VARA ANNUAL MEETING - January 3, 2008
2009 Annual Meeting at Trench Shoring in Corona, CA.
By Brian Mertz | Photos by Gil Murrieta |
“In troubled times, people want to do what they love,” General Manager Darlene Longacre told attendees at VARA’s 2008 Annual Meeting on Jan. 3.
Facing a serious economic challenge amid the deepening worldwide recession, the club will depend on its members’ love of vintage racing to maintain high levels of participation in 2008.
Despite ever-increasing track rental, insurance and other costs, President Pat Kniep said that entry fees remain the same as last year.
“Participation in our events will be more important this year than at any time in the past,” he said, urging members to enter as many race weekends as they can.
Member turnout at the meeting might be taken as a positive sign, as it was standing-room-only at VARA stalwart Tom Malloy’s impressive museum/workshop in Corona.
After club officers’ reports, ballots were counted to elect VARA’s 2009 Board of Directors:
| President |
Pat Kneip
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| Vice President / Eligibility Chairman |
Jeff Ireland
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| Director |
Phil Mendelovitz
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| Treasurer/Safety Chairman |
Brad Long
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| Director |
Chris Horn
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| Director of Marketing |
Kim Madrid
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| Secretary |
James Smith
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| Legal Counsel |
Steve Young
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| Motor Racing Outreach |
Virgil Kilpatrick
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After noting that VARA’s bank account took only a small hit last year, Treasurer Brad Long said that the club “held our own, and that’s what we need to continue to do in the coming year.”
Kniep and Longacre praised the efforts and enthusiasm of the club’s volunteer workers as “the glue that keeps us together,” specifically noting the marketing outreach spearheaded by board members Kim Madrid and Phil Mendelovitz.
Mendelovitz pointed to the success of last year’s Ginetta reunion at Buttonwillow, and said more special marque events are being planned.
Other new programs include lower-cost tiered sponsorships, an online version of Vintage Voice magazine, and increased coordination with outside groups such as Formula 2000, which will share track expenses at four VARA events this year.
A race at Pahrump, Nev., was trimmed from the 2008 schedule, although it may be back next year. Kniep said the board also considered dropping its July weekend at Fontana, but retained it because Speedway officials indicated that VARA might lose its priority status for two events per year at the track.
Encouraging reports were received on a pair of brand new racing venues, including Tom Malloy’s expansive motorsports complex near Lancaster and another road course being planned east of Palm Springs at Desert Center.
Malloy said his track’s Draft Environmental Impact Report has been approved, but it could be another year before the project is presented to the L.A. County Board of Supervisors for approval.
“I’ve written into the bylaws that I win any race,” Malloy joked, “even if I’m not there.”
FOR PHOTOS OF THIS EVENT, VISIT THE VINTAGE VOICE ONLINE GALLERY
