Notes from July 8th Solo Town Hall

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  1. Overview of the state of the Club as we return from shutdown, including the restructuring of the Solo Team
    1. Unprecedented times, plans laid out at start of the year turned upside down by the middle of March due to the growing COVID-19 storm
    2. 450-500 events cancelled in March-June, resulting in about $750,000 in lost revenue
    3. With an approximate $11 million annual budgetand the goal to break even, operations always aims to beat budget, resulting in a profit at the end of the year.
    4. Membership income alone is not sufficient to fund operational expenses
    5. Three primary forms of income
      1. Membership Dues
      2. Event entries/sanction fees
      3. Partnerships/Sponsorships
    6. In an attempt to curb costs and ensure a financially viable organization at the end of the year, approximately 50% of the staff had their pay reduced by 50%. Remainder were furloughed at 100% and eligible for unemployment and federal supplement through CARES act and two individuals were released
    7. The membership department is at or above budget through the first 6 months of the year
    8. Resigning of Tire Rack contract (a 25-year partner) and the addition of Valvoline (former long-time partner) had and will have a huge positive impact on the Club going forward
    9. SCCA was not eligible for a PPP loan as SCCA, Inc. is a 501(c)4 non-profit, however SCCA Enterprises applied and did receive PPP support.
    10. Changes in the team: We must be sensitive to the communications used when a member of the staff leaves. Mike King and Doug Gill are both long-term members of the Club who provided great value during their time on staff. Their departure from the staff was born out of financial necessity, again because nobody anticipated COVID when the investment was made, specifically in Mike’s position. An announcement was not made in order to support their transition as well as to not create fear for the Club’s future with membership during in a time of chaos. Additionally, the top priority for us at the time from a communications perspective was that of supporting all the Regions with the sea tide of changes for events effected by COVID-19 and the communication of CV-19 updates, best practices and protocols for going forward.. All of this was done with a greatly reduced staff, working remotely across the country, with the national office on lock down per the State of Kansas.
  1. Discussion of ways the National Office and Solo Events Board can best support Regions in COVID-19 response and assistance with securing sites
    1. Between the existing information in the rule book and the COVID-19 guidelines that the National Office has compiled, much of this information is out there for regions already, but not necessarily in the most user-friendly format.
    2. Last year the SEB put forward 4 objectives to the board of directors:
      1. Take all learning from Solo Nationals management and turn it into an operations handbook to use moving forward, a living, breathing document
      2. Increased communication with membership through improvements to the letter log system
      3. Evaluation of class structure with goal of optimization and consolidation
      4. Region leader support, better equipping the Solo Development Coordinators (SDCs) to support region leaders
    3. With the COVID delays, the SEB is just now getting back to these projects
  1. Update on the status of the Junior Driver Program
    1. Assessment committee has been assembled:
      1. Tim Brueske (Solo Safety Committee member; Divisional Safety Steward)
      2. Julian Garfield (Multi-time Solo Nationals FJ Class winner; Junior Kart Steward for Solo Nationals)
      3. Tom Harrington (Kart Advisory Committee member)
      4. Larry MacLeod­ (Kart Modified driver; former Junior Kart Steward)
      5. Stephen Miller (Junior Kart Steward)
    2. Committee reports to SEB with Brian Harmer as a staff liaison
    3. Will be using Junior Karting community as an advisory committee of sorts seeking regular feedback
    4. Timing
      1. Not an instant solution
      2. There’s analysis that must take place, followed by planning, communication and training before being implemented
      3. No timeline yet but being thorough is the top priority
    5. SCCA is in the driver’s seat for this decision
      1. Of course we’re seeking counsel form partners, lawyers, insurance, etc., but they were not responsible for the call to suspend the program
  1. Update on Timing and Scoring concerns raised at the Bristol ProSolo
