The View From The Top

Size: px

Start display at page:

Download "The View From The Top"

Harry Stone
5 years ago
Views:

1 OCTOBER 2002 Celebrating Great American Performance The View From The Top by Doug Warren, President Hello fellow Club members and friends, A lot has happened since the last WMCC, Camaro Corner newsletter was sent out. Probably the biggest, most significant thing was the 3rd Annual Berger Chevrolet, ALL CHEVY SHOW. The show was held over the Labor Day Weekend, and was a huge success, greatly surpassing everyone s expectations. We also just got home from the second annual F-body Gathering show in Bowling Green, Kentucky. The show was held at the National Corvette Museum and was also a success, even if they didn t get the 1,000 cars they had hoped to get. We ll talk more about these shows a little later in the newsletter, but first we need to go over the details for this months Camaro Club meeting. The October Western Michigan Camaro Club meeting will be held on Sunday, October 6th. We will meet at Berger Chevrolet at 12:00 Noon. After a short business meeting we will depart on our annual Fall Color Tour. We usually head north around the Newago area, hit some of the local scenic areas, and then end up at a local eating establishment for a nice diner and socializing. If the weather permits, we may elect to have the meeting outdoors, at one of the stops along the tour. So, pray for nice weather, and plan on having a nice fall drive in the country side with your Camaro, and your friends. But, the Camaro Club meeting isn t the only thing going on during the first weekend in October. On Friday, October 4th there is a special activity planned at Berger Chevrolet. Marc Gembinski that bought the "Last Available Camaro" in the charity auction over the Labor Day weekend will be taking delivery of this special Camaro at our own Berger Chevrolet, right here in Grand Rapids. This will be a big media event, and we have all asked to have our Camaros there to take part in the festivities. Scott Settlemire, from Chevrolet, will also be on hand to be part of the presentation. The presentation is tentatively planned for 7:00 pm, so plan on being there in plenty of time (Continued on page 2) New Member Profiles... Say hello to Tom and Priscilla Siegler of Mio, Michigan, new owners of the Johnny Benson, chrome Illusion, Berger Camaro. Seems Tom was car shopping for a high-performance vehicle when he came by the Berger All Chevy Show and spotted the Benson Camaro. We look forward to seeing the Sieglers at upcoming WMCC events. We welcome Robert Strubble of Belding, Michigan. Robert owns a 2002 SS Coupe which he purchased this summer from Berger. Dan, who works in Ionia for the State of Michigan department of corrections, says I like to go fast. I think we ll all agree he has the right car for that! Nice to have you with us Bob.

The View From The Top (from page 1) to get everything setup. We ll be giving Marc a complementary one year membership into the Western Michigan Camaro Club.

2 The View From The Top (from page 1) to get everything setup. We ll be giving Marc a complementary one year membership into the Western Michigan Camaro Club. When you consider that the Last Camaro could have ended up anywhere in the world, but ended up here in Michigan (Imlay City), it seems only fitting to make him a member of WMCC. And the fact that he chose to have the car delivered through Berger Chevrolet, only makes it that much more special. Hopefully this won t be the Last Camaro EVER, but just the last one for a little while! Hey, Bob Lutz, please get a new Camaro project going at GM, ASAP. It s important to a lot of people out here in the heartland. To make the first weekend in October even more exciting, Jason Debler and Chris Frezza, from camaroz28.com are having their annual drag racing event, this year called M7, at the Mid-Michigan Motorplex near Stanton on Saturday, October 5th. Many of our Club members have participated in this event for the last couple of years, and would recommend attending. It will be one of the last chances to get your Camaro out on the track this year. The weather has been very cool (read cold!), at Stanton the last couple of years, and the cars really like the cold air. Our 1985 IROC-Z turned it s best E.T. ever, at last years event (M6). So, there you have it. A full weekend of Camaro fun, and you thought "summer" was over! Also, don t forget about the second annual WMCC, get-away-weekend, scheduled for October 11, 12 and 13. Last year we had 9 couples take the 3 day weekend to enjoy the fall beauty of the Traverse City area together. We re going to be staying at the Red Lion Motor Lodge again, just south of Suttons Bay. There is one room still available for both the 11th and 12th, plus one room for the 12th only, (as of this writing) you can check availability by calling It s sure to be a fun and relaxing weekend in Michigan s North Country. OK, here are some details from the Berger Chevrolet ALLCHEVY SHOW. We ended up with 208 cars attending, which nearly doubled last year s number. The weather was just about perfect, which I m sure contributed to the fine turn out. The weekend started out with an afternoon spent "testing and tuning" at US131 Motorsports Park, near Martin, Michigan. I believe there was something like 73 cars participating in the activities that afternoon. It was nice to see some of the ZL-1 s out there on the drag strip getting a little exercise. There was plenty of time to get as many runs in as you liked. I heard one person ran their car 18 times. Saturday morning dawned bright and clear, and it didn t take long for the Chevys to start flooding into Berger Chevrolet s lots. Before long, we were scrambling to find parking spaces fast enough to keep up with the cars at the rate they were arriving. There were some very nice Chevrolets all through the lot, and the feature cars inside, were in a class by themselves. When was the last time you saw four 1969 ZL-1 Camaros in one place? There were many other significant cars on hand, from a Berger Chevrolet perspective, as well. Dan Baker had his 1967 RS-Z28 on hand, which was the only Z28 Berger sold in Charlie Lillard, had the "Berger" ZL-1 on display, the only ZL-1 Berger sold. Dan Devos displayed a 1967 Camaro Indy Pace Car that once was Dale Berger s demo. It had a 427 cu. In. engine installed at Berger, right from the get go in The Warren family had their 1966 Chevelle drag car, the "Wonderful One", on display which was sponsored by Berger Chevrolet when it was new. Of course there were several COPO Camaros on hand, including one just freshly restored by Nyle Wing, of Wing s Auto Art, and owned by Kevin Sims. It was a piece of artwork, indeed. There were many other cars that originally came from Berger on hand as well, making this a sort of "homecoming" for many of these cars and their owners. The Saturday evening cruise to Rosey s Diner was a lot of fun. 93 cars made the trip north (Continued on page 3)

3 FAN MAIL from Berger All Chevy Show participants......congratulations on the show last weekend... we felt it was a tremendous success. We want to thank you for your gracious hospitality and as usual both the Berger staff and the Western Camaro Club folks treated us like celebrities. Best wishes and success in the future. Riley Crew...Shelby and I have a an awesome time. Cant wait to come back next year. Thank you so much for such a great show. Please again thank the BERGER family for me. Everyone was awesome Keep in touch, we will hopefully see you in November! Carl and Shelby (Carl W. Stuber III) CLUB NAME BADGES It was brought to my attention recently that a few members did not receive names badges mailed in April and May. If you did not receive your badges, or you lost your badges, or maybe you have a new companion (Rick!), or you ve changed your name under the federal witness protection program, please drop me a note. Thanks. Mark Deremo The View From The Top (from page 2) cookout going and everyone enjoyed the food and the cars. After dark, there was a professional photographer on hand to take photos of your car in front of the diner. Sunday was another fine day, and we wrapped things up with awards around noon. This gave all the out-of-towners a chance to get a good start towards home. There were Chevrolet enthusiasts attending from Texas, California, Colorado, Wisconsin, Iowa, Georgia and several states closer to Michigan, making this truly a very special event. We ve already talked about how to improve the event for next year, so you definitely won t want to miss the Berger ALL CHEVY SHOW in 2003, it should be amazing. The 2nd Annual F-body Gathering at the National Corvette Museum was held over the weekend of September 20-22, We had several WMCC members make the trek to Bowling Green this year, which added a nice friendly feeling to the trip. Club members in attendance were: Dennis & Julie Barker, along with their three kids, Amanda, Emily and Robert, Gib & Tammy Loudon, John & Christi Falkenhagen, Pat & Karen Lewis, Roger Hasbany and Anita & Doug Warren. Pat s sister Dorothy and her hubby, George also attended, driving one of Karen s Camaros, (Sunny). I ll have more about this show in next months newsletter, including some photos, so stay tuned. Looking forward to seeing everyone out to the meeting and special activities! DOUG All Camaro / Chevrolet Events: Oct 4 Last Available Camaro Delivery at Berger Chevrolet, 7 PM Oct 5 M7 Mid Michigan Motorplex, Stanton, MI (a event) Oct 6 WMCC Camaro Club Meeting Fall Color Tour Meet at Berger to begin the Tour Oct Club "Get-away Weekend" to the Traverse City area Nov 3 WMCC Camaro Club Meet at Berger to start a possible Southern Color Tour Dec 14 WMCC Annual Camaro Club Christmas Party Meeting Sep My Classic Car Autofest, Evansville, IN Oct 3-6 Fall Carlisle, Carlisle, PA Oct 6 3rd Ann. Snow Poor Richards Café, 1105 E. Crosstown Pky, Kalamazoo, MI Oct 19 I Win Engineering Race Thunderbird Raceway Info:

Dennis Barker waved and went around the pace car, calling out "Yea, ok, I'll leave -- When I'm

Front-straight burnouts by Dennis, Rick Fisk and Berger Sales Manager Jim Casey (driving the

The spinning cars -- which looked a bit like a midway carnival ride -- made such a spectacle

.. The trip to Berlin was a homecoming of sorts for member Bob Younkin.

4 From The Parts Bin... Jim August Club Meeting at Berlin Speedway Rick Dennis John Smith pilots his Sportsman truck, left, and his fans, below. Track management tried to cut short the two lap parade of Camaros as cars exited turn one. Dennis Barker waved and went around the pace car, calling out "Yea, ok, I'll leave -- When I'm Done!" Seems Dennis had some 'unfinished business.' A great night for racing! Front-straight burnouts by Dennis, Rick Fisk and Berger Sales Manager Jim Casey (driving the Hot Rod Camaro) filled the front straight with tire smoke. The spinning cars -- which looked a bit like a midway carnival ride -- made such a spectacle that fans were screaming for more... The trip to Berlin was a homecoming of sorts for member Bob Younkin. Bob used to wrench at Berlin in the late 70s for a cousin. This was his first visit to the track since that time. John and Donna Lauria stage for the parade lap... Dan Baker and Bob Younkin with Bob s 69 Z/28. Candy Hardin, seat mate for Rick Fisk, made her first trip to the Berlin oval. Rick said during the burnouts Candy kept repeating the same words over and over, OH SH_T! (Continued)

3rd Annual Berger ALL CHEVY SHOW (The Parts Bin from page 4) Prez Doug Warren was strategically

the tire smoke was too thick for anything other than NASA approved infrared film.

Sweet and Jay Meyerink tangled for a spectacular crash in the Late Model feature race.

Sweets car then flipped on its roof. Both drivers were only sightly injured.

5 3rd Annual Berger ALL CHEVY SHOW (The Parts Bin from page 4) Prez Doug Warren was strategically positioned on the roof of the press building to grab still pictures of the burnouts, but it seems the tire smoke was too thick for anything other than NASA approved infrared film... Thank the Berlin ticket office for providing great seats in turn one, right where drivers Randy Sweet and Jay Meyerink tangled for a spectacular crash in the Late Model feature race. Both cars hit the wall with such force that it cracked the 3-ft-thick concrete. Sweets car then flipped on its roof. Both drivers were only sightly injured. Because of a first place Berlin feature win in June and a spectacular burnout display in August, a new John Smith bobblehead doll will soon be featured at the track souvenir shop...

Minutes of WMCC September Meeting ( August 24 at Berlin Raceway) In Attendance: Pat & Karen Lewis, John & Cheryl Smith, Marv & Barb Knight, Carrie Thompson, Amy Kugel, Kenya, Doug Warren, Bob

