Gazette
February 2021
The Vette Set Gazette is a monthly publication of The Vette Set, Inc., sponsored by Win Chevrolet, 2201 E. 223rd Street, Carson, CA 90810.
Articles from members are always welcome, and are to be submitted to the Newsletter Editor by 6:00pm Sunday following the General Meeting. These meetings are held on the first Thursday of each month at 7:00pm at Win Chevrolet.
Guests are always welcome to attend any Vette Set event.
We are using ZOOM for our monthly General meetings until further notice
Happy New Year to all Vette Set members,
I’m a bit more optimistic that our return to normal club operations can be achieved by late spring or early summer. There are a couple of short runs being planned for those of us that just want to get our Corvettes out on the road and drive a few twisties. More information to follow, one run may happen in February.
Jennifer is planning on having a happy hour type zoom get together on our normal Wednesday dinner night. I think this will be unstructured and for open discussion and keeping in touch with one another. Greatest idea Jennifer, thank you for taking the initiative.
Not much else is going on, we’re just staying home mostly and trying very hard to not catch this deadly COVID-19 virus, so far, we have been fortunate and are safe and healthy. I hope everyone and their families are also safe.
Rob
2021 Corvette VIN 1 Delivered at NCM
Brian Bowling of West Virginia took delivery of his Torch Red 2021 Stingray on January 4 at the Museum - the first customer-built car for the new model year - VIN 1. Brian previously owned a 1994 Corvette, saying the mid-engine configuration is what drew him back to Americas Sports Car. He initially thought he was getting VIN 3, but got a call about a month ago offering to bump him to VIN 1.
Brian has owned quite a few hot rods over the years including a '71 Chevelle and a 2014 Shelby GT 500. Brian last visited the Museum in 1997, also drag racing at Beech Bend during his visit to Bowling Green. We expect to see Brian back this summer, but at the NCM Motorsports Park in his new ride. Congrats, Brian.
Michelin NCM Bash Registration Open
On-site event season kicks off at the Museum with the Michelin NCM Bash slated for April 22-24. Returning activities include a seminar and classroom sessions by GM Certified Corvette Technician Paul Koerner. Enjoy guided road tours, two celebrity choice car shows, a celebrity autograph session, auctions, book signings, the Ladies Oasis and more!
This year’s event will also include the Hall of Fame activities for the 2020 Corvette Hall of Fame inductees, which was rescheduled from last September. Inductees include Doug Fehan, Henry Haga, Mike McCagh and Wendell Strode.
Registration for the event is $20 for Lifetime Members, $25 for Members and $35 for Non-Members.
Club Banners Now Available
Reservations have opened for the Museum's Parking Lot Banner program. Banners are hung in April and stay up for one year, with clubs being able to keep their banner after removal.
Clubs have the opportunity to design their own banner with awards for the best design being given at the Museum's Anniversary event.
Banners can be reserved online for a $500 donation and are available for reservation through February 28 or until they sell out.
Win a "Build Your Own" Corvette Next Week!
Your next chance to win a Corvette is Thursday, January 14 at 2pm CT when one lucky winner will get the opportunity to "Build Your Own" 2021 Corvette, selecting between a coupe or convertible Stingray as well as the color and options.
Tickets on this raffle are $250 and the raffle is limited to 1,500 tickets. Don't wait to place your order!
Museum Welcomes Two New Board Members
Joining the National Corvette Museum's Board of Directors are Shannon Skokos of Dallas, TX and Dale Ledbetter of Indian Trail, NC.
Rotating off the Museum's board was Wes Wong of Sandy Springs, GA who joined the board in 2016.
Shannon Skokos, a former Miss Arkansas and motivational speaker, is an attorney, author, photographer and philanthropist residing in Dallas, Texas. She has extensive board and executive committee experience, and
when she is not volunteering her time or working on various business ventures, Shannon enjoys preserving the history of classic automobiles.
Dale Ledbetter is an American automotive executive, entrepreneur and consultant. Dale is best known for his involvement with classic and collectible car acquisition, vehicle restoration and business management for Hendrick Motorsports Performance Group.
Chevrolet Documents Corvette Engineering Team's Journey to Build Mid-Engine Supercar
Chevrolet has released a two-part documentary entitled: "Revolution: The Mid-Engine Corvette Development Story."
