by Bob Morin

On May 15^th, a group of 16 hearty souls joined us for some bike riding (with a few walkers added in) in Simsbury, CT.   We dodged what looked like some potential rain and later most of us headed to The First & Last Tavern in Avon, CT for some nourishment and beverages.   There were many requests from the group for a repeat this Fall.   Thanks to Sheila Morin for organizing this event.

Less than a week later, we held our second Driver’s School in a little over a month.   Steve Wasley did a great job of keeping all the registrations straight and keeping the last minute changes in line.   Bill Johnson handled the instructors the day of the event and Frank Giacalone oversaw the whole event.   Of course, any Driver’s School requires a lot of help and there were many more volunteers who made the day possible.   Thanks to everyone for making it a great day.

Upcoming events include the West Point Tour on July 17^th that members Rudy & Cheryl Basztura have volunteered to organize.   Our member survey said that many of you were interested in seeing more tours on the calendar and in particular West Point was popular among the responses regarding where we should go.   I’m especially excited by the fact that Rudy & Cheryl came forth from the general membership to run this tour and I sure hope that they are rewarded by a great turnout.   They’ve put a great deal of effort into making this a successful event and I hope you will support their endeavor.

We’ve also scheduled a Concours event on August 20^th at the Oxridge Hunt Club in Darien, CT.   This is not a traditional Concours as judging will be by popular vote only.   You will also have an opportunity to witness Olympic quality dressage at the Hunt Club.   Willy Wiley is the contact for this event if you would like further details.

We are working hard to make our website a successful tool for our membership.   Please check it out if you haven’t already at www.ctvalley.org.   We welcome any suggestions you might have as well, so let us know what you think.  

I still must receive at least one request minimum per month for a recommendation for either a repair facility or a body or restoration shop.   The last time I mentioned this several members came forth with some suggestions, but it was only the tip of the iceberg.   Our Chapter covers all of CT and most of Western MA and with the few shops I have on the list so far, I’m sometimes left with recommending a shop that may be more than 100 miles away from the member’s location.   I’d love to get the list to a point that I could provide a potential shop no matter where the member is residing.   Can you help?

Have you registered for Oktoberfest yet?   For any Driver’s School junkies, you won’t want to miss VIR from every account I’ve ever heard.   While O’fest may seem like it is a ways out, the Driver’s School slots should fill up early.  

This is the point where I usually make a reference to F1.   I’m really dumbfounded by this year’s races.   In Monaco, Kimi Räikkönen won for McLaren Mercedes, but BMW Williams showed some life with a second and third, Heidfeld beating out Webber on the podium.   This was the best finish in their careers for either driver.   Heidfeld followed that result with another 2^nd at the European Grand Prix at the Nürburgring.   Next came Canada where BMW Williams has had some success and Heidfeld blew up and Webber could only manage a 5^th after starting 14^th on the grid.   We’ll be at Indy and hope things get better as Williams was starting to show some life in the Manufacturer’s Standings.

In News From National, membership is at 75,229, up 3.73% over last year.   National is seeking a volunteer to take over the duties of National Ombudsman.   If you are interested in learning more, please contact the National Office.   There is still some discussion taking place regarding a membership incentive program to reward members who are successful in recruiting new members to ‘CCA.  

That should take care of my space for another month.   Hope to see you at an event soon.