Established roads can set you on your way and ultimately wind around business challenges, driving you away from sound business decisions. The roads of positive change drive you and your business along a more direct route, making the trip fun, rewarding and profitable. Your business and employees will thrive if your drive includes a road map that is embraced by all. Going along for the ride is replaced by the excitement and anticipation that accompanies participation. The destination of success is one sweet ride.

To truly drive your business, setting destiny in your favor, it pays to educate your team while painting a detailed description of the ultimate destination. It seems reasonable that the road to success will lead to opportunity if you and your team grasp the overall concept of where you hope to end up. Defining the destination is step one in implementing your route to growth and continuous improvement. Painting a clear vision empowers the group to collaboratively create their own milestones, rest stops and high-speed zones. A clear picture of the intended destinations allows engaged team members to reroute based on ownership of contributions that move the group. Drive requires that the entire team is willing to get behind the wheel. With everyone in the car, the view out the front windshield creates piercing focus, and the eyes of the team move forward enthusiastically.

The rear view mirror can provide source material and historical perspective—or it can take eyes off the mission, as looking back can be where the library of distraction prevents travel to new places. The question “Are we there yet?” fades behind the hills of the past when the group uses the winds of change to fill balloons of future prosperity. With buy-in from all, forks in the road are eagerly taken and the blur of noise seen out the side windows is replaced by the resolve of winning groups that revel in the changing landscape known as success.

Accepting the status quo is often the easy route for those that become comfortable in familiar surroundings. Fear and the patterns of culture memory should be supplanted by the hope and belief of inspired change. Being locked in the past is the speed bump that can derail any new initiative. To achieve, new projects need the energy supplied by groups. True leadership puts away the “Boss Card” and trades commands for evangelism. Believers in ideas move forward on their own merit and with passion that exists within the potential of our future leaders. Commands work well when the boss is watching—the breakdowns occur when overbearing managers turn their back. Astute leaders know that the synergy of a group accomplishes goals even when valued employees are out of sight. The best teams feel the freedom to place a light on the shortcomings of new ideas. Through empowered discussion, employees that feel valued participate by adding to new endeavors. Leaders can always pull out the boss card, but using it sparingly improves morale, overcomes, and gets more done.

Motor State Distributing exemplifies great leadership. History shows that George Lane noticed a need to supply racers with the parts they needed. George transformed his racing hobby, and in 1964 he took one small step for his racing company—one giant step for the racing kind. He worked hard to deliver great customer service and built a business from a one-man shop and humble beginnings. George identified a market and set out to solve the parts supply challenge that faced racers of the day—the Internet was still years away. In time the business grew, and George used wisdom to grow with the times. Growth requires help. Help requires trust. Today, the family tree known as the Lane family participates in the operation of what was once a one-man operation. Clear role definition allows well over 100 people to perform. Doug Lane has accepted the Warehouse Distributor of the Year trophy at SEMA multiple times.

To accomplish such success, George and Doug rely on many. David Lane provides modern warehousing techniques that are the envy of all distribution centers. Longtime dedicated employees such as Curt Spalding head up new initiatives, increasing the footprint and visibility of what George started many years ago. George could have stayed a garage-style business, but I believe he knew that empowerment would help him to achieve. The Lane legacy lives on within the walls of Motor State, and mentorship prevails in every corner of the building.

Scott Wahlstrom guides promotions, and longtime employee Craig Mullauer manages a knowledgeable sales staff with grace. I could point out other companies that have been successful, but my goal here is to diagnose and provide motivation for all businesses to take steps of improvement. Motor State recognizes that the power of trust has transformed a black and white photo containing a few race parts and one George Lane into a brain trust of amazing people that believes in mentorship.

The dedicated Motor State staff, ranging from accounting, to customer service, to sales, to shipping, to creative, to spin-off companies, eagerly embraces empowerment. The leadership style provides freedom for all employees to find the opportunity that suits their individual goals. The group that is defined as Motor State embraces the ideals George Lane laid out years ago, and they have been given the freedom to take the original ideals to new levels that go beyond what one person could do.

In a very short time, Darren Lane has become an active participant in the Motor State fold, taking on the challenges that the digital age presents. At a young age, Darren has taken his education, racing knowledge and self-imposed talents to heights that could only occur due to the willing mentorship and support voluntarily given by the entire staff in Michigan. A staff that chooses to be involved creates an atmosphere of continuous improvement. Dustin Lane is lurking in the background, providing new technologies that are rooted in the plan for success inspired by Grandfather George Lane not so many years ago. I can hardly wait to witness what the future holds for Karianne Lane—her contribution could be within the business, or perhaps her family values will propel the Motor State gang to places that would be impossible without her future guidance and support. I know Doug Lane excels due to the support from his wife Kim—business success is a ton more fun when family support inspires.

George Lane had a plan—he implemented it well and provided clear guidance for hundreds of people around him to excel. Respect is easy when you witness the true five- tool player—family, integrity, vision, empowerment and trust. George foresaw his life plan, and taking a second to remember your long- and short-term plan is sound advice.

Leadership should set things in motion and allow the group to build on needed strategies. Guidelines should be set, and teams that are free to pursue and grow ideas, without hard rules, come up with amazing creativity. If your leadership style forces your will upon others, then you end up with the IQ, energy and power of just one person—you! Letting employees go with their beliefs builds energy within the combined resources that work with you. Why not give your team some leeway and see what they come up with? The combined IQ and creativity of many will consider all of the challenges from angles that enjoy sightlines from a point of expertise. Ideas are enhanced and waste is reduced.

The concept of giving your team leeway is based on the context that you have provided clear direction. Often, leaders or management face challenges that must consider the big picture. Individuals on the team may not have access to certain information, so it is natural that leaders should set guidelines and goals. Freedom within the team is great—chaos is short of what we are after. Empowering teams should come with check-in and participation from management. If you set the direction, you should also set boundaries to ensure that freedom is contained within the context and budget of any project.

We are all busy, and if we had time to stare at the efforts of our employees 10 hours a day, then we would probably have fewer employees. In sport and in management, analogies help to set the scene for success. For me, a train of great ideas is an excellent reference for a descriptive analogy. At the start of any task, big or small, I ask my team to think about the direction that has been set, and place them face forward with a healthy dose of conversation and debate.

Once agreement creates the framework of progress, I work hard to let employees make many decisions. In exchange for the freedom, I ask that teammates stay on the railroad tracks that we agreed upon. Trusted employees can wander off the railroad tracks and onto the railroad ties based on their own discretion and knowledge. I think we call this empowerment! We can also let our talent adjust and make their own decisions when initiatives take them off the creosote coated railroad ties and onto the gravel covered railroad bed. In the event great employees find themselves falling off the mound of the gravel railroad bed, then that is the point in time when they should stroll back to management for a fine-tuning of goals.

Knowing when the direction has found the hard curves of risk is paramount in creating an environment that is free of the fear of mistakes. Fear is paralyzing. Freedom is enlightening. The best employees seek out additional project detail when the gravel of the railroad bed crumbles beneath their shoes, sending them off-balance and potentially derailing an important or expensive idea. True leadership empowers teammates to find the edge of empowerment on their own. The best creativity occurs when employees find the limits of direction and circle back for more communication based on their own initiative. It is at the edge of limitation where answers to the biggest challenges culminate in the sea of sustainable satisfaction and progress.

Go Forward – Move Ahead

Jeff Butcher

 

VP Racing this week announced its newest and largest partner to date, as North Carolina-based Cary Oil has signed on to market VP’s retail brand program.

With nearly 500 retail outlets in Cary Oil’s major branded wholesale distribution network representing just a third of Cary’s total business, the partnership will facilitate the growth of VP-branded retail stores in 18 states from the Atlantic coast to New Mexico.
 
“We are absolutely thrilled to welcome Cary Oil to the VP Racing Fuels family, as this new partnership represents a quantum leap in the potential growth of our branding program,” said Alan Cerwick, President, VP Racing Fuels. “Cary Oil’s buy-in validates the strength of the VP brand and our ability to deliver the biggest competitive advantage to date.”
 
