Ferrari Owners Club NW Region

Kuzi,
I hope I am not speaking out of turn, but I am sure folks may have questions about the reasons for forming this new FOC region. I am going to repost the email I recently received from Jackson Tse, introducing this new club chapter:

"The FOCNW is dedicated to enhancing the ownership experience of Ferrari owners. We will have programs and events that are for owners of Ferrari and their invited guests in an atmosphere that is totally Ferrari.

FOCNW covers the US states of Alaska, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Montana, and the Canadian provinces of British Columbia and Alberta. We see FOCNW as part of an international organization for Ferrari owners and not just an American one, as many of the Ferrari clubs in other countries are Ferrari Owners Clubs.

We would like to make it absolutely clear to you and to all Ferrari enthusiasts that we have formed the FOCNW not to compete against NWRFCA, but to compliment and work with NWRFCA in the fraternity of Ferrari. FOCNW will not plan any activity that is in direct conflict to that of NWRFCA. In fact, we will have activities for Ferrari owners that are different from those of NWRFCA. We ourselves will not resign from but will remain loyal members of NWRFCA. At the same time, we welcome owners of Ferrari in NWRFCA to join FOCNW also, so that we can all further enjoy our Ferrari experience as owners of Ferrari cars.

FOCNW is brand new. Many exciting things are happening in due course. So please stay tuned, give us some time, but please come join us as founding members of FOCNW. For Membership Applications to FOCNW, please contact any one of the officers of FOCNW.

If you have any question concerning our new FOCNW, please do not hesitate to contact us."

I'm intrigued by this new development, and plan to join up and participate, as I think it may indeed, be a nice enhancement to my Ferrari experience, in addition to (not a replacement) of my FCA membership. Forza Ferrari! Good luck guys!

 

I can ONLY assume, THAT you MUST own a Ferrari OR at least PROMISE to only BRING Ferraris to any events to join this NEW club?



Can I get an ANSWER please?

 

As the person responsible for events and activities for Ferrari of Seattle, I would just like to make it clear that we support both local Ferrari clubs and welcome the addition of the FOCNW as another avenue for all of us to express our passion for Ferrari and Ferrari ownership.

All of us here at FOS hope that the FOCNW will enhance everyone's Ferrari ownership experience and that the NWRFCA continues the great work they have always done.


Roberto Perrina
Ferrari & Maserati of Seattle

 

Thanks for the clarification Roberto .. and congratulations on your second post in 2.5yrs ;-)

 

Hey Paul,

Don't distract Roberto as he's busy finding me cars... ;-}

Tim

 

Where do we sign up, get details etc?

Mike

 

Yes, very, very sloooowly! LOL <j/k Roberto!>

You did know that Italy is still in the world cup, so don't expect *anything* to be done at the dealership while "the dream is alive" -- they're all on tenterhooks over there. And while we're at it, WTF is a tenterhook when it's at home anyway. I had to look it up to get the answer...
http://www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-ont1.htm
From the "boring but true" file...

 

What's the point? Is there some dissatisfaction with FCA, or something? Why do we need two clubs?

I assume there is some behind-the-scenes story that I'm not aware of?

 

I agree. Can someone who is in charge of this FOCNW please answer this question regarding if the ownership of a Ferrari is required in order to join or not. Thank you.

 

Yea, great point/question. I’m actually a little worried that yet another club will siphon even more members off activities. i.e., More activities overall, but less cars per activity.

I love having a greater choice of activities on one hand because my travel schedule is so screwy that I like the flexibility. On the other hand, I also like planning for the few big activities each year so I get the thrill of that long line of exotic (notice that I didn’t say just “f-cars”) cars barreling down the road. (think Cannon Beach, Walla Walla, Olympic, etc…).

Tim

 

Yes, personal current ownership of a Ferrari is a prerequisite of membership, and a VIN# is required for verification.

A lot of the same questions posed here have been asked by others, including the founders of the FOCNWR. I'll try to answer a couple here.

Why ? Well, why not ? More opportunities to drive and socialize.

No black helicopters were dispatched. There are NO behind-the-scenes issues, and I think all of the founders of FOCNWR are happy to already be members of FCA, myself included, and continue that membership.

