Meeting 7-9:00pm-ish on May 7th, 2026 with the monthly meeting happening at Laurel Auto Clinic, aka “Carl’s Shop” in Laurel, MT. You should know by now where this place is at. Attendees tonight were Carl, Sawyer, Sawyer’s friend Trindan (from RallyX), Jess, Luke, Lane, Dave R., Crandell (from AutoX), Josh, Dave, Micah, Jared, Briant, Matt, Matt’s friend who drives the C10 at AutoX, Chris and Kindra. It was a full house this evening, with Dave R bringing his own lawn chair for convenience and comfort. Tonight’s meeting was to update rules for the club, as well as to vote in any new officers for the year.
—Carl Jones (El Jefe), Matt Boggio (El Jefito), Lane (Treasurer), and Kindra (Secretary) graced us with their presence this evening.—
TREASURERS REPORT:
The club’s finances include: $21,350.74. This total does not include the petty cash bag, which is full to the brim, overflowing with monies and coins, and collectible pennies. Luke put his guess in at “$2k, it is pretty heavy”. We have no outstanding debt at this time, Matt brought in the last and only bill for the porta-pots and gave it to Lane. Turns out that square, flat objects (shaped like envelopes) do not yeet very well. If Matt were in a competition for throwing paper, he would have had negative points.
Rally – The final RallyX event for the region was held impromptu style after the Big Sky venue became suddenly unavailable for our final event in April. It was voted to keep the date, but change the location, and CW pulled through in a pinch. RallyX 2025/2026 is officially behind us, with many great memories and videos. Thanks for coming out and beating the crap out of your cars in the dirt. Maybe next year we will have a bit more moisture and can really get into the mud-flinging mindset!
Bridger – The insurance debacle with Bridger is finished, Carl made a few phone calls, pulled a few strings…. Not really. He just did what any Dad would do and got the Bridger Playground sorted for us. Yay Carl! It would seem as though the already millions of dollars of insurance the SCCA has would be enough, but there are a few holes in the paperwork and Carl did get it under control. Lined out. Set up. Done and done. It should be a one-time deal.
Laurel Airport – We had great success with Laurel Airport in receiving us, and they have been excited to have us out to utilize their parking pad and other areas of hard top. However, the potential dates for Laurel are still up in the air, as they stated that they are expecting a large amount of government equipment to show up, namely for the fire season which is already upon us. They said they didn’t want to commit to a date, only to have the firefighters pull up at the last minute and have to cancel out on us. Completely understandable, so we will play that one by ear at this time. Jared suggested maybe having an early event in Laurel or a very late event that would bypass the fire season. There is no Laurel date for this season.
Harlowton Airport – Bill had good reception at Harlowton and it would seem they are willing to let us use their little runway to compete on. There is one caveat with this venue; there is only one entrance to the runway. What does that mean? Well, it means that you should have been to the meeting. OK, I guess I will just tell you. It means that we would only be able to have one car on course at a time. We discussed possibly shortening the course to allow more runs by way of shorter run times. Lane brought up a good point, about having two airport events back to back, and that a single, relatively straight event is not very mentally stimulating (aka boring), and suggested that if we incorporate Harlowton into our repertoire, we should space the events out so we don’t have straight and fast back to back. We discussed to put Harlowton into the Laurel slot, that would be June 27/28. More to come on this topic.
Powell Airport – Powell has some pretty good open areas, and Crandell has some in’s with Powell. He offered to speak with Powell about using their airport for events in the future. Most of the club members looked up Powell on the Google machine, and determined that Powell would have more opportunities than Harlowton. It was determined that we would try for Powell, and keep Harlowton in our back pocket. Because something is better than nothing.
YDS – Carl is working on the Lewistown and YDS stuff, it was decided that we would go out and cold patch again this season at YDS. Dave said the cold patch, when allowed to fully cure, as been very helpful. But it needs to fully cure first. Just like a night cream on your old lady, the cold patch will help make the asphalt nice and firm again. Maybe not bounce-a-quarter firm, but good enough for the hoopties y’all drive out there. The cold patching will take place a day or so prior to the event, as we found that when allowed to sit, it makes a better bond.
