Corvette Courier Newsletter - Corvette Club of America · PDF fileThe Corvette Courier September 2017 Page 2 "Corvette Club of America" at this very special event. You had to have

September 2017

The World’s First Corvette Club

President - Bob Atwell

Celebrating our 61st Anniversary Year

" Bob, you look very proud ! "

April Hussey, our Web Queen, said that to me about 4:00 pm Saturday afternoon at "Corvettes at Car-

lisle". We, about eight of us from CCA, were watching the beginning of the Make-A-Wish Foundation -

Corvette Dream Day - for Collin Brown's special presentation.

A little background is probably needed here. Collin Brown is a young man that has a close relationship

with his grandfather, Larry, and Larry's 1968 LeMans Blue, Corvette Convertible that Larry bought new

with a $1.00 deposit in 1968. Story has it, they used to go everywhere together in that Corvette. An

agreement was made that on Collin's 16th birthday He would get the keys to the Corvette so that Collin

and his dad could have a Father and Son bonding project to restore the old 68 vette. About six months

later Life really got in the way. Collin was diagnosed with a brain tumor. He under went a long operation

followed by 12 months of chemotherapy. Make-A-Wish Foundation contacted Tony Avedisian / Tony's

Corvette Shop. Grandfather Larry and Collin drove the 68 vette to Tony's on a Saturday and explained

the wish, Tony smiled and said " Of Course ". Tony started the restoration on May 1st, 2017 and with the

help of so many in the Corvette Community including parts suppliers, body and paint shop, his mechan-

ics that all worked on this car ( on their own time ...... because they like to smile ) to make it perfect on

August 26th. I spoke to Tony at Carlisle on Friday, he said that he had never completed a restoration in

less than five months time before. That is a very Big WOW !! Along the way a CCA member brought

this Wish to the attention of your CCA Board of Directors. We all agreed that it would be a special honor

to make Collin Brown an "Honorary Life Member" of Corvette Club of America. Thanks to April, Van

and Jean, I was able to present to Collin a beautifully framed certificate of "Honoray Life Member-

ship" (look for pictures in this issue of the Corvette Courier), a Blue 60th Anniversary T-shirt and a Blue

CCA hat, all in the correct size and they match the '68 Corvette very well!!

Back to 4:00 pm Saturday, Corvettes at Carlisle, we had kind of figured out who was who in the Collin

Brown family. They were all smiling along with Tony. I was just taking it all in when April came up to

me and said " Bob, you look very proud ! " I was and I still am " Very Proud " to have represented

Corvette Courier

The Corvette Courier September 2017 Page 2

"Corvette Club of America" at this very special event. You had to have been there. Few dry eyes in

the crowd were to be found by the time the Carlisle Events representative finished the ceremony. The

Corvette Community really came thru along with Tony Avedisian who is a Giant in that community.

Collin has been through a lot in his young life and he has a whole lot more in front of him. I hope and

pray that he has a full recovery, that he can enjoy life, his beautiful 1968 Corvette and become an ac-

tive member of the First Corvette Club on the planet - Corvette Club of America ! ! !

Our next Monthly Membership Meeting will be October 10th at the Greene Turtle in Burtonsville,

MD from 7:30 pm to 9:00 pm.

September 26th, Tuesday will be Shop Night at Sport Chevrolet. *** Important Note *** IF you are

not in the Service Area by 7:30 pm you may have to turn around and go home if everyone else has al-

ready finished working on their cars. I will wait until 7:30. BUT, I am not going to ask Randy and the

others to wait until 9:00 on the chance that someone might show up. Generally you can start working

on your car between 5:30 and 6:00 pm.

Safe Motoring and " Save the Wave",

Bob Atwell

2017 President, Corvette Club of America

The Corvette Courier Sepember 2017 Page 3

Membership Director - Jean Wade

CCA Membership Update

MEMBER NEWS AND INFORMATION

Welcome our Newest Members: Sponsor:

Karl Burghardt Warrenton, Va. 15 orange C & 02 yell C Roney

Paul Loftus Poolesville, Md. 93 white coupe Web

Nick Nucci Woodbine, Md. 17 gray GS C Webs

Winston Lee Ripon, CA No Corvette Sport

Collin Brown Frederick, Md. 68 Blue R Tony

James & Ellen Rossmeissl Menasha WI 2011 white GS Web

I joined CCA because:

Karl - I love high-speed racing. Roney told me it was the best club to join.

Paul - owned a C3 and belonged to Delaware Cub. I just bought a 93 40th anniversary. Look forward to

joining in on events.

Nick -’17 is a GS collector’s ed. Watkins Glen gray. Interest high-speed race. Donated $5.

Winston - Looking for a Corvette at the moment.

Collin - C3 Lemans blue R was handed down from grandfather for his 16th birthday. Soon after he

developed brain cancer. Tony’s Corvette’s did a complete make over on the car. The car was

presented to Collin at Carlisle. He is an honorary member of CCA and NCM.

James - Social events NCM trips.

New Maryland CCA License Plate Rep Mr. Wayne Hatcher from Hagerstown, Md.

Looking for CCA Organizational Maryland Plates for your Vette or even maybe

the daily driver? Wayne will help. 204-382-4476 13405 Windson Dr. Hagerstown

Md. 21742 [email protected]

Want to sponsor an event for the club? Please contact me.

If you know of any more cruise-in meet ups, please let me know.

