Buttonwillow 2008 Hot Fun!
It was all about Bertha really. Was she going to make it over the Grapevine this year? You see, last year my wife and I named our club truck Bertha; big, wide, slow, clumsy. The name just fit. And there we were just beginning the climb up the Grapevine surrounded by over a dozen trucks on all sides of us, Ines feeding me potato chips while I am eating a sandwich watching the temperature gauge soar; all at just over 15 miles per hour! If we broke down at that point, all of the club’s worldly possessions would have been a long way from where they needed to be to make the weekend a success. She was a key member of our driving school team and she pulled through!
The same goes for all of the members of our driving school staff this year. They all pulled through to make the event a success. Maureen, Ping and Bill ran the track events like they were air traffic controllers. Chris made sure that everyone was registered and grouped correctly. Lisa and Kim made sure registration ran smoothly. Jim and Neil made sure everyone had water and had their tents set, helmets rented, etc, etc, etc. Dan headed up the instructor corp. Speaking of instructors; they had a very tough weekend having to deal with three run groups rather than the usual four. They were in and out of cars all day, both days. They did a fantastic job, all for great food and two free nights at the M6 Suites! Also a big thanks to my wife Ines for all of her work overseeing the event hospitality; from lunches and h’orderves, to working with the Willow Ranch organizing the Saturday night dinner.
Once again, Brecht BMW was our title sponsor. Many thanks to Tim and his mechanics who offered car help to anyone who needed it. This year he had a new awning put on his transporter that made the paddock look more professional than ever! They also contributed to our Saturday night raffle. Toyo Tires also provided the grand prize of a free set of tires again this year! Many thanks to our event sponsors!
This year we had a blast watching the club racers. They were a new addition to our event and this arrangement was enjoyed by both students and racers alike. I know Matt is putting an article together about them. One glitch we had was on Sunday morning when a plane ran into some power wires in a nearby town and wiped out the track’s electricity! Everyone pulled together and generators came from motor homes and temporary power was restored. Without power, we also had no restrooms available on site. One footnote to this episode was the contribution to the corner workers flagging repertoire. A mustard and brown waving flag; which now forever indicates that an infield port-a-potty is being moved across an active track!
I sincerely hope that everyone involved had as much fun as Ines and I did putting the event on. The group of people helping to make the event a success was a pleasure to work with. In the end, I don’t think it matters if the weather is hot or cold, windy or nice. It’s the people involved that always make the difference. Please plan on experiencing our event next year. You will find out just what I am talking about.
Best regards until next year,
Andre Pantic
San Diego Chapter Driving Events Coordinator
