Issue 5, July 2021
2021 Events Have Started…Look, Choose, RSVP and Enjoy!
The Wait is Over, and we have now very successfully held our first 5 events! June 23rd was our first track event and June 26th our first Viper Cruise! Ontario has now advanced into Stage 2 reopening and Stage 3 is coming which is even better! See “Event Recaps” below, and find lots of photos on this website’s “Gallery” page.
The only problem is that many of you are still not aware of our up-coming events, or that they’ve actually started, and we need to address that so you don’t miss out on the fun! It’s as simple as 1-2-3!
Go to this website’s Events page, scroll down through our calendar of 28 events
Click on each event’s title to open up a hidden page that shows all the event details
Choose events you’d like to attend, or find out more about, by clicking on the event organizer’s email address and compose and send an email with your RSVP or questions. While you’re there, click on the calendar icon and the event will be uploaded onto your cell phone’s calendar…cool!
The event organizer will now do the rest to include you and make sure you have a great time!
Please note that this July newsletter is being updated with July Event Recaps soon after they take place. Follow the Event Recaps here to see what we've been up to...and RSVP to an event soon to join us yourself!
June Event Recaps
Event #1. June 23rd, Sponsor JRP's “Speed Therapy” Day at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park, Grand Prix Track
This was your perfect early summer day at the track, 22 C and sunny. The event was sold out so the turn-out was terrific. Everyone had lots of time on track to sharpen their car control skills and enjoy their Vipers and other high-performance models in a controlled and lawful way. It should come as no surprise that your driving and car control skills get a little rusty, and this is the place to sharpen them! Join us for up-coming JRP “Speed Therapy” days here on July 19th, August 20th, and September 30th. Thank you to Sponsor Derek Johnston, and Johnston Research & Performance for a great event!
Please support our generous club Sponsors... https://www.jrponline.com/
See more photos on the Gallery page/JRP Track Day June 2021
Event #2. June 26th, Niagara Cruise, Hosted by John & Carm Wach, Sponsored by Dettmer Tire
The forecast all week was for rain all weekend but at the last moment the rain stopped and we didn’t see a drop of rain all day! Unfortunately, over half of those that planned to come decided not to due to the horrible forecast that morning. But we did have 10 cars make it out and we all had a great time enjoying a very scenic drive and turning heads all day. We stopped for lunch at Vinnie’s Restaurant in Niagara Falls and later at Avondale Dairy for ice cream courtesy of Sponsor Dettmer Tire in Guelph! Thank you to past VCO member Mike Adams, owner of Dettmer Tire.
We awarded Viper Club of Ontario hats to the two cars that had driven the furthest, Janelle and Fred Jay from Severn Bridge, and Suzanne and Jamie Herrington from Strathroy! It was great to meet those newer members that we hadn’t yet, including newly minted member Rocco Di Paola! View photos of the entire gang and cruise on our Gallery page. Great club spirit guys and gals!
Please support our generous club Sponsors... https://dettmertires.com/
See more photos on the Gallery page/Niagara Cruise June 2021.
15 Great Events in July and August…RSVP ASAP
There is something for everyone in the weeks ahead so check out the Events page, choose and RSVP! All-new Cruises including Lake Huron/St. Clair River, Burlington/St. George, Bellfountain/Orangeville, Coburg/Peterborough… and a Muskoka Cruise that we hope also includes a boat cruise! We have Golf, Patio Lunches and Dinners, BBQ at Bruce & Deb’s home, and 4 Track School & Lapping Days!
Health safety is still everyone’s concern, and the way we’ve planned our outdoor events requires a very minimal amount of mask wearing, more just a consciousness to physically distance.
RSVP asap to assist us in making restaurant reservations, and the ordering of food for Bruce’s BBQ. Note any deadlines to RSVP.
Event details are updated as we get closer on this website’s “Events” page so refer back prior to an event for the latest. Once you’ve RSVP’d the event organizer will keep you updated.
July Event Recaps
Event #3. July 3rd, Sponsor RSP Motorsports Performance Shop Tour, Dyno Demonstration, Lunch & St. Clair River Cruise!
This was an absolutely perfect day. Our club members met at RSP's performance shop in Komoka, just west of London, and were blown away by their staff and very impressive facility. RSP caters to exotic and high performance vehicle owners. A connection with our club and members is a perfect fit, with 3 of our London area members already being very satisfied customers.
Our day started with a Meet & Greet at RSP and it was great to finally meet many of our members from the Windsor, Chatham, Port Lambton, Strathroy and London areas. RSP provided light refreshments as Renato introduced us to his operation and what we were about to see. Paul Vassallo's Viper TA 2.0 was strapped down on their dynamometer (elaborate equipment that measures the power of an engine as it accelerates under full throttle on sets of rollers), with the purpose of measuring any change in power when changing the stock air filter to a K&N performance air filter. The dyno measured a 29 horsepower improvement! We held a draw for a free vehicle mechanical inspection and dyno session on August 14th and Isif Ibrahima was the lucky winner...congrats Isif.
