Hello Everyone,
We hope you’re all doing well and are ready to have some fun with Vipers!
There’s so much going on in our club that I start preparing the next month’s newsletter as soon as I publish the last one! Let’s get right to the good stuff...
New Members
We’re very pleased to welcome these new members from London to Ottawa! They’re all going to be wonderful contributors to our club. We encourage members to spread the word about our club and help us continue to grow!
Brian Bourne (North York)
Rob Saikaley (Ottawa)
Dave Klack (Cambridge)
Craig Rigby (London)
Amir Mizrahi (Thornhill)
Dan Sotto (Concord)
Derek Johnston (JRP, Mississauga)
Daniel Schneeweiss (Toronto)
And returning member John Hopkins (Ottawa)
An Event Calendar That Shatters All Records
50+ days of VCO events this year! Our goal was to plan at least one event each month that was local to every member, regardless of where they lived from Windsor to Ottawa. We now have club directors responsible for every area and every member, and along with their Event Coordinators, Planners and members, they have created an outstanding assortment of events! We had so many suggested that some will be planned for 2023!
View our 2022 Event Calendar here... https://www.viperclubofontario.com/events.
Please take the time to look through our Event Calendar and appreciate the incredible amount of thought and work that went into planning these unique and interesting events for our members, and when you attend the events don’t forget to thank those that organized them. And while you're looking please RSVP to those you'd like to attend!
Check Out These Fantastic Events starting next Sunday May 15th & RSVP Now!
We have something for everyone! See our Events Calendar for details and to RSVP to the listed Event Organizers so they can make reservations, plan parking, etc. Let us know if you need any assistance. All event details at https://www.viperclubofontario.com/events
Sunday May 15th, Exotic Cars & Coffee, Viper Show, and VCO Lunch Meeting, Hagerty Garage + Social, Burlington. This is a 2022 VCO Premier Event!
-Cars & Coffee with invited Ferrari Club, Ford GT and Cobra owners joining us 9 am-noon!
-Vipers displayed separately, Viper Show with judging, awards and prizes!
-VCO lunch, free to all members, and an informative and exciting meeting while we dine!
-2021 Event Participation Award winners will be presented their awards!
-Viper Show Winners will be announced and receive their certificates and prizes!
-First look at our plans for ONVE2022 - Niagara Falls, September 16-19!
-2022 club apparel giveaways, 1 per membership, and several free draws!
-Meet past & present club leadership, new members, and enjoy a brief presentation!
-25th Anniversary Apparel available for purchase!
-2022 Membership Name Badges ready for pickup!
-RSVP by May 11th please so we can plan parking, food, gifts, tables &seating for all!
-This is going to be a lot of fun...Don't Miss it!
May 9, May 26, June 9th, JRP “Speed Therapy” Track Lapping Day, CTMP, Bowmanville.
These are the first 3 “Speed Therapy” Days at the iconic Canadian Tire Motorsports Park, aka Mosport. Participants are grouped by skill level and run in their own sessions together on track, with instructors provided free of charge to novices. A few VCO members register for most of these days. These events do typically sell out so register early! Like to just come out and see what it's all about...email Bruce @vcotracks@gmail.com!
Sunday May 22nd, Napanee Waterfront River Pub Lunch and Meet & Greet.
Great opportunity for new and old members to come out and meet over lunch. RSVP required for lunch reservations, and Randy will be glad to here from you by May 19th!
Saturday May 28th, Chatham Area to Belle River Cruise & Lunch.
This is going to be a really fun and interesting cruise that starts at the amazing Parks Blueberries. We enjoyed visiting there so much on our way to Windsor for ONVE2021 last fall that we went back for more on the way home! RSVP for lunch planning by May 25th!
Sunday May 29th, Port Credit Cars & Coffee and Lunch Cruise.
We’re going to meet on the waterfront for a C & C together, and we’ll also be inviting some Viper owners who are considering joining our club! Jay T is your Event Organizer and Cruise Master, and he’d be delighted to receive your RSVP by May 24th to confirm reservations at a great Bistro he’s chosen for lunch in Campbellville!
Thursday June 2nd, Dinner at Cat’s Caboose, St. Catharines.
This is a great opportunity for local members to get the Vipers out to play with others and enjoy a great meal. Jackie has chosen a really interesting and popular restaurant that's central to many members! Please join us and RSVP to Jackie by May 30th.
Sunday June 5th, Magical Mystery Tour & Cruise, Bowmanville-Kawartha Lakes.
We cruise up from the 401 to a wild and wonderful attraction in north Bowmanville and continue to Bobcaygeon in the beautiful Kawartha Lakes, with lunch along the way. We need to purchase admission tickets ahead of time so please RSVP by May 28th!
Tuesday June 7th, Patio Dinner at Villa Caledon Inn, Caledon East.
We had a great time at this incredible property last summer and look forward to doing it again. Bring your camera for some amazing photos. Please RSVP to Nick by June 1st!
Sunday June 12th, Belfountain Scenic Cruise with Vipers and other classics!
You’re invited to bring out your Viper or another classic from your personal collection for this event! We did this for the first time last year and it was a monster hit with members! We’re doing it again, and I’d suggest you really try to make it! Please RSVP by June 8th.
These are the events coming up soon to consider, RSVP to asap, and add to your personal calendars. If an event is rained out or changed you will be notified by the organizer, and if something comes up and you need to cancel just let the organizer know. Thank you for helping us plan our events to accommodate everyone by RSVPing!
