ISSUE 3, May 2021
New President’s Message
I’m very excited to be your new club president, along with your new club VP, Paul Brocca, and our dedicated directors. Each of us have expanded roles to face the challenges of our very bold 2021 plans which began under John Malatesta’s leadership. We thank John for his long commitment to our club!
Our promise is “to provide our members with an unsurpassed Viper Ownership and Club Experience...wherever they live across Southern Ontario”. And we’re delivering with 25+ events and a track program that are second to none, and value for member’s dues with club and sponsor funding of every event that we have planned from Kingston to London and beyond!
The VCO is now the 3rd largest region in the world-wide Viper Owners Association, up 40% so far this year!
Deb and I are looking forward to seeing you all at events soon! We're going to have more fun in 2021!
Bruce Hadfield
Vice Presidents Message
To all of our new and existing club members: I am honoured to have the opportunity of being your new club Vice President! I look forward to working hard to deliver an exceptional experience for our club members. I am confident that 2021 will be a year to remember for our club.
This year, the VCO is positioned well to deliver over 25 different viper events, including track days, Vipers and coffee meets, cruises and patio dinners. We are off to a great start with memberships being at almost past record levels and amazing generosity from our sponsors to help support our events.
The VCO belongs to all of us so it is everyone’s job to ensure our events operate within COVID-19 guidelines. I ask that all of our members please follow the guidelines, like wearing masks and social distancing. This will help ensure that our members stay safe, so we can continue enjoying our club events and activities.
We are so proud of the progress our club has made this year with the introduction of the VCO Times our new newsletter, new sponsors, track program, and our BRAND NEW VCO Website. We will strive to build on this foundation year after year. Julie and I are excited to see everyone this summer at our club events and we look forward to meeting all of our newest members who signed up this year!
Paul Brocca
New VCO Website Is Here!
We are so happy to announce that the club has a brand-new website where you’re reading this newsletter right now! www.viperclubofontario.com. It’s fresh and exciting. There are “Home” and “About” pages to learn more about our club in 2021 and its many member benefits, an “Events” page outlining our 25+ Events Calendar, and a “Gallery” page of past event memories and those new ones from 2021 that we will be making together! Our “Sponsors” page shows those that support our club and events, and who we ask you to support in return. The “Marketplace” page is for those looking to buy or sell Viper vehicles and parts, this “Newsletter” page for all the latest club news, and a “Contact Us” page to connect by email, Facebook and Instagram. The “Join” page to join the VOA and our VCO region, and to see the extensive list of our national VOA member benefits, and there’s also a link to join the VOA forums where you’ll find interesting interactions and an invaluable technical resource. Wow!
VCO 2021 Sponsors
We welcome and thank them for their generous support
Ontario Chrysler, Toronto, www.ontariochrysler.ca
Raceway Chrysler, Toronto, www.racewaychrysler.com
Islington Chrysler, Toronto, www.islingtonchrysler.ca
S&W LLP, Chartered Professional Accountants, www.swcpas.ca
RSP Motorsports, Komoka (London), www.rspmotorsports.com
Dettmer Tire, Guelph, www.dettmertires.com
Gold Motor Garage, Saint George, www.goldmotorgarage.com
JRP (Johnson Research & Performance), Mississauga, www.jrponline.com
Kingston Honda and Acura, www.kingstonhonda.com
Perfect Closets, Oakville, www.perfectclosets.ca
Please support our valued sponsors
South Western Ontario Initiative
As President, one of my personal goals for 2021 is to hold more local events within easy reach of all owners living throughout the S-W Ontario area to benefit both current and prospective members. We have members and sponsors living in Strathroy, Komoka (London), Chatham, St. George, Cambridge, and Welland who have helped plan 7 S-W area events currently, and we also have many more on the western edge of the GTA. If you would like to help our enthusiastic planners with these S-W events, or to add more, please contact me asap. Rev up your VCO by getting involved! Bruce at vcotracks.com.
I’m very pleased that one third of all new members and 2021 sponsors listed above are in this region! We're making all of Southern Ontario Viper Central in 2021!
Eastern Ontario Initiative
We have the same ambitious goals for our Eastern Ontario current and prospective members so we can fully deliver the fun and enthusiasm of the Viper Club of Ontario. We’re fortunate to have one of our directors and sponsors in Kingston planning a number of events, with some on our Event Calendar now. For new membership and event ideas in Eastern Ontario please contact Jay Tnt and Bruce Hadfield.
I’d like to recognize the great contributions of our 2021 Event Planners and thank them very much for all of their hard work. Click on the image below to view the page.
Event Attending Procedure due to Covid-19
Members will RSVP by email to attend each event. A standard Covid-19 questionnaire and club liability waiver will be emailed back to you for your acknowledgement and reply. We will then be able to inform you of any meeting locations and last-minute details or changes. We need to know exactly who all is coming to plan for gathering sizes that may be restricted and for all member’s health safety. Most events will be private for these reasons. We ask all members to kindly follow health guidelines by wear a mask and socially distance when around others at our events, whether you’ve been vaccinated or not, and anyone who is not feeling well on the day of the event to please stay home. Some may prefer to attend those types of events where more minimal mask wearing and distancing would be appropriate. Thank you all for your consideration, and the easing of other’s concerns, by following these basic guidelines. We will continue to monitor health guidelines and update our procedures as soon as we can.
The Ontario shutdown order has prevented a number of events in May, and we’ve held off on some June events as it’s likely that restrictions will be extended beyond May 20th. If outdoor gathering sizes are restricted to a certain number we will have to cut off attendance once that number is reached.
In anticipation of restrictions affecting patio lunches and dinners on cruises and meal events, we are going to plan picnic alternatives in parks where members can pack a folding chair and cooler, or buy local takeout. We did that last fall for our Haliburton Cruise, stopping at a beautiful Rotary Park in Minden on the shore of the Gull River. I can’t remember a more enjoyable meal or setting! We were able to mingle about with social distancing and our cars were parked very close by, and it worked great!
Track event organizer’s Covid-19 protocols are dictated by both the government and track owners and are very rigid. Most track days did operate last year from last June through to fall, and will likely be allowed to continue this summer. Rules are that no guests are allowed entry, participants only, and no passengers in cars. Masks worn when outside your vehicle, social distance, large washroom restricted to 2 persons at a time wearing masks, sanitizer dispenser provided at the door. They were effectively run to be as safe as you driving your car anywhere else and stopping to use a public washroom. Events sold out, they will again this year, and we all still had a great time with friends and on track!
Don’t despair folks, we all know how to deal with Covid-19 safely…and 2021 is going to be great! Looking forward to seeing you all soon!
The Market Place will no longer be advertised on the Newsletter. We have moved it to our website and will be featured on it's own page. Click on the image below to view the page.
