May 2006 - Club SCMM

May 2006
SCMM News
Vol. 4 Issue 5
The Event Calendar
First Sat. of the Month Breakfast
Date: May 6, 2006
Time: 9 a.m. (arrive by 8:30)
Where: Coogieʼs Beach Cafe
23750 PCH, Malibu
DETAILS HERE
Casino Run
Walking the Streets of Bakersfield II
Trains, hot rods, twisties and more turned this
run into a weekend-long adventure
Wow! If you missed the Bakersfield
Run, mark your calendar right now for
2007. Those who did make it will no
doubt add this run to their list of favorite
SCMM events.
With 2,000 hot rod and custom cars
in town for a car show, plus the British
Extravaganza Vintage Auto Racing go-
ing on at Buttonwillow Raceway Park,
Bakersfield was definitely the place to be
this weekend for car enthusiasts.
For many of us, our run began
early Saturday morning with breakfast
in Tehachapi, followed by a stop at the
“Loop,” a historic railroad engineering
(continued on page 2)
Date: May 13, 2006
Time: 9 a.m.
Where: Mobil Station at Hwy 79 South
and Butterfield Stage Rd.,
(three miles east of I-15 on the 79 in
Temecula)
DETAILS HERE
Second Sat. of the Month Breakfast
Date: May 13, 2006
Time: 9 a.m. (arrive by 8:30)
Where: Shore House
941 Pacific Coast Hwy
Seal Beach
DETAILS HERE
First Sunday of the Month Lunch
Date: May 7, 2006
Time: Noon
Where: Heroes Restaurant
131 Yale Ave., Claremont
DETAILS HERE
Fourth Sat. of the Month Breakfast
Date: May 27, 2006
Time: 9 a.m. (arrive by 8:30)
Where: Truly Yours
2045 East Valley Pkwy
Escondido
Orange County Get Together
POST OFFICE BOX 3151, LA MESA, CALIFORNIA 91944
THE TEHACHAPI LOOP — An eastbound freighter sounds it horn as it enters the famous Tehachapi
Loop. The front of this train will cross 77-feet under itself as it completes the Loop.
Date: May 28, 2006
Time: 8 a.m.
Where: The Neighborhood Cup
1 Journey
Aliso Viejo
WWW.SCMM.ORG
Come for the coffee, stay for the
Classic Car Show
Walking the Streets of Bakersfield II
(continued from page 1)
accomplishment in 1876 that is still in
use today to help freight trains over the
Tehachapi Mountains.
Kudos to Eric Johnson for suggesting
that we visit the Loop. When you actually see a train on the Loop it really is
amazing. After that we joined the main
group from the Bakersfield meet-up near
Caliente to begin the run.
Tavis Dahlke, who planned this run,
held a driverʼs meeting in Caliente to go
over the route and safety issues before
we took off up Bodfish Road to the next
rest stop at Lake Isabella and eventually
lunch in Kernville.
The scenery through the entire run
was as beautiful as it was diverse. From
Bakersfieldʼs 406-foot elevation we
climbed to over 6,000 feet at Greenhorn
Summit near Alta Sierra before dropping
back down to Bakersfield. The winter
rains have covered the hills with a blanket of deep green grass, sprinkled with
colorful patches of wildflowers.
We ended the run back in Bakersfield
at the Lengthwise Brewery.
DRIVERʼS MEETING — Tavis gives us final route instructions before we start up Bodfish Road.
Tavis and Angela at the lunch stop.
MANIACS AID DOWNED RIDER
Michele Melo, Brad Hunsaker and
Kevin Flanagan where at the right place
at the right time, despite being off the
planned route.
Coming down from Glenville the trio
missed the turnoff for Granite Road. It
was a fortunate mistake for a solo motorcyclist who, just minutes before, crashed
down a 20-foot embankment.
As the three rounded the corner they
thought they heard someone yell, “Help
me!” They went back and looked over
the edge and saw a motorcycle up against
bobbed-wire fence and the rider leaning
against a tree, conscious, but in pain.
There was no cell phone service, so
Kevin drove back to Glenville to get help
SCMM News • May 2006
Freddy and Christine enjoyed the
warm weather with some top-down
motoring. We had five convertibles
on the Bakersfield Run. All top down.
Cherylʼs Diner in Kernville was a popular lunch spot.
After a hot day of motoring, a sampler of Bakersfieldʼs local brew at Lengthwise Brewery hit the
spot. L-R: Brad, Lavida, and Mike.
while Michele and Brad comforted the
rider. In the mean time, several other
bikers stopped to help. One was a retired
firefighter/EMT.
The three SCMMers stayed with
them until paramedics arrived.
“We were all glad it wasnʼt a MINI
and he was okay,” said Brad.
Kudos to Brad, Michele and Kevin
for their good deed. If that rider wasnʼt
lucky before, he certainly was lucky that
day to have the three of them on the road
behind him.
The latest MINI news is just
a mouse click away at
WhiteRoofRadio.com
Page 2
New to the SCMM wine trips were Kerry Bonner, Mike Leggett and his girlfriend Amy, Dan Skorcz, and Phyllis Martin. Here we are at Opolo Vineyards.
Paso Robles Weekend Featured Great Roads and Wine
By
George Marsh
Getting to Paso Robles was just as
The first thing we noticed on 229
imagining how cool a set would look on
much fun as the reason we were going in was the absence of any painted lines
the front of a MINI.
the first place: wine tasting.
down the middle of the road. Thatʼs beThe entertainment that weekend was
a band called Julie and the Bad Dogs.
Events Director Craig DeGarmo told cause the road isnʼt wide enough for two
us about Highway 229, that runs north
lanes.
Julie Beaver, a 25-year-old native of San
between highways 58 and 41, so we tried
Over the radio came the question, “Is Luis Obispo who started playing the violin at age 4, absolutely rocked the house.
it on our way to Paso Robles.
this a road?” I assured them we were on
The next morning Alydia from
We motored north on I-5 from L.A.,
the right path. And then the next quesBreakaway Tours showed up right on
then west on Highway 58 at Buttonwiltion came over, “Who found this road?”
low. What was a pretty boring drive up
It was over lunch at the Loading
time with the coach.
to this point quickly changed to major
Chute in Creston twenty minutes later
The highlight of the day was a tour
“WHOOPEEEEEEEEE!!” once we got
that I explained how Craig had gotten the of the wine caves at Eberle Winery.
west of McKittrick.
From inside the winery we
The road twists and
were led down a dark narrow
climbs over the Temblor
tunnel that was lined on both
Range, then straightens
sides with barrels of aging
wine. The tunnel was conout into a high speed
nected to a maze of corriwhoop-dee-do section past
the Carrizo Plain National
dors, all of which were lined
Monument. Just when we
with more wine barrels.
Eventually we came to
caught our breath we were
a large candlelit chamber
back in the twisties again
climbing over the Coastal
where dining tables were set.
Lunch was served over candle light in the Eberle Vineyard Wine Caves
Range.
This is where we ate lunch.
I alerted the car behind us to watch
nickname of Roadmaster for his amazing It was very cool down there.
knowledge of asphalt in the Golden State.
We visited six wineries before the
out for the 229 turnoff. We drove by
Everyone met later that night at the
a couple of roads that could have been
coach returned us to the hotel that afterCattlemenʼs Lounge at the Paso Robles
noon.
it, but we werenʼt sure. We knew if we
missed the turn weʼd eventually hit the
Inn. True to its name, there were real
It was a terrific day followed by a
101 anyway, so we continued on.
cattlemen in the lounge. I counted eight
fine dinner at the Innʼs steakhouse that
Just when I had figured that we did
of them. There may have been more, but night. We even got to celebrate Karin
Nylandʼs birthday.
miss the turn, there it was - Highway
only eight were wearing cowboy hats.
Paso Robles made for a wonderful
229. Turns out that there is a stop sign at
The lounge had a fine collection of
bull horns hanging on the walls. I kept
weekend that I think everyone enjoyed.
the intersection, so itʼs hard to miss.
SCMM News • May 2006
Page 3
When MINIs will fly
In 20 years almost all of our cars will
be in a junk heap somewhere, those that
are left will be museum pieces. If we
havenʼt destroyed ourselves, those of us
still around will look at the years between now and then as years of technical
growth and opportunity, paid for by the
most painful energy prices of the century.
