I was very much looking forward to the 2003 AGM, this year to be held in (warmer) Charlotte, NC as compared to Kansas City last year. I was able to book a flight on Delta Airlines, with a plane change in Cincinnati, for a very reasonable $325 return. This year I decided to leave the kiddies with a babysitter and take my long suffering wife along. I get to talk cars for 48 hours and she gets to relax, play tourist and shop for 48 hours. A nice break for both of us from the daily pressures of work and family. Our flight connections worked to perfection and we were on the ground in Charlotte at 6 p.m. on Thursday. Charlotte weather was cold and rainy on Thursday, just as cold as 1000 miles to the north! But all that would change on Friday. The Hilton University hotel was very clean and modern, offering a superb discount room rate of $99 per night for AGM delegates. There were a lot of stores and restaurants within easy walking distance and a short bus ride took travelers to downtown Charlotte, the mall or the Lowe's Motor Speedway.

Thursday night dinner was at a lovely bistro just a 5 minute walk from the hotel, where we enjoyed the company of Gary and Sue Hagopian (JCNA president from JANE in the northeast), Dennis Eynon and Mark Stephenson (both from Arizona). Afterwards the hospitality suite was kept open late so we could register, pick up a goody bag and meet up with old friends.

Up early on Friday morning and into the JCNA Board of Directors meeting at 7:30 a.m. A good crowd was on hand including 11 out of 12 regional directors and several interested spectators. The meeting was managed well by president Gary Hagopian and business was conducted smoothly. We were now ready for the big AGM on Saturday! My wife took advantage of the excellent organization by the host club, Bill and Margaret Bingham and the whole local team, boarding a charter bus for the shopping mall at 10 a.m. All she had to say was "wow, they build BIG shopping malls in the USA"!

After the Board meeting some of us were loaded onto a charter bus for the trip to nearby Lowe's Motor Speedway. These were the 30 or so "crazies" who had signed up for a chance to lap the famous track in a genuine NASCAR-style racing car, with no restrictions and passing allowed. The racing school putting on the event did an absolutely first class job. Before I describe that experience though, I have to comment on Charlotte, Lowe's Motor Speedway and NASCAR in general. I had heard that NASCAR was popular in the south, but nothing prepared me for the sight out the bus windows as we drove into this amazing facility. I have been to Lime Rock, Mont Tremblant, Mosport and Watkins Glen but nothing compares to this. This place is HUGE! Imagine a grandstand with seating capacity of 120,000 people, a multi level restaurant and viewing area, all enclosed in glass and overlooking the track, that can accommodate maybe 1000 people. A state of the art infield and pit area, accessed by a tunnel large enough to allow our tour bus through. And of course, as you look around at the 360 degree view, your eyes are drawn to the long, long banked corners that look steep enough as to make walking up them difficult.

Our group was given about an hour of classroom time, explaining the finer points of driving a 650hp stock car, safety, track layout, proper corner lines, flags etc. Then we were loaded into minivans six at a time while an instructor drove the "line" around the course and showed us how to avoid stuffing the car into the wall. Finally we were suited up and had helmets fitted and we were ready to climb into our race cars. In groups of five we were carefully buckled in while an instructor climbed in next to us. A very tight seat (no jokes about beer bellies please) squeezes you in place while a solid set of safety belts (five point) makes sure you can't move. With
helmet on head and safety net blocking the window to your left it is a little claustrophobic in there. The tube frames and safety cages on these 3500 pound monsters are massive. I think you could drop a building on one of these cars and still walk away. We are told to watch all the gauges but quite frankly all I am worried about while looking through an oversized steering wheel that wouldn't look out of place on a school bus is the giant tach sitting in front of me. There is a big green light that tells you when you are in first gear and a big red light that tells you when your engine has no more oil pressure. On the left is a row of identical switches whose function remains a mystery. The instructor does tell you to click the first switch down and then flick the second to start he car. And start is does! With a deafening roar of un-muffled American V8 that shakes the car, the ground and your dental fillings all at the same time. A huge shift lever (did I mention that Americans like everything big?) is manhandled into first gear (which you would never find on your own if it wasn't for that big green light on the dash), let off the clutch, give it a few revs and you're off rumbling down pit lane. Well..... most of us were off anyway. You see, it is very easy to stall one of these things, so quite a few of us (not me!) sputtered on the line.

