2024 Region Awards
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A huge thank you to all who attended the 2024 Awards Banquet, brilliantly organized by our sponsorship committee and powered by our banquet sponsor, The Paddock Group. Fun was had by all at Dominion Raceway during an evening of awards, delicious dinner and dancing! A special congratulations to each award and trophy winner- your hard work deserves the spotlight! A big thank you to Sissy for taking photos and capturing the night's best moments. Below you’ll find the recipients of region awards.
Dave Roethel Member Achievement Award
The David Roethel Member Achievement Award was donated in 1963 when he, as Regional Executive, felt that there should be recognition of members of the region (not officers or committee chairpersons), who gave unstintingly of their time and effort in contribution to the many activities sponsored by the region. This award contains the names of individuals who are some of the "unsung heroes" of the region. They have worked behind the scenes in many different capacities, frequently without recognition, to see that the programs have succeeded.
One of the critical areas of club growth is to lower the barriers to entry for women. WDCR HPDE Women on Track Scholarship program, founded by Alpex International, LLC, is one such opportunity. The program awarded 11 entries into the HPDE events last year (one for each event held at Summit Point and Dominion) and looks to at least duplicate that effort in 2025. Every such effort requires a champion who does the hard work to make things happen. The region is proud to recognize Natalie Haizlip with the David Roethel award for her work with the women on track program and her enthusiasm for the sport and our region.
Most Valuable Player Award
The Most Valuable Player "MVP" is awarded to the individual who has rendered outstanding service to the Region while acting in an official capacity. In essence, this award is intended to recognize an individual who is ineligible for the Member Achievement award. The donor of this award hoped that this "award would fill the void that exists for those hard-working individuals who are always there, who continually serve at an outstanding level, and whose only recognition is an occasional ‘Thank you’ if we think of it."
This leader jumped into the region autocross program with both feet. He made a significant and successful effort to bring in new venues for autocross. His programs were well attended and he lead the only region program to exceed goals to fund region overhead. He worked hard to bring in bring autocross back to the region wide banquet. I am proud to recognize the 2024 region most valuable player, Ryan St. Louis.
Public Relations Award
The Public Relations Award is presented annually to a person, ‘normally a driver’, who has, in the opinion of the Board of Directors has done the most to promote the Region’s activities.
This award winner is no stranger to road racers. She is there at every region road race, independent of rain, snow, or sweltering summer. She has been a key figure on Grid for Super Tour, Marrs, and this year she took the reins and was Chief at the Runoffs. Usually this is done by 2 individuals, but due to unforeseen circumstances, she did it on her own and did a fantastic job. Everywhere she goes, she is a great emissary for the Washington DC Region. The 2024 Public Relations Award winner is Shirley Thompson.
RE Awards – Chosen by the Board of Directors to recognize individuals who supported the region in unique but critical ways. The RE Awards allowed the board of directors to recognize two unique regional contributions.
The first is a leader in our Track Events program. He served as the novice class instructor with near-universal student accolades. Most novice groups now have a waiting list for all HPDE events. He pushed to bring data-guided coaching to our HPDE events. In 2024 he stepped up to the role of Program Chair for our Summit Point Track Events program. I am happy to recognize as a 2024 RE award winner, David Miller.
Despite our efforts to ensure that everyone shows up with a support crew at the Road Racing Competition License school, some do not, and some need more help than they brought. The result is missed sessions that can add up to a failed school. A handful of region racers started showing up with tools and a desire to help. This is one of the things that makes our driver’s school one the best in country. I would like to recognize the members of Pucker-Up Racing and Half-Fast Racing for their effort to make every student successful.
Chris Fox Spirit of the Sport Award – best exemplifies the spirit of Chris Fox
The friends of Chris Fox have donated an award to be presented in Chris’s name to a DC Region member who best exemplifies the spirit of Chris – her great enthusiasm, her endless generosity, her mentor-ship skills, her drive for excellence, and her sense of fun. These qualities represent the true Spirit of our Sport. Mike Kelly was the winner of the Chris Fox Award.
Sue Roethel Award Life time achievement award
The Sue Roethel Award shall be awarded from time to time to a member of the Region whose lifetime record of service to the Region reflects dedication to the Region, its members, and its programs; who is always cheerful and ready to work, regardless of the nature of the job, and who displays excellence in everything he or she undertakes for the Region. The Sue Roethel Award was awarded to Lin and Janet Toland.