Hopefully by then fossil fuel usage will be nearly non-existent. “Oil”
companies will be instead producing
advanced forms of hydrogen cells or
batteries or something better, whatever it will be. The air will be getting cleaner everywhere, asthma will
be thought of like polio, tetanus, HIV
and cancer, all a thing of the past. No
one will remember what CARB and
AQMD stood for anymore. Global
warming, if it really ever existed, will
be over.
In 40 years, our grand kids will be
driving the new 2046 MINI Cooper,
a sleeker, now *true* flying brick that
cruises at 190 mph on a thin blanket of
air powered by magnetic pulse. Freeways will be 500mph enclosed, multilayer hyper-magnetic pulse conveyor
belts that hold these vehicles in place
until they literally need to get off. Accidents will be a thing of the past, except
for computerized goof-ups getting on
and off the belts, and they will be damage *and* injury free due to advanced
mega-air-cushion technology; people
will almost look forward to them once or
twice a year because they are so exciting
and fun.
Once off the freeway, city streets
will be three dimensional, the new cars
will be able to drive on any of 4 levels
above other traffic. Switching lanes,
now known as air blankets, will be both
horizontal as well as vertical, controlled
by onboard computers the size of a (also
now obsolete) cigarette package, which
use touch-sensitive air-projection holographic display technology with truesound and true-speech interfaces, all of
course running under Microsoftʼs Windows Futura 3000 or Appleʼs Mac OS
Fiction by
Don Hergert
exhaust mods and the radar detector in
wonderment. The kids will grin widely
as my sons describe to them what it was
like when great-grandpa and great-grandma used to zip them back and forth and
all around in this ancient beast, with the
windows down and sunroof wide open,
chirping tires in first and second gear
on two-dimensional tarmac roads, the
throaty exhaust and supercharger whine
announcing them as their parents delivered and picked them up at school
where their classmates, other
parents and teachers would look on
in mild jealousy.
The adults at the family gathering
will look at each other wondering how they are ever going to
get rid of this old monstrosity as
the kids remind them that people still sell
them on eBay. Then one of the youngest
kids screams, having accidentally popped
open the boot, but in a moment they all
gasp together at seeing great-grandpaʼs
long missing 1889 Stewart American
Princess banjo laying in state, dusty but
intact in a tattered gig-bag there, and all
the adults share a deep contentment that
they kept the old MINI this long after all.
Historians then will look back at the
last 40 years as years of amazing technical growth, exponential in discoveries
and production techniques due to computerization and the mega-miniaturization that they allow. They will look at
the price we pay now, and the social and
political upheavals that we will see in the
near future, as a fair price to pay for the
In 20 years almost all of our cars will
be in a junk heap somewhere, those
that are left will be museum pieces.
SCMM News • May 2006
2100. Old plasma displays and wireless
keyboards will be as obsolete as the 2006
MCS, only seen in museums.
At a family gathering, my great-grand
kids will ask my sons, their grandpas,
how people got around in the early
2000s. My sons will take them back
in the old garage and pull up the tarp,
revealing our ancient 2006 CRWS MCS,
up on blocks, dusty, the paint totally
faded, the windshield spider-webbed with
spontaneous hairline pressure cracks, the
run-flats, wiring harness, serpentine belt
and gray/white upholstery now moth and
mouse eaten and totally un-replacable.
The kids will ewwwe and awww
about it for hours as grandma and
grandpa grin, looking for remnants of
the Alta cold air intake, hunting out the
15-percent reduction pulley and one-ball
(continued on page 7)
Page 4
What do you like best about SCMM?
I canʼt pick just
one thing about
SCMM that I like
best. Among the
things that have
mattered most:
Iʼve met so
many wonderful
and diverse people, Iʼve gone to
amazing places
and Iʼve discovered a real
passion, autocross...but most
of all, Iʼve made important friends
from SCMM. I am really grateful for
that blessing. Thank you SCMM for
a ton of joy.
—Andi Mast
Here is what some of your
fellow members had to say...
