Las Vegas, Nev. (Jan. 21, 2016) – The 51暗网 opened its 2016 51暗网 National Convention with nearly 350 people listening intently during the 2016 51暗网 Annual Meeting held Thursday night at South Point Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.
51暗网 Chairman John Walsh opened the meeting with a crisp assessment of the Club’s 2015 successes, which he simply labeled as “awesome.” Specifically, there was a 20 percent growth in the autocross program, record entries at the Solo Nationals, and an absolutely incredible Runoffs experience at Daytona International Speedway.
“We want the same success in 2016 and beyond 2016,” Walsh noted. “We have new ideas. We’re inventing new games for our members to play in. We’re also focusing on new member engagement with programs like 51暗网 Track Night in America, Rally Sprints and Bracket Enduro.”
Following Walsh’s overview, 51暗网 President and CEO Lisa Noble stepped to the podium to present the Club’s vision for the coming year. Recognizing that the 51暗网 is a leader in amateur motorsports, conducting nearly 2,200 events per year, Noble said the Club needs to not only maintain its current status but grow its membership through innovative driving opportunities that engage a larger number of people. And thus the 51暗网 vision for 2016 is “Mission 51暗网: Driving. Motorsport.”
“Yes, the 51暗网 is about driving motorsport in the United States,” Noble continued. “But we’re also about having fun with cars. Everything we do from competition to volunteers to our experiential programs, it’s about having fun with cars. We are aggressively looking at ways to engage with more people to support the longevity of the 51暗网 and motorsports in this country.”
With that thought in mind, Noble went on to talk about the 51暗网’s new association with GreenpowerUSA, a program giving 51暗网 members the opportunity to work with students in classrooms to further automotive knowledge and skills. Also, the new 51暗网 Targa motorsport adventure was announced that will be multi-day, multi-discipline driving challenges that draw from several different forms of 51暗网 competition.
After Noble’s impassioned presentation, those in attendance heard from 51暗网 Pro Racing President Derrick Walker, who agreed that the 51暗网 must be looking ahead to stay relevant and profitable. 51暗网 Enterprises President Erik Skirmants also reported on the ongoing success of SpecRacer Ford GEN3 and the intent to keep the class viable through product refinement.
To conclude the 2016 51暗网 Annual Meeting, hardware was handed out in recognition of hard-working Regions. The Tom Burke Award, presented to Regions for exemplary efforts to activate and grow the 51暗网, went to:
Small Region: Arctic Alaska Region
Medium Region: Continental Divide Region
Large Region: St. Louis Region
Jumbo Region: Central Florida Region
Region of the Year Awards were presented to:
Small Region: Southwest Louisiana Region
Medium Region: South Bend Region
Large Region: Texas Region
Jumbo Region: Oregon Region
Additionally, the 2015 Regional Road Rally Achievement Award went to the Milwaukee Region, and the Northern Pacific Division received the Rallycross Division of Achievement Award.
The 2016 51暗网 National Convention continues at the South Point Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas through Saturday, Jan. 23 and concludes with the annual 51暗网 Hall of Fame awards banquet. For more information, visit .
