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About THSCC

Since 1964, Tar Heel Sports Car Club has been organizing motorsport events across Eastern North Carolina. What started as autocrosses and road rallies has grown to include rallycross, karting, HPDE track days, and sim racing.

THSCC is a nonprofit social club organized under IRS Section 501(c)(7). Every dollar of your dues goes back into timing gear, cones, track rentals, and the programs you love.

Executive Committee

THSCC is governed by a 17-member Executive Committee elected annually by the membership. Officers serve one-year terms beginning January 1.

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Mark Beech

President

I first ran with the club from 2002–2006 but then life took me in a different direction. At the end of 2015, I returned to the sport and began running with the club full time. During the 2016 season, I saw a need that fit my skillset and began volunteering as a tech inspector. That progressed to Co-Chief of Tech and then Chief of Tech over the next few seasons. For 2020, I was voted into an Autocross VP position and held it through the end of 2024, when I became President for the 2025 season. Along the way (2023–2025), I also held one of the Track VP positions after answering a call for help from that program.

The position of President is the glue that binds the club and its various programs together. We have many talented and passionate people in the club, and finding ways to channel that into constructive action is a main mission. I try to prioritize and encourage the generation of new ideas, creative solutions, and collaborative thinking. As a volunteer-driven organization, I see this as the best way to continue moving the club forward.

Over the course of the 2025 season, the success of the Karting program, the resurgence of our Cars & Coffee presence, and the return of the HPDE program are all evidence that we are heading in the right direction. All of these involved someone coming forward with ideas on how to make something work for the benefit of the club. My task has been to enable them to be successful.

Elbrus Batca

Elbrus Batca

VP, Autocross

Drives: 1985 Porsche 944, 1974 BMW 2002tii

I’ve been with the club for 3 years, since my first ever autocross at the 2022 Novice School, and I’ve been to pretty much every one of our autocross events since. I’ve been a worker coordinator and the Chief Worker Coordinator for the past two years, so if you’ve come to an autocross you’ve probably seen me at the yellow tent.

I’ve also been setting up and manning our booth at most of the Morrisville Cars and Coffee events, attending and helping with our karting program, and I signed up for my first HPDE with THSCC. I’m eager to try rallycross whenever I have a car I can do it in.

As VP, I’ll do my best behind and in front of the scenes to make sure that we can continue to have fun autocross events. I’ll be listening to everyone’s feedback and continuously looking for ways we can improve our events.

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Duane Black

VP, Autocross

I have been an avid autocrosser for THSCC since completing novice school with this club in 2016. This journey has since led to over 100 autocross events with 4 clubs, a trip to nationals, and several other major events. I have enjoyed every step of the journey and worked in several roles along the way. I’ve done course design, “bus duty”, instructed novices, and probably filled every job at the event at some point in time. I’d love to bring what works that I’ve learned from major events, Tarheels officers, and even (dare say) rival clubs, to improve the experience for everyone.

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Dan Shugan

VP, Autocross

I’ve been autocrossing with THSCC since 2017 in my bone stock Camaro SS. Since then I’ve discovered that wrenching on cars is fun and that Miata is actually the answer. During that time I’ve expanded to attending other clubs like Triad, CCR, and NCR, and even a few national events, but my heart has always been with Tarheel.

I worked my way into the timing trailer and attending event setup days, then to Registrar where I dabbled in some IT/Webmaster work, and more recently as an Autocross VP, helping with scheduling, preparing, coordinating, setting up, and running the events.

I want to improve our communication leading up to and during events, and document some of the tribal knowledge about how our events are produced—not just for others to learn and continue in the future, but also for myself. The older I get, the more I understand Indiana Jones Sr when he said, “I wrote it down in my diary so I wouldn’t have to remember.” I hope to continue the strides the club has made in recent years for running fun and smooth events.