I like the great community, the fun,
and special events. From the top
down everyone is friendly and out
going. It is a great way to make
friends and and hang out with
fellow MINI -nut -addicts
— Tavis Dahlke
This is a fantastic group of people. I appreciate
just about every aspect of the club. Friendliness, willingness to share ideas and help one
another improve their MINIs and solve problems, comraderie, fun fun fun events--happening just about every weekend. All of these and
many more have added an aspect to my life
(and yes, I had a life before I bought my MINI
three years ago) that has been positive and a sheer joy. The
MINI, as we all know, is one of the best cars anyone can posssibly own, but if you donʼt belong to and participate in SCMM
events youʼre not getting the full ride. Motor on!
— Lowell Dickson
Itʼs a complete club, from the smallest thing like business cards and club stickers to the website and all
the events in between. You can be as involved as you
like, just read the forums and newsletters or go all the
way to organizing your own regional events. You get
support and encouragement all along the way.
— Brigett Peterson
SCMM News • May 2006
Swag. Definitely swag.
Oh, and the fact that
most of our events
somehow involve beer
and/or wine.
— Erik Peterson
Rarely have I found a group of people
so passionate, so inspired, so driven by
a single idea. The idea to have fun. Now,
this may seem superficial, but if you look
deeper, thereʼs a lot of unhappy people
out there. The MINI has created that
single idea for us. Making our lives a
weekend. And I for one, believe a 7 day
weekend sounds pretty good, yo. Dig
that.
— Fireball Tim
This is a great bunch of people from all walks
of life that have one thing in common - we all
share in the sheer excitement and joy of owning and driving a MINI. When the Maniacs get
together for a rally, we just let our hair down
and have a blast!
— Martin Glicher
Page 5
Driver Racing On Highway 6 Plows
Into Oncoming Car In Triple Fatality
By Bob Dunn
FORT BEND COUNTY, Texas (April
23, 2006) — A driver racing another car
Saturday afternoon along State Highway
6 lost control, drove across the center
line at high speed and plowed head-on
into another vehicle, killing the couple
inside, police said.
The driver, a Sugar Land youth in
a white Toyota Scion who police have
not yet identified, was flown by helicopter to Memorial Hermann Hospital
in Houston, but died three or four hours
later, said Sugar Land Police Sgt. Chris
Thompson.
The occupants of the vehicle that
was struck – a blue Toyota Camry, were
dead on the scene when police arrived
at about 1 p.m. Thompson said the man
and woman were in their 30s and lived
in Houston, but havenʼt been identified
pending notification of their families.
Sugar Land Police investigators
are asking for help from the public in
finding a blue Mini Cooper with a white
top, which eyewitnesses said was racing
the Toyota Scion but sped off after the
crash.
Thompson said investigators believe
the driver of the Scion and occupants of
the Mini Cooper were racing north on
Highway 6 past Sugar Land Regional
Airport when the Scion driver last control and crossed into southbound traffic
striking the Camry.
“It was pretty bad,” Thompson said.
The force of the impact crumpled the
Camry so badly that rescue workers
had to use a Jaws of Life device to cut
through the car metal before they could
retrieve the man and woman inside.
The two, already dead from their
injuries, “were just totally innocent,”
Thompson said.
“Investigators are concerned with
finding that Mini Cooper,” he said. Its
driver “absolutely” faces charges as a
result of “engaging in racing that led to
those deaths. There is definitely some
culpability.”
Thompson said there were several
witnesses to the incident, because traffic
was fairly heavy at the time and numerous drivers saw what occurred.
Sugar Land police ask that anyone
who witnessed the racing or the accident, or anyone with information about
the Mini Cooper or its driver, contact
the departmentʼs Criminal Investigations
Division at 281-275-2540.
This article appeared in FortBendNow. SCMM was given permission to
reprint it in the SCMM club newsletter by Bob Dunn, editor and publisher.
www.fortbendnow.com
Help us keep our driving events safe
SCMM events are all about having fun, while at the same time
being safe. Please help us in this effort by remembering these
safety tips:
✔ Donʼt speed.
✔ Maintain a safe stopping distance between you and the
car in front of you.
✔ When caravanning, donʼt pass on two-lane roads.
✔ Pay attention to the radio. The lead car will alert the
caravan of approaching hazards or route changes.