Now the instructor is telling you what to do: accelerate gently to 3,000 rpm in first and shift to second. Bring it up to 3,000 again in second and shift to third at the exit to pit lane. Now we are in turn one (there are only four turns) and he's telling me to keep the car low on the "apron" while rounding turns one and two. There are two reasons for this: first, you don't want to cut off anybody who might be barreling down the track at that moment and second, the "step-up" from flat infield to steep banking is abrupt enough to unsettle the car if your are foolish enough to try it. Once we are around turn two and facing the long back straight we accelerate again, check the mirrors one last time, slip it into fourth and ease into the racing line. From now on it is fourth gear all the way, there is no need to downshift. The racing school has kindly painted a series of dots on the track surface: two dots at the entrance and exit of corners, telling you to drive between the two in order to find the perfect entry and exit points. Another set of single dots in the banked corners, the idea being to keep your right front tire below the dots and above the dreaded "step-up" line. My instructor barks orders at me (which I honestly could not hear above the incredible roar of the engine), gives me handsignals and grabs the steering wheel with his left hand to help guide the car through the tricky parts. The idea of these 2 or 3 laps at relatively low (60-80 mph) speeds is to get you accustomed to driving a real racing car and to give the instructor the time to evaluate you as a driver. After he is satisfied that you have a reasonable grasp of what your are supposed to be doing he signals you to come back into the pits and shut it down. I make a few mental notes: the brake pedal has no effect at all on the speed of the car and the power steering is set up quite loose, you really have to hold the wheel on the straights because these cars want to turn LEFT all the time.

Now, a little word here about who I got to race with. Because I am the vice president of JCNA, because I had to be finished early in order to make it to the dinner banquet and present some awards and..... because I was assumed to have "some" experience driving race cars, I was put in the first group. The first group included (among others): JCNA president and vastly experienced hot shoe Gary Hagopian as well as JCNA webmaster and highly experienced hot shoe Pascal Gademer. I had the distinct feeling that the other drivers and the people watching from the banquet area were waiting to see just what kind of spectacle these three "crazies" would offer. They didn't have to wait long.....

After all the students had a chance to take a couple of introductory laps with the instructor, the pit area was cleared, the engines were warmed up on all the cars, the ambulance, safety trucks and flag men were put in position and we were ready to rumble. Group one is called out to the track: Hagopian, Eckrote, Gademer, Thompson. No instructor this time. No rev limit. Passing allowed on the straight. 15 laps in which to thoroughly embarrass yourself. Problem #1 for me: I did my instructor laps in car #3 (an ex-Dale Earnhart
car); for the "race" I am assigned to the #99 Citgo car, which is totally unfamiliar to me. The instructor helps me slide over the cage and into the window (no doors on these cars) and buckles me up. There is some concern that my 6'3" frame will not fit as easily into this car as it did in the #3 car, but with helmet on I have 1/4" of clearance. The steering wheel is put back on (remember, I said it was tight in these things) and the little red stop sign is held in front of my car. The other three cars get to leave pit lane first, I'll be the last on the track. The instructor standing beside the car twirls his finger in the air, an indication to fire the engine. And fire it does, with a deafening roar. I blip the throttle a few times to make sure the engine is warm (don't want to stall) and wait for my signal. At this point the instructor leans in and yells in my ear "BE CAREFUL WITH THIS CAR, IT'S GOT A LOT OF POWER......" Oh great, as if I wasn't already nervous enough.

