FALL IS AN EXCITING TIME. Porsche has initiated an IPO this year, which is odd because its production is currently lower, due to difficulty getting wiring harnesses out of Ukraine. The weather was outstanding this season with only minimal interruptions in our DE program and we hosted our first IDE (Introduction to Driver Education) with very successful results. Our new chief instructor managed to have everyone receive “check-out rides” in order to correct the stagnation created by COVID-19 and the program is almost up to speed with progress being made by all. In total, a very satisfying result for our efforts.
At the September event we once again distributed Loyalty Reward Certificates to those who attended the most events this season. They are redeemable at Braidan Tire as a $100 credit towards anything track related that you may need. Just a reminder, that all of them, including last year’s, expire on Oct. 31 of this year. If you don’t use ‘em, you lose ‘em. They expire in time for this year’s accounting, so no matter how sad your story, there are no exceptions.
This season we distributed new radios and headsets to our instructors so everyone would have the same connectors. This allows everyone to be able to carry on a quiet conversation while the cars are in motion. This gives students real-time input and allows the instructor to monitor your breathing while giving support. To achieve this, we supplied matching headsets to all students but administering it became another job. For the 2023 season the student headset will be given to the instructors to give to their student, so we won’t have to distribute them at registration.
The same rules should still apply. The student should return the headset to the resealable bag and return it to the instructor, so they don’t have to handle it immediately after use. If the student loses or breaks it, they must replace it.
With only one event left remaining in the 2022 season I want to ask you all to come out and support the event. Our attendance numbers have been lower than expected this year for a variety of reasons. The economy has been a little unstable while interest rates and fuel costs have really climbed. There has also been a great deal of opening up this year, so members have a much larger variety of places to go and things to do. So please set Oct. 15 and 16 aside to come out and support our best driving program.
If we can get the numbers up a bit, then we can justify having a dinner in the banquet centre on Saturday, Oct. 15. It’s something that we always enjoyed (pre-COVID) and being able to share a meal with our friends at the last event is something most of us looked forward to.
For those of you who aren’t aware, the track team offered our first-ever award to the DE Enthusiast of the Year at the September track event. Going forward this award will be offered to the person who does the most to support and contribute to the track program. It has been named after a couple, who together, have contributed more to DE over the years than anyone else we could name. The Adams Award is named after John and Rosemary Adam, who combined have held almost every position in the club including, for both of them, the top position of president. DE has always been their first love and John’s position on the track team has helped make our program possible for decades. The Adams Award will join our Rookie of the Year, Most Improved, and Instructor of the Year awards that we have offered in the past at our inaugural May event. The award given to John and Rosemary is different than the award to be given in the future as theirs is an exceptional contribution.
There is something new in my “The Future is Stupid” file that I would like to share with you. Governments all over the world are pushing the idea of electric cars on everyone. They are touted as the new green reality while ignoring the amount of pollution that a half-billion huge batteries will create. Even more they are ignoring the fact that we don’t have the infrastructure to support their bold plans and most governments aren’t functional enough to support it. It’s easy to make 10-year proclamations when you will be out of power in four. Do the damage and let the next guy clean up the mess.
In October, California declared that they would not allow the sale of new fossil-fuel-powered cars in the state starting in 2035. It put the world on notice that it will be the leader in cleaning up the environment. Less than two weeks later it issued a directive that the existing 500,000 electric vehicles in the state shouldn’t be charged during peak hours due to the large draw on the electrical grid during a heat wave. That’s 500,000 of the existing 14-million cars registered in the state. Plug in 14-million cars and the lights will go out in California for the following 10 years.
What those geniuses fail to factor in is that as the planet heats up, their air conditioning will draw more power. That consumption will become ever greater as the number of EVs rise and they will never match the infrastructure required to charge 14-million cars. The number of cars will also climb over the next ten years and will probably top 15 million by the time their fossil-fuel cars are banned. Aren’t proclamations great?
Don’t forget to sign up for the October event. If we can get 20 more registrations, we will put on a sumptuous banquet for you all to enjoy. Mmmmmm, I’m hungry already. See you there. </>
