Hail from
The Chief
By Lynn McKinlay
We have a new email address now. It is
mcklb@if.rmci.net
I have a short business story. A ski resort a few hundred miles for Idaho
Falls was about to go out of business. They decided to lower the lift passes
to finish the season. Much to their surprise they doubled or tripled the
lift pass sales, and all of the stores on the hill doubled their sales.
So what does that have to do with our club? The increase in fuel, utilities,
food, etc., seems to have us in a soft economy (depending on which newsletter
you read) to the tune of around 10-15%. This has led to a prediction of possible
lower tourism than last year. As near as I can tell, Wild West Vet Fest is
one of the car shows with lower costs. I have seen registration fees at $100.00
+ and lodging higher than ours. I think there may be one or possible two
car shows in Nevada with lower costs.
So what is the point? We have a well-oiled machine at work. It is called
the Wild West Vette Fest 2001 Committee. At our last business meeting Richard
Morris extended an invitation to anyone who would like to help. Call Richard
for details and get involved. Many hands make light work.
We were able to have lunch with Dave and Larry from the Snake River Corvette
Club in Twin Falls. They are two very nice individuals. They are interested
in building up the Border Run to a large show. Kelly and I were able to help
them as they asked questions and we inserted here and there. That Bald Eagle
visited with the manager of the restraint and got their second sponsor for
this year's event.
That is all from the Bald Eagle this month.
"Choose a job you like and you will never have to work a day in your life."
Socrates
April Ride
By Farrell Davidson
To all those who couldn't make it we missed you! Ten Corvettes left
Idaho Falls at 8:10 a.m., drove to Blackfoot, took the back roads through
Aberdeen, and stopped at Massacre Rocks. We were on a tight schedule to meet
members of the Twin Falls Vet Club. We met them at the truck stop at about
10:45.
It was fun meeting Dave and Judy Montgomery, Larry Utley, and Russ Galpin
from the Twin Falls Club -- very nice people. They went with us to Shoshone
Falls, which was dry because of the low water levels. Although it was raining,
the canyon was still beautiful.
We all had lunch together at Chili's. The Twin Falls club was impressed with
our club. They really liked our magnetic nametags and want to incorporate
them into their club. They invited us to join them in Jackpot on June 9 and
10 and said they'd see us at West Yellowstone in August.
We went through Buhl and Thousand Springs and when we reached the Interstate,
Wayne and Pam Valentine left us for Boise. From there we drove back to Jerome,
where Steve and Beck Hadlock wanted to stay, as this was their hometown.
From there we went through Shoshone and to the Craters of the Moon. It was
a fun ride but mostly in rain -- and would you believe SNOW! (Ugly)
All in all it was a fun day.
BORDER RUN 2001 in Jackpot!
Border Run 2001, sponsored by the Snake River Corvette Club, will be held in Jackpot, Nevada on June 9, 2001. Early registration will be Friday, June 8th 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. with regular registration on Saturday morning from 8:00 a.m. to Noon. There will be a Show-N-Shine from 12:00 noon to 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, and also a Slot Tournament at Cactus Petes Resort & Casino. Special Corvette Quilts and Quillow's will be available for raffle, along with many and other items. Cutoff date for early registration is May 15, 2001. There will be 5 divisions of cars with 3 winning categories and a $500 cash prize to one lucky Corvette owner.
For more information or a registration form, contact Dave Montgormery or
send an email request to the Snake River Corvette Club. Email addresses and
mailing address are located on our "Contact Us" page. Or; you may simply
go to our "Custom Page" and print the registration form from your computer.
(Maximize window first, Before Printing Page.)
Pirate Racing announces "The King's Last Stand"
By Hib Halverson
Submitted by Frank Smith
On Wednesday, April 4th, I had lunch in Palm Desert, California, with Jim
Van Dorn, owner of Automasters, a ZR-1 tuning shop to which many ZR-1 owners,
including myself, have taken cars for service and performance enhancements.
Of late, Jim has been tending to Automasters and managing Pirate Racing,
the top, SCCA/Speedvision World Challenge team running Corvettes. He
currently fields the #01 Pirate Racing Corvette Z06 for "Wild" Bill Cooper
in this season's World Challenge series.
