Latest / BREAK/FIX the Motorsports & Vehicle Enthusiast Variety Show / Becoming a Le Mans Man: David Lowe and the ACO USA Story

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Becoming a Le Mans Man: David Lowe and the ACO USA Story · BREAK/FIX the Motorsports & Vehicle Enthusiast Variety Show

• 0:00
  BreakFix podcast is all about capturing the living history of people from
• 0:04
  all over the autosphere, from wrench turners and racers to artists, authors,
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  designers, and everything in between.
• 0:11
  Our goal is to inspire a new generation of petrolheads that wonder.
• 0:16
  How did they get that job or become that person?
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  The road to success is paved by all of us because everyone has a story.
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  This episode of break fix has been brought to you in part by the ACO USA, where you
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  can become part of the legend membership in the automobile club of the West.
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  The founding and organizing 24 hours of Lamont's is open
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  to all the club hosts events.
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  In Le Mans and around the world attracting fans who enjoy their shared
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  passion for motoring and motor racing
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  Our guest will be taking you on a thrilling journey through the
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  world of motor sports and the rich history of the automobile club
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  of l'Ouest also known As the ACO.
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  Established in 1906, the ACO is a prestigious organization based in
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  Le Mans, France, and is best known for organizing the legendary 24
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  hours of Le Mans endurance race.
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  And just back from celebrating the hundredth anniversary of this great
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  race, David Lowe, ambassador for the ACO USA, joins us to delve into the origins
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  of this iconic race and the incredible stories that have unfolded on the Circuit
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  de la Sarthe and why you should become a member of one of the oldest motorsports.
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  Clubs in the world.
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  So with that, let's welcome David Lowe to break fix.
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  Well, thank you, Eric.
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  It's certainly an honor and a privilege to be on the show.
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  Before we jump into the details of the ACO, like all good break, fix stories.
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  Everybody has a superhero origin.
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  So let's talk about David Lowe, the petrol head and how and what led up
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  to your involvement with the ACO.
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  I look back and it started about the time I was 11 years old, with
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  a classic comic book about Le Mans.
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  I've looked for the copy, I can't find it anymore, but I
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  certainly remember the two panels.
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  The villain in the race was flying down the Mulsanne straightaway,
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  smoking a cigarette, and he flicks it out the window.
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  At the good guy.
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  It's a vivid memory in my head for me when I raced my Aurora slot car set.
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  I was always at Lamont driving an XK, but my buddy across
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  the street on his slot car.
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  He was at the Indianapolis 500 big difference in our racing styles
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  right from the very beginning.
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  Fast forward a couple of years and I'm in the hardwood industry.
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  And one Christmas, we get a call from a French company that wants to come
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  over and buy some cherry veneer logs.
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  I got the short straw for the Christmas holiday.
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  They arrived and I took the company plane up to Titusville, Pennsylvania.
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  It was about three or four inches of snow.
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  I'm brushing the snow off the veneer logs and they purchased a
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  container of cherry veneer logs.
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  And I'm the hero that week with the most sales in the company,
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  the only sales in the company.
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  Anyway, the interesting thing was as the talk to them, you know, I understand he's
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  a race car driver and he drives at Lamont.
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  Always fascinated.
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  I got the chance to come visit him and go to the shop and see the cars.
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  And then one day I get a call.
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  He says, look, I'm getting ready to race this season.
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  I'd like to invite you over for the 24 hours.
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  I said, I'd love to, but you know, my boss is not going to let
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  me come unless you invite him.
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  He called my boss and invite him.
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  So we came over.
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  It was 1994.
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  It was my first Le Mans.
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  I was a guest of Werner Racing.
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  It was pretty cool to be there in the pit.
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  The hospitality right over the pits.
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  It was all the excitement and thrills of being there.
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  In fact, Derrick Bell pitted right beside us in that golf livery.
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  So it was a really, really cool event.
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  Unfortunately, they retired in the middle of the night.
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  But it was still a cool event.
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  It was my first Le Mans.
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  And then we kind of went through a little bit of a dry spell.
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  I switched companies, ended up working in South America.
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  It was Christmas time.
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  I'd been working on a project and I needed to move some product.
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  Thought I'd take advantage of the Christmas holiday and head over to the Far
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  East and look up a couple of customers.
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  I knew they'd take an order.
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  New Year's Eve, I landed in Bangkok.
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  The airport's probably less than 20 miles from downtown, but it's a four hour trip.
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  So I went back to the counter, I said, tell me, where can I fly tonight?
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  And she looked and she said, we've got a flight going to Phuket.
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  It's going to leave here in 30 minutes.
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  We can get you on that flight.
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  I said, I'm on.
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  Landed in Phuket, checked into the hotel.
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  Freshened up a little bit and thought I'd go for a walk on the beach.
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  Couldn't really see anything, but there were a lot of little outdoor bars.
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  And at one of the bars, there's this young lady, blonde, black dress, sitting at
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  the bar and the seat beside her was open.
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  Well, with some hesitation, I walked out and said, excuse
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  me, is this seat available?
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  And she said, Yes.
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  And so I sat down.
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  I said, Where are you from?
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  She said, Well, I'm from France.
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  And you speak English?
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  Yes, we speak English in France.
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  Well, great.
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  We're great.
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  So where do you live in France?
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  And she said, Well, I live in a little town outside of Paris.
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  Okay.
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  Does your little town have a name?
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  She says, I live in Le Mans.
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  And I said, do you know Jean Francois Yvon?
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  And her face dropped.
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  The Yvon were very good friends of her parents.
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  So she traveled halfway around the world to meet an American she
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  didn't know that knew her parents.
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  It was a long distance relationship.
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  I ended up marrying in Le Mans at the cathedral.
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  And my son was born beside the Mulsanne straightaway.
