Program for January 15, 2026: Bill Chabot—COM Sports Car Club

by | Jan 20, 2026 | News

Bill grew up in Pennsylvania. He and Elizabeth have lived in Canaan for 20+ years.
The Backstory: Bill’s first car club was BMW’s, of which Bruce Bergeron is a member; he was with that club for ~20 years driving a 2986 BMW 86 MR2.
Here are some tidbits from Bill’s talk:
The great racer Sterling Moss once said, “If God had meant for us to walk, why did he give us feet that fit car pedals?”
  • Bill has raced at Watkins Glen’s (NY) Long Track (3.5 miles), Lime Rock Park (CT ~1.5 miles but built on a hill), Pocono, North Course (PA).
  • “Wheel-to-wheel” racing is when all cars start at the same time; Bill races in “time trials” in which individual drivers compete against the clock without the danger of other vehicles at the same time.
  • Bill belongs to the COM Sports Car Club. In 2004, he and Elizabeth took Tim O’Neil’s winter safety school up in Dalton NH. While there, an instructor invited him to come out on the club’s track and he was hooked.
  • In 1958, the Sports Car Club of North America was organized, originally just for Chevrolet Corvettes (first introduced in 1953).
  • COM offers instruction:
    • Situational awareness;
    • Finding and following the racing line;
    • Proper and smooth use of acceleration and braking;
    • Comfort in both learning to pass other cars and in pointing faster cars to pass you;
    • Smoothness of vehicle control = quiet hands.
    • Ride along with instructor to get the feel of the event:
  • Sign up as member for $35/year;
  • Hot Lap Ride-Along ~15-20 minutes with a Com instructor;
  • Bill currently races at Watkins Glen; Palmer Motorsports Park (Warren, MA); NH Motorsport Speedway in Loudon; Thompson, CT; and even up in Canada!
  • Typical event schedule:
    • You must be at least 18 years old to participate.
    • Day 1: Arrive, sign waivers, get car inspected, review schedule and get assignments to “grid” (group of cars) for 15-20 minute runs on the track.
    • Day 2: After several runs, turn in your expected time so you get grouped with others estimated around the same time; run two sessions before time trials.
    • Time Trial: One fast lap to warm yourself and your car; three timed laps and then pull into the pit. There are four to five cars in each grid group; they are started at 20-second intervals and are not racing wheel-to-wheel.
    • Results are tabulated; winners get bragging rights; there are end-of-year awards.
Summary: the COM Club’s aims:
  • To make faster, safer drivers;
  • To provide a logical intermediate step to move from open lapping track days to timed competition in a safe point-to-pass environment;
  • To offer a positive learning environment for those hoping to move toward other forms of wheel-to-wheel racing;
  • To focus on camaraderie in our paddock. Members pitch in to help with mechanical issues, trade advice and analysis, commiserate with each other;
  • To share in a pot luck dinner at the end of the first day.
Bill recommended that interested folks also seek out the following: