| Author |
Message |
Jerry H (Jerry)
New member
Username: Jerry
Post Number: 48
Registered: 3-2001
| | Posted on Sunday, February 10, 2002 - 9:53 am: | |
Hey Bob. I agree. High-brow, elite minded people can have thier acronyms. We have enough of that in Dallas. Although I must say that the FCA event was great. The people I met werereally nice. At the time I was a non-owner and I got no less than 2 offers to drive these guys cars! Unfortunately I did not take them up on the offers because I was timid about driving Fcars (had not done it at that point).
I would like to be apart of any car gathering/non-speed related rally (see: "Love my car but...")or watching event that I could bring my wife and my car to. It would be great to put together a little Fcar day trip to somewhere this spring, Pref. small town,scenic drive little or no traffic. Are you in? My profile has my email (as well as my 288 GTO eye color). I think Rob would probably be up for it. |
BobD (Bobd)
| | Posted on Thursday, February 07, 2002 - 7:04 pm: | |
Prior to purchasing my 328 three years ago, I owned a TR6 for 11 years and was a member of the Vintage Triumph Register (Why do the Brits drink warm beer? Because they have Lucas refrigerators!). And yes, I had a lot of oil on the garage floor!
The local DFW club had about 120 members... but similar to Brian's comment below about the Porsche club, they were lucky to get a 10% turnout for an activity - if the weather was nice. They scheduled 4-5 rallies per year, an autocross event here and there, they had tech sessions at a local mechanic's shop, All-British Car Day, regional meets, monthly pub meetings, etc.
I attended some of the events but wasn't one of the hard-cores. And it was fun! With a couple of young kids, I don't have a lot of spare time to get overly active in a club. But if somebody like Rob was willing to step up and coordinate some local events, I'd be there on occasion!
And to be honest, I could care less if it was affiliated with FCA or FOC. It could be the North Texas Ferrari Club as far as I'm concerned. Or the DFW FC Club! As was mentioned below, I have no desire to participate in any high-brow BS. None. Zero. That's NOT why I bought the car.
Rob, we could probably also have some fun locally with the MAFFIA Club... we met a lot of good people during their event last summer. If a local F-Club got started, I'm sure we could tag on to some of the MAFFIA events.
http://www.maffiacarclub.com/ |
Brian stewart (Eurocardoc)
| | Posted on Friday, February 01, 2002 - 5:48 am: | |
My experience with Porsche club is that each area may have a small hardcore who involve and participate in everything, but the majority barely turn up once a year. It varies a little with the region and obviously with the leadership. Even when club racing became popular, the interest waned over time here locally, now we have trouble getting volunteers for our race weekend. Go to any event and there is less than 10-12% participation. |
Ron Dallas (328infoseeker)
| | Posted on Friday, February 01, 2002 - 12:22 am: | |
Hello,
Ok, I don't own a Ferrari yet(hopefully this year) but I am a member of Fchat and FCA. I had a nice time at the Dallas FCA Nationals learning about the cars. My take for the last two years are nothing but newsletters from FCA. I do believe Dallas must have local active PLANNING members to survive and grow. Having leaders in Houston/Austin/San Antonio is too far for ACTIVE participation in Dallas.
I have attended a couple of events Rob has organized and had a lot of fun. Fchat is why my Ferrari dream is real not a fantasy.
If FCA was smart they would recruit Rob like a freshman going through college fraternity rush with Hotties pilled in his Ferrari. My thought is FCA may feel Rob and Fchat are a threat showing pushback to his interest and excitement. FCA may be a club but Fchat has many active members.
Otherwise, organize the FCA events and let's here about results! Like 4 events per year and 2 track events planned in the Dallas area. It's a shame FCA did not use Nationals to launch focus marketing for area interest in FCA. That alone really bothers me! I see at least 2 ferraris a week in Dallas so don't tell me interest won't grow. |
Mark McKenzie (Redcar)
| | Posted on Thursday, January 31, 2002 - 1:16 pm: | |
I'm in Austin, and joined the rival(?) Texas Ferrari Owner's Club last summer, and looked forward to the numerous proposed activities. I attended Autostrada's detail day, and went over to TWS for the track day. Sadly, the weather and Ayman's absence conspired to spoil the other activities.
It seems to me that the activities and attitude of the club will be determined by the active local members. I, for one, could not care less if it is FCA, FOC, or some new Ferrari club, but I would gladly join any group focused on Ferraris, Formula 1, and driving with a relatively regular schedule of local activities.
I probably will not renew FOC, but would be happy to join FCA, with some local activities.
Mark McKenzie |
Rob Lay (Rob328gts)
| | Posted on Thursday, January 31, 2002 - 12:51 pm: | |
David, to be honest, I haven't been to enough FCA events in Dallas (because there was only nats) to say "elitism" is a problem. However, the interaction I had with the FCA North Texas leadership was not good.
I'm willing to participate in all the FCA events over the next few years and when I get comfortable with the organization again, I will do my part giving back.
Dallas guys, what do you think? |
David Scott (Maranelloman)
| | Posted on Thursday, January 31, 2002 - 12:30 pm: | |
Rob makes excellent points. As the author of the original message, I can assure everyone that this decision was not made lightly. My experiences with FCA have been different than his, though. I have not seen the elitism he mentions, overall. Oh, sure, there are some folks (as you'll find in any organization) who think their sh*t doesn't stink, and may look down their noses at what they see as lesser vehicles. But FCA people at large do not, in my experiences. I also have a 328, as well as a 550, and I have not seen people relate to me or my wife differently depending on which car we use that day.