Track and Track Design – Coming from the SCCA, we now need to have certified track designers. The name and design are required to be entered into the online paperwork at the time of sanctioning. If you think you have what it takes, maybe you’d like to be the one to decide features or just how long to make that glorious slalom you always wanted, talk with Carl or Matt and get your certifications in order. They know what to do and can help you get started.
RallyX – RallyX events will need a new lead track designer and safety steward, as Matt has stepped down from those roles for RallyX. If anyone is interested in doing this, see Matt or Carl. Matt will still do the sanctioning paperwork for RallyX. If you think this position might be for you, go check it out. You have a few months to get it figured out.
Helmets – Check your brain buckets peeps, the final SNELL year is 2010, as those helmets are only good until October of this year, 2026. The SCCA has extended through this season to allow the new year rating to be maximized for your new purchase. If you’re unsure, talk with Briant, our new Chief of Safety/Tech Inspection/Master Classer.
Clean Up Day 2026 – Thanks to all who came out and scrubbed the gunk off the club equipment! It was a smash! All the cones got clean, the trailer was de-cluttered, and dusted, and the helmets got warshed. The bath water was exceptionally disgusting. Thanks Lane, for having us and letting us make a muddy mess of your back yard!
Posters – Up and going, come get some from Carl, and distribute to all your favorite places! They look great and have all the important deets for anyone interested in joining the fun! Micah also had some ‘Cool-Car’ cards to give out with the QR code and dates. Might be some left….
Officers – Tonight was a very important night for Democracy, as the voting and election for club officials took place. Most everything stayed the same, however there was a slight changing of hats:
- Regional Executive – Carl Jones
- Assistant Regional Executive – Matt Boggio
- Treasurer – Lane Baumann
- Secretary – Kindra Munda
- Chief of Waivers – Angie Boggio
- Webmaster – Micah Reimann
- Social Media – Luke Vetch and Jordan Rees
- Chief of Safety/Tech/Classing – Briant Hanashiro
- Chief of Timing/Scoring – Lane Baumann
Jordan was interested in becoming involved with some social media stuff, thinks he can do some drone work for the club. His video of the RallyX track at Flint’s gained a lot of online traction, and it didn’t even have any cars! He is interested in getting his Remote Piloted Aircraft License to do more drone work and videos for the club. The cost of the license will be covered by Dave R and the Lockwood IGA. Your hometown proud supermarket! We told Jordan he would need to make sure to have IGA on his drone due to this generous donation. Thanks Dave R.! Luke threw his name in the hat for Social Media, and Briant was relieved that he was going to take over Instagram. Jordan just didn’t want to do all of it by himself immediately. Should see some cool content from these guys (and G-rated content, none of the OF stuff).
Briant moved into the Chief of Safety and Tech position. He is a smart dude that practically has the handbook memorized cover to cover. He has always been one to cite, “Safety Once-st,” and he can recite the Statement of Greatness with his eyes closed and holding the three-finger pledge of a seasoned Boy Scout. He already has been classing cars for years, and was named ‘Master Classer’ last season. Because Tech inspection, Safety and Classing go hand in hand, Briant was voted to wear this hat. Thanks Briant for keeping our club in line and safe and properly competitive!
Carl was hoping someone would take over the scheduling and talking to people portion of his duties, but sadly no-one wanted to do that. If you think you’d like to do some of those tasks, go talk to Carl. If you have sponsorship ideas, go talk to Carl. If you can smooth talk a granny into selling her favorite armchair, and you have the gift of gab…… go see Carl.
