The Official Newsletter of the Motorsport Emergency and Turnworkers Association

M.E.T.A. c/o: 10952 McAdam Road, Delta, BC, V4C 3E8

Newsletter E-Mail: maydayeditor@meta.bc.ca

META Website: http://www.meta.bc.ca/

April 2014 Volume 39 Issue # 4

CLUB EXECUTIVE

PRESIDENT: Roger Salomon 604-581-7189 president@meta.bc.ca

VICE PRESIDENT: Manfred Zumm 604-521-4439 vicepresident@meta.bc.ca SECRETARY: Tasma Wooton 604-854-4245

secretary@meta.bc.ca TREASURER: Linda Zumm 604-521-4439 treasurer@meta.bc.ca PAST PRESIDENT:

Lynn Rimmer 604-584-1503

pastpresident@meta.bc.ca

NEWSLETTER STAFF EDITOR:

Andrew Clouston 604-942-4974

maydayeditor@meta.bc.ca fax 604-777-7703

MEMBERSHIP Thomas Liesner 604-584-1503 membership@meta.bc.ca All opinions expressed in the Mayday are those of the individual authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Mayday staff, Club Executive, or the members of META. META meetings are held on the fourth Wednesday of every month, except December. Publication deadline is the 30th of each month. Submissions may be faxed or e-mailed to the Editor. Produced in Canada.

Next META meeting will be

APRIL 23APRIL 23APRIL 23APRIL 23, 2014, 2014, 2014, 2014 Our meeting location is Boston Pizza

1045 Columbia, New Westminster, BC

SPEED READING Apr 9 SCCBC Meeting – Best Western, North Road Coquitlam, BC Apr 11 CACC Practice Day (Tentative) SCCBC Mission, BC

Apr 12 Long Beach Grand Prix IMSA Long Beach, Ca Apr 12&13 CACC Race #1 – MRP SCCBC Mission, BC

Apr 13 Long Beach Grand Prix Indycar Long Beach, Ca

Apr 15 VRCBC Enduro – TBC Karting 6:30 Richmond, BC Apr 23 META Meeting – Boston Pizza 7:30 New West, BC

Apr 26 Grand Prix of Alabama – Barber Motorsports Park

Indycar Birmingham, Al

Apr 26&27 ICSCC Race #1 – PIR CSCC Portland, Or

May 3&4 NASA Northwest #1 – PIR NASA Portland, Or

May 3&4 Spring Sprints – PR SOVREN Seattle, Wa

May 4 Monterey Grand Prix – Laguna Seca

IMSA Monterey, Ca

May 10 Indianapolis Grand Prix – Roadcourse

Indycar Indianapolis, Ind

May 10&11 ICSCC Race #2 – TRMP IRDC Shelton, Wa

May 10&11 Double Regional – PIR SCCA/OR Portland, Or

May 14 SCCBC Meeting – Best Western, North Road Coquitlam, BC

May 17&18 Knox Mountain Hillclimb KMMS Kelowna, BC

May 24&25&26

Double SCCA Majors – PR SCCA/NWR Seattle, Wa

May 24&25 CACC Race #1 – MRP SCCBC Mission, BC

May 25 Indianapolis 500 Indycar Indianapolis, Ind

May 28 META Meeting – Boston Pizza 7:30 New West, BC

May 31 Indy Dual in Detroit – Double Race #1

Indycar Detroit, Mi

May 31 Detroit Grand Prix IMSA Detroit, Mi May 30&31 & Jun 1

ICSCC Race #3&4&5 – SCR NWMS Spokane, Wa

Due to our inclement weather and a slipping paving schedule, the 2014 season schedule has been re-released. The year will begin with CACC Race One on May 24-25.

Mark your calendars. 2014 is getting a late start but is going to be a fun year!

