July 2004 Report

With SE Michigan temps finally breaking the 90° mark, summer weather is here! Fortunately, air conditioning has been available on Corvettes since 1963 and standard equipment since 1980.

On second thought, remembering the banged-up knuckles suffered while trying to remove/replace the #8 spark plug, near the A/C plumbing on my beloved ’93 40^th Anniversary coupe, I sometimes wished that Corvette did not have A/C. I know, I know..…many of you will recall that the recommended service interval for the LT1’s platinum-tipped plugs is 1.6 guzillion miles, so what’s the big deal? Well, for starters, I put 98,000 wonderful miles on the 40^th’s odo in less than three years. And I pulled the plugs (even the %$@&! #8 plug) every 10,000 miles to check the gap and sometimes replace the plugs. So that’s nine times I pulled the plugs, with reckless disregard for the skin on my knuckles, during three years. Then feeling guilty that I sent the ’93 to its new owner without replacing the 8,000-mile-old plugs. A few of you might say this behavior was admirable. Others might say this behavior was understandable, if excessive. And still others might say this behavior was obsessive. Obsessive? Naaaah!

On the other hand, every time I lovingly hand-washed that Ruby Red beauty, I read the VIN plate. Aloud. Today, more than eight years after trading the 40^th for a ’96 black coupe, I still can recite the VIN of the 40^th: 1G1YY23P5P5115084. Now that’s obsessive!

By this point, my best friend is probably wondering whether I’m primarily attracted by her many fine attributes or, just maybe, by her ’93 coupe. J

May each of you enjoy your Corvette obsession(s) as much as I have enjoyed mine!

Appreciation

To Fred King, chairperson of the May 15^th drags in Milan. More thanks to Fred for finally letting us hear the throaty rumble of his recently/heavily modified “other car” at the drags and again at May membership meeting.

To Fred and Lauren Scarpace, co-chairs for the successful CCM Driving School held on May 27^th at Waterford Hills.

To Norma Wallis, president of Livernois Motorsports, for hosting our May 26^th general membership meeting. In state-of-the art facilities, we saw vintage and new vehicles receiving some serious performance enhancements. For more info, see www.livernoismotorsports.com. [I am still curious about what kind of enhancements are planned for the local TV news van we saw there. With its roof-mounted satellite antenna and 500 hp, the news crew could investigate and transmit breaking news very quickly!]

To Denise Hlady who, in husband Kerry’s absence, chaired the May 16th Slider Cruise at Don’s of Traverse City.

A Sampling of Upcoming Events

· Sunday, Jun 20: Father’s Day Autocross (Corvettes only) at GM’s Detroit-Hamtramck plant. To disprove the old saying, “There ain’t no free lunch,” event chairperson Gordon McCann is arranging a free lunch for participants!

· Wednesday, Jun 23: Annual Cruise Night will begin at Meijer’s on Grand River in Wixom, then cruise through beautiful Kensington Metropark, before dinner at Baker’s of Milford. For reservations, please call Mark Eissler at (734) 207-5030.

· Sun, Jul 4 – Gary Griffith Sr. Memorial Time Trial at Waterford Hills.

· Wed, Jul 28 – Membership meeting at Les Stanford Chevrolet, featuring Harlan Charles, Corvette Product Manager, with the new 2005 C6 Corvette.

· Wed, Aug 25 – A brief membership meeting at Les Stanford Chevrolet, followed by a food/beverages/fellowship one block away at Cheli’s Chili.

· Thu, Sep 2 - Sun, Sep 5: The huge Labor Day weekend celebration of the National Corvette Museum’s 10^th Anniversary. Dave Krom will lead a caravan on Thursday morning, Sep 2, in his road-and-track tested black Z06.

· Thu, Sep 23: Competition Director Ken Watson arranged this NEW DATE for the Fall Drags at Milan Dragway, to avoid a scheduling conflict with the NCM event on Labor Day weekend.

For more info, please see calendars and fliers in this month's issue of SlipStream, provided by Joe Thomas (NCM), Kerry Hlady (Social), Ken Watson (Competition), and Mark Eissler (Programs).

Russ Craighead
President, Corvette Club of Michigan

JUNE 2004 REPORT

Since the May issue of SlipStream, CCM members have enjoyed a wide variety of social and competitive events in Southeast Michigan and elsewhere. On April 22-25, the National Corvette Museum hosted the C5/C6 Birthday Bash. Our NCM Ambassador, Joe Thomas, and his five-year-old navigator, Rachel, led a caravan of Corvettes from our area.

While in Bowling Green, our SlipStream publisher, Dave Krom, drove his black Z06 to a second place finish in the autocross at Beech Bend Raceway Park.

We’ve had our first Slider Drives of the season, as well as a Sunday Brunch Cruise to the Fox and Hounds Inn. On May 9, the CCM Mother’s Day Autocross, chaired by Marty and John Firment, featured 118 competitors (results follow later in this issue). And the first of our two drags at Milan Dragway, on May 15, was chaired by Fred King.

Later in this month's issue of SlipStream, Kerry Hlady (Social Director), Joe Thomas (NCM Ambassador) and Ken Watson (Competition Director) provide details of a wide range of upcoming events. Please make plans to participate!

At our May general membership meeting, we enjoyed a slide show that Joe Thomas brought to us from the National Corvette Museum. It reminds us how far the Museum has come since opening its doors in 1994. With that in mind, the upcoming Labor Day 2004 celebration of NCM’s 10th anniversary will be especially memorable. Looking ahead to our next monthly general membership meetings, Program Director Mark Eissler has arranged some great programs:

· May 26 - Meeting at Livernois Motorsports

· June 23 - Cruise Night through Kensington Metro Park en-route to dinner at Baker’s of Milford.

· July 28 - At Les Stanford Chevrolet, Harlan Charles will give us the latest news on the 2005 C6 Corvette. Harlan is a long-time Corvette owner/enthusiast who, for the last three years, has been the key marketing guy as Team Corvette completed design, engineering, manufacturing, and marketing plans for the new Vette. Harlan will be accompanied by a living, breathing, shining C6.

· August 25 - Following a short membership meeting at Les Stanford Chevrolet, we will adjourn and reconvene one block away at Cheli’s Chili for fellowship, food, and beverages.

In closing, I’d like to extend a special “Thank You!” to the many members who offer their time and talents to plan and carry out the active calendar of CCM events. These folks make it possible for all of us to enjoy Corvette activities, at a variety of venues, with other people who share our passion.

Russ Craighead

President, Corvette Club of Michigan

MAY 2004 REPORT

As you read this report, CCM is well into another exciting season of social and competition activities. We’ve already completed driving school (classroom and track segments), two rallyes, one autocross, and our first cruise/dining event. Later in this issue, Kerry Hlady (Social Director) and Ken Watson (Competition Director) will provide details of upcoming events. Please spend a few minutes reading the calendars and fliers, then make plans to join your fellow CCM members for another season of fun and fellowship with your Corvettes!

This is a particularly historic year in the world of Corvettes, as production of the current C5 generation ends and the 2005 C6 Corvette coupe and convertible are launched. Earlier this year, many of us witnessed the unveiling of the C6 at the North American International Auto Show at Cobo. Soon afterwards, we devoted the program at the January general membership meeting to a review of the new C6, including insights into its design and development. The C6 convertible was subsequently unveiled at the Geneva Auto Show, affirming the increased international stature of the new ‘Vette. In recognition of the transition from C5 to C6, this month’s annual celebration at the National Corvette Museum is touted as the “C5-C6 Birthday Bash.” Our CCM Ambassador, Joe Thomas, is leading the first caravan of members making the pilgrimage to Bowling Green for this celebration.

Meanwhile, at our monthly general membership meetings, Program Director Mark Eissler has lined up some interesting programs. At the April 28 meeting, we will enjoy a new slide show recently provided by the NCM. The May 26 meeting will be held at Livernois Motorsports (please refer to the details provided here). On June 23, CCM will have its Cruise Night through Kensington Metropark, ending with dinner at Baker’s of Milford.

During the past month, CCM responded to a request for help from our National Council of Corvette Clubs (NCCC) brethren. Specifically, they are seeking unused Corvette shirts and other clothing items for U.S. troops serving in Iraq. Our servicemen and women value these items as reminders of America’s performance icon. Our club helped by shipping two boxes of Corvette clothing to NCCC, who in turn forwarded these Corvette “care packages” to the troops.

With the return of spring, I hope that you and your Corvette(s) enjoy the season ahead!

Russ Craighead

President, Corvette Club of Michigan

APRIL 2004 REPORT

On the ballots for 2004 CCM elections, members were encouraged to offer suggestions for continuous improvement of our club. Following a recent Board review of the questions, comments, and suggestions, I’ll offer the following responses:

Three members suggested that we have more events that are centrally located or on the eastside.

Here is a map of the Detroit metro area. The dots indicate where our members live. The stars indicate our sponsor, Les Stanford Chevrolet, where most of our monthly membership meetings are held. The "A" indicates the GM Hamtramck lot where most of our autocrosses are held.

During the past two years, CCM events in central/eastside locations have included a visit to the Cadillac museum in Warren, a tour of Werner Meier’s restoration shop in Madison Heights, a CCM corral at the Woodward Dream Cruise, Dave and Buster’s in Sterling Heights, and CCM driving schools in Warren.

Looking ahead, please provide your suggestions for new venues to me, the Competition Director (Ken Watson), or the Social Director (Kerry Hlady). We are always interested in suggestions for new sites for membership meetings, competition events, and social activities.

How about updates of upcoming events?

An events calendar is available in our monthly SlipStream publication, as well as on the CCM website.

I am interested in volunteering. How do I know what needs done?

We always need volunteers to help plan, organize, and conduct our events. Take a look at the events calendar in SlipStream or on the website. Then call/email the event chairperson or a CCM officer and ask how you can help.

On an annual basis, all members are also encouraged to volunteer by seeking elective or appointive office.

Can I bring a (non-member) friend to a meeting or event?

By all means, yes! Everyone is welcome, even if they don’t own a Corvette. Sponsored Memberships are available for anyone that is a Corvette enthusiast and potential owner.

Suggest that someone from the Board contact members and encourage their involvement.

With all of the publicity concerning the National Do Not Call Registry, we’re all sensitive to the fact that people value their privacy, including freedom from unsolicited phone calls. Accordingly, CCM has taken a less intrusive approach by asking new members to complete a form indicating their interests, then publicizing upcoming events in SlipStream, on the CCM website, and at membership meetings. However, to be more responsive to our new members and ensure that they hear a friendly voice offering assistance when it’s wanted, we will begin the practice of having our 1^st- and 2^nd-year board reps contact new members and offer assistance/information about CCM activities.

Suggest that Board meetings be held at Les Stanford or restaurants, instead of (or in addition to) meetings at homes of Board members.

This has been done before, e.g., Tom Kania hosted a Board meeting at the Fairlane Club last year. Although we enjoyed the amenities there, there was additional cost which Tom graciously funded. This cost issue has primarily driven our normal meeting location, at Board members’ homes. We certainly remain open to other locations that are convenient to Board members and do not cause additional expense for CCM or individuals. Suggestions can be directed to me or our Corresponding Secretary, Jeanette Ek. Let me take this opportunity to remind all members that you are welcome at any Board meeting, on the second Wednesday of each month at 7:30 p.m. Just call me or any Board member to confirm the location.

Want more information on Corvette preventive maintenance, repairs, and improvements/upgrades to performance and appearance.

Great idea! We’ll pursue this in three ways: seminars at membership meetings; Q&A’s in SlipStream; and links on the website. This month’s membership meeting, e.g., will feature a seminar on tire selection for street and competition. If you have specific ideas, please contact me or our Program Director, Mark Eissler.

Display a “special” Corvette at monthly membership meetings.

First, I have to point out that all Corvettes are special. Secondly, the suggestion is excellent. Our members own a wide variety of particularly interesting Corvettes, and we’ll try to line these up for display at membership meetings.

Why do I have to have my NCCC membership through CCM in order to serve on the CCM Board?

First, we are not the only club to have such a rule. Some members belong to two or more Corvette clubs. That choice is open to everyone, and is fully supported by CCM. However, since Board members make decisions which affect all CCM members, it is appropriate that these leaders affirm their primary loyalty to CCM by virtue of their NCCC designation.

I want to learn more about autocross; I even bought a helmet.

Our annual driver’s school is an excellent opportunity to learn more about autocross and other competitive activities. This year’s school is coming soon: the classroom session begins at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, March 26^th at Les Stanford Chevrolet and the driving session begins at 9:00 a.m. on Sunday, March 28^th at the GM Powertrain plant at Nine and Mound in Warren. For more details, please refer to the flier in this month’s SlipStream.

Everyone is encouraged to come to a competitive event and, as a spectator, enjoy watching/hearing Corvettes being driven as they were intended - - flat out! You may “catch the bug” and give it a try yourself!

Several members want to be more active, but have schedule conflicts or family responsibilities that make it difficult to participate.

CCM offers a wide variety of activities, some during the week and some on weekends. For example, monthly membership meetings are on the fourth Wednesday of each month (except December). But at last month’s meeting, we successfully combined a brief business meeting with a very enjoyable social gathering at Cheli’s Chili. Given the great turnout for this midweek combo event, we’ll do this a few times throughout the year. Most of our competition events are scheduled on weekends but we have drags at Milan Raceway on one weeknight each year (this year’s event is scheduled for Thursday evening, Sep 2^nd. With the exception of the annual banquet in January, most/all of our events are family-friendly, highlighted by the annual family picnic and concourse on Aug 15^th.

More non-competition events.

Under the active leadership of our Social Director, Kerry Hlady, the social calendar has been expanded for 2004. Please take a look at the events calendar in SlipStream and join in! If you have ideas for other activities, please contact Kerry.

More Corvette-only autocross events.

Our competition calendar offers a well-rounded mix of Corvette-only events as well as events with a wider range of cars. The latter events reflect our membership in the Detroit Council of Sports Car Clubs (DCSSC), offer the opportunity for Corvettes to show their stuff against other cars, and provide financial support to CCM with entry fees paid by non-Corvette drivers.

Summary

Thanks to all of you who took the time to offer suggestions. On an ongoing basis, please make your wishes known to me and your other officers. This is your club, and all of us want to offer a balanced mix of activities to meet your needs and enhance your Corvette ownership experience.

Russ Craighead

President, Corvette Club of Michigan
(313) 982-0853
russ_craighead AT yahoo.com

March 2004 President’s Report

CCM’s new year is off to a great start:

· Our 46^th annual Awards Banquet was on January 17^th.

· Our first general membership meeting of the year, on January 28^th at Les Stanford Chevrolet. On that evening, we had a presentation featuring photos and features of the recently unveiled C6 coupe.

· Our first 2004 rallye, chaired by Bruce and Mary Wentzel, on February 8^th. We had an excellent turnout; plentiful sunshine; dry pavement; an enjoyable rallye course which included Milford, Brighton, Fenton, and Holly; then food, beverages, and fellowship at the Red Dog Saloon.

In response to members’ suggestions, our Wednesday, February 25^th membership meeting will revive a former CCM tradition. We will first meet at our regular time (8 p.m.) and place (Les Stanford Chevrolet), have a short meeting without program, then reconvene one block away, at Cheli’s Chili for food, beverages, and social time. Please invite a friend!

The following remarks were made by Mark Eissler, 2001 Corvette Club of Michigan President during the Annual Awards Banquet and Dinner Dance held at Laurel Manor in Livonia on 05 January 2002:

Presentation of the Golden Pylon

Well, there are some duties the President of your Club must perform that are fun. Like hosting tonight’s Banquet. And there are some duties that are not so fun. Like awarding the Golden Pylon! And that’s what I’m going to do now. It seems like it was only a year ago that I was awarding this Golden Pylon, oh wait, IT WAS! When I awarded it last year to Gary Seilzack, I thought, “At least I won’t have to do that again!”

