Texas A&M Sports Car Club Official Constitution
tamscc.doc

Texas A&M Sports Car Club, Inc. . .

. . . is a non-profit, Texas A&M University sponsored organization dedicated to automobile and motorsports enthusiasts. The Club offers many activities and events oriented toward automobiles. The Club was founded in 1968 and is one the the few university sponsored sports car clubs in the nation.

Tips for Performance Driving

• Look Ahead: You should always be looking where you want to go, not where you are going. Look as far ahead as you can see; your peripheral vision will keep you informed of what's immediately around you.
  
  
• Be Smooth: You should be as smooth as possible when turning, accelerating, or braking your car. One goal of performance driving is not to upset the car's delicate balance with quick, jerky inputs.
  
  
• Sit Correctly: Performance drivers are always careful to sit in an upright position, not too close and not too far away from the steering wheel and pedals. Such a position keeps you more alert and allows for quicker reaction times.
  
  
• Move Your Hands: The correct hand position for high performance driving is at the 3 o'clock and 9 o'clock positions on the steering wheel. This position allows more precise steering inputs under all conditions.
  
  
• Use Your Mirrors: You should always know what is around your vehicle at all times. Using your mirrors can help you avoid other drivers' mistakes before they affect you.

What does the Club do?

The Club holds a variety of scheduled events each semester. In addition, members' interests often reveal new activities hosted by other organizations. Here is a brief description of some of the events we offer. Brief, because they fail to describe the excitement you'll experience during--let's say, a 'fast run' through an autocross course. If you have any questions concerning the events or the club itself, please feel free to contact any of our officers. They'll be happy to help you!

Meetings

At the meetings, past and future events are discussed and trophies gained through Club competitions are distributed. In addition, pictures and videos of Club events and other events are shown. Story time is available for those with embarrassing moments to share with everyone. The Club will usually meet somewhere for dinner afterward.

Drag Racing

Every first Wednesday of the month, Navasota Raceway has Aggie Night.  Navasota Raceway is an 1/8 mile drag strip about 20 minutes south of College Station in Navasota, TX.  They give club members a discounted rate to drag race or just to watch.  The club always makes a trip down for some good ol' heads up racing.

Autocrossing

These low-speed driving skill events are popular all over the world. You compete in your own vehicle, driving through traffic pylon marked courses on a flat paved surface. The course is a series of curves connected by short straights, greatly resembling a downsized road race course.

The course is designed to emphasize car handling and driver skill rather than sheer acceleration. There are different vehicle classes for different levels of power, handling, and modifications, so that every vehicle can be competitive. Each entrant gets at least four timed runs on each course.

As safety is a big concern here, vehicle safety inspections are conducted and helmets are required during competition (the Club has several "loaner" helmets available).

All autocrosses are held at A&M's Riverside Campus Annex, an old airfield about 15 minutes away from the main campus. Trophies are awarded to top finishers in each competition class.

Night Rallyes

These events are time-speed-distance competitions held on public roads at legal speeds. The objective is to come as close as possible to the optimal travel time between checkpoints hidden along the the rallye route. The second, but very important objective is to not get lost while following the coded instructions around town! Rallyes usually begin in Zachry Lot 51.

Teams consisting of a driver and a navigator (and sometimes a carload of friends) can compete in either novice or expert classes and trophies are awarded to top finishers.

On-Campus Car Shows

During these events, members show off their vehicles. Car Shows are staged at the Rudder Fountain area, near the MSC and Rudder Tower, on days that our meetings are held. This is a great way to meet people and be able to brag about your car or truck. If you are interested in showing off your ride, contact our PR officer for more information.

Also, we have, in the past, had car shows off-campus and in conjunction with a charity fund-raiser or goods-drive (clothes drives, etc). If you would like to have one of our car shows at your event, please contact one of our officers.

Batt' Photo from a car show in the Spring of 1996: Click Here

Other Activities

The Club sponsors many other events such as:

• Drag racing at tracks around the state (Houston Raceway Park, Ennis, Temple Dragway, etc...)
• Scavenger Hunts: Search for VW Beetle radiators, RX-7 pistons, BEVO hamburgers, a cup of hot fat, etc!
• Offensive Driving 101: the Club's high performance driving school
• Road trips to out of town events such as drag racing and SCCA club autocrossing