The torrential rains and horrendous mud slides have finally stopped and
the West has exploded in the most amazing display of wildflowers that I
have ever seen.
From
the deserts to the sea, to all of the southwest, Mother Nature has
provided the most magnificent pallet of colors. From tiny 1/4” diameter
flowers that need to be examined closely, to the acres and acres of
golden California Poppies that can be viewed from airplanes, the scenery
is breathtaking. The display is changing daily in both color and
location. Naturalists are telling us this might be a display which will
not be seen again in our lifetime. I certainly hope all of you have the
opportunity to enjoy nature’s bounty.
The Corvette Season is in full swing. There are road track events, auto
cross events, drag racing, road rallys, car shows, picnics and
gatherings of every type. Every weekend you can join a Corvette Caravan
to view the beautiful wild flowers and enjoy great Corvette company.
Sometimes it is just two Corvettes and sometimes it is 50 Corvettes.
Sightseers in those funny metal cars are turning their heads away from
the magnificent display of nature to the equally magnificent display of
Corvettes caravanning en masse throughout the picturesque West.
Our own Corvettes West caravanned to the fabulous Getty Museum in Los
Angeles to explore the riches of centuries gone by. We arrived in one of
the most high tech vehicles currently being built to browse the
unbelievable artistry of the last 500 years. The contrast of the
Corvette to the old world craftsmanship is really mind boggling — just
how did they manage to accomplish this greatness without the advantages
of the tools we have today?
Everyone
seemed to have a great time at the Corvette Track Days at Spring
Mountain Motorsports Ranch in Pahrump, Nevada. Our weather was Chamber
of Commerce perfect. Everyone pitched in to help out for anything that
was needed — slicing potatoes, onions and zucchini, moving tables, and
BBQing those steaks and veggies.
We had cars from Wisconsin, Colorado, Oregon, Arizona, California and
Nevada. There were about 50 track participants and 100 people for
dinner.
There were some amazing times, including ladies that were running
blazingly fast 1:52s and even a 1:49 — both of these in basically stock
Z06’s, although the 1:49 was on race tires. There was lots of
competition among the men with constant adjustment of alignment, tire
pressure and any little trick to squeeze out another fraction of a
second. The cars were showroom stock with street tires up to
supercharged with full race regalia. It is so much fun to see the
variety of Corvettes that people are really enjoying. We ran three
groups of cars — Novice for those with none or very little experience
that just want to see what the Corvette was built to do, Intermediate
for those of us with prior track experience, and then the VERY FAST
advanced group. You did not want to get out with the advanced group
unless you were very FAST with lots of track experience. Excuses were
rampant at the timing trailer for those of us who were not posting the
best times.
Corvettes of Bakersfield held their famous Gambler’s Classic March
17-19. This time it was moved from Laughlin to Primm, Nevada. There
were lots of Corvettes on display along with vendors for everyone’s
buying pleasure. Primm also has an outlet mall, so dollars were set
aside for shopping along with gambling. The weather presented variations
of wind and showers, but did not dampen anyone’s spirits. There was also
a show with Dolly Parton, Shania Twain and Tim McGraw impersonators.
Everyone had a great time.
South Valley Corvettes put on their fabulous annual San Simeon Tour
April 9th & 10th. There were over 225 Corvettes participating in their
25th Annual Tour. The 26th Annual San Simeon Tour will be April 8, 2006.
If you have never been to Hearst Castle, plan a long weekend and include
a tour of this amazing museum. Don’t forget to make your tour
reservations ahead of time www.hearstcastle.org/
We have just returned from the C5/C6 Birthday Bash in Bowling Green and
had a terrific time. There was a nice sized group of Registry members
from Way Out West. Three days was not enough time to visit with all of
our friends.
There were several C6 Z06s out and about on the roads and at the Museum.
We also saw three Z06s on the assembly line at the Plant. Z06s were on
the line every day for the sharp eyed Corvette Fans that examined every
car as they moved down the assembly line. The seminars were informative
and entertaining as Johnny O’Connell and Ron Fellows kept everyone
laughing during their stand up act. You could attend a dinner every
night or take a night off for a quiet time with friends. There was
something for everyone at the Birthday Bash.
Joe Spielman, David Hill, Wil Cooksey, Nate Love and lots of other GM
people were everywhere to answer questions and just chat. We really felt
we were all part of the big Corvette Family. Everyone loved the new C6
Z06 and the GM people loved showing it to us.
We didn’t get out to Beech Bend, but I understand that there was a C6
Z06 (or possibly two) on the drag strip showing just a little of what is
in that new monster machine.
The weather was a little unusual. Wendell Strode reminded us that
Bowling Green has four seasons, they just don’t usually occur all within
the space of a few days! When we arrived at the National Corvette Museum
on Wednesday afternoon it was about 80 degrees and beautiful. There was
wind and hail on Friday night and by the time we departed on Sunday
morning there was ice on the cars.
For those that love drag racing, the West Coast Corvette Challenge is
underway with events already held at Los Angeles County Raceway and Las
Vegas Speedway. This is both a great participant and spectator sport. If
there is an event near you, just go out and say hello to your fellow
Corvette enthusiasts. www.corvette-challenge.com
Many Charity Car Shows are coming up. Please help support the
organizations sponsoring these events. You will find both Wash & Shine
and Concours shows. Check with your local Corvette Clubs if you are not
sure when and where these are being held. These events help fund many
different charities and need support from our entire collector car
family. Plastic Fantastic will be held June 11 in San Diego at Seaport
Village. The Corvettes will be parked on the beautiful grassy slopes of
the Embarcadero with a backdrop of sailboats passing in the bay. This is
a photographer’s paradise.
Big Bear Bash is June 24-26 nestled in the beautiful San Bernardino
Mountains of Southern California. Come join us for volleyball, car show,
golf, autocross, poker rally, dancing and more fun.
Cruisin’ For A Cure is a show that is both very fun and provides a great
deal of money for Prostate Cancer Research. It will be held Sept. 24 in
Costa Mesa, California.
I am happy to report that Spring Mountain Advanced Driving School
General Manager Dave Petrie has now attained his US Citizenship. Dave is
an import from Mosport, Canada and has transplanted to the warm Nevada
desert with ease. Dave, we are pleased to have you as a U.S. citizen!
Riverside Motorsports Park located in Merced County in Northern
California plans to open in late 2006. Current plans call for every form
of automobile, truck, motorcycle and kart racing. This will include drag
racing; road course for sports car, motorcycle, open wheel, vintage and
endurance racing; an .85 mile paved oval; a dirt track oval and an off
road course. It will be adjacent to Castle Airport which houses the
129th Air Wing of the National Guard, so maybe there will not be the
noise issue that creates low decibel (dB) requirements for race cars at
other tracks.
Join us for some C5/C6 Fun
WAY OUT WEST EVENTS:
September 24, 2005
Cruisin’ For A Cure, Costa Mesa, CA www.cruisinforacure.com
October 14-16, 2005
ALMS & Speed World Challenge, Laguna Seca, Monterey CA
November 1-4, 2005
SEMA Las Vegas www.sema.org
February 4 & 5, 2006
Corvette Track Days, Spring Mtn, Pahrump Nevada
www.springmountainmotor
sports.com
April 1 & 2, 2006
Corvette Track Days, Spring Mtn, Pahrump Nevada
www.springmountainmotor sports.com
April 8, 2006
San Simeon Tour www.svcorvettes.com
Oct 31 - Nov 3, 2006
SEMA Las Vegas NV www.sema.org
If there is an event that you believe others might care about, please
let us know.
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