Second Quarter 2013

Second Quarter 2013

Newsletter

Welcome our newest NAMGAR Chapter!

The NAMGAR Board has approved the application of the Edmonton Classic Sports Car Club in Edmonton, Alberta as our newest Chapter. The Chapter Contact is Frank French. Click here to view their website. The Edmonton club produces a monthly newsletter, The Open Road, which is distributed to their membership via e-mail and print.

Drive Your MGA Day – Photos wanted!

Please send photo images of your club’s Drive Your MGA Day activity with a brief description of the event or location to Peter and Anne Tilbury for inclusion on the NAMGAR web site. Please email your photos to the NAMGAR Internet Coordinators.

Upcoming NAMGAR Events

June 10-14, 2013 GT 38 – Ashville, North Carolina – Annual Chapter & Interest Group Contacts Meeting
Will be held on Thursday, June 13th from 2.30 – 4.30pm in the Foxfire Room of the host hotel.

Chapter and Interest Group Contacts please make arrangements to attend this meeting. It’s your chance to meet and interact with NAMGAR Board and Staff members and also to share common issues and successes with other Chapter and Interest group contacts. Refreshments and snacks will be provided. If you are unable to attend please appoint an attending Chapter or Interest group member to attend in your place. Please forward any items that you would like added to the meeting agenda to the Chapter Coordinators.

September 12-15, 2013 NAMGAR Regional GT – Richmond, VA
The Central Virginia British Car Club is hosting a Regional GT in Richmond, Virginia to coincide with their annual Classics On The Green all-European car show. Special events for NAMGAR participants are planned for Thursday and Friday with Saturday and Sunday merging with the activities scheduled for the weekend event. More information can be found on their website.

NAMGAR GT Chapter Attendance Award

The NAMGAR Board of Directors created an award to recognize the NAMGAR Chapter that has the greatest number of attendees at an annual GT. The first award was presented at GT 36.

Following is the criteria for this award:

  • The host Chapter is exempt from the competition.
  • All attendees when checking in at registration will also identify which NAMGAR Chapter they are representing.
  • The Chapter Coordinators will then tally each Chapter’s attendees.
  • The Chapter with the most attendees will be recognized at the awards banquet and also awarded 2 one-year memberships to NAMGAR by the Chapter Coordinators. The winning chapter decides how they wish to distribute the 2 one-year memberships, for example they may draw 2 names from their members that attended the GT or they may hold a raffle within their Chapter at a later date.
  • A photo of the winning group will be taken for recognition in MGA! and on the NAMGAR website.

Let the competition begin. Don’t forget to tell your Chapter members who are attending that they have to identify both themselves and their Chapter at registration. May the most spirited Chapter win!

Previous GT Chapter Award Winners:
GT 37 – Michigan Rowdies (2012)
GT 36 – Columbia Gorge MGA Club (2011)

Interest Group News

The “MG Vintage Racers” celebrated their 18th “Focus Event” at VRG’s “Jefferson 500” at the Summit Point, W. Va. race track the weekend of May 17-19, where over 260 vintage race cars came to compete. MGVR selects one vintage race each year which they designate as their “Focus Event” and encourage all MG racers to attend. They work with the sanctioning body to include “All MG Races”, plus hosting their own MGVR socials and awards at the event. This year’s Focus Event attracted 74 MG racers who came to race and meet up with old friends. With 74 MGs competing, there had to be two separate “All MG” races. One race for MG T’s and MGA’s, and one race for MGB’s and MG Midgets. Friendly dicing and MG camaraderie are strongly encouraged by MGVR. This included socials at “MGVR Central” in the paddock Thursday and Friday evenings, plus the following MGVR Awards presented at VRG’s banquet Saturday evening.

Key awards were presented to:

Spirit Award: To John Burgess, voted by his racing peers as having the best “MG Vintage Racing Spirit”.

Bill Parish Award: To Dave Nicholas, as “Having the most fun without a concern for winning”.

Doff of the Cap Award: To Joe Lightfoot as the MGB racer best “Preserving the original heritage of MGB racers”.

MGB-V8 Trophy: To Les Gonda in an MGB-V* as the “First Overall” in the MG race.

Visit the MG Vintage Racing website for more information. More information on MG Vintage Racing, can be found at: MGVR.org.

NAMGAR Regional GT’s – Something your Chapter might want to consider!

Is there any event on your club’s calendar such as a weekend trip or a car show that could be expanded to become a NAMGAR Regional? It is something that you might want to consider. What the heck, the more the merrier. If you’ve already done the planning for an event then you’re more than half way there. Having a regional just might fill up that motel or enhance your car show field. Contact NAMGAR Vice Chairman Carol Shamonsky at vicechair@namgar.com for details and advice on hosting a NAMGAR Regional.