For more information about VP Racing Fuels and its branding program, visit VPRacingFuels.com or contact:

Southeastern/Mid-Atlantic
Ted Tritt - 210/510-8409 or ted.tritt@vpracingfuels.com

Upper Midwest/Northeast
Matt Schuster - 210/784-6708 or matt.schuster@vpracingfuels.com

South Central/West
Bryan Noonen - 210/289-6000 or bryan.noonen@vpracingfuels.com
 
Cary Oil was founded in 1959 as a single tankwagon operation in Cary, North Carolina. In the decades since, the company has grown as a distributor of wholesale fuels covering 18 states from Pennsylvania to New Mexico. Adding branded motor fuel marketing to its product slate beginning in the 1970s, Cary Oil now serves nearly 500 branded outlets representing 12 major brands.

VP Racing Fuels is best known as the World Leader in Race Fuel Technology, fueling champions in virtually every form of motorsports on land, sea and air since 1975. VP is the Official Racing Fuel of NHRA Championship Drag Racing, American Le Mans, World of Outlaws Sprint Cars and Late Model Series and Rally America, among more than 60 VP-sponsored series and sanctioning bodies.

In recognition of the need for representation synergies throughout the western United States, manufacturer’s representative agencies Action Marketing (Salem, Oregon) and High Country Marketing (Sandy, Utah), have partnered together to create a new company, Western States Marketing (WSM) to represent the manufacturer in California, Arizona and Nevada.  

The two agencies, which have a combined presence of 63 years in the Rocky Mountain and Pacific Northwest regions, began operations effective in January 2012.

Bruce Stronk and George Patterson, the owners of High Country Marketing and Action Marketing, respectively, have discussed the concept of moving into the California/Southwest marketing area for some time for purposes of market expansion, and the opportunity to seamlessly represent the manufacturer in the 13 Western states; or in the new company’s dedicated coverage area exclusively.  

Stronk and Patterson are the managing partners of WSM, and Ryan Stronk is the WSM sales manager and is based in the new Costa Mesa, California, office.

A core competency at WSM is the hiring of experienced, well respected and dynamic representatives. In addition to the WSM principals, the firm currently employs four highly regarded, dedicated full time representatives who are located in Los Angeles and Sacramento, California, and Phoenix, Arizona.   

Since the formation of WSM, the firm has been representing SPX Service Solutions including the OTC, Robinair and TIF programs to all local and several national distributors and their customers throughout the Southwest territory.

Discussions with SPX management and the distributors in the territory have shown all are pleased with the progress through the first three quarters of the year, according to Stronk and Patterson, who feel one of the key reasons for the successful startup has been the focus on working with the customers—being “customer-centric.” 

Both partners firmly believe in getting into the stores and shops of their customers and educating them, firsthand, how the products they represent can improve their businesses. Patterson added: “This philosophy is a cornerstone of our mission to serve our customers.”

In 2013, Western States Marketing will be adding manufacturers in addition to the SPX Service Solutions program in place.

Western States Marketing can be reached at the company’s headquarters by calling 714/421-4975 or by emailing sales@westernstatesmarketing.com.   

Wilwood Engineering has announced the addition of Dave Brzozowski to their outside sales team.

Brzozowski is an accomplished motorsports veteran with over 33 years involvement in USAC, World of Outlaws, CART, Champ Car and IRL.
 
Growing up in Southern California, Brzozowski was introduced to racing at an early age by his father, G.S. “Ski” Brzozowski, who operated a Motorcycle dealership, and later a speed shop that campaigned a CRA Sprint Car and USAC Champ Dirt Car. 

This early involvement in racing led the young Brzozowski to a varied and successful career in motorsports. 

Brzozowski’s resume includes working as a mechanic in World of Outlaws, Chief Mechanic in CART, Champ Car and USAC, Team Manager in Champ Car and IRL, engine builder for Ilmor Mercedes (VDS) Champ Car, and most recently, Director of Competition for USAC.

He has also designed and built Mini-Sprints, Midgets and Sprint Cars. 

Brzozowski’s accomplishments as a chief mechanic include winning races in the Champ Car World Series, and ultimately the 2003 Championship with Paul Tracy.
 
Brzozowski will support Wilwood’s technical sales effort out of his office in Indianapolis. He can be reached at 317/272-1042 or dbrzozowski@wilwood.com.

For more information, contact Wilwood Engineering at (805) 388-1188 or visit the website at www.wilwood.com.

The next step toward a unified North American sports car series was taken earlier this week in New York City, when officials from GRAND-AM Road Racing and the American Le Mans Series met with representatives of 12 automobile manufacturers.
 
