Alan is not a novice to the sport by any means. In 1979 he joined SCCA to begin road racing with the club. Solo II was "inexpensive track time," an avenue to gain some related experience. While competing in both, he says, "I discovered I was having more fun, spending less money and meeting friendlier people in Solo II."
He has been active as an administrator as well as a competitor. He was a Director on the FLR Board in 1987-88; was the Solo II Chairman in 1987-88 and 1993; and served on the Solo II Board for a decade (from 1984-94).
With his vast experience, Alan has competed in many different classes and vehicles. He began in A-Modified (1979-81) and then moved to F-Stock in a 1981 Citation X-11. In 1983 he moved to F-Stock racing a brand new Camaro and in 1985 he switched to Pontiac and raced another new car; this time a Trans-Am. In 1986 he brought the Camaro out of retirement and moved to E-Street Prepared where he was the NEDiv Champ in 1988. He made his debut in Super Stock in 1991 in a Corvette. 1993-'94 brought yet another NEDiv Championship title, although in C-Prepared in a 1984 Camaro. In 1995 he returned to Super Stock in his 1992 Aqua Corvette.
Alan resides in Walworth with his wife, Judy, and their three children. Judy was an excellent competitor, winning the prestigious title of National ESPL champ in 1988 and she also held the NEDiv title from 1983 to 1990. She continued to compete until she required back surgery in 1994. Their oldest child, Shawn, is looking forward to competing in 1997. Adam, age 11, is their youngest and attends almost all the events with his father, and Nick, age 14, is hoping that the go-kart proposal passes (so is Adam)!
When asked what where the high and low points of this season, Alan replied, "being with friends" as the best thing about this season and "lack of local competition in SS" as the low point. "I don't see major changes coming except for go-karts. That would make Solo more of a 'family sport.' I would like to see fewer classes in Stock and Prepared," he replied when asked where he saw the Solo program in five years and what would he change.
Schoonmaker's pride in the region is evident, "Having been a FLR member for 17+ years I can say we have one of the best. Many of the newer members dive in head first to help in all areas. The 'old timers' are always available for advise. When I attended my first general membership meeting, I was 19 and quiet. Gary Lorow and Ned Beman helped me get involved and stay involved. I have seen the same actions ever since. Although the faces change, the friendly atmosphere continues."
Jeff got his start in autocrossing while attending Penn State University in State College, PA, when someone left an event flyer on his car. He has vast experience, belonging to several different auto clubs prior to joining FLR.
An episode during an event earned his class the nickname of "Bulldozer Stock" after his foot slipped off the brake, causing him to leave the pavement at 30-40 mph. He flew "mostly" over a ditch, digging up grass on the way. Fortunately, the car suffered only minor damage. He has competed in an odd assortment of vehicles including a '73 Vega panel truck, 1970 Fiat 850 Spider, 1970 Fiat 850 Grand Coupe, 1970 Fiat X 1/9, 1990 Acura Integra GS, and "various and sundry other cars, owned and borrowed!" He says the weirdest car he competed in was a circa 1970 Datsun pickup. "The steering wheel close to my chest... lost sight of a pylon three feet before running over it because I couldn't see it!"
The entire Guerdat family now has experience in autocrossing. Jeff's wife, Nancy, competed many years ago in their Fiats but hasn't for some time. She has, however, used her knowledge in daily driving-he relates this story, "Once, driving in the snow in our 1970 Fiat 850 Sport Coupe (which had a highly modified suspension making slick road condition driving truly hazardous) with our two young children, she tried to turn left onto an intersecting road. The car was aimed for the ditch with no hope in sight. She remembered my discussion about "Rockford turns" (using the parking brake to induce oversteer) and tried it for the first time. The car pivoted and pointed correctly in the desired direction, allowing her to continue on with no further drama. She changed her drawers later...While Nancy no longer competes, she does allow me to spend her hard-earned money on tires and cars. She thinks my next move should be to buy one of the Legends cars for autocrossing. Sounds good to me."
Jeff and Nancy have two teenagers - Todd, 19, and Jen, 17. "Both were told from an early age that they HAD to autocross to drive any of our cars. Both decided that my paying for memberships, entry fees, tires, cars, etc., not to mention I was now telling them to go FASTER, made the deal sweet enough to comply. Todd now has three seasons behind him and Jen just completed her first. Both show flashes of brilliance that will hopefully lead to increasing competitiveness in the future. Right now, I can still beat 'em. We'll see what the future holds."
For Jeff personally, the most exciting thing about this season was having his daughter, Jen, finally be old enough to compete. "Too few women compete and Jen would be a welcome addition to the ranks, regardless of sex. Of course, being in a class with the whole family as each other's competitors is fun, especially when I can still win..."
