SCCA Board Member: Arnie Coleman

The Sports Car Club of America may be the biggest amateur and professional racing business in the nation, but at its heart, it's every bit a club. The members of the SCCA elect 13 individuals, all SCCA members themselves, to sit on the club's national Board of Directors and run the increasingly sizable and multifaceted organization. Each director represents a geographical area of the United States and is tasked with assisting the SCCA in succeeding in this increasingly complex world of amateur motorsports.

Arnie Coleman is on the SCCA Board and represents the club's Area 8, the Rocky Mountain Division of the SCCA. This broad area covers the west-central United States from Idaho to the Rio Grande, including SCCA's Colorado Region, Continental Divide Region, Eastern Idaho Region, Pan American Region, Rio Grande Region, Utah Region and Yellowstone Region. With such a vast area and comparatively few racecourses in the Rocky Mountain regions, Coleman brings a unique set of challenges and perspectives to the SCCA Board of Directors.

"I've been a member and Solo competitor since 1999," says Coleman. "Currently competing in F Mod. Also a Solo Event Chairman, Solo Safety Steward, Solo/Rally Registrar and SSS Instructor. I've been Continental Divide Region RE [Regional Executive] for more years than I can remember. I'm also a Steward in Training."

So what attracted Coleman to the SCCA Board of Directors? "I'm here to resurrect regional Club Racing in Rocky Mountain Division, support programs and incentives to increase membership, and support our core programs while facilitating the further development of new 'experiential' programs to attract new members and encourage participation," he explains.

With amateur road racing and autocross seemingly easier to participate in than ever through numerous smaller groups, Coleman admits keeping the SCCA on top won't be an easy task – but it's one worth doing, and one, he says, the SCCA can excel at.

Every journey, however, starts with a step, and Coleman has a solid grasp of what that step should be. "I'd like to see development of an SCCA website that's easier to navigate and better organized," he says, "and a streamlined membership system reducing the number of membership options and nuances to make it easier for a prospective member to sign up."

In other words, get them through the process fast so they can begin that journey.

Ultimately, the solution is more complex than that, and Coleman completely understands that fact. Being Systems Engineering for Leidos Corp., supporting Air Force Space Command's Space and Missile Center at Peterson Air Force Base, Coleman certainly doesn't shy away from challenges.

Find out more about the SCCA and its experiential programs (like Track Night in America and its Starting Line schools) at www.scca.com.