    1. Participants noticed that cars needed to stage differently on the right from left, causing a significant number of red lights. The Chief Steward was asked to disregard right side runs, scoring the event just off the left. The Chief Steward opted NOT to take that action. That decision was protested and the protest committee decided to not honor that protest.
    2. Incident created an increased awareness for the situation in the community
    3. Technologically, a new tree/start light system was implemented for 2020 after extensive testing in the offseason
    4. While the first several ProSolos of the season didn’t lend this issue, what has been learned is that the staging lights are having some difficulty making a good connection between the emitter and receiver, leading to a potential crossing of the lights between pre-stage and stage.
    5. Howard Duncan and Robert Chrismas are arriving early in Packwood to do additional testing with the goal of solving the issue definitively
    6. Worst case scenario looks like a return to reaction time not figured into the scoring of a ProSolo. Red lights would still be red lights. Green lights would still be green lights, but the time on the RT would not contribute to the driver’s time as is currently the process
    7. Best case scenario, business as usual with a functional solution. Obviously this is the hopeful outcome.
    8. Overall, the new technology is a step forward
  1. Information on the status of 2020 Solo Nationals Covid-19 response and effects on the event and member experience
    1. Through Solo Nationals’ residency in Lincoln, we’ve worked with the Lincoln Airport Authority and FAA as our primary contacts. With COVID, we’re doing quite a bit more with the city of Lincoln and more specifically, the Lincoln Health Department
    2. We’ve had some meetings with the Health Department and we’re currently completing an application process that we’ve traditionally been exempt from due to working under the direction of the FAA and airport.
    3. Working closely with the Health Department to make sure we have the right policies in place and that we’re doing the right things to keep our participants and the residents of Lincoln safe
    4. We have a lot of confidence that we’ll get through this application process with permission to run the event. There has not been a question that we haven’t felt we could solve for in a way that brings comfort to all involved
      1. Enforcement will be paramount as failure to follow the rules agreed upon with the Health Department may greatly compromise SCCA’s relationship with the City of Lincoln and the site at Lincoln Airpark
    5. The deeper we go, the more the staff gets a clear picture of what the 2020 Nationals may look like and we want to share that picture
      1. Three Cs: Competition, Camaraderie and Community
      2. Competition: We feel that we will be able to deliver this element as well as ever. The event chairs, Scott Dobler and Jeff Cox have built a strong team that can execute an event at a high level. We’ve tested COVID response through digital waivers, PPE, etc. at Tour and ProSolo events so far.
      3. Camaraderie & Community are bigger concerns at this time. Banquets aren’t in the cards. The welcome party is likely to be impossible to execute and the traditional paddock parties may not be endorsed or allowed.
    6. The City of Lincoln is very aware that they are not currently in a COVID-rising state and are doing their best to protect that
      1. Distancing is paramount. To them, PPE comes into play when distancing isn’t possible
      2. Daily screening is very likely
    7. Camping on site is expected to be allowed
    8. Looking into appropriate COVID response for food vendors on site
    9. Asking members to identify your priorities for Solo Nationals. Talk to the people in your lives who going to Solo Nationals will impact.
      1. Next week, look for a survey that will influence the staff’s decisions about the direction of 2020 Solo Nationals
        • As of right now, all options are on the table, including potentially changing the schedule to a 2-day event
        • Transparently, there is a chance that the 2020 Solo Nationals is cancelled, with August 15th being the go/no go date for that decision, but we’re hoping to make it by August 5th
      2. Delivering a great experience is the priority of the entire Solo Nationals team
      3. Obviously, with all things COVID, this is a fluid situation
      4. Refund policy: 100% refund available for those cancelling because the event will not be as expected or if you are unable to attend due to travel restrictions or other concerns related to COVID-19. If the event is cancelled, all entry fees will be refunded in full