6 Minutes of WMCC September Meeting ( August 24 at Berlin Raceway) In Attendance: Pat & Karen Lewis, John & Cheryl Smith, Marv & Barb Knight, Carrie Thompson, Amy Kugel, Kenya, Doug Warren, Bob Younkin, Gib & Tammy Loudon, John & Christi Falkenhagen, Steve & Roberta VanHarn & Family, Emily A Barker, Mark Deremo, Dan Baker, Nichole & Scott Freese, Armando Machado, Dennis Barker, Thomas Little, John & Donna Lauria, Rick & Kandi Rachael. First we signed releases for driving on the track at the Berlin raceway where we were having our meeting after sharing a very ample pot luck lunch. Thanks every one for the great food. We had a total of 17 cars to parade down the track. There is video of the event. Most of the meeting was spent discussing the Berger show the next weekend. Starting with Berger renting US131 Motorsports Park from noon to five with the gates opening at 9:00am. WMCC members and featured cars had complimentary passes while others paid $20.00 to "test and tune". There were rules that would be handed out. There would be a concessions stand. It was agreed that after track activities, members would head back to Berger to stuff goodie bags and set up the show. Also many of the featured cars would be parking indoors overnight. The show would at Berger's would run from 9:00 to 3:00. We would meet back at Berger's at 5 to cruise to Rosey's Diner at Rockford arriving at about6:00 pm. A special dinner plate had been arranged, hamburger or hot dog grilled outside, potato salad, coleslaw, chips, tortilla chips and salsa, and beverage. The photographer would be on site for anyone interested in getting their cars photographed in front of Rosey's Diner. The next day show resumes at 9 to noon at the dealership with awards at 1:00. Again, the awards are based on spectator vote for the top 25. This year the club cars will be voted on separately with three awards and all the featured cars will get a plaque as well as the dealership. It was decided the club would park behind the Legends tour against the white wall across from the exit from the service garage. Registration will be $10.00 and include up to two T-shirts. Feature cars and members do not pay the fee. There will be concessions and a DJ at the dealership both days. We were also reminded that the 2nd weekend in Oct is when we have an outing to Traverse City planned and that we still have the NEOCC show and the Bowling Green show coming up. - Karen Lewis, Secretary

CORNER CLASSIFIEDS - Classified ad space is available free to WMCC members. Send materials to zls1camaro@aol.com or send via US Mail to 2099 Jennydale Ct. Grand Rapids, MI 49546.

7 L /V8, Automatic, Air, Tilt, Cruise, Power Windows, Locks and Seat, Keyless Entry, 4 Wheel ABS, Dual Air Bags, Leather Seats,T-tops, Delco-Bose CD/Radio, Special Features: Borla Catback Exhaust,

7 CORNER CLASSIFIEDS - Classified ad space is available free to WMCC members. Send materials to zls1camaro@aol.com or send via US Mail to 2099 Jennydale Ct. Grand Rapids, MI FOR SALE Camaro Z L /V8, Automatic, Air, Tilt, Cruise, Power Windows, Locks and Seat, Keyless Entry, 4 Wheel ABS, Dual Air Bags, Leather Seats,T-tops, Delco-Bose CD/Radio, Special Features: Borla Catback Exhaust, SLP Cold Air Induction, VERY CLEAN!! Never Smoked In!! Stored Winters!! $9,000 or BEST OFFER -- CALL ANNE (616) The Western Michigan Camaro Club is dedicated to the enjoyment, preservation and promotion of the Chevrolet Camaro as the premier four passenger sports car ever. The club was formed in Meetings The WMCC holds monthly membership meetings on the first Sunday of each month. Times and location vary, so see the newsletter or check the club s web site at for specific times and locations, or call one of the officers. WMCC Officers President: Doug Warren Vice President: Gary Crippin Secretary: Karen Lewis Treasurer: Anita Warren Membership: Mark Deremo Club Sponsor Berger Chevrolet Website th St. SW Wyoming, MI The Last Available Camaro to be delivered at Berger Chevrolet Oct. 4. SEE FROM THE TOP FOR DETAILS!! Camdon Loudon, son of Gib and Tammy Loudon, launches the family s Rally Green Berger Camaro during the Berger All Chevy event at 131 Raceway Park. When asked about the severe thrashing the Loudon boys put on the cars that day Camdon replied, we don t own the cars, we just drive em and clean em!

The View From The Top

Celebrating Great American Performance The View From The Top by Doug Warren, WMCC President Directions to Fallasburg Park are as follows: Take the Lowell exit off I-96 (Exit 52) and go north on Alden-Nash