angela’s Adventures” on KTVQ

“Angela’s Adventures” is a segment that airs every other Sunday on Q2 at 5:30 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. The focus of each story is on an outdoor activity. The goal behind each story is to motivate Montanans and Wyomingites to get out and enjoy their surroundings. Angela (and her cameraman) visited the Region’s Father’s day event at GM Petroleum on June 19th and were given a quick introduction into the sport of autocross/solo. Like all other first-timers, Angela walked the course and took her first runs under the capable tutelage of an experienced driver–in this case–Regional Executive Chris Brewer. In quick order, Angela was looking for more speed out of Brewer’s Mini. Angela also rode with Scott Cranston in his GT3 and R.J. Matthews in his STI. (However, the real highlight was shoehorning Angela’s cameraman–and camera–into the back seat of Brewer’s car!) Click here to see and hear more about her visit.

Angela’s Adventures: Autocross Solo Racing

BILLINGS – From April through September drivers of the Yellowstone Region Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) rev up their engines and put their race cars to the test.”I think a lot of people are in it for the same reasons and I think it’s mostly the adrenaline rush,” explains autocross racer, RJ Matthews. “It’s an exciting sport, it gets the blood pumping.”

Fellow racer, Caitlin Reuss, agrees. “I just love the adrenaline rush,” Reuss says. “You come out here and compete, I compete with my brothers. My favorite part is when I beat my brothers.”

SCCA is the largest automotive motorsports organization in the world and has been around for more than 60 years.

Chris Brewer has been racing for several years and loves the speed factor.

“My favorite thing is going around a corner and the car is sliding and you get the G-forces on you,” Brewer says. “It just puts a smile on my face.”

After those enthusiastic reviews, I’m eager to get behind the wheel. But first, like all beginners, I have to walk the course… before I hit the gas.

With white lines of chalk as your boundaries and cones to guide you in the right direction, the course takes an average of 40 seconds to complete – low 30s if you’re fast.

Hitting a cone tacks on two seconds to your overall time.

The first car I drove was Brewer’s mini cooper. I got the biggest thrill while slaloming. Slaloming is when you weave though the cones.

In addition to the mini cooper, the passenger seat of Matthew’s Subaru STI was also calling my name.

“It has lots of traction and it’s turbo charged,” Matthews explains. “It’s perfect for a venue like this.”

After that, I rode shotgun in a GT3 Porsche.

“It’s rated top speed on on a race track is 195 mph,” explains driver, Scott Cranston.

If you have the need for speed, autocross racing is a good and legal option.

“I like the fact that I can do that and there’s no blue lights flashing in the rear view mirror,” Brewer points out.

It keeps you out of trouble with the law and it also improves your everyday driving skills.

“I know how to control a car better when I’m spinning out or fishtailing on the icy roads,” Reuss says. “I can control the car better and I learned that here.”

So, if you’re looking for a high speed adventure that’s bound to give you a thrill, Autocross racing is it.

Solo at Food Service of America May 11, 2014

Event Chair – Chris Brewer
Safety Steward – J. Reuss

Final Results
#1 – FSA I – Sun 05-11-2014
Total Registered: 19, with Times: 19

Pos.	Class	#	Driver	Car Color	Times					Total
1Tm	BS	33	Gruver, Steve	Red	56.971	54.638	54.342	61.805	58.937	53.938
					60.327	56.283	54.299	53.938	54.222	[-]18.645


2 m	BS	14	Gruver, Joanne	Blue	76.893	72.583	73.873	75.813+DNF		72.583
										+18.645


1T	DS	86	Reay, Shylor	Black	69.492	65.826+DNF	63.584	59.835	59.076	58.373
					58.373					–


1T	ES	640	Litton, Todd	Red	67.177+DNF	63.328	40.535+DNF	38.743+DNF	63.856	61.205
					61.205					–


1Tm	FS	02	Francis, Mark	Red	60.532	59.136	59.840	60.142	58.331	57.729
					59.330	62.036	58.377	57.729	58.209	[-]3.029


2	FS	641	Litton, Thomas	Red	63.833	62.304+1	66.129+DNF	62.504+1	61.910	60.758
					60.758					+3.029


1T	GS	9	Boettger, Orry	White	22.058+DNF	57.062+1	54.971+2	54.237	55.427+1	54.028
					54.421+1	54.730+2	54.397	54.265+1	53.560+1	–
					53.355+1	54.028

