Dear GCKI members and Houston area racers,

I am pleased to announce plans for another exciting year of racing and sportsmanship for all Houston area karters. GCKI has approved and published schedules for both an 11 race GCKI Championship series and an equally competitive 10 race regional series with races scheduled at both GCKI and Speedsportz. These two challenging race series are sure to attract the best racers in the area as well as many nationally ranked competitors. Please plan to support these two series so we can grow karting in the Houston area. I am also pleased to announce changes recently approved by our GCKI Board of Directors that I am confident will improve member access to our track and facilities year-round. Our goal for 2019 at GCKI is to make karting affordable, fun, ultra-competitive and conveniently accessible to our membership and all karters in the Houston area. Please read about all the details below.

2019 GCKI General Membership Meeting

On Wednesday evening January 9th GCKI held its annual all-members meeting at the Memorial West Community Club. The facility, arranged and hosted by Becky and Bill Choice, continues to serve as an excellent venue for this important event. The meeting was well represented by the majority of classes raced at GCKI. Several topics were presented and discussed and decisions were reached that will shape the club and form the basis of our operations for the next year including:

Facilities
GCKI is a “not for profit” organization so all proceeds from racing and membership are reinvested in our facility for our membership and area racers. 2018 was no different with:

• New A/C unit in the clubhouse
• New podium and registration desk (thanks Joel and your shop class)
• Offsite parking access improvements between GCKI and our neighbors to the west
• Maintenance to our fantastic sound system and other maintenance related expenses

Sponsorship
We are thankful to the longtime supporters of GCKI and look forward to their continued support. We will be making a renewed effort to secure new partners with our club. Please endeavor to support these great supporters of GCKI whenever your purchasing decisions allow. GCKI is always looking to add businesses that are interested in furthering their exposure through a beneficial affiliation with GCKI. Please contact Ken Snider (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) or any of the other members of our Sponsorship Committee for details.

2019 GCKI Race Schedule
We reviewed all dates through the year to schedule two race series to attract local area racers and GCKI members (Yes Valentine day is off limits). Our GCKI series is an 11 race series that includes 3 drops and requires 7 races to qualify for year end awards. We just hosted our 2018 banquet at IRace and awarded all our champions with trophies, jackets and lots of other awards. It was a great time and you need to attend next year, you wont regret it! We also discussed our GREATER HOUSON RACE SERIES.  This is a 10 race series and includes 5 races at GCKI and 5 races at SpeedSportz with 1 drop allowed from each track.  The response to the series has been overwhelming and we expect large fields of competitors from the local area as well as from other tracks throughout the southern US and Mexico.  This series will be hosted at affordable club rates to keep the costs low.

Red text denotes Greater Houston Race Series (10 race series)

Texas Mini Grand Prix Races @ GCKI
March 2nd & 3rd
March 30th & 31st
July 6th & 7th
Aug 3rd & 4th
Nov 2nd & 3rd

Texas Sprint Racing Series @ GCKI
June 28th & 29th

2019 Rules Changes
Both GCKI and the Greater Houston Race Series are trying to standardize classes around nationally recognized race series. The following changes were approved by the membership:

• Kid Kart class will be the Honda GXH50 only for the purposes of points for both the GHRS and GCKI.
• In the SKUSA designated classes, the Micro Swift and Mini Swift will be the Cadet size karts.
• The TaG Junior will be the Iame X-30 only and will now run the Evinco Blue tires.
• The IAME Sr. and IAME Masters classes will remain the same except the minimum weight for IAME Masters will now be 395 lbs,
• An IAME KA100 class will be offered at Junior, Senior, and Masters levels.
• The Shifter classes will keep the same Stock Moto Sr. and Stock Moto Masters, with the addition of Pro Shifter using the new IAME 175 shifter motor.
• The 4-Stroke classes will be consolidated around the Briggs 206 class with a Cadet, Junior, Senior, and Heavy class available at the club level.
• The 206 Sr., 206 Heavy, and now 206 Cadet will be recognized classes for both GCKI and the Greater Houston Race Series. These classes will follow the Texas Sprint Racing Series rules (IKF).
• Due to lack of participation, the Rotax and TaG Historic Classes will not be offered as a points earning classes at GCKI in 2019.
• SKUSA Evinco Red is approved as our spec tire for all SKUSA-based classes (Tag & Shifter). SKUSA Evinco Blue will be the spec tire for cadets, four stroke classes, X-30 Junior, and all KA 100 classes. Kid kart tires will remain “open.” Rain tires will remain MG Wet for all classes.

