Mid State of Ohio Kart Club
Board of Directors Meeting
December 14, 2006
Station House 81 – Commercial Point, Ohio
Call to Order – Mike Unger called the meeting to order at 7:00 PM. He indicated that, while there many things to discuss, the top two priorities were election of officers for 2007 and finalizing the 2007 MSOKC race schedule. He welcomed the new board members and thanked the 2006 board members for their service.
Attendance – In attendance were:
Mike Brannon – Visitor
Bill Bruce – Member
Tim Bussen – Visitor
Layman Cobb – Visitor
Dave Creech – Visitor
Eric Creech – Visitor
Greyson Eves – Visitor
Mike Dillon – Visitor
Beth Hopkins – Member
MaShaun Jones – Visitor
Paul Lyda – Member
Jim Martin – Visitor
Matt Milles – Visitor
Bo Strawser – First alternate
Bob Strawser – Member
Heath Tatman – Member
Steve Tatman – Member
Mike Unger – Member
Greg Wilkinson – Visitor
Mike Yoerger - Member
There were a total of 20 present, including eight regular board members and one alternate.
Apologies for Absence – Those who had indicated that they were unable to attend the meeting were:
Kevin Brown – Second alternate
Mike Long – Member
Bob McConnell – Member
Approval of Minutes – The minutes of the October 19, 2006 MSOKC Board of Directors meeting were approved as written.
General Announcements – Mike Unger indicated that the club was growing and that the continuing emphasis should be to provide value to the karting community. Activities that provide value/enjoyment for little cost should be emphasized. He gave some examples that included victory laps with the checkered flag, photos of podium finishers posted on the website, etc.
Election of Officers – Mike Unger invited nominations for officers for the 2007 season. Following some discussion, the board elected the following officers:
President – Mike Unger
Vice President – Paul Lyda
Secretary – Bill Bruce
The following non-board-member positions were also filled:
Treasurer – Mike Dillon
Membership Chairperson – Erin Dillon
Membership Up-Date/Treasurers Report – Mike Dillon summarized the financial position of the club following the banquet.
Distribution of Club Spec Tires – Mike Unger reminded the group that a new contract with Grand Prix Distributing for Vega Nordam tires had been approved by the board at a brief meeting on November 17, 2006, prior to the banquet. The term of the new contract, which is basically the same as the one for 2006, is one year. Bob Strawser indicated that he was willing to be the tire distributor again. Heath Tatman indicated that he and Steve Tatman were also willing to undertake some tire distribution responsibilities. Steve Tatman reported that it was unlikely that Willis Brothers would continue to have a race shop at the track in 2007, and that it might be more convenient for some if tires were available at the track. He also indicated that plans have been made for a new building at the track in which the tires could be stored. After some discussion, it was agreed that Heath Tatman and Bob Strawser should work out a co-responsibility arrangement for tire distribution (ACTION 1).
Club Spec Racing Fuel – The subject of club spec fuel was discussed next. This included the availability of CITGO fuel and possible alternatives, including other racing fuels and pump gas. It was agreed that this subject should be deferred until early 2007 (ACTION 2).
Race Schedule for 2007 – Bill Bruce distributed copies of race schedule planner that included a modified version or the proposed schedule that Mike Unger had developed and other local, regional, and national events. Layman Cobb suggested the inclusion of a double race weekend. Various options for this were discussed. Mike Unger offered to post a poll regarding support for this on the MSOKC forum (ACTION 3). After significant discussion, Bill Bruce made a motion that the following schedule be approved:
Race No. 1 - Sunday, April 22
Race No. 2 - Sunday, May 6 (corrected)
Race No. 3 - Saturday, May 26 - Day race schedule
Race No. 4 - Saturday, June 9 - Night race schedule
Race No. 5 - Sunday, June 24 - Counter-clockwise
Race No. 6 - Sunday, July 8
Race No. 7 - Sunday, July 22 - Counter-clockwise - Qualifying format
Race No. 8 - Saturday, August 11 - Night race schedule
Race No. 9 - Sunday, August 26 - Qualifying format
Race No. 10 - Sunday, September 9 - Counter-clockwise - 10 bonus points
Race No. 11 - Sunday, September 23 - 10 bonus points
Race No. 12 - Sunday, October 7 - 20 bonus points
Rain date - Sunday, October 14
Endurance Race - Sunday, October 21 (Non-points race).
Second – Paul Lyda. Vote – Unanimously approved. Bill Bruce agreed to post the schedule on the MSOKC forum as soon as possible (ACTION 4).
TAG Class for 2007 – Layman Cobb opened discussion pertaining to how the TAG classes should be structured for the 2007 season. Everyone was in agreement that larger classes are more enjoyable than smaller classes, but that any attempt to combine the Senior and Master class should not alienate any of the participants. Layman Cobb suggested that one possibility was to keep both classes, but to drop the age requirement for the Master class so that the classes would be divided by weight instead of age. He also suggested that the classes could be run together but scored separately to make it a bigger class. Bo Strawser suggested that a potential problem with running together would be complaints about incidents caused by someone in the other class. Discussion then turned to how many would make up each class if the age requirement for the masters class was dropped. It was suggested that there may be five or six regular participants in both the Senior and Master class. Tim Bussen indicated that the General Competition Rules state that the club is supposed to attempt to accommodate any class for which there are a sufficient number of participants, which in the past has been as few as three karts. Paul Lyda asked about scoring if the classes were combined. It was suggested that they could be run together but scored separately. The thought of dropping the Senior class in favor of everyone running at the Master class weight without an age requirement was raised. The disadvantage of this would be the younger/lighter participants having to cope with the additional weight, which for some participants would be significant. Following Laymen Cobb’s suggestion, Mike Unger made a motion to keep both classes, but to drop the age requirement for the Master class. Second – Beth Hopkins. Vote – Approved with one dissention (Bob Strawser).
Registration and Scoring for 2007 – Mike Unger asked Beth Hopkins if she would be wiling to do registration and scoring again in 2007. She expressed some reluctance but agreed to do this for the first half of the season as long a replacement was actively being sought.
Next Meeting – The next board meeting will take place Tuesday, January 16, 2007 at Station House 81 in Commercial Point, Ohio, beginning at 7:00 PM.
Actions – The following is a list of action items from the meeting:
Adjournment – The meeting was adjourned at approximately 8:15 PM.
Bill Bruce
Secretary
MSOKC Board of Directors