1Tm	CSP	74	Johnson, Dean	Copper	54.116	54.190	54.922	55.036	53.888	52.678
					53.604	53.881	52.678	52.862	53.275	[-]1.771


2 m	CSP	68	Jensen, Woody	Red	50.003+DNF	62.649+DNF	60.426	54.165+DNF	56.345+2	54.449
					56.480+1	57.522	55.717	54.449	55.224	+1.771


1Tm	STF	42	Caudill, Ben	White	60.773	57.464+1	58.669+1	60.648	58.486	55.984
					56.631	56.610	55.984	56.921	59.584+2	[-]6.236


2	STF	19	Lamparelli, Amy	White	73.065	64.770+DNF	69.920	73.459+DNF	72.684	62.220
					72.292+DNF	71.694	69.204	63.790	63.844+1	+6.236
					63.666	62.220

1Tm	STS	73	Brewer, Chris	Green	55.512+1	53.975+1	54.233	54.166	53.404	52.578
					52.578	54.511	52.799	53.043	51.984+1	[-]2.287


2Tm	STS	134	Reuss, James	Red	54.774					54.774
										+2.196


3 m	STS	34	Stewart, Tucker	Red	55.302	56.402	55.465	55.939	56.308	54.865
					55.324	55.236	54.865			+0.091


4 m	STS	38	Gruver, Joel	(Ron) Burgundy	65.211	63.078+DNF	61.384+1	60.476	58.439	57.101
					58.643	57.885	57.752+DNF	57.228	57.101	+2.236


1Tm	SM	18	McTaggert, Jon	Blue	56.504	57.666	31.919+DNF	52.361+1	52.407+1	51.269
					51.771	52.044	51.269	50.852+2	50.695+1	[-]1.315


2 m	SM	12	Mudge, Jonathan	White	65.224+DNF	34.375+DNF	55.472	54.968+2	54.669	52.584
					53.563	53.657+2	53.688	52.765	52.584	+1.315


1Tm	SMF	43	Roberts, Randy	White	69.191+1	55.619	53.155+1	53.320	54.237	53.320
					58.774+1	53.865				–


1T	HSL	72	Bell, Jackie	White	62.075	61.650	60.622	66.573	65.384	59.158
					60.300	61.510	61.124	60.177	59.158	–

Top Times Of Day	Time	Class	#	Driver
Raw time	51.269	SM	18	McTaggert, Jon
Pax	43.546	GS	9	Boettger, Orry
Stock	53.938	BS	33	Gruver, Steve
Street Prepared	52.678	CSP	74	Johnson, Dean
Touring	52.578	STS	73	Brewer, Chris
Street Modified	51.269	SM	18	McTaggert, Jon
Stock Ladies	59.158	HSL	72	Bell, Jackie

Final Raw Time Results
#1 – FSA I – Sun 05-11-2014
Timed Entries: 19

Raw Pos.	Pos.	Class	#	Driver	Car Model	Raw Time	Diff.	From 1st
1m	1	SM	18	McTaggert, Jon	2004 Subaru STI	51.269	0.000	0.000
2m	1	STS	73	Brewer, Chris	1997 Mazda Miata	52.578	1.309	1.309
3m	2	SM	12	Mudge, Jonathan	2009 Subaru WRX	52.584	0.006	1.315
4m	1	CSP	74	Johnson, Dean	2009 Mazda MX-5	52.678	0.094	1.409
5m	1	SMF	43	Roberts, Randy	1984 Honda Civic CRX	53.320	0.642	2.051
6m	1	BS	33	Gruver, Steve	1986 Chevrolet Corvette	53.938	0.618	2.669
7	1	GS	9	Boettger, Orry	2013 Ford Focus ST	54.028	0.090	2.759
8m	2	CSP	68	Jensen, Woody	1990 Honda CRX	54.449	0.421	3.180
9m	2	STS	134	Reuss, James	1996 Mazda Miata	54.774	0.325	3.505
10m	3	STS	34	Stewart, Tucker	1996 Mazda Miata	54.865	0.091	3.596
11m	1	STF	42	Caudill, Ben	2012 Ford Fiesta	55.984	1.119	4.715
12m	4	STS	38	Gruver, Joel	2003 Mazda Miata	57.101	1.117	5.832
13m	1	FS	02	Francis, Mark	2003 Mustang Cobra	57.729	0.628	6.460
14	1	DS	86	Reay, Shylor	2013 Mazdaspeed3	58.373	0.644	7.104
15	1	HSL	72	Bell, Jackie	Mitsubishi Eclipse	59.158	0.785	7.889
16	2	FS	641	Litton, Thomas	2004 Pontiac GTO	60.758	1.600	9.489
17	1	ES	640	Litton, Todd	1997 Mazda MX-5	61.205	0.447	9.936
18	2	STF	19	Lamparelli, Amy	2012 Ford Fiesta	62.220	1.015	10.951
19m	2	BS	14	Gruver, Joanne	1969 Chevrolet Corvette	72.583	10.363	21.314