Episode one, released on December 22, 2020, focused on Corvette design with the Corvette Stingray team sharing what inspired the groundbreaking design of the mid-engine Corvette Stingray.
Episode two, released on January 4, 2021, follows the Corvette engineering team's journey to build a supercar for every day - with superior ride comfort on the highway and well-balanced handling on the track - while also chronicling the rigorous performance testing process at the most demanding track in the world.
New to the Floor: Powertrain Development Corvette Gets Re-Wrapped
In an effort to preserve the history and story of the development of the mid-engine Corvette, the Powertrain Development car has been re-wrapped in the same pattern of camo that it originally wore while being tested at Milford Proving Grounds.
After the reveal of the next generation Corvette, General Motors removed the covering and the car was later put-on loan to the National Corvette Museum, displayed in the Skydome. The Museum, with the help of GM and Bowling Green Assembly, has re-wrapped the car in that now iconic camo.
Built in 2018, the Corvette powertrain development vehicle is a mid-engine Corvette used to test new powertrain. The 6.2 -liter LT2 engine vehicle is outfitted with test equipment to record data during testing on track at the proving grounds,
with a unique exhaust system that allowed Corvette engineers to run various tests on the engine.
Plan a visit to the National Corvette Museum and check out the car in person yourself!
This Week's Corvette Today Highlights National Corvette Museum Offerings
There's a LOT of opportunities and things to do when you visit the National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, Kentucky! Steve Garrett and Museum Director of Marketing & Communications, Katie Ellison, go through darn near everything you can do, see and experience when you visit the NCM, which includes hosted trips by the NCM, the NCM Motorsports Park, exhibits, the Corvette Store and how to become a member, too.
Plus, Katie takes us through getting your car delivered to you at the NCM! There's a whole lot you didn't realize that goes on at the National Corvette Museum. And you'll learn about everything on this episode of the Corvette Today podcas
George Person, Jr.
Corvette Racing program manager Doug Fehan is stepping away from his position following the team’s IMSA Championship season. For those of you that have been to some of the Long Beach Grand Prix Corvette Corral events, you have heard Doug speak with his colorful commentary. I particularly enjoyed how Doug always compared the race car to the production car and all the benefits that we have due to the engineering efforts put into both designs.
Fehan started with GM Racing in 1988 and worked on many of the company’s motorsports programs including the Chevrolet Beretta Trans-Am, Chevrolet Intrepid GTP and Oldsmobile’s World Sports Car efforts.
Doug became program manager of Corvette Racing in 1996. He and the Chevrolet Motorsports team worked on the development of 3 generations of the Corvette racecar. These include the hugely successful C5-R, the C6-R through the newest C8-R racecars.
In 22 seasons, Corvette Racing has won 14 Team championships, and 13 Manufacturers and Drivers titles to go along with 113 race victories. It also is the only team to achieve 100 wins in IMSA. In 238 races, the two Corvette Racing teams have finished first and second a remarkable 63 times.
The official press release gives fans the impression that it was Doug’s decision, but according to a report by SportsCar365.com, it turns out that retirement wasn’t Doug’s idea, and he refused to comment further on the issue. A replacement will be named at a later date.
Corvette Racing’s No. 4 Corvette C8.R will have a different lineup for the 2021 IMSA Championship. Nick Tandy and Alexander Sims will be alongside long-time Corvette driver Tommy Milner in the team’s long-distance events. The No. 3 C8-R will remain with Antonio Garcia and Jordan Taylor, accompanied by Nicky Catsburg for the team’s long-distance events.
Porsche will remain a part of the GT Le Mans (GTLM) IMSA Championship. WeatherTech Racing and Proton Competition will campaign a Porsche 911 RSR for the entire 2021 season.
Corvette Racing will open its 2021 season with the Rolex 24 At Daytona on Jan. 30-31.
Until next time, CORVETTE ON!
David Tavares
Happy
Birthday
Dick Whitford
Jane La Bella
Wilma Nagle
Frank Bloom
Rosie Gipson
Teena Chan
Fred DeVries
Susan Gibbs
02/01
02/04
02/07
02/07
02/21
02/21
02/27
02/29
Happy
Anniversary
Careen & Chuck Hammer
2/29
John LaBella
End of Newsletter