Happy New Year! I hope you all had a wonderful holiday as we welcome the new year. As the new year begins I am very excited about 2010 in the Empire State Region. We have some new activities and events coming, along with our long standing favorites. We will be building on the club's chapter concept, along with developing our communications, web site, and the event schedule along with the types of events and activities.

I would first like to start by introducing Bruce Ledoux as the new Empire State Regional Track Chairman. Bruce served as the ESR Chief Instructor during 2009 and did an exemplary job. He is not only a very active FCA member, but also a part time professional racing driver, readying for the 24 Hours of Daytona the end of the month. He will be building a top flight instructional team for the coming year, picking up where we ended last year under his supervision. Our goal together, is to build on the Region's excellent track program, stream line event registration, advance instruction, and create a world class track and driving experience in a continued fun and safe environment.

On behalf of the entire Region, I would like to take this opportunity to thank Bob Coates for his dedication and commitment to the ESR's track program, and the region as a whole. We all greatly appreciate all he, and Caryn, have done over the years. I would also like to extend my personal thank you for his help and guidance in my first year as RD.

This years schedule will see new events in our Hudson Valley Chapter. I am also working to establish a new chapter in the Western NY region of the state, to build some activities for our members in the Rochester/Buffalo area. We are also working very closely with our neighboring regions, New England and Penn-Jersey, in building our event calendars for the year, to allow all of us to enjoy the wide range of club activities in the North East. Keep an eye on our regional web site as we post our 2010 calendar.

I look forward to seeing you all this year. I thank you for your continued support, and I encourage all of you to be involved and active members in our region and the FCA.

All the best,

Leon Bourdage

FCA Empire State

Regional Director