Meeting 7-9:00pm-ish on Mayday 2025, with the monthly meeting happening at Laurel Auto Clinic, aka “Carl’s Shop” Laurel, MT. As always. Attendees tonight were Carl, Matt, Angie, Dean, Dave R., Luke, Jessica, Josh, Briant, Micah, Lane, Dave K., Jared, Chris, Kindra, Tate and Jerod. Carl busted out the beige, 2000s-patterened folding chairs and we were flush with seating for tonight’s meeting. It was a big, ol’ important meeting full of relevant issues and topics for discussion like officers and rules. If you missed out, keep reading because I’m about to learn y’all something. Kroon likes to butter his PopTarts. Not sure if anyone else does that, but sometimes I will actually put them in the toaster. Sometimes… Has anyone actually ever read the heating instructions for these? Is the toaster really so slow that one would need to put it in the microwave? 90 seconds vs 10 seconds….oof. Time management here folks.

—-*Carl Jones (El Jefe), Matt Boggio (El Jefito), Lane (Treasurer) and Kindra Munda (Secretary) graced us with their presence this evening*—-

TREASURERS REPORT:

The club’s finances include: $17,227. There is probably some coin in this number, but I would believe if it were an even dollar amount. Look at the impeccable talent running this club! We are blessed. Truly. Carl has a check out to the Metra for October’s date for $2280 which will finish the contract for this year with them. He has also paid for the tech stickers ($75), and we will see what amazing color he has chosen for this season! I voted for hot pink a couple seasons ago, but we got yellow instead. No problem, still cool. We secured another sponsorship, this one is from Central Fuels in Bridger. This is the new truck stop there on the North end of town. So when we go start our season in a couple of weeks, make sure to grab your snax and gas here and help support them so they can continue to support us!

*Officer Voting – We held the yearly officer nominations and voting tonight, and the lucky ones are as follows:

RE – Carl Jones – Regional Executive – Carl has officially been voted best Dad for the club. He didn’t go get smokes and milk and abandon us, although he asked if anyone was interested in being RE. How nice.

Ass. RE – Matt Boggio – Assistant Regional Executive – Matt has said, “I’ll do it I guess” and was voted to remain Step Dad.

Treasurer – Lane Baumann – Lane continues to keep a sharp eye out for the club’s finances. He has done well in the past and will keep looking out for our money.

Secretary – Kindra Munda – I will keep supplying you guys with a great newsletter, chock full of information and happenings of our region and those regions near us.

Chief of Waivers – Angie Boggio – Angie will continue making sure y’all sign the waiver, get teched, pay your share and sell those hoodies! She does other tasks too that involves timing and trailer stuff. Thanks for keeping us organized!

Webmaster – Micah Reimann – Micah has done a fabulous job with the webpage and ordering business cards and all. Thanks for ordering more cards on the fly, too! If you haven’t perused our webpage lately, do it. It is a very nice, organized, easy to use site. Doin’ great, Micah!

Social Media Director/Master Classer – Briant Hanashiro – Briant does our social media stuff and makes sure folks get a response to online questions through Messenger and FaceBook and all. Master Classer is also the one to ask if anyone has any questions or

concerns about classing for the 2025 season. Got a new POS? Don’t know what to do with it or what class it’s in? Is it so much of a Frankenstein that it can barely be considered a Subaru anymore? Briant is your guy.

Chief of Safety/Tech – Matt Boggio – Another hat for Matt! Making sure things are safe, making sure cars get teched!

Chief of Timing/Scoring – Lane Baumann – Lane gets another hat as well! Yay! This title means Lane is in charge of timing and issues that may arise and also scoring. We are hoping to have the RallyX points and current standings on event totals moving forward. Thanks!

The officers were allowed multiple terms as our club does not impose term limits and anyone can throw their hat in for an officer position. As you can see, sometimes it can be easy! So easy, some people have multiple hats! Next May, if you think you’d like to be one of the elite officers, one that gets emails no one else gets… have a little responsibility in our awesome club, come throw your name in for an officer position. All voted in favor of keeping the officers the same, with Matt voting no. Because that is just what he does. You already know this.