Check the following pages for up coming events. Don’t miss out on all the fun!

mailto:[email protected]


Membership Director

Jean Wade,

[email protected] 301-253-6074,

2000 Red Coupe, 1 Red Hot



Upcoming Events & Reminders

Calendar - https://www.vette-club.org/events/

September Shop Night

Bring your Corvette in to Sport Chevrolet in Silver Spring for a do-it-yourself shop night. Sport

Chevrolet allows us to use their vehicle lifts; however, you must bring your own tools, fluids,

etc.

Tuesday, September 26, 2017, 6:30PM – 9:00PM

Sport Chevrolet – 3101 Automobile Blvd., Silver Spring, MD 20904

https://www.vette-club.org/events/8/

October Business Meeting

This is the club's monthly business and membership meeting with the Board and is open to all

club members. Arrive by 6:30PM for dinner & discussion.

Tuesday, October 10, 2017, 7:30PM – 9:00PM

The Greene Turtle – 15660 Old Columbia Pike, Burtonsville, MD 20866


CCA & NVCC Walter Reed Corvette Car Show

Corvette Car show for the Warrior Transition Brigade soldiers, their families, and the staff. See

the flyer on page 8 for more details.

Saturday, September 23, 2017, 11:00AM – 3:30PM

Walter Reed National Military Medical Center – 8901 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD 20889

$15 registration (to cover food)


RSVP: http://www.msreg.com/Corvettes-WWTB-17

Royal GTOs Fall Car Show

Open to all makes and models. Rain or shine. Registration 8:30AM – 11:00AM. $15 paid in ad-

vance, $20 day of. Proceeds to be donated to the American Legion National Emergency Fund.

Sunday, September 24, 2017, 8:30AM – 3:00PM

Sykesville American Legion Post 223 – 7327 Slacks Road, Sykesville, MD 21784


October Double Autocross Open to Corvette and non-Corvette participants of all experience levels and ages 18 and over.

CCA membership is not required. See the calendar webpage or the flyer on page 9 for more

details.

Sunday, October 1, 2017, 8:00AM – 4:00PM

Lincoln Tech – 9325 Snowden River Parkway, Columbia, MD 21046

$25 morning session only, $45 morning & afternoon sessions, $5 all-day helmet rental

Register: https://www.vette-club.org/events/183/

https://www.vette-club.org/events/




http://www.msreg.com/Corvettes-WWTB-17




FSCC Ocean City Weekend Registration

Online Registration for the Free State Corvette Club OC Weekend (October 13-14) is open.

Follow the calendar webpage for details and updates to CCA activities.

Friday, October 13, 2017 – Saturday, October 14, 2017

Ocean City, MD

RSVP: https://www.vette-club.org/events/38/

Rockville Antique and Classic Car Show The grounds of Glenview mansion transform when more than 550 antique and classic automo-

biles go on display.

Saturday, October 14, 2017, 11:00AM – 3:30PM

Rockville Civic Center Park – 603 Edmonston Drive, Rockville, MD, 20851


2017 NCM Corvette Racing Weekend at AACA Museum The NCM welcomes Program Manager, Doug Fehan and Driver, Tommy Milner to a Corvette

Racing celebration.

Friday, October 20, 2017, 5:15PM – Saturday, October 21, 2017, 2:15PM

Antique Automobile Club of America (AACA) Museum – 161 Museum Drive, Hershey,

PA 17033






Cars & Coffee and Cruise-Ins

Meet other CCA members and share your love for the club!

Calendar - https://www.vette-club.org/events/carscoffee-cruise-ins/?latest

Laytonsville Cruise-In

9840 Olney-Laytonsville Rd., Laytonsville, MD 20882

Fridays, 5:00PM-8:00PM

Katie’s Cars & Coffee

760 Walker Rd., Great Falls, VA 22066

Saturdays, 6:00-9:00AM

http://katiescarsandcoffee.com/

Bethesda Cars ‘N’ Coffee (coupons for free coffee)

Corner Bakery – 10327 Westlake Dr., Bethesda, MD 20817

mid-March - late Oct., Saturdays, 8:00-10:00AM

https://www.facebook.com/groups/BethesdaCarsnCoffee/

Jimmy Cone Cruise-In

Jimmy Cone Parking Lot – 1312 S Main St., Mount Airy, MD 21771

1st & 3rd Saturdays, 6:00PM-Dark

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jimmie-Cone/154573407887196

Church of the Holy Doughnut

Greene Turtle Parking Lot – 15650 Old Columbia Pike, Burtonsville, MD 20866

All Year, Sundays, 7:30-11:00AM

https://www.facebook.com/churchoftheholydoughnut/

Clarksburg Cars and Coffee

Clarksburg Village Center – 22700 Sweetshrub Dr., Clarksburg, MD 20871

Every other Sunday, 8:00AM-?

https://www.facebook.com/groups/448833328626683/

Annapolis Cars and Coffee

Annapolis City Dock – 69 Prince George St., Annapolis, MD 21401

Sundays, 9:00AM-12:00PM

https://www.facebook.com/pg/annapoliscarsandcoffee/

Shady Grove Cruise-In

McDonalds Parking Lot – 16701 Crabbs Branch Way, Rockville, MD 20855

All Year, Sundays, 9:00AM-1:00PM

Potomac Cafe Racers (free coffee - ask Mike, Walt, or Michael for a coupon)

Potomac Village Shopping Center – 10220 River Rd., Potomac, MD, 20854

All Year, Sundays, 9:00AM-12:00PM

https://www.facebook.com/Potomac-Cafe-Racers-373848716080626/

HMCCC Silver Diner Cruise-In

Silver Diner – 5120 Buckeystown Pike, Frederick, MD 21704

Sunday, September 3, 2017, 10:00AM-2:00PM

https://www.vette-club.org/events/carscoffee-cruise-ins/?latest

http://katiescarsandcoffee.com/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/BethesdaCarsnCoffee/

