The name of the corporation shall be the Western Washington Sports Car Council, Incorporated, a perpetual non-profit Washington corporation whose principal place of business is Seattle, Washington, hereinafter referred to as the Council.
The purposes of the Council as stated in the Articles of Incorporation are:
To represent the member clubs in matters of general interest, and to enhance the public image of sports and marque car enthusiasts in general;
To promote, publicize, and inter-communicate sports and marque car activities among the member clubs, sports and marque car owners and the general public; and, in addition to the purposes stated in the corporate charter;
To buy, sell, lease, own, mortgage or otherwise deal in real and personal property for purposes incidental to the foregoing.
By the authority of the Articles of Incorporation of the Council, Bylaws may be created and changed as the Council deems necessary so long as they are not in conflict with the Corporate Charter or local, state, or Federal laws.
ARTICLE II - MEMBERSHIP REQUIREMENTS
There will be an initiation fee of ten dollars ($10.00) payable upon acceptance to Council membership. This fee is paid only once during a continuous membership.
The annual dues to the Council shall be thirty dollars ($30.00) for full members and twenty-five dollars ($25.00) for associate members. Annual dues must be paid by February 28th of each year; a late charge of five dollars ($5.00) will be levied after that date.
A club joining the Council for the first time or rejoining after an absence of twelve months or more will have its first-year dues prorated for the remaining months in the calendar year.
Annual dues will be deposited in the general fund of the Council.
An appropriately constituted sports or marque car club for the purpose of Council membership shall:
Be a nonprofit sports or marque car organization whose primary purposes are automotive and related activities;
Have a constitution or bylaws, a copy of which shall be filed with the Council; and
Have recognized officers, an up-to-date list of which shall be maintained for the Council.
Membership in the Council may be attained by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the active members present at a regular meeting of the Council, provided written notice of a request for membership was submitted at the previous regular meeting and the requesting club has presented the required fees and credentials (see 3b and 3c above).
Any club may resign from the Council upon written notice to the Secretary, provided the resignation contains the signatures of the presiding officer and one other officer from the resigning club.
A club may be suspended from the Council for non-payment of dues within thirty (30) days of the date due. Removal of a suspension for non-payment will take place as soon as dues and late fee are paid. A full-member club may be suspended from the Council for absence from three (3) consecutive Council meetings. Removal of suspension for absence will take place at the third consecutive Council meeting at which the club is represented.
Any member club delinquent by ninety (90) days on any other monies due the Council shall be suspended until paid in full.
Associate membership is available to any club whose established address is more than fifty (50) miles from the Seattle city limits or for other good reasons as the Council may approve.
Associate membership in the Council may be attained in the same manner as full membership, but will be reviewed at each January meeting.
An associate club may not vote in Council matters, nor may any associate club member hold a Council office, nor serve as a committee head. They do, however, have all other rights and privileges of full membership.
Associate membership may be changed to full membership at the written request of the club and by paying the difference in dues. All privileges and requirements of regular membership then apply.
ARTICLE III - COMPOSITION OF THE COUNCIL
The Council shall be composed of one representative or alternate with one vote from each of the full and active member sports or marque car clubs.
Each member club shall appoint one of its members in good standing as representative and no more than two members as alternates to represent it in the Council.
Any voting club which sponsored a Championship autoslalom during the preceding year may name a second voting representative to the Council.
A full member club shall be represented at each meeting of the Council by its representative(s) or, in his absence, by an alternate, or in the absence of all official representatives, by a recognized officer of the member club who has been listed with the Council. In any event, each member club's vote(s) shall be given by the recognized representative(s) of the member club for that meeting.
ARTICLE IV - OFFICERS
The officers of the Council shall be the President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer.
The Board of Trustees of the Corporation shall be the officers listed in Article IV.1.
To be eligible for nomination for office, a person must have attended three (3) Council meetings within the past year. Exceptions to this rule may be made by majority Council vote if there are not enough nominees to fill the offices.
Officers shall be elected at the October meeting and installed at the annual meeting (see Article VII.1).
Officers shall be elected for a term of one year by a majority vote of the Council. This is not to preclude the re-election of an officer for consecutive terms.
