Hello Everyone,
We’d like to wish you all the best for 2022! It may be off to rocky start, as was 2021, but we did manage to enjoy 25 events and we've planned even more for this year. We'll adjust our Events Calendar again as necessary to adhere to all health guidelines, and expect we'll be able to do that and still have another great summer with Vipers and club friends!
New Members
Please welcome several new members who have joined very recently, and they’re all looking forward to enjoying their beautiful Vipers with us this year!
Suzie & Ben Piggott
Kristi & Brian Cooper, Kirkfield (side photo)
Deborah & Rob Chancey, Everett
Melanie & Trevor Wilkes, Barrie (lower side)
2021 Membership Report *
Ontario Viper owner enthusiasm, and the efforts of our club directors, helped us grow to 125 members in 2021, just 5 short of becoming the 2nd largest Viper club in the world!
That translates into more club events, more club friends, and more fun with our Vipers! And at the rate membership is growing we’re going to hit #2 before long! We saw strong growth across all parts of Southern Ontario, with new members from Ottawa to Windsor.
The VCO thanks Paul Brocca
Paul stepped up to join our club’s board of directors in 2017, and he answered the call again by serving the dual role of club Vice President and Secretary through most of 2021. Paul helped shape and implement our many club initiatives last year, as did Julie, whose efforts earned her a 2021 Outstanding Contribution Award. Paul is now stepping down from these roles, and we thank him for all of his contributions to the club over the years. We look forward to seeing them enjoying their Viper with club friends this summer!
Become a VCO Director
The VCO is a dynamic club and we are now looking for a couple more members to help us continue to provide the unsurpassed club experience that we all enjoy and value. If you have the time and passion to help the club in the role of club director, please contact Bruce Hadfield to discuss at 705-341-8320.
2022 Membership Renewals
It’s now time to renewal your membership for 202. All dues and sponsorships collected are used to support 2022 events and other membership benefits. Please see renewal instructions at the bottom of this newsletter and remit asap to assist us in creating our 2022 event budget later this month.
Keep your 2021 VOA Name Badges
For those of you who joined the VOA/VCO in 2021 and did not receive a name badge, not to worry, we’re having VCO badges made just for you! The VOA will be printing 2022 badges, but only for VOA renewals up until this April.
2022 Event Calendar – What’s New in 2022!
We’ve carefully planned events so all members can now enjoy both local and regional events each month from May until October. This offers the more adventurous among us the opportunity to explore more of Southern Ontario with the club, perhaps making a weekend out of it with a stay over! We thank our 2022 team of directors, event coordinators and members who planned and will host these events!
-Hagerty Garage + Social, Burlington. This is a car enthusiast’s and club’s dream garage. It’s a 50,000 sq ft facility where you’ll see many gorgeous collectible cars parked in indoor comfort, including some of our member’s, detail and service area, licensed bar, 32 seat theater, lounge, board room with restaurant service and more. We’ll have 2-3 events here. https://www.garageandsocial.com/location/toronto/
-The Ferrari club has invited us to join them for their Ferrari Symposium on Saturday April 30th at Hagerty Garage + Social. Enjoy 12 or more informative seminars covering many topics of interest.
-A VCO AGM to remember. May 15th begins with a Meet & Greet at Hagerty G + S with invited Ford GT, Cobra and Ferrari enthusiasts in the morning, followed by our club lunch and Annual General Meeting. We have many 2021 Member Appreciation Awards for Event Participation and Outstanding Contribution to hand out to deserving members!
-ONVE 2022 - Niagara Falls & Surrounding Area, Sept 16-19, our 2nd Annual Signature Ontario Viper Event! ONVE 2021 in Windsor was a great success, and John Wach has been planning ONVE 2022 to be over-the-top!
-Motor City Viper Owners & Viper Club of Ontario would like to connect to enjoy some of our club’s special events together when health safety allows…our ONVE 2022 - Niagara and some Windsor-London events, and their Lighthouse Tour and annual Woodward Dream Cruise plans in Detroit hopefully!
Listed below are 32 local and regional social events from east to west, with a few yet to be finalized. Track events following those. Event details at https://www.viperclubofontario.com/events.
