Those of you who follow my column in the Driveline, may notice that I've changed the title from Directions to New Directions. And if you see my column for the first time you are probably reading the Vintage Viewpoint. And those two things are exactly the points. This is a historic column, in the world of the Chicagoland MG Club and the Vintage MG Car Club of Chicago at least it is. I think it is the first time in the history of the two clubs that there is one person having more or less the same function in both organizations.

And it is probably also the first time that we really put some substance behind the idea that our driving events get better when more MG's, independent of model and age, participate. I will be the driving events coordinator for both clubs and it is my goal to present one calendar of driving events, yes ONE calendar. No more date conflicts, no more "you're also welcome", no more "guests and hosts". In 2013 everybody is going to be part of the Chicago MG Clubs Driving Season. And note that the emphasis is on the "s" in Clubs. I

  hope that all of you are as excited about this as I am. There might be some little hurdles along the way of this first year of the Chicagoland MG Clubs Driving Season. But I can't imagine that there's going to be anything that we can't handle as long as all agree the world will look better if we get more MG's out: for our garage tours, rallies, overnighters, weekend tours, autocrosses, and scenic drives. You name it, the only thing better than MG's is more MG's. In the next newsletters you may expect some more details and the final 2013 Chicago MG Club Driving Season calendar. For now, Happy New Year and hope to see all of you on the road in 2013.

Please contact me at 8473429804 or reinoutvogt@gmail.com with any questions or concerns. I'd be happy to learn about your suggestions and to discuss our ideas.

"The more you drive, the more you smile".

-- Reinout Vogt

If you did not get what you wanted for Christmas and are still looking for an MG Club regalia item, remember that you can go on line and customize the item to look just like you want it to look like and also get it in the size that you need. Just go to our club's own store at fieldhouse.com/mg and make your selection. If you have items that you would like to see added to the store inventory, just let me know. Also you can buy personalized items at triple-c.com and our club logo is also registered there as well so you can personalize some of their items.

The inventory of car badges is down to three, so if you want one, you better let me know right away to get one. They are $23 and if you get a pin also, the total is $25. We are down to our last 20 club license plate frames also.

This year we have made a change in our MG Club Calendar. They are now available for the entire year instead of waiting until  March to be published. They are only $10 and they contain lots of appropriate monthly photographs. They will be available for purchase at meetings and club events. Thanks Dino Perez and Dave Ransom for creating this great product!

Driving season will soon be upon us! Look your best on the outings with a CMGC Name Tag. We only need a few more names to put in our order for more name tags. So if you want or need a club name tag, now is the time to get in gear and give us your name now, so that you won't have to wait until the next batch is on order.

The following names are on the list for a Name Tag:

	Sue Stealey		Ellen Silverman
	Darlene Caprini		Tom Sotomayor
	Lynn Sotomayor		Doug G. Clark
	Kerry O'Connor		Linda O'Connor

~~ George Phariss