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  Yes, I'm kind of getting to be a little bit of a Le Mans man.
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  She had a friend, a very good friend from childhood, who was the
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  official photographer for the ACO.
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  And so with Nicholas, I would get to come to the races and I would assist him in
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  the media center as he was processing the photographs and helping him as we
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  started to get them out on the web.
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  And this was years ago.
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  And over the years, I've worked with Nicholas, providing technical
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  assistance from time to time.
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  And then Nicholas was appointed the director of the club.
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  I've been working with him and I said, guys, we've got to do something.
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  Every year I would say something, we really need to do something
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  in the American market.
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  And there was kind of like a little bit of pushback.
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  So last year, right after Le Mans Classic, I sat down and I said, here are the eight
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  things that we need to do for the U.
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  S.
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  market to make it a successful membership program.
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  Five days before the race, I was able to check off the last box.
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  And we'll dive a little bit more into that as we go along, but let's
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  expand a little bit upon your past.
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  As you said, you're a Le Mans man, you're a Le Mans.
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  Family.
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  I mean, to think back over the last 30 years, going back to 94 and that chance
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  encounter with a French customer that wanted veneer over Christmas, that's
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  pretty amazing how it evolved into all this inside of that 30 year span.
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  Have you yourself gotten more involved in motorsport?
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  Have you picked up some sports cars?
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  Have you turned some laps?
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  Have you been around Le Mans itself?
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  Years ago, I had a formula Ford van demon chassis, 1600 had a sponsor.
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  But I didn't have enough money to really go racing.
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  Lamar has been my race for all my life.
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  I think I've been to mid Ohio once.
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  I've been to VIR Sebring is out in the middle of nowhere.
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  You got to book your room early, but I found some good places to eat, but
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  it's a long drive, but I haven't been to all the tracks around the country.
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  So you can put all that together.
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  And for those out there that do race.
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  It's a little different sport.
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  I've been fortunate enough to have three Porsches.
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  And for those that enjoy going fast, I'll have to be honest.
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  Once you get to a certain speed, you take off.
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  And I became a pilot, which goes a whole lot faster than this three dimensional.
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  So you've experienced other clubs as well.
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  Member of PCA, involved in SCCA, things like that.
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  So you've carried with you to the ACO, some of those personal experiences, part
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  of those check boxes that you talked about, how to make the ACO better.
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  And we'll get into that again, as we go along here.
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  But since we both were together at the hundredth anniversary of Lamont's,
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  I want to get your take, your recap, your thoughts on the Centennial.
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  I have to be honest.
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  It was very special.
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  The 23rd of May, prior to the race, I was fortunate enough to be inducted
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  as an administrator for the ACO.
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  With that, I had the opportunity to see the race from a different
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  vantage point than I had in the past.
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  And so for me, it was a very, very memorable experience.
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  Being able to watch the start from the sportive model as well as being at
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  the finish line was really the first time that I've had that opportunity.
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  Knowing the outcome now, who were you rooting for in the beginning?
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  Were expectations met?
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  Did you have a favorite horse in the race?
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  I did.
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  Ben Keating is one of our members of our club and a big contributor.
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  You know, we were certainly excited for Ben.
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  We're fortunate enough he's on an episode of Evening with the Legends, so I don't
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  want to take all the thunder out of his thing, but to come from two laps down and
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  finish first was absolutely incredible.
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  And I think the other was to see something other than Toyota winning.
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  Anything but Toyota.
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  It was exciting to see Ferrari come back.
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  put it all together.
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  Glickenhaus did a really strong finish.
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  There was a lot, a lot of good, exciting races.
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  I think that sentiment was shared with a lot of folks and it's not because
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  Toyota's the villain in the equation.
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  I think a lot of us in motorsport might be growing tired of these dynasties, whether
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  it's in Formula One or in rally or any of the disciplines to include Le Mans.
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  I mean, you had a stretch.
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  With Audi, what of 11 wins 19 overall with Porsche, but they had a concentration of
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  them before Toyota took over between Audi.
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  And it's just these long stretches of the same people winning over and over again.
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  And so it feels like competition is at a minimum.
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  I was working with the museum prior to the race and they brought
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  in all of the winning cars.
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  I believe there was 82 winning cars.
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  Maybe it's 81 winning cars.
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  They were able to get all of the winning cars at Le Mans over
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  the 100 years back, except one.
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  But Tom Christensen's cars were coming in and they were taking them off the track.
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  Tom, Tom, okay, okay.
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  But you didn't, you don't realize the legends that have just really.
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  Dominated there as drivers.
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  It's impressive.
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  Over a hundred years, there's been so many different winners, whether it's Bugatti
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  or Bentley or Simca, or, you know, some of the other brands that you're just
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  like, there's been so many winners and there's been dominant players as well,
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  but I agree with you that moment when they pulled all the cars out of the museum,
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  all the ones that could run under their own power and took them out on track for
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  that half an hour for those parade laps.
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  And they were going at a good clip.
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  That was the moment at Le Mans for me, where it set it
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  apart from everything else.
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  It was seeing these cars that I've only seen in books, magazines
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  and old movies and things like that out on track together.
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  It was just absolutely amazing.
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  And with some of their remaining drivers too, with these legends that
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  you're talking about, that was special.
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  For the listeners that may miss the 24, the classic is one of my favorite
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  Le Mans classics, every two years, that takes me back to my childhood.
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  I get a chance to go out in the pace car or take a lap during the classic.
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  It's a little, a little easier to do things like that, but to
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  hear those roar, don't miss an opportunity to go to the classic.
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  Is there a favorite Le Mans car of all time for you?
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  Growing up was a GT40.
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  So if I take you away from the VIP booths and the start finish and the
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  ACO lounges and stuff, where's David Lowe's favorite place to watch?
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  What's your number one corner?
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  I really like Indianapolis.