When asked where he sees the future of Solo II and what would he do to change it, he replied, "The core base of autocrossing is alive and well but the loss of sites has hurt. The Gates Plaza site might actually be a good place to attract people because of the very public location. The effort put out by the club representatives is huge and appreciated (I was the president of the largest sports car club in the Norfolk, VA, area (Tidewater Sports Car Club) for two years in the late '70s and secretary for the Hampton Roads area governing body (SouthEast Virginia Sports Car organization) for one year). I'm quite aware of the time and effort that's put in by the same core people day after day, event after event, and think they are truly under-appreciated. I know what club burnout can be..."
Dave resides in Livonia, New York, with his wife Pam and their three children Melanie, 11, Sarah, 9, and Christopher, 6. He was introduced to autocrossing in 1988 by Finger Lakes member Fran Celona. Prior to racing his royal blue Miata in C Stock, he competed for four years in G Stock in an SVO Mustang. His dedication is exemplified in his role as the Finger Lakes Region's Treasurer.
Dave's effort is not alone... his son Christopher is in his second year of crewing. Christopher began his career as a "magnetic decal remover" and now hold the prestigious titles of "jackman" and "lugnut loosener." When asked, "What was the best thing about this season," he replied, "My son was REALLY into it. He's such a little 'gearhead'." "A decline in interest level by friends I've raced with over the years which was particularly evident this year," Dave stated, about what he felt was the negative aspects of this season.
A Finger Lakes Region member since 1994, Alan has quickly become one of the most active participants in the Solo II program. He was on the Solo II Board in 1996 and will serve as the Board's Chairman for the 1997 season. He is also a Solo II Safety Steward.
Alan is also active in the Road Rally program and is a Road Rally Safety Steward. He competed in the Winter Challenge Series with Rich Smith.
His interest in Solo II began at the end of the '93 season when co-worker Charlie Boehly invited him to come and watch an event. Boehly had gotten involved due to the prompting of competitor John Williams. After Alan spectated that event, he decided to compete in what was the last event of the season that year. To maintain an active level in Finger Lakes Region during the cold, off-season months, he competed in the Winter Challenge Series. For the '94 season, he competed in a "tired" 1985 Dodge Omni GLH which he says he ran with "minimal success, but enjoyed the fun and learning."
In the Fall of 1994, Alan ordered the Neon which arrived on a snowy day in February of 1995. He demoted the Omni to "winter rat" and rally vehicle. The Neon remained parked until the Spring when Smith competed in almost every Finger Lakes and Western NY Regions' events, yet received only two trophies. He describes the car as being "sleeper white (no stripes, but many magnets!)" He began the 1996 season by chairing the first event at RIT and placed fifth in class "for a questionable start." After that his class position started to improve as the season progressed.
Alan's girlfriend, Lynne Thisse, has been very supportive and interested in racing. She has attended all of the local events and was always willing to lend a hand (even with clean up of the course).
Smith states, "The best thing this season has been that I am finally competitive. Solo II has always been fun, but it helps to take home a trophy. It was great to be asked my opinion of how to approach the course. I also dove into this year's competition and traveled to more events, competing almost every weekend locally and in the Glen, WNY, and Central NY region events. I also went to the Evansville, Indiana National Tour. That was a large event and the first time that I had competed on the national level. I went with the goal of doing respectably, and placed 10th out of 25 in DS. I would like to take this opportunity to thank my sponsor, Maple City Dodge in Hornell, NY. The worst thing about the season is that it is over."
Eric and his wife Beth reside in Webster, NY. He credits his success to her, "I could not have done so well without my wife's support and her car."
His motorsports experience is not limited to autocrossing; he's been racing Volkswagons for 10 years, including IHRA/NHRA drag racing in the Jetta. "I have always managed to keep at least one foot on the ground," he comments.
In 1992 he showed up at a Solo II event and "has been hooked since." When asked what was the most positive thing about the 1996 season he replied, "finishing in first place in E-Stock and having my name in TOP END." And what would he have changed... poor weather on race days!
John and his wife, Barbara, live in Rochester. They have five children-Jessica, 27; Bridget, 25; Dana, 23; Sage, 21; and Jared, 13. When asked if his family was supportive of his efforts, he replied, Barbara is not a participant but how could you not be a supporter and give up all those Sundays? Jared is the only one that has an interest but is totally immersed in things automotive."
