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Originally posted by Sparky
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It appears that multiple nominations for the same driver are in order here so as an ALSCCA member I'll put my two cents in and tell you why because in this case the story needs to be told.
I nominate Jordan Towns for Driver of the Year. As her co-driver and teammate I've had a unique perspective to witness her accomplishments first hand.
Most of us already know about her National Championship in STXL this year at Lincoln. This already puts in her in an extremely small minority of Alabama drivers, but unless you've researched you probably don't know she achieved this accomplishment in what was probably the toughest and most competitive ladies class ever assembled at Nats with 4 former national and multinational champions (ever heard of Patty Tunnel) competing against her in some of the very best cars in the country. On the second day when we ran a course that didn't absolutely kill us due to our lack of torque against the BMWs; Jordan was over a second and a half faster than her next competitor. In short, she was simply in a different league from a driving ability standpoint than the other ladies and would have been well up in the trophies that day even in the extremely competitive open class.
Jordan’s contributions at the National Championships didn’t end on course though. She volunteered and served as Chief of Contingency which required her to work full time during Tuesday and Wednesday of Nationals Week instead of the two hours most entrants are required to do. As far as I know, she is the only ALSCCA member in memory to serve in a Chief capacity at the National Championships. As if that wasn’t enough, Jordan volunteered her services as onsite veterinarian to all 1200 entrants and their pets, free of charge; and even purchased the necessary supplies and equipment to handle most common emergencies that a pet can encounter when faced with several days on the hot pavement of Lincoln, NE in the summer.
Driver of the year isn’t, or shouldn’t be about, a single event though. Jordan represented ALSCCA admirably at National Events all over the country this year attending 9 events in total. At many of these she was the lone ALSCCA member. She traveled in excess of 8000 miles to get to and from these events sacrificing both sleep and precious vacation days to do so. True to her spirit of always seeking the utmost in challenge and competition, she elected to compete in the ultra competitive Ladies L3 class at Pro Solos and MatchTours where most of the Ladies not only possess national solo championship titles, but many also sport Open class national trophies as well. At the Blytheville Championship Tour rather than take an easy Ladies class win and associated contingency money she competed in the extremely tough open class where she led the entire class for a while before ultimately finishing less than a tenth of a second out of the trophies (I was 4th). STX and Street Touring in general require much more than just a good car to be successful at the national level; it requires exceptional driving as well. These are the toughest, most competitive classes, that the very best drivers have migrated to for the excitement and challenge of competition. Jordan faced the challenge and more, accumulating a total of 5 national trophies this year and earning more in contingency money than she payed out in event entry fees. Not many drivers (including yours truly) can make that statement.
Jordan’s commitment to the sport goes far beyond just the excitement and challenge of national competition. She entered and competed in a total of 21 events this year throughout the southeast and as far away as Daytona Florida where we finished first and second at a local event there in the infield of the speedway as total unknowns. Outside of Alabama, Jordan Towns is the face of ALSCCA autocross to many, if not most people, and she represents the region admirably through her sportsmanship and never ending reserve of willingness and energy to help out. That she accomplished this all in spite of the fact that her primary avocation is as an emergency Veterinarian working weekends to save animals lives is truly remarkable. Competing in all of these events meant frequently driving with no sleep whatsoever the previous night and swapping work days to alternate weekends which meant 48-72 hour shifts with no time off. It’s the kind of commitment that few people I know possess.
As her co-driver and partner I’m sure many will say I’m prejudiced, and yes I’ll admit that I am to a very high degree. But it's the kind prejudice that comes from actual experience and privilege of knowing someone. Jordan deserves the recognition that all of her hard work and dedication to the sport since 2007 have earned her. I certainly hope our fellow members of ALSCCA will recognize this hard work, sacrifice, and commitment when it comes time to vote this weekend.
I nominate Jordan Towns for Driver of the Year. As her co-driver and teammate I've had a unique perspective to witness her accomplishments first hand.
Most of us already know about her National Championship in STXL this year at Lincoln. This already puts in her in an extremely small minority of Alabama drivers, but unless you've researched you probably don't know she achieved this accomplishment in what was probably the toughest and most competitive ladies class ever assembled at Nats with 4 former national and multinational champions (ever heard of Patty Tunnel) competing against her in some of the very best cars in the country. On the second day when we ran a course that didn't absolutely kill us due to our lack of torque against the BMWs; Jordan was over a second and a half faster than her next competitor. In short, she was simply in a different league from a driving ability standpoint than the other ladies and would have been well up in the trophies that day even in the extremely competitive open class.
Jordan’s contributions at the National Championships didn’t end on course though. She volunteered and served as Chief of Contingency which required her to work full time during Tuesday and Wednesday of Nationals Week instead of the two hours most entrants are required to do. As far as I know, she is the only ALSCCA member in memory to serve in a Chief capacity at the National Championships. As if that wasn’t enough, Jordan volunteered her services as onsite veterinarian to all 1200 entrants and their pets, free of charge; and even purchased the necessary supplies and equipment to handle most common emergencies that a pet can encounter when faced with several days on the hot pavement of Lincoln, NE in the summer.
Driver of the year isn’t, or shouldn’t be about, a single event though. Jordan represented ALSCCA admirably at National Events all over the country this year attending 9 events in total. At many of these she was the lone ALSCCA member. She traveled in excess of 8000 miles to get to and from these events sacrificing both sleep and precious vacation days to do so. True to her spirit of always seeking the utmost in challenge and competition, she elected to compete in the ultra competitive Ladies L3 class at Pro Solos and MatchTours where most of the Ladies not only possess national solo championship titles, but many also sport Open class national trophies as well. At the Blytheville Championship Tour rather than take an easy Ladies class win and associated contingency money she competed in the extremely tough open class where she led the entire class for a while before ultimately finishing less than a tenth of a second out of the trophies (I was 4th). STX and Street Touring in general require much more than just a good car to be successful at the national level; it requires exceptional driving as well. These are the toughest, most competitive classes, that the very best drivers have migrated to for the excitement and challenge of competition. Jordan faced the challenge and more, accumulating a total of 5 national trophies this year and earning more in contingency money than she payed out in event entry fees. Not many drivers (including yours truly) can make that statement.
Jordan’s commitment to the sport goes far beyond just the excitement and challenge of national competition. She entered and competed in a total of 21 events this year throughout the southeast and as far away as Daytona Florida where we finished first and second at a local event there in the infield of the speedway as total unknowns. Outside of Alabama, Jordan Towns is the face of ALSCCA autocross to many, if not most people, and she represents the region admirably through her sportsmanship and never ending reserve of willingness and energy to help out. That she accomplished this all in spite of the fact that her primary avocation is as an emergency Veterinarian working weekends to save animals lives is truly remarkable. Competing in all of these events meant frequently driving with no sleep whatsoever the previous night and swapping work days to alternate weekends which meant 48-72 hour shifts with no time off. It’s the kind of commitment that few people I know possess.
As her co-driver and partner I’m sure many will say I’m prejudiced, and yes I’ll admit that I am to a very high degree. But it's the kind prejudice that comes from actual experience and privilege of knowing someone. Jordan deserves the recognition that all of her hard work and dedication to the sport since 2007 have earned her. I certainly hope our fellow members of ALSCCA will recognize this hard work, sacrifice, and commitment when it comes time to vote this weekend.
There goes my driver of the year nominations. C
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