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jimmie-Cone/154573407887196

https://www.facebook.com/churchoftheholydoughnut/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/448833328626683/

https://www.facebook.com/pg/annapoliscarsandcoffee/

https://www.facebook.com/Potomac-Cafe-Racers-373848716080626/




Corvette rAMBLINGS

The Corvette Courier Editor – Jon Thorn

This month’s Courier is being produced on the road. I am currently on a two week trip to Canada. I guess

you would call it a vacation but I’ve been retired since 2009 so I doubt that the word “vacation” really

applies. Last week we got together with Evelyn’s sister in Sydney, Nova Scotia and this week we are

staying at Charlottetown on Prince Edward Island. It is a very long road trip but it has been a lot of fun.

This coming weekend we will be spending a little time in Maine as we head for home. The only bad

news from all this has been that the September issue is being brought to you later than normal and it is a

little harder putting the newsletter together without my nice desktop PC setup at home.

I would like to pass along congratulations to our NCM Ambassador, Terry Popkin, for graduating from

the Citizen Academy. Be sure to check with him if you would like more information on this program.

From the Montgomery County Police Department Facebook

page:

"Congratulations to the 37 recent graduates of the 53rd Citizen

Academy!

The Citizen Academy serves to increase resident awareness of

the function of the police department. Participants learn about

topics relative to the role of the police officer in their commu-

nity. During a 15-week academy, residents are instructed on

such topics as criminal law, Maryland traffic law, and investi-

gations."

There are three special articles for your enjoyment this month. One is by Mike Newlander with his com-

ments on the NCM HPDE in August. The second is by Van on the very special presentation during Cor-

vettes at Carlisle. The third is from our long distance members, Kim and Donna Lewis, in Queensland,

Australia who are restoring a ‘58 right hand drive. Be sure to check out all these articles!

Save the Wave!

Jon Thorn

CCA Corvette Courier Editor


Competition Director - Stephen Catlin

Corvette Competition

Competition Report - August 2017

NCM Motorsports Park HPDE – August 26-27, 2017 Several CCA club members including myself traveled to Bowling Green, KY for another fun 2-day

HPDE at ever-so-fun NCM Motorsports Park. Weather was great and there was a nice gathering of

CCA members and friends throughout the weekend to hang with. A more detailed report on this

event will be covered later by Pat R., with a special go-kart event report by guest writer and NCM

Board member Mike Newlander. Here is my recap.

A familiar hang out place for CCA members and friends was Pat S’s RV.


Friday – I rolled into NCM at noon and spent the afternoon with Tom A., Pat R., and a few others helping with tech. Afterwards we drank a couple beverages, and checked out the new NCM go-kart track – Round 1. Pat R. kicked our butts with me a somewhat close 2nd.

Saturday – A wonderful issue-free day with plenty of track time and lots of comradery with several

CCA members and friends hanging around Pat S.’s camper. I managed to remember the course from

last year, and dropped several seconds off my best lap to date, getting several low 2:18s running in the

Black group.

Tearing up the track on Saturday and giving Radial Tire some high-speed advertising!

After the last Session of the day, many of us again gathered around Pat S’s RV for a couple beverages.

Then the kart track called to us for Round 2 and Round 3! Round 2 I was outgunned by 1/2 the field. ®

Round 3 I started in 3rd and soon got to the lead. It didn’t take long before I started taking love taps

from multiple cars looking to punt me out of the way! I managed to counter-steer quickly to avoid get-

ting spun and stayed wide enough (and straight enough) to avoid a pass. Then after a minor calming

period NCM instructor Chuck grabbed sole possession of 2nd and found a new attack method-

stealthily getting up to and against my back bumper and not braking (trying to get me to overshoot the

tight corners). I countered by coasting in the straights and braking early to keep him tight on me to

lose his momentum, while steering to take away the inside line. That resulted in 2 karts with locked

bumpers for the last several intense minutes! Somehow I survived the onslaught to take the checkered

flag for the win! Whew! That generated more adrenaline than running the real NCM track with the Z!

LOL.


Sunday – Another issue-free day, but today I only ran 2.5 sessions as I was running out of equipment.

Eric M. rode along in Session 1 and got me down to an even lower 2:17.5 lap time! Session 3 I never

got enough clean track for a whole hot lap so I practiced my line. I came in with less than a session

worth of brake pads and fuel and 1 tire cording the edge. Rather than shut down for the day I chose to

turn 30 minute Session 4 into a warm up lap, two focused hot laps, and a cool down lap to bring the

car home with everything THOROUGHLY used up.

Running the lines Eric taught me (but with much improvised heavy drifting through turns 6, 7, 19 and 20 because it was fun and helped kill tires) I ran the most consistent and fun laps of the event with a 2:17.92 and 2:17.93! I was content knowing that times could have been even faster had I not been hot-dogging the corners so much!

CCA Autocross #4 @ Lincoln College – September 10, 2017


While Florida hunkered down for Irma, we had perfect cool and sunny weather in Columbia! This was

our largest event to date with 41 drivers! Thank you to all for attending! Tons of pics from this event

are flowing in and can be found at https://www.vette-club.org/autocross/2017-09-10/ along with the

full results.

We had several newcomers, including my son Tyler who had a blast running my 08Z!

Another newcomer was our own Paul D. who stepped out from timing to run his ZR1!

https://www.vette-club.org/autocross/2017-09-10/


We also had a very unique 1990s imported Mazda AZ-1. A what you say???

