... the oldest auto racing sanctioning body in the country [SCTA]...
IMCA (International Motor Contest Association)- 1915 to present.
I've got egg on my face again . . . big time!
IMCA, I just learned, is based in Vinton, Iowa - I grew up in Cedar Rapids - less than 30 miles away!
But I doubt if there is a large contingency of Kiwis, Aussies, Brits, French, or South Africans working on super modifieds to race at Boone, Iowa.
Which brings me around to this point. Racing at Bonneville is internationally recognized as the pinnacle of LSR.
We've all looked at it as we pass through Land's End. Most of us have had our picture taken by it. There's a sign, put up by the BLM, which reads . . .
"Bonneville Salt Flats International Speedway"
That's heady stuff.
If the sponsoring organization and sanctioning body that holds sway over two of Bonneville's biggest events, and sanctions records at a third, is not strong, and is perceived as a regional entity of clubs lacking a national and international membership base, rather than the internationally recognized organization that it is, then that perceived weakness might be exploited by those who, as SPARKY points out, might be inclined to limit our access to both El Mirage and Bonneville.
While IMCA my have "International" in its name, SCTA-BNI is actually international in its scope. A wider membership base at the grass roots level would strengthen that assertion.