Garry Bopp
07-10-2014, 08:25 PM
After the Open House, I headed to West Springfield, MA to spend time with my in-laws. My brother-in-law, Skip Demerski kindly offered the use of his warehouse to store my trailer and coupe. I took him up on his offer and found the warehouse on a narrow street with cars parked all around … a real challenge for me to back my rig into the warehouse but with expert coaching from several folks, I finally got parked. Got to spend lots of time with family and even 2 rounds of golf at the Agawam Municipal Course.
Next stop was Homer, NY to spend a night with Air Force friends, Charlie and Alice Anderson. They spend the summer on Lake Skaneateles, one of the finger lakes near Syracuse, NY. Their lake cabin was built by Charlie’s grandfather in 1903. Lots of charm and character in that lovely cabin. We did a wine tasting excursion to a local winery … excellent reds… followed by a dinner on the deck of the cabin.
The final stop on my trip was the London Cobra Show, staying at the Hampton Inn, West Columbus, OH. I met up with Gary Dyck, a fellow Cobra-holic and good friend from the Atlanta area. Friday was spent at another event, the Turn Key Nationals, as they had a car corral for Daytona Coupes. Turnout was very low for this event, only 5 coupes and 3 Datsun 240Z’s. Peter and Gayle Brock arrived around noon and spent several hours chatting with us and checking out all the coupes and Z’s. Fellow Factory Five coupe owners Chris Crum and Jim Lindsey had their coupes in attendance. Saturday morning dawned with mist and light rain … but the show must go on. Over 170 Cobras gathered at the Speedway Truck Stop for the short cruise and drive to Main Street, London, OH. After all were parked, followed by a Driver’s Meeting, the charity “burnout” rides began. I did the very first one, carrying a special passenger … young James Wilder, the son of friend, Paul Wilder. I did 2 more runs and then parked the coupe and enjoyed the rest of the show. It was great to see Dave Smith there with the Factory Five truck and the new 289 FIA car, as well as several other cars.
The real reason that there is a London Cobra Show is … the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. 100% of the proceeds of the entire show go to this wonderful foundation. The Saturday night “dinner under the tent” is the culmination of an entire year’s effort by lots of willing volunteers. Guest speaker was Allen Grant and he called on his friend, Peter Brock to join him on the stage. They bantered back and forth, lots of great stories and lots of humor. They were rewarded with a standing ovation. Finally came the moment we had all been waiting for … “Am I the winner of the raffle car, the Shell Valley Cobra replica?” No, I didn’t win and neither did anyone at the show. The lucky winner was called but did not answer their phone, so a message was left, informing them of their good luck! The Grand Finale of the show was presenting a check for $60,000 to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. That check brought the 12 year total up to $890,000. Kudos to the Ohio Cobra Club for working so hard for this very worthwhile foundation.
The Mid-Ohio track days were scheduled for the Tuesday and Wednesday following the London Cobra Show. That left “out-of-towners” like myself and Gary Dyck with two days with nothing planned. We checked in to our hotel on Sunday afternoon and Gary proceeded to “google map” a nice 2 hour cruise for us on the backroads around Bellville, destination … Mohican State Park and Lodge. Beautiful scenery, including a scenic covered bridge … photo op!! On this very rural drive, Gary and I both observed that it must be an Ohio state law that lawns be mowed on Sunday afternoon, with a John Deere riding mower! Monday was another gorgeous sunny day and Gary and I took advantage of this weather by playing a round of golf at a lovely, nearby course. The course was very challenging with huge elevation changes … wouldn’t want to walk this course. I think the golf carts were turbocharged to get us up those hills! After golf, tech inspection began at the hotel parking lot. Rain threatened but held off until late in the evening.
Tuesday morning featured a Driver’s Meeting followed by training on the skid pad with Acura skid car trainers. This was followed by a short autocross course that was a real handful for me as my coupe has a very slow manual steering rack. Next up was “lead-follow” training on the racetrack. This took up the rest of the morning and early afternoon. Open track sessions began mid-afternoon. Wednesday morning, the track was wet so Open Track sessions didn’t start until late morning. I did manage to get in two of the sessions. Gary Dyck and I took turns leading/chasing each other around the track. Great fun! The last session, it started to rain lightly so I had the opportunity to use my windshield wipers on the track for the first time ever … and hopefully, the last time! Gary and I loaded up our cars and started the long drive home to the Atlanta area. We spent the night in Georgetown, KY and completed the drive on Thursday. A wonderful trip, all in all, but nothing can compare to being back home with my family and sleeping in my own bed!
