INTERVIEW: SCCA's new President, Mike Cobb

"I'm a hybrid of car guy, competitor, and business leader," Cobb says with a contagiously enthusiastic tone. "From a car guy perspective, the seed was sown early through my dad who, in the metropolis of Amarillo, Texas, autocrossed a Datsun 1600, Datsun 2000, and MGB GT, and my brother had an Austin-Healey Sprite. Those venues are where I saw my first Lotus Super 7, my first Morris Mini, my first Spitfire, and my first Tiger. Those weekend memories with my dad and brother are where the passion was sown."

That passion took Cobb down many roads as a kid, including Soap Box Derby competitions, one of which he won.

"Fast forward to around 2007 where I'd attended everything from Formula 1 to IndyCar races to the SCCA Runoffs, NASCAR, Can-Am, AMA, NHRA – all as a spectator, and many of those with my brother and family members. At that time, I decided I wanted to rejoin the ranks of the SCCA."

Living in Dallas, Cobb contacted the Texas Region and found an upcoming Solo event. "I'll never forget my first event – it was a rain-soaked Sunday morning at Texas Motor Speedway on the inside course," he says. "My novice coach for the day was the late, great Tommy Saunders.

"I was driving my Mazdaspeed Protege, it was raining, and I was scared to death. Of course, I did what all novices do on their first time out – I spun into the infield. People were running and waving their arms at me. I didn't know if they were cursing at me or telling me to stay or go, so I got back on course, finished my lap, and went to hide my shame. Mr. Saunders found me after he completed his run and said that next time I spin into the infield when it's wet, just stay there. I think that was Tommy's kind suggestion that maybe B Mods and the mud I'd tracked onto the course don't mix," he laughs.

That damp day, Cobb explains, meaningful relationships were born. "I was so fortunate to come back into a Region that had people like Tommy, Kurt Janish, Matt Lucas, Chris Robbins, Kenny Baker, Jen and Brad Maxcy – a ton of good folks. Not only are they excellent leaders and mentors for the motorsports community though the SCCA, but they're also great counselors, and many became great friends."

That's Mike Cobb the car guy – what about Mike Cobb the businessman?

"I've been very fortunate to have a lot of varied business experiences, many with Fortune 100 brands like Pepsi, Frito-Lay, KFC, and Pizza Hut, working on both the agency side and client side," he says. "Supporting and growing those brands gave me a lot of experience and a lot of exposure on how to market and position great brands, as well as how to create strong, vibrant experiences from a consumer brand experience perspective. Most recently at Gold's Gym, I was Chief Marketing Officer; our primary focus was building programs that drove attraction and engagement for a membership of around three million. Gold's won back-to-back J.D. Power customer satisfaction awards for the last two years – that was the first time the brand had ever achieved that."

Combining his love for motorsports and his business expertise at the SCCA seems natural, but how did this come about? "I wasn't looking for a job," he laughs, "I had a couple buddies who told me this job was available. As I read through the requirements, competencies, and the attributes the SCCA was looking for in a leader, in all humility, I thought I was pretty prepared through my experiences to address many of those things.

"The next stop was with my wife," he admits. "I gave her the job description. I gave her a few minutes, then came back and asked her what she thought. She said, 'I think that sounds like you.' It's the answer I wanted to hear."

Now, sitting in the office labeled "SCCA President and CEO," Cobb sees there's a lot of work ahead – and he readily admits he doesn't have any immediate answers when it comes to the Club's direction. "My primary directive is to work with the Board and the executive staff to forward the mission of the organization," he says, noting to accomplish that, "You have to take the pulse of the collective body. I've always found it better to do active listening when diving into an engagement, getting as many perspectives as possible so you can get a greater number of solutions to solve with.

"I'm very service oriented and customer focused. To me, this job is all about not only providing leadership, but also providing support and service to the Regions and the membership that is the SCCA. In many of my conversations with the Region teams, I'm asking how we can better support them."

All of this, Cobb says, involves travel. "I'm going to be wherever I need to be across North America to find those perspectives that will, ultimately, help build a foundation we can build on. My focus right now is learning, digesting, and understanding before I reset any framework."

Before returning to work, we chatted about the previous weekend's Mineral Wells ProSolo – an event Cobb competed in – and an observation he made that struck a cord. "It was pouring rain, and the conditions were abysmal," he says. "But we had 200 entrants, everyone was out there, the event was running without a hitch, and the volunteers weren't running away. What struck me was the level of passion and commitment everyone there has to the sport. For us, this is what we define as fun."

Then came a word of wisdom, with a motorsports spin – one that I really enjoyed: "At the end of the day, it isn't one of the cylinders firing that makes us powerful," Cobb says, "it's all of those cylinders firing in unison that is really going to make this engine hum."