What did the club 20 in 2024 
By Bonnie Mueller

EESCC has always been about doing things for others, not just having fun at our events. Sure, we enjoy having fun at our autocrosses, hill climbs, and rallies, but we also seem to have fun when we are doing an event to help others.

 Take for instance the Blind Auto-X we had in April of 24’. What a blast! Fun was definitely had by all, but did you know we donated $680 to Guide Dogs for The Blind because of entries and generous donations. 

Also, in April of 24’ we had our first of two scheduled Adopt-A-Highway clean up. 16 folks came to work for 2 ½ hours to clean our section of road on Highway 58. What a wonderful turn out it was, and it just makes you feel good to see all the bags of garbage we picked up. Our second clean-up of the year was to happen in October/November, but schedules became tight and didn’t happen. Be sure and join us in 2025 for our two required clean-ups. 

On June 29th and 30th EESCC held Larison Rock Hillclimb and this year was one of the best driver turnouts in a long time. Donations, combined with some of the entry income allows us to give a well-deserved $1000. to the Oakridge Fire Department. They donate their time and equipment to assist us with a fully staffed ambulance and fire trucks. We also purchased lunches from the Oakridge Moose Club. Making lunches for us is one of their largest fundraisers of the year. The money is ear-marked for their local Oakridge charities. 

Throughout the year the club donates money to Food for Lane County. After each event we send a check equaling $1 for each entry. We not only had a shortened year, but also the rain, cold, and snow at some events lowered our participation level. So an additional year-end donation was sent to FFLC to equal a total of $1000 for the year. They have food pantries, run Meals-on-Wheels, and Food Rescue programs among other good things they do. 

Throughout the year many of you donated money to the 501 C-3, Emerald Empire Sports Park Development Foundation when you paid for your auto-x entry. We have made it easy to make that additional donation when you sign up and then the money is transferred to the foundation. Also, this year EESCC donated three complete seasons entries with membership that were raffled off, one per weekend. Those totaled $225 each weekend for a total of $675 donated. 

At the holidays we are grateful for all we have, and we wanted to share some of our blessings, so this year we again sent a check for $300 to The Candlelighters. This is an organization that supports children with cancer and their families through local activities. Support groups, parties, get-togethers and summer camps are just a part of the good they do. Our donation was specifically earmarked for the Mid-Willamette Valley region. 

We gave $300 to Hope & Safety Alliance, which is a Eugene organization dedicated to helping victims of abuse. In telling you all of this I want not only to let you see some things you may not be aware that our club does, but to encourage you to consider a donation to the many organizations in our area in need, not only this holiday but throughout the year. 

2025 Evo School

By Paula Loftin

Hi everyone! I want to let you know that the club is sponsoring the Evolution High Performance Driving School again this year on May 17th and 18th, at Sanderson Field in Shelton, Washington. As in past years, we will give priority registration to EESCC members before opening it for previous years’ participants, and finally, to the general public. If you are unfamiliar with the program, please go to the Evolution High Performance Driving School website and read all about it. This program is taught all across the country by high quality, experienced competitive autocross drivers, ensuring that you come away from the school with skills that will move you ahead in the sport, regardless of your current level of experience. For those who have taken the school before, as well as those attending for the first time, lessons are tailored to you, meeting you where you are, challenging and supporting you as you improve your skills. It is an intense, but fun weekend. We'll be sending out the interest survey soon, and I encourage you to respond as soon as possible, so we know how many other participants we will be able to accommodate… Due to the size of the venue, the school is limited to 24 participants per day. We have always filled it, so it's best to enter as early as possible. Please contact me if you have questions. Paula 541-228-2678 pjloftin59@gmail.com

1968 –SCCA, Bob Tullius and Group 44
By Ted Ledgard

I became involved in car racing events in 1964, starting with Autocross, then Solo I, and later Regional SCCA events in the Mid-Atlantic Region. While going to these races I met many of the local and regional drivers. This was at a time when SCCA regional racing was still fairly low dollar compared to national class events. At that time, it was not unusual to have a well-known driver and team parked in the next pit area to you. Paul Newman was just starting to drive in North East Regional races. He was easy to talk to and became an outstanding driver over a short period of time. Having a good bankroll also helped buy good cars and crew as he progressed.

One of the top SCCA Mid-Atlantic drivers was Bob Tullius, based in Fairfax, Va. Bob was a talented and very competitive driver and prepared his cars so that they seldom, if ever, broke down during a race, campaigning a 1961 Triumph TR-3 successfully the very first year, placing first and second in every race. In 1962 he persuaded Triumph to provide him with a TR-4 to race. He started winning regional and then national events competing with other “sponsored” drivers. In 1965 he formed Group 44 Racing Team and made agreements with Quaker State Oil Co. as sponsor. Bob and Group 44 continued to win races and Triumph continued to provide new cars each new model change. Bob and I became friends and one day at his immaculately clean workshop, over coffee, Bob told me he was about to ask Quaker State to replace his old tractor-trailer with a new rig to haul his race cars around the country. At this time, I was working in sales with International Harvester, selling large commercial trucks. Bob asked if I could get him a good deal on an International TransStar truck for Group 44 to pull a new semi-trailer. It would also get some good PR for International Harvester.

I contacted my District Manager and within a few weeks a special deal was worked out with Quaker State to buy the truck through me as the local salesman.

Aside from looking great, the truck was set up to be fast. The most powerful diesel engine available was spec’d, with gear ratios, oversize wheels and tires to allow the lightly loaded truck combination to travel at very high speeds. The trailer was very light as well, but strong enough to manage the elevator inside which helped stack 4 race cars in the rear and contain a very useable workshop in the front with storage for spare parts and tires. As with everything else Group 44 did, it was always neat as a pin.

They were stopped one night by a local Sherriff outside Atlanta while coming home from a race at Daytona and clocked by radar at 110mph. I was very proud of that truck and it got me a few perks with Group 44 as I was always admitted into their pit area at the races. I was also presented with a Group 44 hat which I wore proudly when at the races.

In 1984, British Leyland, who produced Triumph, MG and Jaguar, provided Group 44 with a XJR Jaguar car with a 12 cylinder, 500HP engine to race at the famous 12hour race at Le Mans, France. After 291 laps, the transmission failed and they had to drop out of the race.

Bob and went on to win international races for several more years until he retired from racing. He moved from Virginia to Sebring Florida, living at the famous racecourse there. Over a period of years, he bought several old US Air Force airplanes and also a P-51 Mustang airplane which he flew in various airshows for several years.

Bob was a true competitor never giving an inch but always a gentleman. He loved speed, competing early in his life on motorcycles, then sports cars and finally airplanes. Bob passed away in 2023 at age 93.

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