Hi,
I wasn't born yesterday, but I had no idea that SJ was the focus of such
divergent views. I met Steve a couple of times and as Ernie, I worked a
corner with him (Solo II Nats, 2001) and he was willing to roll up his
sleeves and pitch in. Therefore, I have a totally different view of his
time at the helm.
Some of the negative stuff that I've read here and on other lists appears
to me as sour grapes over decisions that were made by SCCA boards and NOT
SJ, for example the turmoil in the D Mod Solo II classing. But the truth
of the matter is that those decisions are born by those boards, NOT the
president of SCCA. SCCA really is a member club - but you have to
participate in the process. Sometimes the various boards don't decide for
things that we (personaly) want. Does that mean that those folks don't
want participation of Triumphs or whatever? NO. It means that the folks
pushing whatever agenda that pervailed made whatever argument was
necessary to get the rules changed.
When SJ took over SCCA, the organization was bleeding red ink and "the
end" was literally just a matter of time. In the last number of years SCCA
has been hit from all angles with stuff that literally can kill
organizations. If you don't believe me, look at the sanctioning fees for a
Solo event. Or the demise of the national rally program. SCCA is still
here and that is in some part a testimony to SJ.
Yes, rules get changed that render cars back to the middle of the pack. So
what? Think about this - what if there was NO SCCA. Then what? Do you
really want to play with cars at "lifestyle" events? I don't know about
you, but I want to play with cars not look a "hotties" that are young
enough to be my grandchildren... SCCA still is a hard-core organization.
The cars have changed, the racing has changed, but for some of us, it's
the only game in town. And the neat thing about SCCA is that if stuff
isn't going the way you think it should, if you pitch in you can make a
difference. Try that with NASCAR or NASA or whatever.
Some folks have voted with thier money and dropped membership. That's
kool. And that's where the meaningful criticism ends. End of story.
In a way, I have to say that I sort of envy SJ's move to the helm of Champ
Car. I mean, how kool would it be to be able to get paid to run a race
series???
Regards,
rml
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