RULES – AutoX rules for YR108 are always inline with not only the SCCA, but a few that have been created to be region specific as well. Tonight we had a few region specific rule changes brought up for debate and discussion, and the voting was done immediately after. If you don’t think you know our rules, I will post them every May at the annual Officers Election Meeting each spring. Region specific rules are as follows and are in effect as of May 1, 2026:
- No side by sides, UTVs, ATVs or motorcycles
- Officer Discounts are re-evaluated each May and is only eligible for current officers who are doing their jobs and helping to better the club
- Sponsorships run for the duration of the club year
- Year starts May 1st, and ends April 30th of the following year
- No decisions will be made anywhere other than an official meeting. Unless the RE and Assistant RE are present and both agree that it must be taken care of on the spot with only those two officers deciding
- Up to 2 drivers per car, per run group is allowed
- In regard to Solo/ Autocross- Measurement from center to center of front tires tread has to be equal to or greater than the highest point of the vehicle
- In regard to RallyX, width requirements are: outside of front tire tread to outside of other front tire tread must be wider than or equal to the highest point of the vehicle
- RallyX cars must have working front and rear lights
- RallyX points are as follows: 5 points for breaking the beam once; 1 additional point for every car you place ahead of after the drops
- RallyX points follow the driver, if your car breaks, find another car and keep driving
- RallyX drivers will have one drop for every 6 time scores. (A drop is when the slowest lap/highest time is dropped from a driver’s overall score average)
- All cones hit prior-to and following the green start/finish cones and including the green cones will result in a DNF in AutoX and a 999.99 in RallyX
- Cars can be changed in AutoX with no penalty
- New drivers must do a ride-along before they take their first run, and must also have an experienced rider with them for their first run
- If you do not stay until the event is over or make prior arrangements with the event chair to leave early, your times will be deleted for the day
- If you hit a timing light or a runway light, you will be responsible to pay for the equipment
- During Buck Runs, only drivers registered for the event are allowed to participate. Cars used for Buck Runs do not need to be the car that is registered for the day, but MUST have Tech Inspection
NEW ADDITIONS for 2026:
- Poster pics must be of a YR108 club member, and the current poster car itself cannot be entered in the following year’s contest. Basically no back-to-back cars. A driver can enter the following year after winning if that driver is in a DIFFERENT car. We want to keep the posters varied, and keep the contest fun and inviting.
- Fees and charges from MSR if a driver does not show. This was voted on, and we will remove the charge if a driver does not come to an event after pre-registering. The pre-registered driver will receive a refund. It was also voted that because proper pre-registering allows for proper planning and full utilization of the venue with setting up, there will be a monetary benefit for those drivers who DO pre-register. On-site day-of registration will still be available, but at an increased fee. This will help to incentivise drivers to pre-register online, while still allowing anyone who has an unexpected open day to come and enjoy some unplanned fun. The on-site/day-of sign up will increase by an additional $5 charge per event. Cash and card will still be available at the timing trailer the day of.
- It was brought to the meeting that some drivers’ display of willful cheating and a blatant disregard to safety have made its way into our club. This rule put in place and heavily debated on tonight to prevent any driver from inventing ways to gain an advantage at the sacrifice of safety. The course is set to allow maximum fun while observing every measure of safety we can put in place to allow the continuation of fun for the sport of AutoX. Please observe these rules and keep an open mind. Voted in tonight is a new addition for YR108:
Any Driver who shows any palpable, unsafe, ignorant, or unfair to the ‘spirit of the sport’ action, that driver will be removed from competition and entry fees will be forfeited.
If there is any question about safety, fairness, proper conduct on site or out on course; please say something. IF it is required; the RE, Assistant RE, Track Designer and/or Safety Steward(s) will discuss.
Keep in mind these rules are for the benefit of the club and its members, the propagation of motor sports, supporting fairness and keeping the spirit alive and well among competitors. If you have any questions, or concerns about these rules, please talk with Carl.
IMPORTANT DATES
- May 16-17 – Aviator Cup – Bridger Airstrip
- June ?? – Keep Your Eyes Peeled!!
- July 25-26 – Hot Shots – Helena RMESTC
- Aug 8-9 – Motorin’ to Lewistown – Lewistown Raceway
Meeting adjourned about 10-30 pm or so. Super-secret post meeting discussions happening here. I would tell ya bout it, but I think it would be best if you just showed up. Have an idea? Bring it to a meeting. Can’t make it to a meeting? (lame). Email Carl. Either way. This is your club. Get involved. Get some brownies. Have some fun. Learn about all the Cobalt Cup. It. Is. Happening. Happy Summer, y’all!