We are proud to announce a sneak preview of the upcoming redone THSCC website! While there is still much to do before it can replace our current site, please take a look and let us know any feedback you have on what we have so far. The sneak preview site can be temporarily viewed at: http://thscc.xak.us. Please note that it is actively being worked on and may be unavailable or offline while under constructions. Please email your comments about the site to webmaster@thscc.com
About the Heel of the Month award: "The Heel of the Month Award was started in 1993 to honor one or more THSCC members each month for his/her recent outstanding driving or for recognition of some special or notable action recently performed either within the club or outside of the club."
January Heel of the Month: This month's Heel of the Month award has been awarded to a relatively new member, Tristan McBride. He begun autocrossing last year and took to the sport quickly. Within a few events he was finishing mid-pack in the highly competitive STR class in a borrowed S2000. Tristan also quickly began helping out wherever he could at events, and volunteered to run for Registrar in 2015, where he was subsequently elected. Please join us in congratulating Tristan and thanking him for his commitment to the club!
Don't forget to join us for the monthly Club Meetings on the second Wednesday of every month at Randy's Pizza on Miami Blvd in Durham!
2015 THSCC Staff
Meet your new staff members:
President - Zach Hill
First introduced to motorsports at a THSCC autocross in Laurinburg back in 2007, where despite my unwavering confidence, I DNF'd every run and came in DFL! But most of all, I was astonished that I could drive my car as fast as I could legally and not have to worry about getting a ticket! Instantly hooked, I attended every autocross I could, eventually progressing to HPDE events in 2010, and in 2014 began wheel to wheel racing. 2015 marks my third year proudly representing THSCC as an officer, having previously been a Vice President for the autocross and track programs. As your club President this year, I'm excited for the future of this club and honored to be a part of its leadership as the club enters its 51st year of operation. I'm looking forward to a great year of fun events!
Secretary - Steven Spampinato
My name is Steven Spampinato, I am your club secretary, and I have been autocrossing occasionally since 1996. I have a 2006 Civic SI that is my Kid “Daddys” Taxi on the weekdays and Street Class Racer on the weekends. I love my lumpy meatball of a FWD sports car.
Registrar - Tristan McBride
I have been to 4 auto-cross events so far. I enjoy every minute of these events, and am now your new registrar!
Timing and Scoring - Carlton Whitehead
I started autocrossing with THSCC in 2006 and has been addicted ever since. When he's not building software to fund his addiction, he might be petting his cat, Tulip, his partner's dog, Gidgett, or building software to make autocrossing more awesome.
RallyCross VP - Charles Lankford
I don’t really know what to say. I’m just an old guy that loves motorsports. I’ve lived in Cary for the last 17 years and recently discovered a love of trying to drive fast. Lacking experience, I joined THSCC to learn from and to share experience with other like-minded individuals. I’m VP of Rally Cross because no one else was stupid enough to take the job this year….. but someone has to do it. Nothing in life is free
Novice Coordinator - Jennifer Vance
This will be my fourth season with THSCC Autox, and my second participating in the HPDE program. I love my car and I love THSCC!
Novice Coordinator - Rob Lupella
Been Autocrossing for 14 years. Worked as Novice Coordinator for over 7 of those. Gets a kick out of watching novices improve on each run. Enjoys walks on the beach, fine wine, honesty and puppies. Turn offs include mean people, Chrysler products, and rain.
AutoCross VP - Brice Johnson
I have been autocrossing with THSCC off and on since 2000. I'm looking forward to a great year for the program with a good variety of sites culminating in hosting the NCAC!
AutoCross VP - Derek DeLong
I have been a member of THSCC since 2013 and a VP of autocross since 2014. I compete in STR class with a 2006 S2000. I joined THSCC after attending two autocross events as a spectator because of the comradery and friendly competition I saw among all the members and people I meet along the way.
AutoCross VP - Noah Fleming
Noah joined the club in 2008. Since then he has held the staff position of Worker Coordinator in 2011 and 2012, and Autocross VP in 2013,2014, and 2015.
Additionally, in 2015 he has taken on the role of Webmaster, managing the THSCC Website and working to deploy a new, updated site.
He first learned of Autocross from Zach Hill, who belabored him to autocross until he caved, then subsequently became hooked due to the comradery, competitiveness, and general mechanics of the sport.
He will always remember his first autocross in Sandford, NC, when his Novice instructor, Rob Lupella; said to him, "I guess we are going to drive the course backwards!"
Since beginning autocross, he has become involved with Track/HPDE related programs, and Karting. He has driven a Mazda RX8 in CS/STX, Mazda Speed3 in the old "TIR" class, and now runs his 2002 Honda S2000 in STR. His biggest accomplishment was placing 1st in STR class at the 2012 North Carolina Autocross Championship.
He looks forward to the clubs progress and is amazed at how the club has changed in the years for which he has been involved.
"To Motorsport commradery... *Clink*..."
Track VP - Stephen Westerfield
Stephen has been an active member since 2003 participating in autocross and track events. He has been instrumental in the successful operation the HPDE program, continuing the tradition of fun, safe events and providing the highest quality instruction to our students. Stephen plans to autocross his Mustang this year and also competes in LeMons endurance racing.