The FCA drives tend to be weekend long drives, with overnight stays etc. I'm hoping that the FOC are able to arrange more drives that those with tight work/family (or both) schedules can manage to participate in.

The focus on the FOC is obviously geared to owners of Ferraris, and is a *worldwide* organization, recognized by the factory, and therefore isn't quite so America-centric as the FCA. A slight distinction, but one that we all felt would appeal to other owners.

Again, membership of the FCA and the FOC are not mutually exclusive. We all feel that the organizations are complimentary, not competitive...

 

So if I understand this right.......

I MUST own a current Ferrari, have a VIN to show proff of ownership and then I can join this club and come to its "exclusive" events?

Can I, as Roberto from FOS does, just drive one of my Store or floored Ferrari's with my DEALER plates and still come?

Or does he intend to register and title the cars they bring to the "exclusive" events?

Oh, does the car have to be in running condition and Washington State street Legal to be considered?

Thank you for taking the time to answer these tough questions of your new sponsor and club memebers.

Roy Cats 1-206-396-5059 [email protected]

 

Actually, after thinking about it, I&#8217;d rather take my limited time for activities and spend it not to the exclusion of my friends in the Lambo club, or even other exotic car fans, like Matt, or the Canadian Pantera guys, for example. However, I can indeed see how the exclusion would appeal to some folks. But, that's just me. &#8211; Tim :-|

 

Thank you for your clarification. And with all due respect, based on this criteria alone, I think I will pass on the opportunity to join this club. Good luck with the new club.

 

Yes there was a man that wanted to start his VERY OWN "exclusive" club a bit back........

Maybe you remember him.......

ADOLF HITLER

I can understand starting your own clubs, or having other intrests.......BUT "EXCLUSIVE" requirments are a form of "one up man ship" and not far from "Racism in its ECONOMIC fashion" PERIOD!!

But that is just IMO and I am not afraid of the re-precusions for saying it. I KNOW their are others thinking it, just maybe dont want to say it.

Unless that is not allowed on this chat board now?

 

Membership in FOCNW is open to individual owners of Ferrari, as VIN# of their Ferrari or Ferraris are reqeusted in the application form for membership in FOC/FOCNW.

FOCNW is not intended to compete and will not compete against NWRFCA or other car clubs at all. In fact, in different parts of USA, many FOC members are also members of FCA. FOC has been growing in USA and sooner or later there will be a FOC chapter in the northwest. We might as well form one now, to compliment NWRFCA and for the benefits of Ferrari owners.

FOCNW is created to offer owners of Ferrari in the northwest region of USA a non-profit club to join and to share in activities that enhance the ownership experience of Ferrari owners in an atmosphere that is Ferrari.

FOCNW will have programs that are different from those of NWRFCA. FOCNW will do its best not to schedule events that conflict with those of NWRFCA, as many members of FOCNW are already or will be members of NWRFCA. FOCNW does not want them to miss out on those programs of NWRFCA that they would like to participate in. On the other hand, some owners of Ferrari will find certain programs of FOCNW to be attractive, and they will want to join FOCNW for those.

FOC/FOCNW will have some exciting programs for its members and their invited guests. One such event is the FOC Hospitality Tent at Laguna Seca in Monterey August 19-20. Another one is the Venetian Run (Las Vegas) November 3 to 5, 2006. Another one is FOCNW's F1 Tour to Montreal, Canada in 2007. More are coming. Please stay tuned.

 

So, to cut through the BS here, the point seems to be to create a club which excludes the non-Ferrari owning riff-raff.

And somehow you guys think that having to associate with non-Ferrari owners is the reason many local Ferrari owners don't join the FCA?

I don't know about Seattle, but in Portland the club is pretty small as it is, and doesn't have many events. I suspect a second club wouldn't accomplish much except possibly to reduce the turnout at the few FCA events there are.

Incidentally, I was an FOC member about 10 years ago. I still have some back issues of the newsletter to prove it!

 

FOCNW does not exclude non-Ferrari owners, as they are welcome as invited guests of members of FOCNW who are Ferrari owners. FOCNW loves to be associated with non-Ferrari owners as fellow car guys and in those events that are designed to encompass all.