*Region Specific Rules – YR108 has a few rules that are specific to our region, and more strict than SCCA. These rules were presented for the 2025 season, discussed at length, fine tuned for details and voted on, and passed. The rules are as follows:

1. No SXSs, ATVs, UTVs or motorcycles.
2. Officer discounts are for voted-in officers of that season and is available for those officers who are performing their duties. These officers get a financial discount at YR108 specific events, $25. They do not get discounts at any other SCCA regions’ events.
3. Sponsorships collected for the year will go through the year. YR108 club year is May 1 thru April 30.
4. No club decisions will be made outside of a club meeting, unless an immediate issue and the RE and Ass. RE are present and the issue/decision must be taken care of on the spot and will be only those two deciding.
5. Up to 2 drivers per car per run group only. If 4 people want to drive the same vehicle, they would have to split into the first and second run groups. This is not for the car’s sake of performance or mechanical issues, but to lessen the likelihood of drivers farting around and slowing the flow of the event.
6. RallyX width measurements are from the outside of the front tires across must be equal to or greater than the highest point of the car.
7. AutoX width measurements are from the center of the front tires across must be equal to or greater than the highest point of the car.
8. RallyX vehicles MUST have functioning front and rear lights. This is for safety, and you may be asked to turn them on, especially if the dirt isn’t clearing fast enough. It is to protect the bucket workers and other cars on course.
9. New drivers must have a ride along on their first run, to ensure maximum enjoyment and help with following the course. The new driver must also ride along with a club member to ensure their understanding of the course and the rules for the cones. For maximum fun. No one wants to DNF their entire day away.
10. ALL CONES HIT PRIOR TO AND AFTER THE LIGHTS ARE SAFETY CONES AND WILL CAUSE YOUR RUN TO BE DISQUALIFIED. THIS INCLUDES THE GREEN

CONES. AutoX will get DNF, RallyX will get a 999. NO EXCEPTIONS. Also, don’t shimmy your car to get a better start. Just pull in the best you can to get your advantage.

1. Cars in AutoX can be changed with no penalty. We may or may not be able to change your PAX when you switch. It may be because we are too busy, or something. So keep that in mind. If we can/do change your PAX, it will be to the highest PAX of those vehicles. No monkey business of manipulating to get an advantage.
2. Cars in RallyX are solidified when YOU (in said car) break the lights for your first run of the day. This changed a bit from last year as we are still fine tuning the points system for RallyX. This rule is because of the points system…
3. RallyX points are as follows for the 2025/2026 season this fall:

5 points for breaking the light beam once. You came. Good job. You got 5 points. 1 additional point for every person who you beat. You came in 7^th, you get 6 points (this is after the drops).

Once you break the light beam for your first run of the day, this is the car you will be collecting points for on this day. *This rule was discussed and changed to reflect the ongoing development of RallyX. Previously, it was the first car in the first run group that broke the beam which solidified your car for the day. However, it was brought up that if something happened, it would be unfair to have no time at all, even if you were in the second run group. Discussion about this issue (which DID happen at Big Sky this season) prompted YR108 to re-evaluate this rule.

Your season points (collected at end of event) follow you throughout the season.

Your daily points (collected on the day of the event) follow your car throughout the day. At the end of the event, they will tally up to become your season points and move to your name. If you need further clarification here, discuss with Matt.

1. If you DO NOT STAY throughout the event, please make accommodation with the event chair. If you do not make arrangements (emergent issues or not), and just dip out, your time will be deleted. We cannot run a successful event if we lose half our participants after their time on track. We still need bodies out at the buckets. It is only fair.
2. If you wipe out a timing light or a runway light you will be responsible for the new light. You will be charged $250 flat rate. Shipping and costs of light…etc even if we can’t get the light aid for (Bridger, ya. It’s still not paid for from 1985 or something). Keep it under control.
3. Buck run participants are limited to registered drivers for the day of the event. Any car can be used for buck runs but it is required to have a tech inspection done and passed prior to any runs.