Gary wishes he could be with us tonight to perform this noble duty, but he sent a note from his Mother. Actually, he is very busy at work right now. Many of you may know that Gary is on the team that has created the Chevrolet Bel Air Concept Car for this year’s Detroit Auto Show.

Now, let’s review. The Golden Pylon is usually awarded to the Member who attains the highest pylon count at our autocrosses during the season. That was the measure that saw “Go-Around” Gary Seilzack take this award with 23 pylons splattered and scattered during 2000. But enough of Gary’s awe-inspiring skill. In truth, there is no rule the Golden Pylon Holder must follow to determine who to award it to. Gary has decided to use criteria other than Pylon count in his selection of this year’s recipient.

In JUNE, our winner was Event Chairman for an autocross at Poletown. He directed and coordinated the creation of a challenging course. Since the course was long and contained many turns, our winner decided to conduct the safety run himself. During the safety run, he got LOST on his own course!! For this daring feat of driving skill, the Golden Pylon is awarded to:

CHUCK FAST!

Most Valuable Member - 2001

Many tough decisions are made during the course of the President’s term. Usually, the president has the entire Board of Directors to advise him on decisions. But the selection of the Most Valuable Member is a decision the president makes by himself.

Early in 2001, our Competition Director, Fred Scarpace was looking for help with the club trailer. Specifically, he wanted volunteers to pull the trailer to our autocrosses. One member stepped forward and said he’d coordinate the trailer for the entire season! Wow, we thought, the whole season! But his sacrifices for our benefit were only beginning. During our first autocross of the year, our Most Valuable Member suffered a kidney stone attack and was taken to the hospital by ambulance. While he has recovered this did not end his suffering on our behalf.

In July, he let Ken Watson pull the trailer to our annual July 4^th Gary Griffeth, Sr. Memorial Time Trials. As Ken was pulling the trailer home, an axle let loose and the trailer broke down. It had to be put on to a flat bed to finish its journey. The next day or so, our Most Valuable Member was driving the route taken by our stricken trailer looking for important axle parts that had fallen off of it. While waiting at a traffic light, minding his own business, an accident occurred in the intersection and one of the cars involved in the wreck smashed into our Member’s Jeep. After repairing his Jeep, our Most Valuable Member continued in his commitment to take care of our trailer.

Ladies and Gentlemen, the Most Valuable Member 2001 is

JAY TUCKER

President’s Award – 2001

The President’s award is another tough decision. The president relies on many, many people to do the work of the Club. Often times, when someone volunteers to do a job, they end up being asked to do that job over and over again. Our President’s Award winner is an example of this. Some of the very important things the Club must do are some of the most difficult jobs to do. Sitting at the entrance to our autocross events asking everyone that enters to sign the event waiver is an example of a difficult job. Difficult because you have to sit there in any weather and wait. Difficult because I know I would find it boring. But it is an important job none the less. And yet I saw this same lady waiting at the entrance to just about all of our autocrosses all season long.

For doing a tough job and helping all of us to enjoy our autocross season, the President’s Award for 2001 goes to:

CAROLYN POLOMSKI

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December 2001

End of the road. Fellow Club Members, this is the last column I will address to you as your Club President. Effective in January 2002, Mary Wentzel will assume the duties of President of the Board of Directors of the Corvette Club of Michigan. As I mentioned in last month’s column, Mary is a very experienced Board Member, having been President many times in the past. Mary has my full support and I hope she will have yours as well. Many people are involved in running the functions and conducting the business of Corvette Club of Michigan. We have had a strong Board of Directors during my term as President. My heartfelt thanks are given to Mary Wentzel, Vice President; Jan Skiles, Treasurer; Pat Jutras, Recording Secretary; Dianne Watson, Corresponding Secretary; our First Year Board Representatives: Cher Ketelhut, Bob Jutras and Gary Westrick; our Second Year Board Representatives: David Nims, Paul Brimo and Gene Bosetti; Fred Scarpace, Competition Director; Bruce Wentzel, DCSCC Representative; Jan Millen, Points Director; Dave Krom, SlipStream Publisher; Lorraine McLaughlin, NCCC Governor; Ken Watson, Public Relations Director; Ted Godett, Program Director; Jim Farless, Membership Director; and Rick and Jan Sutliff, Social Co-Directors.

Together, the Board has worked to grow and improve Corvette Club of Michigan for all our Members. We have strengthened our popular Competition Program by continuing the computerization of our event timing and scoring. This permits us to publish results and post them to the Club website very quickly. We have enhanced our Drag Events by choosing to rent Milan Dragway for a block of hours instead of “blending in” with the crowd. This has doubled the CCM attendance at our Drag Events and has made it more fun to participate. We will continue to do this in the future. We added a Lapping Day Event at Waterford Hills Road Racing Course. This new event was very popular and attendance exceeded our initial estimate. The Lapping Day was a bunch of fun and we plan to bring it back next summer. The Board gave its full support to our NCCC Governor, Lorraine McLaughlin, as she orchestrated a successful Corvettes only, NCCC sanctioned, multiple event Autocross day in August. Many of our NCCC friends from across the state came and competed in the Event. We are already planning to repeat and expand this event next year. Also, the Board has enthusiastically supported the purchase of our new Club Trailer. And by the time you read this, we should be in possession of the new trailer.

We added what has proven to be a very popular Social Event in the Fall Brunch Cruise to the St. Clair Inn. Look for that event to return next year under your new Social Director.

Others who I thank for the hard work and dedication given to all of us last year include Martha Simmons our Club Merchandise Coordinator (Patches and Badges) and our Club Webmasters Steve and Evan Budaj. They are each in their own way getting the word out to the public about Corvette Club of Michigan.

I also extend my thanks to our Competition Committee and our Social Committee for their hard work this past year to bring us the programs and events that give Corvette Club of Michigan Members that Complete Corvette Club Experience.

And I also thank our fabulous sponsor, Les Stanford Chevrolet. Paul and Gary, thanks very much for the support you show us in providing our monthly meeting place, donating the new speaker’s podium we used this year and for the substantial donation toward the new trailer for the Club. You guys are the best! Chris Warren and Scot Montgomery, thanks for your help and assistance this past year, too.

And I know you are asking, “How can I help?” Well, I’m glad you asked! We have a position open on the Board for next year: Points Director. And there is a non-Board position available, too, NCCC Michigan Region Representative. If you want to join the Board and help run the Club and perform vital duties that benefit all Members, please consider these openings and give Mary Wentzel or me a call. We’d be happy to talk to you about the positions and duties. You can find our numbers in the front of this issue of SlipStream. Or you might consider joining our Competition or Social Committees. Or you can join us on that special Monday evening when we assemble SlipStream. See the list of assembly evenings published in this issue or speak to SlipStream Publisher Dave Krom.

Some Important Reminders. Do plan on joining your fellow Club Members at the Annual Corvette Club of Michigan Awards Banquet. It will be Saturday 05 January 2002 at the beautiful Laurel Manor in Livonia. We will enjoy cocktails (open bar!), dinner, the Awards presentation ceremony and dancing. All that for the cost of $30.00 per person. See the registration form in this issue of SlipStream. I hope to see you there.

Do not forget there will not be a December General Meeting (there never is, actually) so don’t go to Les Stanford Chevrolet on the 4^th Wednesday of December, unless you want to buy a car!

It’s been a fun two years for me. Mostly, I should say thanks to you, the Members of Corvette Club of Michigan for allowing me the privilege of being president of Your Club.

Mark Eissler, President

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November 2001

Where did my September go? It seems I was just at Bowling Green for the annual Labor Day Celebration and now its mid-October! Well, it turns out I came back from BG with a bug. The illness laid me out for 3 weeks! Thanks to your kind thoughts and get-well wishes, I am pretty much healed and on my feet. My voice is a bit gravelly still, which is strange. But enough about me.

Nominations for the Elected Officers (President, Vice President, Treasurer, Recording Secretary and Corresponding Secretary) for the 2002 CCM Board of Directors were opened at the September General Meeting. The nominations included Mary Wentzel for President, Ken Watson and Keith Rilley for Vice President. Keith has since withdrawn his name from the Vice President position to accept an appointed position as Public Relations Director. Three (3) First Year Representatives to the Board were also nominated: Paul Woolner, Tom Kanaia and Kerry Hlady. Further nominations were made at the October Board of Directors Meeting, held 10 October 2001. Rick Sutliffe was nominated at the Board Meeting. The Club will conduct an election in November to select our three (3) First Year Board Representatives.

Also, incoming President Mary Wentzel is charged by our Club Bylaws to appoint Members in Good Standing to the following positions: Public Relations Director, Competition Director, Program Director, Membership Director, Points Director, Slip Stream Publisher, Social Director, National Council of Corvette Clubs Governor, and Detroit Council of Sports Car Clubs Representative. The Elected Officers, the Elected Representatives and the Appointed Officers each have a voice in running our Club. As you can see, we have plenty of opportunity for a Member to join us in representing the Membership in conducting Club business and in growing and improving our Club. If you would like to help run your Club, please contact President-elect Mary Wentzel or me. We’d be glad to explain the duties of each Officer or answer any questions about the role of any position. I urge you to give serious thought to joining our Board.

What am I going to do on the Board in 2002, you ask? Well, it seems our Bylaws provide a special position for this situation: Past President. Wow, this will be great! No official duties, grizzled and hardened by the tough job of President, I can sit back and relax. I will offer my sage counsel to the incoming President and the new Board (whether they ask for it or not) and I get my Vote back! (The President only votes in case of a tie!) But, who am I kidding? Mary has been on the Board of CCM for many years. She has held about every position on the Board. She has served as Club President many times. She’s the last person in need of my advice. But just in case she asks, I’ll be there.

It’s the Return of the Brunch Cruise to St. Clair Inn! I’ll be leading our Caravan of Corvettes to the beautiful and historic St. Clair Inn on the banks of the St. Clair River on Sunday 04 November 2001. We’ll assemble at the parking lot of the Professional Village offices, I-696 and Dequindre at 9:15 AM. We’ll be driving along the north shore of Lake St. Clair and the banks of the St. Clair River. We are scheduled to arrive at the Inn at 11:00 am for the fabulous Brunch Buffet with Omelet Station. We will sit overlooking the river and enjoy the camaraderie of our fellow Club Members. Won’t you join us? Please see the flier in this issue of SlipStream for more details.

Mark Eissler, President

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September 2001

What a hectic month July has been! Never mind the fact that the first two weeks of my July were taken up with work! This month has been busy for me. My project at work took advantage of the annual 2 week summer "shutdown" and we went on 10 hours a day, seven days a week from 30 June until 18 July, installing changes into equipment in our plant. I did have the 4^th of July off, and I enjoyed it.

On the 4^th Corvette Club of Michigan returned to the Waterford Hills Road Racing Course on the grounds of the Oakland County Sportsman Club north and a little west of Pontiac. We have held the Gary Griffith, Sr. Memorial Time Trials there on July 4^th for something like 43 years! This is a very popular event and our event co-chairs, Mary Wentzel and Ken Watson, work very hard to pull it together. They rely on many members of CCM who come out to the track just to work the event, not run their cars. Well, Mary, Ken and their team did a great job! They had to overcome flipping Neons, rain, and 167 registered entrants to bring us a great day of autocrossing on the race track. We place pylons in strategic locations to guide cars onto the correct line and to slow down the cars to help the drivers keep it under control. Still, one needs a healthy respect for that track. I can’t help but think about the purchase price of my Corvette just before I take it out on the track. That’s why my times at Waterford have not been competitive. (That’s my story and I’m sticking to it!)

Then it was back to work for me at the plant, working straight through, finally getting the weekend of the 21^st off.

Our July General Meeting was held on the appointed day (always the 4^th Wednesday) at Les Stanford Chevrolet. Our Special Guest was John Juriga of GM Powertrain who told us all about the inner workings of the LS 6 engine found in the Z06 Corvette. John even brought out a beautifully prepared, professionally done "cut-away" of the engine. And there was a 2002 Z06 405 in Electron Blue for us to Oooo and Ahhh over. John detailed all of the changes for 2002 in the LS 6. Thanks John, for giving up your evening at home with your family to be with us that Wednesday.

On the 26^th of July, Corvette Club of Michigan held its first Lapping Day and On Track Drivers School at the Waterford Hills Road Racing Course. This day was brought to us through the hard work and dedicated effort of just a few Members. Fred Scarpace, Lauren Scarpace, Ted Godett and Bruce Wentzel formed the core of the team and were assisted by Chris Scarfaro and Jim Davies in the course of the planning. The objective of the Lapping Day was to learn car control on the racecourse, learn "the line" around the track, and practice the techniques needed to go fast safely on a racetrack. And do it all in a controlled, non-competitive environment. CCM has contacts with a lot of people in the Corvette world. So we put out the word that we were planning a Lapping Day and we got responses! Jeff Nowicke, Danny Kellermeyer, Jim Minneker, and John Heinricy are just some of the guys who showed up to be instructors. We tapped our Club Members for instructor duty, too. Jim McLaughlin, Dave Krom, John Townsend and Bruce Wentzel also served as instructors. When he heard that CCM was hosting a lapping day, Chuck Mallet of Mallet Cars came out with several of his associates and some very fast examples of the kind of Corvette that Mallet Cars builds! The rest of us whooshed around the track in groups representative of our skill levels. The sessions were about 20 minutes long and it seemed like we’d just get pulled in and parked in the paddock when it was time to don our helmets and head out onto the track again! It was (to quote Tony the Tiger) "grrrREAT!!" I managed to put my fears and concerns about the track (born of a lack of experience) in my back pocket and I listened to my instructor. He showed me the line around the course. And the course drove very differently from our July 4^th Time Trials. While I had some familiarity with the track from our July 4^th events, I had never taken Turn 1 at speed. I had no idea you really couldn’t see it from the front straight! So when I came around Swamp Turn and onto the Front Straight for the first time, I was concentrating on carrying speed off the last turn. At the end of the straight I realized that I was going too fast for Turn 1! Just as my foot was lifting off the accelerator pedal, my instructor was saying "Brake, BRAKE!" while his foot was smashing the passenger side floorboard! So, I scared myself a little bit and sheepishly apologized to the instructor. Also, during our July 4^th events, I always had trouble with the Turn 3 "kink" and the Turn 7A – 7B chicane. Well, after practicing what my instructor told me, these two turns became my favorites as my car went where I pointed it and turned in beautifully and accelerated away! I actually looked forward to taking those turns by the end of the day. And Big Bend was very different, too. Without the pylons placed before it, Big Bend seemed to straighten out. I could carry a surprising amount of speed through this turn now and maybe even a little more if I had the guts to try.

As the Lapping Day was about to end, I was on my next to last lap. I carried speed down from Hill Top and accelerated through Big Bend onto the Back Straight. At the 300 foot marker, I lifted off the throttle and pushed hard on the brake pedal. That’s odd, I thought, the brakes seem a bit soft. As I accelerated out of the turn at the end of the Back Straight, I touched the brake pedal to slow for the next turn. The brakes are soft, I realized. Should I pull into the pits? The pit exit is just up ahead, in Swamp Turn. Gee, I don’t know… Thinking like a driver, not an owner, I passed the pit exit and headed out onto the Front Straight. At the Tower I caught the "one more lap" signal from the Flagger stationed there and I headed around the track for my last lap at speed. When the checkered flag was waved at me, I acknowledged it and slowed for my cool-down lap. I was told to drive the cool-down lap slowly and without using my brakes. I exited the track at the pit exit and pulled into the paddock and parked the Corvette. It smelled of hot brakes. As I got out of the car, I noticed a wisp of smoke coming out of the driver’s front wheel. I opened the "clamshell" hood and stuck my face over the tire to see behind it. The heat just poured off the tire / wheel / brake disc area. Sure enough, there in the shadow created by the 9.5 inch wide wheel, there was a glowing spot with smoke coming from it. I grabbed the small Mag Lite flashlight that I carry in my autocross kit and trained it on the glowing spot. It was the brake caliper. More specifically, it was the dust seal around the top piston that was burning in between the caliper housing and the brake pad. I looked at the seal on the second piston, but it looked OK. I went around to the passenger’s side and shined my light on that caliper. It was hot, but it wasn’t on fire like the other one. By the time it stopped burning, most of the visible dust seal was white ash. After consulting with available experts, it was determined that since no brake fluid was seeping out, I could drive the Corvette home. So I did. The next day, as I changed back to street tires, I noticed that I had corded the two BF Goodrich Comp T/A R-1’s that had been on the driver’s side of the Corvette! But I didn’t care, I just smiled and remembered how connected to the track the Corvette had felt, how glued to the turns it was and how strongly it accelerated away! It was a great Lapping Day! Well worth a dust seal and two tires!