The President shall preside at all meetings of the Council at which he/she is present; he/she shall have general and active management of the business of the Council and shall see that all resolutions and orders of the Council are carried into effect. He/she may vote only in case of ties. The President may be elected for a maximum of two consecutive terms.
The Vice President shall, in the absence of the President, perform his/her duties and exercise his/her power. He/she shall also be in charge of the Sports Car Spectacular beginning after the current year's event and continuing through the following year's event.
The Secretary shall record all votes and minutes of all proceedings of the Council. He/she shall conduct the correspondence of the Council. He/she shall be custodian of the Constitution, Bylaws and Standing Rules of the Council. He/she shall perform such other duties as prescribed the by President of the Council, and with Council approval may delegate any of his/her duties, power, or authority.
The Treasurer shall have custody of the Council funds and shall keep full accounts of receipts and disbursements in books belonging to the Council, and shall deposit all monies and other valuable effects in the name of the Council and to the credit of the Council. He/she will render to the President and the Council whenever they may require it an account of his/her transactions as Treasurer and of the financial condition of the Council. He/she shall keep current Council membership standings of the member clubs. He/she shall incur no debt, liability, or obligation without prior approval of the Council. He/she shall be responsible for the insurance plan for the Council. He/she may delegate any of his/her duties, powers, or authority with the approval of the Council.
In the event that an officer cannot finish his/her term, the Council shall seek a volunteer replacement subject to Council approval at the next monthly meeting.
In the event an elected or appointed officer/committee head has been accused of conduct not in keeping with the standards of the Council, the remaining officers of the Board of Trustees, after consideration of all relating aspects, have the power to remove said officer/committee head.
Any elected or appointed officer/committee head suspended or expelled as provided in Paragraph 11 of this Article shall be entitled, upon request, to have the charges against him/her read and to state his/her case before the membership at the next monthly meeting. After hearing the charges and the defendant, the active members present shall vote by secret ballot. A two-thirds (2/3) majority vote of the full members present shall be necessary for expulsion. Notice of the meeting at which the expulsion of any elected or appointed officer/committee head is to be considered shall be given in writing to all members one week prior to the meeting and shall specify the elected or appointed officer/committee head and the charges to be considered.
ARTICLE V - FISCAL POLICY
All checks, drafts, or demands for money of the Council shall be signed by an approved signatory on the account.
The Council may in any instance designate the officers or qualified agents who shall have the authority to execute any contract, conveyance, or other instrument on behalf of the Council provided prior approval of the Council is given.
All expenditures other than ordinary administrative costs shall be authorized in advance by the Council.
The fiscal year shall be from January 1 to December 31.
All non-administrative activities of the Council shall be financially self-sustaining.
An audit of the books of the Council shall be conducted on an annual basis, or upon request of the Trustees, and a report presented to the Council. The annual audit shall be conducted by the new Treasurer, or an independent third party if the Treasurer is the same as the previous year, and a report submitted to the Council no later than the February Council meeting. A third-party audit may be requested by the Trustees at any time.
ARTICLE VI - COMMITTEES
There shall be two standing committees of the Council: the Rules Committee and the Technical Committee. The Council shall be empowered to create and regulate any other committees necessary for the conducting of Council business. Among areas which may be handled by other committees are: publicity, site administration, the Sports Car Spectacular, event and competition season results, and individual event and year-end awards.
The Rules Committee shall examine matters of interpretation of the Autoslalom Standards, make recommendations to the Council concerning proposed changes to the Standards, and deal with any other pertinent business assigned to it by the Council.
The Technical Committee shall make recommendations to the Council concerning car classifications and changes thereto, appeals of protests based upon car preparation, issues related to car safety, and any other pertinent business assigned to it by the Council.
Each of the Standing Committees shall be governed by the following rules:
The Committee shall consist of five members of active Council clubs. These members shall be elected at-large at the Council meeting held in February (See Article VII.2). Each member shall have one vote
No more than two members of the Committee shall represent the same WWSCC club.
The Committee Chairman shall be selected by and from among the five elected Committee members, and shall be responsible for ensuring that all recommendations of the Committee are reported to the Council. He/she shall have responsibility of the general and active management of the business of the Committee. The Chairman shall remain a regular voting member of the Committee.