John's dedication to FLR as well as the Solo II program should not go unnoticed. His company, Greathead General Printing, has benefited our Region without measure. Not only is he the printer for TOP END, but, to name a few others, the STPR program, race programs and regional business cards. He often donates his services free-of-charge and not only to our region. He supplied FLR as well as the surrounding regions with timing cards. These cards are used at each event to record run times on. By providing them to these other regions, he has helped establish a continuity that did not previously exist. Central NY, Glen, and Southern NY regions all use the same cards. For a deep discount rate he printed and assembled the Novice Handbook authored by the Glen Region's Kate Hughes and made them available to regions across the country for about $.15 per book.
His participation in the Solo II program includes being the Solo II Course Marshall and he will be on the Solo Board in 1997. He has also chaired and co-chaired several events as well as assisting with this year's Grand Prix.
Most people are brought into our region by word of mouth... a friend, neighbor or co-worker. But John found out about autocrossing when his wife Barbara noticed an article in the paper one Sunday morning in 1990 about an event that day at Xerox. John attended that event, the season opener. "It was a miserable day, but what a blast! I haven't' missed too many since," he explained. His Mustang was purchased at a "repo" auction for $9400. "It only had 2700 miles on it... the previous owner must have made zero payments. It was quite a steal."
John hopes for more competition in his class next year and looks forward to his continuing success. When asked what he hoped for the future of the Solo II program, he replied, "I just hope it goes on and on."
Larry has been competing for almost ten years in various Capris, although he took a few years off in the early '90s. He was introduced to the sport by a friend who no longer competes.
His passion for his cars is best quoted by him, "The current H-Stock Capri is a School Bus Yellow, I mean Maize Yellow 1971 Capri 2000. For those unenlightened people who are not Capri aficionados, the 1971 Capri 2000 is the one with the higher compression, higher power overhead cam 4 cyl. engine. It makes almost as much top end power as the 2600 V-6 that replaced it in 1972 (less torque, though), and is much lighter. It may not really match the performance 
of modern cars, but it generates more "smiles per hour" than just about anything else I've driven. I've had the car since 1992, and it's my 6th Capri."
"I also ran my "grocery getting" car in one event while the Capri was laid up waiting for new front strut top mounts: A blue 1988 Ford Escort. This evidently caused some confusion among the keepers of the 
timing/scoring records, because ever since they've listed my car as just about all possible permutations of "Yellow", "Blue", "1971", "1988", "Escort" and "Capri"! The Escort did help me pick up some useful points in H-Stock, even if it wasn't very fast (actually, it was much better than I expected)."
"In the past I ran my "Rustmobile", a red 1972 Capri 2600GT. Before that it was my late, lamented 1976 Capri II 2.8 "Black Cat", which had one of Richard O. Kiser's legendary ROKstock suspensions - VERY stiff, but capable of outhandling those pesky Porsche 911's on twisty back roads... The car also had the ROKstock decorative add-ons, and the engine was fitted with the large Weber carburetor from a European Capri 3000. Obviously this car did not run in stock class!"
"The only down side to this season was the relative lack of competition. A few years ago H-Stock was a popular class, but lately the only other 'regular' has been Carl Prouty with his '89 Festiva. Hopefully we'll have a few more people in H-Stock next year."
Scott began racing when a friend from work got him interested a few years ago. He began racing a '91 MR2 Turbo during the summer of 1991 in B-Stock. He states, "At that point, I had no idea just how much the MR2 made up for my weak driving skills. That is, until I started racing a different car." After competing for two years in that class, he took a summer off while living in Washington, DC.
He then competed in A-Stock before moving to A Street Prepared this year. "My friend Chris Chiu, who races an ASP '91 300zx, helped do most of the work on my car to move up to street prepared. With all the modifications (read as $$$ spent) we've made since April, I didn't want to drive it all year round any more. The new springs lowered the car so it doesn't fit through any automatic car washes any more. If I can't at least wash the salt off once and a while, I'm not driving it in the snow. So not only did I spend far too much on modifications, I then had to buy an additional vehicle for the winter, he explains."
Scott introduced his girlfriend to autocrossing by taking her for a ride during a fun-run at Lancaster Speedway. He states, "I think I scared her...I'm pretty sure that it looked a lot easier to her from the stands than from the passenger seat... oh well."
He feels that the best thing for him about this season was that he gradually increased his understanding of how his car behaves when on the track. "I could feel and "see" improvements in my driving as the season progressed."
Scott's sportsmanship is evident in his friendship with fellow competitor Chris Chiu, who finished the season in a very close second place. "For most of the summer, Chris co-drove my car. While his early victories were solid evidence I ought to be able to drive better, it was a little upsetting to lose to 'my own car'."