This little “car” is right-hand drive, has gullwing doors and makes a Miata look roomy!

The drivers appeared to enjoy my improvised layout, which was fairly fast and had a couple nice

sweeping turns that got the tires squealing and the driver’s faces grinning!


Thanks to all the hard work by our club members for making this event a huge success. A special

thanks to April and Paul for rewriting the timing software, fixing various hardware issues, getting

online registration streamlined, and results streamed! The timing went flawless Sunday and allowed us

to get in 4 runs in both the AM and PM sessions and allowed the drivers to see their times and penal-

ties in real time!

Paul aka “Schroeder” doing timing “debug” April aka “Lucy,” Bob and Jon helping too. Our live streaming results shown at timing as the cars drove by (and via cell phone).


We again held a little awards ceremony after the event to honor our various class winners. Mike T.

took OF (FWD) honors with a 41.949. Tom R. took C6 (Corvette) honors with a 39.719. Zachary H.

took ORD (RWD domestic) honors with a 39.546. Robert H. took ORF (RWD foreign) honors with a

38.959. Henry S. took CZ (Corvette) honors with a 37.692 and also took home a $25 gift certificate

for 2nd place overall. Jerry B. took OA (AWD) honors with a 37.582 and also took home a $50 gift

certificate for overall FTD!

Overall FTD Jerry B. 2nd Overall Henry S.

Our last autocross of the year is on October 1, 2017 and registrations are filling up fast at

https://www.vette-club.org/events/183/. Please come out to participate, help or just hang out and

watch!

Until next month...

Stephen Catlin

CCA Competition Director

[email protected]

703-220-1136




HIGH PERFORMANCE DRIVING EVENTS by Pat Roney

FATT at SUMMIT POINT SHENANDOAH CIRCUIT Aug 19, 2017

Once a year BSR does a SATT (Saturday At The Track) on the Shenandoah Circuit. Thankfully the

weather was great as this is a very technical track that provides many multi turn scenarios. Both

teaching and driving this track are challenging.

Cars in the pits waiting their turn to go out on track.

Fellow CCA member Karl B. taking a

car load of students out for a skid pad

lesson. Karl teaches them car control

items like “understeer” and “oversteer”.

In my opinion, Karl is the best at this as

he presents a logical explanation in a

very calm manner. This car control

exercise is a little different from most as

Karl is working the accelerator from the

passenger seat. The student then tries to

get the car under control with the

steering.


An unusual group of cars, but there is a reason that I took this picture. Catie T with her BMW 235i in

front was my novice student. The BMW M3 next to her is her husband Dean T. who I had worked

with a couple of times before. I also worked with Dean today and felt he was ready to graduate to the

Advanced group which has the most experienced and fastest drivers. As a special treat for Dean I

asked Chris S, with the yellow C7 Grand Sport, to check him out. Chris is an accomplished SCCA

national champion and taught Dean a few nice driving maneuvers.

The last group at the track recounting the fun for the day. Clockwise around the table are Catie T.,

CCA member Karl B, Chris S, and Dean T. Notice all of the smiles.


NCM at NCM MSP Aug 26 & 27, 2017

Not surprising that we had another great HPDE event at the National Corvette Museum Motorsports

Park hosted by NCM. How could we miss with such a great staff. Paula was reluctant to be in a pic-

ture because she didn’t do anything out of the ordinary. However, Paula came up with this sign, sim-

ple as it may be, it solved the problem we had getting drivers into the correct line for tech. And as you

can see in the picture below, her beautiful smile makes all around her feel a little bit better.

We had a great group participating in this event and enjoying the event. However, with Evelyn S,

Myra D, and Gerry W missing, it was not the same. I am hoping that everything will be better soon.

Another NCM MSP staff member that helps everything run smoother is Justin. Justin is usually found

in the store.


Add in the beautiful smile of Julie as she

registers another driver for the event.

CCA club members participating in this

event are left to right: Steve C, David S,

David C, Nita A, CCA wanabe and NCM

MSP Co Chief Instructor Pat S, Tom A

and myself. That is Steve C’s car

we are next to.

Once again Tom A, Steve C and I were

Pat S’s tech crew.

Participants waiting for the morning briefing.


Remington Sanford Racing principals

David S and David C just before David C

headed out on track

David C with the Remington Sanford

Racing Corvette C5 enjoying some

track time.

Our own Competition Chair Steve C exercis-

ing his Z06 Corvette.


I had the pleasure of working with Carter

S in his C7 Z06 Corvette.

Here Pat S, Co-Chief Instructor is con-

gratulating Carter on a job well done.

Look who showed up just as the tracking

portion of the event was wrapping up.

Our own Art B came by to say hello and

catch up with John and Rita Heinricy.

The National Corvette Museum

Motorsports Park and Matick Chevrolet

have teamed to provide 5 new C7

Corvettes to be used for touring and hot

lap rentals at the NCM MSP. For $199

you can do touring laps on track in one of

these awesome Corvettes.


CHIN TRACKDAYS at WATKINS GLEN INTERNATIONAL Sept 4 & 5

Watkins Glen with Chin Trackdays is one of my favorite events and something I usually do twice a

year. This year was no exception. Since the Indy cars were racing on September 3rd we couldn’t get

into the track until the morning of the 4th. That meant that we had 100 participants to register and to

tech their cars before our 7:40am Drivers Meeting on Monday morning.

Monday was a great track day weather wise but the weather changed on Tuesday. It rained on and off

all day. When it wasn’t raining the fog was so bad that they had to close the track since the Corner

workers couldn’t see to the next station.

