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The PitSpecial Club Events
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Additional information can be found below and on the Event Calendar.
2006 Special Events
Illinois Viper Club Annual Holiday Party
January 28, 2006
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Our annual Holiday Party was held Saturday January 28th, at the Clubhouse in Oakbrook. As always, it was a sell out event! It was an ellaborate affair celebrating the Illinois chapter of the Viper Club of America. As one of the cherished events of the year, club members made sure they came out in force. The turn out was fabulous and the venue was great! The night was filled with food, fun, laughs, and Viper memorabilia. Everything went off without a hitch! The evening started with a wonderful cocktail hour and then led into a truly fantastic feast (and of course the drinks weren’t bad either!). During the evening we also had giveaways, a raffle, a club auction, and a wonderful video presentation. The event drew to a close by midnight. |
It was a great night for everyone to catch-up with one another and to renew the excitement for the coming season. Kudos to our club officers for putting on a great event! A special thanks also goes to the following members for their help and donations; Gary & Cathy Grube, Alex Ristanovic, Howie Frank, Jeremy Walker, Jhan Dolphin, Dave Arcand, Wanda Hill, Mark Giannotta, Roanoke Motors, Courtney of Viper Days, Gale Grube, and to all others who helped make the evening spectacular! Look forward to seeing you all again next year! |
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Detroit Dream Weekend
January 12-14, 2006
This annual excursion brought our club members to the city of Detroit. Dubbed the “Dream Weekend”, it combines many shows and events that only our privileged club members can enjoy. Many turned out for the field trip, it was a great way to kick off the year. We covered a lot of territory on this trip! As always it was a cold day in January, but the weather was clear. We visited ASC, where we watched how Viper body panels are made and refinished. We were given a tour of the plant and allowed to walk the floors and interact with all the workers. Sometimes too close… Ahem… to future Viper owner of car #1146 – we apologize for the finger print on that trunk lid. |
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A visit to Rousch racing was also arranged. We browsed the facility and got a rare glimpse of their garage area. We saw where they service a great many Viper Competition Coupe race cars. We got up close and personal with the mechanical side of these great machines. We also watched a live dyno run of a Dodge Viper SRT-10. Next was a tour of the Conner Avenue assembly plant. This is a THRILL! We received a guided tour of the entire plant. We walked the floor and followed the entire Viper assembly line. We interacted with staff and watched as they assembled and tested the cars. From mere pieces, to the finished product, it was an amazing experience. |
Last but not least was a day at the opening of the North American International Detroit Auto Show!! As far as auto shows go, Detroit is and always seems to be the “big one” or Super Bowl of auto shows. As a matter of fact, Detroit is experiencing a renaissance of sorts as they prepared to be the host city of the 2006 Super Bowl, and the city has never looked better. The auto show had its great concept unveilings to go along with new and exciting models that will be in showrooms at a pace faster than most of us can save up to buy these extraordinary machines. The Challenger was the hot product that Dodge showed and it did create a bigger buzz than the Camaro simply because Dodge has been known to actually build some of their concept cars. The Imperial was a Chrysler version of what we might call the brother to the 300 N or better known as the Ghetto Bentley, and in this case it would be the ghetto Rolls Royce. Other big stars of the show were the Jeep SRT8, Dodge Calibur, and Chrysler Aspen. |
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Downstairs the ASC booth had a special Viper on display. This carbon fiber Viper had an engine built by McLaren! Word was that it could put out over 600hp using those 10 Webber carbs sitcking out of the hood! What a time we had! This was truly a great visit to Detroit! |
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Special Club Meeting - Car Boutique
August 2, 2006
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This nights club meeting will be hosted by Car Boutique in Schaumburg! Car Boutique has invited us to visit them for our next club meeting. They have prepared a nice evening of buffet dining, giveaways, product demos, and discounted items. They've also arranged to have a representative from Meguiars on hand for new product demoes and Q&A. |
It's just up the road from our usual meeting place. And of course, bring your car. Parkig is in the rear, visible from where we're meeting. The meeting begins at 7:00pm. Get there, grab some food, and have a seat! Hope to see you there! |
9th Viper Owners Invitational - Las Vegas
September 24-28, 2006
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Well, it's in the history books! Another fine event put on by the Dodge folks. Vipers from all over the world converged on Las Vegas Nevada for the 9th Viper Owners Invitational. Hundreds (yes you heard right) of Vipers ruled the strip of Vegas for a week as the thunder of big engines and the sound of screeching tires could be heard for miles. As is customary, the Illinois chapter came out in force. An unprecedented 118 Illinois members attended the event, making the Illinois Club the largest single region at the event! It’s an honor we’re all proud of (especially considering that there are several chapters that have more total members in their clubs). |
