May-Jun 2015 - Viper Owner`s Assocation

Hisssssss!
Hisss
!
The Official Ohio Viper Club
Newsletter for May/June 2015
Your Ohio Officers
President - Terry Bosserman
[email protected]
!
VP - Bob Bierman
[email protected]
!
Secretary - Rich Kautz
[email protected]
!
Treasurer - Jenn Kautz
[email protected]
!
!
Your Ohio BOD
!
!
Fundraising and Charity Director Randall Arnold
[email protected]
!
Membership Director - Mike Fargo
[email protected]
!
Racing Director - Tim O’Neil
[email protected]
!
Cruise Director - Jason Mattinson
[email protected]
!
Merchandise Director - Sam Goldfarb
[email protected]
!
Media Director - Robert Schwarzli
[email protected]
!
President’s Notes
Well, it feels like summer is finally here, so hopefully everyone has their
Vipers out enjoying them. Last month, the wife and I drove our 2003 Viper
to New Orleans to the National President’s Meeting. One of the purposes
of the meeting was to let us experience the events scheduled for next
year’s NVE2. All that I can say is WOW! You better mark it on your
calendar right now and put in for your vacation today.
Ohio will be putting together a caravan to and from the event – details to
follow at a later date. The Hyatt Regency is in a great location with
secured parking for up to 600 Vipers. So again, let’s drive those Vipers.
Alligators are everywhere. We saw some on our airboat ride, and we saw
one crossing the I-10 Highway on our way back home. That’s something
you don’t see in Ohio. The new racetrack is awesome, with some great
racing venues scheduled. If you like go-karting, then you will love the two
fast tracks and karts they have set up for us. Plus a cruise along the coast
and to Plantations.
Some exciting events happened in May. Our Tech Day (May 9th) was a
great success with lots of Vipers showing up, some having service work
and a short cruise. I want to thank all who attended. Our Cruise Director,
Jason, headed up the Tail of the Dragon for Ohio members. The National
Bucket List Event to the Tail of the Dragon was another epic event with
over 120 Vipers attending. Lots of pictures were posted on Facebook, and
I heard from numerous members that is was great. We were going to
attend, but after driving 30 hours straight and 2000 miles the week before
to New Orleans in a Viper we needed a break. But it is already on my
2016 calendar to attend next year.
Even though we have had some great events so far this year, we have
many more fun events scheduled for all members. The Bourbon Trail
Cruise is coming up next. Unfortunately if you didn’t get signed up, it’s too
late as it is sold out. Then we have the Viper Play Day at Pitt Race with
the Stouts’ newly opened and enlarged race track. Tim, Rich and Jenn
have all worked very hard in making this a great event and one that you
will want to be at. If you never have road raced your Viper and always
wanted to, this is the event to learn how to do this properly and safely.
Three other upcoming events also scheduled are (1) the Mopar Nats in
Columbus in August including a cruise to London, Ohio (2) Drag Racing at
Summit Motorsports in Norwalk with maybe an interesting party to follow,
and (3) Hocking Hills Cruise in September.
So, I hope to see all of your out at our club events enjoying yourself and
your Viper.
!
Terry Bosserman
Page 1
Hisss
Bucket List Event - Tail Of The Dragon
!
Another Viper adventure to Gatlinburg
and the Tail of the Dragon is in the
books! This was the tenth anniversary of
this amazing event and a record setting
one at that. Before we get to that, let's
back up a minute. A decade ago a few
friends decided to meet up in Gatlinburg
to hang out and take in the sights. What
started as a small gathering quickly
expanded to 40 cars by the third year. After that there were many years in a row
with a steady 50 cars making the annual
pilgrimage. For year number nine, that
quantity increased to 75 cars. This lead
Chip to set a goal of reaching 100 cars for
the 10th anniversary. The goal was lofty
but within reach. As spring arrived, over
130 Vipers had registered for the event!
Most people began arriving on Thursday
afternoon. After dinner and some much
needed catching up with old friends, it
was time to get to bed early. Friday
morning's drive was going to start early
and cover quite a few miles. After a brief
safety meeting and breakfast, 75 cars were
off to the mountains. We drove through
the Tail of the Dragon and the Cherahola
Skyway. It was a beautiful and very curvy
drive! When I asked Ron if he enjoyed it,
his response was "I wanna do it again
right now!" I couldn't agree more. We
took another scenic route back to
Gatlinburg and prepared for the big
banquet on top of the mountain.
