Inside this issue: President s Letter 2 Speakers from March s Meeting Calendar of Events 3 2017 Officers 3 Birthdays 4 Meeting Place 5 Winners! 6 Seen here is Bob Clifton speaking to the club about the vile vehicle the Ford Mustang New Members 7 Events Recaps - Upcoming Events 8 Corvette in the News 15 NCM Ambassador 16 Corvette Racing 18 Tech Tips 19 Mike Foster, from the Barber Martin Agency, advised CCR of an upcoming Virginia Lottery Corvette Scratcher. The CCR Store 20 Follow us on Facebook at: Corvette Club of Richmond Note from the Editor Again, please be mindful of deadlines we must meet in order to keep the distribution of the newsletter running smoothly. Please make sure all articles, event recaps, and any other information is sent to the Newsletter Editor by the 25th of each month to jamesntiff4@gmail.com. I also ask for your ideas for the Tech Tips pages. What would you like to know?
Page 2 A Message from the President Message from the President, Bob Brody Dear fellow CCR Members, Spring Has Sprung!! Despite winter s latest last gasp, it looks like the weather has turned the corner and we can expect some delightful spring days ahead. The recent rains have washed away the VDOT chemicals, so it s time to bring your Garage Queen out of hibernation and join CCR for some Fun, Fellowship and Food. We have a calendar chock full of excellent opportunities to get your favorite ride out on the road. Every weekend in April has an event so let s get going. First, the annual Bunny Run is scheduled for April 8, and I hope you have your burgeoning bundle of Bunnies ready to deliver to the Children s Hospital. The delivery will be followed by Fun, Fellowship and Food at the Texas Roadhouse on Rt.1, near Virginia Center Commons. On April 15, we will make our annual pilgrimage across the Potomac to Captain Billy s for an afternoon of Fun, Fellowship and Food. Then, on April 22, we will cruise to the Muscle Car Show in New Kent for another afternoon of Fun, Fellowship and Food. (Are you seeing the pattern here?) On April 29, we will cruise to the LaGrange Winery for (wait for it) an afternoon of Fun, Fellowship and Food accompanied by a wine tasting. On May 6 the Ladies will enjoy a Tea Party at the Jefferson which will be an afternoon of well you get it by now, don t you? Also on May 6, Zip will hold their Open House which is a place to show off your Corvette and hang with the guys while the Ladies have their tea and treats. Our Annual All Corvette Roundup is scheduled on June 3 at Heritage Chevrolet in Chester. This is a new venue, so let us know your ideas to make it better; your input and assistance will be greatly appreciated. We are always seeking new Event ideas, so let us know what you would like to do, and allow us to help you move your idea forward and make it a wonderful new CCR Event. We have many veteran OD s who will happily provide help and guidance. Events are the lifeblood of CCR, so please join in. The best way to get to know other members and make new friends is to participate. I hope to see all the regulars AND many new faces at all the upcoming CCR activities. The next Members Meeting is at the Markel Corporation in Glen Allen and our After Meeting Social will be held at a local restaurant. We would like your help with After Meeting Socials; please let me know if you are willing to have one at your home or if you have an idea for a restaurant. Best wishes, warm regards, and remember to Save The Wave! Life is a highway, and I wanna drive it in my Corvette with my best friend Doris as co-pilot. Your CCR friend, Bob Brody
2017 Events Calendar: Page 3 Saturday, Apr 8 Bunny Run Friday, Apr 14 Membership Meeting (West End) Meet and Greet: Golden Coral Saturday, Apr 15 Cruise to Capt. Billy s Saturday, Apr 22 All American Muscle Car Show Saturday, Apr 29 Cruise-in to Winery at LaGrange Saturday, May 6 Zip Open House/Car Show Saturday, May 6 Chocolate Lovers Ladies Tea Friday, May 12 Membership Meeting (Southside) Meet and Greet:: Hosted by Peter and Linda Dunn *For event details, please see the website, www.corvetteclubofrichmond.com Officers for 2017 PRESIDENT Bob Brody (804) 405-1568 rbrody@leviton.com CORRESPONDING SECRETARY Donna Carr (804) 356-3550 DonnaMarieCarr@yahoo.com VICE PRESIDENT Bubba Carr (804) 356-8731 hubbabubbacarr@yahoo.com SERGEANT-AT-ARMS Graham Wilson (804) 236-3918 gram2margo2@verizon.net TREASURER Paul Murman (804) 748-7695 A.veteran14@gmail.com HISTORIAN David Dolan (804) 346-5266 daviddolan42@comcast.net RECORDING SECRETARY Sue Ann Bickert (804) 330-3554 onebigbic@verizon.net WEBMASTER Mike Starr (804) 527-0879 starrm7@gmail.com NEWSLETTER EDITOR James Wilson (804) 382-1414 jamesntiff4@gmail.com EVENTS COORDINATOR Kirby Montgomery (804) 784-3173 kvmontgomery@aol.com
