Area 11 Director
My name is Jim Cantrell, and I am seeking the position of Area 11 Director. I am a lifelong automotive enthusiast and have been a member of the SCCA since 2009. I was born about ten miles from Riverside Raceway and grew up in Region 11, watching the great drivers compete in the golden era of the SCCA. I am the Regional Executive for Arizona and have been on the region’s board since 2013. I have experienced firsthand the effects of the economic downturn of 2008-2012 on racing and the SCCA in particular. I am motivated to improve the SCCA for its members, racers, solo competitors, and a new generation of auto enthusiasts. As an organization, we have a tall order before us to capture an entirely new generation of enthusiasts into the SCCA while ensuring a solid future for the SCCA.
If you are a member of the SCCA, then you care about motorsports. If you race, autocross, or rally with the SCCA, I know motorsports play a large part in your life. For many of us long-time SCCA members, the club forms a central part of our lives. We eagerly await the new year’s schedule of events to help us plan our social time, racing time, and budgets for the year. Our lives revolve around the SCCA and its events more than we realize. This is OUR club, and it belongs to us members. It’s essential that we take care to elect our directors to represent us on a national level and to continue molding the SCCA into a better and better club. The only way to accomplish that as an SCCA member is to vote.
I have worked as an engineer and executive in the aerospace industry. I have helped start some of the most innovative companies, like SpaceX and Iceye, alongside numerous startups. I started my automotive engineering company, Vintage Exotics, in 2007. I have also served on several national boards in space and nonprofit organizations. My experience working with large and small organizations undergoing external and internal change gives me a unique perspective on the problems facing the SCCA.
My vision for the SCCA is to become even more customer-focused and continue developing its brand as the best amateur racing club in the world. My vision for Region 11 is to leverage its assets, geographic locations, and unique ‘car culture’ demographics to fuel the SCCA growth and expand the quality and quantity of SCCA events in Area 11. We have a large inventory of historic tracks and large enthusiastic driver populations. We also have regions that used to be much more active but still have pent-up demand in their community for amateur motorsports events.
As the national SCCA board, we must understand the next generation of drivers, what they will spend their hard-earned money and time on, and how to reach them. Second, we have to be a friendly organization that is inclusive of new members and lowers the barriers to them becoming part of the larger SCCA family. Third, we must have enough variety in events (road racing, bracket endurance, hill climbs, solo events, rallies, and HPDE track days) to appeal to the broadest possible segment of the next generation of drivers. If we can crack that code and combine it with sane and logical safety rules and excellent customer service, our future in the SCCA will be very bright.
My promise to you, members of Area 11, is that if I have the privilege of serving as Director, I will represent every one of you on the national level, and I will work with National SCCA to attract the next generation of members to our SCCA family.
I am seeking this position as Director because I love the SCCA and the regions that compose Area 11. If we work for it, we have a great history, tracks, and future ahead of us. But not all is well in our Area, and much remains to be done. The SCCA is a shadow of what it once was and has suffered membership losses due to mismanagement, missed opportunities, economic downturns, and demographic shifts. With strong leadership, we can and will make the SCCA better and durable for the next 50 years. However, this will require exemplary leadership at the national level and Area Directors who can work together and represent the interests of ALL SCCA MEMBERS. I appreciate your consideration. I can be reached at jamesncantrell@icloud.com if you should have any questions or suggestions for me.
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