The two sanctioning bodies announced a merger in September, and will run a combined schedule in 2014, with a target of 12 races. Both series will run separate schedules in 2013, joining together for the first time in one weekend at Road America in August.
 
Ed Bennett, GRAND-AM president and CEO, was joined by GRAND-AM founder Jim France, managing director of competition Richard Buck, managing director of racing operations Mark Raffauf, and managing director of technical regulations and development Gabriel Cadringher. The ALMS contingent included founder Don Panoz, president and CEO Scott Atherton, and chief operating officer Scot Elkins.
 
Automobile manufacturers represented at the meeting included Aston Martin, Audi, BMW, Chevrolet, Dodge SRT, Ferrari, Ford, Honda, Lotus, Mazda, Porsche and Toyota TRD.
 
“No decisions were made, it was primarily a discussion,” Atherton said. “Each of the manufacturer representatives—including those joining us on the teleconference—had the opportunity to speak and provide feedback. The meeting raised several new issues that we will continue to discuss.”

A list of subcommittees that will focus on all aspects of the merger was also announced at the meeting. Each will be chaired by a representative of one of the sanctioning bodies, joined by their counterpart from the other organization.

“While the main topic was the 2014 regulations—which we hope to announce in the near future—we also took a longer-range perspective,” Atherton said. “We do not want to be narrowly focused. We are putting together plans with both 2014 and the ultimate destination of our unified sports car racing series in mind.”

The meetings took place at the Intercontinental Hotel in New York City prior to the 2012 Rolex Champions Awards presented by SunTrust at Manhattan’s Gotham Hall.

The 2012 American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón season will close with the 1000-mile/10-hour running of the Petit Le Mans powered by Mazda at Road Atlanta on October 20.

The 2013 GRAND-AM Rolex Series season opens with the 51st Rolex 24 At Daytona on January 26-27.

Pro-werks announced today that it has acquired Stiletto Steering.

Stiletto Steering components have been the trusted standard for many categories in motorsports for over 45 years. The company’s reputation of building “Swiss Watch” quality steering products has earned the respect of professional builders and racers worldwide. The easily identified billet aluminum housed rack & pinions are precise, durable and lightweight.

Pro-werks will be building the complete lineup of Stiletto Steering System components at Pro-werks’ Michigan facility.

Stiletto operations have been successfully transitioned to the Pro-werks location, and additional efforts are being applied to provide continued customer service during this transformation.

Uncompromised quality will be continued by the Pro-werks artisans utilizing the latest in manufacturing technologies, combined with state-of-the-art MAZAK machining centers.  

The Pro-werks lineup offers a complete selection of quality components for professional fabrication. Signature items include an extensive selection of chassis building supplies: Suspension related components (tube adapters, slot clevises and bearing cups), Modular Billet Bottle mounting systems, Silver Jacket control cables, and Easy Turn Fill Cap assemblies.

For more information, call 231/873-9252, or visit www.pro-werks.com.

Greenleaf Corporation, a world leader in cutting tool technology, welcomes Peter Campbell (Sales) Ltd. and Matrix Tooling Services to its distribution network, which encompasses more than 30 countries worldwide.

The addition of PCS and Matrix Tooling Services strengthens the company’s position in the United Kingdom.

Peter Campbell (Sales) Ltd., founded in 1982, is located in North Lanarkshire, Scotland, and supplies a wide rage of industrial cutting tools and related products to the engineering industry. PCS employs a technically knowledgeable sales team that is ready to provide support for any application, including milling, turning, threading, grooving, drilling and more.  PCS consider themselves leaders in customer service supplying tool vending management systems as well as in-house regrinding and coating.

Matrix Tooling Services was formed in 1987 by Robert Donnelly and Mark Mills, who individually had extensive experience in the tooling distribution industry. Today, their 40-strong team provides cutting tool technology for all types of machining applications. From their new 10,000-square-foot facility in Sandiacre, Notthingham, Matrix aims to help clients cut a wide range of materials while using the most cost-efficient methods available. They traditionally specialize in cutting tool solutions for aerospace and automotive component manufacturers.  