Page 4 APRIL BIRTHDAYS HAPPY BIRTHDAY to those members celebrating birthdays this month. May there be a shiny, new surprise in your driveway! Cheryl Maddern 4/2 Robert Bickert 4/4 Kenneth Brooks 4/4 Stephen Harper 4/5 Lynden Garland 4/6 Herbert Pegram 4/6 Marlin Fegely 4/7 Dorine Mahan 4/7 Danny Madison 4/8 Bill Tresler 4/8 Dr. Donald Kiesel 4/9 Carole Crowder 4/10 John Ficklin 4/11 Doug Woods 4/11 Brian Diggs 4/13 Cecile Custer 4/15 Linda Dunn 4/17 Walter Johnson, Jr. 4/17 Janet Bugay 4/20 Paul Murman 4/21 Faye Buren 4/22 Fran Cummings 4/23 Frank Brown, Jr. 4/25 Nancy Kavalieratos 4/25 David Sadowski 4/25 Barry Deis 4/26 Cynthia Porter 4/27 Charles Jennings 4/28 Jo Chesser 4/29 Nancy Harrison 4/29
Page 5 April Meeting Friday, April 10th at our West End Location Our next General Membership Meeting will take place on Friday, April 14th, at 7:30 PM at the Markel Corporation Building in Innsbrook, 4521 Highwoods Parkway, Glen Allen, Virginia 23060. There is plenty of parking available. So come early to visit in the parking lot with other members! Meeting Directions (West End) From I-295, take exit 51B for Nuckols Road South. From Nuckols Road, turn right at the first traffic light onto Sadler Road. Take the next left turn onto Sadler Place. Take an immediate right onto Highwoods Parkway. Take the first left into the parking lot (you will see the "Markel" sign). The Markel Building will be directly in front of you. Enter under the carport on the right side of the building as you face it After Meeting Party, Friday, April 14th Our after meeting party will be at Golden Coral, details will be provided at the meeting.
Page 6 MARCH MEETING S BIG WINNERS CONGRATULATIONS!!!!! Dinner Ticket Jo Chesser 50/50 Winner Bob Brody Mystery Handshake Cheryl Maddern
Page 7 Daryl Fowler
Page 8 Upcoming Event CCR 21st Annual Bunny Run Saturday, April 8, 2017 ODs Cecile & Ed Custer On Saturday April 8, 2017, CCR members will be welcoming spring with our 21st Annual Bunny Run delivering plush bunnies to the patients at the Children s Hospital of Richmond. This is our version of a teddy bear run, only better!! Again this year, CCR is inviting ALL Corvette owners to join us for this fun and extremely rewarding event. The only requirements for participation are that you drive a Corvette and bring 1 or more plush snuggly bunnies. All bunnies need to be new and in individual plastic bags. (Grocery produce bags work well and most stores will let you have them for free.) Since this is our 21st year for this much anticipated event I would like to break our past record of 42 Corvettes set several years ago. This year let s aim for at least 50 Vettes to roar into Children s Hospital with our furry cargo. To achieve this goals please invite every Corvette owner you know and even those you don t know but see cruising around town. It is a great event to let fellow Vette owners meet CCR members and learn about our amazing Corvette Club with an enormous heart. We will meet at 12:15PM at Smith Turf & Irrigation located at 2201 Dabney Road (23230). (Behind the Sears Appliance Outlet) We will depart for Children s Hospital at 12:45PM. We will enter through the Hospital s Brook Road entrance and park along the side of the building until all of the children are in place and ready for our arrival. Once everyone is ready, our parade of spectacular Vettes will proceed and unload the bunnies. After unloading we will visit with the children, parents & staff and enjoy refreshments. This is a rain or shine event although it doesn t dare rain until we have finished unloading our special cargo. Participants are invited to accompany us to Texas Roadhouse on Rt.1 near Virginia Center Commons for lunch around 2-2:30PM. Wondering where the all of the bunnies come from? Many seasoned CCR bunny wranglers already stocked up during last year s after Easter sales. Others of us will be hitting up everyone we know to donate bunnies in addition to the ones we buy. Flyers that you can post or distribute in order to collect bunnies from friends, family and co-workers will be available at the February meeting and on the CCR website. If you are unable to attend you may bring bunnies to the February or March meetings. Don t want to go bunny shopping, you can make a monetary donation and Cecile will go shopping for you. Contact CCR s chief bunny wrangler, Cecile Custer via e-mail at: ccrbunnyrun2015@yahoo.com or phone at (804) 338-8362 with questions or to make other arrangements to contribute bunnies. I have set up a Facebook page for our car Bunny Vette to share photos and posts about past Bunny Runs. Not already a friend of Bunny Vette, Cecille Custer or Ed Custer) please send a friend request to one of us then share our Bunny Run posts so we can get the word out about this great event Hop to it and start gathering new stuffed bunnies from every one you know, don your bunny ears and join us on April 8th so we can make this our biggest & best Bunny Run yet.! =( )= ( ) * (l) (l)