!
There were several special guests at the
dinner Saturday evening. Maurice Liang,
the National VOA President, flew in from
California to join the event. Ralph and
Doris Gilles drove all day from Michigan
Page 2
Hisss
to join us for the dinner! There was also a
special presentation by Seth Green, who is
a decorated Captain in the military. He
had recently returned from another
deployment and told several incredible
stories of his time over there. He thanked
the Viper community for the
overwhelming support they extended
through letters and care packages for his
squadron. He also presented a special
award to Doris, who sent fresh baked
cookies and other great items nearly every
week he was deployed. To thank Seth for
his dedication to the country, the AL/TN
and Carolinas clubs presented him with a
special gift. It was a large framed picture
of Seth and his GTS in front of the
Biltmore Estate from one of their previous
events.
!
who couldn't get enough of the mountain
roads, we drove back to US129 for more
fun. This time it included a stop in
Fontana Village for lunch on the deck
overlooking the mountains. Then we
hustled back to get staged for the parade
where we had a record 100+ Vipers
participate. It was a loud and beautiful
experience.
!
As the evening came to a close, it was
time to pack up so we could hit the road
on Sunday. Some were heading to the
Pirelli Factory tour in Georgia, while the
rest of us headed home. And as usual, we
were already looking forward to making
plans for next year's Tail of the Dragon
road trip.
!
Jason Mattinson
On Saturday, there were a variety of
activities to participate in. For those of us
Page 3
Hisss
Ohio’s Annual Ultimate Viper Party
Well....it was that time again. VOA OH hosted its Ultimate Viper Party on Saturday April 25th. This
years party was a little more special as the Ohio Viper Club celebrated its 20th year as a club. To help
commemorate this special occasion Media Director Robert S put together a fantastic video that played
during dinner celebrating the clubs 20 years. !
!
The days festivities got under way early in the afternoon with a tour of the Rahal Racing shop which
was just a short drive from the hotel. There was quite a turn out for the tour as 50 plus attendees were
present at the racing shop. After the tour was over everyone headed back to the hotel to get ready for
the nights festivities which were not to be missed. !
!
The evening got under way with some drinks and light snacks in the ballroom. After cocktail hour
ended everyone grabbed their seats for introductions and presentations. VOA OH had some special
guests on hand to help us celebrate our 20th year. From FCA we had Mark Trostle, Head of SRT and
Motorsports Design, "The GrailKeeper" himself Herb Helbig, "The Mamba King" Mike Stephens, Al
Deane and David Graziadei from TI Automotive, and we had the guys from The Discovery Channels
Fat and Furious.!
!
Dinner was great as always and after some socializing it was time for the main event. The auction! We
had a plethora of items for the entire VOA to bid on as our auction was "live" and VOA members were
able to bid in real time along with others in the ballroom. From gas pumps to traffic lights to a Viper
themed Coke fridge. We had something from everyone. Even our special guests brought some unique
items for everyone to bid on. !
!
Once the auction was over everyone migrated over to the River City Bar and Grille for the after party.
More socializing and catching up was done to cap off a great day. If you have not made it out to our
Ultimate Viper Party make sure you are there next year! Thanks to everyone that participated and
made this party a success and we will see you next April!!
!