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  I really like being able to stand there.
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  It's a little dangerous.
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  Those rocks are a whole lot bigger than they look on TV.
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  When they fly, you've got to be, uh, on your toes.
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  The other part is eight o'clock on, uh, Sunday morning.
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  I'm usually working in the ACO headquarters and there's a back
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  door that goes out on a balcony.
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  So I usually come out and get a cup of coffee and a croissant and
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  go out on the main straightaway and watch the cars and you've got
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  a great view of the pits activity.
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  You see them coming up through the Porsche curves.
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  That's really kind of my favorite time is eight o'clock on Sunday morning.
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  Nobody's around.
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  It's kind of quiet in the way of activity and I can have 15
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  minutes of just enjoyable time.
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  So let's switch gears a little bit in the introduction.
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  You know, I spelled out what ACO stands for, right?
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  Automobile club of the West.
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  If you translate it from the French, the emphasis on automobile club, it should
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  be obvious from their name that it's a club, but many people just associate the
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  ACO with the 24 hours, the race itself.
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  So let's shatter the glass a little bit and talk about the club.
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  It's members membership and what it's really all about.
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  The ACO originally started out as what we would consider AAA.
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  It's the French equivalent of what we have.
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  That's been grandfathered for the old members, but you can't join it now, new.
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  So they've kind of phased that over.
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  But now the ACO, the club is, as they say, a club.
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  The French package, if you would, the European package, provide you access
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  to tickets early at a discount and some perks around the, the Lamar area, access
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  to the, the museum, and a chance to go into the track every now and then.
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  If you've lived in Lamar or lived in France, you absolutely are gonna be
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  a member of the A C o, and that's the majority of the members of the A C O
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  are French people join all sorts of car clubs, whether it's P C A or Ss
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  C C A or others like we mentioned.
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  Why the ACO and how do you become a member?
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  So what the ACO USA Members Club is, is a community of fans who are
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  passionate and committed to the race and are ambassadors for the event as
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  well as endurance racing in general.
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  What is our mission?
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  The mission of the ACO USA Members Club is to create a vibrant community of
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  devoted fans who share a deep passion for the 24 Hours of Le Mans and are
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  committed to sharing the thrills and excitement of this legendary race.
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  Particularly with those that may not be able to attend in person.
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  That's what we're about.
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  The ACO had traditionally been a way for a U.
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  S.
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  person going to the race to purchase their tickets early and get a
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  little discount on the ticket.
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  If you weren't going to the race, there was no value.
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  When I looked at the American market.
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  And the fans of the 24, not everybody can afford to go to Le Mans when I took over
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  as the ambassador, I made almost 400 phone calls a lot to pass members to say, Hey,
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  why did you leave to existing members?
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  You know, why are you staying with us to try to get a pulse on it?
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  One of the interesting revelations was the fact that Americans that can't
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  afford to go to Le Mans, go to the petite Le Mans as if it's Le Mans.
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  That was really an eye opener.
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  And, you know, I took that back to Lamont and said, Hey guys,
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  you know, Petit Lamont, yes, it's an IMSA race, but we have to be
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  there because our fans are there.
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  When I set out last July, I had a blank canvas and I'm going to create
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  a membership that addresses the real needs of the entire U S market.
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  So we have created this incredible community of volunteers.
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  And just less than a year that I've done some amazing things.
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  And as I said, the last checkbox was to ensure that as a member of
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  the ACO in the U S you would be able to watch the 24 live stream.
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  And that was the final checkbox of the membership package.
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  And we've got that five days before the race.
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  So as a member of the ACO, not able to attend the race live.
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  You could plug in for the live stream of the race.
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  What's great about this is even though the formalized ACO USA, let's say is about
• 14:46
  a year old, maybe a little bit older.
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  It sounds like because of your passions, your interest in being
• 14:51
  involved in this for so long, it's had some fits and starts along the way.
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  And you've been petitioning for this for quite a while.
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  And it's great to see it become realized.
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  So you mentioned your eight big bullet points.
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  And that last one was the live streaming available to the US members.
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  But what else was on that list?
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  What other things did you do behind the scenes to really bring
• 15:09
  the ACO USA to where it is today?
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  And you're not alone in this journey.
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  I met some of the board members that you're involved with, some
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  of these volunteers that are part of the head of the ACO USA.
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  What are they doing and how are they helping you to
• 15:21
  continue to expand the program?
• 15:23
  So you talked about what my focus is.
• 15:25
  My focus is to give the members things that they can't buy.
• 15:28
  Just like you saw in Le Mans, people would talk.
• 15:31
  Hey, you know how to ask the question, do you know who the first
• 15:33
  American woman, you know, no, no, well, it's Margie Smith Hawes.
• 15:37
  Oh, really?
• 15:37
  Yeah.
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  Would you like to meet her?
• 15:39
  Oh, Margie, come over here and say, hi.
• 15:41
  It was, you know, people don't expect that and that's the type thing.
• 15:44
  And so we've had Jim Busby, Doc Bundy, and now we're coming up on Ben
• 15:49
  Keating with a huge crowd, actually.
• 15:51
  We'll be at almost capacity.
• 15:53
  You know, when you look at the membership of any club, the ACO
• 15:56
  included in this case, granted it's.
• 15:58
  Again, one of the oldest running clubs in the world.
• 16:01
  And why not be part of something like that?
• 16:03
  Getting in really here on the ground floor as part of the U.
• 16:06
  S.
• 16:06
  People are looking for exclusivity.
• 16:08
  You got to get a low membership number.
• 16:10
  That's pretty awesome.
• 16:11
  That's something to talk about.
• 16:12
  I got in in the beginning.
• 16:13
  But there's intangible things like these experiences, like the opportunity
• 16:17
  to ask a question to Ben Keating or Jim Busby or any of the legends
• 16:21
  really, or to meet them face to face.