Then, on Sunday the 29^th Corvette Club of Michigan held its annual Family Picnic at Maybury State Park in Northville. I think we had about 90 folks come out to the picnic to enjoy the day brought to us by Social Directors Rick and Jan Sutliffe and their fabulous team of helpers, Pat and Bob Jutras, Dianne and Ken Watson, Marge and Jan Millen. If I’ve forgotten to list anyone that helped us at the picnic, I apologize. A big Corvette Club of Michigan Thank you to the picnic organizers and helpers. I had a great day and everything was perfect! Co-incident with our Picnic, was our Concour d’Elegance, Chaired by our Membership Director, Jim Farless. I had the honor of serving as a Judge for the event and I got to see some really clean Corvettes! Now, I like to keep my Corvette clean, and I’m sure that my neighbors think I’m nuts for washing the thing as much as I do. But my Corvette couldn’t hold a candle to the super-clean cars I was judging. You folks did a great job! And Bruce Wentzel, I know that Don Bush, George Peters and Jan Millen were really grateful the way you jumped in there and helped me to judge their cars after I judged yours! And I’m sure that when they get you alone, they’ll express that gratitude in some creative ways!

Wow, July was busy! I know that it was only 31 days long, but it seemed like we had 41 days of fun!

What are you doing this Labor Day? Why not consider joining the Annual Corvette Club of Michigan Caravan to the National Corvette Museum? We have a blast driving down to the Corvette Celebration every year. It’s a great opportunity to meet fellow Club Members. Every year we start out as "strangers" but in the course of three days, we always end up as friends. The trip will give you a chance to put some miles on that baby in garage, see a world class Museum dedicated to our passion, the Corvette, and maybe even meet a Corvette Dignitary like Dave McLellan, John Cafero or even Will Cooksey! Go to the National Corvette Museum’s website to check out the scheduled activities and seminars planned for the weekend. You can register for the Celebration on their website or you can call them to register by phone. Then contact our Caravan Leader, Dave Krom, for the particulars about the Hotel the Club will stay at and our rallying point and time on Departure Friday. I’m going. I hope you make it, too!

Mark Eissler, President

Corvette Club of Michigan

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August 2001

Marking Time by Cars. I am not really sure when cars became a fascination for me, but my parents like to remind me that when I was 4 or 5 years old, I "knew the name of every car on the road". They tell the story about me as young boy sitting in the back seat of the family Pontiac sedan, looking out the window. Upon seeing a car in the next lane, I said "Look Mommy, a ‘Tudebaker." A few seconds passed and then excitedly, I said "Look Mommy, two ‘Tudebakers!" Eventually, Mom’s late ‘40s Pontiac sedan became a ’59 Oldsmobile station wagon. I remember that it was a two-tone paint scheme, metallic orange with white contrasts. It was huge! At least a block long. We were living in the Chicago suburbs and in the summer, we would take vacations to either Wisconsin or Michigan. The Olds had a really cool speedometer. The speed numbers were arranged from 0 to 120 MPH in a horizontal line. As the vehicle’s speed increased, a bar would grow from 0 and reach to a point below the speed the car was traveling. The cool part was when the car reached the 40 - 45 MPH range. The color of the speed indicator bar would change from green to yellow. And as the speed climbed even higher, toward 65 – 70 MPH, the entire bar would change to RED! It was only when we were traveling to our vacation destinations that I could see the red bar. There was even an early form of cruise control, too. Dad could turn a knob to move a pointer to a desired speed. If the speed indicator bar got to the selected speed, a buzzer would sound. Red speed bars and buzzers were only encountered on those vacation trips.

60’s. In the early 60’s, Mom drove the Olds wagon around town. Meanwhile, Dad had a light blue ’60 Ford Falcon. After that, Dad acquired a ’63 Chevy Bel Air 2-door coupe with a 283 engine driving a 2-speed automatic transmission. The roof of the car was stamped to imitate the creases in a convertible’s cloth top. It did not have B pillars. With the windows down, it had a beautiful profile. Manual steering meant that the steering wheel was as big as a bus’. Toward the end of the 60’s, the Olds wagon was replaced by a ’65 Pontiac Bonneville Safari station wagon. This was another huge car. It was pale yellow with (I swear) a one acre black vinyl roof. The interior was black vinyl and carpet. When we’d visit my godparents for a weekend afternoon and evening, we’d take sleeping bags and pillows and lay down in the back of the wagon for the trip home.

My Grandfather (Mom’s Dad) gave up his Plymouth for a new ‘66 Chevrolet Bel Air 4-door sedan. He bought it new from GK Chevrolet in Downers Grove, Illinois. It was beige, powered by a 283 and coupled to a 2 speed automatic transmission. This made riding with "Grampa" a whole lot easier. The old Plymouth had a 3-speed manual tranny and Grampa was not very smooth on the clutch. Riding with him in the Plymouth often made me carsick. My Gramma was a little lady. She was even shorter than Mom was. For her to drive the ‘66 Grampa had to affix wood blocks to the brake and gas pedals so Gramma could reach them. She didn’t really drive much. I’m sure that the pedal blocks combined with Grampa’s driving advice to take the fun out of that for her.

70’s. In the 70’s, I became a licensed driver. I was able to drive the ’63 Bel Air coupe a couple of times with my learner’s permit and Dad as "co-pilot". It required high effort steering input to give it direction and high effort brake pedal application to slow it down. Soon the Bel Air was replaced by a ’65 Oldsmobile Delta 88. This car was light metallic blue with power everything. My parents had agreed that us kids would not drive Mom’s car. Dad’s car was offered up as the sacrifice to teen aged transportation needs. I had my first car dates in this big Olds. Dad was very accommodating, I was to learn later in life. I got to use his car just about any time I needed it. Also, it was his practice to hand over his Standard Oil credit card to me if I took the Olds when it was low on gas. "Just sign my name", he’d say! And since the gas gage was not working, we would track the fuel usage by miles driven. I remember that we were filling up every 200 miles or so. Meanwhile, we’d continue to go on family vacations to Michigan in the Bonneville wagon.

Dad started to do tune-ups himself and he encouraged me to assist and to learn. We acquired a timing light, a vacuum gage, a dwell meter, a battery charger and specialized hand tools to make tune-ups easier. Brake jobs and muffler replacements, too. Mom and Dad replaced the Bonneville with a ’72 Chevrolet Caprice sedan. This was really a nice car. It was Air Conditioned! But I could only drive it if I was serving as chauffeur for a family outing. Otherwise, it was strictly off-limits.

When Grampa passed, the ’66 Bel Air was given to me by Gramma. I was about to go off to college and I was stumped about how to pay for car insurance, gasoline and have spending money left at school. Additionally, at the time, the university I had selected did not permit underclassmen residing on campus to bring cars to campus! So I left the Bel Air with Dad for a couple of years, while I lived on campus and came home on the train or the bus. As an upperclassman, I took the ’66 to school. When it was time to go home for the holidays or breaks, I’d advertise for riders who wanted to go to the Chicago area and back. It helped pay for gas and kept the 4-5 hour drive from getting too boring.

Then came marriage, graduation, first (second and even third) jobs and a string of cars. The ’66 went to a farmer for the hired hand’s use on the farm. It was replaced by a ’72 full house Mercury Grand Marquis Brougham that was chocolate brown with a white vinyl roof. I brought the Mercury to the Detroit area when I moved here the first time. Then came a van with a full custom interior in it. The van lasted until Gas Crisis II and was replaced with a Ford Fiesta. The Mercury went in favor of a ’79 Thunderbird. It was white, had a white vinyl "Landau Roof" and jade green interior. It was beautiful. The Fiesta eventually went to Dad and I got the ’72 Caprice that my Mom had cherished.

80’s. In 1981 my son was born. Then I moved to Rockford, Illinois. And in 1982, my daughter was born. More and more of the paycheck went for family stuff, so the cars of the early ‘80’s weren’t very exciting. I "gave" the Thunderbird away to a car dealer in Rockford for a 4-door VW Rabbit (What a mistake!). Then came a new job in Kenosha, Wisconsin and a used car. It was an AMC Ambassador Station Wagon. One Christmas it swallowed a couple of rocker arms and pushrods. I limped it home and Dad and I pulled the heads for a valve job, new rocker arms and new pushrods. I could only find 15, never did find the last one. And there were no holes anywhere either. It ran fine after that. My folks bought a 1986 Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera and raved about it. That prompted me to go to the local Olds dealer and look at one. I drove it home that night! In ’88 I grew tired of replacing things on that Rabbit and traded it for a 1988 Mustang GT 5.0 Liter. I remember telling my friends, "It’s black, it’s fast and it’s mine!" I had 50-minute commutes to and from the office then and I loved driving that Mustang. My son was seven and my daughter was only six then. They sat in booster seats so they could look out and the seat belts would fit them better. By the end of the 80’s, it was the Big D. She got the Olds and the house, and I got the Mustang and an apartment near Milwaukee.

90’s. In the early 90’s, I was starting over. New address, new job, and single. But not for long. I met Laurie and we started dating. I had the Mustang GT and she had a nice ’92 Prism. She loved her car as much as I loved mine. In 1993, I moved to Detroit for the second time. I was driving that Mustang back to northern Illinois and the Milwaukee area about twice a month so the kids could visit their Mom and I could see Laurie. Some times we’d detour to St, Charles, Illinois to visit Mom and Dad. It was either January or February of ‘94 while I was crawling along Interstate 94 at 30 mph in a blinding lake effect snowstorm in western Michigan when I decided I needed four wheel drive! So I ordered a 1994 GMC Safari van with All Wheel Drive and traded the Mustang to the dealer for "peanuts". Of course the Safari arrived in April of ‘94 in time for Easter! But it was welcomed, as Laurie had agreed to marry me and I would need a van to haul our blended family of 6 around in. Well, the number of times that all 6 of us were in the van was only 2 or 3! But it was great in snow or on rain soaked roads. And it moved my things from my Northville apartment to the house that Laurie and I bought. We moved many of her things from Wisconsin to Plymouth in it, too. My kids moved back to their mother’s house and I was spending more time driving alone or just with Laurie in that big refrigerator-white van. In ‘96 the van was replaced with the 1996 Torch Red Corvette LT4 that Laurie and I enjoy today.

00’s. In the opening years of "The New Millennium" I may have lost my mind! Last summer, after a few years of autocrossing the Corvette, new brake pads were needed. I picked up a four wheel set and swapped ‘em in. I enjoyed doing the work and it triggered memories of working on cars with Dad in the ‘70s and the satisfaction of doing a job well. I felt that I should have a car to tinker with. Late last fall, Laurie’s cousin decided he wanted to sell a 1972 Chevelle that he had owned for many years and had worked on with his dad. Laurie had asked Don to give us the first chance at the car and he called us. So now we own a "Hobby Car", too. This thing is a beast! A 454 with a Dart tunnel ram manifold and a Holley Dominator 1050 CFM carb spill out of the hood (if it had a hood, that is). Dual Flowmaster 2-chambers dump just before the 12 bolt third member. The beefed up TH 400 has to be shifted from gear to gear with the Hurst V-matic between the seats. I’m in the process of "taming" the car for street duty. I’ll be putting quieter Flowmaster 3-chamber mufflers and tailpipes on it soon. I’ve replaced brake shoes, wheel cylinders and just about every brake line on the car. I’ll be evaluating the streetability of the single plane tunnel ram and 1050 CFM carb. I’m concerned about the cooling system and may need a new radiator. I want to upgrade the brakes to a power disc system and when I do that, I may as well go for a set of performance control arms and a bushing kit. It needs a windshield wiper motor and a hood and a…

Where did the time go? It seems like I was just looking at Mom’s ’72 Caprice in the garage, all shiny and new.

Mark Eissler,

President Corvette Club of Michigan

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July 2001

Lots of Goings-on.

Cruise Night! As I’ve mentioned in this space once or twice before, Corvette Club of Michigan will host it’s annual Cruise Night on Wednesday, 27 June. I hope you will join us as we drive out Grand River and gather at Baker’s of Milford. Please meet us in the Novi Town Center Parking lot off of Grand River, behind Banc One. Please arrive by 6:30 PM. There will be a driver’s meeting at 6:40 PM, and the Cruise will start at 6:50 PM "Sharp". I am looking forward to it.

The Club’s Trailer. The existing CCM competition trailer is many, many years old. It has gone through several rebuilds, the most recent being about 3 years ago when wiring and braking systems were tended to. And the amount of items we are carrying in the trailer has increased just about every year. The Competition Committee studied the trailer’s condition last year and has been investigating the purchase of a new, bigger trailer since then. Don Bush and Fred Scarpace worked with the full Committee to develop a set of "specifications" to obtain quotes against. Then this season, Keith Riley took those specs and got us the prices. During the year, the Board has been reviewing ways for the Club to pay for a new trailer. And once again, our wonderful and generous Sponsor, Les Stanford Chevrolet has given the Club a huge helping hand by donating $3,000 toward the trailer! Thanks, Paul and Gary, for your continued support and belief in our Club.

The Corvette Encounter. Well, as Shakespeare wrote, "The best laid plans…" The weather was not our friend on the weekend of the Encounter. Paul Jenkins, our Corvette Encounter Coordinator and the staff of Les Stanford Chevrolet decided to use the rain date of Sunday, 3 June instead of the rainy Saturday that was originally scheduled. Several hardy Corvette owners brought out their lovingly cared for cars despite the very cool temperature and the threat of rain. New members Kathlene and Alan Yost found their car pictured on the Detroit News website. You can find many other nice Corvettes and other info on our Corvette Encounter at www.detnews.com under Joyrides. CCM Membership Director Jim Farless enrolled 8 new members that day. Corvette Club of Michigan thanks Paul Jenkins and his committee and the Staff of Les Stanford Chevrolet for their hard work on our behalf to put on Corvette Encounter.

Drag Races. CCM went to Milan Dragway on Thursday evening, 7 June. We had 40 Members show up with a wide range of Corvettes from a Big Block Shark, to Dewey Burtons ’63 Sting Ray Funny Car, to stock C5’s. It was an impressive assembly of horsepower. This night the weather was perfect! The temperatures were cool and the humidity was nonexistent. The track was grippy and the ET’s were falling. My 96 LT-4 was running strong and fast. During practice runs I was feeling out the staging box to see how well my drag radials would hook. So, for 3 runs in a row, my car left before the green light. Later, I was told that’s why the red light came on for those runs! Meanwhile, I noticed that my fellow Club Members who brought out their 2000 and 2001 C5’s were running strong in the very low 13’s and high 12’s. I was glad to see that. My car was turning in ET’s from 13.7 down to 13.5 seconds. Eventually, the practice session ended and we began the eliminations. Since we use the "bracket racing" format, we were each to select our dial-in time and mark it on our window glass. Our dial-ins were used by Event Coordinator Ray Meeseman to form the brackets. Then, he randomly drew our registration cards and announced our run order within each bracket. We assembled in the staging lanes and with Ken Watson’s help we sorted ourselves out into the pairings that Ray had previously announced. I waited, tensely. Eventually, my partner and I were to drive into the staging box. He had lane choice and took the "Tower-side Lane". I was left with the "inside" lane. I drove around the waterbox and straightened out my car. I did a "burn-out" to warm up the tires. I looked down the track to confirm that my dial-in time was correctly posted. I approached the staging lights, first the "pre-staged" light came on and then the "staged" light. I brought my RPMs up and held the engine speed there. I shifted my eyes to the last of the 3 yellow lights. The yellow lights started their countdown, each illuminating 0.5 seconds after the one before. When the last yellow came on, I released the clutch and slammed the accelerator pedal to the floor. The tires hooked and the Vette leapt out of the staging blocks. Redline came and I snapped off the 1 – 2 shift. The tires barked as the engine’s torque returned to drive them forward. My Corvette continued to accelerate down the strip. Redline again and the 2 – 3 shift. More acceleration and more speed. How smoothly the Corvette accelerated! It felt connected to the track. The 3 – 4 shift and I slammed down the accelerator for the last time. And then the finish line. The Corvette had felt strong and powerful. It had really performed on that run. It performed so well, and so powerfully, that I turned in the best ET ever for my car. 13.43 seconds. So powerfully had the Corvette performed that it went faster than the dial-in time I had selected. Yes, I "broke-out" and was eliminated from the competition in the 1^st round. But I had lots of fun!