So when you get lemons, you make lemonade and I did. I took the opportunity to get a ride with Mark

W in the rain. I have been talking with Mark about riding with him in the rain ever since I saw him in

the rain at Palmer Motorsports Park last year. He was driving close to what most can do on a dry

track, lap after lap.

To drive at the limits in the rain you need to follow all of the basics and figure out where the wet line

is and where the limits are and then be very careful with all your inputs. That sounds very simple in

theory, but riding with Mark I saw an expert in action. All of his steering, throttle and braking actions

were extremely smooth as he kept the car on the edge of traction. I could feel the car being very loose

on track and very smoothly brought back to stable. To drive like Mark in the rain would take hun-

dreds of hours practice and more talent than I will ever have. Mark, thanks for that great experience.

Mark with his C5

Corvette after my

ride with him in the

rain.


And since we were making lemonade, Chin Trackdays had Marty F lead a track walk.

Marty F, at the left of this

picture with the black hat

and coat, led a track walk

while the track was closed

due to fog. Marty has been

racing here since he was 12

years old. He started then

in go carts and then raced

Porsches for many years.

Chin Trackdays is great about sending out an expert for a track walk and has done so at many different

tracks.

Jim Brazzi giving a very

relaxed classroom session.

This was his last of several

classroom presentations

for this event and was very

informative.


Tracking family of the year candidates.

I had the pleasure of doing a check out ride with Kyle I, standing between his dad and his girlfriend.

Kyle passed the solo check out ride with flying colors. He has been going to the track with his dad

since he was a little kid and it showed as he knew the entire process and terminology. Kyle’s girl-

friend helped me get my harness on and was a great help checking the car out between sessions.

Kyle’s father, in the orange shirt, and brother, next to the “59” car number, and Kyle built this car as a

family project and this time Kyle and his dad were the drivers. His brother is a driver also but I don’t

think he got out at this event. Kyle’s mom was here also but didn’t come back until after the pictures

had been taken. She is a track fan also. What a great family.


Our own CCA member Karl

B giving a thumbs up as he

is heading out on track in his

beautiful C7 Z06 Corvette.

A couple of the nice cars here: a DP02 race car and a Ferrari 458 Italia heading out for some track

time.

The AutoNation Indy car team

rented the track for a couple of

hours after we were off the track

on Monday. It is amazing how

fast these cars are and we were

lucky to be able to get so close to

the track to observe this beautiful

Indy car on track.


It was kind of strange being the first one into the garages Tuesday morning. I turned on the lights to

start the day. The track snack bar lady was already there in the trailer serving hot coffee and snacks

with a pleasant greeting and a nice smile on her face.

Our Chin staff with the Watkins Glen Pit Marshall. L to R: Jim Brazzi, Gary Atkins, Jack Beachem

and Jim Pomroy.


I had the opportunity to spend a few minutes talking with Peter Argetsinger Tuesday morning and

promised to send him a link to the article last year about him. Peter is a very accomplished driver and

coach and was there coaching a couple of the Chin Trackdays drivers.

Peter, here is the link to the article last year: https://archives.vette-club.org/newsletters/2016-06.pdf

My HPDE article starts on page 18 and runs through page 36. Check out page 32 for the article on

you. You may also want to check out page 33 for an interesting article on Gary Atkins.

I had the pleasure of spending some time with Gregg Frey talk-

ing about the U.S. Vintage Grand Prix at Watkins Glen running

just after our Chin event. Gregg is holding a magazine with an

article about his dad, George Frey, who had won many races

including a few of the original Watkins Glen races driving Por-

sche Speedsters.

Gregg will be driving a 1970 Porsche 914/6 in this years Vin-

tage race at Watkins Glen. He was out with Chin practicing at

this event.

Winding down after a hard 2 days on track,

Suzie and I stopped by Ben and Jerry’s for ice

cream cones. While enjoying the ice cream, I

see a gentleman waving to me from outside. I

am thinking, that is Peter Krause, and I have a

perplexed look on my face as I wave back.

Peter passes on and them comes back into the

store to say hello. He remembered and asked

about CornerCravers and we chatted for a cou-

ple of minutes. Peter, of course, is a profes-

sional driving coach to many in our sport in-

cluding many professional racers.

https://archives.vette-club.org/newsletters/2016-06.pdf

The Corvette Courier September 2017 Page30

FATT at SUMMIT POINT CIRCUIT September 8, 2017

Kelly R was the high bidder for the Friday At The Track (FATT) at our Awards Dinner this year and

we finally came up with a date that worked for us. I was thrilled to work with Kelly at Summit Point

on their main circuit as we had been talking about this for quite a while. From the picture below you

can tell that Kelly was happy also.

The CCA parking area was looking good.

Notice Bill S’s beautiful Corvette C7

behind Kelly’s car.


Here we have a fine bunch

of Corvette enthusiast.

From L to R: David C

(CCA), Bill S (CCA),

Kelly R (CCA), Jim R

(LCCC), Andrej B

(NVCC), David S (CCA),

Chris S, and myself.

We are missing fellow

CCA members Bob A and

Karl B.

Karl was working his

magic teaching car control

techniques on the skid

pad.

Here we have Kelly head-

ing out on track for some

more fun.

Bob A, our CCA presi-

dent, and his friend Rob,

along with our own track

guy Bill S came up to give

moral support to Kelly.

Several of us went to din-

ner to celebrate Kelly’s

success on track.