Message from the Prez Warmer weather and sunshine. I guess racing season should have started locally but it all depends on BC Custom Car Club. As probably most of you have heard, the rules of NHRA say that the drag strip has to be concrete, but with the lousy weather we have had it prevented the laying of the concrete. As of last Wednesday, one side has been done, so let’s hope we can all go racing very soon. At our last META meeting we had the President of SCCBC, Steve Hocaluk, Vice President Roland Stec and Tedd McHenry the President of the VRCBC all present. It was a very positive meeting with everyone on the same page - to get the job done and have some fun. I was very impressed with the idea of trying to solve problems without using the pace car and thus give us a chance to evaluate the situation, clean it up and go racing again. There are some high end positions available (Clerk of the Course, Assistant Clerk, Chief of Flags and Stewards) so if you are interested please get in touch with the President of SCCBC. The only way to learn is to get involved, so why not try it out? Over Easter weekend the VRCBC and META have a display at Tradex in Abbotsford so if you can spend some time, give Mike Bailey a call as he is the coordinator. Let’s all bring some friends, neighbours, girlfriends etc to the track and have some fun in the sport that we all love.

Roger

British Columbia Historic Motor Races

Since 1981 the British Columbia Historic Motor Races have grown to become the largest vintage

racing event in Western Canada and one of the largest in the Pacific Northwest.

For 2014, the popular formula cars will race for the Westwood Cup as part of the theme of the

Hagerty Formula Festival, and there will also be a celebration of the arrival of Japanese sports cars

some fifty years ago.

Check the event website: www.bchmr.ca for the latest info.

From: http://www.vrcbc.ca/

VRCBC Season Opens with Karts! March 31st, 2014 Author: vrcbcadmin

These fabulous IWE ‘Piston Cup’ trophies will go to the winners! – IWE photo

As everyone knows, the start of the 2014 race season at Mission Raceway has had to be delayed until track improvements are completed. The first road racing event at Mission is currently scheduled for the May 24th-25th weekend. Vintage racers are always keen to keep their skills finely tuned so the VRCBC is organizing another of our very popular one-hour Kart Enduros. There will be an abbreviated monthly Club meeting held right after the race. Our race sponsor, IWE-Rear Ends Only, has donated three absolutely fabulous trophies for the winners. There will be the usual total of twelve teams with three drivers each. However, our sponsor has set a different format for this Enduro. This time, the members of each team will be selected by a random draw to be held just before the start. The odds are that former team mates will now become ‘arch-enemies’ and former enemies will find themselves on the same team. This could be very interesting! The Enduro will be held on the evening of Tuesday, April 15th; once again at our favourite venue, TBC Indoor Racing in Richmond. The one-hour race will start at 7:00 pm and the checker will fall at 8:00 pm. All entrants should be at TBC by 6:30 pm at the latest. (It is a good idea to allow a little extra time for the occasional rush hour traffic problems.) Entrants must be either a current VRCBC member or the guest of a current member. (That member does not have to be racing however.) The entry fee is $45 per entrant payable by cash or cheque at registration. (Sorry, no credit or debit cards.) Just contact the VRCBC Treasurer, Gayle Baird by phone or email to reserve your spot. TBC has helmets available but feel free to bring your own gear.

Entries are already pouring in, so don’t wait! Enter now!

From SCCBC Website: Due to our inclement weather and a slipping paving schedule, the 2014 season schedule has been re-released. The year will begin with CACC Race One on May 24-25. Two practice days are on the schedule for April 18 and May 23. Mark your calendars. 2014 is getting a late start but is going to be a fun year!

SCCBC / VRCBC Revised Race Schedule for 2014 March 30 CACC Practice Day (Tentative) April 5&6 Driver Training Session 1 April 11 CACC Practice Day April 12-13 CACC Race 1 (REVS 1 Sunday) April 18 CACC Practice Day (Tentative) May 23 CACC Practice Day May 24-25 CACC Race 1 (REVS 1 Sunday) (REVS Saturday TBC) June 27 FART Worker Appreciation Day June 28-29 Driver Training Session 1 July 12-13 CACC Race 2 featuring FART Formula Vee Invitational (REVS 2 Sunday) August 15-17 2014 BCHMR Historics (REVS 3) August 29 CACC Practice Day August 30 -September 1 ICSCC Triple Race Weekend September 13-14 CACC Race 3 (REVS 4 Sunday) October 11-12 CACC Race 4 (REVS 5 Sunday)