I get the green "go" sign and I rev it up and dump the clutch. Down pit lane we go... into second gear and the track is looming... into third gear and I'm out on the apron now. Accelerate gently and sweep through turns one and two on the apron. Onto the back straight and I shift to fourth, accelerating hard now as I check the mirror and merge onto the racing line. First thing I notice is an orange car coming up fast in my mirrors. It's Gary Hagopian, he's finished his first lap and he's flying into his second lap, hot on my tail! Even though the instructors told me to take it easy for a lap or two before putting the pedal down, this is no time to dawdle! The revs climb to 4500...5000...5500 as I launch the car though turns three and four. Turn four is the scariest; it is a decreasing radius turn and if you enter it too hot and lift you end up in the wall (and all the black skid marks are there to attest to that). The back straight is indeed a long straight but the front "straight" is actually a double-apex large arc. I'm trying my best but failing miserably to hit all the proper marks for corner exit and entry. Now that orange car is getting really close to my rear. I figure the reason why I'm having trouble finding a "groove" is because I am simply going too slow. Even though I'm only starting my second lap I press down harder on the gas pedal. I was right, the car responds better in the steeply banked corners when the G-forces are higher and the suspension is crushed down. The revs are climbing now... 5750...6000...6250, scenery is flying by at a much faster pace. The orange car is right on my tail again, but not close enough to warrant a passing maneuver. I'm going a lot faster now, charging into the corners with only the slightest lift of the gas pedal (there is never any reason to apply the brakes on these cars). The road has my full attention now, to heck with the gauges. I come up on some slower traffic and have to wait a lap and a half before I get the chance to shoot by on the back straight. Still, I am polite enough to leave a few car lengths so as not to spook the driver being overtaken. That orange car, however, is now sitting directly on my rear bumper. Now I'm getting the hang of the whole thing and pushing harder. I roar into turn one with only a slight lift and accelerate hard through two and onto the back straight. The orange car becomes a smaller and smaller speck in the mirror! More traffic, and I have to slow down again to wait for a chance to pass. The orange car is on my rear bumper again, looking for a mistake, an opportunity to pass. I steamroll by the slower car on the front straight this time, drop neatly into turn one and decide to try a little experiment. As the car settles down on its suspension in the banking of turn one, I push the gas pedal all the way to the floor. Keeping my focus I manage to hold the car below the white marks in the corner and "thread the needle" through the exit point. Foot still to the floor, I glance at the tach and see that I am now passing 6500 rpm. I lift slightly for turn three and hold on tight to the wheel as the G-forces build up for that decreasing radius fourth turn. I glance in my mirror and the ever present orange car has faded back about 6 or 7 car lengths. Next time around I hold the gas pedal flat to the floor for the whole lap, only lifting slightly to set up for the entrance to turns one and three. One thing I forgot to mention: each lap as I pass the flagging station the flagman is holding both hands out, palms down and making a motion as if he is pushing down vigorously on an invisible barrier. Of course, he's trying to tell me to slow down. Of course....... I didn't.

Suddenly the checkered flag is waving and the flagman is signaling me to come in, as I pass I glance in the mirror and notice that Gary in the orange car is getting the same signal. Oh-oh, I think to myself, they're pissed off at us and we're getting called in for a lecture about driving too fast, too soon. But no, time has gone by very quickly and our 15 laps of fun are over. I coast into the pits and shut the engine off. What fun! The next group is buckled into the cars and my wife and I make our way over to the Speedway Club, a gigantic glass fronted restaurant that overlooks the track. Dinner is over for the assembled delegates and I arrive just in time to award the trophies for best club websites. Judy Ferring has just finished giving out the awards for best club newsletters.