Questions:

  1. Tapping talented members for IT skills and development
    1. Focus and priorities: we spent the last 12 – 18 months working to improve our core Membership platform so that folks can join and renew online WITHOUT calling Topeka. This has consumed thousands of hours and the lion share of the very small IT resource that we currently have on staff. We have made significant progress in this arena based on this investment of time, money, and resources without which – we would have been in deep trouble when CV struck.
    2. As part of this, we unwound several “entrepreneurial IT projects” that have not worked collectively to produce the experience and member data that we need. We unwound this tangled web and re-engineered our processes and use of NetForum base functionality and this has and is paying big dividends. NF will continue to be a core platform for us going forward and we are currently working on improving the Annual Waiver and the Sanctioning process utilizing NF as well.
    3. We have a registration system that the majority of the SCCA Enterprise understands, uses and while it does have a cost – the opportunity cost of developing another registration system – even if it used volunteer talent within the organization, is not the right move, at this point.
  1. Improving member communications, fixing email notification platform
    1. On March 1st, a new digital strategy was launched with its primary element being a new weekly club-wide eNewsletter, SCCA Up To Speed, sent on Tuesdays from Kerrie Speed (KSpeed@scca.com) using a platform called campaign monitor
    2. That communication goes to about 125,000 individuals, more the double the number of active SCCA members.
    3. Timely updates at SCCA.com
    4. Less timely notifications through SportsCar Magazine
    5. Weekly meetings with the leadership of Jumbo Regions
    6. All done with a staff of one during the reduction of staff
    7. Moving forward, we’d like to use virtual town halls such as this one to provide as much transparency as possible with the membership
  1. Why is Heyward in charge of the Solo program?
    1. Heyward has been added to a team that includes Howard Duncan, Eric Prill, Brian Harmer and Bob Davis as the Chairman of the SEB, to help move the Solo program forward
    2. Heyward brings a lot of experience to the table, from Solo to a high success rate with the other programs he has led
    3. Heyward views his role as a partnership as Howard continues to lead event operations and Brian has extensive institutional knowledge with 12 years of experience. Working closely with other departments and the SEB to develop that program
  1. What’s being done to ensure funds generated by the Solo program are being used to develop the Solo program and not other areas of the Club?
    1. All SCCA programs are borrowers at some times
    2. All SCCA programs are subject to an annual contribution evaluation to monitor their financial viability and health
    3. As an example, neither Track Night in America nor the new Time Trials program were profitable in their first years, but have been net positive since.
    4. Programs are responsible for financial viability as well as the experience of participants and partners
  1. How is SCCA addressing matters of diversity, specifically symbolism tied to social issues?
    1. SCCA’s mission is to fuel a safe, fun and exciting motorsports experience for all automotive enthusiasts. 
    2. The SCCA strives to ensure ALLparticipants at its events and activities enjoy a welcoming environment. This initiative was started 12 – 18 months ago, was launched at the National Convention, shared at all Division Meetings, Jumbo and Board calls and has been included in SPORTSCAR Magazine and is also included in all rulebooks. The Welcoming Environment states that:
      The SCCA supports equality of opportunity and treatment for all participants, and will make every effort to maintain an environment that is free of harassment, discrimination and any behavior that interferes with a safe, fun and exciting experience.  A commitment to a welcoming environment and the SCCA Values is expected of all members and attendees, including drivers, workers, crew, guests, staff, contractors and exhibitors, and other participants at SCCA activities, sessions and social events when representing the SCCA in print or electronic media.
    3. This defines how we as a Club should try to show up in support of all members regardless of race, religion, gender or sexual orientation. Sometimes, we miss the mark in consistently showing up as we should - but, I do believe many are making an earnest effort to improve better serve ALL members
    4. Conversations in progress to remove Confederate flag from region logo
  1. Current status of EV-X class
    1. EV-X got a bit lost in the transition as it was originally proposed by Mike King and was handed off to the SEB
    2. Investigating so that it can be released as soon as possible
  1. Rising cost of competition in Solo and concerns about “single-car classes”
    1. SEB currently has a dialog about the costs of competitive cars, specifically in the Street Classes
    2. This contributes to a perception that the Street classes specifically are “single-car classes” in a lot of cases. The SEB is investigating and the dialog is ongoing
  1. 2021 Convention and the concerns of an in-person meeting
    1. Due to budgetary concerns, there’s been a review of some “sacred cows” including SportsCar magazine and the National Convention
    2. SportsCar will have a reduced number of issues on the backend of the year and the October/November/December edition will be combined as one unit to feature the overall SCCA Championship season. This approach may or may not roll into 2021
    3. If there was ever a year to look into not doing an in-person convention, 2021 would be the year
    4. Ongoing discussions with the South Point Hotel and Casino to discover what the current environment might look like in January to keep our people safe
    5. The past few years have demonstrated an ability to take the National Convention content and spread it to the Divisions through their annual meetings.
    6. Solution may be to spread the National Convention into mini conventions at the Divisional level
    7. We are required to have an annual meeting per the bylaws. Virtual meeting looks to be a viable option to execute that instead of flying many individuals to Las Vegas
  1. With questions about Solo Nationals, would Summer Nationals (formerly Spring Nationals), the ProSolo Finale and CAM Challenge be in jeopardy as well?
    1. Summer Nationals falls below the City of Lincoln’s 500-participant requirement for the application that is being worked on for Solo Nationals and are relatively safe, keeping in mind that all things remain fluid with COVID-19
    2. Nothing is off the table in regards to holding the ProSolo Finale and CAM Challenge independently of Solo Nationals

 

Additional questions and comments may be forwarded to our panelists via Heyward Wagner: hwagner@scca.com.