All Areas
-Sun. May 15th, Burlington, VCO AGM Lunch, and Cars & Coffee with Ford GT/Cobra/Ferrari owners
=Fri-Mon Sept. 16-19th, Niagara, ONVE 2022 Niagara Falls & Surrounding Area
-High-performance Driving Schools & Track lapping Days that are listed further below
Ottawa - Kingston - Trenton:
Sun. May 22nd, Napanee Lunch Meet & Greet
Sat. June 18th, Scenic Trenton-Tweed Cruise & Lunch at Signal Brewery
Sat July 16th, Prince Edward County Cruise, Wine Tour & Lunch
August event TBA
Fri. Sept. 1st, Mont Tremblant Social & Track Day with Quebec Viper club
Sat. Oct. 15th, End of Season local Dinner
GTA & Surrounding Areas
Sun. Apr 30th, Burlington, VCO at Ferrari Symposium
Sun. May 29th, Port Credit Cars & Coffee, Campbellville Cruise & Lunch
Sat. June 4th, Bowmanville to Bobcaygeon Cruise & Mystery Attraction Tour
Sun. June 12th, Belfountain Cruise from Mississauga
Thurs. June 23rd, Vaughan Pizza Night
Sat. June 25th, Hamilton to Beamsville Cruise & Redstone Winery Lunch, tentative
Sat. July 9th, Port Dover to Long Point Cruise & Burning Kiln Winery Lunch, tentative
Thurs. July 14th, Keswick Dinner
Sat. July 23rd, Bruce & Deb’s Annual BBQ, Cannington
Sat-Sun Aug 6th-7th, Stratford Cruise & Overnight, tentative
Thurs. Aug 11th, Barrie Wing Night
Sat. Aug. 27th, Elora Gorge Cruise
Fri-Sun. Sept. 9-11th, 2nd Annual Drive Festival, Bowmanville
End of Season Dinner, TBA
London - Chatham - Windsor:
Sat. May 14th, London Area Cruise
Sat. May 28th, Chatham Belle River Cruise & Lunch
Sat. June 18th, Port Lambton Optimist Car Show & Cruise
Sun. June 26th, Amherstburg Area Winery Cruise
Sat. July 16th, St. Thomas-Port Stanley Cruise
Sun. July 24th, Grand Bend Beach Tour & Lunch
Sat. Aug. 13th, Leamington Beach Cruise & Party
Fri, Aug 19th, Windsor Ouellette St. Cruise
Sat-Sun. Aug 20, Woodward Dream Cruise & Windsor Dinner Boat Cruise
Sat. Oct 15th, End of Season Dinner in Chatham
High Performance Driving Schools & Lapping Days
Our High-Performance Driving Schools are back, and we’re adding events at Shannonville Motorsports Park near Belleville in the east and Grand Bend Motorplex for our enthusiasts closer to the London area!
Join us for one of our high-performance driving schools and be prepared to be amazed at what you’ll learn. Then join us for a lapping day to practice and develop your new skills. Contact me for details.
Canadian Tire Motorsports Park (aka Mosport) - Driver Development Track (DDT), Bowmanville
-Sun May 1st, Ian Law Performance Driving School & Lapping Day
-Sat. Sept 24th, Ian Law Performance Driving School & Lapping Day
Canadian Tire Motorsports Park (aka Mosport) - Grand Prix Track, Bowmanville
- Lapping Days with JRP, May 9th & 26th, June 9th, July 9th & 15th, Aug. 1st & 15th, Sept. 6th & 29th
Grand Bend Motorplex, Grand Bend (N-W of London)
-TBA, Lapping Days
Shannonville Motorsports Park, Shannonville (just east of Belleville)
-TBA, Driving School and Lapping Days
Toronto Motorsports Park (aka Cayuga), Cayuga (S-W of Hamilton)
-Fri. Oct. 7th, Lapping Day with Johnston Research & Performance (JRP), date tentative
Calabogie Motorsports Park, Calabogie, Ontario
-Fri. July 29th, lapping Day with Quebec Viper club (date tentative)
Circuit Mont Tremblant, Mont Tremblant, Quebec (east of Ottawa)
-Fri. Sept. 1st, Lapping Day with Quebec Viper club (date tentative)
Great news about the Viper Owners Association
The ’22-23 national VOA leadership team officially took over on Jan 1st, and it was through the efforts of the new incoming president and vice president that our club was able to collected all of our outstanding dues owed from 2020 and 2021 last month. I’ve had extensive conversations with them both over the last two months. They recognize the same problems with the VOA that I do, and we agree on the actions needed to rebuild it. I’ve joined the national VOA team in this effort, and I expect the VOA will emerge from their current financial crisis stronger than ever…which is great news for all Viper owners!
I was asked to make recommendations so the VOA could better address the needs of our Ontario region, and will release those details as soon as they are approved. While more of our members have been joining or renewing with our club directly for 2022, those who prefer to support us by renewing through the VOA are encouraged to do so now. I hope and expect that the VOA will be able to offer all of our members compelling reasons to join them again in the future, perhaps for 2023. I expect my time commitment with the VOA will almost end as our VCO 2022 season shift into high gear this April!
How to Renew for 2022
You now have two options to renew with the Viper Club of Ontario...
1. Renew with the VOA by clicking on https://driveviper.com/join/. Choose Standard membership for $150 USD or Mamba for $195 USD, noting their different benefits. Our club will receive $55 USD to fund our local events.
2. Renew with VCO Direct for $125 CDN, all of which goes to fund our events and club benefits. Remit by e-transfer to vcotracks@gmail.com, or by cheque made out to Viper Club of Ontario and mailed to Bruce Hadfield, PO Box 282, Cannington, On, L0E 1E0.
Thank you all for your strong support of the Viper Club of Ontario. We look forward to seeing you all in the spring, and to making 2022 the most fun and memorable yet!
On behalf of your club directors,
Bruce Hadfield
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