Mark Eissler, President Corvette Club of Michigan

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June 2001

An Important Announcement!
Please remember that the Corvette Club of Michigan General Membership Meeting for June will take the form of a Cruise Night! We will meet at the Novi Town Center shopping mall at 6:00 PM on June 27. "Cruise Directors" George and Jan Peters will lead us on our Cruise out Grand River toward Kensington Metro Park. We will receive free admission to the Metro Park (and so will everyone else because its always free admission on Wednesdays) and enjoy scenic motoring through the park. If we don’t make any wrong turns, we’ll exit the Park in close proximity to our Cruise Night destination: Baker’s of Milford where we can enjoy good food, great company and our fellow Club member’s cars. I know everyone had a great time last year, except maybe Dewey Burton. (I think its only another 2 years and the points fall off his record.) Maybe he’ll let Ilona drive this year? I hope I see you there!

The First Ride.
My Mom’s cousin, Netta, married a heck of a guy. He was a big man. He was built like the classic "inverted triangle", big chest, huge biceps and hands so big your hand disappeared in his trying to shake it. And he had a Big Man’s name: King. That was his family name and it fit him. King. He didn’t need a first name. And King had a Man’s Job to boot. He was a Chicago City Fire Fighter. Around us he was kind and gentle. King and Netta were visiting us out in the suburbs one Sunday. Mom and Dad had had a patio put in complete with built in gas burning grill. So after the first Bud was drained, it was decided that the meal had to be steaks! King and Dad and I piled into our station wagon and Dad drove us to the local grocer to get ‘em. Inside, King looked over the pre-cut selection of steaks and pressed the buzzer for the butcher. When he arrived, King flashed his Fire Fighter’s badge and asked for some nice thick steaks "for the boys down at the firehouse" you see. And he got ‘em, inch and halfers at least. Dad and I just looked each other. Back at our house, over another Bud, King explained to Dad how to cook the steaks, just like they do at the station. They were the best I’d ever had. Dad still cooks steaks that way to this day. That King, what a guy. Later that summer, on a school night, there was a rumbling from a car pulling up to the curb in front of our house. Then came a knock on the door. Voices from downstairs in the living room. It was King and Netta. They were out for a drive in their new car and found themselves in our neighborhood and would Mark like to look at the car? I was in my pajamas and robe. It was after dark, but Mom said OK, and King and I walked out the front door. There was his car at the curb. It was a Marina Blue Sting Ray roadster with a white top and white interior. "Wow, a Sting Ray!" I exclaimed with excitement. In the Chicago suburb I grew up in, we called ‘em Sting Rays. King opened the passenger’s door for me and I climbed in. As I settled into the seat, I remember seeing the vast expanse of dashboard in front of me and I couldn’t see over it! I looked over to my left and King was getting into the car. The Big Man could see over the dash just fine! Between us was the chrome gearshift with the white knob on top. That’s not where GM put the gearshift in the ’59 Oldsmobile station wagon Dad had. We went around the block. Down my street and right onto Madison. Up one block to Grace and another right turn. The Sting Ray rumbled along Grace Street past Joey’s house and then Dave’s, to Washington and then back to my street and my house. King had to open the door for me because I couldn’t find anything that looked like the door handle in our station wagon to pull on. I told King I liked the ride and that his Sting Ray was "neat". I thanked him and then he and Netta were gone. It was 1965. I was nine. Today, when I grill steaks in my backyard, I like to have a bottle of Bud. And I try to cook the steaks the way King showed my Dad. And I drive a Corvette. Thanks again King.

Mark Eissler, President

Corvette Club of Michigan

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May 2001 Column

Our Season Is Back!
Fellow Members, The Corvette Club of Michigan autocrossing season has returned and in a BIG way. On Sunday 01 April thirty four (34) student drivers braved the first day of daylight savings time, the cold, rain and yes, even snow to attend the CCM on-course Drivers School. Two courses were set up at the GM Powertrain plant parking lot at 9 Mile and Mound. One course was timed and the other un-timed. Our new crop of Students were out to learn the basics of autocrossing from our cadre of experienced drivers. As the day progressed, more rain began to fall, but so did the elapsed times of our Student Drivers. The official instruction was concluded about 2:30 PM and there were many smiles and happy faces all around. Our thanks to all the CCM members who came out to offer help and instruction during the school.

But what a difference a week can make! We officially opened our 2001 Autocrossing Season with the Second Generation Gymkana at the Cadillac Poletown Assembly Plant. And the weather was absolutely perfect. Sun, blue skies and temperatures in the mid seventies made up for the stiff wind that blew all day. Kris and Ken Watson used the entire parking lot to set up a looooong course that was running between 35 and 40 seconds. And we had a good turn out, 117 registered drivers. While we were all a little rusty, the usual things came right back. I was on a tear of a run on my final lap. I was setting FTD the whole way when I was red flagged! I had to stop on the course and obey the instructions of the Turn Worker who was concerned with my safety and the safety of others. Well, it seems that CCM Member and veteran autocrosser Ray Meeseman had stopped on the course to point out a downed pylon and then engaged the course worker in a discussion of the history of autocrossing starting with the early days when horse drawn buckboards and flivers had been the vehicles of choice. Ray was in the middle of disscussing how the autocrossing world was turned upside down with the appearance of steam power and how to get a few more watts out of the typical Big Boiler when I rounded the hairpin and began to bear down on the lecture site. Ray scooted on off the course, but my FTD was ruled invalid, as I had not actually finished the course. It’s still kind of amazing that the offending pylon had been overlooked by Chuck Fast, our announcer in the timing car. But Chuck was busy telling several drivers that "Yes, you are STILL missing the offset gate in the back." Now, Chuck was about 100 yards away from that offset gate and could see who was and who was not making the gate. But that errant pylon went unnoticed by all except Ray Meeseman while driving the course at speed. Ain’t that amazing?

What else are we working on? Corvette Club of Michigan Board, Committee and Sub-Committee Members have been working through the off season to deliver the "Complete Corvette Club Experience" for you. The Competition Committee has mapped out our Rallye, Autocross, Bracket Drag Racing and Concours events. And a sub-committee has been outlining plans for our Driving School and Lapping Day at Waterford Hills Road Course in July. Our Program Director, Ted Godett has been arranging very interesting speakers to address our General Membership Meetings. We can look forward to hearing from Dan Kellermeyer in April, a presentation on Corvette interior restoration in May and hopefully some inside information on Corvette engine development in July. Rick and Jan Sutliff and our Social Committee are cooking up some great Social Opportunities for us. We will "cruise for food" at our annual Cruise Night in June when we return to Bakers of Milford, again, this year. The Committee is also moving forward with plans for a pig roast, a September Brunch Cruise to St. Clair Inn, and a Cruise to Frankenmuth in October. And even our monthly newsletter, SlipStream, will be getting a new look, soon, as Publisher Dave Krom has been working on a few surprises for us.

I am hoping to see you soon at one of the many and varied Corvette Club of Michigan Experiences that are in the works for you this year!

Mark Eissler, President,
Corvette Club of Michigan

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April 2001 Column

Whirlwind to New Mexico. Last summer, during June, my son Jon and I went west to Santa Fe, New Mexico, to hook up with some Internet friends from VetteNet Southwest. I have been a "subscriber" to the general VetteNet email list since I bought my LT4 Coupe in late 96. VetteNet Southwest is a sub-set of the main list, centered in the desert southwest. For five years VNSW has held a gathering for those VetteNetters living in the southwest (or any area of the country, really) interested in meeting with each other. They have held these gatherings in some interesting and beautiful locations in the west: Sedona, AZ; Dillon, CO and Tahoe, NV as examples. For "VNSW Y2K" the meeting point was Santa Fe!

This trip was an opportunity to combine several things into one trip. I would be able to spend time with my son. This has become difficult the last several years as he lives with his mother in Illinois. Add to that the fact that he was then 19 years old, busy finishing high school, working and getting ready to attend technical school. So getting time with him is not easy. Anyway, I can use this trip to spend time with him. Also, I’ll get to drive my Corvette for extended periods of time on the way to and from Santa Fe. And, as I looked at a map, I realized that I could detour from the Interstate to travel on a portion of The Mother Road, Route 66! ‘Nough said, I’m gone.

I have a book called "The Route 66 Traveler’s Guide and Roadside Companion" by Tom Snyder, which is a quick read about the entire run from Chicago to LA. An interesting feature of this book are the maps overlaying the old Route 66 "alignments" onto a modern map showing the Interstate system that "replaced" it. The author provides some loose driving directions on how to jump off the Interstate onto those sections of the old road that are still drivable. He also offers opinion on various establishments that can still be found along the Route and comments on new ones that have sprung up since the Route has been re-discovered.

I used the Internet to look up websites devoted to Route 66 to glean more information. One website had simple driving directions that covered the entire Route 66. The directions were accompanied by a simple map showing the Old Road and the new road where the two diverged. All of the information was grouped by State. I decided to concentrate my efforts on the stretch from Oklahoma into Texas and then New Mexico. The plan was to rip down the Interstate to get close to New Mexico and then jump off onto the Old Road. Oklahoma seemed like a good place to jump in.

Meanwhile the VNSW organizing crew were busy arranging for the hotel the group would stay at and be based out of, a photographer to take a group picture and individual portraits, a caravan trip to Taos, NM, a dinner cruise in to a local Santa Fe Sonic Drive-in and the hospitality room. As an added attraction, early arrivals were encouraged to forge on to Albuquerque, NM to a road course were VNer’s would be able to lap the track until their tires, gas, brakes or strength gave out.

The first day out I drove to Chicago to get Jon. Then we slammed down I-55 to St. Louis, MO. We stayed at a Motel 6 on the southwest side of the metro area. The next morning we got back on the road early. We had lunch in Joplin. It was just south of Joplin that I decided to leave the Interstate and head for Route 66. We crossed into Oklahoma and picked up the Old Road. In Oklahoma, many portions of Route 66 are still used today as State Highway 66. We stopped at a marker on the side of the road welcoming us to "Indian Territory" and took pictures. We got back into the Corvette and drove into Quapaw on State Route 66. In Miami (pronounced "Miamaw") we passed several businesses that had "Historic Route 66" signs in their windows. Somewhere between Vinita and Chelsea I saw what appeared to be a frontage road. I took a turn-off and stopped the Corvette to look. The road appeared old. It was narrow and bleached from the sun. Grass was growing up out of a seam that ran the entire centerline of the road. Where the sections joined each other, grass was growing there, too. Had I seen and walked on the "Mother Road"? When my parents were first married, my dad was still in the service. He was transferred to a base in Nevada. To get there, they drove out on Route 66. Had I been on the same pavement they traveled more than 50 years before?

Jon and I drove for a few more miles on The Road and then we went back to the Interstate. We made Tulsa by mid-afternoon and Oklahoma City just in time for rush hour. We pushed through OK City to the west side. By Yukon it was time to bed down for the night. We stopped at a Hampton Inn and had dinner at a local watering hole next door.

The next day it was time to make time. We put the hammer down and burned west on the interstate. Through Oklahoma, Interstate 40 parallels old Route 66. We pushed in to Texas and stopped at the rest area to take our pictures at the big "Texas" sign. Even the Corvette got its picture taken by the Texas sign. As we neared Groom, Texas, we saw the Britten, USA leaning water tower and, just after that, what must be the largest cross in the Northern Hemisphere. At the New Mexico state line, there was another rest stop and another sign to take our pictures at. We had to wait our turn, though, as three generations of one family were making a video at the sign. When I got my pictures back, I found a garbage can had walked into the background of the photograph and posed right behind me.

Tucumcari. Jon and I needed lunch. We pulled off the interstate and headed into town. I wanted to see Tucumcari before picking a restaurant. I drove through town with my camera ready. There, up ahead was the famed Blue Swallow Motel. Picture taken. We motored back to the south side of town and decided to eat at the Denny’s Diner. Imagine Denny’s food served in chrome surroundings! We splashed some gas in the tank and were back on the highway. New Mexico is real different from Michigan. Everything is brown and rock and dirt. Even the trees look tired and sun baked. We took State Route 84 north to Romeroville and Interstate 25. We pulled into Santa Fe in mid afternoon and found our hotel. We were one day early.

We slept in the next morning. After asking for directions to the center of old Santa Fe we set out to explore the town. Santa Fe is one of the oldest cities in the United States. We parked the Vette and hoofed it around the downtown area. Santa Fe is like no other town I’ve ever been in. Everything was variation on shades of brown. Wood and adobe buildings throughout. Brick paver streets and covered sidewalks. Definitely Old West architecture. We looked in art galleries and souvenir shops. Indian "Trading Posts" and boot stores. I was knocked over by a shop that sold $350 boots and sterling silver belt buckles for $500. Cowboy Riche. There was an outdoor art fair at one end of town and Native Americans selling hand made items from their blankets at the other end. And people everywhere. Not really crowded, but busy. Jon and I found a roof-top café for lunch. Back at the hotel, we waited for the other VNSW people to arrive.

The rest of the week went as planned. Many of my old VNSW friends attended and I got to meet new friends. We went on a road tour to Taos. We cruised over to the Sonic for hamburgers and a shake. Our group and individual portraits were taken at the Santa Fe Opera house. We socialized at the hospitality suite and at poolside. And, all too soon, we had our farewell dinner. We left Santa Fe early in the morning. I made Joplin, MO that night. The next day I had Jon back in the Chicago area by 5:00 PM and I was back home in Plymouth later that night. It all seems like a whirlwind now.

Mark Eissler,
President, Corvette Club of Michigan
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March 2001 Column

That's Gratitude for ya! We're grateful to Les Stanford Chevrolet for their continued sponsorship of our Club. At the very end of 2000, the Stanford's provided funding for a new Speaker's Podium for our General Meetings. For most of last year our (very) old podium had been acting up, causing feedback to be amplified through the speaker. We investigated PA systems locally with the help of CCM Board Representative Bob Jutras. Bob found the locally available systems to be of a component nature, without an enclosure. Ease of set-up and teardown, and storage of the various bits were a concern for us. After all, the old podium was simply wheeled out for each meeting and then wheeled away for storage. No muss, no fuss. So the component type systems appeared to more muss and fuss than we wanted. Then, CCM Member Keith Tappen referred us to the website for Long's Electronics (www.longselectronic.com). There we found exactly what we needed! A completely self contained Speaker's Podium with a built in amplifier, speaker, reading light AND casters.

We ordered it. We got the last one in stock! CCM Competition Director Fred Scarpace volunteered to receive the podium at his office. Fred uncrated it and tested it. ÇCM Public Relations Director Ken Watson volunteered to collect the new podium with his van and transport it to the Stanford Service Write-up Area in time for our January General Membership meeting. Now I can REALLY be heard at our meetings! I encourage you to attend our February General Meeting to experience this new podium in person. CCM is grateful to all those that helped with the purchase of the new podium.

