Meeting 7-9pm-ish on September 11th, 2024, with the monthly meeting always happening at
Laurel Auto Clinic, aka “Carl’s Shop” Laurel, MT. Attendees were Carl, Matt, Luke, Jessica,
Yvonne, Codi, Briant, Darrin, Bill Blaquiere, Lane, Micah, Bill, Chris and Kindra. Lane had a
special surprise for regular club attendees this evening, Roast This Car by ChatGPT. Needless
to say, it was phenomenal how accurate it was. It was almost as if AI knew what kind of people
drive the cars they do. Why a driver would choose a specific paint job ahem…. Bill or trim
level…(Kindra). It KNEW why someone would actually OWN 5 Chevy Cobalts…. Scary
accurate. Thanks, Lane!
Carl Jones (El Jefe), Matt Boggio (El Jefito), Lane Baumann (Treasurer), and Kindra Munda (Secretary) graced us with their presence this evening
TREASURERS REPORT:
Lane reports that the club’s finances include: $15,244.58 and includes the payment from Jason
at Archie Cochrane from his sponsorship of the Metra event August 3. Thank you, Jason, for the
great event and helping fund the fun!
- AC at the Metra – We saw a whopping 48 drivers for the day. It was a great turnout with many
new cars and drivers. We used the North lot (“There” for those who are directionally challenged
or as Matt calls it, ‘That lot …’). After costs and fees for the venue and porta pots, income from
Archie Cochrane sponsorship, MSR registrations, and merch sales, our awesome club saw an
increase of $600-700 total. Good job gang!
- Co-op with Bozeman – This event was a success. We had drivers in Helena, Loren was happy
because we were able to use the track portion of the course, and there were 30-32 drivers for
both days. It was a great opportunity for two travelers coming home from Nationals, and they
stopped by to run with us on Sunday. Thanks to Kevin and Dee Dietz in their 2013 Toyota FRS.
It was great to meet you guys! I can confirm it was made known to many that if the track portion
was NOT used this weekend, there would be rioting. Not burning cars rioting, but definitely
some feet stomping and folded arms while pouting from many SCCA members. What did we
learn?
PROS – They have a nice, big trailer with plexi in the front for full view of the course
Their forwards and backwards works rather well with slight changes
They have a repeater antenna that is spendy and maybe not necessary
Nice to race and leave like other members do
CONS – Their trailer could be a bit more organized
They don’t have a TV for current run times
The course was changed at lunch to accommodate various issues
Many, many cones on the track portion than was necessary
Could have used more of the pad, some real estate left unused
For future events, we can suggest that one club builds the course one day, then the other club
builds the course the next. Maybe one club could build the road portion, and the other club
builds the pad and then switch the next day. These idea guarantee cooperation between the
clubs for work and design. This is an exceptional idea and many members this evening were
excited about the possibilities. Another idea for the coop was to make sure it is after Nationals,
so those traveling through can catch some more action and keep the fun rolling. Possibilities
include advertising at Nationals for our event. More thoughts and discussions to come.
- New Lot in Bozeman – Loren reports there is a new lot going in and Loren is a donation
alumnus to this particular group (didn’t catch the name) and he is hoping he can help sway their
decision on letting SCCA utilize it in the future. More to come on this exciting new piece of
asphalt. Bill reports doing many, many, many donuts in various parking lots here in Billings, and
he is certain he is the reason for Billings City code mandating pole and landscaping curbs due
to his hoodlum behavior in past decades.
- Live Timing – Live timing allows participants to check times in an instant and in real racing time.
It can be accessed on your Smartphone or computer. PLEASE BE MINDFUL THAT YR108
does not condone being on your phone while in grid or on course and while participating in live
action events. It is dangerous to be on your phone in the grid (could get smooshed) and strictly
forbidden when behind the wheel (distraction and not in control of the car) or working the course
(could also be smooshed or run over). So please be smart. We would hate for anyone to be
chastised for poor phone etiquette in front of other racers and spectators (it’s embarrassing).
Plus, one could catch the death (also embarrassing, and highly irreversible). Not smart at all.
Now that we’ve learned when TO use our phones (SMART – Out of your car, out of grid areas,
and off course far away from moving vehicles) and when NOT TO (NOT SMART – On course,
behind the wheel, working the bucket, etc.) the live timing link is here:
LIVE TIMING: prontolivetiming.com/yellowstone/
- October 5 – Metra event is ready to roll. Not much was discussed here, and it will be great. Try
to make it if you can. Make sure to vote for the Spirit of the Sport award and Most Improved
Driver award. It is important that the trophies get a new home for the year. SOTS is the driver
you think upholds and demonstrates the spirit of SCCA and autocross as a whole. MID is the
driver who has moved from ‘mid’ to ‘that’s pretty good’. Voting can happen once per event, and
if you feel like you have been to many events, but have not voted, you are welcome to postdate
your vote based on those events. If you have questions, just find a YR108 member and we can
help! It was decided that at this event, Matt will set the course, Jerod and Bill will grunt and be
bossed around, Carl will make sure Jerod Staebler knows he has a task and to show up on
time. Listen to Dad on this one.