• 16:22
  Like I had the privilege of doing at the 100th.
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  But then there's the tangible things like you mentioned live stream
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  access, but there's also other key differentiators from other car clubs
• 16:32
  or other motor sports clubs as well.
• 16:34
  And those are the carryovers for American members still
• 16:37
  benefit from all of the perks.
• 16:40
  that the Europeans get as well.
• 16:41
  That's correct.
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  So you still get the advance ticket option, uh, booking.
• 16:46
  You get all that plus one of the popular, which comes in our packages,
• 16:50
  your name on the fan wall, you know, your plaque on the fan wall.
• 16:52
  That's really kind of cool.
• 16:54
  And the legends like that just as much as the fans do.
• 16:57
  So it's kind of funny that I'm the legend.
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  Give me a picture of my name on the wall, even though, you know,
• 17:02
  they have the club to pull out.
• 17:04
  But we have the fan wall.
• 17:05
  The other interesting thing that we have is a USA members only Facebook group.
• 17:10
  And that's kind of cool because you've got to be a member to have access.
• 17:14
  And the legends do post on their things that they wouldn't open normally post
• 17:18
  on a public Facebook page, and they'll engage a whole lot easier in the realm
• 17:22
  of a private Facebook group, that's been really cool, as I said, we've just
• 17:26
  started out and through the graciousness of one of our members, actually, we're
• 17:30
  going to have an event in San Diego.
• 17:32
  It's called Blown Away in San Diego.
• 17:34
  Sunset Sail on the Schooner America, which is actually the yacht that won
• 17:39
  the original America's Cup race for which the race was named, followed by
• 17:44
  dinner at the San Diego Yacht Club.
• 17:47
  On the face, it's like, well, a boat ride and dinner, but no, each table at
• 17:51
  the dinner will be hosted by a legend.
• 17:53
  We've got a pretty good lineup and it's actually growing because
• 17:56
  Steve Earl called me the other day and said, David, I'm coming.
• 18:01
  Out of the blue, he had talked to Dick Barber, Dick had told him about the
• 18:04
  event, and Steve just called me up.
• 18:06
  I'm coming.
• 18:06
  Yes, sir.
• 18:07
  We'll make room for you.
• 18:09
  So we have an incredible group of legends that show up.
• 18:12
  Part of our agreement with the legends is we don't use
• 18:14
  their name in our advertising.
• 18:16
  We don't say, hey, join the ACO USA and talk to Ben, what have you.
• 18:21
  That's not what we're about.
• 18:22
  Although Ben knows that we do that.
• 18:24
  But that's not our intent.
• 18:25
  But we do have an incredible lineup.
• 18:27
  Rick, Jim Busby, Doc Bundy, Margie, Steve Earle, and Jim, Rick, and
• 18:33
  Doc have not been together in the same place in over 30 years.
• 18:38
  So this is like a legendary event.
• 18:40
  And.
• 18:41
  You're going to be on the boat, be in the cocktail hour, each legend hosts a table.
• 18:45
  So you're going to sit down and have dinner with a legend.
• 18:47
  So those are the type things that bringing the 24 to the fans in America.
• 18:52
  It's an awesome opportunity for folks.
• 18:54
  And then obviously it's going to be an awesome experience if you're able to go.
• 18:57
  Outside of all of these perks and these wonderful things that we've been
• 19:00
  mentioning, to include discounts on merchandise and all those things you
• 19:03
  can shop on the Le Mans store, it begs the question, for all this exclusivity
• 19:07
  and awesomeness, how much does it cost?
• 19:09
  It's only 98 euro.
• 19:11
  Depending on what the exchange rate, it's like 105 a year.
• 19:15
  It's incredible value.
• 19:16
  You get back a whole lot more than 105.
• 19:19
  Even if you don't go to the race, and that's the whole focus, is to give you
• 19:22
  the value and not have to go to the race.
• 19:25
  To realize it.
• 19:26
  I hear it all the time from people because it is a struggle every
• 19:29
  year to get the race on television.
• 19:31
  Well, I got Motor Trend.
• 19:32
  Well, I don't.
• 19:32
  And it's on Peacock or it's on this.
• 19:34
  It's on some other thing.
• 19:35
  But with this, you bought in and now you have access to the race.
• 19:38
  If you're a diehard fan, like many of us are of the 24, I personally
• 19:42
  try to stay up just like I did when I'm there in person as much as I can
• 19:45
  to not miss a moment of the action.
• 19:47
  Having that access is super important.
• 19:50
  So for me, it's worth its weight in gold to say.
• 19:53
  This year, next year and beyond, I can tune in and watch the
• 19:56
  race with no interruptions.
• 19:57
  And then I think a lot of people are going to benefit
• 19:59
  from that and really enjoy that.
• 20:00
  There was one other thing that really stood out at Le Mans.
• 20:03
  Obviously the hundredth was a big to do.
• 20:05
  It's just like a week long circus with everything that happens at the event.
• 20:09
  You know, when you think about Le Mans, you can't take it all in at one time.
• 20:12
  And like I said, I've been going for quite a few years.
• 20:15
  Le Mans as an event is like a diamond.
• 20:18
  Each time I go.
• 20:19
  I see a different facet that I didn't see before or didn't notice before.
• 20:24
  So each time you go, and you can go many times, but each time you'll see
• 20:27
  something you didn't see the last trip.
• 20:29
  But there are specific designated areas at the track, the ACO
• 20:32
  lounges, that was also worth it.
• 20:35
  If you're going over there, if you can afford to go, if you're going to be there,
• 20:38
  there's ACO lounges all over the main one up by Dunlop, ACO 18 by the Porsche boxes,
• 20:43
  you know, and throughout the rest of the track, it was well worth the discounts on
• 20:47
  food, stuff like that was amazing, but it.
