2024 Upcoming Summer Events
By Bonnie Mueller

August 3rd & 4th - Autocross #5/#6 at Hoodoo Ski Area. Join us for this fun weekend! Register online at www.eescc.org. Flyer can be found also on website. Be sure to check when your class runs.

August 7th  Wed - Monthly meeting at Sizzler on Gateway, in Springfield. Meeting starts at 6:30 pm.  Come early to eat.  EEMSP (our Foundation) will meet following conclusion of the EESCC business meeting.

August 24th & 25th - Autocross #7/#8 at Valley River.  This is the last weekend of autocross events for the year.  On Sunday we will also run our world famous IROC, our own version of our “Race of Champions” 

Sept. 4th   Wed - Monthly meeting at Sizzler on Gateway, in Springfield. Meeting starts at 6:30 pm.  Come early to eat.  EEMSP (our Foundation) will meet following conclusion of the EESCC business meeting.

Sept 25th, Wed - A club get together hosted by Scott and Sue Minder. You’re invited!
What: Fall dinner hosted by Scott and Sue Minder.
When: September 25, 2024 at 5:00PM.
Where: 5936 Belknap Springs St SE, Salem, OR 97306.
What to bring: A dish to share.
Why: Because we like you.
Please send questions and RSVPs to: sue.minder@portlandoregon.gov

Larison Rock 2024 Recap
By Bonnie Mueller

Well, it started out with many questions, but ended with a resounding success!! Are we going to get insurance? (the NHA previous insurer got out of the motorsports business). Are we going to have enough entrants to cover our increased costs? Are we going to get the road prepped in time? (Storm damage from the early year ice storm brought down many trees onto the road area)

Mike Glass, President of NHA and current chair (along with Paula Loftin) of Larison Rock just wouldn’t give up. Mike saved NHA for this year, PERIOD. He would not give up in his pursuit of obtaining insurance not only for our hill, but all of them.

Because we still didn’t have any insurance confirmed in early May we were so unsure about cleaning the mess that was the hill at that time. This was all a result of the ice storms we had had earlier in the year. But our Safety crew, bless their hearts, decided to gamble and go up there and get the hill clear of the logs and branches, etc. They knew that there was a chance that the hill wouldn’t be a go, but they worked all day with a tractor, chainsaws, and old fashioned sweat.. Mike & Paula, and others also helped Rose & Mark Reinertson and their friends to get it cleared off. Still no confirmation of insurance at this time!

Mike kept at it, and finally felt comfortable enough with his conversations with our insurer to convince us that “it is coming, yes we will have a policy” so we rolled out registration on May 24th. Paula, Mike, Bonnie & Ted headed up to the hill on June 10th, with Paula towing the rented sweeper behind. What a dirty, dusty job that was – Mike mostly manned the driving of the sweeper. We ran out of water 3 times as Paula drove back & forth to Oakridge with multiple 5-gallon bottles to fill. It was finished around 2:30 but we had to spend another half hour to cut all the vines off of the sweeper roller. What a mess.

One more trip up there on the 22nd (did I say this is a VERY prep intensive hill) to cut road edges, clear out checkpoints, do some road blowing…and it was pretty much ready to go.

Meanwhile, registration was happening, we were rolling. Our stipulation when we opened was that we needed at least 35 entrants to pay the bills, as the increased insurance cost was substantial. And guess what- we almost reached our stated maximum of 50. What a wonderful response we had from the hillclimb community! It did take some PR to make it happen, but we did it.

Thank you is in order to many, many folks. Steven was our registrar and Motorsportreg guru. Dana, Alan, and Lorin were invaluable! They helped at hill cleanup, with Tech & Check-in, with Drivers School, with helping Novices learn the hill, and did I say they set up and did the Timing all day both days and didn’t even compete. Did you like this year’s design on the shirts? Lorin is our artist. That trio comes to help out! And, they loaded the trailer with some help from a scant few others for the trip home afterward.

Mary Richardson helped at hill cleanup, and did all the trophy’s – what wonderful pictures we all received. A lot of time went into that for sure. John Schmidt helped at hill prep, and contributed wonderful posters. Scott and Sue came to help us with clean-up and we had Scott tow the trailer. Ted Legard helped out all weekend, starting with tech, and ending up as one of our work truck drivers ferrying folks all weekend up and down the hill. Cari Hinesly came from the Medford area to watch and help. We put her to work helping Karen in Rosie and also up on the hill at a checkpoint. Cari was the first Queen of Larison in 1988, a wonderful driver and an even better person. You all will wish you still have the passion and love of motorsports that she has after her many years of competing. Cari still is very active in SSCC autocross events.

Mike always seems to bring friends along to help. This year it was Luisa. What a kick! She was a great help. Ryan Rink made an appearance to just help out, to work with Steven all weekend. They set up (and helped tear down) the hill, and manned the top pits all weekend. Thanks! And, lastly our hill is only complete with the help of our Safety Crew. This year we had Karen & Ray, Mark & Rose, Jamie & Bill, Rob, and Scott & Rita. They started in May by cutting trees, worked at cleanup in June, and ended up working all weekend of the hill to make sure we had a fun safe weekend. We love all of them!

It was a wonderful event for 2024. We gotta be careful folks of our volunteer help (club members & non-club members alike) – as burnout is always a possibility. Everyone please think of what you can do to help next year, as many folks wear multiple hats and would love to share some of them.

Till then…. Bonnie