Event Participation Awards
Last year we thought it would be fun to recognize those members from different areas that attended the most events during the year. That turned out to be quite the hit, and we had 11 winners! We’ll be presenting them with their awards at our May 15th event at Hagerty Garage + Social in Burlington. We’re going to do the same this year, so pick all the fun events you want to attend, RSVP to the event organizers, come out and enjoy as many events as possible, and you could also win an award for having the most fun...wow!
Member Name Badges
We’ve printed name badges for everyone and they will be available at our May 15th event at Hagerty, and then at other selected events. Wearing name badges is a great way to meet, welcome new members, and get to know those who you don’t! The reverse side lists our area directors and their phone numbers should you ever need anything. If you leave your badges in the Viper’s glove box you’ll always have them with you!
Events at a Glance
With so many events on our calendar, we’ve grouped events by area so members can see their local events at a glance. You’ll find them grouped for London-Windsor, Cambridge-Hamilton-Niagara, GTA, and Eastern Ontario members in this section.... https://www.viperclubofontario.com/newsletter.
Ottawa 2022 Initiative
We’re focused on creating an active club experience for many Ottawa Viper owners this year. Our existing, new and returning Ottawa members are committed to helping us do this by planning and adding more local Ottawa area events to the existing ones in Calabogie, Mont Tremblant, and our other many events across Eastern Ontario!
VCO Apparel
We’ll have our 25th Anniversary Travel Bags ($50, 2/$90) and Hats ($15), plus our men’s club shirts ($60), now available in red by popular demand and one free per membership for those attending our May 15th event! Deb Hadfield will also be modeling a women’s club jacket that can be ordered. We accept payments by cash, cheque, and e-transfer.
VCO 2022 Sponsors
Last month we profiled some sponsors, and this month we profile Johnston Research & Performance. JRP is a supplier of high-performance parts and accessories, catering to the needs of street driven vehicle owners, but also carry a broad range of offerings for track enthusiasts and racers. Their products include the Sonax line of detailing products, battery tenders, tire pressure gauges, brake rotor/pad/fluid/line upgrades, wheels and tires, air intakes and filters, performance exhaust systems, helmets, and Aim Motorsports data acquisition equipment and the popular Garmin Catalyst driving performance optimizer. JRP is located in Mississauga. https://www.jrponline.com/. JRP is also the organizer of “Speed Therapy” track days seen on our Events Calendar, and also offers our first-time members an event discount. https://www.speedtherapy.com/hpde-events/.
See our complete list of VCO 2022 Sponsors here... https://www.viperclubofontario.com/sponsors
Events in Review
Ferrari Spring Symposium, April 30th. It was fun to join the Ontario Ferrari club members for this well-run event that featured a wide variety of interesting seminars and presenters. Lucas Scarfone, automotive photographer extraordinaire, shared his passion and trade secrets for getting the perfect shot, and the 2022 Drive Festival team outlined their incredible line-up of features for their event Sept. 16-19 where the VCO will have a club display of 10 Vipers! 14 of our members attended.
Ian Law Performance Driving School and Lapping Day, May 1st. The day was cool, and we had a little very light rain later in the day, but both the students and the lappers had a great time learning and improving their car control skills. We held a raffle for the students with Ian providing a free lapping day as the prize! Congratulations to winner, Paul Vassallo, and huge thanks to Ian Law for the draw prize! Paul and Isif attended from London, Jason, Randy and John from Kingston, Des and new member Brian Cooper from north of the GTA, and Mardig, Angelo and Bruce all instructed. It was a great day and we encourage members to register for this same event on Saturday September 24th!
Photos from each event will be posted on our Gallery page, and we’ll try to get photos from these events uploaded soon. https://www.viperclubofontario.com/gallery.
The VCO Past, Present & Future…1997-2022 and beyond!
The VCO was formed 5 years after production of the Dodge Viper began, and in our 25th club anniversary year we’re experiencing a resurgence... 5 years after production ended! We pride ourselves on providing a truly unsurpassed Viper club experience. Some of our newest members are original owners of 20+ year old Vipers, and discovering the fun of club membership for the first time.
The VCO is now the 2nd largest Viper club in the world, with enthusiasm and membership up a staggering 98% in 2021! Viper values have also been skyrocketing, with the Viper’s unique attributes becoming as appreciated today as when the radical Viper was first introduced in 1992!
As we recognize the irreplaceability of the iconic Viper, we also recognize the value of maintaining, supporting and celebrating the Viper in an active local community of club members, and with the support of our Dodge dealers and other sponsors, many of whom are Viper owners and club members.
Our goal for 2022 and beyond is to hold events that appeal to the interests of all members from Windsor to Ottawa, and to continue to grow our club for the benefit of all. We’ve just added our 1st ever Viper Show, complete with judging, to recognize and celebrate the incredible efforts of those with the passion to preserve their Vipers in pristine condition, and as they rolled off the Conner Avenue assembly line. This will be held during our May 15th Exotic Cars & Coffee, and VCO Lunch Event which was outlined above. Incredible event, incredible exotic cars…RSVP now so you don’t miss it!
And lastly, we will provide our members with exceptional value. Every VCO social & track event held in Ontario is at least partially funded by membership dues, club sponsorships, and club event discounts. Our budget for 2022 membership benefits exceeds $20,ooo!
It’s a very exciting time to be a Viper owner in Ontario, and we thank you for your support!
We are the Viper Club of Ontario…and proud of it!
On behalf of your Board of Directors,
Bruce Hadfield
VCO President
vcotracks@gmail.com
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