News

There has been some concern during the past year about the SSCC's ability to hold regular events. This has been due to diminishing course venue options. As you probably know, we have been prohibited from running on military airfields by regulation. While it was once an option depending on who was running the base, it is now out of the question. There was talk about losing some or all of our access to The Sierra Vista Airport. The Border Patrol wants to move from their chopper from Libby field to the municipal side, or so the story goes. Fontunately, it hasn't happened- yet. We may still be able to use most of the airport regardless of new occupants. There was a brief scare that we might lose Greeley Hall on base, but it appears to have been a communication breakdown. Finally, we have BDI and Buena High School, which are polar opposites in terms of surface and speed, but neither are particularly well-suited to our sport. So we have scary monsters for Halloween- specters, if you will. Fortunately, there are still enough places to run to keep things interesting. If there's one thing you can count on out here, it's variety.

Sharpening the Saw
Somebody once said, you can cut more wood by taking some time out to sharpen the saw than by just continuing to cut with a dull blade. There are a lot of ways to sharpen the saw. In this economy, you may find yourself with several dull saws, a few files, and lots of time on your hands.

One way to sharpen the saw is with a school such as Evolution. There was plenty of participation in October's school, and even some senior autocrossers found ways to hone their skills. I got an instructor to ride along with me at PIR last weekend, and welcomed his advice on picking the line into the infield course. Just having an experienced hand on board will result in faster lap times next time out.

Another overlooked way to sharpen the saw is to clean the shop. My dad came to visit, and brought the huge bench vise I asked for. While he was here, we went to the hardware store and bought everything needed to build a workbench and storage cabinets. Wow, what a difference it makes to have a place to store tools in an organized fashion! I cleaned out my existing tool chest, bought some organizer trays, and sorted my hardware. I threw out a few bags of garbage in the process, and got rid of a few things on Ebay, too.

Finally, there's the car. Even if you aren't fortunate enough to buy that new go-fast part, there is all that maintenance you've been putting off until the "off season", which really doesn't exist here in Southeast Arizona. New brake fluid, spark plugs, drive belts, bolt tightening and inspection go a long way, and don't cost much. Now just in case you do get that new part for Christmas, you have a clean shop, a solid platform, and a sharp mind to build on. If not, well, there's always the tax return to look forward to.

Though I will be giving up the website, I hope to continue contributing through The Shop Rag. This has been a great learning experience, and occasionally a place to vent. I will leave you with the 2009 schedule and PAX tables. Happy Holidays,
John Lawson