Headquartered in the United States with sales offices in Schimmert, The Netherlands and Hunan Province, China, Greenleaf Corporation has been an industry leader in cutting tool technology since 1945. To learn more about Greenleaf Corporation and its products, visit www.greenleafcorporation.com or call 814/763-2915.

The calendar of the first Asian Le Mans Series in 2013 will consist of six events in four countries, including South Korea with a race at the brand-new Autopia circuit.

On August 4, 2013, the promoters of the Asian Le Mans Series will organize a 3-hour event in South Korea. It will take place in the Inje region on the Autopia circuit, which is currently being built.

The circuit will measure 4,207 km, has 16 000 grandstand seats, and will be inaugurated next May. It is located only 130 km from the South Korean capital, Seoul, and linked to it by motorway.

As in all rounds of the 2013 Asian Le Mans Series, two single-make support races will also be on the program of this eagerly-awaited weekend in a country which will host its first international endurance race under the Le Mans label.

This event will complete a calendar of six rounds, three in China (Zhuhai, Shanghai and Ordos), one in Japan (Mount Fuji) and one in Indonesia (Sentul, December 8).

Road America President and General Manager George Bruggenthies this week announced Road America's 2013 season schedule.
 
Road America's first race weekend next year will be May 17-19, when it hosts its Spring Vintage Weekend. Two-wheeled action takes center stage when the AMA SuperBike Doubleheader hits the track on May 31, June 1-2. One week later, June 6-9, vintage motorcycle enthusiasts will be on track during the AHRMA Vintage Motorcycle Classic, followed by the WeatherTech Chicago Region SCCA June Sprints SCCA June Sprints from June 13-16—Road America's longest running annual sports car event.
 
The NASCAR Nationwide Series and ARCA Series roll into Road America on June 20-22, bringing intense wheel-to-wheel stock car racing action to the nation's most intimidating road course.

A mid-summer classic, The HAWK with Brian Redman, takes place July 18-21, and has quickly grown to become one of the largest vintage racing events in the country. Chevrolet's Corvette will receive top honors as the featured marque during The HAWK in celebration of Corvette's 60th Anniversary.

In early August, Road America will host the 50th Anniversary of World Ferrari, August 1-4, and the following weekend on August 8-11, the newly formed GRAND-AM / ALMS Series takes over Road America's 4-mile circuit for what will be the most incredible weekend of sports car racing in the world. Fans will get to see the GRAND-AM race on Saturday, August 10, with ALMS competing on Sunday.
 
September 6-8, the VSCDA Elkhart Lake Vintage Festival returns, featuring several impressive machines including many pre-war racers and Can-Am enthusiasts.

The 2013 season is capped off with the 50th Anniversary of the SCCA National Championship Runoffs, September 16-22, where more than 600 competitors will attempt to make history at America's National Park of Speed.
 
Road America Winner's Circle Member season passes are available through Monday, December 31, 2012. In addition, this year all Winner's Circle Member season pass prices include a special edition souvenir hat or visor, preferred parking to all events, plus access to the special season pass referral program and an appreciation lunch during the 50th Annual SCCA National Championship Runoffs.


2013 event tickets will be available for purchase after December 1, 2012. To purchase season passes or learn more about upcoming events at Road America, visit Road America online at www.roadamerica.com or call 800/365-RACE (7223).

For its 14th year of celebrating Legends of Motorsport, the Petersen Automotive Museum, along with the Checkered Flag 200 Group, will present a very special “Tribute to George Follmer” program to be held at the Petersen Museum in Los Angeles on Thursday, November 8, beginning with cocktails at 6:00 p.m.

Certain to be a memorable dinner event for all who join the Petersen’s prominent guests, friends and colleagues, the evening’s festivities include a gallery display of George Follmer-centric race cars and memorabilia generously supported by eminent collectors.
 
The tribute will brim with stories about George. Forty years ago, Trans-Am Champion Follmer, subbing for Mark Donahue, was under pressure going into Mid-Ohio’s Can-Am race to drive Roger Penske’s 5.4-liter twin-turbo Porsche 917/10, while the car’s L&M sponsor coined a promotional button “Let George Do It!” The mantra stuck and fan fervor soared.

