As I write this it is late November, and time to think seriously about putting the car away for the winter. I have change the oil, but I am going to wait for the tune-up until January. I will be hosting a tech session to make two major changes to the car. I am going to replace the generator with an alternator and convert to negative earth. I am hoping to get through a driving season with a more reliable charging system. The other goal is to install a radio for long drives through the night. My son and I like to listen to music while we drive. The twenty-four hour rallies require some sort of noise besides the drone of the car. Ann and I are also planning to drive to Olympia for MG 2005 and the radio will also help with weather and news checks. The real test will be whether we can hear the radio and to that end I am going to install some sound insulation in the firewall and floors.

The other thing to consider is next years driving season. It is never too early to start planning for next year. I am going to Olympia as mentioned above and I will be driving the three endurance rallies again. I also plan to seek more driving events with the CMGC. We had a great autocross season, but I would like to see at least one rally per month along with the autocrosses. I would also like to see more tours planned during the summer.

That is the reason I have decided to run for office this year. We have an excellent club and our current leadership is a tough act to follow. They have left us in good shape financially and I have been told the club pretty much runs itself. I have two main goals for the next year. One is to get more people involved in writing and driving our rallies and tours. Driving an MG through the countryside is a great way to spend a weekend day. While our time is at a premium, it is good to get out occasionally relieving stress and relaxing while driving our cars. The second is to try to have more speakers and tech sessions at our meetings. There is a lot to know about keeping these cars on the road. I hope you choose to vote for me as cochairman.

So much for my political aspirations, I am going out to get some more driving in before the snow flies and the salt trucks come. I have really enjoyed all the driving this year and will enjoy next year. I hope to find more miles of MG roads to drive next year.

John Schroeder
flobears@comcast.net - 630-852-1731