I find myself very much in agreement with Jamie.
Incidentally, since we've been nattering about this memo with no point of
reference, it's at http://www.scca.org/news/fastrack/03-02.pdf -- you need
to download it to an Acrobat reader. It's on page F-25, starting the bottom
of column 1.
I had occasion to attend a non-SCCA autocross last year where, sadly, a
rather bad injury accident happened. I found myself very glad that it was
not an SCCA event and that I had no connection to it other than as
competitor, and that my heat was over when it happened. Even the classes,
although based on SCCA's, had entirely different names and some rather
bizarre groupings. But we remarked afterward that when the s*** happened, it
was SCCA people who jumped in to take care of things from crowd control to
triage while others (including organizers) stood and stared. Like, we were
the ones who knew how.
I'd prefer not to rehash that event at this point other than to note that
there were aspects an SCCA Solo II safety steward would not have let happen
and that are specifically addressed (and proscribed) in our rulebook.
It is just such as that, IMHO, that Johnson's caution addresses.
--Rocky Entriken
----- Original Message -----
From: "Jamie Sculerati" <pullg@mindspring.com>
To: "Team.Net" <autox@autox.team.net>; "Evolution List"
<evolution-discussions@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Friday, January 10, 2003 9:35 PM
Subject: The memo...another view
> I hadn't actually gotten around to reading Steve Johnson's infamous memo
> until today, but after reading it, I don't find it threatening at all. I
> don't have a pipeline into Steve Johnson's head, but after a few years in
> the world of corporate consulting, the intent is pretty clear.
>
> Association of the SCCA with any event has a significant meaning, both in
> terms of the club's reputation and legal responsibility. Section 1.1 of
the
> SIIR says that certain portions of the rulebook -- in particular, those
> related to safety -- "are mandatory in all Solo II events that a Region
> solely or jointly organizes, conducts, sanctions, or otherwise cooperates
as
> a Region in organizing." That's got some teeth in it from a risk
management
> point of view, because the insurance rates (or maintenance of an insurance
> policy at all) are in part predicated on following those standards. Other
> organizations can, and do have different standards -- for instance, most
of
> the events in the multi-club series in my area don't have a dedicated
safety
> steward position, because none of the other clubs sponsoring events
require
> such as measure. That doesn't prevent SCCA members from participating as
> individuals, but events in the same series that are sponsored or assisted
by
> the local SCCA region *do* have a safety steward, because one of the
> mandatory sections of the SIIR says they must.
>
> Likewise, the SCCA attempts to maintain a certain image in motorsports.
The
> memo's message was: protect it, even when partnering with or lending a
hand
> to other sanctioning bodies. It certainly *doesn't* mean don't play with
> other organizations -- the road-racing side of the club has been
partnering
> with other sanctioning bodies for decades, and for a long time, the SCCA
> profited from the association. But if, for instance, an SCCA region
> partnered up for an event with the newly-formed Billy-Bob's Autocross
> Series, and things didn't go well, whose image would suffer more? In
> autocross, the Solo II rules are also part of the club's reputation --
they
> are the current de facto standard for the sport. That's a rather
> substantial piece of intellectual property, and should be protected as
such.
> Again, that doesn't mean other organizations shouldn't, can't, or don't
use
> them, but with full recognition (and credit) to the SCCA.
>
> Autocross is a fairly laid-back sport -- we tend to identify with our
fellow
> drivers more than with the organizations we all belong to. I think
> Johnson's aware of the casual alliances regional Solo programs tend to
form
> with those in other clubs -- which shows he's paying attention to the
sport
> and the way it works, something I find very encouraging! With a serious
> national-level sanctioning body standing up, he's trying to anticipate
> cooperation and maintain the SCCA's strengths, which is, after all, what
> members are paying him to do.
>
> Jamie
> '92 Prelude Si
> Speed Demon Racing
> http://www.mindspring.com/~jsculerati/sdr
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