CMC state of the union...September 2009

[Al F.]

Now that I'm (finally) back on a computer I wanted to say a few things. I'm posting here in the Announcements so everyone will see it and be able to refer back to it if necessary.

 

First and foremost topic is the fact that Tony G has stepped down from being our National Director and I am taking over the reigns. You should all know that Tony and I are best friends, we talk all the time, and he is not going very far. Yes he is unhappy with a few things NASA, but certainly not with CMC as a class or as a family. My bet is it wont be long before you see Tony running around a track in a CMC car.

 

Second...we had a sit down meeting last week with NASA National, ie Jerry Kunzman, John Lindsey, and Ryan Flaherty. From our side it was myself, Todd Covini, Mike Plum, and Nick Steel. We talked about everything from NASA as a business to class specifics, and I want to share with you the major items:

 

a) We all agreed that CMC as a class is very attractive and forms a key part of NASA's portfolio of classes. Even though car count per event may be down in California, it is up (and by a lot in some cases) in every other region. That shouldnt be surprising. The national championships are not indicative of the fact that CMC is bigger than AI as far as overall car count goes. NASA loves CMC!

 

b) We are very happy (with one notable exception below) of where CMC2 has fallen regarding on track performance Vs cost Vs reliability etc. The name of the game now is rules stability, for CMC2, as it has been for years in CMC.

 

c) The 3rd gen CMC2 formula is a flat out disaster and is a top priority for us to correct. I asked for resources, and NASA happily offered up cash and track time as long as we put up the human labor. Together we will, and in short order, figure out options for making 3rd gen GM cars competitive in CMC2 trim. Now...I know our National Champ drove a 3rd gen, but as you'll agree once I publish the data, that was in spite of being down on straight line performance and not because of making more torque.

 

d) NASA is going to continue scheduling CMC as Northern Cal and Southern Cal. The car count results this year in Cali are being influenced by many factors, not just the regional split. Therefore, and since NASA is a business based on regions, they are going to stick to the regional model. This is their decision, and as it is their business it is theirs to make.

 

e) Even though NASA wants a Norcal and a Socal, we did agree that cross Ca events could help both sides. We will work with them to put together a schedule that makes it worthwhile for the teams to travel a bit in exchange for higher car counts.

 

Well that is about it for now. I'm going to open up some threads in the other sections on specific topics to try to keep things organized.

 

Thanks for reading!

[tacovini]

Thanks Al,

I think periodic "State of the Union" addresses are important and very helpful to keep everyone in the know.

 

-=- T