We board the bus back to the hotel and walk over to the same Bistro as the previous evening, this time for dinner with Gary and Sue Hagopian and Pascal Gademer and his son Pierre. Around 10 p.m. another group of racers wanderin, led by Steve Weinstein and Steve Ferring from New Jersey. Everyone agrees that the NASCAR event was a great experience. Back to the hotel and up to the hospitality suite, which is still rocking and rolling even at this late hour. The organizers have set up a video and TV and are showing tapes of classic car and Jaguar events. There is also a few dozen interesting items spread around the room being offered for sale in a silent auction. Steve Kennedy of Colorado is there, showing off samples and taking orders for his excellent new book "Jaguar: The Classic Marque".

Out of bed at 6:45 and down to the meeting room area for the 45th JCNA AGM. Even though I arrive at 7:15 for an 8:30 meeting the room is already half full of eager delegates. I stake out a row of twelve chairs and manage to convince all the delegates from my region to sit together. Looks good to show solidarity. Gary starts the meeting at 8:30 sharp and the room is packed to overflowing. We have a full slate of topics to cover and the pace is brisk. Right off the bat we deal with a controversial motion: an amendment to the bylaws has been proposed removing the right of the Board of Directors to change bylaws without a vote of approval by the delegates at an AGM. Some old wounds are evident below the surface on this one and discussion on both sides of the debate is vigorous. Finally a vote is called and hands are counted; the vote passes to substantial applause from the assembled delegates. This was to be the pattern for much of the morning and well into the afternoon. A motion is presented, much discussion follows, the delegates frown and shift uncomfortably in their seats when hearing things they don't like; spontaneous applause breaks out when someone stands up and expresses and opinion that "just makes good common sense". An example would be the motion to limit delegates at AGM's to carrying only one other club's proxy in addition to their own. After much discussion, the feeling around the room was that this motion, rather then attempting to build enthusiasm for clubs to send delegates to AGM's, was really trying to force clubs into a particular behavior by waving a rule book over their head. Delegates obviously felt the motion didn't pass the "smell test" and they turned it down.

We witnessed superb examples of hard work and level headed thinking from Dick Cavicke's judging committee and Bob Stevenson's judging guide. Both motions were roundly applauded and passed with ease. A lot of pressure from Gary allowed the AGM meeting to adjourn at about 3 p.m., much to the relief of the exhausted delegates. The meeting was long and the discussion animated, but overall the feeling was that a great deal of positive work had been accomplished. Delegates barely had time for a short break before several seminars got underway, dealing with newsletters, club management, high performance modifications and restoration. Through all of this, I barely got the chance to check the weather outside, save for a few precious moments at lunchtime when I snuck over to the parking lot to view some magnificent Jaguars belonging to local club members. I also look a half hour break in the afternoon and spent the time with my wife, sitting at an outdoor wine bar sampling the grapes and soaking up the sunshine and 75 degree temperatures.

Back to the hotel for a quick change of clothes (suit and tie required) and we're downstairs again for the cocktail and dinner. I manage to secure a table near the front with Dick Cavicke (Judging Committee shairperson from California), Mike Cook (Jaguar Journal editor from New Jersey) and his wife, Dick Deibel (outgoing SE regional director from South Carolina) and finally Kerry Vickers (Jaguar Society of South Carolina president). At great time was had by all, much wine flowed and Mr. Deibel and Mr. Vickers provided much comic relief. Gary Hagopian made a speech thanking the delegates for attending and thanking the host club for putting on great event. Kurt Rappold did a great job handing out the various trophies for concours, rally and slalom. After the dinner was over (the food was great) it was back to the hospitality suite where the party dragged on into the wee hours.

My wake up call was set for 4:30 a.m. and I was on a plane flying out of Charlotte airport at 6:30 a.m. All connections worked beautifully and I was sitting at home having lunch with my family at 11:30 a.m. on Sunday. Total cost for the weekend was about USD$1300 for two people. My wife would highly recommend the experience for other "Jag widows"!

View more pictures of the meetings, Lowe's motor speedway event, award banquet and car display in the Image gallery