Curtis Lee Memorial Event | SCCA Hawaii Race 4 | 2019-2020
If there is one event to attend for autox it’s the Curtis Lee Memorial (CLM) Event in October.
Who is Curtis? I knew him as the “Master Chief” of the HI region of SCCA. He drove a blue”Devil Z” with the number 71. I associate that car with him every time I see one. While he contributed MANY things to the club, one story sticks out in my mind
He was one of the people that fought for autox to continue when the Aloha Stadium ceased further motorsport events in the parking lot – the local residents complained about a then drifting event with all the smoke, noise, and tire screeching.
Curtis advocated ultimately that autox wasn’t a showcase, just going fast, or just about racing, but rather that it helped people to become safer and better DRIVERS.
He and his colleagues succeeded.
There would be no autox and I – along with dozens of others – would have no venue to DRIVE had he not did what he did.
Why in October? For the remainder of this post, I’m going to leave the CLM recap to the current “Master Chief” to Jen, Curtis’s daughter. I nor anyone else would do justice in her poetic summary.
It’s been a while since I’ve written an event recap and what better event to do so than the 9th Annual Curtis Lee Memorial event! Also known as the CLM, this annual event held each October is in memory of my Dad, Curtis Lee. He left us (far too soon) on October 1, 2010 after a short and hard fought battle with cancer. Many of you knew him and many of you didn’t, but we all can see his legacy of leadership, sportsmanship, and competitive spirit that lives on in all SCCA Hawaii Solo drivers today.
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The event was wonderful. There were pockets of light rain that I took as a sign from Curtis that he was watching over us since it was a gentle rain that wasn’t heavy enough to affect runs. I swear, it seemed like it would sprinkle just before my runs. Take it as you will, but we can all agree that it was refreshing and there was a nice breeze to help keep us cool throughout the day. 97 drivers turned out to take part in the CLM, the largest turnout this season! The significance of the CLM brought out drivers that we haven’t seen in a long time… I sincerely hope we will continue to see these drivers back for the rest of the season. It’s always great to see SCCA Ohana back in action!
Our course designer, created a technical, yet surprisingly quick and flowing track with a couple must-have throwback elements in memory of Curtis. We started with a nimble u-turn to a fast 5-cone slalom near the awning to the 3-piece Dorito at the top of the track. The Doritos were strategically placed in a semi-circle shape, allowing drivers to take multiple different paths from one end to the other. Some drivers took a bite of of the Doritos, even leaving crumbs behind for the corner workers to clean-up after them. How rude! Hah, I kid.
Drivers then entered the cross-over after munching on Doritos for a fast downhill section to the showcase circles, a.k.a. Tortillas. It always amazes me that the track crew can setup such perfect circles. I remember when the circles looked more like amoebas, LOL! The two tortillas were optional and drivers used both directions and in many different fashions. The tent and grid were great spots to watch the shows put on by many other drivers.…
-Jen
As some drivers have commented, the course was a nice throwback to Curtis’ design days, used a lot of the track area in ways we hadn’t seen in a while, and drove nicer than expected based on course walks. Great job to Howard and the Track Setup crew for all the hours and energy spent in designing, setting up, and maintaining these course!
“Everything on the table,” was a mantra of Curtis’s. Simply put: do, your, BEST! IF it gets you FTD, great! IF it wins your class, EXCELLENT. If you place nowhere and you know you put “everything you had on the table,” then that’s all that matters.
I had an absolute blast this course and so did my brother. Frankly, I don’t remember much analyzing in this race… all I recall was trying to give it all I had.
Your legacy lives on Curtis! Till we meet again!