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Doug Henry

VP, RallyCross

Doug Henry has been absolutely hooked on THSCC Rallycross since his first event 2.5 years ago. Since that fateful day he has come to understand what it takes to make events run safely and smoothly before, during, and after race day. Veteran members coached him in many facets of the program, and by now he has worked or volunteered in almost every Rallycross role there is from Announcer to Tech Inspector to Course Designer. For the past year he has been a general staff member of the Rallycross program providing support and guidance for new and veteran members alike. He has also taken a particular interest in course design, course safety, and site upkeep including many long hours on the tractor. Doug cares deeply about Rallycross as a regionally rare motorsport and wishes to see the program thrive so anyone who is willing can learn foundational car control skills, and enjoy every moment of it.

His goals are to continue to grow the program while keeping events varied and interesting for existing members. He plans to bring clear communication, attention to detail, and lots of enthusiasm to the Rallycross program. He hopes to see you all in the dirt!

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Lauren Marcus

VP, RallyCross

I’ve been part of Tarheel Sports Car Club since 2021, mostly competing in rallycross, with some autocross and karting mixed in. As a Rallycross Vice President since 2024, I’ve worked to make the program more organized and accessible—keeping the website current, improving MotorsportReg event pages, and publishing full season calendars in advance. I also hope to add novice-focused sessions to help new drivers gain experience and confidence. I enjoy supporting our rallycross community and hope to continue serving our staff and drivers.

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Duane Black

VP, HPDE / Track

I began my track career in 2016, and it has been the best part of my life! It has led to me running 68 track days in the past decade, including a couple with Tarheel. I have instructed on track and in the classroom in other clubs (and still do), and observed a lot of protocols and procedures used by a variety of clubs. My goal is to bring together the best ideas I’ve seen executed by approximately 15 clubs at events run in 13 states (and a province of Canada), to provide the best experience possible for our club members of every driving level, from novice to advanced, and the instructors we need along the way!

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Connor Placer

VP, HPDE / Track

I’m an HPDE instructor, autocrosser, time attack competitor, and LGBT+ activist. I’ve been with THSCC for 4–5 years now and have helped with autocross as an instructor and served as Track VP. My goal as Track VP is to bring life to our track program, attract new and diverse crowds to our motorsports community, and make THSCC an even more open and welcoming place for anyone.

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David Talaski

VP, HPDE / Track

I have been a club member since 2018 with my first track day at VIR in 2019 with THSCC. Since then, I’ve considered THSCC to be my home club and VIR to be my home track. I’ve enjoyed a variety of events offered by THSCC including HPDE and autocross. I’ve participated in THSCC events and helped out at the recent Tire Rack Street Survival event. Leveraging experience from my career in engineering and my current volunteering experience with Kramden Institute, I would love to help bring back more HPDE events to THSCC.

Albert Rhein

Albert Rhein

VP, Karting

Drives: 2015 VW GTI

It’s your boy, Albert, here to mix it up on the track, either in a car or in a kart! Extroverted by nature and fueled by ADHD, I wanted to join a group of like-minded folks and thankfully found THSCC back in 2017 when we were running Autocross events out of Cary Towne Centre Mall. Returning to full membership in 2023, I set off to Frozen Frenzy HPDE out of VIR and then a full season of AX’ing in G Street, taking the class championship and becoming a full staff member as registrar. I’ve since taken the Club STH/GST championships in 2024/2025 and won 1st for GST in the 2025 NC Autocross Championship.

Membership retention was a big objective of mine as a registrar and a member of this club, and in 2025, I wanted to expand opportunities for our members to engage in that could be social, while providing a different caliber of competition. To that end, I drafted up karting events at our local venues and before we knew it, we had a full stack of THSCC members running wheel-to-wheel in Grand Prix formats across 4 different events, finishing off the year with an Enduro at VIR Karting that had young newcomers to the club taking the gold.

As your Karting VP, my main objective is to continue building a Karting program from the ground-up that is sustainable and valuable to our members, providing competition within a social environment that invites collaboration and some friendly banter with folks within our various programs. Seeing kids join our club with learner permits, just so they can get their teeth sharp on karts, that matters a great deal to me for the future of this club and motorsport in general.