As for advantages of being part of FCA, I believe they are that it is a truly national organization, that costs us less to join, and that puts out a really quality publication. Rob is right: events are what we make of them--it all depends on the people. I believe Al is the right leader for this underserved part of the FCA, and Wayne, myself, and others here are committed to working with him to plan events that focus on exactly what Rob mentions: Ferraris, and our passion for them. 308, 328, 275, 365, Dino--who cares? Let's get beyond that & get out & drive. We are committed to that, and we believe we are best served as part of FCA, since we cannot support 2 clubs.
My $0.02... |
Rob Lay (Rob328gts)
| | Posted on Thursday, January 31, 2002 - 9:41 am: | |
For those new to FerrariChat.com and you want to register in order to post a message, please go to http://server.ferrarichat.com/~ferrari/ferrarichat.com/discus and then "Register or Edit". This message is located under "Regional Events/Info" and then "USA - South".
Welcome! |
Rob Lay (Rob328gts)
| | Posted on Thursday, January 31, 2002 - 9:31 am: | |
To be blunt, here's my initial response to this...
Having an "active" leader for FCA that will increase events in the area will be one step towards a good FCA region. However, even if that proves true, there are still some other things that need to be fixed...
The only thing that's been good for a Texas FCA member the past several years has been the Prancing Horse magazine and the 2001 FCA Nats (which was mainly the work of Bob Smith). A few people got motivated before last year's FCA nats and formed FCA North Texas. They sent one newsletter out and didn't organize a single event. These people need to get out of the leadership positions. I don't care what kind of classic Ferrari or brand new 360 you have that cost well into the 6 digits. If you don't have the time and motivation to be a leader, then let someone else that does. I've organized no less than 5 events over the past 2 years with no affiliation to a Ferrari club. Even without the support of those clubs or their mailing list we have still organized a nice group of enthusiasts that have one thing in common... Ferrari. Too often from the FCA there's an attitude that Ferrari is not the only thing that is needed in common. I just own a 328, oh no, sometimes you would think the "elitist" of the club think it's a FIAT. No, it is a Ferrari, it was made in Maranello and members like me are some of the most valuable in the club. Even if FCA wants to remain "elitist", don't you think it wants to nurture the future of the club. Trust me, if I could afford it, I would have a 275 GTB/4 and 250 TR and GTO and 166 and...
I live and breath Ferrari. It's a passion that most of you can relate to. The members are fed up and have heard false promises before. I know, because I actually talk to them every day and the FCA doesn't.
What value added does FCA offer besides the magazine? I have my own list of DFW area Ferrari enthusiasts (over 20 owners) and I don't think many of them are FCA members. I can organize events and get good participation on my own. What will FCA add? Tell me and if I believe you, then I'll support it 100%. Be active with events and welcome everyone with Ferrari in common. Those can both be initiated with good leadership. We haven't had it so far. |
Rob Lay (Rob328gts)
| | Posted on Thursday, January 31, 2002 - 8:51 am: | |
Here's a message posted by the new leader of FOC Texas that replaced Ayman...
Hello, Central Texas Ferraristi!
I hope everyone had a happy, healthy holiday season. As many of you
know, we have been trying to make a go of both the FCA and the FOC here in
central Texas, without much success or activity on either front. Up until
very recently, the FCA region suffered from nearly non-existent leadership
(more on that in a moment). And, with Ayman moving to pursue new career
opportunities, there has been a leadership void in the FOC Texas chapter as
well. In fact, he has asked me to take over leading this group. Initially,
I accepted.
However, in conversations with a number of other folks, including
Wayne Heideman, several other conclusions have emerged, along with,
hopefully, a more effective approach. We have concluded that there probably
are not enough Ferraris with interested owners in this part of the country
to sustain 2 separate clubs. We just do not have the density of vehicles
seen in California, Florida, or the Northeast.
In addition, I had an extensive conversation yesterday with Al
deLauro, the incoming leader of FCA's South Central Region. In contrast to
the gentleman who was replaced in this position by FCA President Paul
Gilpatrick, Al appears totally committed to (and has the experience to plan)
frequent, regular, inclusive activities that members from Austin, Dallas,
Houston, San Antonio, etc. can enjoy equally. These events will include
track, concours, driving/rally, and social--all the things seemingly missing
over the past few years. It was the lack of these that led to the creation
of the Texas FOC in the first place. Al & I are to speak again tomorrow, to
begin planning some of these events, and will solicit the active input of
everyone else in this area. I got the strong sense that Al's experience
with other FCA chapters--chapters with high activity levels--is an extremely
good omen for us here.
So here's the bottom line: Wayne & I strongly believe that it makes
very good sense to focus on the FCA and not the FOC at this time, and are
moving to accomplish this. We will enjoy the benefits of a truly national
(not heavily California-focused) organization, which is noticeably less
expensive to belong to, and which produces an excellent, full-color
publication. No slight on the FOC, but we simply cannot sustain, with any
quality, 2 Ferrari clubs in this area. For those of you who are members of
the FOC only, we suggest that, when your membership expires, you sign up
with the FCA. In the meantime, we will make sure you are invited to all
Ferrari events in our area.
I hope to have everyone's support for this admittedly difficult
decision. Please respond back with any comments/suggestions/event
ideas/etc.
Many thanks, and Forza Ferrari!
Dave
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