The Committee shall meet at least once prior to the regularly scheduled Council meeting at which its recommendation(s) is(are) required by the Council. The presence of at least three members of the Committee is necessary to conduct business. These meetings shall be open to any competitors having genuine interest in the issue(s) to be considered.
A simple majority vote of the members of the Committee shall be necessary to make an official recommendation to the Council.
All proposed Standards and car classification changes must be submitted to the applicable committee and the Council in writing. Committee meetings at which these proposals are to be considered shall be open to any interested Council club members, and shall be well publicized in advance. Any such proposals received after the October meeting of the Council shall be considered only at the year-end Open Meeting(s), through which the Committees shall ascertain the level of support among competitors for each approval. All changes approved by the Council following Committee recommendations shall be incorporated into the following year's Standards.
ARTICLE VII - MEETINGS
There shall be an annual Council meeting held in the month of January for the purposes of installing officers and conducting any other business pertinent to the purposes of the Council.
The election of Standing Committee members shall take place at the February Council meeting.
The regularly scheduled business meeting of the Council shall be held on the fourth Monday of the month. In the event that this is not appropriate in a given month, the Council shall vote on an acceptable alternate date.
Meetings to conduct Council business may be called by:
The President, or
Three voting Council representatives or officers.
If a meeting is called by other than the President, written notice stating the purpose of the meeting must be sent to the members of the Council after receiving the consent of the Board of Trustees.
Changes to the Bylaws may neither be submitted nor voted upon at these extraordinary meetings.
In order for the Council to conduct business there must be a majority of the active Council clubs present.
For the purpose of being able to conduct business, an active Council club is a full member club represented at one of the previous two monthly Council meetings.
ARTICLE VIII - PARLIMENTARY AUTHORITY
The business of the Council shall be conducted in accordance with Robert's Rules of Order, Revised, except where in contradiction with the Bylaws.
ARTICLE IX - BYLAWS CHANGES
The Bylaws may be changed by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the active members present at a regularly scheduled meeting of the Council, provided that written notice of the change and a statement of the change have been presented at the previous regularly scheduled meeting. A statement of the proposed change shall be sent to each absent representative of each member club within one week of the meeting at which the change was proposed.
The Bylaws may be temporarily suspended to conduct business of any unusual nature provided that the procedures of paragraph 1 above are followed.
The Bylaws may not be changed or suspended if violations of any local, state, or federal law would occur as a result.
ARTICLE X - BALLOTING
The balloting on Bylaws changes or suspension shall be by roll call vote.
Balloting on Council matters may be determined by a non-debatable motion by a member of the Council or by following the practices of Parliamentary Authority (see Article VIII).
A simple majority vote shall decide all issues except those of Autoslalom Standards changes and Council Bylaws changes, each of which requires a two-thirds (2/3) majority vote (see Articles VI.2.f and IX.1).
For purposes of electing officers, a majority vote is needed. If a majority vote is not obtained by one candidate on the first ballot, a run-off is required between the two candidates with the most votes.
Officers may vote on those motions affecting the fiscal condition of the Council. The officers may also vote on any matter if a member of the Council so moves and the motion carries by a simple majority. The motion is not debatable.
ARTICLE XI - DISSOLUTION OF THE COUNCIL
In the event the dissolution of the Council occurs, the real properties of the Council shall be given to charities chosen by the Council.
The best way to get started is to simply come to an event and try it! All you need is a drivers license, a technically sound car (i.e. the wheels aren't falling off), some enthusiasm, and about $25-30 (exact pricing may vary per event).
IT'S THAT SIMPLE!
A SNELL 2005 (M or SA) or newer helmet is also required; but if you don't own a helmet, don't sweat it! You should be able to grab one at the event, since free loaner helmets are on-hand at most places. Helmets with only a DOT rating (no SNELL certification) are not allowed, due to our insurance requirements.
You have to be at least 16 years of age and have a valid driver's license to participate. Also if you are less than 18 years old you will need to either have a parent or guardian present or have a completed "minor waiver form" on file signed by both parents (or one in the case of single-parent households).
This page is broken up into several sections, so click on a link below to jump to the section that interests you most:
Have you ever turned on the TV and seen a road-race and wished you could be competing in a race like that? Well, there's a way you CAN - without buying a racecar, running into other cars, or hurting your automobile!