CCM Logo History. Some weeks ago, I received an Email from a Club Member asking whether there was particular symbology behind the logo of Corvette Club of Michigan. I had no idea if any existed, so I asked the guy who I always address these kind of questions to, Ken Watson. (Ken recently told me he has been a Member of Corvette Club of Michigan for 31 years!) Here is what Ken wrote in his answer to me:

"Mark, As I told you, the CCM logo had me curious. So I have been researching it and came up with this as printed in Corvette News magazine 1964.

"Michigan's oldest Corvette club, located in Detroit, Michigan, has a varied and interesting history. The club was formed in February 1958, and in March, it was incorporated. The badge (logo) design, unique in its shape, displays flying flags indicating action and victory while the diamond shape enclosing the club makes the emblem highly recognizable from a distance. CCM is sponsored by Dawson-Taylor Chevrolet, a Detroit dealer. CCM hosted the original National Council of Corvette Clubs planning convention, and were instrumental in the council's formation. Club members participate in local and regional road races, including Canadian capers." Ken."

So now you, too, know something of our Club’s logo history. Maybe Ken Watson will tell us what "Canadian capers" are, too?

The NCCC Michigan Region Banquet. Corvette Club of Michigan will host the annual NCCC Region Awards Banquet on Saturday, 10 March 2001 at the Novi Hilton in Novi. Member Joe Scafero is the Chairman for the banquet. He promises us good drink, good food, good music, good times and good company. But it won’t be that good without you. Please use the flier found in this, or past, SlipStreams to signup. Call Joe for more details or see our website for additional information (www.corvetteclubmi.com). See you there!

Spring follows Winter, I hope,

Mark Eissler, President, Corvette Club of Michigan

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February 2001 Column
(There was no January 2001 Column)

Hello again fellow Corvette Club of Michigan Members!

I am writing these comments just a few days after our 06 January 2001 Awards Banquet celebrating the achievements of our Club Members in the 2000 Season. The evening was also an opportunity to meet new friends in the Club and to catch up with old friends. Through the efforts of Mary and Bruce Wentzel and with VCRs and monitors provided by Inovision, Inc. we were able to watch video re-plays of many past Corvette Club of Michigan events and meetings. Many Members found themselves in front of the monitors during the course of the evening enjoying the memories. We were joined by our new friends, Russ and Anne Craighead. Russ works for GM and is Vehicle Manager – Corvette. Laurie and I enjoyed talking with the Craigheads before and during dinner. Russ volunteered to say a few words to us at the beginning of our Program and we accepted. He was delighted to let us in on an announcement that was to be made to the general public the next week. The Corvette Z06 was to be named Automobile Magazine’s Automobile of the Year for 2001! Congratulations, Russ, and thanks for letting us in on it first!

Corvette Club of Michigan extends a big "Thank You" to Pat Jutras and her banquet crew for the hard work that went into planning and coordinating our evening. She did such a good job, we’ll let her do it again next year! We thank Keith Tappen for the donation of a 1954 Corvette Roadster (1:18 scale, darn it!) which was given away as a door prize. This special scale replica was previously owned by Corvette styling legend, the late Larry Shinoda. And thanks go to Rick and Diane Parent for the Corvette Monopoly game they donated for a door prize. CCM also thanks Barb and Don Bush of O & D Bush Jewelers for their door prize donations (Laurie says good things come in small packages), Dave Krom donated a National Corvette Museum Christmas ornament, and our friends at Renaissance Balloons, through Lorraine McLaughlin, donated hot air balloon rides!

The President is responsible to recognize the contributions of our Members to the Club. This is done at the Awards Banquet through two awards, the President’s Award, given to the person who helps the President the most through the course of the year and the Most Valuable Member Award. Careful thought and consideration is required. Observation throughout the year is key in order to make these awards really mean something. There is no yardstick to use other than the President’s judgement:

The 2000 President’s Award.

During the first half of calendar 2000 I was required to travel frequently for business. I would be gone for weeks at a time. During my absences, the duties of president fell on this year’s recipient, along with her own Club duties. Additionally, our President’s Award honoree was our principal Club contact with our sponsor, Les Stanford Chevrolet, through out the year. She represented the interests of the Board of Directors at planning meetings for the annual Corvette Encounter. During January and February, she organized our Club’s donation to WOMC’s Dick Purtan Bed and Bread Club Radiothon to benefit the Detroit area Salvation Army held at the Oakland Mall. And while presenting the combined donation of our Club and Les Stanford Chevrolet to Dick Purtan live on the air, she answered all of Dick’s questions naturally and comfortably, making corvette Club of Michigan look good in the process. The 2000 President’s Award winner is Mary Wentzel.

The 2000 Most Valuable Member

The choices here are tough. Many, many members contribute their time and help to the Club throughout the year. For 2000, the Most Valuable Member Award is given to a father and son team that we haven’t often seen at club meetings or events. But together they are working to give Corvette Club of Michigan a presence on the internet. Many of you reading this at home are members today because you found our club website, which they maintain. The website has helped our membership grow to more than 400 people in 2000. In addition, we were the second largest NCCC membership club in the nation last year. In recognition of their contribution to the growth of our Club and the contribution that the website makes to all Members of Corvette Club of Michigan, the 2000 Most Valuable Members are Steve and Evan Budaj.

It was a great night, and not just because I gave away The Golden Pylon to this year’s honoree, either. Man, that was fun! I’ve asked our SlipStream Publisher, Dave Krom, to reprint the text of the Golden Pylon Award ceremony in this issue for you to enjoy. Besides, Gary Sielczak should be able to enjoy his fame! I didn’t have much time to talk with many of you during the evening and I am sorry for that. But Laurie and I did have opportunity to enjoy dancing to the tunes played for us by our De-Jay. If you weren’t able to be with us for the Awards Banquet, you missed a great time. I hope you will join us next year.

What else is happening in the middle of January? Arrrgh!!! I am sick of snow! I want to drive my Corvette on clean, salt free roads. I want to move to Southern California or Florida to be rid of this Winter scene. But my job is here in Michigan so my Corvette sits in the garage under the cover waiting for March. (Competition Director Fred Scarpace is reading this with a smirk on his face right now. He motors to and from the Club Board Meetings in his 96 Collector’s Edition and he’s making a mental note to tell me that I could do it, too!) Corvette Club of Michigan has seated it’s Board of Directors for 2001. Some names you will know as they are continuing to serve our Club, but some names may be new to you as these folks are just starting to help to us. Let’s meet the 2001 Board of Directors. (I am returning as president.) Mary Wentzel is Vice President and Past President, our Treasurer remains Jan Skiles, our Recording Secretary is Pat Jutras, Corresponding Secretary is Dianne Watson. Our three First Year Board representatives will be Gary Westrick, Cher Ketelhut, and Bob Jutras. The three Second Year Board Representatives are Dave Nims, Paul Brimo, and Gene Bosetti. Fred Scarpace will be Competition Director and Bruce Wentzel will serve as Detroit Council of Sports Car Clubs Representative. Our Points Director remains Jan Millen. Serving as SlipStream Publisher (and National Corvette Museum Ambassador) is Dave Krom. Our National Council of Corvette Clubs Governor will be Lorraine McLaughlin. Public Relations Director is Ken Watson, Ted Godett is our Program Director, Jim Farless is Membership Director, and our Social Co-Directors are Rick and Jan Sutliff.

CCM still needs your help. We need help to fill two important jobs in the Club. With Lorraine McLaughlin’s decision to become our NCCC Club Governor, we need someone to back fill her in the Patches and Badges job. This is the very important Club merchandise position. It involves maintaining and restocking the inventory of Club merchandise, and being available to sell the merchandise at our monthly General Meetings. Lorraine would be happy to tell you more about the position, so I encourage you to speak to her about it and then call me to take the job. Also, we need someone to take over the duties of NCCC Michigan Region Representative. This is an important position, as you will help to represent CCM at the Region level. It is through our Region Representative that CCM obtains NCCC sanctioning for many of our events during the competition season. It involves going to the Region meetings in the Lansing area every so often. Bruce Wentzel would be happy to tell you more about the duties if you call him.

Mark Eissler,
President Corvette Club of Michigan

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December 2000 Column

Farewells. Laurie and I were running errands the other day. She made a comment about "What a great day it is". And it was a great day. But we were in the first few days of November and I couldn’t help but think how this was one of the last of the good days before the cold of Winter sets in. Now usually I am not a pessimist, but Fall just gets to me and it has for over 2 decades. To me, Fall means Farewells. When I was a kid, it meant Farewell to summer vacation. Farewell to warm weather, green grass and leaves. When I was in college, it meant Farewell to friends as I returned to campus. After I had kids, Fall meant years and years of Farewell to my money in the form of back to school supplies, clothes and fees. Soon, it will mean Farewell to even more money as my kids head to college. This month it will mean farewell to my Corvette as I wrap it up in its cover and park it in the garage until March. It even means farewell to Laurie’s Buick as the lease has run it’s course and GM will get it back.

For Corvette Club of Michigan, we bid Farewell to our Competition Season as it officially ends with the CCM Board of Directors Meeting on 08 November. You’ll have to attend our Annual Awards Banquet on 06 January 2001 to learn who the champions are. And even if you don’t care, please come out to the Banquet because it is a Real Good Time, with dinner, dancing and socializing. See the flyer in this issue of SlipStream for details and how to signup. Pat Jutras and her Banquet Crew have put on a great evening for us for the past several years and I’m sure this one will be great, too. Just listening to her description of the Dessert Table has my tastebuds primed.

Also in November, we say "Farewell" to our Social Season. Our last Social Event of the year will be a cruise to Frankenmuth. We thank Rick and Jan Sutliff for organizing what we hope will be an annual fall pilgrimage to the town were its always Corvette-mas, I mean Christmas.

And this is the "Farewell" issue of SlipStream for 2000 as we are publishing for the months of December and January. Our November General Membership Meeting will be the "Farewell" Club Meeting for the year. This is because our "4^th Wednesday of the month" Meeting date would fall between Christmas and New Year’s Day. Therefore, there is no General Meeting in December.

Many Members of your Board of Directors will be returning in 2001, but some are saying Farewell to the Board after the December Board Meeting. As this is the last Club publication for the year 2000, I want to convey my many heartfelt thanks to those Board Members who are leaving. Leaving the Board from the position of Corresponding Secretary is long-time Club Member Barb Bush. And from the position of Second Year Board Representative, Don Bush leaves, too. Please accept my thanks, Barb and Don, for stepping in and helping us this year. Your experience from past Board positions and your depth of knowledge of the history and past practices of the Corvette Club of Michigan have been a tremendous benefit to me. Leaving from the position of NCCC Governor is Pat Brown. Further, Pat and her husband Ron are leaving the Michigan Region, too. Pat, I am really going to miss you. Pat’s thorough understanding of NCCC and her long-time relationships with the NCCC representatives from our neighbor clubs has been a tremendous asset for Corvette Club of Michigan. Some lucky Corvette club in Ohio is going to get a great team member. If they don’t treat you right, Pat, let us know, and we’ll just go down there and kick their butts in an autocross! Leaving from the position of Social Co-Directors are George and Jan Peters. They stepped in and said "Yes" when I asked them to accept that important position. And I think they’ve done a great job of breathing life back into our Social Calendar. The Peter’s kept and published a schedule that listed social events across the state. They shepherded us to Bakers in Milford for our June Cruise Night. And they led the Committee that planned our trips to the St. Ignace car show, Brunch at the St. Clair Inn and our November cruise to Frankenmuth. So, thank you George and Jan! Saying "Farewell" from the position of Public Relations Director is George Jerome. George has helped us defray the cost of publishing SlipStream by selling advertising space in the periodical. And he has been a voice for you during his tenure on the Board. Thanks George! And a big THANK YOU goes out to the other Members of the Board for 2000, too. They are: Mary Wentzel, Jan Skiles, Pat Jutras, Dave Nims, Paul Brimo, Gene Bosetti, Diane Watson, Bob Jutras, Ken Watson, Bruce Wentzel, Jan Millen, Dave Krom, Ted Godett and Jim Farless. I urge you to thank all of them, when you see them at the November Meeting. And someone else has been working for you during the course of the year, too. You see her at every General Meeting in the back, selling us that awesome Club Merchandise! Yes, I’m talking about 1999’s Most Valuable Member: Lorraine McLaughlin. Thanks bunches Lorraine for dressing us right! Every one of the people listed above have taken time from their personal lives to help our Club this past year.

It has been my privilege to be president of your Club this past year. When I joined Corvette Club of Michigan in 1997 I had no idea how deep into the club I would be drawn, but I have enjoyed every minute of it! Some of the ideas I had on joining have gone by the wayside. I actually thought I would not be autocrossing or drag racing my Corvette. I thought I might hurt my baby doing that! Wow, was I wrong. I have had such a blast at both types of events. And somewhere along the way, I have learned how to drive faster on the course. I’ve benchmarked myself against some of our really fast drivers and I’ve improved and even been successful against some tough competition. And those competitors are still friends. At the last CCM autocross of the year, some of those friends were heard to remark "Who’s driving Eissler’s car? He’s doing really good out there!" Well, it was me and that was a wonderful compliment. If you have enjoyed your membership in Corvette Club of Michigan for even 10% of my enjoyment, you had a blast this past year.

The Board of Directors has been busy this past year delivering a "Complete Corvette Club Experience" for you. I hope we did good. We would welcome your suggestions for improvements. Please talk to me, call me or Email me with your comments for 2001.

Farewell for 2000

Mark Eissler, President Corvette Club of Michigan

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November 2000 Column

Bad Weather, Good Times. On Wednesday 04 October, I started paying more attention to the weather forecasts for the weekend. I was worried. The forecasts were not going my way. Chuck and Tom on Channel 4 were predicting a cold, wet and rainy weekend with a possibility of snow for the Corvette Club of Michigan Fall Brunch Cruise! How could this be? Maybe I should watch a different channel, maybe there was better weather somewhere else on the "dial". NOT! The telephone calls were coming in nightly. "Yes, this is a rain or shine event" I would reply to the worried questioner. Saturday morning came and the rain of Friday night had lifted. It looked warm out. How could it rain tomorrow? The weather was so good on Saturday, I decided to do a front brake job on my S-10.

Sunday morning was cold. The big, dark gray clouds hung low in the sky. I got into my Red 1996 LT-4 Corvette and began the drive to the meeting point. I was on the Ruether-bahn headed east when I spotted what I thought were the taillights of a C5 up ahead. I couldn’t be sure, what with the curves and the traffic. I looked again. Yes, it was a C5! I dropped to 4^th and nailed the throttle. As I closed in on the silver C5, I could see that it was not alone. There were 2 other C5’s ahead of the silver one. This was a good sign. I followed them. They took the Dequindre exit and turned into the parking lot at the meeting point. There were already several Corvettes and Club members there! It was still cold however and those who were socializing out in the parking lot were a bit shivery. As we waited for the drivers meeting, more Corvettes and Club members arrived. Maps were passed out and the route was discussed. It was time to form-up the caravan and hit the road.

We left the lot and turned right on the Service Drive. We took the ramp down to east bound I-696. From there we joined up with I-94 east. I looked for deer on the Selfridge Air Guard base, but I couldn’t see any. After passing the Base, we took Exit 243, 23 Mile Road. So far, keeping the caravan together on the expressway was relatively "easy". Now it would be almost impossible due to traffic and stoplights. We paraded around Anchor Bay to Algonac. In Algonac, River Road finally joined up with the River. As I was driving through what seemed like a different world, I wondered what life on the water would be like. Big houses squeezed together on narrow lots. Little houses squeezed together on narrow lots. And in some places, canals and channels had been dug, thereby increasing the available "waterfront" for boat lovers to build houses on. And even the boats had houses. That was a similarity, as our Corvettes have houses for us to park them in. What were their club meetings like? And when they gathered for cruises, where did they go? Was it called a caravan, or a flotilla? And then I remembered something a friend had said about his boat: "It’s a hole in the water into which you pour money". I smiled, grateful that I had chosen to pour my money into a Corvette.

