Corvettes on the Water

In World War Two the Corvette was a fast machine on the water.  On June 16^th there were 14 drivers proving that their Corvettes were also fast on water.  Despite the challenging monsoon like conditions 23 drivers arrived at our Pitt Meadows auto slalom event.  We utilized the Justice Institute course which is designed to train and test Police on their ability to handle pursuit and emergency situations.  Fortunately our Corvette drivers were up to the challenge and all exceeded the benchmark times.  Fastest run of the day was achieved by Lorne Staley with a convertible C6 Corvette, but only a fraction of a second back was Nigel Wheway in his C5 Z06.   A Subaru WRX was a close third.  We had nine drivers in strange foreign machines, but Corvettes proved their worth in the wet, so don’t put away the Vette when the drops start to fall.

No event can be run without selfless volunteers, and these conditions certainly made stepping out of a warm home challenging.  Of particular note, were Don and Sue Williams bringing their motorhome to shelter the volunteers at lunch.  Also Terry McAlduff and Blair Degenstein brought extra tents to shelter the volunteers and drivers, without which it would have been virtually impossible to continue the event.  Non-driving volunteers also included Stewart Heyes, Leslie Shelby, Peter Resch, Walter Gfeller, Jack Langston, Sue Williams and Rosalie Sinden.  Of course all the drivers pitched in to assist, including club members Brad Shelby, Nigel Wheway, Paul and Terry McAlduff, Marj Bowen, Blair Degenstein, Chris Ckarogianais and myself, Vic Nightscales.

Despite the conditions, we were able to give all drivers nine runs on this challenging course.  Few cones were hit during all these runs, and every driver had big smiles and were surprising themselves with finding so much traction in the wet.  All went home happy for the experience.  We were still drying out tents, safety vests, equipment, etc. the next day.

We hope to encourage more members out for our July 14^th auto slalom event at Pitt Meadows.  Rain or shine it will be an experience that will allow you to more fully enjoy your Corvette, and be impressed by its capabilities, whether on land or water. 

- Vic