Gary is correct; ACNA's convertible policy will be changing in 2006 however it will not be quite as restrictive as he had been indicated. Anyone who has participated in an ACNA driver's school knows that safety is, without question, the number one priority. Convertibles will be allowed, however for the safety of both students and instructors, a SCCA approved 4-point roll bar and harnesses will be needed.

Having instructed with the club for a number of years I've had the opportunity to instruct many students most of whom have been an absolute joy to work with; sometimes, however, that's just not the case. Whether it a case of an individual showing up to the track with something to prove or slow reflexes or just a missed judgment there are occasions whereby cars will get unsettled at speed and it's simply a more dangerous situation in a convertible.

I instruct as a volunteer because I really enjoy what we do and absolutely feel like our events make a difference in the skill level of our participants. I also realize that what we do has the potential to be rather dangerous. With a beautiful wife, a 3 year old and 5 year old waiting for me to get home after each event, I'm finding myself less and less comfortable with taking any more risks than I have to as an instructor. As an event master for the driver's schools, I would have a difficult time forgiving myself for assigning an instructor, most of whom are good friends of mine, to a car that had an incident knowing we had the opportunity to implement a policy that could have provided more protection for all involved.

That said, I hope to see many of you at our events in 2006. The Chicagoland Chapter will be hosting several events, the first of which is currently scheduled for the first weekend in April at the Autobahn Country Club. For more info check out
www.AudiChicago.org

Ken Koppitz