Page 9 BUNNIES NEEDED The Corvette Club of Richmond is sponsoring their 21st Annual Bunny Run for Children s Hospital on Saturday, April 8, 2017 Parade of Corvettes at 1:15PM Each spring the Corvette Club of Richmond collects stuffed bunnies for patients at Children s Hospital. The bunnies are delivered in style as a parade of beautiful Corvettes arrives at the front entrance of Children s Hospital. The goal is for every child who receives services at the hospital throughout the year to have their own bunny to help them through their treatment. Help us put smiles on their faces with a cuddly friend. The public is invited to enjoy the parade. You can help by donating new plush bunnies of any size. They need to be in a plastic bag. For additional information or to make a donation contact CCR member at The children and the Corvette Club of Richmond thank you for your support.
Page 10 Upcoming Event 17th Annual Crab Cruise Saturday, April 15; 2017 ODs: Lori & Dave Dolan Are you ready? Our meeting is on Friday and the next day we head to Capt. Billy's in Popes Creek. Gas up your Vette, wear your nametags and bring your club radios. It's time again to hit the road! DETAILS: We ll meet at 1:15 pm behind the Burger King at 9178 Chamberlayne Road (Route 301) & Atlee Station Road. At staging, see Lori to sign the sign up sheet and buy your 50/50 tickets. Then, we'll have a brief drivers meeting and depart at 1:30. Since this is a rain or shine event, if the weather is bad or you re bringing guests, feel free to drive your OTC (Other Than Corvette). OTCs are fine they just have to be at the back of our caravan!! For more info, check our articles in the February and March newsletters.
Page 11 Upcoming Event Cruise to La Grange Winery Saturday, April 29; 2017 OD: Bubba Carr Please join us to cruise to La Grange Winery in scenic Haymarket VA, and participate in the Old Dominion Corvette Club s 11 th Annual All Corvette Cruise-In and wine tasting with pot luck lunch. This event is limited to the first 100 people to register and will likely sell out in advance. Cost is $5 per person which includes the wine tasting and a Commemorative ODCC wine glass. Follow this link to sign up on Eventbright: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2017-winery-at-lagrange-car-show-wine-tasting-tickets-32055025444 Our meeting place will be announced as soon as the route is finalized.
Page 12 Upcoming Event High Tea Saturday, May 6, 2017 OD: Doris Brody and Mary Wells CCR Ladies ONLY! Dust off those fancy hats and plan a Saturday that s all about you! We will again be hosting a special High Tea at the famous Jefferson Hotel in downtown Richmond. We did this event several years ago and it was such a success we decided to do it again. This year we feature a Chocolate Lover s Tea consisting of a set menu that includes 4 finger sandwiches, 2 flavors of scones, 2 flavors of tea bread and a chocolate buffet of desserts for each lady. If we have enough participation, we will offer two blends of tea for everyone. We will be seated around 5 ft. round tables covered in white linen and have white china with silver serving pieces. Each table will accommodate up to 10 people, so the arrangement will be dependent on our final guest count. There will be prizes for the four best hats, so don t miss out on a chance to take a special prize home with you! The date is Saturday, May 6 th from 1:00 pm to 3:30 pm. The all-inclusive price is $43 per person, which includes tax and gratuity and includes complimentary valet parking for all tea guests. They only ask that we bring our ticket in with us so they may validate them. Doris Brody and Mary Wells will be hosting this special event, so they can answer any questions you may have. Guests are welcome. Please remit your money in advance to Doris Brody at 3918 McTyres Cove Ct. Midlothian,VA 23112 if you plan to attend. We look forward to another successful High Tea with all of our special CCR ladies!