Newsletter Editor - Kolu Roth
I started out spectating at autocrosses in 2010 and finally was talked into the challenge of learning to drive an S2000 in 2011. VTEC! I have thoroughly enjoyed the experience of becoming a better driver, learning how to handle lots of different situations on the road and just the fun & camaraderie of being part of the THSCC Family.
Mgr. of Business Development - Dustin Fredrickson
Dustin has been a THSCC member since ~2003 and has served 2 terms each as Autocross VP and club President. For the past few years, Dustin has spent his time behind the scenes managing our Club Sponsorship program, and in his free time is a driver/co-owner in the 'Simon Says' Chumpcar racing team.
AutoCross Report
2014 was a great year for the autocross program
Highlights included a record attendance to our novice school, 8 points events including two wildly popular events at the NCCAR road course facility, and our best Jimmy V fundraiser event ever. The "Jimmy" event was a great occasion for us and Triad Sports Car Club to come together to remember a great friend and mentor that we lost in 2014, Jim Feinberg, as well as to raise money for a great cause. It was our 10th year raising money to fight cancer research, and to date we have raised over $50,000.
2015 is starting to shape up. We plan on having at least 8 events this year including not just one, but TWO autocross schools to help bring new participants into the sport. Our traditional novice school will be held March 28, and the women only "chick school" makes its return this year on May 16. Both events will be at Danville regional airport. Look for more details at motorsportsreg.com.
We hope to have the final calendar posted shortly, but events are already booked for February through May, with later dates still to be determined as we pursue new sites for the program. We are considering using Piedmont Dragway again, Fayetteville's Crown Coliseum, as well as making a return to Virginia Motorsports Park after many years away from there. As details firm up, we will post them on facebook, the forums, and of course, motorsportsreg.com.
Lastly, if you have been a part of the program for a while, and want to try your hand at course design, we need event chairs for upcoming events. We are always looking for creative designs. Contact autocross@thscc.com if you are interested or find the thread on the forums. We're gearing up for another great year!
RallyCross Report
2014 Review Last year was an exciting year for rally cross; attendance was up; and we added a late summer event at VIR that was run in conjunction with the track program. At least two of our members drove in both.
NU2 – 2-wheel drive under 2.4L running dedicated rally tires Did not have a competitor that qualified for season championship points.
SO4 – 4-wheel drive, over 2.4L running street tires Winner – Brett Murphy Second – David Brown Third – Brandon Creede
SU4 – 4-wheel drive under 2.4 L running street tires Winner – Nathan Miller Second – Drew Sheffield
SU2 – 2-wheel drive under 2.4L running street tires Winner – Charlie Guthrie Second – Pete Guthrie
2015 Rally Cross at a Glance Next year we plan to run a full rally cross schedule (8 to 9 events) with events being currently planned for VIR, Wilson Fairgrounds and Fayetteville Motor Sports Park. We’re also holding a Rally-X novice/practice day in conjunction with our first event at Wilson on February 28-March 1. This would be a great opportunity for folks who are not familiar with rally cross to enter the sport. Other locations may be added if we can find them and work out the details.
Car classes and rules will stay the same as last year.
We’re currently considering offering events at VIR in conjunction with the HPDE program similar to the Summer Sampler Event last September. We’re meeting with VIR later this month to firm up our plans for that venue. We’ll firm the schedule with other venues after that date.
Track Report
Happy New Years from the 2015 THSCC Track Staff. We hope you and your family had a great holiday season. The staff has been hard at work discussing next season and getting our schedule confirmed. Once again we have two events scheduled for VIR this year as well as our annual DE down at CMP. Here are the dates, so mark your calendars and schedule those days off so you can be sure to join us.
April 4-5, 2015 - Virginia International Raceway - North Course (including Karting Enduro on the evening of Saturday, April 4) June 6-7, 2015 - Carolina Motorsports Park Sept 5-6, 2015 - Virginia International Raceway - Full Course (including Karting Enduro on the evening of Saturday, September 5)
Register between now and January 13, 2015 and your fee will be $400
Register between January 14 and February 28, 2015 and your fee will be $425
Register between March 1 and April 4, 2015 and your fee will be $450
THSCC members will receive a $25 discount on top of these prices if you enter the member discount code. The discount will be listed on our forum. If you do not access the forum, please contact us at trackregistrar@thscc.com.
First responders as well as current and former military personnel are also eligible for an additional $25 registering after January 14.
Keep in mind all vehicles running our events must pass a tech inspection. We should have our annual tech days scheduled and registration open soon. If you aren't able to make one of the tech days, you can have your car inspected by any reputable shop using or tech form found here.
For details on registering for any of our 2015 events, keep your eye on our Motorsport Registration home page. We will be opening registration for the karting events at VIR, the annual tech days, as well as the CMP and VIR-F DE's between now and the middle of February.
As always, let us know if you have any questions at trackadmin@thscc.com and we look forward to seeing everyone next season!
