Issue 8, October 15, 2021
Hello Everyone,
It’s been one heck of a year so far, and while our last scheduled event was last Saturday at Garrett’s The Works Craft Burger event, it would seem some of our directors want to keep the fun going a little longer! Enio Parete is planning a morning cruise and lunch in the Chatham area on Oct. 30th, and Jay Willis is planning one in the Kingston area on Nov. 7th! Watch our website's Events page where these new events and details will be added very soon! They'll have free draws for valuable club gifts, and Eastern and Southwestern Ontario 2021 Participation Award winners will be announced!
2021 Event Participation Award Winners - Central Ontario
Saturday was the last event of 2021 in Central Ontario and we were able to recognize this area's Event Participation Award winners, with Eastern and Southwestern Ontario yet to be determined as they hold their last events soon. Our competition for the most fun you can have with a Viper in a single year ended in a 2-way tie for 1st and a 3-way tie for 2nd!
1st Place Winners
-Marko (and Nina & Yasmine) Makela (pictured on right)
-Des Demianiuk (middle)
2nd Place Winners
-Marvin (& Dana) Godelewicz (right)
-Kim (& Candice) Blake (middle)
-Jeff Kormos (left)
Congratulations to our award winners, and thank you for your enthusiasm and club spirit!
New Members
We’re thrilled to welcome these new members and look forward to meeting them all!
-Frank Viola (Strathroy)
-Craig Rigby (London)
-Brendan Graham (Niagara Falls)
-Roy Howse (Brampton)
-Clint Davie (Orillia)
-Deidra & Josh Gillingham (Toronto)
-Michael and Katherine Goddard (Blackstock)
-Steve Davey (Port Hope)
Brendan joined just in time to come out to the JRP Cayuga day, pictured on right below.
Stay Connected with the VCO on Social Media
VCO Facebook Group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/646530975516107.
We post new members, up-coming events which are great reminders, additional event details. Members post their event pictures, share news and ask questions,
VCO WhatsApp group chat. Download the App to your cell phone and text the Admin, Paul Brocca, at 289-231-8283 with your name and cell number so he can add you.
VCO Instagram https://www.instagram.com/viperclubofontario/
New Director and Assigned Areas
We are very pleased to welcomed Enio Parete to our Board of Directors. Enio will help provide our many members in Windsor-Chatham-London and surrounding areas with an unsurpassed Viper club experience, and we sincerely thank Enio for taking on this large area. Pictured below with sons Mateo and Massimo at Dan & Jane's BBQ.
Enio is fortunate to be joined by 2 members that will act as Event Coordinators, Jamie Herrington for the London area, and Steve G. for the Windsor-Chatham area. Thank you all! Pictured below during ONVE 2021 are Jamie & Sue (top), and Steve & Kara (below), who are getting married Oct. 23rd...congrats and best wishes from your VCO family!
All members from Windsor to Ottawa now have a director assigned to their areas as well. Those directors are also joined by area event planners. We thank our many enthusiastic members that have offered to help us make 2022 our most exciting year ever! You can see each area’s team on our website’s “About” page under “Event Planners”.
2022 VCO Event Calendar Planning
2022 Planning starts this month! Our events stay fresh and exciting with our member's suggestions of interesting event activities, cruise destinations, dining venues, etc. Please contact your area’s director with your suggestions, and offer to help if you can, or contact me and I’ll pass them on to the appropriate director.
Getting involved is a great way to get to know more members and have more fun! Don’t forget that our Club’s Signature 2022 Ontario Viper Event (ONVE 2022) will be Niagara Falls & Surrounding Area and we are going to do it bigger and better than ever! John Wach is the director for the Niagara area and welcomes your ONVE event suggestions. Thank you, John, for your ONVE 2021 planning and for taking on ONVE 2022 as well!
Southwestern and Eastern Ontario Events & Membership Initiatives
We set our sights on creating many events and an unsurpassed club experience for our Southwestern Ontario members this year, and with our 2022 event team in place that is going to dramatically expand for 2022. ONVE 2021 Windsor pictured below.
Our sights are set on Ottawa and all of Eastern Ontario for 2022, with many events being planned for our expanding membership there, and for our membership across Ontario to enjoy as well! Jason Willis is our director in Eastern Ontario. If you know of any Viper owners throughout this area who aren’t members, or if you have interesting event ideas to share, please let us know! Eastern Ontario members having fun pictured below for meals, cruises and track days!
2021 Outstanding Contribution Awards
Your directors wanted to recognize the extraordinary contributions of two particular members this year. They stepped up and provided the needed assistance in creating and implementing many of the 2021 club initiatives that we all enjoy today, and which we would not have without their efforts. Please join us in congratulating our 2021 Outstanding Contribution Award recipients...Julie Brocca and Deb Hadfield!