However, FOC and FOCNW will have events that are specifically designed to enhance the ownership experience of Ferrari owners in an atmosphere that is Ferrari. This is the essence of FOCNW.

FOCNW hopes that Ferrari owners will join FOCNW and participate in those programs of FOCNW that they find meaningful or desirable, and if they are members they can bring guests who are non-Ferrari owners, so that all can share in the passion of Ferrari. It will be a lot of fun for all.

 

I'm quite confused with this thread.

First, there are two clubs that use the FOC acronym.

1. Ferrari Owner's Club based in the UK (www.ferrariownersclub.co.uk)
2. Ferrari Owner's Club based in the US (www.ferrariownersclub.com)

So which club is the FOCNW associated with?

I'm a member of both (and the FCA), but haven't seen anything in their publications about a NW region.

The FOC/UK does have a requirement to own or have owned a Ferrari to join. However, they have a non-owner section called the Prancing Horse Register. Those members have most of the privileges except for competing which is, of course, difficult if one doesn't own a Ferrari.

The FOC/US online application does have a place for entering information about an owned Ferrari (as does the FCA), but those fields are not mandatory. There is nothing in the membership web page that states the ownership is required.

Hopefully someone will sort out my confusion.

Regards, Kerry

 

So is this like basic cable vs premium cable?

Seriously, I hardly have time for one club so I think I'll just stick with the FCA. I like the variety it allows by mixing with other exotics at various events and drives, (spoken as a car guy).

On occasion I have had problems with members of the public that had the preconceived perception that I revelled in my "exclusivity" because I drove a "Fiero". I really try to dispell that belief.

Heck, if they knew what I REALLY did for a living they'd laugh their asses off!

DJ

P.S For those of you with unpredictable schedules I can still host impromtu drives up north on some of my favorite roads now that the Oldslowyellow one is running again. Anyone for a little "coffee?"

I know someone else that does a fine job through the Snoqualmie Valley as well.

 

I'm a little taken aback by the responses thus far. Come on gang, these are our friends, and I wish them well. I have nothing to do with the forming of this new region, but am willing to join up, and see where it leads. If for some reason it takes on something that is less than desireable (unlikely in my opinion) I can always not renew, but I am willing to give this the fair shake that it deserves.

I think the explainations from the founders has been adequate, and if such friends as Jackson, Kuzi, Stan, Julian, Dave L, Bud, Don, Marty K, Paul and the Perrinas are involved, I can only think that this will indeed be something worth supporting.

 

I like Jackson&#8217;s clarification about not totally excluding people. i.e., Can have &#8220;invited guests.&#8221; Guests are a great way of ultimately adding to f-car (exotic) ownership and are an important part of any club, exclusive or not.

I&#8217;m also glad that the creation of the new club doesn&#8217;t seem (at least on the surface) to come from any dissatisfaction of the existing club &#8211; which I think is still a wonderful thing to be a part of.

Who knows, maybe the same questions were asked when the current NW club was set up so many years ago. ;-)

In any event, it&#8217;s always impressive when people step up to putting effort into something like this as it&#8217;s an awful lot of work to pull off successfully.

Tim

 

Count me as one of the confused folks. As a former board member of the NWRFCA, I encouraged people to step up and participate in board and club activities. People have stepped up and done a great job organizing trips and events. If anyone wants to organize shorter trips or different types of events, there is nobody stopping them. The stated problems and solutions don't seem to add up. First I give you the quote:

"The FCA drives tend to be weekend long drives, with overnight stays etc. I'm hoping that the FOC are able to arrange more drives that those with tight work/family (or both) schedules can manage to participate in."

And then in a later response I see:

"FOC/FOCNW will have some exciting programs for its members and their invited guests. One such event is the FOC Hospitality Tent at Laguna Seca in Monterey August 19-20. Another one is the Venetian Run (Las Vegas) November 3 to 5, 2006. Another one is FOCNW's F1 Tour to Montreal, Canada in 2007. More are coming. Please stay tuned."

So how these three day weekend trips out of state are solving the above quoted problem of long trips is a little confusing to me. I guess I would like to know what the REAL problem is. I don't know why the founders of the new club didn't approach the board of the NWRFCA with advice, criticism, help etc. Now we have two clubs with the same interests and intents. Why?

David