We then all had a superb lunch at the nearby Hillside Restaurant, and much to our surprise, RSP Motorsports picked up the entire bill! Renato and his staff are great people who really want to satisfy the needs of our local club members. They offer a complete array of services, including all mechanical repairs, state-of-the-art alignment, detail work including paint correction, paint protection film and ceramic coating. Contact them for details.
We then set off under sunny skies on a scenic cruise planned and led by Sue and Jamie Herrington to Kettle Point on Lake Huron, through Canatara Park in Sarnia, and a shoreline cruise down the St. Clair River ending in Port Lambton. I'd like to thank Paul, Sue and Jamie, Renato and the staff of RSP, and all those who came out to share your friendship.
You won't want to miss our 2nd event with RSP Motorsports on Saturday August 14th where Isif's GTS will be run on the dyno, we'll learn more about the extensive services RSP offers, we'll enjoy another fine lunch at Hillside Restaurant, and Sue and Jamie will lead us on a different cruise up to Grand Bend, Goderich, and east to St. Mary's!
Please support our generous Sponsors... https://www.rspmotorsports.com/services.html
See photos here...https://www.viperclubofontario.com/rsp-cruise-july-2021
Event #4. July 10th, Belfountain to Hockley Valley Cruise, Sponsored by Islington Chrysler!
This was another gorgeous day for a club event, planned by members Dave and Krista Gorelle, and Jay T, our club Cruise Master and Membership Director. We met in Mississauga where the club provided the Starbuck's coffee. We then headed up to Dave and Krista's stunning property in Belfountain where a few more friends joined the group. We enjoyed meeting each other and pouring over the truly stunning collection of vehicles that came out. This was the first of 3 opportunities this year for members to bring out their other special interest toys...and it was a huge hit with our members!
Dave and Krista led the cruise in their beautiful Ford GT40, followed by many Vipers, Mike D. in his 40th Anniversary Lamborghini Murcielago, Vince A. in his Porsche 996 911 Turbo S cabriolet...and some more Ford GT's!!! Thanks to all that came out, and to Dave and Krista who offered refreshments and were great hosts!
The final destination was the Hockley Valley General Store where we had a nice lunch and had another chance to mingle!
Please support our generous Sponsors... https://www.islingtonchrysler.ca/
See photos here...https://www.viperclubofontario.com/belfountain-cruise-2021
Event #5. July 11th, Lunch at Glencairn Golf Course in Milton, Sponsored by S&W LLP Chartered Professional Accountants.
This was another opportunity to meet club members in a beautiful setting over lunch. The weather wasn't on our side this time, unfortunately, but those who did attend had a good time! Thank you to Nick Sawrantschuk for organizing and sponsoring this event!
Please support our generous club Sponsors... https://swcpas.ca/
Event #6. July 18th, Burlington, Dundas, St. George Cruise, Sponsored by Gold Motor Garage.
Just another awesome day out with club friends and their Vipers. We all gathered down on the waterfront in Burlington with friends we always enjoy seeing again, and meeting and warmly welcoming some new ones to the club, New members have commented on how welcoming and inclusive our club is and that's so gratifying to hear, and exactly what we're all about.
This event was proposed by Greg Oldham, member, Event Coordinator, 2021 VCO Sponsor, and owner of Gold Motor Garage in St. George where he sells Vipers and other high performance toys! Greg led us along some interesting and winding roads in his blue and white striped GTS on this scenic tour that touched several small towns, with a stop at Sydenham Lookout where we had a view over Hamilton and Hamilton Harbour. That provided a great backdrop for photos that you'll find on the "Gallery" page.
We then continued "snaking" our way through the beautiful countryside to the small town of St. George, and the Dragon Pub where Gold Motor Garage treated us all to a wonderful lunch! We also got to meet his lovely wife Tracy, and 4 month old daughter Violet. Greg's father, George, accompanied us on the cruise in the Competition Blue TA 2.0!
After lunch we headed down the road to Gold Motor Garage and viewed his indoor showroom and inventory of high performance vehicles. We spiced up the parking lot with our Vipers for more photos.
Huge thanks to Greg Oldham and Gold Motor Garage for a very enjoyable day! https://www.goldmotorgarage.com/
Event #7. Monday July 19th, JRP "Speed Therapy" Track Day.
This was our second track event of 2021 and the first one under Ontario's Stage 3 rules. This meant that students could have an instructor in the car at their choice. I'm just a huge believer in developing your car control skills on track as it really does make you a safer and more competent driver on the street. And it's the most fun you can have in your Viper, and do it in a safe and legal way.