Garry
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r102/theboppshop/Eastern%20US%20Tour%20June%202014/EastCoastTourJune2014108_zps7a4f44dd.jpg (http://s142.photobucket.com/user/theboppshop/media/Eastern%20US%20Tour%20June%202014/EastCoastTourJune2014108_zps7a4f44dd.jpg.html) Charlie and Alice Anderson's lovely cabin.
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r102/theboppshop/Eastern%20US%20Tour%20June%202014/EastCoastTourJune2014118_zps39a441d3.jpg (http://s142.photobucket.com/user/theboppshop/media/Eastern%20US%20Tour%20June%202014/EastCoastTourJune2014118_zps39a441d3.jpg.html) Charlie and Alice ... both retired from an Air Force career.
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r102/theboppshop/Eastern%20US%20Tour%20June%202014/EastCoastTourJune2014120_zps83cd64bd.jpg (http://s142.photobucket.com/user/theboppshop/media/Eastern%20US%20Tour%20June%202014/EastCoastTourJune2014120_zps83cd64bd.jpg.html) Turn Key Nationals ... 3 FFR coupes and 2 Superformance coupes.
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r102/theboppshop/Eastern%20US%20Tour%20June%202014/EastCoastTourJune2014134_zpsadb6d415.jpg (http://s142.photobucket.com/user/theboppshop/media/Eastern%20US%20Tour%20June%202014/EastCoastTourJune2014134_zpsadb6d415.jpg.html) Peter Brock, chatting with Larry Hoboken, Superformance coupe owner and board member of the Ohio Cobra Club.
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r102/theboppshop/Eastern%20US%20Tour%20June%202014/EastCoastTourJune2014156_zpsa77fa22b.jpg (http://s142.photobucket.com/user/theboppshop/media/Eastern%20US%20Tour%20June%202014/EastCoastTourJune2014156_zpsa77fa22b.jpg.html) Gary Dyck's lovely Superformance roadster at the covered bridge, Mohican State Park.
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r102/theboppshop/Eastern%20US%20Tour%20June%202014/EastCoastTourJune2014145_zpsa1e8dd3b.jpg (http://s142.photobucket.com/user/theboppshop/media/Eastern%20US%20Tour%20June%202014/EastCoastTourJune2014145_zpsa1e8dd3b.jpg.html) My coupe at the Pleasant Hill Dam, Mohican State Park.
Next stop was Homer, NY to spend a night with Air Force friends, Charlie and Alice Anderson. They spend the summer on Lake Skaneateles, one of the finger lakes near Syracuse, NY. Their lake cabin was built by Charlie’s grandfather in 1903. Lots of charm and character in that lovely cabin. We did a wine tasting excursion to a local winery … excellent reds… followed by a dinner on the deck of the cabin.
The final stop on my trip was the London Cobra Show, staying at the Hampton Inn, West Columbus, OH. I met up with Gary Dyck, a fellow Cobra-holic and good friend from the Atlanta area. Friday was spent at another event, the Turn Key Nationals, as they had a car corral for Daytona Coupes. Turnout was very low for this event, only 5 coupes and 3 Datsun 240Z’s. Peter and Gayle Brock arrived around noon and spent several hours chatting with us and checking out all the coupes and Z’s. Fellow Factory Five coupe owners Chris Crum and Jim Lindsey had their coupes in attendance. Saturday morning dawned with mist and light rain … but the show must go on. Over 170 Cobras gathered at the Speedway Truck Stop for the short cruise and drive to Main Street, London, OH. After all were parked, followed by a Driver’s Meeting, the charity “burnout” rides began. I did the very first one, carrying a special passenger … young James Wilder, the son of friend, Paul Wilder. I did 2 more runs and then parked the coupe and enjoyed the rest of the show. It was great to see Dave Smith there with the Factory Five truck and the new 289 FIA car, as well as several other cars.
The real reason that there is a London Cobra Show is … the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. 100% of the proceeds of the entire show go to this wonderful foundation. The Saturday night “dinner under the tent” is the culmination of an entire year’s effort by lots of willing volunteers. Guest speaker was Allen Grant and he called on his friend, Peter Brock to join him on the stage. They bantered back and forth, lots of great stories and lots of humor. They were rewarded with a standing ovation. Finally came the moment we had all been waiting for … “Am I the winner of the raffle car, the Shell Valley Cobra replica?” No, I didn’t win and neither did anyone at the show. The lucky winner was called but did not answer their phone, so a message was left, informing them of their good luck! The Grand Finale of the show was presenting a check for $60,000 to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. That check brought the 12 year total up to $890,000. Kudos to the Ohio Cobra Club for working so hard for this very worthwhile foundation.