You’ll find me at every Karting event, almost every Cars and Coffee event, almost every month Club Meeting, and most Autocross events. For 2026, I’ll be running in the SCCA National Tour for AX and Time Attack Challenge for Track. Looking for another to shadow as VP of Karting to learn the ropes/be our backup in case I’m unable to make an event.

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Alina Suedbeck

Secretary

I have been a THSCC member since March of 2025. I am a car and motorcycle enthusiast and love learning how to be a better driver. I had a blast racing with other novice drivers my first season and love being involved in the club! As Secretary, I bring strong note-taking skills and a detail-oriented approach. I am outgoing, love helping others, and am excited to serve the club.

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Lauren Marcus

Treasurer

I’ve been part of Tarheel Sports Car Club since 2021, mostly competing in rallycross but also joining in on a few autocross and karting events. I also serve as a Rallycross Vice President and have really enjoyed helping our program grow and stay organized.

By day, I’m an accountant at the nonprofit Housing for New Hope in Durham, with experience in nonprofit accounting, tax preparation, and accounting and payroll systems. As Treasurer, I’m excited to learn the ins and outs of the club’s finances and find ways to make things even more efficient, transparent, and easy to manage.

Jeff Macko

Jeff Macko

Registrar

Drives: 2002 BMW 330i

I’m Jeff, and I’m here because I love the mix of cars, learning, and community that THSCC brings together. I started out doing autocross because it felt like the safest way to learn car control, and over time, that curiosity pulled me into HPDE, karting, and sim racing. I’m into pretty much all the ways we drive: autocross for the problem-solving and precision, HPDE for the big-picture rhythm and flow, karting for the chaos and sharp elbows, and sim racing for the reps when real life gets busy. I like seeing the lightbulb moment when someone connects a tip to what they feel in the car.

At events, I’m usually the person trying to make things simpler and less stressful. Clear instructions, fewer surprises, and a smooth day go a long way, especially for new members. I care a lot about keeping the club welcoming and inclusive, and about explaining things in plain language so people do not feel out of place asking basic questions.

If you see me in the paddock, come say hi. Tell me what you drive, what you are trying to improve, and what would make your next event easier.

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Alex Miller

Registrar

Drives: 1990 Miata, 2002 Civic

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Jackson McCutchen

Member at Large

I really enjoy getting to know our members and helping make each event fun and welcoming. As one of the club’s novice instructors, I’ve had the chance to meet a lot of new members and help them get comfortable out on course—which is one of my favorite parts of autocross.

Before joining the club, I worked in hospitality and catering, so organizing events, managing details, and making sure everyone has a great time is right up my alley. I bring that same energy to our social events and help keep our community growing strong.

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Steven Spampinato

Member at Large

I’ve been autocrossing and doing track days—seriously and occasionally—since 1996, when I did my first Tarheel event in Rocky Mount. I’ve been a serious club member since 2009 and have served as the club’s secretary, assistant registrar, and worker coordinator in the past.

As Member at Large, I assist with the club’s social events and promotion while working to increase my presence and sharpen my ability at events. I love making new friends and getting people involved in the club. Look for me at events in my 2006 Civic SI I’ve had since new.

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Pete Guthrie

Sergeant at Arms

Started attending autocross regularly while the Old Rocky Mount airport was still our favorite venue. He could be seen running his RC trucks around the parking area and spectating from the sidelines. At 16 he started driving and by 2000 had his own autocross car. Pete has done HPDE events at Roebling Road, Rockingham, and VIR, and participated in our time trial series. He is now a regular rallycross competitor and does the occasional autocross on his daily tires (slower, but still fun). His hand clap to order echoes off the walls.

History & Traditions

Over six decades of stories, awards, and culture that make THSCC more than just a car club.

Monthly Meetings

Second Wednesday of each month. 6:30 PM dinner, 7:00–8:00 PM meeting.

Randy's Pizza, 5311 S. Miami Blvd, Durham, NC 27713

Come hang out with like-minded people and learn about all the latest club news. Everyone is welcome.

Get in Touch

The fastest way to reach us is through our Discord server. You can also find us on Facebook or visit the contact page for program-specific email addresses.