<VV> PCG Report, photos

[Rick Norris]

2011 Performance Corvair Group Meeting

March 19

 

On Thursday March 17 Bob Coffin and I along with a new young Corvair fan, Darren Sehnke (young Jedi as I like to call him) traveled to Indianapolis, Indiana for the annual meeting of the PCG workshop.

The weather was great and the trip enjoyable with good company. We were actually the first to arrive at the host hotel which was the same Country Inn & Suites as last time.

Thursday was meet and greet of our Corvair family and friends and non stop chatter about our favorite car which lasted up into the late night, way past my bed time!

 

Friday was a scheduled tour of a race shop but, a group of us went to the Indy track museum first. I had been to it before back in 1991 but had forgotten just how unique the place is situated as it is inside the famous oval. When you first walk into the building and you lay eyes on the vast array of all Indy winners from 1911 and the yellow boat tailed Marmon Wasp in which Ray Harroun won the first Indy 500 to the 2010 winner Dario Franchitti in a Dallara-Honda. The history, technology, progress and collection of memorabilia is more than worth a trip to see. It should be on your bucket list.

Also we took the tram ride around the track so I can say I made a lap at Indy!

 

After our impromptu tour at Indy we went on the scheduled tour of Tony Schumacher's race shop.

I'm still trying to process what we experienced there. Don Schumacher Racing has a stable of 6 top drag race teams and the facility is beyond mere words. It is a top drawer operation with a huge building and all the latest CNC machines to make anything they need. I counted 14 full size haulers with tractors lined up side by side inside the place with plenty of room left over.

Out in the front entrance there is a wall of trophies and a funny car on display. If you ever get the chance to go through one of these shops do it! It certainly puts the Corvair Alley operation in a new perspective! I need sponsors with deep pockets.

Finally we made it to the designated eatery for some great "dead cow flesh and beer" as I like to call it. Sleep came easily. 

 

Saturday, our group assembled at Freelance Imaging on Gasoline Alley. I never knew there was an actual street with that name. The first Indy PCG meet was held here but, that was the only one I have missed. Freelance is owned by Reece Sego who also is a Corvair guy. It's a great place for us. Everywhere you look around there you see another shop dedicated to the sport. It's a really cool place.

We had a very good turn out and the weather was sunny and warm but windy. The display cars were Rick Loving's red early vert with the 140 engine and the rescued GT3 car from Florida. I am really glad it was saved by Corvair folks Mel Francis and Rich Reiders. Hopefully we'll see it on a track soon. Mel mentioned the "Oilympics" this summer. Here's hoping! 

As per usual we had a host of speakers and a lot of good info was dispensed. The vendors had a lot of good stock and go fast goodies. I saw more than a few items I wanted but, resisted the temptation.darn!

Afterward we traveled out to Anderson Indiana to tour the LeVeque Performance and Restoration shops and chow down on some hot wings and suds. It's too damn flat out there for an old Hillbilly like me!

 It was another great time and as always getting reacquainted with old friends and making new ones in the extended Corvair family which for me, is what it's all about.

Thanks to all who made it happen! 

 

Yours truly snapped a ton of photos which I will post on my Picasa web page.

Click here for main album:  https://picasaweb.google.com/norrisrichard054/2011PerformanceCorvairGroupAnnualMeeting#

 

Click here for GT3 photos: https://picasaweb.google.com/norrisrichard054/2011GT3CorvairNo49#

 

Click here for Indy Museum tour: https://picasaweb.google.com/norrisrichard054/2011IndyMuseumTour#

 

Rick Norris

Sunoco Corvair

www.corvairalley.com