The Mid-Ohio track days were scheduled for the Tuesday and Wednesday following the London Cobra Show. That left “out-of-towners” like myself and Gary Dyck with two days with nothing planned. We checked in to our hotel on Sunday afternoon and Gary proceeded to “google map” a nice 2 hour cruise for us on the backroads around Bellville, destination … Mohican State Park and Lodge. Beautiful scenery, including a scenic covered bridge … photo op!! On this very rural drive, Gary and I both observed that it must be an Ohio state law that lawns be mowed on Sunday afternoon, with a John Deere riding mower! Monday was another gorgeous sunny day and Gary and I took advantage of this weather by playing a round of golf at a lovely, nearby course. The course was very challenging with huge elevation changes … wouldn’t want to walk this course. I think the golf carts were turbocharged to get us up those hills! After golf, tech inspection began at the hotel parking lot. Rain threatened but held off until late in the evening.
Tuesday morning featured a Driver’s Meeting followed by training on the skid pad with Acura skid car trainers. This was followed by a short autocross course that was a real handful for me as my coupe has a very slow manual steering rack. Next up was “lead-follow” training on the racetrack. This took up the rest of the morning and early afternoon. Open track sessions began mid-afternoon. Wednesday morning, the track was wet so Open Track sessions didn’t start until late morning. I did manage to get in two of the sessions. Gary Dyck and I took turns leading/chasing each other around the track. Great fun! The last session, it started to rain lightly so I had the opportunity to use my windshield wipers on the track for the first time ever … and hopefully, the last time! Gary and I loaded up our cars and started the long drive home to the Atlanta area. We spent the night in Georgetown, KY and completed the drive on Thursday. A wonderful trip, all in all, but nothing can compare to being back home with my family and sleeping in my own bed!
Garry
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r102/theboppshop/Eastern%20US%20Tour%20June%202014/EastCoastTourJune2014108_zps7a4f44dd.jpg (http://s142.photobucket.com/user/theboppshop/media/Eastern%20US%20Tour%20June%202014/EastCoastTourJune2014108_zps7a4f44dd.jpg.html) Charlie and Alice Anderson's lovely cabin.
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r102/theboppshop/Eastern%20US%20Tour%20June%202014/EastCoastTourJune2014118_zps39a441d3.jpg (http://s142.photobucket.com/user/theboppshop/media/Eastern%20US%20Tour%20June%202014/EastCoastTourJune2014118_zps39a441d3.jpg.html) Charlie and Alice ... both retired from an Air Force career.
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r102/theboppshop/Eastern%20US%20Tour%20June%202014/EastCoastTourJune2014120_zps83cd64bd.jpg (http://s142.photobucket.com/user/theboppshop/media/Eastern%20US%20Tour%20June%202014/EastCoastTourJune2014120_zps83cd64bd.jpg.html) Turn Key Nationals ... 3 FFR coupes and 2 Superformance coupes.
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r102/theboppshop/Eastern%20US%20Tour%20June%202014/EastCoastTourJune2014134_zpsadb6d415.jpg (http://s142.photobucket.com/user/theboppshop/media/Eastern%20US%20Tour%20June%202014/EastCoastTourJune2014134_zpsadb6d415.jpg.html) Peter Brock, chatting with Larry Hoboken, Superformance coupe owner and board member of the Ohio Cobra Club.
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r102/theboppshop/Eastern%20US%20Tour%20June%202014/EastCoastTourJune2014156_zpsa77fa22b.jpg (http://s142.photobucket.com/user/theboppshop/media/Eastern%20US%20Tour%20June%202014/EastCoastTourJune2014156_zpsa77fa22b.jpg.html) Gary Dyck's lovely Superformance roadster at the covered bridge, Mohican State Park.
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r102/theboppshop/Eastern%20US%20Tour%20June%202014/EastCoastTourJune2014145_zpsa1e8dd3b.jpg (http://s142.photobucket.com/user/theboppshop/media/Eastern%20US%20Tour%20June%202014/EastCoastTourJune2014145_zpsa1e8dd3b.jpg.html) My coupe at the Pleasant Hill Dam, Mohican State Park.