As M-29 winds its way north along the St. Clair River, we came to Marine City. The route enters town and a left turn must be made at a stoplight. Here I made a relatively good impromptu decision. I decided to pull the caravan over to the side of the highway to let our group gather up after the stoplight. Evidently I pulled away from the curb before some of the local minivans and pick-ups could get past the caravan. That was the only explanation for them to be in the opposite lane going our way. In truth, I was watching for our Vettes to make the turn and did not see them in our midst due to the curve of the road. As M-29 joined up with the river again, I could look across the river and see A Foreign Country: Canada, eh. So far the rain has held off. As we closed in on the town of St. Clair, the rain began. When the caravan arrived at the parking area, the rain fell steadily. No matter, we dashed across the street to the St. Clair Inn. It was 11:00 AM, bang on schedule!

The staff had held a beautiful dining room for our use. There were just under 50 Corvette Club of Michigan Members present and we were able to be seated in the same room. The Buffet table(s) was in our room. It was long and it ended at the "Omelet Station." I was among the last of us to get to the omelet station. The young man making our omelets that morning was very flustered. He must have wanted to faint when he saw 50 of us walk into the room! But he stuck it out and he made a great omelet for me! It was worth the wait. I thought the staff did a great job tending to our needs.

The Inn is built on a bend in the river, and our windows were only a few feet from the water’s edge. To the right we could look downstream and to the left, upstream. We were treated to the sight of 3 ships steaming down stream toward Lakes St. Clair and Erie. And of course, across the river was Canada.

And just like that, our visit to the St. Clair Inn was over. Had an hour and a half really gone by that fast? Yes it had. Outside the rain was still falling. I didn’t care. I had a great morning of cruising with Corvettes and sharing my breakfast with wonderful people. Let it rain, nothing was going to dampen my spirits that day!

Your next Cruise For Food opportunity. If you read the account above and are wishing you could have been with us, then November 19, 2000 is your lucky day! Corvette Club of Michigan will cruise again! We will be going to Frankenmuth for a famous Frankenmuth chicken dinner. Look for the informative flier elsewhere in this issue of SlipStream. And if you even think you might want to go with us, you better do it, because it will be January before the Club gathers for a Social Event after the Frankenmuth outing.

Mark Eissler, President
Corvette Club of Michigan

October 2000 Column

Intrepid Travelers. It was early, very early. But my daughter and I had awakened even earlier. We ate quickly and put our last things into the Corvette. The morning air was slightly chilly, with a dampness hanging in it. Quietly, we drove west toward Zeeb Road. One by one, we gathered at the appointed meeting place. Since the parking lot was dark, the small group was standing by the windows to the restaurant, where the interior lights shone through onto the sidewalk. Our numbers increased, Jan, Dave, Paul, Chase, Mark, Christie, Larry, Janice, Jordan, George, Gary, Steve, Diane, Evan, Cher, Nicole, Ken, Dianne. Departure time came and we all went to our cars. It was still dark and foggy in some places as we drove west toward I-69. The 2-way radios were quiet as we were still getting to know one another. Darkness lifted, daylight increased and the fog burned off. We were heading south now, to Indianapolis. At the first rest stop, we were joined by a couple from Toledo. They stayed with us into Bowling Green. Traffic got heavy near Fort Wayne and the Indiana State Police were out in force. It was difficult to keep the caravan together with the increase in holiday traffic on the road. One of our number found himself “between Corvettes” for this holiday, so they were travelling in the family SUV. Some of the people the caravan passed wouldn’t recognize the SUV as being part of the Caravan. In particular, a “Sports Pick-up” truck kept racing the Budaj-mobile to the end of the caravan, refusing to let our sweep car be in front of him. And when we were going around Indianapolis, a Crazed Dump Truck nearly squashed them! For protection, we put the Lexus in the rocking chair and for a short time, we used a Corvette as sweep car.

We stopped for lunch just south of Indianapolis. The Cracker Barrel staff seated us quickly. And just after we got there, a waiting line had formed for tables. Any connection? After we fueled up our stomachs, we needed to fuel up our Vettes. So the dash to the pumps was on. We gathered to wait for each other in the parking lot of the outlet mall behind the restaurant. We waited. And waited. One of our caravan had gone into town for a bolt. We waited. Cher, Nicole and Christie shopped. We waited. A friendly northbound traveler pulled into the lot and asked if we were going south. She suggested that we did not want to use the Interstate as a traffic mishap had shut down the southbound lanes. Pathfinder Krom consulted his maps. He routed us through Columbus to a state 2-lane highway headed south. We picked up George as we drove through town. Because of traffic and stoplights the caravan had split into 2 parts. We were running about 1 mile apart when we hit open road. Back on the interstate, it took about 5 miles before the group was together again. We approached construction north of Louisville, and speeds slowed. We crossed the bridge and were finally in Kentucky! As the interstate widened south of Louisville, traffic spread out and we were able to run faster.

And then George’s voice came over the radio, “I have a problem. I can’t keep the engine running.” And just like that, he dove for the shoulder. Because I was directly behind him, I pulled over with him. And the Budaj-mobile pulled over, too. George tried to restart the engine, but couldn’t. Foolishly, we told Steve to go on and join up with the caravan at the rest stop, only 2 miles down the road. We’d be there soon. To me George seemed supremely confident in his ability to diagnose and solve the problem. He had all the tools he needed to work on the ‘65 Fuelie in the car with him. George was not intimidated by the Rochester Products mechanical fuel injection system he was examining. We were quickly joined by the driver of an ’88 Vette who stopped to offer “every tool you can think of”. He and his wife were on their way back to Bowling Green from lunch in Louisville. This guy was a 19-year veteran of the US Marine Corps, a Gunnery Sergeant. He was looking forward to retirement next year. Well, George was working steadily. He knew he was not getting spark, so he had checked each of the connections on the primary and secondary sides of the coil. By now, the RP fuel injection system had dumped so much gas down each cylinder that the spark plugs were dripping wet. George only had 4 new ones with him. Selectively, the new plugs were installed. It was time to try starting the engine again. But earlier attempts had drained the battery. Gunny offered a set of jumper cables. And when George asked if he could get a jump from the ’88, Gunny pulled a brand new, still shrink wrapped battery out of that Vette and brought it over! George and I looked at each other in surprise. Repeated attempts to revive the 375 HP 327 were futile. Even starting fluid couldn’t help. The verdict: still no spark. It was at this point that we realized how handy a 4 door SUV would be to take George into town. The whole time, my daughter Christie was sitting in my car, several feet behind the disabled ’65.

We were about to test the carrying capacity of a 2-seat sports car. At a parts store only a few miles down the road, George bought a new coil, coil wire, a battery and jumper cables. Returning him to his car, George set to work installing the new coil. When it was connected, he tried to start the engine. Two stabs of the starter and the Fuelie fired up! What a welcome sound those side pipes made. I am certain that George was relieved that he didn’t have to tow his pride and joy into town. While George blipped the throttle, I handed stuff into the passenger compartment to him. We quickly packed him up and were ready to drive to Bowling Green, only 80 or so miles down the road. I got back in my car and we were away. I followed George to make sure I could pull over with him if needed. But no need. We ran the gauntlet of radar equipped State Police and County Sheriff patrol cars. It seemed there was a radar source every 10 miles. George’s ’65 kept running.

And then there was the kid in the ‘87 Mustang who felt that staying 6 ½ feet off my bumper cover wasn’t close enough! I resisted the temptation to brake check the guy, thinking I’d end up wearing that Mustang. So I pulled out into the left-hand lane and stabbed the brakes. I slid quickly in behind him and charged his rear bumper. I stayed there for a few miles, making eye contact with him in his rear view mirror. George had pulled out ahead of him a ways, so I dropped to 4^th gear and blasted by the Mustang and took the right lane again. The kid got the message as he stayed 6 to 7 car lengths back until he exited. We were closing in on Bowling Green! As we passed the exit for the Museum, I felt relief as George’s ’65 was going to make it. Daylight was fading and the northbound cars had their headlights on. We were travelling about 2-3 MPH faster than the cars in the right hand lane. George was starting to pass a Buick when it’s driver decided to pass the car in front of it! A swerve and a quick stab of the brakes and George avoided the errant Buick! It looked very close from back where I was, too close. And only 2 more miles to go to our exit. As we pulled into the parking lot of the Comfort Inn, there was a smattering of applause from those CCMer’s hanging around outside their rooms. I wondered where the day went. The rest of the Caravan had arrived about 2 ½ hours before us. A group dinner had been arranged at Hopp’s, a brewpub less than a mile from the hotel. Because I decided to “wash the road off”, Christie and I were the last to arrive at Hopp’s. The group waited for us to join them before ordering. Man, that first beer really tasted great!

Mark Eissler, President
Corvette Club of Michigan

September 2000 Column

How I became a Member of Corvette Club of Michigan. You might think this would be a simple story. Buy a Corvette, join the club. But no, it’s not quite that simple. You see I’m a member of CCM because I spent my honeymoon with John Firment!

Laurie and I were married in June 1995. During the first week of July, she and her sons moved to the house we had purchased in Plymouth. The next week, we were scheduled to leave on our honeymoon. We had booked a cruise with Carnival on the Celebration. But a few weeks before our wedding, the Celebration suffered an engine room fire and was adrift in the Caribbean. Carnival was very kind to us and they were able to rebook us on another ship for the exact same departure and return dates, as our schedule would not permit a change in our honeymoon travel dates. As it turned out, we were to be among the first guests to sail on the maiden voyage of the MS Imagination, the newest ship in the Carnival inventory. We made arrangements to fly out of Detroit Metro to Miami to board the ship. At the airport departure gate there was a big man and his wife waiting with their older sons to board our flight. The young men appeared to be in their late teens and early twenties. As we settled into our airplane seats, I noticed I was sitting behind the father. He had closely cropped hair, which was in contrast to that of his sons, who wore their hair much longer. Laurie then imagined us travelling with her teenaged sons and quickly dismissed that thought. This family again caught my eye as we waited and waited for our luggage in baggage claim. One of the boys was "benefiting" from the big man’s fatherly counsel regarding the wisdom of playing a game involving bouncing a tasseled stick between two other sticks in the rapidly filling baggage claim area. The young man agreed to see it his father’s way.

The next day our ship made its first port of call in Cancun, Mexico. The area of town near the cruise ship docks was very nice. Many shops had friendly storekeepers who invited us in to see their wares, neatly organized on the shelves. Laurie and I had been in several of the stores and were walking to another when we noticed that big man and his wife from our airplane ride. Opportunity presented itself, and I introduced Laurie and myself. "I’m John Firment," he said. "And this my wife, Marty." I asked about the young men I had seen them with and was told that Chuck and Dennis were enjoying the day on the ship or elsewhere. Marty and Laurie struck up a conversation and wandered into the next shop. John and I found out that we both worked for the same company but at different locations. We exchanged business cards. John asked where Laurie and I were living and I replied "Plymouth." John remarked that some very good friends and fellow Corvette Club members lived in Plymouth. "Barb and Don Bush," he said "own O and D Bush Jewelers in downtown Plymouth." I told him that Laurie and I knew that store and had visited their shop. The connection between Corvettes and the Firments was made. After those few minutes together, the four of us wished each other well and parted company. I know that Laurie and I saw the Firments throughout that week, but it was that street corner conversation in Cancun that I remember the most.

Some months went by and I had opportunity to call John at his office. The subject of Corvettes came up and he mentioned the Corvette Encounter to be held at Les Stanford Chevrolet that June. It was 1996. He gave me the details. The day came and Laurie and I went to the show. We renewed our acquaintance with Marty, then Membership Director, at the CCM Information Booth. There were hundreds of people at the Encounter. And there were lots of wonderful Corvettes! This was the year of CCM’s own "Special Collection", a Corvette from every year of production! Elvis was there, too. We walked around the various areas and found ourselves among several 96 Vettes that still had stickers on the windows. These were the unsold cars in the Stanford inventory. I looked at several cars and noticed that a particular red coupe had the 330 HP LT4 engine and a manual transmission. The only other option on the car was a power driver’s seat. A further examination of the sticker revealed that the Corvette was a very well equipped car from a standard equipment point of view. The overall package seemed reasonably priced, and I said as much to Laurie. I asked her to stop laughing, that I had always wanted a Corvette, and I wanted that one!

Later in June and July my business travel schedule had me hopping. But in the back of mind, I was thinking I needed to dump the mini-van and get a car that more properly projected the "sporty" image I had of myself. I told Laurie as much and said that I should have "a Camaro" or similar car. I soon found out that time had conspired against me and Camaros, especially the Z28 type I wanted, were not to be found. It was the end of July. That red Corvette coupe I had seen was tickling my memory. I went to Les Stanford on a Sunday to peruse their inventory. They still had several, and one was red with the minimal options and "reasonable" sticker pricing. My mind raced, I had brought my calculator with me and was doing some crude financing calculations. Eventually, I convinced myself that the purchase was "do-able". I went home and for the next week I stamped my feet and held my breath long enough that Laurie caved and said, "OK". Laurie and I bought that red Corvette in August of 1996. I called John Firment to get information about Corvette Club of Michigan. Arrangements were made for me to receive an information package. I joined the club in February of 1997.

So there you have it! I am a member of CCM because I spent my honeymoon with John Firment!

Club Business According to the By Laws of Corvette Club of Michigan, at the September General Membership Meeting nominations of interested Members for any office on our Board will be accepted. Nomination of the interested Member may be made by any Member in good standing as long as the interested Member has given his/her approval. Any and all positions on our Board are open for nominations for 2001. Please take a moment to consider the position on our Board that most interests you. I encourage you to speak to that Board Member to learn more about the duties of that position. Then, please arrange to be nominated (I know Ken Watson will gladly nominate any person interested in being Competition Director for 2001).

Mark Eissler, President, Corvette Club of Michigan

August 2000 Column

Spent Luck. The day started out hot and only got hotter. The humidity had kicked up. It was "High Noon". Hot and sticky. Being from Michigan you’d think we could take it. But Bowling Green, Kentucky on Labor Day weekend was almost too much. We had driven down the day before, Dave Krom and I, and had watched the setup for the National Corvette Celebration at the National Corvette Museum. We toured the exhibits, then washed the road off our Corvettes and were back at the hotel cooling off. A tourist magazine in the room told of the wonders of Mammoth Cave, only 35 miles from Bowling Green. Picking up the phone, I dialed Dave’s room. "Let’s go!" he said. Up the Interstate toward Louisville the black and red Corvette LT-4’s drove as if connected by a string. Exiting the highway onto the National Park access road we drive in a two Corvette parade. The 2.5 hour historical tour was the next available and so we took it. Moving from the 90+ degree, hot and humid air down into the 55 degree cave air was refreshing. The tour was a wonderful break from the heat. Exiting the cave and walking up out of the entrance hollow, the oppressive humidity made it’s presence felt. Time to head back to Bowling Green and dinner. The black Corvette followed by the red one paraded out on the well-maintained and well-groomed National Park road. Padding the speed limit by 5 to 7 MPH, we arrived at the freeway on ramp. Dave hit the gas pedal hard, and was flying up toward the highway. Caught off guard, I downshifted and slammed the throttle to the floor. Dave was still pulling away when I shifted into 4^th. Cresting the top of the ramp, I was now closing the distance to Dave’s bumper. Before merging onto the freeway, my eyes swept the IP and then cleared the left blind spot. 92 MPH had registered in the consciousness as the head turned to the left. And there he was! A Kentucky State Trooper in the left lane! Sh*%!! No wonder Dave was so easy to catch! The right foot fell heavily on the brake pedal, the Corvette’s brakes turning speed into heat quickly. Slowing the Corvette to 60 MPH, I shifted into 6^th gear "cruise" and kept my eyes straight ahead. "Let me be lucky, let me be lucky", I repeated over and over. The Trooper went on by in the left lane! And that’s how I spent my luck.

