Activation ACO!

[00:00:00] Reaching out. We had a conversation a year ago at La Chapelle at a race, and he indicated this year that he’d like to have a watch party. So this is actually a fulfillment of a long standing dream of securing the live feed. This is the first time we’ve ever had that in the U. S. So, that’s, that’s huge.

ACOUSA, we’re committed to building a community of like minded enthusiasts. To bring the thrill, the excitement, and the fun of the race to those of us here in the US that may not be able to, to get to Al. And I think what Tim has created here for us is the embodiment of that vision. We’ve got the, the racing thing on the screen.

We’ve got slot cars, we’ve got simulators, uh, we’ve actually got a couple of legends among us. And that’s, that’s something that [00:01:00] we, we aim to do it as, uh, as, as. The ACLUSA community. So, while this is not a big push to join, you do have the opportunity to consider that. You’ve got the QR code on the back. We have a lot of events throughout the U.

S. throughout the year. Um, one thing I will say that you’ll probably get excited after watching the race and plan to go. in the very near future. I only would encourage you to consider joining ACOUSA at least a year before you plan your trip so that we help assist you in being fully prepared um, for your trip, your planning, and the coordination that is around the track.

Again, thank you, Tim. I appreciate that and all his staff for making this incredible event. Thank you. ACO USA is a community of volunteers. Last, uh, last year, We had over 6, [00:02:00] 500 volunteer hours, uh, that I was able to capture, uh, and document. One of our volunteers here today, uh, David Milton, is our sim guru, if you will.

And, uh, he’s responsible along with, uh, with Eric for putting together the, uh, the, the ACO video simulator program for us today. So, I’m going to let Dave talk. Thank you. So Dave is not trying to push membership, but I’m a member and I am. And I’ll tell you why. Because if you like things like this, if you like community, then this is the place where you want to be.

Yes, you like like minded individuals, but also you need diversity of thought. And as someone who’s an engineer, I don’t want all engineers in my house. Because we’re only going to see something from one perspective. Thank you. And what’s great about the ACO is we’ve been around a network of people from different [00:03:00] backgrounds, from different disciplines, and you’re always learning, and you’re trying to incorporate that into a club.

And, yeah, many clubs can get stale, many clubs can keep going down the same road. But what I like about David is we had a very brief conversation in Paris, we only met last year. And he said, what do you do? I said, I’m an engineer, but I combine education with sim racing. And he said, let me, let me talk to you and let’s find out more.

And he said, why do you do that? I said, because I think it’s important for young people to get involved in this sport, in the thing that we love, in one way or the other, whether it’s as fans. Whether it’s as drivers, whether it’s an industry, because this is something, this legacy of Le Mans is what we want carried forward.

And anyone who’s been doing it for many years, you look at the generations under you and you want them to carry on that same enthusiasm. And David has talked about it more. He said, what do you suggest? I said, let’s try this. Let’s try this. And so here we are. So that’s what you get out of joining ACO USA.

It’s, it’s [00:04:00] currently still a small community, but you can contribute and you can bring ideas. And no one says no. They say, hey, how can this help? How can we do this? How can we do that? So, I want to encourage all of you, if you don’t know about the ACLUSA, to really look into it. I want to encourage everybody to jump on the Sims and have fun, because we’re all raffling off stuff.

But it’s just for enjoyment, right? There’s several events you can go to, and you’re bored out of your mind. And you’re looking at your watch, saying, how do I get out of here? But I think what Tim has done, right now, and in the future going forward, is something That everyone can say, I can hang out here, there’s something for me to do, and I want to come back and see what’s going to happen as it grows.

So, thank you Tim for having us, thank you Peter for having me, and, uh, yeah, I hope to sit and talk to all of you in four hours or five hours.

So, yes, I grabbed the mic again. So one of the things that [00:05:00] I didn’t say, which I really should, is that ACA USA is the only automobile club that I’m aware of that brings together the drivers and the fans. And that’s something I’m very proud of. We have what we call legends. A legend in the club is anyone who has raced at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

And as I said, we have a couple of legends here today, um, and how we acknowledge those is really, really cool, is we have Zoom events about once a month, where you’re in a Zoom hall with these legends, and you can actually interact with them, ask questions, and it’s a really, really, um, intimate setting, and one of the, one of the individuals has really helped us take it to the next level, is Eric, and I’m just gonna let him take over.

There you go. Thanks, David. So, I just want to introduce myself. I come from the Motoring Podcast Network, along with William from the Exotic Car Marketplace. I run a very, uh, Prominent [00:06:00] vehicle in the Motorsports Enthusiast podcast called BreakFix. It’s part of the NBN family. I was invited and I’m honored to be the emcee of Evening with a Legend.

We took over some of the people that started it. But we’ve been graced by some awesome names. Rick Duke was on there very recently. We had St. James, Mario Madretti. We got Rob Dyson coming, Andy Pilgrim. These are all Americans that raced at Le Mans, and they’re coming back to share their stories. Because Le Mans isn’t just a once a year event.

It’s something that, as we cherish as race fans, we want to learn from these folks. What was it like? Why should I go there? Why should I continue to watch? Why should I be involved? We have a Facebook community where we post a lot of news about Le Mans, but also the stories of these folks. One of the things that we do at Learning Podcast Network is, Capture the living history of the people in the vehicle and motorsports community.

And that’s really, really important. Where did they come from? How did they get there? How did they get behind the scenes of these cars? That’s petrolheads too. Because you [00:07:00] see these folks, you idolize them, they’re heroes, but how do I get there? Right? So that journey is super important, and I’m very, very honored and I’m flattered to have been able to take over this position and be able to share the stories with you guys.

So, tune in every month, pay attention to the newsletters, but there’s really, really awesome guests coming throughout the year.

So, very quickly, um, we’re going to run that until about 3 o’clock. So, if you’ve settled out already, yes. And you’ll win what Will is holding and other things. Um, so you can go over, settle out until 3. We have one side for practice, the other side for the competition. And, don’t worry, everybody crashes, so don’t feel bad.

But, please come on out and have fun. Thanks. We hear it for our friends, please. Alright! Thank you guys.