President's

I just returned from the FCA Annual meet in Colorado Springs. The hotel accommodations were fantastic and the track facilities, which included an oval and infield road course, were of the highest standards. I had the great pleasure of accompanying the national judges as they evaluated some of the many cars at the d?Elegance. At the pre-judges meetings, the FCA Chief Judge, Ed Gilbertson, instructed the judges on FCA rules and touched on some major points, which may interest you.

Ed Gilbertson is very committed to the philosophy that a Ferrari is meant to be driven, not stored. As a result, it appeared that more "driven cars" were being shown, more than I expected. A considerable amount of latitude was given to owners whose cars were driven on a daily or weekly basis. One point I found very interesting is how contemporary cars are judged, versus the older vintage automobiles. Older cars, having very few systems and technologies, are very difficult to maintain. Due to this fact, newer cars are not considered easier to judge because more systems and accessories must be in working order. There were no deductions for cars that had road dirt on the wheels and under carriages. Even rock chips that were appropriate for a driven car were over-looked and no points deducted. A well-maintained look was considered more important than a little wear and tear. The basic rules for judging was originality, bolts and nuts, clamps, wheels, tires, interior appointments, paint chrome, etc. At the end of the day, unanimous votes from the head judges determined the class winners.

All in all, considering this was my first time attending an annual meet, I was deeply impressed and take my hat off to the Colorado organizers.

As Ed Gilbertson says, "Ferraris are meant to be driven!" So drive your car, show it, take it to the track. I'll see you there!

Cordially yours,

Marv Landon

FCA Southwest Regional President

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