Page 13 Upcoming Event
Page 14 Corvette Club of Richmond Corvette Club of Richmond 21st Annual Roundup Registration Form Heritage Chevrolet 12420 Jeff Davis Hwy, Chester, VA 23831 Saturday, June 3, 2017 9am-2pm (Rain or Shine) Show & Shine for Corvettes Only Registration $25 2nd Car/Same Owner $10 (Spectator admission is free.) Dash Plaques will be given to the first 100 registrants. Trophies for 1st and 2nd place will be awarded in the following classes: C1 (53-62), C2 (63-67), E-C3 (68-73), L-C3 (74-82), C4 (84-96), C5 (97-2004), C6 (2005-2013) & C7 (2014 & Newer) Trophies will also be awarded for Best Engine, Best Interior & Best in Show Check-in & Registration: 9am to 11am Judging by Show Participants: 11am to 1pm Trophies Awarded: 2pm Make Checks Payable to the "Corvette Club of Richmond" Name/Vendor: Address: City/State/Zip: Cell Phone#: Email: Corvette Year & Model: Coupe or Convertible Club Affiliation: CCR or Other: Distance to Show (miles): Signature: Pre-Registration Forms must be postmarked by May 22. Mail to: Corvette Club of Richmond PO Box 11661 Richmond, VA 23230 Disclaimer: In consideration of the acceptance of the right to participate, entrants, participants, and spectators by execution of this form, expressly release and discharge the Corvette Club of Richmond and Heritage Chevrolet, their officers, directors, employees, agents, representatives, servants, and any-one else connected with the management of presentation of the 21st Annual Roundup of and from any and all known and unknown damages, injuries, losses, judgments and/or claims from any causes that may be suffered by any entrant to person or property. Further, each entrant expressly agrees to indemnify all of the foregoing entitles, firms, persons and bodies of and from all
Page 15 Corvette Museum Commemorates Sinkhole s 3rd Anniversary The Lane Report March 31, 2017 in the news A little over three years ago, on Feb. 12, 2014, viewers tuning in to their morning news witnessed and heard a nearly unbelievable story a sinkhole had opened inside the National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, Ky., leaving eight Corvettes lying at the bottom of a deep gaping hole. Fortunately, the cars and building were the only things damaged since the cave-in occurred in the early morning hours before anyone was in the museum. The story captivated those who watched it, and while the museum initially planned to put the past behind them, the interest in the sinkhole and damaged Corvettes was undeniable. Last year, the museum commemorated the second anniversary of the international headline-making event with a ribbon cutting for a new exhibit: Corvette Cave In! The Skydome Sinkhole Experience. The exhibit features eight sections, from a recap of what happened the day of the sinkhole, the media coverage and pop culture aspect, to the cars themselves, the recovery and repair process, and caves and karst landscapes, leading to a grand finale cave-in experience. After interacting with the display, visitors are led into the Skydome where they can see an outline of where the sinkhole was, an outline of where the cave is and even peer down the 30- foot-deep shaft into the remaining portion of the cave. The exhibit was extremely well received, helping the museum achieve the second highest attendance in its 23-year history. This year, to commemorate the third anniversary of the event, Corvette Museum officials decided to begin restoring a 1962 Corvette that was damaged by the effects of the sinkhole and has since been on display in the exhibit to demonstrate extent of the damage incurred by the event. The car has been on display as-is for nearly three years, so we thought to commemorate the third anniversary of the sinkhole, we would start the restoration work on the last Corvette to be repaired, said Katie Frassinelli, the museum s marketing and communications manager. Almost all the work will be performed in-house by Daniel Decker, our vehicle maintenance and preservation coordinator. It s exciting that guests will be able to see the car come back to life. The Corvette was donated to the museum in 2011 by David Donoho, a die-hard enthusiast who saved up enough money to buy the car in high school and ultimately owned it just over 50 years. Donoho was so obsessed, in fact, that he earned the nickname The Weather Man because his friends would tease him about how closely he would watch the weather and quickly take his Corvette home when there was a chance of rain. The Corvette needs about $15,000 worth of new parts, including a complete front-end assembly, hood panel and windshield, but overall the damage was minor compared to the other cars. Thanks to the generosity of General Motors, all $25,000 in restoration expenses have been covered. Returning the 1962 to original condition will be a lengthy process, and Decker expects the task to take as long as a year to complete. It s a real big honor to be able to do the work, to bring it back to life from the sinkhole, he said. We want to do it right. The fiberglass will need to set and cure so it doesn t shrink later. We want the car to look immaculate. A 1962 Corvette that was damaged as a result of a sinkhole cave-in at the National Corvette Museum in 2014 is being restored to commemorate the third anniversary of the disaster.