Try your luck. Now is the time to sign-up and join Corvette Club of Michigan for our 4^th Annual CCM Caravan to the National Corvette Museum. I’m planning to join the fun again this year and I’m bringing my daughter, Christie, for her second trip with us, too. I can’t promise you that you will be escorted by Kentucky’s Finest, but it could happen! Contact Corvette Club of Michigan Museum Ambassador Dave Krom to learn the details of the Club’s hotel arrangements and the meeting location and departure time of the Caravan. Then call the NCM to arrange for your admission packet to the weekend’s events. If you are new to our Club, or have not been to the National Corvette Museum, this is an ideal opportunity to add to your "Corvette Experiences", to try something new while in the company of friends. There is nothing like participating in a long distance caravan of Corvettes. And to be at the "spiritual home" of the Corvette with thousands of other Corvette hobbyists for a weekend-long celebration of the Corvette and the Museum is a wonderful experience. It was on past Museum Caravans that I’ve met and became friends with CCM Members Steve and Evan Budaj one year and George and Jan Peters the next. And I’ve furthered my freindships with the Millens, the Wentzels, the Powells, Lorraine McLaughlin, Kim Fast, the Scarpaces, Jan Skiles and of course Dave Krom. I’ve bumped into some of my Corvette Internet friends, too. These trips are great opportunities to meet new friends and see old ones, too. Won’t you join us this year?

Treats and Perq’s. Some of us who live in SE Michigan can get a little bummed about living here. It’s hot and sticky in the summer and cold and icy in the winter. It’s crowded on the roads and that’s before they all close for construction season. Well there are some treats and perquisites that members of Corvette Club of Michigan get because we do live in SE Michigan. An example occurred at this month’s running of the Gary Griffith, Sr. Memorial Time Trials at Waterford Hills this 4^th of July. About mid-way through the event, Russ Craighead, Vehicle Manager – Corvette, Performance Cars, from General Motors, pulled into a back corner in the pit area in a brand new 2001 Z06 Corvette! The Z06 has been rumored for months and is the cover subject of many car magazines this month! The car was black with a very sharp black with red trim interior. Under the hood sat the potent new 385 HP LS-6 Engine with red beauty covers. The new 10-Spoke (or Split 5-Spoke) wheels look great and show off the red brake calipers to full effect. The wheels were shod with the latest specific-to-Corvette-only Goodyear F1 "Supercar" tires. For several hours there was a gaggle of folks surrounding the Z06. We were told that it was one of a small number of Z06’s built as a "pilot" run and if they checked out OK, Bowling Green would begin building more before July ended. Wow, what a treat! To be able see one these new and exciting Z06 Corvettes before anybody else! And then came the perq. Russ Craighead asked CCM, asked mind you, if a few of our members would like to drive it out on the track! Well, like yea!!! Thank God he only whispered that question to CCM Competition Director Ken Watson. Ken gave careful consideration to driving skill and familiarity with Waterford as well as the value of the Z06 and tapped three (3) of CCM’s hands-down best drivers: Chuck Fast, Bruce Wentzel and John Townsend. Each got two (2) laps of the circuit, with the new titanium exhaust system producing a pleasant and powerful sounding tone. My poor memory prevents me from telling you the exact lap times each had, I think Bruce Wentzel got down to 80.8X seconds. (For comparison, my best time in my car on R1’s was 89.7 seconds.) Each driver was very impressed with the Z06. Chuck Fast exclaimed, "I want one!" at the end of his first lap. Ahhh, the joy of living in SE Michigan!

Perq’s for You! CCM Program Director Ted Godett has invited Russ Craighead to be the Featured Speaker at our July General Meeting! Russ will bring that 2001 Black Z06 with him! So mark your calendars for the 4^th Wednesday, 26 July 2000 at 8:00 PM in the Service Write-up Area of Les Stanford Chevrolet and plan to be there. Then you’ll see for yourself what all the fuss is about.

Mark Eissler, President, Corvette Club of Michigan

July 2000 Column

Corvette Places I’ve Been to. Well, OK, some of the Corvette places I’ve been are obvious, like Les Stanford to purchase my Corvette and the National Corvette Museum. Some are not so obvious but were fun. Here’s a summary.

Bloomington Gold. This event is an absolute "must do" if you are really into the Corvette hobby. Held in June, I went the last year the show was held in Springfield, IL. (I’m not clear on how the show got moved to Springfield in the first place, but now it’s back in Bloomington, IL.) My decision to go was made at the last minute and I was lucky to find a hotel room. The entire Illinois State Fair ground was turned over to the event. I was still new at the Corvette Hobby thing and did not realize there was a "Corvette Corral" I should have parked in. As many Corvettes as were parked in the corral, there were 20 times more parked on the show field! It was here that I first saw the Dyno-Jet chassis dynamometer. Vette owners were handing over $50 and would get (2) "runs" on the dyno, complete with computer print-out to verify the rear wheel horsepower of their cars. After walking row after row of vendor booths and immersing myself in Corvettes for the day, I returned to the hotel where, it seemed, all of the guests were Corvette owners, too. Many just opened their lawn chairs and beer coolers and enjoyed the evening right there in the parking lot. I went in search of dinner and ended up on the south side of Springfield. I drove into a Burger King where the local chapter of a Route 66 car club was holding a cruise-in. I enjoyed walking the rows of classic muscle cars and Hot Rods. Man, that was a fun trip.

Corvette Mike’s. My wife, Laurie, and I visited Corvette Mike’s in the Los Angeles suburb of Tustin, California. We were vacationing in the summer of '98, visiting my parents who had retired to SoCal. Corvette Mike’s has a national reputation. I had read about Mike and his shop in Corvette Fever magazine. And since we going to be in the area, I had to stop in. In the show room were 30 or 40 Corvettes from all years of production. I was really impressed with the condition of the cars. They were all first-rate. There didn’t seem to be a "project car" in the place. I was attracted to the Mid-Year Coupes, as I still am today. Laurie seemed to really like the Straight Axles with quad headlamps and big "teeth" in the grill. Hmmm… To commemorate the visit, I bought a Tee-shirt at their gift shop. To appease Laurie, we then drove over to Rodeo Drive so she could shop. Ouch! I still visit Corvette Mike’s, via the Internet that is, to see what’s new in the inventory. He’s at www.corvettemike.com.

The National Corvette Museum. I have traveled to the NCM over Labor Day for the last (3) years. Each of the three trips has had a different flavor to them. For the first trip, I went with CCM Member, SlipStream Publisher and NCM Ambassador Dave Krom. Dave and I got there early and toured the Bowling Green Assembly Plant to watch some C5s being built. Dave acquitted himself well in the autocross that year and has a very nice plaque to prove it. That was the year Nathan Sheets of Mid America Design became a Corvette "pilot", we saw the whole thing. Our trip that year was a reconnaissance for the next year’s CCM Caravan. The next Labor Day, I brought my daughter, Christie (15 years old at the time), on the CCM Caravan. She went kind of grudgingly. I had promised her a trip with Dad that summer and this is where I decided to go. I told her we could tour Mammoth Cave, a place she wanted to see. Well she enjoyed the cave, but she found herself enjoying the Corvette stuff, too. She watched the members of CCM perform at the autocross held in the assembly plant parking lot. And Jan and Marge Millen were "5^th in World" at the first annual Corvette Quadra-Challenge. The next year, last year, was the National Corvette Caravan to the NCM to commemorate the 5^th anniversary of the Museum. I brought my son, Jonathan (then 18 years old). Jon still can’t believe that a hotel lobby could be so crowded with people! Jon was very interested in the cars so we skipped the cave and stayed at the museum to enjoy the exhibits. He’d had his driver’s license for some time by that trip and of course he asked THE question. Well, I don’t think the answer surprised him.

Corvette Places I want go to. It seems I’m able to add to this list faster than I can check them off. Here are some of the highlights of my desired destinations.

Corvettes at Carlisle. The debate continues as to which venue is The Best of the big summer Corvette shows. We have members in our club who go to Carlisle every year. I want to go to find out what kind of event can build that kind of loyalty. Besides, Chip’s Choices are very interesting.

The Route 66 Corvette Show. A very new event, I think it is 3 years old now. Held in Joliet, IL, just a little south of Chicago, at the Route 66 Raceway Park. I want to go to see what a "new" show can bring to the hobby.

Mid America Design’s Funfest. Located in Effingham, IL, MAD is not that far away. A good friend of mine went a few years ago and he had a great time. The folks at MAD love the Corvette and my friend felt very welcome at the event. The reputation of "MY Garage" (Mike Yagers personal, but not private, collection of Vettes) is growing and I want see what kind of Vettes Mike thinks is "cool".

A National Convention of the NCCC. Yes, I know this year IS my chance to go and not have to go too far. But, what can I say, it won’t be this year. (Boy, this working for a living can be a drag.) It probably won’t be the year the convention will be at the National Corvette Museum, either. I guess I’m waiting for San Diego, CA to get the winning bid.

A NCRS Winter Meet (in Florida). Every January, when our temperatures are in the cellar and the winter doldrums are in full grip, the NCRS dusts ‘em off and heads for Florida. Warm weather and Hot Vettes. I gotta go!

Route 66, the Mother Road. A red Corvette and THE Road. I can’t explain it; I just want to drive it.

I hope you have many opportunities to enjoy driving your Corvette this summer. Won’t you please write about your special Summer Corvette Road Trip for publication in SlipStream? The Members of CCM would love to read about your adventures. I plan to write about my summer road trip, soon (as soon as I get to take that trip, that is!)

Mark Eissler, President, Corvette Club of Michigan

June 2000 Column

A Mid-Year Report. Fellow Corvette Club of Michigan members, it seems hard to believe, but six (6) months have passed since I became president of your Club. The entire Board of Directors and the members of our Standing Committees have been working hard to deliver "A Complete Corvette Club Experience" for our members. At this point in the year, it may not be easy to see the changes we have made or the efforts of the team to bring the changes to you. So, let me brag a little bit about our Club.

Competition Director Ken Watson and his Competition Committee wanted to improve our Driver’s School behind the wheel session to make it more "user friendly" for our students. This year, we strictly enforced our "Drivers School for CCM Members Only" policy by asking our students to display their CCM Membership Card when registering for the driving session. I thank all of this year’s students for their cooperation with this requirement. And for the first time ever, CCM closed the Drivers School afternoon fun-run session to everybody except our students and the school workers/instructors. By adopting this policy, CCM was able to give all 27 or so students enough time to practice their lessons without that "run-down" feeling past students have experienced on past "Drivers School and Fun Run Day". I say "thank you" to the Competition Committee and the Drivers School workers and instructors who made it possible for CCM to deliver this important Club benefit.

An area of the "Complete Corvette Club Experience" that has received my personal attention is our Social Activities. George and Jan Peters are the Co-Directors of our Social Committee. They and the members of the Committee have put in several working sessions, and working telephone calls to brainstorm, plan and set our Social Calendar. CCM Members have not yet seen the product of their efforts as the majority of our Social Events begin with the Memorial Day Weekend. CCM will caravan down to the National Corvette Museum over Memorial Day Weekend to participate in the first annual CorvetteForum.com gathering at the museum. I hope you will attend. Contact Gary Westrick to learn more or to reserve your place in the caravan. The Social Committee has hammered out a wonderful route for our June Cruise Night. This is an important annual social function for CCM. I enjoy these cruise nights as I get to see and meet Members of CCM whom I otherwise would not meet. In fact, at last years June Cruise Night more than half of the Members I saw were not familiar to me. The Social Committee has arranged for us to cruise to Bakers of Milford through Kensington Metro Park. Bakers is apparently run by bona-fide car-nut types (my favorite kind of nut) who are excited to welcome CCM to their restaurant. So here is an Important Reminder: The June 28^th Cruise Night will take the place of our regular General Meeting! Do NOT go to Les Stanford Chevrolet on 28 June (unless you want to buy a car!) because CCM will NOT be there! Meet at Novi Town Center. Check the June Cruise Night flier in SlipStream for time and a map. Other activities planned by our Social Committee include our Summer Picnic at Maybury State Park in August, and an October Sunday Brunch Cruise to St. Claire Inn (coordinated by yours truly). And I think George Peters continues to work out the details on an exciting event involving a race weekend. Ask him about it. I say "thank you" to the members of our Social Committee for their hard work.

At our monthly General Meetings, CCM tries to present an Interesting Program. This task falls to Program Director Ted Godett. Personally, I think this is a tough job. But Ted handles it with ease. Sometimes, his plans must change (often at the last minute) because the speaker he has invited (cajoled, coddled or sometimes even threatened) cancels at the last minute. When this happens, Ted reaches into his extensive library of (pirated) video tapes, calls for the TV Monitor and entertains us with a World Challenge Race or a re-cap of the NCM 5^th Birthday Celebration. And, Ted has promised me that he will present the program that I’ve been waiting for: How to Concours Prepare a Corvette. I want to know how to clean my Coupe with a toothbrush and Q-tip swabs. Ted, in true Program Director style, will strong-arm, err, invite the owners of several of CCM’s cleanest Corvettes (you know who you are) to "be the program". So when he calls you, the excuse "I’ve just washed my Corvette and I can’t do a thing with it" won’t work. I say "thank you" to Ted for his efforts to inform and entertain us.

And there is someone else who qualifies for a big presidential "Thank you". Vice President Mary Wentzel has been minding the CCM store for me while I’ve been traveling on business. I’ll bet Mary thought she could enjoy her status as Past President and kind of relax this year. Mary has had to run the April and May Board Meetings and the May General Meeting while I’ve been the central figure in a game of "Where In The World is Mark Eissler?" (Hint: the Bier here is very fresh and flavorful. It is brewed under purity laws that have not changed in 400 years.) Thanks, Mary.

Other Goings-On: Recently the Second Generation Gymkahna was conducted and met with great success. About 131 drivers registered for the day. Event Co-Chair Ken (it was really Chris’s course layout) Watson took a moment to update me on the day and to stress that the traditional, historical criteria for awarding The Golden Pylon should be strictly followed. That I should ignore the fact that several pylons were mowed down, splattered and scattered all over during the course of the day, and not just by Gary Sielczak either. Besides, Gary said his new Kuhmos were "still greasy" and he was only heat cycling them (as if I would accept that excuse). Well, if tradition and institutional history were strictly followed, then John (I got lost during the safety run on my own course) Townsend or Chuck (It’s not my fault my autocross had the highest pylon count for a single event) and Kim (I only put them were Dad told me to) Fast would not have been awarded this prestigious trophy.

And speaking of The Golden Pylon, I know many of you are asking yourself right now, "Just what do I have to do to win this magnificent award?" Well, let me give it to you, oops, I mean tell you. The Golden Pylon is traditionally, historically, awarded to the CCM Member who achieves the highest total pylon count at CCM autocrosses during one season. But obviously, or maybe not so obviously, there is no rule or directive that limits the presenter in his/her selection criteria. And if Chuck and Kim Fast had not bowed to tradition, then I wouldn’t have to be watching all of you this year. (I just know it was that last autocross of 1999, the one on Halloween. I did one "Gary Sielczak-go-around" too many. And Don Bush, darn you, you had a hand in this, too, giving me driving advice like that. And wouldn’t you know it, this year Don has a Red ‘96 LT-4 Coupe and now he is in my class! That’s irony for you! Well, I guess I can kiss 3^rd place in my former 3-car class goodbye!) But even if it is The Golden Pylon, it’s nice to be first at something anyway.