From: http://www.camaro5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=348449

My New Adventure: The Ride to Conquer Cancer

Dear Friends, Since you've known me for so long, you are well aware of my passion for cycling. You know how often I bike and how important this has become in my life. But now it has become even more significant. I discovered that riding my bike could not only be my favourite activity, but now it can help fight against cancer in The Ride to Conquer Cancer presented by Silver Wheaton benefiting the BC Cancer Foundation. I have officially signed on to ride from Vancouver to Seattle, and raise a minimum of $2500. My goal, however, is $5,000. All proceeds go to the BC Cancer Foundation, who uses the money for world-class research, as well as cancer treatment and education. And they use it as soon as they receive it, not when the bike ride happens. This is my fifth year participating in the ride and it is especially important to me this year as I have recently lost my best friend, David Woolley, to lung cancer. So, yes, this is a request for your financial support. A dollar for every kilometre that I'll be riding would be absolutely awesome! You can donate over a period of time too, if you aren't able to give all at one time. I thank you in advance for whatever you can give. Just click on the link below to go to my webpage and make an online donation, or fill out a donation form and send it back to me. This ride is going to be an unforgettable adventure, and I hope you'll be a part of it with me. Sincerely,

Ian Wood Click here to visit my personal page. If the text above does not appear as a clickable link, you can visit the web address: http://www.conquercancer.ca/site/TR?px=1781138&pg=personal&fr_id=1514&fl=en_US&et=Za133N_VAiF5mmlzlYkh3g&s_tafId=397372 Click here to view the team page for Wedgewood Cycling Team powered by Glotman Simpson If the text above does not appear as a clickable link, you can visit the web address: http://www.conquercancer.ca/site/TR?team_id=63630&pg=team&fr_id=1514&fl=en_US&et=7Sd2GQW9X_hmk5kl3565DQ&s_tafId=397372

Submitted by Ann Peters. From: http://motorsportsmusings.wordpress.com/

Corner Marshals in the new Series Posted on March 19, 2014 by Josh Banker 2014 has brought about one of the most anticipated series in North America with the combination of the American Le Mans Series and the Grand Am series. The “merger”, as it has been called, has been documented extensively and requires no elaboration for this writing, but many questions have been raised “post merger” based on the two opening rounds that have taken place. Of the many that there are, and the term “many” does not seem to quite cover it, one that is on the frontlines is safety. Something that has been discussed more openly than in recent memory has been the importance and utilization of the “men in white/orange” known as Corner Workers or Marshals. Roughly 5-10 years ago, when marshals were stationed during ALMS events, we were assisting IMSA Safety, the traveling safety crew that took on much of the responsibility during incidents. Marshals and IMSA Safety worked well together with marshals being the very first on scene most of the time and Safety being close behind to offer specified response. Aside from a few issues of cross purposing, the formula worked well. However, about 5 or so years ago, marshals began to notice a little push back from the series about responding to incidents. Over the years, until the resolution of the ALMS, more and more restrictions were put on marshals as to what they could do in a situation that required assistance. In the morning meetings it was always said, “should you feel the need to go on track to assist a driver or car, do it but let us know.”; this coming from either the Race Director or the people in charge of comms during the event. But it still felt as if marshals were only there to wave a flag and make a call. During the week of the final ALMS round, the Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta, it was revealed that IMSA Safety would not be making the move to the new series, leaving the responsibilities to local track crews. Many were shocked to say the least. Questions immediately began to be raised. Fast forward to Sebring. As this writer was unable to attend the 24 Hours of Daytona, I have no place to comment on the happenings except from what was conveyed by fellow marshals. The morning meeting for marshals occurs hours before the first car is on track. This gives some IMSA officials the chance to discuss with us any important information, as well the chance for marshals to voice concerns or ponderings. While the mood is generally jovial, when it comes to the topic of marshal response, things get serious. When the topic arrives, the wording went something like this. “If you need to go on track, we can sometimes let you, if you need to clear debris or something. Call us, we will discuss it and decide what and when you can do it.” To quote specifically now, “We need to have a conversation first.” That is the exact wording every single morning from an IMSA race official. Is that not interesting? It is my opinion that this phrasing should not sit well with anyone, since it certainly does not sit well with me. The topic of the fire occurring at turn six involving Ben Keating in the #33 Viper Exchange SRT Viper GTS-R is one that needs to be looked at very closely. I was stationed at turn 6, just under the cross over bridge. The car came by slow drivers left, off the normal racing line, alerting me that there was an issue. When the car came to a stop a few hundred feet away, it immediately went up in flames. My thought process, as a marshal went like this. I need to signal to my communicator that there is a fire and we need a fire truck now. My second thought should be, “How am I going to get to the car with my extinguisher that is already in my hand?” However, that was not my second thought. What really went through my head was

