By Janet Curran, Registry Number W0477
Online Photos:
C5/C6 Registry at Infineon 2005 Click Here
Courtesy Charles Adamson


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.
 

Previous "Way Out West":

  Way Out West May 2005
   

 

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