- Whiteboard – It was suggested that considering past events where
help-should-have-been-asked-for-but-wasn’t was paired with
members-who-are-able-to-help-but-didn’t; the white board might be used to outline job
designations for event set up moving forward. It can also list current officers for the region and
that day’s Safety Stewards. It was also suggested to have a laminated list of tasks that need
doing, and people who want to help but don’t know what to do can refer to this list rather than
ask around and maybe get blank looks. Blank looks are abundant at times. Speaking of Safety
Stewards…
- Safety Steward – WE NEED SOME MORE!! Wanna learn how we keep our events safe? Ever
thought of yourself as someone with attention to detail (almost to a fault)? Ever had to tell
someone spectating to go get a wrist band? Have you had to call in to timing that a passenger
was holding their phone and to check if it was secure when the run was finished? Ever had to
DNF a run because the driver had their own hand or arm outside the car? Think you have what
it takes to build a bomb-ass course? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you would
make a great Safety Steward! RallyX needs some, and AutoX needs some too! If you’re
interested, email SCCA Region Services first, then they will open the Portal of Awesomeness for
you to enter and become certified. This is a go at your own pace set up, and they will guide you
through, as a Safety Steward may have once done for you on your first run in AutoX. After you
request courses on becoming the very valuable and completely necessary Safety Steward, the
link will present itself to you. Please direct any questions to Briant.
EMAIL: regionservices@scca.com
- Business Cards – In the works, Micah and Lane are working on getting the details together.
Could have handed out at least 50 of those bad boys this summer alone. If only we had them….
sigh
- Merch – Beanies, hats, sweatshirts, and T-shirts are ready to go home with you! Make sure to
bring some cash to pick up your new YR108 body coverings. Matt is tired of all those boxes of
them sitting in his living room. He reports it leaves no room for activities.
Beanies, hats, T-Shirts – $15
Sweatshirts – $25
- Officers – SCCA charter requires us to have officer names to headquarters by the end of
December and January. Our region has historically voted for officers in May prior to AutoX
season and post RallyX season. It was voted today to keep that the same this year. YR108 will
keep officers as they are, and anyone who thinks they want to do something official, come to a
meeting and see how it all happens. Who knows, maybe you can increase your satisfaction with
SCCA and increase participation in this totally bodacious club loaded with fabulous drivers who
are the bees knees.
- RallyX – Yay! When the sun rises fall further behind the clock, and the children begin their daily
march to the schoolyard, when the morning air is crisp with chilly temperatures and the leaves
begin to yellow ever so slightly, we anticipate the planning for the 2024-2025 RallyX Season
Opener. Tonight, it begins, and the excitement is no less this year than last. RallyX is one of the
best things to come out of a weedy dirty field. One of the many pleasures that can come from
winter besides the corporate Christmas Party. A continuation of the fun we call motorsports. The
course will be set by Matt and Luke, where Rally events 1, 2, and 3 will be at YDS, and events
4, 5 will be set in Bridger. The last events will be at Big Sky Speedway, there will be more to
come about these wonderful events. Make sure to bring your best dirty car, you know the one,
the one that has a wheel that likes to fall off every once in a while. Yes, that one. Because it will
be a great time and super fun. Be sure to dress for any kind of Montana weather. Show up at
7am.
- PRONTO – It was discussed whether we should continue to use Pronto or AxWare for Rally.
Discussion included the discount the Pronto man gave us because we are small beans and that
we can’t lose that discount so we should keep using Pronto. Another point was made that…
ummm… I don’t remember another point. We basically love this timing crack and yes, we have
become addicted. Hey man, we got that Pronto, want some? Voting to use Pronto for Rally was
almost unanimous, except Matt (jerk) and Kindra (missed most of the conversation and had to
vote against out of lack of knowledge).
- Cone Heads – This month, September 21 and 22 is Cone Heads in Helena. It is put on by
Great Falls region and There. Are. PRIZES!! There is some scheme (I don’t know the details,
but you can read about it on MotorSport Reg) where a driver can earn real AutoX cones for their
club! We have some that I have seen and wondered about. When I started driving with YR108, I
noticed some cones had the names and car numbers on them. I asked around and found out
that they came from this really great event! We encourage any driver to participate and register
early for Cone Heads in Helena, MT. The venue is fabulous, there are open areas where tents
can be put up (no stakes in the grass, it ruins the sprinklers and that’s expensive), there are
showers and inside toilets available too (there are some porta pots if you like to keep it rustic).
We plan to have a BYOD (bring your own drink) and Costco pizza dinner somewhere near Bill
B.’s trailer on Saturday night. Some have voted for thin crust. This is from Costco. Choices are
limited folks, but it is sure to be a good time. Anyone is welcome to bring a side to share, chips
or cookies or anything they want. Bring your own chair too and ask before you just sit on
someone’s lap. Also, just a friendly reminder, there is a strict NO ALCOHOL rule for the
RMESTC. Choose wisely.
** IMPORTANT DATES**
September 21-22 – Coneheads in Helena at RMESTC
September 28 – Casino event in Riverton, WY. (Only 4.5 hours away, fun times, great people)
October 5 – Metra Meltdown
October 20 – Season Opener for RallyX 😊
Meeting adjourned tonight about 9:08 pm. Bill brought in a huge roll of magnet, and Kindra will
attempt to make a magnetic version of some numbers for Bill as he lost one of his old ones.
Want some numbers? Message me and I can try. Experience is limited, cannot guarantee they
will “look professional” but will be considerably cheaper than AutoCrossDigits.com. Colors and
supplies are also limited. Bill only had one roll of this crap. FCFS. Look forward to sharing ideas
but don’t know where to go? Do you feel like no one listens to you at home? When you talk
cars, car parts, and going faster, do people’s eyes glaze over and do they start to drool? Do you
have big brain ideas but feel like all your genius falls on deaf ears? Come to a meeting.