Mark Eissler, President,
Corvette Club of Michigan

May 2000 Column

What’s the Difference? The time slips are clutched tightly in the hand. Filled with rows and columns of numbers. Each one is closely examined as if “The Answer” would leap off the paper. A decision was needed. And it was needed now. A number must selected and written in shoepolish on the
windshield. Consistency was the key. But the only thing consistent about these time slips is their lack of it. Time’s up. The “Dial In” is needed now. The bottle is shaken and then applied to the glass. 13.60 forms on the surface. The pairing is inevitable, and familiar. A red Corvette and THE black ZR-1 stand together, side by side on the approach apron. A look to the left and nods are exchanged. Time to stage, first one light and then slowly, haltingly the second. Foot off the brake. Hold in the clutch. Apply pressure to the throttle. Not too much, get the R’s to 2500, no more. And then wait. Now the bright yellow lights on the right begin their countdown. Each one a half second after the other, in sequence down the tree. But on the left side the wait for the lights is longer. The number on that windshield was smaller. The heart rate increases, breathing is deliberate, almost too slow. Wait for the green light and you’ve blown it. Leave too soon and it’s a “red-light”. Just as the last yellow comes on, the red Corvette leaps forward in a howl of tire shriek punctuated by the wail of 350 cubic inches making power. The tach climbs the scale. Don’t shift at red-line, that’s too late, the power peaks several hundred RPM under that. NOW, snap off the 1-2 shift and slam the pedal down again. The rear jumps sideways. Opposite lock is applied and the needle begins its climb again. A glance in mirror shows the black ZR-1 closing the gap. Don’t think about it. Concentrate! The needle is climbing. NOW! Jam the lever toward 3^rd and slam the throttle down a third time. A glance to the left and the ZR-1 is there. Its nose just slightly ahead, sinks under braking! And it’s over! The quarter mile has come and gone and it’s time to push hard on the brake pedal. The time slip is collected at the shack, the white time slip. A number is printed on the bottom. The black ZR-1 is already in the paddock. It’s driver smiles and he offers his hand. “Congratulations” he says. And the red Corvette advances. .002, that’s the difference!

Corvette Club of Michigan placed First in overall points in 1999 in the Michigan Region of the National Council of Corvette Clubs. Several of our members attended the awards banquet hosted by our friends at Shiawasee Corvette Club. It was my honor to accept the 1999 trophy on behalf of CCM. You can see this trophy and all the others in the CCM trophy case in the Service Waiting Room of Les Stanford Chevrolet. Please take a moment to look at your trophies at the next General Membership Meeting. Many of our members were awarded trophies that night, too. Big CCM congratulations to CCM members John Townsend and Pat Brown who earned 1999 NCCC Michigan Region Men’s and Women’s Overall Competitor awards. Go CCM.

1989 Corvette and 1967 Mustang spotted this weekend. While that may not be unusual as our weather has been improving, it was unusual considering where I saw them. The Vette passed us as we crept along in the Friday morning traffic jam in downtown Stockholm, Sweden on our to way to Arlanda Airport. It looked wide and low compared to the typical European sedans surrounding it. The Mustang convertible was tooling north, Saturday afternoon (Nachmittag) top-down, on the B417 out of Wiesbaden, Germany. The driver and passenger appeared to be out for a fun afternoon “on the economy” as Ken Watson once told me. I was travelling south “using the Force” to find my way back to my hotel in Wiesbaden Zentrum (center of town). I try not to get too excited about business travel destinations because it seems to “even out”. For example, later this summer and fall I’ll only be going to the exotic berg of Bluffton, Ohio. Anyone traveling I-75 has been through this metropolis, or did you blink and miss it?

The Friday Evening Drivers School was very well attended on 31 March by prospective autocross participants and the curious, alike. Even though I missed the 02 April Sunday driving session (due to my travel schedule) I was told we had about 25 folks turn out for the exciting and fun behind the wheel, pedal to the medal, dash through the cones. We are able to organize and offer the classroom session and the behind the wheel training because our members volunteer to help. CCM thanks Competition Director Ken Watson and his team of trainers for the thorough job, professionally executed. And our thanks to Dianne Watson for feeding us with Dogs and Drinks.

CCM Still needs Help! As with any organization, things get done in CCM because members step forward and offer their help. Ken Watson did get a reply to our request for help in pulling the club trailer to our autocross events, but the commitment is only for a few of the scheduled dates. So the opportunity to help with the trailer is still available. There have been no replies to our calls for help in the remaining two areas, so I’ll run the entire “Help Wanted” postings again. Please consider these (3) requests and how you may be able to help CCM (and yourself).

1) Help, HELP! Corvette Club of Michigan needs your help. We are looking for a volunteer or volunteers to pull the Club Trailer to our Autocross Events this year. The Club rebuilt the bearings, trailer brakes and electrical system last year, so it should pull straight and true this year, too. If you can help us, please call Competition Director Ken Watson.

2) More HELP! We are looking for a “Chief Timer”. This person would take possession of the Club’s timing equipment (timer, photo-eyes and batteries, and the timing laptop computer) bringing them to each autocross. The Competition Committee has folks available to set-up the timing equipment at the autocross. After each autocross, the Chief Timer would collect the equipment and take it home for storage. Please contact Competition Director Ken Watson for more information or if you would like Fame and Glory as CCM’s Chief Timer.

3) STILL more HELP! Corvette Club of Michigan needs a “Keeper of the Database”. This is your chance to get in on the ground floor as the Club has decided to create an MS Access database of our SlipStream mailing list. If you have a home computer and are familiar with MS Access, you can help us by maintaining the database, adding new members each month and preparing the database to print SlipStream mailing labels for each month’s publication. If you would like more information on this opportunity, or you want to be the “Keeper”, please call SlipStream Publisher Dave Krom.

Make a difference!

Mark Eissler, President, Corvette Club of Michigan

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

April 2000

Acceleration. The Corvette is Torch Red. A little of the red paint can
seen under the fitted cover now draped over the car. It takes more
time to remove the cover than it should. But doing it with care, the
cover ends up neatly folded and slipped inside it’s storage bag.
And there it sits in all it’s Retina-Burning-Red glory. This is a
marvelous moment. It is savored. The eyes try to look everywhere
at once. To see it all. The beauty and style of this Corvette have
been hidden too long. The Corvette is a ‘96. The last year this body
style was built. It has the LT-4 engine stuffed under the hood. That
means 330 fuel injected horsepower are available and 340 lb-ft of
torque. Lots of torque, made down low, where God meant torque to
be made. It wears 285 series tires on the 91/2 inch wide rear wheels.
Tires wide enough to put that pavement-wrinkling torque to the ground.
The key turns easily in the ignition and the "last, best small block"
burbles to life immediately. The gear shift is stiff, a result of cold oil
and long storage. But reverse is selected and the Corvette is backed
out of the garage. Because it’s "stiff" from storage, the Corvette is
driven carefully, deliberately until the LT-4’s coolant and oil are up
to normal temperatures. The transmission is warming, too and the
shift motions become freer, second nature again. The moment is here.
The wait is over. The Corvette is ready. And the meaning of acceleration
is found.

Corvette Club of Michigan begins its annual Spring acceleration.
The Competition Committee has revised, printed and assembled the
2000 Rulebook. The competition Calendar has been planned and the
Competition Season is underway. Drivers School will be here at the
end of March. Look for Competition Director Ken Watson’s report
in this SlipStream. Our Social Committee has completed its first
planning meeting and I am very pleased and excited about the
Social Events CCM will offer this year. Read Social Directors George
and Jan Peters’ report.

Corvette Club of Michigan recently participated in a very special
charity with our Club Sponsor, Les Stanford Chevrolet. Our Board
voted to donate money to the Salvation Army’s Bed and Bread Club
during the recent Dick Purtan Radiothon held at the Oakland Mall.
Monies raised are used by the Army to buy food and provide shelter
for needy and homeless individuals and families in Detroit. Vice
President Mary Wentzel coordinated our Club’s donation, along
with your individual donations and got us "5 Minutes Of Fame" live
on WOMC radio with Dick Purtan! Mary did a great job of explaining
for Dick Purtan and his listeners how the monies were raised with
Scott Montgomery and me beside her. I was just back on my feet
after a flu-like illness had me flat. It was all I could do to smile at
Dick Purtan and nod my agreement to Mary’s comments. Thanks
for making us look good, Mary. Look for Mary Wentzel’s report on
this special charity in this SlipStream.

Help, HELP! Corvette Club of Michigan needs your help. We are
looking for a volunteer or volunteers to pull the Club Trailer to our
Autocross Events this year. The Club rebuilt the bearings, trailer
brakes and electrical system last year, so it should pull straight and
true this year, too. If you can help us, please call Competition
Director Ken Watson.

More HELP! We are looking for a "Chief Timer". This person would
take possession of the Club’s timing equipment (timer, photo-eyes
and batteries, and the timing laptop computer) bringing them to
each autocross. The Competition Committee has folks available to
set-up the timing equipment at the autocross. After each autocross,
the Chief Timer would collect the equipment and take it home for
storage. Please contact Competition Director Ken Watson for more
information or if you would like Fame and Glory as CCM’s Chief Timer.

STILL more HELP! Corvette Club of Michigan needs a "Keeper of the
Database". This is your chance to get in on the ground floor as the
Club has decided to create an MS Access database of our SlipStream
mailing list. If you have a home computer and are familiar with MS
Access, you can help us by maintaining the database, adding new
members each month and preparing the database to print SlipStream
mailing labels for each month’s publication. If you would like more
information on this opportunity, or you want to be the "Keeper", please
call SlipStream Publisher Dave Krom at 248/926-5522.

Happy Acceleration!

Mark Eissler, President, Corvette Club of Michigan

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

March 2000

Fellow Club Members, right off the bat I’d like to thank Pat Jutras, Kaye
Simms and their committee members and helpers who all worked so
hard to deliver such a GREAT Awards Banquet for us! And Corvette
Club of Michigan congratulates all of the members who earned awards
to mark their efforts during 1999. Look for the list of winners in your
issue of SlipStream. And what a night it was! We gathered at the
wonderful Laurel Manor, in Livonia to enjoy great food, good company,
an entertaining and informative awards presentation ceremony and
dancing. More thanks are due to O & D Bush Jewelers, Rock Tool and
Machine Company, and Les Stanford Chevrolet for the wonderful door
prizes that were won by several of our lucky banquet attendees. The
Stanford’s also provided the Chevrolet Corvette Hardtop ice carving
that added to the ambiance that night. And while Corvette Club of
Michigan is thanking folks, I won’t forget our special guest of the
evening, Mr. Ken Brown of the Chevrolet Corvette Racing Program.
And of course, we made Ken "sing for his supper" by saying a few
words about Chevrolet’s Corvette C5R racing efforts for the 2000
season. All in all, a very special evening that, if you weren’t there,
you will have to wait until 13 January 2001 for your next chance to
enjoy a similar evening.

I am extremely pleased to tell you that George and Jan Peters, CCM
members from Livonia and winners of the 1999 CCM Concourse Award,
have accepted my invitation to Co-chair the CCM Social Committee.
George and Jan have already been busy forming their committee
and I am further pleased to say that the committee is filling up!
The committee will be working on some great ideas for getting
CCM members together. Look for their introduction letter later in
this issue. But, you know, there is a special ingredient that must
be included in any social event CCM will put on: YOU! So I hope you
will be able to join us for the exciting social events that are in the
works for this year.

Speaking of Social Events, please mark your calendars for what is
becoming a Corvette Club of Michigan tradition: The Pre-Racing
Season - Racing Afternoon Kick-off Gathering at the Shark’s Club
on Ford Road in Canton, Sunday 26 March 2000 at 3:30 PM to?
Shark’s Club has Pool, food, TV’s, food, network-linked NASCAR
video games and food. (I can’t wait to blow the virtual doors off a
digital car! Put that pedal to the digital metal!) Look for the event
flyer in this issue of SlipStream and I hope you will join us. It is always
fun.

Y2K for Corvette Club of Michigan is firming up very nicely! Our
Competition Director, Ken Watson and his Competition Committee have
already put in many working sessions to set the Competition Calendar,
revise the rulebook and identify our Event Chairpersons for the
various Events. We are looking forward to the first Competition event
of 2000: the 13 February Rallye! And the CCM Driver’s School weekend
will be here before we know it. The Peters and the Social Committee
are beginning to work on a new and exciting Social calendar for you,
which will include our June Cruise for Food and our August Picnic.
Meetings and discussions are underway with our sponsor, Les
Stanford Chevrolet, to outline the 2000 Corvette Encounter to be
held in early June. The Board of Directors, the Committees and
our Sponsor are all working hard to deliver a "complete club
experience" for all of us! It’s going to be a great year!

Mark Eissler, President

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

February 2000

Fellow Club Members, welcome to Corvette Club of Michigan 2000.  
It is my privilege and honor to be your president for 2000.  
I'd like to tell you a little about me so we can get to know each other
better.  I bought my Corvette in August of 1996.  It is red, has the LT-4
engine and manual transmission combination.  It is a wonderful 
combination of power, speed, handling and ride comfort. I joined CCM 
in February (I think) of 1997.  At my first General Membership Meeting 
I met Corvette styling legend Larry Shinoda.  He gave a great 
presentation on his life and history with Corvette.  The only thing I had
available for him to autograph was my copy of that month's SlipStream.  
That issue is put away to keep.  In March of that year I attended CCM's 
driver's school for autocrossing. My in-car instructor was Matthew Braun.  
He was patient with my rookie mistakes and very encouraging.  
(I didn't know it then, but Matthew is one of the really fast guys in our
Club.  He has been a very successful competitor locally, regionally and 
nationally.) Thanks Matthew!  Well, I was HOOKED!  Autocrossing 
turned out to be great fun and I have been going to as many of the 
events as my schedule allows.  I joined the CCM Board during 1998 
as Detroit Council Representative.  Regular attendees to our General 
Membership Meetings have heard my monthly description of Detroit 
Council of Sports Car Clubs and their events.  I have traveled with our 
Club members to events in Western Michigan and Indiana.  I have 
also gone with the Club to the Labor Day Corvette Celebrations at 
the National Corvette Museum for the past three years.

CCM is a great Club consisting of a great and diverse membership body.  
Some of our members are expert in autocrossing, some are expert at 
rallying, others know the smallest detail of concourse prepping a Corvette.  
We have unprecedented access to some of the "Great Names" of the 
Corvette world.  And we ask them to visit our meetings and give 
informative and educational talks, and they DO!  Is this great or what??  
If you are new to the Club, I invite you to join us on the 4th Wednesday 
of every month for an evening of camaraderie with fellow Corvette 
enthusiasts and "Great Names" alike. And there is a full year of autocrossing, 
rallying, concoursing and cruising ahead.  That year will begin with our 
Awards Banquet on 22 January (I hope I saw you there).  The 
competition season begins on 13 February with the return of the 
CCM Winter Rally.  Other things to look forward to include: Driver's 
School Classroom and Driving sessions at the end of March, first 
part of April, a Cruise Night in June, Picnic in August, Autocrossing, 
Rallying and Drag Racing, too.

My promise to you in 2000 is to continue to work with the Board of 
Directors to grow and improve Corvette Club of Michigan. If you have 
questions, comments or suggestions, I encourage you to speak to me 
or any Board Member at a General Meeting.  I would be happy to receive

Mark Eissler
President

Corvette Encounter

Join the Corvette Club of Michigan Board of Directors

- Public Relations Director

- SlipStream Publisher

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Summary

Russ Craighead

December 2003

November 2003

October 2003

September 2003

August 2003

July 2003

May 2000

APRIL 2003

FEBRUARY 2003

Congratulations To the 2002 #1 NCCC CLUB -
Corvette Club of Michigan

Mary Wentzel, CCM President

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

NOVEMBER 2002

Mary Wentzel, President

Presentation of the Golden Pylon

President’s Award – 2001

Mark Eissler, President

Mark Eissler, President
Corvette Club of Michigan

Corvette Encounter

Join the Corvette Club of Michigan Board of Directors

- Public Relations Director

- SlipStream Publisher

Buy great CCM Merchandise!

Summary

Russ Craighead

December 2003

November 2003

October 2003

September 2003

August 2003

July 2003

May 2000

APRIL 2003

FEBRUARY 2003 Congratulations To the 2002 #1 NCCC CLUB - Corvette Club of Michigan

Mary Wentzel, CCM President ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ NOVEMBER 2002

Mary Wentzel, President

Presentation of the Golden Pylon

President’s Award – 2001

Mark Eissler, President

Mark Eissler, President Corvette Club of Michigan

FEBRUARY 2003

Congratulations To the 2002 #1 NCCC CLUB -
Corvette Club of Michigan

Mary Wentzel, CCM President

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

NOVEMBER 2002

Mark Eissler, President
Corvette Club of Michigan