Van Dorn is, also, a hardcore Zroner, owning three examples of the Beast:
a very-low mileage, 40th ZR-1; the infamous "Weekendr" (once the most powerful,
streetable ZR-1 in existence and still one of the top 5-or-so cars in the
hobby) and "Phoenix", the #75, ZR-1 road race car that saw action in the
1998 and 1999 Speedvision World Challenge seasons.
The Phoenix is notable: (1) for its being the first car the Pirates built
for the '98 WC, (2) as the best finishing Corvette in the 1999 WC, and (3)
for being funded, in-part, by a grass roots group of Corvette enthusiasts
(myself included) who each put up cash for a "share" in Pirate Racing. These
shares were the "seed money" that built the #75.
Ok, back to lunch with JVD. Once Van Dorn started his second, large-bore
margarita and I started my third bottle of Dos Equis, we brain stormed
Jim¹s latest idea: a way to write the final chapter in the motorsports
history of the Corvette ZR-1.
In spite of the mystique that surrounds these cars and their LT5 engines,
ZR-1s scored few successes in professional motorsports. In fact, only two
cars did well in racing on an international basis.
The first, of course, was Tommy Morrison¹s Mobil 1/EDS/Goodyear Record
Run Car. This famous Corvette was driven to the 24-Hour World Speed Record
by a team of eight drivers in March of 1990. Most of those records, set more
than a decade ago, still stand. Morrison¹s car is on permanent display
in the National Corvette Museum.
Corvette showroom stock road racing champion, Kim Baker, who took the car
to a win at Mosport that year along with seconds at Elkhart Lake and Sears
Point, raced the second of these ZR-1s in the 1992 World Challenge. That
same ZR-1 was raced again in the '98 and '99 WC seasons as Pirate Racing¹s
#75. It got the name "Phoenix" from its spectacular engine failure and subsequent
burn-to-the-ground fire at Lime Rock WC race in 1998. Though the efforts
of its grass-roots crew and other Corvette fans, the #75 rose like ³a
phoenix² to compete again, later that year. The Phoenix also ran in
the 1999 season and Pirate Racing ended that year with the most points of
any team racing Corvettes.
Van Dorn told me the 2001 race season is the ZR-1¹s final year of
eligibility for the SCCA/Speedvision World Challenge, the only international
race series left where ZR-1s can compete with other production-based, sports
cars. Once the '01 season ends, the ZR-1 will never have a another shot at
an international road racing win.
What Jim Van Dorn and I propose is "The King¹s Last Stand".
The "KLS" will be Pirate Racing's entry of the #75 car in the final race
of the 2001 World Challenge season, on October 21, 2001 at Lowes Motor Speedway
in Charlotte, North Carolina. The driver is tba at this point, but will be
a top road racing professional associated with Corvettes and Chevrolet. After
the race, the #75 will be donated to the National Corvette Museum. Our intent
is to have some kind of ceremony at the Museum the week after Charlotte in
which the car will be officially turned over to the NCM.
Racing costs money. The #75 has been in storage for more than a year at Auto
Masters in California. It needs a fresh, racing-spec. LT5 along with a spare
engine, some body repairs, a paint job and some minor maintenance.
Over more margaritas and beer, Van Dorn and I reminisced about the fund raising
concept that got Pirate Racing started back in 1997 and decided a similar
program might not only pay for the preparation costs for the Phoenix and
fund the racing effort at Charlotte, but might benefit the NCM with some
cash as well.
Here's our idea: Pirate Racing will offer individual and corporate sponsorship
³shares.² Individual shares will be available on a very limited
basis and will cost $500 each. Anyone buying an individual share will get
their name on the car and a special gift commemorating his or her support
of The King's Last Stand. Corporate shares will be sold for an amount that
depends on placement and size of the sponsor's logo on the car. Any left
over proceeds from the King's Last Stand will be donated to the NCM.
I'm, like--really pumped about this idea!
The Corvette ZR-1 gets one last stand in international road racing and
the effort is partially funded by all of us. Afterwards, the #75 goes on
display and becomes "property of" the NCM for all who supported it to enjoy.