Autocrossing, also known as "Solo" or "Solo II", is kind of like downhill skiing - with a car! A course is set up with traffic cones, usually on a large paved lot (fairly flat; unlike downhill skiing). Competitors then drive through the road-course one at a time, each trying to be the fastest person to complete the circuit. As with skiing, electronic timers record laps down to the thousandth of a second; and each person gets 3 or 4 tries at the course.
Drivers who go off-course or bump the cones are given time-penalties for that lap, to reward clean driving. Each driver's single best lap-time is used to figure out the winners. Speeds range from 20mph to 60mph so its a pretty darned safe sport; but tight courses make things seem fast! Being an "amateur" event (i.e. not professional racing), there is no prize money - but you'll have so much fun that small trophies and bragging rights are reward enough!
You can see some video clips of cars running autocrosses here.
IS THERE A NOVICE PROGRAM?
Yes, there is! There are Novice Instructors to help answer questions or coach you through your first time and novice car-classes so you can run against other first-timers! Before each session there will be a driver's meeting, where instructors are introduced and basics are discussed. Look, everyone gets nervous or intimidated their first time out; but you don't have to be! Almost everyone at these events is courteous and friendly; and you can always get help or advice from experienced folks - as the old adage goes, "there's no such thing as a stupid question!" And no one's going to laugh or make fun of you if you don't take 1st place - Autocrossing takes skill and practice; and we ALL started out going slow! The only pressure at an autocross is the pressure you put on yourself (or the bets you make with your friends *grin*)!
WHO PUTS ON THESE EVENTS?
Two main groups sanction Autocrosses in the greater Seattle / Puget Sound area: The Western Washington Sports Car Council (WWSCC) and the Northwest Region of the SCCA (NWR-SCCA). The two groups are attended by a lot of the same people; but have slightly different rules and operating methods. The SCCA is a nationwide organization, with the NWR being just one regional chapter that abides by their rules and regulations. The WWSCC is made up of several different smaller clubs that operate here around the Puget Sound. Each WWSCC club puts on their own event but all of them adhere to WWSCC guidelines, and each one is a part of a year-long series championship for the WWSCC. In addition the Bremerton Sports Car Club (or BSCC), although it is a WWSCC member club, puts on its own 8-event series under its own rules. Competitors are also required to help work at the event; which usually is a straightforward 30-60 minute task like site cleanup, or resetting course markers when drivers hit them.
Both the WWSCC and the NWR-SCCA try to put on about 8 championship events each during the racing season; which runs from around March until October. Additionally there are extra practices and schools that are outside of each groups' championship series. Autocrossing clubs exist in other parts of Washington state as well, see the links page for more info. If you're new, don't worry about the championship points or anything - just come to whatever events you can come to, and have fun! All "normal" events are open to anyone that wants to try it out; and those very few "closed" events will be clearly marked as such.
WHERE AND WHEN ARE THE EVENTS?
I'm so glad you asked! This website maintains a handy calendar page that can tell you what's going on around Washington (and sometimes around the country. BOLD events are local)! Upcoming events will have an event info page along with directions to the site. Events usually run from around 7:30am to 5pm - with the day split in half (so you don't need to be there all day). Typically "stock" cars will run during one half of the day, while cars that have been "modified" will run during the other half. Novices can participate during either session (but not necessarily both). Drivers must register and attend a driver's meeting before they compete. Registration is usually from 7:30 to 8:30am and 11:30 to 12:30pm, for the morning and afternoon sessions respectively. See the info page for each event for the exact details and times. Be aware that many events offer pre-registration and that in some cases that is mandatory.
WHAT KIND OF CARS COMPETE?
This is an easy one to answer: ALL KINDS! Seriously, we've had just about every car ever made come autocross with us over the last 30+ years. You don't have to own a sports-car, a muscle-car, a dragster, or anything special! Cars are broken into classes depending on their typical performance and any modifications they have, so you'll always be competing against cars that perform like yours. And people can have fun autocrossing just about anything: From a 1972 VW Truck, to the "Phantom" - a custom-built car that can handle as many G's as the Space Shuttle pulled during takeoff! Even Neons and Honda Civics make great autocross cars; since the emphasis is on handling and driver skill - not horsepower or raw speed. In fact, the large majority of cars that autocross are just normal un-modified everyday cars that people enjoy driving hard!
