Many years ago, Henryk Szamota had the idea of starting a championship series known as the "Area 1 Championship." It was to determine the "champion" of Area 1 in all phases of competition. This included Autocross (gymkhana), Rally, and Racing. Henryk was a very competitive person himself and had a strong focus on not only winning, but being a real sportsman while doing it. In the book "Unfair Advantage", Henryk is mentioned as being one of the better stewards in the SCCA.

(Henryk was the national cycling champ of Poland for a number of years, spoke at least a half a dozen languages, and is rumored to have kept New York Region in operation by funding some of it's operation himself. On a sad note, he lost his wife (stroke) and son (cancer) on the same day in the same hospital but remained dedicated to the club and sports car racing in the northeast.)

Today, as part of NARRC, there is the Henryk Szamota Award to be presented annually at the NARRC banquet to the NARRC participant who “has shown the qualities of character found in Henryk Szamota – the founder of NARRC. Those qualities are Competition, Sportsmanship, and above all being a Gentleman or Lady.”

The Rally and Gymkhana parts of the club didn't continue on with the championship, and a region from Area 9 wanted to join as well, so the name was changed to the "North Atlantic Road Racing Championship."

In the early years, attendance at the NARRC championship was by invitation only. (I have this on good authority, as Marianne was the one who hand wrote all the invitations!) There were requirements on the number of NARRC races run during the year and where you were in the points. You had to earn the invitation. Then you would show up at Lime Rock and race "for all the marbles." Winner takes all. The system was very close to what is used for the SCCA National Championship today.

Over the years, some of the rules have changed and the invitation only rule was dropped, but the championship has always about being the best in the area.

Today, NASCAR is often the butt of many jokes because of all the tricks that the officials use to make it "entertaining" and to assure that the cash flow doesn't stop. Even the really hard core NASCAR fans are admitting that in certain ways the outcome of a race is "fixed" or "adjusted". Money is what drives NASCAR, not the competition, and certainly not sportsmanship.

NARRC was always about the competition, but the newest rule changes have a very NASCAR-like tilt. You don't get a grab at the ring this year unless you pay lots of money to enter most of the races put on at Lime Rock by the various regions. The championship is starting to be less and less about being the best and is starting to favor those who live near Lime Rock and/or have deep pockets. If you cannot make one of those blessed races for whatever reason, then sorry, you don't get to grab at the ring. The "stewards" of the program seem to have started down a slippery slope in the quest for money and are abandoning the concepts used when the series was started. Yes, racing has always been about money, but the latest set of rules have made money even more important. Skill is now in second place.

This year, I won't be look at a NARRC Champion is the same light as in the past, as there is a new layer of tarnish on the title. Yes, some who win will deserve the championship because they are that good, but the championship is no longer about simply being the best. Worst of all, the changes tarnish the memory of what Henryk was to the club and to the many people he helped in so many ways.