Chapter Newsletters

We enjoy reading your club newsletters. Please let us know when a new one has been posted to your website or include us on your e-mail list. Those using the British Marque News as your newsletter vehicle, please let us know when you’ve submitted one to the Marque News so we know to look for it. Electronic newsletters should also be submitted to the NAMGAR Internet Coordinators for posting on the NAMGAR website. The file size must be under 10MB.

Chapter Events – Post Yours on the NAMGAR Website Events Page

NAMGAR Web Coordinators Peter and Anne Tilbury provide a service on the NAMGAR web site to post your upcoming club sponsored events which might interest other NAMGAR members convenient to your area. Please use this FREE service to promote your MG or British car hobbyist event. You may add your club events to the Calendar of Events by visiting the Events Submission page on the NAMGAR website.

NAMGAR Advertisement

Attached to the email version of this newsletter are files containing the current NAMGAR ad that should be running in your newsletters and on your websites. This ad reflects the current dues schedule and is the only one that should be used. Several newsletters are still utilizing the old ad that has outdated information. Please check your Chapter/Interest group’s newsletter and/or website and make sure that your publication and website reflect this current ad.

Renkenberger Spirit Award

This award is presented by the NAMGAR Board of Directors to a member of a Chapter or Interest group upon request of the local Chapter. The member does not have to be a member of NAMGAR. Each NAMGAR Chapter or NAMGAR Interest Group is eligible to nominate one of their members every three (3) years. As most Chapters have their annual planning meetings coming up this would be an appropriate time to suggest that your Chapter’s Board consider nominating a member for this award. Also our Interest groups can think about nominating one of their members. All Chapters and Interest groups have individuals that spend vast amounts of time and energy making the organization successful and this award is a very appropriate way of recognizing them. The guidelines are availble on the NAMGAR website.

The award is prepared and sent to the Chapter Contact by NAMGAR upon receipt of the Chapter’s 300-400 word nomination submission to the Chapter Coordinators, along with a photograph of the awardee. These will be published in MGA! and also posted on the NAMGAR website. It should be noted there is no cost to the Chapter for the award, which is provided by NAMGAR, and we do encourage each Chapter to use this award to recognize an outstanding member.

Email the Chapter Coordinators for further information on how to submit a nomination.

Renkenberger Spirit Award – 2013 Recipients

  • South Western Ontario Hoser Ehs – Mike Hosier and Nancy Payne (2013)
  • Victoria MG Club – Neil Fawdry (2013)

Renkenberger Spirit Award – Past Recipients

  • Mid-Atlantic Chapter – Bill & Martha Ludtke (2008)
  • Houston MG Car Club – Ron Redding (2009)
  • SW Ontario Hoser Eh’s – John & Diane Burgess (2009)
  • Michigan Rowdies – Brian Beery (2010)
  • Milwaukee & Great Lakes MG Motor Car Group – Ed Kaufman (2010)
  • Columbia Gorge MGA Club – Bill Barnes (2010)
  • MG Car Club Northwest Center – Jim & Roberta Lumley (2010)
  • Ottawa MG Club – Len Fortin (2011)
  • Reno British Car Club – Jim Phelps (2011)
  • Key West British Car Club – Fred & Cindy Skomp (2012)
  • Mid-Atlantic Chapter – Bill Marshall (2012)
  • Central Virginia British Car Club – Carol Woodson (2012)
  • Insurance Information for Chapters

Event Insurance:
All NAMGAR affiliated Chapters receive complimentary event insurance. Thus, your Chapter is automatically covered when hosting Chapter sanctioned shows. Should the show site owner require an “addition insured” certificate, which is available at no additional costs, contact NAMGAR Chairman Bruce Woodson. Please note that competitive moving events such as funkhanas, hill climbs, etc. may not be covered without special permits.

Directors & Officers Insurance:
All Chapters are encouraged to maintain a Directors & Officers Insurance policy. This policy will help protect officers from unforeseen issues that could arise. This is NOT included in the complimentary event policy. The current cost is approximately $150.00 for a one year policy. NAMGAR is currently exploring options to cover all Chapters under the NAMGAR umbrella. Please have your Chapter President contact NAMGAR Chairman Bruce Woodson for more information regarding this important coverage.

Please share this newsletter with your Chapter and Interest Group members. We look forward to an active driving season coming up and hope you are able to attend the national GT or a Regional GT local to you. We also encourage each Chapter Contact to reach out to a neighboring Chapter to see if there are club activities that would be enhanced by including a larger pool of British vehicles.

Happy Motoring!

Bill & Karen Marshall
NAMGAR Internet Coordinators