Weather was perfect, and it's always enjoyable and informative chatting with other Viper owners in the paddock!
Please support our sponsor, JRP https://www.jrponline.com/
and their Speed Therapy Track days https://www.speedtherapy.com/hpde-events/
Event #8. Friday July 23rd, Hanson International Advanced driving School, Sponsored by Raceway Chrysler.
This was our third track event of 2021, and we were blessed with perfect weather again! Our members learned a lot about controlling their cars, and had a lot of fun doing it. The day started with driving exercises in their huge paved skid pad training area before heading out onto the track for lead and follow sessions with their instructors.
The day ended with a nice patio dinner at Kelsey's Restaurant in Bowmanville.
Thank you Raceway Chrysler for sponsoring this terrific event! https://www.racewaychrysler.com/ Please support our event sponsors!
Event #9. Sunday July 25th, Annual BBQ at Bruce & Deb's in Cannington, Sponsored by Ontario Chrysler.
On Saturday morning we needed to quickly switch to our rain date when the forecast suddenly changed and a Weather Advisory was issued for our area. But the weather on Sunday was terrific and so were our members and their cars!
In addition to a plethora of gleaming Vipers,, and a 1 of 2 Lemans Commemorative Edition Gen 2's built by Hastings Dodge and owned by member Ron K, we had a beautifully restored 1968 Barracuda owned by George and Debra W, a 2019 Ferrari 488 owned by John M, a 2019 Porsche 911 Turbo S, and Jay T's immaculate Mustang convertible...great cars all!
It was a pleasure to present John Malatesta with his Past President's Award for his leadership from 2012-2021, our caterer provided an exceptional lunch, Dan barbequed the shish kabobs and burgers to perfection, the pool was the perfect temperature, and a great time was had by all! Thank you to the many members who came out. We all enjoyed the camaraderie of our wonderful group of club friends.
We missed those who were unable come, or to make the switch to Sunday, but hope to see them and others at our next BBQ on Sept 18th at Jane and Dan Frankian's in Acton!
And special thanks to our event sponsor, Ontario Chrysler! https://www.ontariochrysler.ca/ Please support our sponsors!
Event #10. Track Day at Calabogie with the Quebec Viper Club.
10 Events in 6 weeks might be a record, but we've got a lot more coming. Pick your events from our calendar, RSVP to the event organizers, and have more fun in 2021!
Don't Miss Our Club's Signature Ontario Viper Event Sept. 10-13, 2021!
Last month we announced our plans to hold one major event each year, something so impressive that it will become our Ontario Region’s Signature Event, similar to how NVE is the VOA’s Signature Event.
That Ontario Viper Event this year is ONVE 2021 - Windsor and Surrounding Area. We have the basic outline for this 4-day event on our Events Calendar and will fill in more details soon, but you’ll want to put this event on your calendar now and be prepared to book the hotel we choose if you plan to stay over.
We are in the final stages of planning the daily events and venues. Having an idea of how many are expecting to participate will help John Wach and Bruce plan enormously for hotel accommodations, restaurant and winery capacity and reservations, and parking considerations throughout. Please have a look at the Events page for the events planned for Sept 10-13 and let Bruce know which ones you expect to attend at vcotracks@gmail.com. Thank you
Enthusiasm Among Ontario Viper Owners Is Just Unreal This Year!
Here are the names of those who have joined us over the last month!
Wendell Erb (Wellesley)
John Laframboise (Kingston)
Steve Gawadzyn (Windsor)
Nick McCaw (Picton)
Enio Parete (Harrow, Windsor area)
Tony Schmalz (Pickering)
Rocco Di Paola (St. Catharines)
Angelo D’Amico (Oakville)
And returning past members…
Shawn Bonnick (Wellesley)
Ali Khan (Mississauga)
Please help us to welcome all of our new VCO family members when they are introduced at our events!
Club Apparel Available Now!
We have Viper Club of Ontario caps, men’s golf shirts, lady’s tees, men’s and lady’s jackets, hot/cold drink tumblers, and our cool dash sign (free)! We’ll have samples to show at some events, but you can also place your order and we’ll bring it to your next event to look at. Contact Bruce at vcotracks@gmail.com.
Caps $25
Drink Thermos $35
Golf Shirts $60
Jackets, Mens and Ladies $120
2021 Events Budget Exceeds Membership Dues Thanks to Sponsors Support
That’s right. It’s the support of our terrific sponsors that allow us to offer our membership more than they bargained for! Please join our events often…and support these sponsors that so generously support all of us!
Market Place
If you’re looking to Buy or Sell a Viper or Viper parts please check out our website’s Market Place page….it works!
Let’s Get Involved and Have More Fun In 2021! We hope to see you all at an event soon!
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