✔ Make sure your car is in good working order and your tires
are inflated to the proper air pressure.
Please drive safely and be courteous to other drivers.
SCMM News • May 2006
THINK SAFETY
Itʼs time for a reality check.
The fact is, no matter how good we
think our driving skills are, or how
well our cars handle, putting those to
the test on public streets is risky and
places innocent lives at risk.
The recent fatality crash in Texas
involving a MINI Cooper is a sobering reminder of how quickly human
lives can be lost.
Regardless of how the incident
began, or what caused the accident,
excessive speed was clearly a factor.
Everyone loses in this tragedy.
Families and friends are grieving
over the loss of three people. Two
of those killed were innocent victims
in their 30s who had every right and
expectation to make it home safely.
Like the Enzo crash in Malibu that
shook the Ferrari community, this
crash has sent shock waves through
the MINI community.
I hope when they find the driver,
and Iʼm sure they will, that this person does not belong to a MINI club.
If youʼre reading this now, please
remember this when you get behind
the wheel. There is no thrill of driving that is worth a human life.
That is why we have track days.
On the track is where it is okay to let
it all hang out, not on the street.
SCMM events have an excellent
safety record, but it only takes one
accident to tarnish that record. I have
asked all our officers and governors
to make safety a primary focus at all
SCMM events. Now Iʼm asking you,
our members, to do the same. Please
be safe behind the wheel.
Thank you.
— George Marsh
Page 6
Bits ‘n’ Pieces
When MINIs will fly
(continued from page 4)
improvement of life -- and a new balance
-- that the newest society has achieved
with energy independence. There will be
new problems, of course, but there will
also be beauty, enjoyment and quality of
life.
And there will be the new mods to
the 2046 MINI to talk about, discussions
about getting the new CRWS “brick” to
reach 250mph with third-party mods instead of JCW, producing 500bhp and 490
ft/lbs of torque, as well as the weekendʼs
car shows and road rallies to enjoy with
friends at the Cup.
Editorʼs Note: Don Hergert is a SCMM
member. This piece was reprinted in part
from a forum posting with his permission.
ORANGE COUNTY GTG — After the OC GTG at the Neighborhood Cup on April
23, we took a drive up to Alta Laguna Park for some spectacular 360-degree views
of the Pacific Ocean and Orange County.
SCMM.ORG
P.O. Box 1671, Los Angeles CA 90001
Officers
George Marsh ........................... President
Don Burnside .. Vice President/Webmaster
Andy Limon ............................... Treasurer
Janet Nicholson ....... Membership Director
Lee Ann Schneider .......... Special Projects
Brian White .......................Vendor Director
Craig De Garmo ............... Events Director
Ian Goldsmith ........... Track Event Director
Governors
Dave Read ............................. L.A. County
Michael Donahey .............. Orange County
GOLD CLASSIC — SCMM member Jay Redd
poses with his newly acquired Classic Mini.
Jay drove it to the April breakfast run at
Coogieʼs where members got their first look
at this beauty. It took nearly a year of “redtape” for the car to get shipped from the UK
to the States.
“Since having the car, I have had
nothing but sheer fun,” says Jay, who just
received his personalized plates for the car
— “NUG IT” as in Gold Nugget.
Lee Ann, aka BlackFlag, who attended
the Coogieʼs breakfast, was Jayʼs very first
passenger. “We burned rubber!” says Jay.
SCMM News • May 2006
CAR DETAILS
Rover Mini Knightsbridge
1967 Title (total restoration to 1999
specs, incl. airbag and security
system)
1300cc Twin Port Engine
Limited Edition Gold
Right Hand Drive
Manual Transmission
13” rims, Koni shocks
6-gallon fuel tank; 39 mpg
Tamoosh Saghafi .............. Orange County
Jim Gallagher .............. San Diego County
Janet Nicholson .................. Inland Empire
Scott McIntyre .................. Ventura County
SCMM News is published monthly and distributed to club members free of charge under the
benefits of membership. Information, articles,
photographs, etc., included in this newsletter are
solely for the entertainment and use of SCMM
members only.
Email your comments or questions to:
[email protected]
Page 7