NATIONAL SAFETY FOUNDATION INSTRUCTOR CERTIFICATION

The NSF has been working for a couple of years to help make the HPDE’s safer. As a matter of fact,

the NSF was at Sebring back in January 2016 offering Simpson Hybrid Neck Protection devices and

helmets for participants to try out. I rented one for a $40 fee and had the opportunity to see if it would

work for me. I do recommend neck protection for all in this sport.

The NSF Mission/Vision is:

Improve the standards and operations of HPDE schools,

Instructor training programs, and Instructors to provide a safer and better

quality experience for performance driving students and Instructors

NSF has developed an Instructor Certification program and Chin Trackdays has been heavily involved

working with NSF on this. There are the 5 Levels of Certification:

Level 1: Online Instructor training program

Level 2: Hands-on Certified HPDE Organizer Instructor Training Program (for Level 1 certified In-

structor Candidates only).

Level 3: Classroom Instructor.

Level 4: Remote instruction using data acquisition and video.

Level 5: Chief Instructor, with focus on operations and organization of a HPDE event, as well as the

management and mentoring of instructors.

Chin Trackdays has been working with NSF for a couple of years on developing the Level 2 program

and is now one of the two organization certified to offer Level 2 training and certification.

Chin’s Level 2 program has 2 classroom sessions and 6 on track roll playing sessions.

I am honored to be one of the first to have achieved Level 2 certification.

NEW CCA HPDE PAGE ON OUR WEBSITE

Our Website team let by April has been working their magic on our CCA website and has upgraded

the HPDE page. She has added a schedule of events our members are planning to attend as well as a

list of tracks and videos that our members have done. I am really impressed with the excellent job she

has done. Thanks for all of your hard work and creativity April.

Here is a link to the new page: https://www.vette-club.org/hpde-track/

https://www.vette-club.org/hpde-track/


WANT TO TRY YOUR CAR OUT ON TRACK?

Please remember to keep it to the speed limit and stay alert on the street as, in my opinion, it is much

more dangerous at the speed limit on the street than on the track at speed. If you would like to hear

more about the tracking experience, please feel free to ask myself, or any one of our tracking group

about how easy it is to give it a shot.

Tracking Schedule

September 24-27 Rally North America Drive Series

September 29 Seat Time at Summit Point

Sept. 30 – Oct 1 TrackDaze at Summit Point

October 7-8 NASA at VIR

October 14 & 15 Chin at NCM MSP

October 20 FATT at Summit Pont Jefferson Circuit

October 21-22 SCCA PDX at Summit Pont Jefferson

October 22 & 23 Chin at VIR

Pat Roney

Corvette Club of America

Runner?? It was a victory lap.


NCM MSP HPDE Aug 26-27 -- An Article not by Pat Roney

By Michael Newlander

Anybody that has read past reports on the NCM HPDE’s by Pat Roney already knows our events are

run with an emphasis on safety teaching students to drive faster while remaining in control. Race

tracks and racing programs can be found all over the country. What distinguishes the NCM events

from the rest is the intangible camaraderie among the participants that somehow seems to strengthen

with each event. Article after article Pat has shared an aspect of an off-track story that made it spe-

cial. Our recent outing in Bowling Green offered yet another venue that was new to this group, Go-

Karts! I felt compelled to share our latest experience as the focus is on Pat, one of the humblest guys

I’ve met and would otherwise never be shared.

It’s Saturday Aug 26, 2017 at 5:30pm CST and the track is now cold. Our biggest incident was a flat

tire on a Porsche which resulted in a tow off track. This keeps Co-Chief Pat Sullivan and myself

happy when cars remain shiny side up. All drivers stow away their helmets and gear and head over

to the Sullivan Compound for cold beverages. You can see in the pic below Pat Sullivan and Pat

Roney sitting nearest to the motorhome door. This is where all the bench racing stories start.


It didn’t take long for a few instigators to get everyone else amped up and amendable to head over to

the new Kartplex at MSP which recently made go-karting available. Pat Roney was the first guy out

of his chair. The Kartplex offers different options for drivers which includes but is not limited to,

open lapping, hourly rental and a race format. As you have already concluded before finishing this

sentence, the race format was selected. Let the trash talking begin! The rules are simple, be the first

to cross the finish line after 20 laps with no bumping. The bumping rule lasted until the first turn of

the first lap. This is like wrestling with your brother, it always starts out real friendly!

Eight of us completed the race and headed over to the scoring screen to see how we all fared. The

winner was Eric Monterastelli, a youngster considering most of our ages, who used to race in Kart

Enduros. Despite Eric’s victory, Pat Roney was quick to let us all know he ran the fastest lap of the

session, he did. Many of us simultaneously told Pat to stop chirping as he wasn’t the driver who got

the victory lap with the checkered flag. Pat politely let it go as we were to learn later we should have

too! We all returned to the Sullivan Compound where the 7 losers discussed (made excuses) why

they lost.

Fast forward to Sunday morning and we had another picture-perfect day in terms of weather. The

second day of the HPDE went flawless with no run group losing track time. At 5:30pm like prepro-

grammed robots, we all returned to the Sullivan Compound for refreshments. It didn’t take any egg-

ing for the group to return to the Kartplex for yet another contest.

This time everyone knew the drill, register your name, get your pole position location, helmets se-

cured and game faces on. Green Green Green, and the second race started. We had bumping, we had

pile ups, we even had a black flag presented to a group of 6 running tight which yours truly pitted for

(apparently, I was the only idiot to come in as the flagger was just trying to tell everyone to play

nice), suffice to say I locked up eighth place (sounds better than last)!