Page 16 REVS & RUMBLES @ THE NCM By Barry Roper, NCM Ambassador/Lifetime Member April brings us yet another entry from the seemingly bottomless pit of creativity dipped into regularly by the staff of the National Corvette Museum. As often as possible I try to interject reminders that our amazing Museum has no endowment and as a non-profit corporation it is perpetually in need of funding for daily operations as well as for the ever expanding offerings and programs. The latest wrinkle involves finding additional uses for the track at the Motor Sports Park across I-65 from the main campus. Karting is planned to debut this month in time for the Annual Bash to be held April 27-29 at the NCM in Bowling Green, KY. In addition to generating a recurring revenue stream from the Kart rental and track time, sponsorship of individual karts is offered to companies, Corvette Clubs, and others on an annual or multi-year basis. Specifications for the karts have yet to be published but they will be as pictured below and 18 sponsorships remain available for the 2017 inaugural year. Four 8" x 24" sponsor logos or custom decals will be placed on each kart. Two levels of sponsorship are being offered with the first being $1000/kart for 1 year or $2500/kart for 3 years and includes a 10% discount for a private karting party. The second option is $1500/kart for 1 year or $3500/kart for 3 years which includes the benefits from the first option plus a 4' x 4' custom fence sign on the track. Prices for karting and facility rental are shown below. The basic rate is $20 for an 8 minute race.
Page 17 REVS & RUMBLES (CONTINUED) For CCR members who may want to attend the 2017 Bash (during which the 2018 Corvettes will be present for viewing and touching/sitting, etc.), registration is open now and closes @ 8AM on April 18th. Registration is $20 member, $30 nonmember.
Page 18 Corvette Racing Wins 3rd Straight 12 Hours of Sebring By Patrick Rall - March 22, 2017 Torque News While a trio of Cadillac prototype racecars took the top three spots in the overall race to the checkered flag at the 2017 12 Hours of Sebring endurance race, the #3 Chevrolet Corvette drove to victory in the GT LeMans class giving Corvette Racing its 3rd straight GTLM win at Sebring. Corvette Racing is unquestionably one of the strongest teams in the world of production-based endurance racing, racking up a long list of major event wins (and championships) all over the world during the course of the past decade. Included on that list are wins in the 12 Hours of Sebring in 2015 and 2016, so when the teams rolled into Sebring International Raceway for the 2017 running of the historic endurance race, the bright yellow Corvettes were the odds-on favorite to lead the GTLM class. Unfortunately, when the #4 Corvette ran into overheating issues early in the race and the #3 car was buried in the pack with less than two and a half hours left, it didn t look like there were good odds of Corvette Racing pulling off the Sebring three-peat. However, the sign of a great race team is defying the odds, and that is exactly what Antonio Garcia did this past weekend. Garcia Drives to Victory There were under 3 hours left in the 2017 12 Hours of Sebring when Antonio Garcia climbed into the #3 Corvette C7.R and once the field had filed out from their stops, the driver dubbed the King of Spain found himself running in 5th place with less than 150 minutes left in the race. Between Garcia, the Corvette and the team s 3rd straight Sebring win stood the #62 Ferrari in 4th and all 3 of the Chip Ganassi Racing in 1st, 2nd and 3rd. In the course of 15 minutes and 10 laps, Garcia slipped past the Ferrari and both the #67 and #68, putting the #3 Corvette C7.R in the 2nd spot, trailing only the #66 Ford GT. During the next round of pit stops, strong teamwork allowed Garcia to jump ahead of the #66 Ford with just over an hour and a half left. Having put the Ford GTs to bed, Garcia and the #3 Corvette only the #911 Porsche left to hold back, but the German coupe was closing quickly. Fortunately for Corvette Racing, the Porsche ran over some debris on the track and was forced to make an unscheduled pit stop. From there, Garcia and the Corvette Racing #3 car had a clear drive to the win. As mentioned above, the 12 Hours of Sebring win this past weekend was the 3rd in a row for Corvette Racing and the 2nd in 3 years for Garcia and the #3 team. The #3 Corvette Racing squad won back in 2015, followed by the #4 Corvette taking the GTLM win last year.
Page 19 Tech Tips It s that time of the year again, so I thought we could all use a checklist to ensure we don t miss a small detail.
Page 20 The CCR Store
Page 21 Thank You to our Corporate Sponsors! Heritage Liaison: Bubba Carr (804) 356-8731