“Have I been given permission to go trackside? Has the conversation taken place? What repercussions will I face if I go to the car without permission?” By this time, Keating had self-extricated from the car and was at a safe distance. In the time these thoughts ran through my head I could have safely at least gotten to the car and began to spray the car with dry chem, but it was too late. A response that could have taken less than 20 seconds never happened. As a marshal with years of experience responding to these types of incidents in club racing, I never have to fear repercussions, until now. Now I’m second-guessing my every move based on the restrictions placed upon me. By now, everyone knows what happened with the response time to the #33 and there is no need to elaborate on it here. The question was asked on social media if any marshal would’ve left their station in order to respond if Keating was still in the car. Without a doubt in my mind, I would have, however that is my thought process and that is not the standard for everyone. But it raises a serious issue and piles onto the already growing pile of concerns surrounding safety. Why aren’t marshals allowed do the very job they are there for? There are no “green” marshals posted at any station during a pro event. Each marshal has years or decades of marshalling experience and training and has proven him or herself time and time again. Many travel across the country and world marshaling. I work with these people and trust most of them with my life, as they do with me. Marshal intervention is not always necessary but is needed. We are being forced to become spectators when we could be helpful. If IMSA is going to continue to no longer have a traveling safety team that can go on track with these cars during sessions, then exceptions need to be made in order to compensate for the delayed response by local crews who may not be used to the high speeds or car counts. Increased marshal intervention is not going to solve all the problems. What it will do, however, is provide a slightly safer racing environment when real help can be had within a matter of seconds versus a matter of minutes. Safety First. Disclaimer: This was written from the perspective of a nationally licensed corner marshal. While I speak as a

corner marshal, I do not speak for all marshals, either in the United States or worldwide. The intention was to

show where we have come from to where we are now and why a quicker response was not had at Sebring on

race day. This is from my personal perspective and should not serve as the thought process and mindset of

every marshal at any given racetrack.

Saturday June 14, 2014

Family Affair Racing Team WORKER Appreciation Day Want to get off the side of the track? Want to get in a Vee and drive??!! NOW YOU CAN!!!!! On June 27/2014. (yes its a Friday) The F.A.R.T Team will be bringing out their fleet of Vee's for their very own WORKER appreciation day!!! That’s right!! YOU can get in one of these fun cars and do laps around the Mission Road Course. This has been long in the works and with the help of SCCBC and the Custom Car Club it is now reality!!!!! You will NOT need a fire suit but if you have one then you can wear it. Helmets will be provided. Laps will be controlled by a pace car so speeds will not be high. However the pace car will pick up speed as the laps progress and you can drive at your comfort level. There will be morning sessions followed by a break at lunch where there will be a BBQ. Then back to the track. At the end of the day, we will prep the track for the weekends driver training. There will be 10 cars there so you'll have to share cars to give everyone a chance. BUT WAIT!!!!! You say you're too big to get in the tight confines of a Vee? That’s ok!!!!! The F.A.R.T team is currently working with the Nixon team on bringing his sedans out as well!!!!!! This promises to be a fun day. So try and make it!!! Many thanks to Bob and Pam Williams and the F.A.R.T team for putting on this great day!!!! It will be SO much fun. All those wishing to partake? Please send me your name via email and also spread the work to any workers from our track at Mission who may not see this. Only requirement is that you be a current turn worker/pre-grid, or ecrew member. A day to remember for sure!!!!!!