• 20:48
  Made me wonder, and you brought up Petit Le Mans earlier, it has a similar
• 20:53
  feel, but on a smaller scale with the ongoing growing relationship between
• 20:58
  WEC and IMSA, are we going to see more bleed over from the ACO at IMSA events?
• 21:04
  Is there going to be something at Road Atlanta that we should be
• 21:07
  looking forward to anything that you can give us a little spoiler on what
• 21:10
  maybe some of your future plans are?
• 21:12
  John Doonan and I have spent quite a bit of time together here, particularly
• 21:15
  at Le Mans during the 24, I had a chance to spend quite a few hours with
• 21:19
  him discussing how IMSA could develop a fan club, integrate how would that
• 21:24
  look, ACO slash IMSA relationship.
• 21:27
  So it's certainly something that we're looking at because
• 21:30
  we promote all endurance racing.
• 21:32
  So we're not exclusive.
• 21:33
  We have one race.
• 21:35
  However, we do have the WEC races.
• 21:36
  So that's something that people really haven't grasped yet.
• 21:40
  So the ACO does run the WEC series of which Le Mans is one race in that series.
• 21:46
  If you followed the WEC championship series.
• 21:48
  I think there's a lot of significant opportunities for us to work together.
• 21:53
  I use the example.
• 21:54
  We used it in the wood industry.
• 21:56
  Everybody's competing for market share.
• 21:58
  Your percent of the market is never going to change.
• 22:01
  If you have 15 percent of the market, it's not going to change to 20 overnight.
• 22:05
  It probably never will.
• 22:06
  It won't.
• 22:07
  So what you've got to do is make the pie bigger.
• 22:09
  So if we grow the fan base in the U.
• 22:11
  S.
• 22:12
  Everybody benefits because their share of that pie will continue to grow.
• 22:16
  Personally, I'd like to see a couple of WEC races in the U.
• 22:19
  S., maybe one on the East Coast, one on the West Coast.
• 22:22
  Now, I'm not involved with that, but if we had a membership base that
• 22:26
  would dictate that, absolutely, WECs would certainly have to consider that.
• 22:29
  Would it be a stretch to say that maybe in the future, with our ACO membership,
• 22:34
  not only would we get to see Le Mans?
• 22:36
  on a live stream, but maybe some of the other races in the series
• 22:40
  that we don't have access to.
• 22:41
  So on the ACO webpage, you do have access to the films of all the WEC
• 22:47
  series, not live, but after the fact.
• 22:49
  So I think one of the requests that we have for the 2024 action plan is
• 22:54
  not only the live feed for the 24, but also the live feed for the WEC races.
• 23:00
  So that would continue to expand the package for the U.
• 23:04
  S.
• 23:04
  members now.
• 23:05
  They don't get the live stream anyplace else as part of their
• 23:08
  membership, only in the U.
• 23:09
  S.
• 23:09
  And so now you take that 100 and you divide it over the course of, let's
• 23:13
  say, 12 races in the series, that 100 suddenly became really, really cheap.
• 23:17
  If you're looking at a monthly race that you could watch even in replay
• 23:20
  form, that's better access than we have today here in the States.
• 23:24
  I think that's good value for money, considering everything else you can
• 23:27
  pile on top of that membership cost.
• 23:29
  You know, you mentioned some upcoming ACO events.
• 23:32
  Anything else you have in the works?
• 23:33
  Anything else you can share?
• 23:34
  I just, in preparation for the 2024 plan, we've identified 16 nodes in the U S that
• 23:40
  will be our focus in the coming year and node was defined as an area with 10 or
• 23:45
  more members within a 40 mile radius.
• 23:48
  So we've got 16 of those across the country.
• 23:50
  My idea is that once the race film for 2023 comes out, that I'll travel
• 23:56
  around to each one of these nodes, we'll have a watch party, we'll sit
• 23:59
  down and watch the entire race film with chicken tenders and nachos.
• 24:03
  I found that the members don't like wings.
• 24:05
  They love chicken tenders, but they don't like the wings.
• 24:08
  So chicken tenders, not just.
• 24:10
  I know a lot of things come out in the newsletter, which
• 24:12
  is actually a fantastic read.
• 24:14
  At this point, you've put out more than a dozen newsletters.
• 24:16
  So anything else upcoming that you'd like to share with maybe potential members
• 24:20
  that are going, I need to sign up now.
• 24:21
  It's no time like the present.
• 24:23
  We're on a real drive right now.
• 24:24
  Our next big event will be at the Petit Le Mans.
• 24:27
  We'll have a booth there.
• 24:29
  As we get a little closer, we're also planning to have a meetup, so we'll
• 24:32
  have some sort of social function.
• 24:34
  We will go to Coda next year.
• 24:36
  The WEC will be in Coda.
• 24:37
  Texas is a big market for us, so I'm excited about that.
• 24:40
  California is growing very, very quickly.
• 24:43
  As I said, Margie's out there just doing an incredible job networking
• 24:47
  for us out there, as well as Rick.
• 24:49
  And we've got an incredible set of volunteers in Florida and in the D.
• 24:53
  C.
• 24:54
  area.
• 24:54
  I'm glad you brought up volunteers.
• 24:56
  And we've mentioned it several times already.
• 24:58
  You always need help.
• 24:59
  You're always looking for more people.
• 25:01
  Why don't you describe for our audience What some of the opportunities that ACO
• 25:06
  members could be involved in, how they can help talents that you're looking
• 25:10
  for, the types of things that you just need help with, there's only so many
• 25:13
  hours in a day and people to go around.
• 25:14
  So what's on your list of things you need to get accomplished.
• 25:17
  We've got an incredible range of volunteers.
• 25:19
  We've got a whole set of lawyers now working on our next steps as a club.
