Nov 4. Another Drive and Dine. Ten of us drove nine corvettes down to the Gooseberry Patch in Penrose. So much for carpooling. Great drive and good visit with everyone. Pictures.
Oct 27. We met at Al Serra and caravaned to the Cruise-In at the Grocery Warehouse and then most of us went up to the Depot in Palmer Lake for supper. Alex & Grace, Jeff & Holly, Bruce & Nancy, Richie, John & Gerry, Adam, Steve, Wes & daughter, Bill, Bud & Brinda and a couple from Denver, Steve Olsen and wife attended. Wes was able to make it without loosing his dipstick, which was hanging out of the wheel well. Pictures
Sep 29. We joined the SC3 Club from Pueblo for a fall tour. Pictures
Aug 12. After Friday's registration
Richie, Greg, Erika, and Wes drove down to PMI for the last friday nite Drags of the year.
Bruce even showed up. Included is a pic of how fast a 383 LT1 and L98 (with
race slicks) do in the rain. Also included is Bruce's run.
We all made a good attempt. That is, Ed, Wes, and Adam. The course
was good and fast. Approx. 200 drivers. One or two professional drivers
showed. There was even a pit crew. The event started on time and finished
quickly. It was hot on Sat.
Wes slipped on a set of racing tires, changed the alignment, and became very aggressive.
The improvement by team "CSCSC" is encouraging. Our times are
improving when compared to the herd. Pictures
Aug 5. Vetts on the Rockies, Alex, Gracie, Nancy
and Bruce, met for breakfast at Mickey D's Sunday morning, then headed off to Vettes on
the Rockies. The drive took us up Hwy 24, connecting to Hwy 9 at Hartsel. The
closer we got, the more Vettes we saw on the road. This was the perfect time of the
year to take this route as the scenery was breathtaking. Due to all the rain,
everything was really lush and green. I'd show you the pictures but I couldn't reach
my camera at 90+ MPH.
We arrived in Frisco shortly before the judging ended, giving us an opportunity to walk down Main Street (closed off for the show), and see all the cars. The best cars were C4's and earlier. It seemed everyone and their brother had a C5. The weather was warmer than we'd have liked, but the beer was a bit colder - everything evened out. One of the vendors was selling neon Corvette signs similar to beer signs in bars. We got carried away and Alex bought one. Pictures
Jun 8. Corvette Heritage Tour at Burt Chevrolet. Saturday morning the start time was 8:15am, and all CSCSC Corvettes were staged in Denny's parking lot, poised for breakfast. Pancakes were had by some, but eggs and sausage seemed to conquer the morning. Coffee flowed heavily until the gun sounded for the I-25 dash northbound toward Denver and our eventual arrival at Burt's Chevrolet. John and Gerry Pera guided the group, having purchased their Coupes from Burt's. They commanded the lead of over 700 Horse Power forward toward the show, while Nancy and I brought up the rear, insuring no one got lost. Yes, it was awesome seeing all two corvettes charging along I-25, caught in the Saturday morning traffic, but with smiles on our faces after a great breakfast at Denny's. Burt Chevrolet put on a great car show, the best attendance they ever had, according to show managers. GM pulled out all the stops for the Heritage Tour by including a C5R as part of the display. The Colorado Springs Corvette Club was well represented, and Mike (as usual) trailered his beautiful restored and customized '67 Vette (I think, but don't sue me). The Noon temperature hit 90 degrees, but Burt countered with Hot Dogs, Ice Cream, and cold drinks. Still by that time Nancy and I were drained from the heat, and headed back to the Springs where the temperature was only 2 degrees cooler!! Pictures.
April 1. Drive and Dine to the Gooseberry Patch in Penrose. Bruce, Nancy, Bud, Walt and Richie met at Al Serra. Picked up Jim and Debbie on the way South. Joe and Eric joined them at the Gooseberry Patch. Great drive down, great food and a great run back. Without elaborating, radar detectors and Corvette friendly oncoming traffic are nice to have. Pictures.