Pax Time Results
#1 – FSA I – Sun 05-11-2014
Timed Entries: 19

Pax Pos.	Pos.	Class	#	Driver	Car Model	Total	Factor	Pax Time	Diff.	From 1st
1	1	GS	9	Boettger, Orry	2013 Ford Focus ST	54.028	*0.806	43.546	0.000	0.000
2	1	STS	73	Brewer, Chris	1997 Mazda Miata	52.578	*0.829	43.587	0.041	0.041
3	1	SM	18	McTaggert, Jon	2004 Subaru STI	51.269	*0.870	44.604	1.017	1.058
4	1	BS	33	Gruver, Steve	1986 Chevrolet Corvette	53.938	*0.831	44.822	0.218	1.276
5	1	STF	42	Caudill, Ben	2012 Ford Fiesta	55.984	*0.801	44.843	0.021	1.297
6	1	CSP	74	Johnson, Dean	2009 Mazda MX-5	52.678	*0.861	45.355	0.512	1.809
7	1	SMF	43	Roberts, Randy	1984 Honda Civic CRX	53.320	*0.851	45.375	0.020	1.829
8	2	STS	134	Reuss, James	1996 Mazda Miata	54.774	*0.829	45.407	0.032	1.861
9	3	STS	34	Stewart, Tucker	1996 Mazda Miata	54.865	*0.829	45.483	0.076	1.937
10	2	SM	12	Mudge, Jonathan	2009 Subaru WRX	52.584	*0.870	45.748	0.265	2.202
11	2	CSP	68	Jensen, Woody	1990 Honda CRX	54.449	*0.861	46.880	1.132	3.334
12	1	HSL	72	Bell, Jackie	Mitsubishi Eclipse	59.158	*0.797	47.148	0.268	3.602
13	1	FS	02	Francis, Mark	2003 Mustang Cobra	57.729	*0.818	47.222	0.074	3.676
14	4	STS	38	Gruver, Joel	2003 Mazda Miata	57.101	*0.829	47.336	0.114	3.790
15	1	DS	86	Reay, Shylor	2013 Mazdaspeed3	58.373	*0.815	47.574	0.238	4.028
16	2	FS	641	Litton, Thomas	2004 Pontiac GTO	60.758	*0.818	49.700	2.126	6.154
17	1	ES	640	Litton, Todd	1997 Mazda MX-5	61.205	*0.814	49.820	0.120	6.274
18	2	STF	19	Lamparelli, Amy	2012 Ford Fiesta	62.220	*0.801	49.838	0.018	6.292
19	2	BS	14	Gruver, Joanne	1969 Chevrolet Corvette	72.583	*0.831	60.316	10.478	16.770

Region Members Dominate H Stock at the Maui SCCA Opener

The marquee matchup at Maui SCCA’s opening event on February 27th featured Karl Rohlfing in his beautiful Factory 5 Cobra and the Region’s Newsletter Editor in a “borrowed” Hyundai Accent. You will want to read the full story in the April Fast Times. The Newsletter Editor and her father dominated the H Stock class at the event. To see results and photos from the event, click on http://mauiscca.net

Region Members Make Good Showing at Top Gun

Six Region members ventured northwest to participate that the TOP GUN 2010 in Helena. Among 74 timed entries, Dean Johnson placed 2nd in C Stock, Mike Moore 2nd in D Stock, R.J. Matthews 1st in B Street Prepared, Randy Roberts 1st in G Prepared, Jolene Roberts 1st in G Prepared Ladies, and Dave Marble 4th in Street Modified. R.J. took top time of day in Street Prepared and Jolene was top time of day in Prepared Ladies. Way to go guys–and gals!