• 25:24
  Of course, there are legal aspects to this, so they're definitely.
• 25:27
  Pro bono work, helping us get set up in the areas that we need to do.
• 25:30
  We've got graphic artists, IT folks, sales people are the type
• 25:35
  that they'll pick up the phone.
• 25:36
  They're, they're not afraid to cold call people.
• 25:38
  We have folks that do the setup for our events, organize the meetups, catering.
• 25:44
  One volunteer that does this incredible job with swag, getting it ordered,
• 25:49
  getting it picked out, getting all the, everything, get it shipped out.
• 25:52
  It's just incredible.
• 25:53
  Can't say enough.
• 25:54
  Thanks, William.
• 25:55
  Ruben Sanchez has done just an absolute incredible job with, with
• 26:00
  our Facebook account, getting the media, getting the, uh, posting.
• 26:03
  So that's a humongous task.
• 26:06
  So, you know, people that are social media savvy, there are a
• 26:08
  couple of people out there that like to support that by all means.
• 26:12
  Cause I don't have the time.
• 26:13
  Well, it sounds like ask and you shall receive some sort of task.
• 26:17
  So we'll give people your contact information at the
• 26:20
  tail end of the episode here.
• 26:21
  But if you're looking to become a member or are already a member and
• 26:24
  want to give back to the ACO, sounds like David has some open opportunities
• 26:28
  for you to contribute and be a bigger part of this growing organization.
• 26:32
  I mean, obviously we're going to do our best to try to help you guys out as well.
• 26:35
  We want to be involved.
• 26:36
  There's a bunch of us here at GTM that are members of the ACO.
• 26:39
  We saw this opportunity to get in on the ground floor, be a of something of legend.
• 26:43
  This is just a great way to give back to the racing community.
• 26:46
  And there's a lot of different ways to do that.
• 26:47
  I'm glad that you have this opportunity open and available for people.
• 26:51
  And like I said, we've got 16 nodes and over the next couple of
• 26:54
  months, I'll be looking to identify individuals within those 16 areas
• 26:59
  that want to take a more active role because I just physically can't travel
• 27:03
  to each one of these every time.
• 27:05
  So we'll be looking for people in those areas that want to step up.
• 27:08
  As you saw when you met in Le Mans, it was pretty cool.
• 27:11
  Give back to a large group of volunteers.
• 27:14
  I was able to get credentialed for the race, which is kind
• 27:17
  of a really cool thing.
• 27:18
  If you've never been credentialed, particularly for the 24,
• 27:21
  that's a really cool perk.
• 27:22
  So they put in the hours for it, but I was able to recognize them with that.
• 27:26
  As we kind of move into our final segment here, I want to talk more
• 27:29
  about the legends, more detail on them, how they're involved in
• 27:32
  the club, even outside of like.
• 27:33
  Just the speaking engagements that they're doing in some of these events.
• 27:36
  Who else is out there?
• 27:37
  Who else is a figurehead for the ACO USA?
• 27:40
  Harley Cluxton is my counterpart for Club de Pulo in the U S and
• 27:45
  Harley and I are working very, very close to merge the legends.
• 27:50
  with the fans and get them involved.
• 27:52
  The legends really, really, they're over the moon about the activity that we're
• 27:56
  having, an opportunity for them to get involved in something active and a chance
• 28:01
  to meet the fans, to talk, to share.
• 28:03
  And you understand these guys have stories to tell and they want to tell.
• 28:06
  For those that are a member, Brian Redman gave us an incredible memoir.
• 28:12
  It was a donation to the club.
• 28:14
  And it was actually given to Reuben by Brian, and he asked
• 28:18
  Reuben to share it with the club.
• 28:20
  And we waited until after the race, because that was the most
• 28:23
  appropriate time to do that.
• 28:25
  And I don't want to give it away, but if you have not read it, I
• 28:28
  believe Brian is 82 years old, a very, very accomplished person.
• 28:32
  And for him to have written what he did.
• 28:35
  It's incredible.
• 28:36
  Man that has everything has five regrets.
• 28:38
  And we don't want to spoil them.
• 28:39
  You got to read.
• 28:40
  I don't want to spoil them.
• 28:42
  I'm just saying those are the type of things that we're
• 28:44
  getting from the legends.
• 28:45
  They have a lot to give back.
• 28:47
  We don't have the wherewithal to pay, uh, appearance fees.
• 28:50
  We're a nonprofit working on a shoestring budget.
• 28:53
  But the legends understand they want to contribute and they do.
• 28:56
  You talked about competition earlier and make the pie bigger so that your slice of
• 28:59
  the pie gets bigger being in business, as you have been for many years, you know,
• 29:03
  you gotta be forward thinking about this and the club is growing at a very rapid
• 29:07
  rate and it's going to continue to expand.
• 29:09
  So we talked about some short term goals, but what about some of your longer term?
• 29:13
  What's the five and 10 year outlook for the ACO USA?
• 29:16
  I don't want to give all the secrets away, but as we talk about intermission
• 29:20
  statement, we want to share the thrills and excitement, particularly with those
• 29:23
  that may not be able to attend in person.
• 29:26
  I want everybody to have a chance to go.
• 29:28
  And then for those that are thinking about to go, we do have an incredible
• 29:32
  prep program, Zoom meetings, guidebooks for people that are interested in
• 29:36
  or considering going to Le Mans.
• 29:38
  It's usually about a 12 month planning process for the first time, getting your
• 29:41
  budget right, you know, figuring out.
• 29:43
  Where are you going to stay and what you want to do?
• 29:44
  So we have a whole series of zoom meetings with, with a team that
• 29:48
  walked you through the steps.
• 29:49
  As we planned out my trip for the hundredth, it took us about two years.