Follmer drove the bristly 917, heeding team boss Penske’s pit signal to keep going in his lead while others pitted for rain tires. Follmer won the race, inspiring media scribes to brand him “George Am.” He finished out 1972 as series champion in Trans-Am and Can-Am—the only driver to win both series titles in the same year.
 
Another accolade came Follmer’s way in ‘72, and remains very special to him. The American Auto Racing Writers & Broadcasters Association’s Jerry Titus Memorial Award honored George Follmer as “Driver of the Year.”

Also, in August of ’72 he simultaneously held Mid-Ohio’s qualifying records for three major racing series—Can-Am, Trans-Am, and Continental F5000. Follmer would also later win the Trans-Am title for a second time in 1976 driving Vasek Polak’s sizzling Porsche 934 Turbo.
 
At age 39, George was then the oldest driver to start an F1 race—it was 1973 at Kyalami, South Africa, where he finished in sixth place, a points-earning position in his very first Grand Prix start. Teamed with Jackie Oliver in Don Nichols’ menacingly black DN1 Shadows, George’s next F1 race in the UOP car was on the challenging Montjuich hill circuit in Barcelona where Follmer, finishing third, stood on the Spanish GP podium alongside winner Emerson Fittipaldi and second place François Cevert.
 
There is so much in George Follmer’s racing career that it seems there had to be two, or maybe three, Georges—not just the one and only. Filling his driving’s three decades were Trans-Am, Can-Am, NASCAR, Champ Car, Continental F5000, the Indy 500, IMSA, IROC, FIA Makes, Bosch Super Vee, SCCA Escort Endurance Showroom Trucks, top qualifier in Fast Masters’ Jaguar XJ220, and the enduros at Sebring, Daytona and Le Mans. He’s in the Motorsports Hall of Fame, and on The Walk of Fame at Watkins Glen.
 
Of his upcoming tribute night at the Petersen, Follmer says, “I would like it to be a good time for everybody, because there aren’t too many times at this point in our lives that we’re all going to be together.” Follmer himself was lucky to survive a horrendous crash during qualifying for Laguna Seca’s Can-Am race in 1978, and George will tell about it.
 
Says Parnelli Jones, Follmer’s 1969-70 Trans-Am teammate in their storming Bud Moore Boss 302 Ford Mustangs, “George proved he was a talented race driver, and he had a bubbly personality—not a sour puss by any means.” They won the series title in 1970.
 
Tom Madigan, writing a book on Follmer, published soon by Ed Justice, Jr., first saw George at the old Palm Springs airport races, driving his Porsche. “He cleaned the field,” Madigan recalls. “He was a very versatile driver, and also braver than Dick Tracy.”
 
The Petersen’s program will begin with no-host cocktails and a Museum presentation that includes cars and collected memorabilia representing George Follmer’s life in motor-racing. The buffet dinner follows, then a multi-monitor video screening compiled of filmed and still photo highlights from George’s extraordinary competition years. Renowned drivers and Follmer’s friends we all recognize or have read about will be introduced to tell some of their best stories from knowing George Follmer, with the tribute evening hosted and moderated by Master of Ceremonies Bill Stephens.

Among the VIP guests who’ve been invited are Dan Gurney, Parnelli Jones, John Morton, Tony Adamowicz and a number of other familiar names from George Follmer’s racing past.
 
Because the Petersen Museum’s tributes are routinely capacity audience sell-outs, early ticket purchase is a must for those who don’t want to miss this “Tribute to George Follmer.” To guarantee admission for this gathering, or for more information on the event at the Petersen Automotive Museum, please call Sarah Hill at 323/964-6325, or Paul Moritz 323/964-6359.

Reserved ticket purchase is priced at $125 per person for Museum Members, $150 for non-members. Ticket price includes buffet dinner, the evening’s complete program, and parking. A cash bar will be available. Tickets are not mailed; “Tribute to George Follmer” reservations will be held at the Petersen Museum door. Tickets may also be purchased online through the Museum’s website at www.petersen.org.
 
The Petersen Automotive Museum is located at 6060 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, California 90036-3605, with enclosed Museum parking entrance just south of Wilshire on Fairfax Avenue. This “Tribute to George Follmer” one-night event is industry sponsored and brought to you by the avid Checkered Flag 200 members of the Petersen Automotive Museum.

For more general Museum information, call 323/930-CARS (2277).