Kickoff BBQ

white-classic-car The Region’s Kickoff BBQ at Chris Brewer’s house on April 17th was a blast! Plenty of burgers, brats, and beer. Everyone brought a side dish, so there was no shortage of food or drink. See the May Fast Times for photos and a full story.

Maui Musings: Newsletter Editor and Webmaster Journey on a Fact-Finding trip for SSCA

By the YSCCA Webmaster J Reuss

After exchanging a few e-mails (and a few phone calls for lastminute directions), the Newsletter Editor, the Webmaster, and the “Team Owner,” arrived at the home of Maui SCCA member and club photographer, Scott Hughes, in Kihei, Maui. (Mark Richlen told me that being the Region’s Treasurer would reap huge rewards. Boy, he was right!). Scott graciously welcomed us into his home and we spent the next hour talking “shop.” Initially, I anticipated hearing how different the Maui SCCA was from the Yellowstone Region, but the more we talked, the more it became clear that other than the nearly 3,000 miles separating the Regions, we were pretty much the same.

Ironically, the “movers and shakers” in the Maui SCCA were fellows by the names of “Scott” and “Chris.” (We checked to make sure there were no “Jays” or “Jerods,” but learned that there were
not.) The Maui SCCA holds events on a monthly basis. (Their schedule may be found at http://www.mauiscca.net. ) While the club does not have a timing trailer, everything related to autocross
on Maui is kept within a van owned by “Chris.” All of the club’s events are held at the same location—a patch of asphalt about 10 minutes northwest of Scott’s house. Somewhat similar to Lewistown, the site is located on an abandoned airfield. Also located nearby is a NHRA sanctioned drag strip and a motocross course. To put it kindly, the site presents some huge challenges for event organizers and entrants. As attested to by the photographs on page 2, not only is the asphalt surface nearing the end of its useful life, being located in a windswept area of Maui requires that the area be swept clear of Maui “red dirt” on a regular basis. Unfortunately, since the surface is so deteriorated, only dedicated entrants return for the next month’s event. Scott explained that parking lot regulations on Maui make it nearly impossible to find lots that are not broken up with planters, light standards, and other obstructions. However, the club does have hopes of convincing a generous philanthropist to help them create a dedicated autocross site.

Notwithstanding the pavement problems, Scott reports that it is not unusual to see a Lamborghini or Cobra replica at an event. In fact, the owner of a Lamborghini Murcielago generously purchased a new timing system for the club! Average entry numbers are pretty much the same as the Yellowstone Region and maximizing the number of runs takes precedence over nitpicking over scrutineering and car classification. By trade, Scott is a “destination wedding photographer.” He also photographs all events and maintains the www.mauisccca.net website. (There is also a
mauiscca.org website, but it hasn’t been updated on a regular basis.

Scott is originally from St. Louis, MO, but moved to Maui to “take his life in a new direction.” (If you would like to touch base with Scott, check out his FaceBook page.) Similar to “Scott” in the Yellowstone Region, Scott Hughes maintains the FaceBook page for MAUISCCA. (Check out the page and become a “fan.”) As we left Scott’s house, he gave us a tour of his garage and showed us his “stable” of BMWs. Scott has two M3s in the garage and he volunteered that his next vehicle would also be an M3. (Kait and I were more than relieved that he did not have a garage full of Mustangs like the Yellowstone Region’s “Scott.” I bought a MAUI SCCA t-shirt from Scott and assured him I would wear it proudly at future Region events. If you ever find yourself in Maui towards the end of the month, make sure to stop by Maui Raceway Park on Sunday and put your rental car “through the paces” at one of Maui SCCA’s events. If Scott is any indication, the Maui SCCA “ohana” (family) is as welcoming and friendly as the Yellowstone Region. Thanks, Scott, for letting us “pick your brain.” If you are ever “offisland” and find yourself in the area, I hope you will stop in. J.

Jackie nips at the heels of the big dogs in Lewistown

By good friend of the Region and local radio personality, Jackie Bell

For my birthday, my husband paid for me to attend the Porsche Club driving school in Lewistown. I have autocrossed with the Yellowstone Region for about 5 years, but this was my first opportunity to attend the event and I was excited. I decided to participate on both Saturday and Sunday.

I arrived in Lewistown on Friday afternoon, checked into my motel, and set out to locate the Lewistown D.R.I.V.E. facility to the west of the airport. (I had downloaded a great map from Porsche website.) After I found the course, I came across David Cooley, event coordinator, who was out on the track pulling a trailer full of cones. I introduced myself and he put me to work. I was glad to help. Dave drove the truck and I rode on the trailer setting out cones at designated spots.