The car remains at the National Corvette Museum to inspire Corvette enthusiasts
in future years and to stimulate interest in the part the ZR-1 played in
the history of America¹s Sports Car.
Those wanting more information about Pirate Racing, should visit the
team's web page at http://www.pirateracing.com. For more information on the King's Last Stand, email the pirates at PirateRacing@aol.com or you
can call them at 760-360-8388.
I¹m pledging my 500 bucks for individual share #1 in the King's Last
Stand!
Sponsors
When you support our sponsors or see them, please tell them THANK YOU
for their support of our club and the car show:
M&M Apartments
Western Bank
Monte Wight Chevrolet
Calrson Classic Cars
Dura-Brite Carpet & Up
holstary Cleaning (West Yellowstone)
Real Estate by Archibald
Wild West Vette Fest
By Debbie Morris
We would like to thank everyone for all the hard work they are doing with
putting on this very successful car show. Our committee chairpersons would
appreciate any help they could get. Please get involved and ask if you could
help in any way.
Also, we need door prizes. In order for everyone to receive a door prize,
we ask every member of the club to donate a door prize. It does not need
to be expensive or car related. Please bring them to Richard, Debbie, Rich,
or Linda.
So far the show is on schedule with the planning stages, with show registrations
way up at this time compared to past years. It promises to be a good one.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
| Betty McKinley | 3 |
| Judy Ramsey | 5 |
| Linda Moore | 8 |
| Darlene Davidson | 16 |
| Trish Bargman | 18 |
| Marvin Bennett | 21 |
| Connie Lamprecht | 23 |
April Meeting Minutes
By Betty McKinlay
China Super Buffet was the meeting place for the
Club meeting held April 26th. There were 32 in attendance.
Club President Lynn McKinlay tried to bring the meeting to order but had
forgotten the gavel Farrell made for him and he had a hard time bringing
the meeting to order without it. He'll remember it next time.
The following dates were set for the calendar for our club meetings:
May 17 Anglers Lodge
June 14 Big Jud's in Archer
July 12 Taco Time/Park in Rexburg
August 2 Heise for Pizza
Richard Morris gave a report on the Wild West Vette Fest.
Everything is going well. If anyone would like to help with the event, let
Richard know. The committee can always use good help. Their next meeting
will be May 22 at 7 p.m. at Denny's. June 30 will be the Poker Run for Sponsors.
We need door prizes.
Farrell Davidson lays awake at night thinking about the next story he will
tell at our meeting. He should put these in a book for those to read who
miss meetings. If you are not coming to our meetings you are missing out
on some "good" stories. Farrell needs to know how many are going to Anglers
Lodge. Please let him know. Farrell has tentatively set June 22 for
a road trip to Montana and one in July to Big Timber. Keep posted for exact
dates. Thanks for the great job you are doing, Farrell, to get these road
trips organized.
Sam Miller expressed appreciation to Randy Wagner for the efforts he has
made in getting sponsors. He works at Fred Meyer and they are one of our
big sponsors. We should patronize their store.
Brian Novak still has hats for sale for $10. Dave Klink at Lee Screen-Printing
does embroidery work if you need anything done.
Janet Miller took just a minute to tell about the Boise show July 26-29.
Taylor Chevrolet Show will be August 11 at Taylor Chevrolet in Rexburg. The
Hot Rod Café will be there to film the cars. Trish Bargman
told about two shows: "Vettes on the Rockies" and "Mountain Memorial
Day". Call Trish for more details.
Janet knows of a black '98 Corvette for sale and Jack Larsen knows of a 2000
for sale. Call them if you want phone numbers.
A new couple was introduced Bob and Cindy. They drive a '79.
Bev Novak discussed our Web site. Do we want more space? She needs to know
by August.
If we get the schedule on our calendar for the eating-places for the rest
of the year, Randy can hit them up for sponsors. Randy will come with suggestions
at our next meeting.
October 6-13 is the trip to Albuquerque, New Mexico for the Kodak International
Balloon Festival. Call Mary Bennett for more information.
Next time we meet will be May 3 at Scotty's. Hey, that's my birthday!! Our
next club meeting will be May 17 at Anglers Lodge in Island Park for dinner.
We'll leave KFC in Rexburg at 5 p.m.