As I unbuckled from the Kart sulking over of my talentless run, I looked up and saw Pat Roney dis-

playing the checkered flag on his solo victory lap, what????? As Pat made us all aware afterwards

with a well-deserved cockiness, “You guys let the 75-year-old beat you!” I admit I laughed to my-

self quietly as it really was funny. Make no mistake about it, nobody was letting anybody win out

there, you would have thought it was for a national title.

https://youtu.be/jfqkzJuIsNk

Pat, thanks for all you do for our program always willing to step up and fill a void when needed. You

deserve the checkered flag, not because you’re a good guy (you are), not because you’re my friend

(you are), but because you beat the snot out of all us, arguably both days!

If you haven’t run with the NCM HPDE program, come on out, it’s just as much fun off track as on!

Mike Newlander

https://youtu.be/jfqkzJuIsNk


NCM Ambassador - Terry Popkin

National Corvette Museum Report

Terry Popkin, NCM Ambassador, [email protected], 301-949-2464


http://www.corvettemuseum.org/

http://www.corvettemuseum.org/final-black-rose-numbers-release-the-story-behind-sebring-orange/


The Presentation of a 1968 Corvette to Collin Brown

Corvettes at Carlisle 2017

By Van Vander Haar

A 16 year-old young man in the community was diagnosed to have brain cancer. His wish was to

have his Grandfather's Corvette, that was recently given to him, be restored.

Through the Make-A-Wish Foundation - Mid-Atlantic, Tony was consulted to make a determination

of what the Corvette needed to make it right. Collin's grandfather had stated there were four pages of

things that needed to be taken care of. Quite a formidable endeavor monetarily and time-wise. Some-

thing the Make-A-Wish Foundation was not able to make happen on its own.

Tony met the family and was immediately taken to heart with the idea of doing this and making the

wish happen.

Tony's thoughts and prayers were with Collin and his family. Collin has been through a lot, and he

will be continuing to go through procedures to get back to, what we hope is, great health. We are all

praying for Collin, his family and his support team of doctors. Tony felt this wish had to happen and

he was going to get it done, one way or another.

Tony contacted the many Corvette vendors he has worked with over his 39 years of Corvette work.

Everyone that he asked for help responded positively and without reservation, and they are listed on

the poster below.



The next idea that Tony had was to present the Corvette to Collin at Corvettes at Carlisle, only 4 and

half months away. He wanted to be able to allow the vendors, who so graciously agreed to be in-

volved in this project, to be able to see the result of their contributions. Lance Miller and Jodi Morri-

son at Carlisle Events responded, determined to make it possible.

Fortunately, Tony has the knowledge, resources and expertise, as well as a staff of Corvette experts at

Tony's Corvette Shop that have the same type of knowledge and talent to do this, and they used their

own time to work on the Corvette.

Haley Beidel, Wish Coordinator at Make-A-Wish Mid-Atlantic, had no idea what she started. She

also didn't know what Tony knows, what he does and how he does it. She didn't have a clue of why

he does it. Tony has the heart of the big block in a mid-year Corvette. It's like a big block in that

when you look at a Corvette powered by one, you won't see it, but when it's running you can feel it.

We all "felt" Tony's heart at Carlisle on that afternoon on Saturday, August 26th, 2017.

Members of the audience, the Carlisle staff, the Collins family, vendors that participated and mem-

bers of the Corvette Club of America all felt it and it brought many of us to tears. It was a very emo-

tional event. It still effects me as I write this article.


Tony told me that Haley Beidel was at the event expecting to see a couple of hundred Corvettes at a

car show. Make-A-Wish had wanted to present the Corvette to Collin at Tony's shop in Gaithersburg.

Tony had bigger ideas.

When Haley arrived at Carlisle and received her VIP badge, then looked out at 44 acres of Corvettes

and vendors, then went on to the venue where the Corvette was located and witnessed the throng of

well wishers, the list of Vendors that supported the restoration effort, and the signed banner with the

hundreds of signatures wishing Collin well, she couldn't help but tear up herself. The make-A-Wish

Foundation could not have fathomed this Make a Wish that Tony created. I've known Tony for 33

years - I could imagine it.


The event was amazing. Tony described the events leading up to this day starting with the initial con-

tact by the Make-A-Wish Foundation to evaluate the Corvette, the contact with vendors, Carlisle

Events setting up the venue and ending with the reveal. Then, when Tony informed us that Collin

was in remission, the applause, tears and emotions of that information was palpable.


Collins parents were there and his Grandfather described the life he and Collin shared, how they trav-

eled to different venues together in the Corvette and that he promised to give the Corvette to Collin;

how he gave Collin a Blue model Corvette on his 16th birthday, saying he had promised him a Cor-

vette and how Collin had an unhappy look about him until his Grandfather told him to open the trunk

of the model wherein lay the set of keys to the 1968 Corvette. Then he told the chilling story of how,

not long after that, they found Collin had brain cancer and their world changed from things Corvette,

and the work on it, and focused on to Collins health.


Tony presented the Corvette to Collin with cheers and applause from the audience. as he described

the process he went through to get the restoration accomplished.


A few of us from the Corvette Club of America were there with our President, Bob Atwell, who pre-

sented Collin with an Honorary Lifetime Membership in the Corvette Club of America, along with a

blue CCA Cap and T-Shirt.


The weather was spectacular all day, the presentation was fabulous, and this Corvettes at Carlisle will

be remembered for a very long time for the well wishes and presentation to Collin of his Grandfa-

ther's restored 1968 Corvette.


Collin, his Grandfather and the 1968 Corvette


Editor’s note: Here is an update via email from members Kim and Donna Lewis on the

progress of their restoration project in Queensland.