When we were done, Dave told me to get in my car. (When I autocrossed in the past, it was always in my 1972 Ford Gran Torino. However, I recently purchased a ’99 Mitsubishi Eclipse and autocrossed it just once prior to Lewistown.) Dave got behind the wheel of my car, I took the passenger seat, and he proceeded to gently take me through the course explaining the philosophy behind braking, turning, finding the “line”, etc. We did three laps with Dave driving and then I drove. I was not nearly as smooth! However, I went back to the motel elated and couldn’t wait to get started on Saturday morning.

I arrived about 7:30 and got to meet some great people with some cool cars! The drivers’ meeting was around 9:30. There were 12 new drivers and about 20 drivers who had taken the course before. All new drivers were required to ride with an instructor until they were certified to run “solo.” Instructions were given, group assignments made, and we were ready to roll. The experienced racers ran in two groups with the rookies ran in two other groups. Fred was my instructor. On the first few laps, Fred drove my car and I rode. Fred provided instruction as he drove. I tried to listen, but I was so amazed at what he had my car doing that I had a hard time concentrating!

Then it was my turn to drive. I drove with Fred instructing me all day Saturday and on Sunday morning. I was having some trouble with the “okay, you’re coming into a corner at high speed so you need to brake, clutch, downshift, turn, set yourself up for the next turn, watch the guy in front of you and behind you, be in the right gear and position as you exit the turn for maximum acceleration”……learning curve.

Late Saturday afternoon, Fred decided that maybe I should ride with him while he drove his Porsche so I could watch his braking and shifting technique. That was a good idea in theory, but while I watching his feet instead of the track, I started getting car sick. I asked Fred (politely) to take me to the pits and let me out (although inside I’m screaming, “I’M GONNA PUKE!”). He graciously complied. I made it to grass adjacent to the pits and promptly “tossed my cookies.” So ended Saturday’s racing.

On Sunday, I finally got the technique down pretty good and had some high-speed (110 mph) runs. Fred was just about to let me go “solo,” when the clutch in my car quit clutching! Bummer! I had to pull off the track and be towed back to the pits. It was the PITS! Luckily, Scott Cranston and Jarod Staebler were at the event with Scott’s trailer. Scott graciously agree to drive his “Stang” back to Billings and put my car on his trailer for the return trip.

“J-Rod” and I were tooling down the road when Scott’s pick-up started running rough. Just outside of Lavina we decided to find a place to pull over. As we rolled to a stop, the truck died. It was not the best area for cellphone reception and we were forced to stand on the roof of the truck to make calls.

We finally got through to my husband and he brought out another pick-up to retrieve the trailer. In the meantime, J-Rod got the pickup started and he was able to drive it home. So after an extra couple hours on the side of the road, we all arrived home safe and sound!

Oh yeah, I’m getting a new clutch put in my Mitsu…. and it’s not gonna be stock! The weekend turned out to be a bit more expensive than Jeff originally intended! Amazing fun though–and well worth it. As Arnold says, “I’ll be back.”

Solo: GM Petroleum July 6 2008

Solo at GM Petroleum

July 6, 2008 By the Newsletter Editor

In my opinion, the recent event at GM Petroleum was very successful, especially since I FINALLY BEAT MY BROTHER!!! (Sorry, James) There were only 15 drivers, so everyone got twelve runs. I lived up to my reputation of “The Cone Killer,” but it seemed as if many others were having the same problem. It was a tight, fast course that seemed to put some people in a “spin,” but overall it was a blast! I finally had the pleasure of riding with Jerod in the famous teal “Stang.” Jerod hit a few cones, but that’s to be expected from a crazy driver like him! Robert Godby from Laramie took a break from vacationing in Red Lodge to set some very fast times in his Miata. Curiously, with the advantage of PAX scoring (and a set of sticky KUMHO slicks), Robert stole the fast-time-of-day honors from Dwight. All drivers and spectators left the event will smiles on their faces. However, Lucas Hungerford took his Fiat home on the end of a tow rope. Mark “Pylon” Pilon reportedly lowered the suspension on his Forester. Although his times may have been faster, he ended up hitting cones that he would have cleared previously. Sheree was putting the new suspension configuration to good use and came close to beating Mark. You go, girl!