The Steering Column Left Hand Drive from our President

I hope the New Year finds you recovered from the crush of Holiday activities and full of MG spirit.  I want to thank Jim and Reinout for all the work they've done for the club.  They handed the new officers a thick notebook filled with information on all the nitty gritty of the club's organization.  It's a little intimidating but will be a valuable resource to insure that the club continues to function.  As is usually the case the hard working members of an organization seldom disappear when they leave office. Jim will continue to help in guiding the club as immediate past president and also continue to be in charge of the swap meet which is the major source of revenue to support the club.
  Reinout has volunteered to assume the position of Driving Events Coordinator. He says he has some fresh ideas to offer to add to our driving activities.  There will be a meeting in February to plan the year's driving events so if you have ideas for activities or destinations please let Reinout know.  As always I'm sure there will be a need for volunteers to plan tours, rallys, etc.
Dino Perez is stepping into the role of Vice President.  Dino is a great hands on guy with MG's. He's been really busy in his, hopefully temporary, unemployed state working on various MG projects.  His regular work is with installing and wiring sound systems in cars and homes so he's a whiz at sorting out MG electrical questions.  He's also experienced in a number of other types of work on MG's, including interiors and various trim items.  Dino has some ideas for tech sessions, so be prepared to share your ideas on tech topics to cover. As Dave Bralich has mentioned at meetings, he's short on time for being tech coordinator.  We need a volunteer who is capable of scheduling tech sessions. The main skills needed are organizational rather than mechanical, so if that is you we need your help.
  I'm starting this year with an extended absence, doing the snow bird thing. Dino accepted the nomination as Vice President knowing he'd be in charge for the beginning of the year. He is very enthusiastic and has some good ideas, so with the help of Jim and the staff I'm sure he'll get 2010 off to a good start.
-- Dave Peterson 

Library Muse
As of late Deb and I have changed our TV viewing habits and have been watching a lot of Netflix offerings. Not the movies so much, but old TV shows such as The Avengers and Honey West. Emma Peel in a Lotus or Honey West in a Cobra? What a conundrum! But my favorite has been Secret Agent Man, AKA Danger Man, who just happens to drive a Mini. Its fun to watch these old shows from the sixties and try to spot old British cars in the street scenes. It’s also nice to not have to put up with commercials. By the way, a show from the sixties is about 52 minutes in length, meaning back then we only had to put up with 8 minutes of ads per hour.
Now that winter is here you may not feel like lying on your back on a cold garage floor under a misbehaving MG. Why not relax indoors in comfort with a nice Video from the CMGC’s library. We have both DVDs and VHS, all commercial free. And don’t forget our large selection of books, including Vintage American Road Racing Cars and Racing Stewart, our latest editions. Guaranteed to help you make it thru a cold winter night.

Vintage American Road Racing Cars
1950-1970
by Harold W. Pace and Mark R. Brinker
2004, hardbound, 304 pages, B&W and color photos

As the title implies, this volume is about road racing cars from the 50s and 60s. Not necessarily American cars, but types that were raced here in the states, including one-off specials. On the average one page is devoted to each type. A gorgeous book to look thru and say to yourself, “I remember seeing one of those race at…………”

Racing Stewart
The Birth of a Grand Prix Team
By Maurice Hamilton and Jon Nicholson
1997, hardbound, 215 pages, B&W and color photos.

“The birth of a Grand Prix team does not occur every day. Or every season, come to that. Formula One is a desperately difficult business to break into and when new arrivals do appear very few survive the first year. “In 1997, there was a notable exception. Not only did a new team make an impression and gain a foothold, it bore the name of Jackie Stewart, one of the most successful and charismatic drivers in the history of the sport.
"Jackie Stewart, three times a world champion, knew that winning would be out of the question during 1997; survival would be the initial objective.” The book is tells the story of that first year. Beautiful color photography makes this more of a coffee table book than a text.
Note: Stewart Racing not only survived the first year, but in three years rose to become the number four team on the grid before morphing into Jaguar Racing. They are still with us today as Red Bull, the number two team in 2009. A group of us from the Chicagoland MG Club were at Indy to cheer them on (as Jaguar) as they ran the first officially timed laps at the first U.S. Grand Prix held at Indy
-- Wilbur Mennell