Bob Bierman
Page 4
Hisss
VOA Ohio Spring Party DVD
For those who attended the VOA Ohio Spring Party in April got to watch a video highlighting the past 20
years. The video was tediously compiled by Robert Schwarzli, Ohio VOA's Media Director. He did an
awesome job summarizing pictures from events over the last 20 years. Many attendees at the Spring
Party requested a copy of the video. So, we have begun making copies for all members to purchase. !
For a mere $20 - you can have your own copy of the video showcasing the past 20 years of The Ohio
Viper Club. !
Please send Jenn Kautz an email ([email protected]) so she can bill you and have a copy of the
video sent to you. Page 5
Hisss
Ohio’s Annual Viper Tech Day
The VOA OH region held its annual Viper
Tech day Saturday May 9th at Adventure
CJDR in Willoughby, OH. Members from all
over Northeast Ohio and parts of PA
participated in the event. We had eight spots
open for service and we kept Adventure’s
Viper tech busy as we filled all eight spots!!
!
From power steering pulleys, to fluid
changes, to even a differential pinion seal,
we had just about everything covered. The
first appointment was for 7:00 AM and the
cars just kept rolling in from there. We had
16 Vipers in all show up for the day. Participants were allowed to come and go as
they pleased in the service shop to see all
the work that was being performed. !
!
Lunch was provided by Adventure for all in
attendance. After all service was completed
the group took a very nice scenic cruise that
had us ending up at our last stop for the day,
Quaker Steak and Lube in Mentor, OH. If
you haven't been to one of our Tech days I
highly recommend it. Its a great way to learn
about your car and mingle with fellow
owners.!
!
Page 6
Hisss
Viper Dyno Day
Several Ohio members attended the Dyno event on May 23rd hosted by the WV/PA region. The
event was held at Power House Automotive in Girard, PA. There were 8 cars scheduled to run on
the dyno - several Vipers, a couple of Challengers including a Hellcat, Pontiac GTO, Camaro, and
VW. After all the cars were done, several attendees went back to Shawn's house for a cookout
followed by a short cruise for ice cream. Many thanks to Shawn Netkowicz and the WV/PA region
for hosting a great event!
!
Rich Kautz
Page 7
Hisss
!
PHOTO OF THE MONTH!
This months photo was submitted by Gavin Lim. Gavin
says:!
!
The photo was taken at Glacier Ridge Metro Park's Wind
and Solar Learning Center in Dublin, OH. My car is a Gen
IV (2009) Viper SRT-10 Coupe, White with Black Stripes (1
of 2). I am still searching for the other White/Black car!!
Purchased used with 5000+ miles on the clock last year,
the car was originally from Florida. So far only mods are
Corsa cat-back and Moroso catch-can, some sort of
lowering is next on the list, fender gaps needs closed!!
!
Have a unique Viper photo to share? Send your photos to
Ohio Media Director Robert at [email protected] for
a chance to see it featured in a upcoming Hisssss
News from the Financial Desk of Jenn Kautz!
!
As of May 31st, our bank balance is $21,747. **The above balance includes registration fees
for the Bourbon Trail event (June 26-28) and
the Pitt Race event (July 24)**
!
Spring Party Recap:
Revenue $24,158
Expenses: $19,299
Profit: $4,859
Thanks to all the members who attended the
Spring Party. You helped make it a great
event!!
**The club funds are used to host the many
events planned throughout the year at little or
not cost to you (our members).**
!
!
OHIO CALENDAR OF EVENTS
June 26 ~28 ~Vipers Run The KY Bourbon
Trail, KY
July 10-12 ~ Carlisle All Chrysler Nationals,
Carlisle PA
July 11-12 ~ Vintage Grand Prix Historics @ Pitt
Race
July 24 ~ Viper Play Day At Pitt Race,
Pittsburgh PA
August 7-9 ~ The Nationals at National Trail
Raceway, Columbus
September 11-13 ~ Drag Racing @ Summit
Motorsports, Norwalk
September 19-20 ~ Hocking Hills Cruise
October 24 ~ Fall Party @ 100th Bomber
Group, Cleveland
Page 8