2019 First GCKI Board Meeting Business
Shortly after the annual meeting of GCKI members, the duly elected GCKI board met to discuss and approve the various action items from the annual meeting. The board also met to discuss material changes to GCKI that could improve club membership and to discuss relevant business matters for the club in general. The following items were discussed and decided:

GCKI Membership Dues
The cost of membership at GCKI has remained the same price for over fifteen years. In that time, the club has expanded the track, built a new building, installed new septic and A/C, added new electrical and barriers, and many other improvements. With all these improvements, the local property tax authorities unexpectedly decided we needed to pay more. This combined with other factors requires GCKI to increase revenue with a modest increase in annual of $50. Renewing membership will go from $300 per year to $350 per year, with no increase to associate rates ($10/ associate). New member fee will increase from $325 from $375. This small increase will help defray the increased costs of operating the club, particularly as it relates to the increase in taxes. This new rate will be in effect April 1st 2019 in case you want to renew your membership early.

Elected Volunteers and BOD Approved Contractors
The GCKI membership elected and the Board of Directors approved the following club positions. We are pleased that the membership continues to support the leadership of the club, and for 2019, we’ll see continued service by an experienced team.

Elected Club Officers (by membership / approved by BOD)
President – Paul Jones
Vice President – Robert Schneider
Membership Director – Scott Boone
Board of Directors
Bill Choice (Elected to a 2-year Term)
Jay Kleinheinz (Elected to a 2-year Term)
David McKee (Serving year 2 of 2-year term)
James Waithman (Serving year 2 of 2-year term)

Board of Directors Elections
Chairman – Scott Boone
Treasurer – Bill Choice
Corporate Secretary – Jay Kleinheinz

Compensated Race-Day Roles
Race Director – Gary Kinkade
Race Day Manager – Joel Yeltin
Tech Inspector – Frank D’Angelo
Race Administrator – Elise Yeltin
Starter – Leo Leondio
Timing and Scoring – Austin Johnson
Concessions – Open

Volunteer Positions
Facilities Manager – John Fantuzzo
Trophies and Awards – Open
Sponsorship Director – Ken Snider

New Business
Many new ideas were discussed and debated at the first meeting of the new Board of Directors this year. These ideas were focused on improving club membership. The following initiatives were approved by the GCKI Board of Directors:

Reserved Pit Spot/Trailer Storage
For the first time ever, GCKI is offering a limited number of year round pit spots for storage of trailers at premium locations along the GCKI pit runners. Details of these pit spot leases are available on the website at https://www.racekarts.com/pit-spots.html. Some of the more general terms and conditions are:

• Lease terms are $1000 prorated to the calendar year and paid in advance.
• Lessee must be a GCKI master member.
• Each pit space includes access to approximately 10 feet of cement pit runner. Approximately 10’ x 30’ pit spots are clearly marked with survey stakes and marked with the name of each lessee.
• Space assignments are made at the sole discretion of the GCKI Board of Directors on a first come first serve basis. In general, spaces are assigned from the north end of the pit runner to the south end.
• Additional terms and conditions apply. Be sure to read the GCKI Pit Space Lease Terms, Conditions and Agreement on the website.

I hope you are as excited about 2019 kart racing as I am, and I hope you like all the changes approved for this race year. I would like to thank all the members, club leaders and volunteers of GCKI. Without your support, dedication and help, the success of this club would not be possible. 2019 will be an exciting time for the racer and club member, and I look forward to seeing all of you at the finish line!

Paul Jones