NEED SPEED? Put your pedal to the metal at NER

By Alex Kantarelis

Car fanatics and gearheads finally have a place they can call home: the New England Region (NER) of the Sports Car Club of America. Worcester native Doug McCormack is a racer at NER, an avid car lover, a professional driving and racing instructor, and also serves as Regional Executive of the club. He organizes events for car fans of all ages, on a variety of tracks.

McCormack, who has been racing Mazda Miatas for about 15 years, has a love for cars that matches no other. His involvement in NER began simply because he wanted to be around cars. Soon he found himself racing all over New England, and eventually became involved in the business aspect of the club as well.

“When I was growing up, I always wanted to be a racecar driver. I’ve been doing it now since the early 90s, and I get to live the dream,” McCormack said. “The first time I went to the track, and just smelled the tires and fuel, it ripped through my veins, and I was hooked,” he added.

The New England Region caters to every type of racing from solo racing, where you maneuver through cones and race against the clock, to rallycross, where you bring your vehicle off road onto the hilly dirt and windy gravel tracks. “One thing that differentiates from our road racing and NASCAR, ours is done on an actual road course which is a bit more challenging. While NASCAR is done on an oval track, our racing is done on a track that involves hairpin turns, downhill, and sweeper turns,” said NER publicity chairman Jeff Lavery. Lots of professional racers began racing at NER, which Lavery calls “a grassroots-racing league,” including Eric Curran, who’s originally from Central MA area.

While cars are Doug’s, Jeff’s, and the rest of NER’s passion, getting people involved serves as a close 2nd. And the beauty of it is, anyone can get involved. “You don’t have to be a member of NER to participate. If you wanted to drive you car, you could come to a solo event or a rallycross event, and you could run,” McCormack said. Anyone who wants to experience that thrill is welcome. And that thrill for Doug comes at speeds around 145 miles per hour, and he has seen cars hit speeds as high as 160mph.

If you have the need for speed, bringing your car down to the NER tracks can satisfy that urge while safely keeping you away from the backseat of a police cruiser ~ or worse, from a major accident. Enthusiasts can enjoy racing in their own cars, but loaners are also available at the tracks, a great idea you won’t find at many race venues! But if you’re just a fan and simply want to check out some races for yourself, you’re invited, too. “You’re not in the grandstands at a road race, you’re in the middle of the field, in the Paddock area,” McCormack said.

If you’re not quite ready for jumping behind the wheel but think that just watching might not satisfy you, fear not ~ NER accepts volunteers for every job on the track, and they’ll put you right in the middle of all the action. Jeff Lavery predicts, though, that before long you’ll probably be racing, and eventually competing. “Once you get involved in any level, it becomes intoxicating where you just want to try [racing]. If you love cars, and you love motor sports, this is a great place for you.”

If you are interested in getting involved, check out www.ner.org.