March 23-25. Bakersfield Corvette Club Gamblers Classic in Laughlin NV. Only Bruce and his son, Greg made it from our group but about 10 cars from the Colorado Springs Corvette Club were there. Pictures.
March 4. RM Solo Autocross. World Arena parking lot. Bruce joined Wes and Christy, and Ed and his daughter, Loren at the World Arena to watch how Autocross Racing is really done. Bruce had never seen it before and thought that both crews did a great job. Wes was out-gunned by the C5's but turned in respectful times. Ed was voted "most improved", as well as, "most likely to spend huge sums on tires wheels and suspension" improvements. The bug has clearly bitten Ed. Lauren, his daughter, drove her first lap ever, with Dad in the passenger seat. Only thing faster was the flow of her adrenaline. Way to go Lauren!! Ed thought that Autocross was a good way to introduce her to proper car handling. On her last run she took over 5 seconds off her lap time and now understands the meaning of smooth. Pictures
February 25 and January 25 Auto Cross results.
Race results for 25 FEB 01 SS class indexed time range (54.951 to 70.2 sec) with race
slicks
WESLEY TURNER run#1: 88.777sec run#2: 86.260sec run#3: 81.720+1sec indexed time: 69.404sec
pts: 721
ED CHRISTIANSON run#1: 84.468sec/DNF run#2: 80.703+3sec run#3: XXXX indexed time:
71.877sec pts: 696
Race result for 25 JAN 01 SS class indexed time range (45.4
to 54.9 sec) with race slicks
ED CHRISTIANSEN run#1: 65.900+1sec run#2: 64.354sec run#3: 62.833sec indexed time:
52.089sec pts: 804
WESLEY TURNER run#1: 67.738sec run#2: 67.574sec run#3: 65.904sec indexed time: 54.634sec
pts: 767 more info at www.rmsolo.org
WES. What I want to know is how in the heck Ed rigged
his valve stem to pop off (instant decrease in tire pressure) shaving 4 SECONDS off his
time yesterday!!!!! BTW no one knew he had a flat until he check the info panel back in
the pits. Must have been those new firehawks!
ED. I did that on my new Firestones. What a great tire. The course was difficult. I
actually was confused while driving. I had a hard time following the course. You are going
so fast the course does not look like it did when when you walk it. This a problem for the
inexperienced driver. I plan on acquiring experience.
I hit a cone just right, and knocked the tip of the valve stem off. The air pressure
sensor and valve stem are one unit. The cost of repair by Al Serra was $160. I think the
stems stick out from the wheel a little too far. For those who did not remember, I have a
C5.
I decided that if I let the air out of the remaining 3 tires I could shave another 12
seconds off my time. Who needs slicks? Also, I must add, I drove back to Colorado Springs
with the flat. I do not think I damaged the tire. I will take it back to the tire shop for
repairs. Handling on the I-25 was not to bad. I drove 55-58 mph all the way. I highly
recommend more members entering Solo II autocross. I have learned a lot about my Vette.
February 24, 2001. 1st Anniversary Lunch, Country Buffet. My count had 24 of us at the anniversary lunch. Great to be able to visit and talk Corvettes after such a long time between get-to-gathers. It worked out great with the meeting room and a buffet environment. No hassles. Pictures.
January 14, 2001. SCCA Autocross.
Ed's story. For those who did not make it to the auto cross:
It was great. It was cold. It was windy. What a hoot! I do not know how
many vettes were there. I guess about 8. It was my first time. I was
accepted with eagerness. Everyone was helpful and polite. I met Woody there.
Thanks for the help, Woody. This was a great way to learn about the car and
its handling characteristics. My lessons were numerous. Most important is
smoothness. The car has more power than necessary for this kind of course. The
Goodyear tires plus cold track, made for a slippery run.
