First Quarter 2018

First Quarter 2018

NewsletterA word from your Chapter Coordinators! Chapter Contacts and Interest Group Contacts. Please read and share the material in this newsletter. This is one of the avenues to spread the information to our members.

Are you ready for GT – 43 in Richmond? We are. We have registered and have our room. We plan on driving our 1500 Roadster this year. We have just received the March/April edition of MGA! There is a wonderful write-up on the event including a registration form and a schedule of events. The GT is co-hosted by the Central Virginia British Car Club and Mid-Atlantic Chapter. You can also register on-line at the event website. This looks like it will be another top-notch event. We have stayed at this hotel and it “checks all of the boxes”. It is very nice and a perfect place to hold the event.

Please note that the Chapter and Interest Group Contact meeting will be a breakfast affair this year. If will be held on Friday, June 15 from 8:00 to 10:00 in the York Room. Please plan on attending. If you cannot make the meeting please have someone from your Chapter or Interest Group represent you. More details are below.

Don’t forget that the NAMGBR annual meeting, MG 2018 immediately follows our GT. MG 2018 is just up the road in Gettysburg, PA. This is a great opportunity to make both great MG events in one trip! And there will be a class for MGAs. More details are below.

The driving season is here. Check out the NAMGAR Chapter sponsored car events in the events portion of this newsletter. Also visit the events on our NAMGAR site.

The Chapter Recognition Award

The NAMGAR Board of Directors has created an award to recognize our stellar NAMGAR Chapter of the year and is presented at our annual GT.

Last year the Board changed how the award was calculated. The new system seems to work pretty well, BUT WE WILL NEED YOUR INPUT to calculate this year’s winner.

Last year the award went to two chapters, Ottawa MG Club and the Michigan Rowdies. Congratulations to these two Chapters for all of the work that they do!

Here is how the Chapter Recognition Award will be calculated:

  • 10 points for hosting a GT (for the past 3 years)
  • 5 points for hosting a NAMGAR Regional event (for the past 3 years)
  • 3 points for having a complete chapter profile on file at www.namgar.com
  • 3 points for providing annual report to Chapter Coordinators including the number NAMGAR members and total number of members of Chapter by December 31st each year.
  • 2 points for having submitted their chapter newsletter to NAMGAR
  • 1 point for article submission of an event or activity to either MGA! or website (article must be published and does not include National and Regional reports on events).
  • 1 point for each new NAMGAR member (as confirmed by the registrar). It is a good idea if you work with membership person to identify these people. This will make the year end total easy to calculate.

Anne and Peter Tilbury tell us that most chapters have completed their chapter profile. If you have not completed a chapter profile or if you want to update your profile, please submit information to Anne and Peter.

If you think that your Chapter might be in the running for the Chapter Recognition Award, please do the following:

  • Verify that you have an up-to-date chapter profile on file at www.namgar.com
  • Verify that your newsletter is being sent to our web coordinators at www.namgar.com and us at www.chapters@namgar.com (or mailed)
  • Tabulate the number of articles submitted to NAMGAR in 2017 (see the criteria above). Submit this information to us www.chapters@namgar.com and include the title of the article and when it was published.
  • Finally, submit the names of NEW NAMGAR MEMBERS that joined your club in 2017. Members will be vetted by our Registrar against the NAMGAR database.

Results will be compiled and the award will be presented at the banquet in Richmond.

Chapter Newsletters

Remember, electronic newsletters should be sent to Anne and Peter Tilbury at web@namgar.com and to us at chapters@namgar.com

Dates for Submission of Materials for MGA!

I would like to remind everyone that the cutoff for submission on materials to be published in MGA! is the 5th of every even month (February, April, June, August, October and December)

Banner for Your MG Event

NAMGAR has a banner that we can be on ‘loan’ for your MG event. For more information contact Dennis Urick at communications@namgar.com

Drive Your MGA Day – May 5, 2018 – 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 either Peter and Anne Tilbury for inclusion on the NAMGAR web site at web@namgar.com or Michael Tooke at editor@namgar.com to be included in a future issue of MGA!

Upcoming NAMGAR Events

June 13-17, 2018 GT – 43 Richmond, VA. Annual Chapter & Interest Group Contacts Meeting
This will be a breakfast meeting. Please let us know who will be attending from your Chapter or Interest Group.

    Date: June 15, 2018
    Time: 8:00 – 10:00 AM
    Location: The York Room

Chapter and Interest Group Contacts please make arrangements to attend this meeting. Please take note that this a breakfast meeting this year. 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. This meeting has been very well attended and is the best format to discuss issues that concern our Chapters. We had a great turnout and we listened to our Chapters. This is the best platform to let us know your thoughts, wishes and desires. Board member are always present. 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 us at chapters@namgar.com.

June 18-22, 2018 Gettysburg, PA. MG 2018. Organized by North American MGB Register, Gettysburg, PA

North American MGB Register Convention. This year’s event is hosted by the MGs of Baltimore, Ltd. Car Club and is being held at the Gettysburg Wyndham Hotel. The event is geared towards MGBs, MGCs, MG Midgets and Mk II/III Sprites, MG 1100/1300 and Post-Abingdon MGs. There will be a class for MGAs, MG-Ts and other MGs too. This week-long event will feature John Twist’s Rolling Tech Session, various tech sessions, a TSD Rallye, a Funkana, Parking Lot Parties, self-driving tours of the battlefield and surrounding countryside, a car show and awards banquet. For more info and registration go to the event website.

August 4, 2018 Dayton, OH. 34th British Car Day. Organized by MG Car Club Southwestern Ohio Centre, Dayton, OH

Register early for this very large car show to ensure that get a dash plaque and T-shirt. The car show features 40 classes and will happen rain or shine. The event is held at Eastwood Metro Park, 1385 Harshman Rd. Dayton, OH. For more information, visit the event website.

Please see the complete listing of car events for North America and beyond at www.namgar.com for more car activities in your area. NAMGAR Chapter events take priority and are listed above.

NAMGAR Regional GTs – 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 Larry Pitman for details and advice on hosting a NAMGAR Regional.

Chapter Events – Post Yours on the NAMGAR.com 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 can send an article of Chapter events to web@namgar.com

Don’t forget to check out the Calendar of Events OFTEN.

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 NAMGAR website has full details of the award.

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.

For more information on how to submit a nomination please contact the Chapter Coordinators.

Please share this newsletter with your Chapter and Interest Group members. We look forward to an active driving season coming up and hope you can 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!
Ed Sass & Colleen Quin, NAMGAR Chapter Coordinators