Darren Phillips ecrew3@hotmail.com

An opportunity to support META and at the same time protect your life and your property! META is currently selling to the general public, 400ml cans of Coldfire, the eco-friendly fire extinguisher, for only $22 each including all taxes. Buy one for your home, your car and/or your boat, or even as a gift. Check the Coldfire website www.coldfirecanada.com for more information about the product, then contact: Ann Peters at 604-581-7189 to order your supply.

From IMSA Insider: http://www.imsa.com/articles/nineties-tumultuous-decade-sports-car-racing

The Nineties: A Tumultuous Decade For Sports Car Racing The 1990s proved to be a tumultuous decade for North American sports car racing. Opening with the "glory days" of the IMSA GTP Prototypes that was documented in last month’s report, the decade concluded with open wounds that led to an acrimonious split that is only now healing with the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship.

Major teams with the Porsche 962, Jaguar XJR-12, Nissan GTP-ZXT, Ford Probe GTP, Chevrolet Spice and Toyota-Eagle Mk III produced full fields and great racing. However, with the great cars came spiraling costs, driving away the smaller teams and eventually even the factories called it quits. By 1993, only Dan Gurney's All American Racing remained. P.J. Jones set the all-time Daytona sports car qualifying record with a lap of 1:33.875 (136.522 mph), and then joined Rocky Moran and Mark Dismore in a 10-lap victory over a GTS Ford Mustang fielded

by Jack Roush – his ninth consecutive victory in the class. At Sebring, Juan Fangio II and Andy Wallace scored their second consecutive 12 Hour victory in the team's No. 99 Eagle. The team went on to win every race it entered (it sat out the Road America round with the title well in hand), and Fangio and Jones finished 1-2 in the final standings. The GTP era came to a close when Jones took the checkered flag for the season finale at Phoenix. IMSA was ready, though, with a new open-cockpit prototype – the World Sports Car. As early as 1988, five-time IMSA champion and two-time Rolex 24 winner Al Holbert was working on an open-cockpit Porsche prototype. Serving as director of Porsche Motorsport North America, Holbert met with IMSA officials shortly before his untimely death in a plane crash on Sept. 30, 1988, on the eve of the IMSA GT race in Columbus, Ohio. With the loss of factory teams over the next two years, plans for the new class accelerated. Plans were announced to competitors at the end of the 1992, with theGTP cars eligible for only one more season. The WSC debuted at Miami in 1993, with Brent O'Neill finishing 12th in a Buick-powered Kudzu as one of two cars in the new class. By the end of the year, five cars were on the grid for the Phoenix season finale, won by Andy Evans and Fermin Velez in a Buick Kudzu. At first, WSC was populated by chassis based on cars competing in the Camel Lights class for smaller GTP Prototypes – with more powerful engines. Some cut the roofs off existing GTP or Lights cars. Other showed ingenuity, such as Rob Dyson, who put a Ferrari 348 engine in a Spice chassis. The World Sports Car opened the 1994 season as IMSA's lead class – and competed at Daytona and Sebring for the first time. Clayton Cunningham's Nissan 300ZX, competing in the GTS class, won overall in both of the Florida classics. Scott Pruett won his first overall victory in the Rolex 24, joined by Paul Gentilozzi, Butch Leitzinger and Steve Millen. At Sebring, Johnny O'Connell joined Millen in the same car. A Harry Brix-owned Oldsmobile Spice won the class at the Rolex 24, finishing ninth overall with a driver line-up including Jeremy Dale. At Sebring, Derek Bell, Andy Wallace and James Weaver took the class in the Auto Toy Store Chevrolet Spice, taking second overall.