Julie Brocca began the year as our:
-Club Admin, fielding all incoming club queries, Facebook Admin, and Website Admin.
-Julie then designed our new VCO Times Newsletter and exciting new VCO website.
-Julie then trained me, and continues to provide technical support, so that I can help carry on the Admin and newsletter functions.
-Club photographer, which is a lot of work to do well at events.
-and lastly, Julie is an assistant to the club VP, and her husband, Paul Brocca!
Deb Hadfield has been invaluable as we've put over 20 new initiatives into place this year, many of which required an incredible amount of effort to set-up, administer, and provide endless computer technical support to me.
-Deb created and managed our Event Participation Form and Member Participation Tracking system and created our Covid-19 Questionnaire & Liability Waiver Form.
-Deb assisted in managing and updating our Membership Roster and member email contact list through our expansion.
-Deb assisted me in my duties at events and as a full-time ambassador for the club, helping to welcome and introduce countless new members at all but one social event (13).
-Deb is also a club photographer, again, a lot of time spent getting great shots.
Pictured with the ladies, Julie B (front middle, and clockwise with) Christine, Hana, Dana, Deb H and Nina at the Beachfront Bar & Grill event in Keswick.
Director Recognition
Your directors are truly the unsung heroes of our club. They collectively have decades of Viper club and director leadership experience, and have been a tremendous source of guidance for our club, and to me as its new president. I have asked so much of them and they have always delivered. They have helped inspire, plan and implement over 20 new club initiatives that have made our club what it is today, and they continue to take on new and challenging initiatives to make it even better in 2022. Our 80% increase in membership this year is a testament to their efforts and success as a strong leadership team. We can’t thank them enough for all they do so that we can all have such an enjoyable time with our Vipers and club friends.
As we reflect on the great year we’ve had with the club, I'm proud to recognize the contribution and commitment of your Board of Directors...thank you all so much!
Paul Brocca (VP/Secretary, GTA North) Dan Frankian (S-W Ontario)
Nick Sawrantschuk (Treasurer, Halton-Caledon) Enio Parete (London-Windsor)
Jay T (Membership, Mississauga-Burlington) John Wach (Niagara Area)
Garrett Nalepka (Technical, Toronto) Jason Willis (Eastern Ontario)
VCO Club Apparel
We’ve sold over $2000 of apparel this year and it all goes directly to help fund club events and membership benefits! We have a small selection of men’s and lady’s club jackets available ($90-120), men's shirts ($60), and drink tumblers ($35). They make great gifts! Contact Bruce for apparel photos and to place your order, vcotracks@gmail.com.
Club member’s Viper featured in DriveTribe Video
DriveTribe contacted me because they wanted to do a video featuring the first sports car to use a V10 engine…the Dodge Viper! They were looking for an early example of one and I knew Sam Fairhall had just the car and the knowledge to do us all proud. Enjoy!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XB2egQ4NXUg
VCO 2021 Sponsor Recognition
The VCO has enjoyed an amazing year with our Vipers and club friends, and our terrific Sponsors have helped make that possible in a very big way with their generous support. In fact, their funding exceeded that of all of our membership dues that the VCO collects!
They've sponsored cruises, meals, dyno days, performance driving schools, track lapping days, and track rebates.
Many Viper owners across North America don't have a recommended Viper dealer tech within hundreds of kilometers and we are so fortunate to have several...and they are all VCO Sponsors! Let's keep their service techs busy keeping our Vipers and other vehicles in top form, and when it's time to purchase a new vehicle please try to give them your business. All new vehicle brands are suffering with very short supply due to parts supply issues during the pandemic and our valued dealers can all use your help.
Please support our generous sponsors! Contact & details on our Sponsors page.
Ontario Chrysler, Mississauga Raceway Chrysler, Toronto
Islington Chrysler, Toronto Wellington Motors, Chrysler Guelph Kingston Honda and Acura, Kingston Gold Motor Garage, Saint George
Johnson Research & Performance, Miss. RSP Motorsports, Komoka (London)
Dettmer Tire, Guelph Chippy’s Fresh Cut Fries, Oakville
S&W LLP, Chartered Professional Accountants
Viper Articles and Videos
There are so many interesting articles and videos about the history and production of the Dodge and SRT Viper, and the Viper Team that made it all happen. We thought it would be fun to start posting some of the better ones in our VCO Times newsletters where they will be archived for all time, and easily accessed by members interested in learning all about the car they love. Good reading and watching as we put our Vipers away for winter…enjoy!
From Jay T…
-Viper: The Snake Strikes Twice… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ie7V8yyAbA
-1st Viper Owners Invitational in 1994… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jGJkh0KFcCM
From Enio Parete…
-How a band of motorhead execs hatched the Dodge Viper
-Power of Ten: The V-10 Viper Carved its own path
Thanks for reading and staying up-to-date on our latest club news!
Sincerely,
Bruce Hadfield
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