<VV> 2015 Performance Corvair Workshop

Rick Norris ricknorris at suddenlink.net
Mon Mar 9 09:34:12 EDT 2015


The 12th edition of the Performance Workshop begun in 2004 has passed and I
call it another success.

Yes, there has been 12 workshops in 12 years! I have had the honor to attend
all but one which was 2009, the first year it moved to a new venue from
Dayton OH to Indianapolis IN., then this year to Kokomo IN.

I never thought much about Kokomo except for a mention in a song (not the
same but?) as to where or what it was about. Kinda sounded like Kalamazoo,
another imaginary place in some peoples minds that actually exists.

Kokomo, the city of firsts as proclaimed on the sign alongside the highway
at the city limit. Never knew that. There was a list of those firsts posted
in the host hotel which, was the Hampton Inn and Suites, a fairly new and
really nice place to stay. Much better than any of the other venues.

As has been stated by others, the weather held down the attendance but the
trip was well worth it just for the social occasion. Bob Coffin and I
traveled together as we often do. He spent Thursday evening at my place then
we left Friday morning. All the snow from the last storm was certainly not
gone by travel time. Bob had a treacherous trip up through Virginia to get
here then, we didn't get off of snow and ice covered roads until about the
Chillicothe OH. That was the longest I have driven my truck, the BRD (Big
Red Dodge) in four wheel drive since I've owned it!

The good news is we had no real issues to deal with and made the trip just
fine.

As is the habit everyone was eager to see what was being offered at the
vendor tables which is really more like a swap meet. There was not as many
vendors as in the past but the pickings were good. Everybody is always
wondering if they spent more money than they made of made more money than
they spent! I did what I planned, picking up some more parts and pieces for
the new race car and got rid of some things I no longer had a use for.
Here's a top tip: If you are building a race car you DID NOT make more money
than you spent! 

The evening meal was held at the Half Moon restaurant. Half Moon...is that
like exposing just one cheek?? The fare was okay and it was good that we had
reserved our own room as the place was crowded with people waiting to be
seated. It was Friday night in Kokomo! We just breezed past as they stared
wonder who WE were!

Back at the hotel the incessant Corvair conversation continued well into the
night. I went to bed!

Finding things in Kokomo is simple as it's all located along both sides of
the four lane main drag through town. Indiana is very flat if you haven't
noticed and as a mountain boy born and raised in the Mountain State of West
Virginia it's a bit of a strange feeling.

The Kokomo Automotive Museum occupies a corner space of a very large
building called Ivy Tech. Lots of empty floor space in several exhibition
halls and having the meeting right in the middle of all the classic cars and
other relics was really nice. Also I want to mention that we had a proper PA
system for a change!

This year we had an afternoon session where some of us current racers sat on
stage and fielded questions from the audience and we had fun relating some
of our racing experiences. With that in mind nothing tops the 2009 event at
Roebling Road raceway where Dan Giannotti, David Clemens and myself were
taking our Drivers school to get a license to race. That was the time we
borrowed the engine from Kevin Poe's street Corvair who, just came by to
watch so David could finish the school and get his license because he blew
the engine in Spence Shepard's car which he had borrowed! It is a Corvair
Racing legend now.

Saturday night after all was done we had the usual gathering in a meeting
room at the host hotel where we continued the chatter about Corvairs and a
myriad of other subjects over the Mexifest put on by Tracy LeVeque. A
Mexican food buffet with Margarita's and whatever you brought along to
drink. I think it went on through the midnight hour but I bowed out around
ten.

Sunday morning at the breakfast table the conversation was still going on
with a few folks as we all prepared to leave for home. It's always the
feeling of being tired and you want to go home but you don't want it to end
either.

Our trip back to WV with a load of goodies for the cars was uneventful and
much warmer weather wise. Now I need to wash all the salt and slop off my
truck but first I may have a nice little pre-nap...

I have a bunch of photos to go through too. 

 

 

Rick Norris

1st CORSA President, 1971

www.corvairalley.com <http://www.corvairalley.com/> 

Hurricane WV

 



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