He remarks "Specifically, I don't know that I would change anything [about the Solo II program], although it does seem like the number of entrants has declined since I first started and that the younger drivers are an even smaller percentage than they used to be. I hope the SCCA's 'Speed Freakz' program can help reverse that trend. He also shares this comment for fellow competitors, "I've been running Kuhmos on my front wheels for at least four events. In case anyone actually cares, they helped reduce much of the understeer I've been suffering. Unfortunately, I don't think they will last even half as long as the Yokohamas I had there previously"
Ara began autocrossing in 1992 and states, "I got serious in 1995 when I got autocross tires (and won the CSP championship. It's great to repeat!"
The brand-new Mazda was purchased in October of 1990. You can't miss those vanity plates- "WHEEEE"... "an attitude towards life."
With a real "gusto" for the sport and a "can't get enough" attitude, Ara states, "the best thing about this season was beating every single car that has two or more seats at RIT events. I also enjoyed all the days with four-plus runs," yet doesn't enjoy the "wait between runs... need to find a way to pack in more seat time per hour."
In closing, Ara adds, "Kudos to the SCCA leadership for the fine job of organizing the events this year."
This was the largest class this year, so Tim's first place position is a great honor. The competition was fierce and Greg West was right behind finishing in second place with a total of 103 points.
Tim lives in Rochester with his wife Brenda and their two children, Lauren, 3, and Jonathan, 1. Brenda was also a Solo II competitor until she became pregnant for Lauren. Although she has been busy with other duties, she hopes to return to competition in the future. His technical automotive expertise has been greatly appreciated in this program. He has been Chief of Technical Inspection for the Solo program for about eight years.
A co-worker told Tim about the Solo program in 1982. He was immediately taken in, "I came, I watched, I tried, I hooked!" Prior to running DSP in the 318 he ran a BMW 530 in EP. "Jay Hughes, Bill Hicks and I kept the old Datsun/BMW rivalry alive."
This year's level of competition in DSP was the best thing about this season for Tim. He explains, "we had eight different winners in 11 events. The spread from first to 10th was as little as 2.5 seconds at some events. This is by far my most treasured championship." He also notes that he's sorry the season is over!
He expresses his opinion of the success of the FLR program, "Our Solo program is successful because of the dedicated volunteers who unselfishly give much of their free time. I commend them all."
Chris and his wife, Sheryl, are definitely one of the most active "Solo couples." Both compete in CP, although in different cars. Sheryl competed this year in a Mustang GT. Their children, Bryon, 9, and Myra, 8, sometimes come and help their parents set up. They have proven that this can be a "family activity." He comments, "Even though she competes in CP too, I still get support."
To guarantee that the Solo program stays alive, Chris headed up the Novice program, which has been extremely successful for the last two years. He has been autocrossing since 1980 when a friend brought him to an event at the Avon go-kart track, so the novices have the advantage of learning from a seasoned pro. He says that the best thing for him personally was that "the novice program grew and was a great success." He would like to take this opportunity to "say thank you to all the people that helped me with the Novice program."
In a comedic tone, Chris states, "No one can figure out how a car like mine can win a class like CP!" In the past he has competed in BSP in a Camaro as well as two years in a Capri CP. He's sorry that his class has gotten smaller.
Jeffrey Janik
Craig Henry and Steve Hayward incited Ron's interest in 1983 when he started autocrossing in a Ford Fiesta. He has also competed in a VW Gti, '66 Mustang, Fiat X-1/9 and a TUI BH-3 Super Vee.
Ron has served on the FLR Solo Board in 1993 and 1995-96, as well as being the Solo Chairman in 1994. He won B-Modified in the NEDiv Championships in 1991 and 1995 and his son, Brad, won that title in the Ralt in 1993 and 1994. Ron finished third in the NEDiv Championship this season.
Ron and his wife, Dina, are the region's newlyweds-they were married this summer. He states that the best thing about the 1996 season was having Dina go to the events with him. "She is very supportive and attends all the event she can. She likes to travel with me."
Their extended family includes Ron's children Amy, 23; Brad, 21; Justin, 9; and Shannon, 6. Brad also competes in the Ralt. Ron and Brad enjoy their father-son rivalry, "I wish Brad could have gone to more events."
He comments that he wishes it was easier to locate sites and that future seasons are not as wet ("too much rain") and that he can eliminate the "clutch problems."
Opinions expressed herein are the sole responsibility of the contributor and do not necessarily reflect the views of FLR. Permission to re-print or re-publish articles is granted to all SCCA Regional publications and its National magazine, SportsCar. Full credit MUST be given to Finger Lakes Region, SCCA, TOP END and the author/contributor.
Please send the Editor, MaryAnne Shults (mcs@shults.com), e-mail if you have any questions.
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