It quickly became obvious that it would take more than a homemade special to win in World Sports Car. Ferrari raised the bar when it commissioned the Ferrari 333SP. Realizing it would take more to win than a homemade hybrid, Dyson commissioned Riley & Scott to build the R&S MK III. The two would dominate the class for the remainder of the decade. Looking back, the 1995 Rolex 24 was a great "what might have been" event. Porsche entered a pair of turbocharged Le Mans WSC Prototypes, and tested at Daytona with Mario Andretti and Scott Pruett – with four-time Rolex 24 winner Bob Wollek also in the line-up. Only two weeks before the event, IMSA imposed additional restrictions on the air intakes for the new Porsches – and the factory promptly withdrew both cars. Ironically, the Kremer team raced a Porsche K8 with the restricted engine – and won overall with a line-up including Christophe Bouchut and Marco Werner. The race had a 74-car entry – its largest in recent years – including 20 World Sports Cars. Stealing the headlines from the overall winner was the GTS class Jack Roush returned to the event after a one-year absence, and won it for his 10th straight attempt in the No. 70 Nobody's Fool Ford Mustang. The car was a 70th birthday present for Paul Newman by his Hollywood studio, with Tommy Kendall, Mark Martin and Mike Brockman co-driving. At Sebring, Evans, Velez and Eric van do Poele won in a Scandia Ferrari 333SP. The remainder of the decade was dominated by the Ferrari and Riley & Scott WSCs. Current Rolex 24 drivers Wayne Taylor and Jim Pace swept both classics in 1996 driving an Oldsmobile-powered Riley & Scott, joined by Scott Sharp at Daytona and van de Poele at Sebring. Gianpiero Moretti, Mauro Baldi and Didier Theys swept both Florida races in 1998, joined by Arie Luyendyk at Daytona in the No. 30 Momo Ferrari 333SP. Velez and Evans repeated at Sebring in 1997, joined by Yanick Dalmas and Stefan Johansson. Dyson's investment paid dividends at Daytona in 1997 and 1999, when a pair of Ford-powered MK IIIs won overall. The 1997 race saw Dyson's lead car break at 6 p.m. He had entered a second car that year, partly for insurance reasons and partly to reward fellow veterans John Schneider and Elliott Forbes-Robinson, who co-drove with the New Yorker. When the primary car broke, that car was six laps down. Butch Leitzinger and John Paul Jr. (later joined by Wallace and Weaver) made up the distance, and Leitzinger prevailed over Velez in a final hour battle. The on-track competition was fabulous. Car counts were also solid – the 1997 Rolex 24 had an 80-car starting field, only two shy of the record set in 1984. However, politics dominated the talk as the decade progressed. IMSA had been in good hands under the leadership of John Bishop. A succession of different owners tried in vain to carry that momentum. Mike Cone and Jeff Parker led IMSA through 1994, relocating the organization from Connecticut to Tampa, Fla., prior to selling it to Charles Slater. Two years later, Evans and Roberto Mueller bought IMSA, and changed its name to Professional Sports Car Racing prior to the 1997 12 Hours of Sebring. Concerned with the future of that sanctioning body, Daytona International Speedway awarded the sanction for the Rolex 24 to a new organization. The USRRC , an alternative series sanctioned by the SCCA, folded only three races into the 1999 season. Impressed with a visit to the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Dr. Don Panoz held a new event to close out the 1998 PSCR season. Styled after the French event, Panoz called it the Petit Le Mans. Encouraged by Panoz and the success of that event, the lead PSCR series became the American Le Man Series, using rules similar to the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The move paid immediate dividends. The BMW factory team won the 1999 season-opening 12 Hours, with J.J. Lehto, Tom Kristensen and Jorg Muller scoring a BMW V12 LMR. A fork in the road had been reached.

604-287-3332 Mission, BC

Specializing in Sports and Vintage Cars

Surgery Hours 8:30 to 5:00

Monday to Saturday

Membership C/O Thomas Liesner, 8849 143A Street, Surrey, BC V3V 7P7

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PLEASE MAKE CHEQUES PAYABLE TO META or Renew on-line by PayPal or credit card at

http://meta.bc.ca/wordpress/forms Membership cost is $25 / year – Membership year ends Dec. 31 – Note that the META newsletter is only sent via E-Mail