Good morning Jean, Nita & fellow distant club members,

We have just had the vette returned after spending 5 months at the beauty parlour where it was de-

cided that even with all the facials possible, a face lift as well would not go astray. Colour is code

correct for that year & model, something that we are doing throughout the entire ground up restora-

tion for all trims, mouldings & fittings. The reconstruction now officially starts, with nearly 90% of

genuine 58 vette parts in hand & the remainder either on route or still to be acquired, we now have

the distant finish line in sight. The rear bumpers were not salvageable, so we were very fortunate

after a multitude of phone calls to the States to find an original rear bumper set that have never been

used, check out attachment V6, still pinching ourselves with this find.

Paint & panel was performed by ‘Rides by Kam’, an exceptionally talented local company here on

the Gold Coast that has built one off cars ground up & sent to your homeland for shows & sales,

check out his website. We were very, very fortunate that a someone of this calibre was able to do the

car for us. Instruments were done over your way by ‘Rick’s Restorations’ Maryland, again we were

blessed finding someone with the passion to have the finished product better than the original, he

came highly recommended as he had already done work for my associates previously on a 59 vette

restoration.

Will keep you up to date with progress reports & photos as ‘Bette the Vette’ continues along her

path of coming back to life bigger & better than she ever was some 60 years ago.

All the very best from the land down under.

Kim & Donna Lewis

Picture V1


Picture V2 Picture V3

Picture V4 Picture V5


Picture V6


The Corvette Club of America is

proud to be exclusively associated

with Sport Chevrolet.

… Be a Sport fan too!!

3101 Automobile Blvd

Silver Spring, Md 20904

www.sportchevrolet.com

The Corvette Club of America was founded by John Ralph and Charles Eyre who organized the first club

meeting on July 17, 1956 at a Chevrolet dealership in Arlington, Virginia. By the end of 1957 the club

changed its name from the Capital Corvette Club to the Corvette Club of America, since it was the intent

of the members to make the club a national organization. Before the end of the following year the club

had over one hundred members.

In 1959, the Corvette Club of America held an organizational meeting of Corvette clubs at the Mayflower

Hotel in Washington, DC. The result was the formation of the National Council of Corvette Clubs which

today has about 19,000 members and is the largest non-profit association of Corvette Clubs in the United

States. For a variety of reasons, the CCA did not join the NCCC until July of 1966 and was awarded club

#1 for its efforts in establishing the organization.

In July 2016, the CCA notified the NCCC that it

would terminate its 50 year membership at the end

of the year. There were a number of factors but the

CCA felt that focusing our limited resources on the

National Corvette Museum would provide more

benefit for the Corvette Community as a whole.

The Corvette Club of America is a very active club

today with a strong mix of competitive, social, and

charitable activities.

Through the years the CCA has seen many fine

members come and go; however, one thing re-

mains unchanged. The membership is composed

of individuals both male and female, young and

old, that share a common interest, America’s

Sports Car - The Corvette!

The Corvette Courier

The Corvette Club of America is

proud to be exclusively associated

with Sport Chevrolet.

… Be a Sport fan too!!

3101 Automobile Blvd

Silver Spring, Md 20904

www.sportchevrolet.com

The Corvette Courier is published monthly by the Corvette Club of America, Inc.

P.O. Box 3355, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20885

Copyright 2017, Corvette Club of America, Inc.

Contact Gibbs Fogarty, Manager at Sport Chevrolet for a new or used car - (240)560-5383

President Bob Atwell (240)375-3716

Vice President Kelly Ryan (240)601-6045

Secretary Paul Vale (301)570-9348

Treasurer Nita Armstrong (443)852-1922

Membership Director Jean-Marie Wade (301)253-6074

NCM Ambassador Terry Popkin (301)949-2464

Competition Director Steve Catlin (703)220-1136

Parliamentarian Jon Thorn (301)963-4864

Vendor & Club Relations Van Vander Haar (410)489-5002

Webmaster April Hussey

Member-at-Large Jim Parisi (410)292-8722

Non-Board Member Positions

Courier Editor Jon Thorn (301)963-4864

http://www.sportchevrolet.com

http://www.sportchevrolet.com

http://www.corvetteclubofamerica.org/














Business & Membership Meeting Location: The Greene Turtle Sports Bar & Grille 15660 Old Columbia Pike Burtonsville, MD 20866 (301) 421-4012 Second Tuesday of each month at 7:30 PM Next meeting:

October 10th

Shop Night Location: Sport Chevrolet 3101 Automobile Blvd. Silver Spring, Maryland 20904 Fourth Tuesday of each month except November and December when it will be the THIRD Tuesday because of holidays. Shop Night begins at 6:00 PM. You must arrive no later than 7:30 PM or the shop may be closed. Next Shop Night:

September 26th

CCA Monthly Meeting Locations


Tony Avedisian, Owner 7500 Rickenbacker Drive

Gaithersburg, MD 20879

301-987-0565

http://www.tonyscorvetteshop.com

Contact CCA Tag Leader Wayne Hatcher

240-382-4476

Simply

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the finest service. We have earned a reputation as the premier specialist in hard-to-find per-

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whatever you drive, from small economy cars to SUVs and trucks. Our mission is to assist you

in getting the most out of your tires and car.

9101 Brookville Rd

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301-585-2740

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http://www.tonyscorvetteshop.com/index.aspx


Documents

Corvette Courier Newsletter - Corvette Club of America · PDF fileThe Corvette Courier September 2017 Page 2 "Corvette Club of America" at this very special event. You had to have