*Timing – Lane will make up some instruction sheets for timing in the event he is unable to attend a meeting. This will help ensure a smooth event with the new equipment. Lane also has voiced his desire to only do timing at AutoX moving forward. He has graciously finished the RallyX season, thank you. We are looking for volunteers to step up and learn some new tricks! The ideal candidate would possess the following:

1. Pulse
2. Fingers (size and number does not matter) at least 2 fingers would be ideal.
3. Interest in learning
4. Show up at 6 am throughout this AutoX season to learn all the intricacies of the timing. Mostly plug and play, however, there is a flow chart and some situations that can arise throughout a season. It is essential the ideal candidate is around consistently to learn all this so they can be better.
5. Possibly be interested in a discount. Talk to Matt or Carl for more information.

*Online Meetings – It was brought up to Carl to have the meetings live streamed or on Zoom to help accommodate those club members who cannot attend in person. I have personally had experience with this and Carl’s shop while Chris was in Nevada. While Carl’s shop is large enough for everyone, warm and comfortable and equipped with WiFi, it is not acoustically appropriate for online meetings or microphones. The echo is high, and the attendees are loud. Sometimes Carl can’t even hear over the loud, booming voices of the club members. The monthly meetings are *usually (and things sometimes change) the first Thursday of the month. If you have any concerns, questions, feedback, complaints…. Please reach out to Carl through email (preferred) and he will bring it to the meeting for discussion. Chris has used this method many times. Carl always pulls through for us. That’s why he is RE. I knew there was a reason I voted for him!!

*AutoX 2025 – There is a lot gonna happen this season and we have solidified some great dates for the schedule Summer 2025. So, put those engines back together, get those batteries secured and make sure to have a properly functioning distributer! Remember, bungee cords are NOT proper battery tie downs. Remember, YR108 is not the only place to get thrills! Great Falls and Bozeman have events as well. Hope to see ya out there!

*Starter School – The first Metra and ACF sponsored event will be a great time to explore the possibilities of a Starter School (of sorts) for new drivers, interested people who don’t wanna commit to a full day of racing, or those who just wanna start slow (no pun intended) and just get their toes a little wet with AutoX. It was discussed to have the Starter School at one end of the Metra lot (and only on Saturday for $35, maybe $20…), with 2-3 simple features for folks to come and give it a go. For this, it was discussed we WILL need at least 4 Safety Stewards for the June Event at the Metra. We will still need to hash out parking, how to keep people separated, along with the actual Starter School design and who will be there for this event. It was discussed also if someone wanted to do the Starter School in the am, and then the actual AutoX in the pm, we would need 2 safety meetings possibly. It was discussed about having School and then rolling their fees from School into their actual Event fees if they want more.

*MSR – It’s open and ready to register. MSR has Bridger up and ready for The Aviator Cup at Bridger Airstrip. Be sure to get registered and look for those emails from Haggerty/MSR. If you think you’ll be traveling or just want to play outside your usual area code (sorry Montana and Wyoming), you can always find events on their website. Our events are listed as well as Bozeman and others. So, check it out, sign up and get ready! Carl has updated the classing online to reflect 2025 rules, so if you see anything that looks too TOO TOO crazy, let him know.

*The Shrine – Brad got a hold of the new-ish owners of The Shrine (1143 Broadwater in Billings), and it looks like we are getting another venue! The owners are ok with us using their asphalt and Carl worked on getting a date secured for August. Except the parking lot will be fenced off in random areas due to construction this August. So, we will not be having a date for The Shrine this summer. We will continue to keep this venue in the back of our minds and hopefully we can use it next year.

*Safety Stewards – A BIG SHOUT OUT TO ALL THOSE WHO STEPPED UP TO GET/RENEW THEIR SAFETY STEWARD CERTIFICATION FOR THIS SUMMER!!! It really shows how

dedicated our club members are to our club. If you are still interested, reach out to Carl, Matt or Briant. They can help you out.

*Hooptie Day – The YDS event on June 8 is a Sunday and will be the day to get your Hooptie out and come take a run with it. One could be champion and secure The Chalice of Excrement, or other fun prizes that we have no idea about just yet. We discussed the Glizzy Gran Prix and will be changing it up to ice cream sandwiches. A Lemans Start has been generally approved, details involve some footwork. If you have questions, refer to Carl or Matt.

Remember, Hooptie rules are as follows:

1. Tread wear must be a minimum of 300 on all four tires.
2. Must not have suspension modification or be generally perceived as a “racecar”
3. Perceived value must be less than $2000.