• 29:52
  And we were by ourselves trying to figure out all the ins and outs, reading blog
• 29:56
  posts and experiences of other people, and just trying to discern, you know, what it
• 29:59
  was going to be like when you got there, expectations, you know, what you do's
• 30:03
  and don'ts, all those kinds of things.
• 30:04
  Going to Lamont is not like going to your local NASCAR race or even
• 30:09
  an IMSA race for the weekend.
• 30:10
  And Petite's a big deal.
• 30:11
  And some of the other races are too, but Lamont was a week long of sleepless nights
• 30:17
  and a lot of things that we couldn't anticipate and you just had to adjust
• 30:21
  for the minute you landed at De Gaulle and it all kind of went downhill from
• 30:24
  there, but I don't regret a minute of it.
• 30:26
  And it was worth every moment of painstaking planning that
• 30:30
  it took to get me there.
• 30:31
  So if you're looking into making your travel arrangements to the hundred and
• 30:35
  first Lamar and beyond definitely take up the ACO and their wealth of knowledge
• 30:41
  on how to arrange this sort of trip.
• 30:43
  You definitely want to take advantage of what the members club has to offer.
• 30:49
  Like you talked about the, uh, ACO Tribune, 1718.
• 30:53
  That's my go to Tribune.
• 30:54
  Purchase access to La Chapelle, which is incredible, uh, hospitality facility
• 31:00
  located there, uh, just beyond the Dunlop bridge, which is an incredible,
• 31:03
  uh, Viewing of Tetra Rouge, you know, cars coming through the Dunlop.
• 31:07
  It's a great place to view as well as the hospitality tents area.
• 31:11
  Honestly, big screen TVs give you the best view.
• 31:15
  They're just these huge screens and you hear the sound right there and you
• 31:18
  see him right now on the big screen.
• 31:20
  So it's a, it's a wonderful place.
• 31:21
  Plan to go for a week.
• 31:22
  If you only go for the day of the race, you're going to miss a lot.
• 31:25
  You need to.
• 31:26
  Kind of watch the race come alive.
• 31:28
  The pits get built out and you want to get a paddock pass.
• 31:31
  Might cost you a few extra dollars.
• 31:33
  You want to do that with the club.
• 31:34
  So you've got access to La Chapelle and the members areas there at T17.
• 31:38
  So, but in the meantime, throughout the year, as we build up, you've
• 31:41
  got these events that we're putting together around the country.
• 31:44
  Got the zoom meetings each month, evening with a legend, which.
• 31:47
  Absolutely are incredible.
• 31:49
  We're open to suggestions.
• 31:51
  A lot of the ideas we get come from volunteers that actually set it up for us.
• 31:55
  We have a lot of past presidents from other car clubs that are members that
• 31:58
  provide good sound wisdom and guidance for us as we grow our wings, if you will.
• 32:04
  Well, David, we reached that part of the episode where I get to ask any shout outs,
• 32:08
  promotions, or anything else you'd like to share that we haven't covered thus far.
• 32:11
  I tell the story was on a meeting one night at nine o'clock.
• 32:15
  One of the staff wanted to do a follow up call as he was asking me that
• 32:19
  I got a text message from Margie.
• 32:21
  That's Margie Smith Haas.
• 32:22
  She said she wanted to talk to me.
• 32:24
  I said, listen, I'm going to need 15 minutes.
• 32:26
  I need to return this call.
• 32:27
  I hadn't spoken with her before.
• 32:29
  She said she wanted to talk to me.
• 32:30
  So I've got to take this call.
• 32:32
  That was at nine o'clock at 11 o'clock.
• 32:34
  I said, Margie, I'm going to have to hang up now because I've got to get
• 32:37
  up at five o'clock in the morning.
• 32:39
  Make a long story short.
• 32:40
  Margie's lost her husband in.
• 32:42
  late March.
• 32:43
  This was in early April when I was talking with her, and she
• 32:45
  was really in the doldrums.
• 32:47
  But in the course of that two hours, she went from a low to this high in the sky.
• 32:51
  And in the course of conversations, she said, well, you know, Paul
• 32:55
  would have really wanted me to go to the 24 this year.
• 32:58
  I'm going, Margie, I don't know how that we can do that.
• 33:00
  We're sold out for the race.
• 33:02
  There are no tickets.
• 33:03
  And I felt really bad.
• 33:04
  I said, well, I can't really promise you anything, Margie.
• 33:06
  So the next morning I called the committee member and I said, yeah, I'm sorry, I
• 33:10
  didn't get back with you last night.
• 33:12
  It was Margie and she really wants to go to race.
• 33:14
  And I don't know how we could pull that off.
• 33:15
  There are no tickets.
• 33:16
  And then there was a silence on the line and he said, I'll give her one of mine.
• 33:20
  That's incredible community.
• 33:22
  That's just an example of the way the members step up
• 33:25
  and take care of one another.
• 33:26
  Absolutely takes you away.
• 33:28
  And I'm glad you brought Margie up.
• 33:29
  And we hope to have her on a subsequent episode of break
• 33:32
  fix here in the near future.
• 33:33
  And for those that are tuning in and wondering, Who is she exactly?
• 33:37
  She's one of the Le Mans legends, and she's the first woman from the
• 33:41
  United States to run at Le Mans.
• 33:43
  She actually predates Lynn St.
• 33:45
  James by about four years, and she did it in a Porsche 935.
• 33:48
  So quite the achievement to be the first woman, especially
• 33:51
  American woman to run at Le Mans.
• 33:53
  So I got to meet her.
• 33:55
  She was an absolute delight to talk to.
• 33:56
  And again, I hope to have her on the show here in the near future.
• 33:59
  Oh, absolutely.
• 34:00
  And for those listening, I just wanted to point out that.
• 34:03
  Jim Busby was the driver that transitioned Margie to the 935 and
• 34:07
  she hasn't met him in almost 40 years.