As is customary, the Illinois chapter came out in force. An unprecedented 118 Illinois members attended the event, making the Illinois Club the largest single region at the event! It’s an honor we’re all proud of (especially considering that there are several chapters that have more total members in their clubs). The week started early for several Illinois members eager to arrive in Vegas. Many shipped their cars via commercial carriers and then flew to Vegas. Other members started their journey even earlier, making an impressive drive across the country in their Vipers. Slowly the group began coming together. Members shared some nice dinners and gambling as they awaited registration on Sunday and Monday. |
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Registration was fairly smooth as attendees registered and received their freebees. There were some fantastic items in the goodie bag, including the bag itself! It was a VOI9 badged rolling/hand bag! It was filled with a multitude of nice things like computer memory drives, VOI hat, digital personal cooling fan, poster, oil filter, VOI9 short, etc... We even received a really neat VOI9 wall clock. Wow! |
The eagerness of the group generated thoughts in two of the Illinois member’s minds for an early cruise through the mountains. This “little cruise” was initially planned for 2 cars, by the time word spread, there were about 15 cars lined up! |
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We drove into Mt. Charleston which took us to a high elevation above Vegas (our ears were popping). Many twisting roads and plenty of scenery. We stopped at the end of the trail at a lodge for a wonderful lunch and to take in the view. Members posed for pictures and shared conversation about what was ahead. The group then packed up and took a swift ride back down the mountain to the hotel. The day ended with a nice dinner banquet and entertainment for the 1300 total Viper fanatics in attendance. |
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The event finally kicks off! All attendees at VOI were divided into one of two groups: A or B. The Illinois members were put together in group A so their first event day was racing, as well as the infamous panoramic photo. Putting the Illinois Club in one group might have been considered a strategic mistake on behalf of the organizers... Let's just say this many enthusiastic folks is bound to create a scene! |
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Very early that morning Vipers began forming the line in front of Las Vegas Motor Speedway to get a good spot for the photo. Illinois members were of course the ones at the front of the line to enter the track Another just as impressive (but expected) fact is that the Illinois Club pretty much comprised the entire front row of the photograph. Anything worth doing, is worth doing right! The panoramic photo was taken by a professional photographer and fantastic prints could be ordered and delivered to us directly. |
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The day continued with Road racing, autocross, drag racing, and even go-karting. Enough to challenge even the most enthusiastic driver. Here it was very easy to see how seasoned the Illinois group was with performance driving. By the end of the day everyone was exhausted. In the evening, a wonderful strolling reception was planned. A great buffet feast of many foods and drink. A great way to wind down the day. |
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| The next day was cruise day. It began with a short round table discussion/Seminar with the Dodge folks. Two cruises were arranged, Red Rock or Fire Valley. Both were perfect locations to drive and snap pictures of the car in exotic surroundings. |
Members had a choice to do either cruise, or both if they wished. Cruise books were provided along with excellent cooled box lunches (and of course more freebees!). The weather was great. Most members opted to do the Red Rock cruise. Half way through the trail, members stopped and had their lunch. They then packed up and continued through the trail and headed back to the hotel. The day came to a close with another big banquet. This banquet also had some interesting entertainment (magician making a corvette disappear!). There was also an award ceremony for the driving events. And no surprise, the Illinois club took 4 of the 12 trophies. |
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The last day was a free-for-all to repeat any of the past activities. Members went and revisited their favorite racing events or cruises. Since this was the last day, trucks began to arrive and prepared to begin loading cars. Many club members took the early bird route and loaded up their cars before evening fell. This served a dual purpose as many members had a lot of freebies and memorabilia that they loaded into their Vipers for some “free shipping”. The evening was reserved as a club night. A very large portion of the Illinois Club attended a private party at the home of one of the Nevada members. |
The event slowly drew to a close. Many wonderful memories and of course a lot of camaraderie shared among club members. We had a chance to see some interesting Vipers and drive our cars on some fun roads. In the end, members slowly began their journeys home, whether it be by plane or by car. As the group dwindled, a few members elected to have some fun out on the town gambling and catching some of the Vegas shows. It was a marvelous event. |
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| The pictures taken will surely live on in the albums of many of the members. But let’s just hope some of things that happened in Vegas stayed in Vegas…! ;.) |
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