*Facebook – It was brought to discussion tonight that there are in Fact TWO (2) FaceBook pages for YR108. One is a PAGE (business only, and only admin can post) and the other is a GROUP (anyone can post and needs to get some traction). It was discussed that we may combine the two, and make only just one page, but we need to get some things straight first. Carl will work on the specifics with Briant. So for now, if you see something funny and car related, post it up! Remember, this is a public page tho so keep it clean. (I know, I know. I’m working on it. I CAN be proper, its just more fun to not be)

*Track Design – It was discussed again about the groups of drivers that will be part of the course design. We discussed how SCCA is asking for the course design with sanctioning applications. The group of people are Josh, Dean, Lane, Luke, Jerod, Jared, and Matt. If you want your name put in for this, come to a meeting, or hit up Carl. Course design will involve coming to the event at 6am (if appointed/chosen) and designing course alongside another.

There will be one grunt to help sling cones and make tie breaking course decisions with the course designers. Then the track will be inspected by the appointed Quality Control person. This QC person will be picked by the track designers that day to run the course and evaluate for flow, safety and overall design with a fresh set of eyes. They will not change the features or overhaul the course, but will tweak and improve features for maximum fun-ness. The pool of designers will be a mix and match situation every event to help ensure we get a wide variety of designs and features and will keep it fun for all.

*Keys – It was tonight, at the meeting, that Carl gave the keys to Lane. What keys? Not sure. Could be to the trailer. Could be to a car. It could be to his heart. But I was told to document this. Luke also gave Jess some keys as well because she had to leave right as the meeting adjourned.

*Archie Cochrane at the Metra – Hooray! We have our event ready to go! We will charge $20 for Saturday this year to accommodate for the MSR fees and the sanctioning fees required by SCCA. If you remember the last newsletter, fees went up this year. There will also be NO 1^st time driver discount here, because $20 is pretty darn cheap already. We will have 4 safety stewards at this event, 2 per group. This will be a high energy event so come prepared. Have your snack, eat your banana and juice up on the coffee or Monsters. Sunday will be $55 for members/$70 for non-members. If you choose to run both days, totals will be $65/$80 respectively. Carl will open MSR soon so keep your eyes peeled. Carl will need a map to organize the layout for Cone School, but general ideas include putting the school (with 2-3 features) west up by the bluff (overlooks interstate) and keep general parking in the rest of the south side lot. The North lot (although smaller) will be the course for the day. More to come on this exciting event. Thanks again Jason for sponsoring us!

*Hot Shots – The Helena event in July will also be shared by the motorcycle club again. They have also no affiliation with RMESTC, and have paid for their piece of asphalt the same as us. I wondered if they had some sort of connection with RMESTC. But they don’t. So, we will be on our best behavior but possibly parking as close to them as we can. Maybe if we park out big rigs over there, the trailers will block their view of our activities, since it was reported to us last year that our event was distracting to the riders. Maybe if they picked a cool sport…

*Night RallyX – What? Did you just read that right? Maybe you did. Maybe you should come to a meeting. It might be in the works, Briant may have scrubbed the SCCA Rally Rule Book to make sure we’re doing it right….

** IMPORTANT DATES**

May 10 – Bozeman – The Commons #1 (Bozeman region) May 17-18 – Bridger – Aviator Cup

May 17-18 – Helena (Great Falls region) May 31-June 1 – Helena (Bozeman region) June 7-8 – Acton Cross/Hooptie Day

June 21-22 – ACF and the Metra Meltdown

Meeting adjourned at 9:38pm, Josh and Jess were tired and left. Tate left first because I guess he needed to or something. He also spilled oil on something, but didn’t have any rags. Whoops. Tonight was a great meeting filled with hope for the new season, excitement from the RallyX wrap-up, and warmer weather. I know I say this every month but try to come to a meeting and share in the full experience that is our monthly meeting. There are so many topics and conversation tangents that it is unreal the amount of fun we have. This is my night out. No bars, no beer, no spending money other than the occasional treats for meeting nights. Tonight, my dinner was a roller weenie and a special root beer from Town Pump. It was awesome. Micah brought cookies and they were completely devoured by the end of the night. As always, there were jokes, laughter, and fun. It’s too bad you missed this huge dose of dopamine.