• 34:10
  Yeah, talk about an amazing reunion.
• 34:11
  When Jim did his evening with the legend, Margie was in the audience and I got her
• 34:15
  in the room early so she could talk to him, but she hadn't spoken with him for
• 34:19
  40 years and to see that was priceless.
• 34:22
  Just a shout out to Ruben Sanchez, who is our media director.
• 34:25
  He hooked me up with Rick Newt early on when we started, and
• 34:30
  Rick was gracious enough to be our first Evening with a Legend.
• 34:33
  It's an event that we have once a month.
• 34:35
  Right now we focus just on the 24 hours, so the presentation is just about the 24,
• 34:40
  and then you have a chance to ask them a question live right there on the Zoom.
• 34:44
  And it's really kind of funny to watch as the moderator.
• 34:47
  He'll get to the end and says, Anybody have a question?
• 34:49
  It's like tearing the headlight.
• 34:51
  What are you going to ask a legend that's going to be nearly as engaging
• 34:53
  as what they've just been telling you for, for the last 45 minutes.
• 34:57
  But people are getting a little more brave now and they'll start asking questions.
• 35:01
  But early on, they wouldn't ask a question just because the legends and
• 35:04
  their stories are just so captivating that it's intimidating to ask a question.
• 35:09
  Hopefully we've got members watching your episode tonight, a real shout out
• 35:13
  to all the volunteers and the legends that have gotten us this far in such a
• 35:17
  short period of time and the gracious hospitality of people like yourself
• 35:21
  and other folks that have lent and contributed to our success along the way.
• 35:25
  So many things.
• 35:27
  From the awe inspiring speed demons that have graced the track to the courageous
• 35:31
  drivers who have pushed the limits of endurance, the 24 Hours of Le Mans is
• 35:35
  an automotive spectacle like no other.
• 35:37
  For over a century, the 24 Hours of Le Mans has urged manufacturers to
• 35:41
  innovate for the benefit of future motorists, and it's a celebration of
• 35:45
  the relentless pursuit of speed and excellence in the world of motorsports.
• 35:50
  To learn more about the ACO USA, you can reach out to David via email at d.
• 35:56
  lowe at aco lemans.
• 36:01
  org.
• 36:02
  And if you'd like to become a member of the ACO, look no further than www.
• 36:07
  lemans.
• 36:08
  org, click on English in the upper right corner, and then click on the
• 36:12
  ACO Members tab for club offers.
• 36:14
  As a member, you can follow all the action.
• 36:17
  On the Facebook group, ACO USA members club.
• 36:20
  And with that, David, I cannot thank you enough for coming on break fix,
• 36:24
  sharing your personal story, your journey through LeMans all the way to
• 36:28
  the head of the ACO USA and helping promote one of the longest running,
• 36:33
  but fastest growing new motorsport and vehicle enthusiast clubs in the world.
• 36:38
  So thank you for everything you're doing.
• 36:39
  And we look forward to your continued progress and being part of the
• 36:42
  next a hundred years of LeMans.
• 36:44
  We certainly appreciate the opportunity to promote on your show.
• 36:47
  It was very gracious of you to have us.
• 36:49
  Thank you so much, Eric.
• 36:50
  It's been an honor and a pleasure.
• 36:51
  Thank you.
• 36:52
  Are you tired of just sitting in the pits?
• 36:55
  Explore the many advantages of becoming an ACO member today.
• 36:59
  ACO membership benefits.
• 37:00
  Exclusive to the United States include live streaming of the 24 hours of
• 37:04
  LeMans free practices one, two, three, and four qualifying, hyper
• 37:09
  pole, morning warmup, and the race.
• 37:12
  You can get your member name on the fan wall at the famous LeMans circuit.
• 37:17
  Invitations to an evening with a legend series presentations that are exclusive
• 37:21
  to USA members where a legend of the famous 24 hours will share stories and
• 37:26
  highlights of the big event regular interactive video conferences featuring
• 37:29
  technical experts and racing personalities as well as ACO USA member merchandise,
• 37:36
  but most of all, as a member of the automobile club of the West in the United
• 37:39
  States, you will be part of a community of fans that share your passion for the
• 37:44
  excitement of the 24 hours of Le Mans and endurance racing around the world.
• 37:49
  If you'd like to become a member of the ACO, look no further than www.
• 37:55
  lemans.
• 37:56
  org.
• 37:56
  Click on English in the upper right corner, and then click on the
• 37:59
  ACO members tab for club offers.
• 38:06
  If you like what you've heard and want to learn more about GTM,
• 38:09
  be sure to check us out on www.
• 38:11
  gtmotorsports.
• 38:12
  org.
• 38:13
  You can also find us on Motorsports.
• 38:17
  Also, if you want to get involved or have suggestions for future shows, you
• 38:21
  can call or text us at 202 630 1770.
• 38:25
  Or send us an email at crewchief at gtmotorsports.
• 38:28
  org.
• 38:29
  We'd love to hear from you.
• 38:31
  Hey everybody, Crew Chief Eric here.
• 38:33
  We really hope you enjoyed this episode of BreakFix, and we wanted
• 38:37
  to remind you that GTM remains a no annual fees organization, and our goal
• 38:42
  is to continue to bring you quality episodes like this one at no charge.
• 38:47
  As a loyal listener, please consider subscribing to our Patreon for
• 38:51
  bonus and behind the scenes content, extra goodies, and GTM swag.
• 38:55
  For as little as 2 and 50 cents a month, you can keep our developers,
• 38:59
  writers, editors, casters, and other volunteers fed on their strict diet of
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• 39:07
  Consider signing up for Patreon today at www.
• 39:10
  patreon.
• 39:11
  com forward slash GT motorsports, and remember without fans,
• 39:16
  supporters, and members like you.
• 39:19
  None of this would be possible.