HOW IS TIMING / SCORING DONE?
Cars are timed via an infrared beam system that is accurate to 1 / 1,000th of a second. No special vehicle equipment is needed, and we have posting boards and announcers to help you figure out your lap-times, as you're competing. Your raw times (also called "scratch" times) can be modified, however, if you incur a penalty. Typical penalties include deviating from the course (or "missing a gate"), or hitting a course marker (traffic cone). A "cone" will add 2 seconds to your time, while a "gate" penalty costs you 10 seconds - so driving the course in the proper manner is much more important than blowing through it at top speed recklessly!
HOW ARE EVENTS RUN?
Events vary, based on the organization and time of year; but most are run on Sundays and follow a very standard format:
After a few weeks of planning, arranging for volunteers, etc., a setup crew will go out (usually the night before) and set up the course.
Around 7:30am people will begin taking registrations for the morning session. People register, get work assignments (a short work session is required for ALL competitors), and get their car inspected by a tech. worker (for safety).
After completing all of Step 2, competitors can go walk the course - to get a preview of how it will look as they drive it.
Shortly after registration ends, a mandatory driver's meeting will be called. The meeting will go over safety issues, general rules and conduct, and any special instructions for the day.
All drivers for the session will be split into 2 or 3 "run groups". The first of these groups will go put their cars in grid and get ready to run, while people that aren't running go to their work assignments.
Cars from the first group run in the order they lined up in, running 1 lap each, cycling through the grid lines 3 or 4 times.
Drivers and workers switch off, and the second group begins.
Repeat steps 5 to 7 if necessary for a third group.
Lunch break. Afternoon registration begins at 11:30pm. Trophies are awarded to the morning group during this time.
Steps 2 through 8 are repeated for the afternoon session.
Cleanup of the site and tear-down of the course is done.
Afternoon trophies are awarded.
Anyone that stays goes as a group to a nearby restaurant or bar and has dinner and/or drinks to celebrate a fun-filled day of racing!
HOW CAN I HELP?
There are many many ways you can help autocrossing in the Puget Sound area - and most require very little effort on your part! Here's a list:
Become a member of a WWSCC club! This may give you discounted entry at the event your club puts on, as well as helping you get involved with supporting the WWSCC and your club! Our clubs can be found here.
Become an SCCA member! Not only does this give you a discount entry fee for SCCA events, it gets you Sports Car magazine and a whole host of other cool things. It also helps us show the national SCCA office a more accurate census of who's autocrossing out here!
Come to the general meetings! The WWSCC and SCCA Solo meetings are clearly marked on the calendar page. They each only happen once a month - its a nice way to have some dinner with your racing friends, as well as to help with new ideas and input into how the clubs will handle current issues, and run upcoming events!
Volunteer for a "special" position at an event! This is not recommended for your first event or two, but after that, your help in any and all areas is greatly appreciated! These take the place of "normal" work assignments; and you're going to be there racing anyways, so why not help make things run smoothly and be fun? Just a little extra help goes a long way for everyone!
Keep your eyes peeled for potential sites! Right now we're in a bind trying to locate appropriate areas to Autocross at. A flat, paved (concrete or asphalt) area with few or no obstructions at least 6 to 8 acres in size is the minimum requirements (about 650 ft. by 650 ft., 500 x 800 ft., etc.). If you spot a potential site, please e-mail Dick Willy at rdwmcw@comcast.net. PLEASE DO NOT contact the site owners or operators yourself; as we have information packets and presentations that we'd prefer to present to them.
Autocrossing only works if people are willing to help it all function - your support is greatly appreciated, especially by the few people that are constantly volunteering in order to keep things running well!
OTHER RESOURCES
Here are some other resources to help you get started:
Check out The Novice Handbook put together by Kate Hughes of the Glen Region of the SCCA. Most of this will apply to our NWR, but keep in mind, all regions do things a little different.
To find out more on upcoming events simply visit the Puget Sound Autocross Calendar for more information on where and when the next SCCA or other sanctioned club event is.
The WWSCC is a non-profit Washington corporation comprised of nine Western Washington sports car clubs. For additional information about the WWSCC, please contact one of the officers listed below. For information regarding upcoming events, please see the schedule on this website. For information on other clubs besides WWSCC please click here
