First, let me say that I can’t believe the incredible weekend that I just experienced! I arrived at 6pm on Friday, and the whirlwind began immediately. Before I even checked in, it was time to go, where, I was unsure, but I was rushed. My first ride began in Turk’s Shelby 4 series (uhmmm….well sorta Turk’s I should say), which was a real treat! If you like loud, this was it, with no muffler and shorty pipes, it was easily the loudest at the fling…..What? Did you say something?? Anyway, we ended up at what I understand to be the same place they attend each year, which is a big club house in some lake resort type neighborhood. Wow!!!! Lots of great Cobras and Hersh & Wayne’s GT40’s (more on the GT’s later).
Eventually we made it into the club house, where there were hundreds of people, which was my first real hint of how big this event really was. Earlier I caught a glimpse of a stack of envelopes in Turk’s car, which I knew to be the CC contributors mail. I thought oh crap!!!! Big group, stage, envelopes, and me not exactly the most articulate speaker under pressure. I was nervous as hell, and I don’t know if any of you have this problem, but when I get nervous, it’s difficult for me to put a coherent sentence together; knowing that makes it even worse. Anyway, sure enough, the Turkster says blady blah blah blah Brent Mills blah blah blah (you know how Turk is
). Well, I get up there and the one thing I thought of ahead of time, but didn’t think about in the end, is that I wanted to turn the situation around and thank Turk and Computerworks for all they do. So, what do I do instead? Start talking of course. Now I’m talking and thinking what the hell are you doing!! Get the hell out of here….Quit talking stupid…I said quit talking!!! I eventually did, and the only other thing that would have made it worse would be to trip off the stage, and fortunately that didn’t happen. Figured luck was turning around for me.
Later we arrived back at the hotel, and we all turned it into one big party area between the two main complexes. There were Cobras galore, but even better, there were many people standing around chatting it up with people they only knew by their online names. It was so nice to put names with faces. Well, parties wouldn’t be parties without some alchohol, and Blackjack and Jay Nordstrom delivered the hard stuff. I rarely drink, and haven’t had more than a beer in several years, but this seemed like a fine time to join in on the fun. I took a few swigs of Raki, which is fairly harsh stuff, but I really did like it. The whole evening was filled with stories, much laughter, and friendship beyond words. It’s really hard to describe the feeling I had that night, as it was some of the most contented moments I have had in years. To know that everyone was so tightly knit, and truly cared about each other to such a degree was astonishing and comforting. Anyway, the night went on, with lots of pictures to document the amazing moments, including Blackjack & Pat Buckley’s snorting vodka, which was quite entertaining, although not exactly a convincing display for me to attempt such a feat; I was asked, but declined.
Day two for me started out early at 7:30 or so. We hopped in the cars and headed downtown for the huge gathering of our beloved cars, where we were escorted in by local police. People along the road and sitting on their porches as we rolled through town, and eventually lead to the area where the cars would sit for the next 6-8 hrs.
It was amazing to see 280 something Cobras in one beautiful downtown location. Soon a quarter mile strip was opened up in the downtown streets where rides were given to raise money for Team Jenny.. To see these beasts growling, laying rubber and barking at each shift was simply awe inspiring. Wondering about the cops yet? They were involved from start to finish! It was as if the city opened it’s arms and embraced this wild group. Very impressive, albeit not exactly the safest venue for this activity.
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Ok, so I love Cobras as you know, but I had my eye on those GT’s all day, and I approached Hersh to see about a ride. Well, one of the nicest guys you’ll meet said sure, lets go! I squeezed in there and before you know it, we were up to speed after getting a little go juice. When I say up to speed, it was like 110 in no time flat. Very little road/air noise, and a super stable feeling that said go faster! We didn’t, which was the safe thing to do on public streets. 110 fell like 180, as you sit sooo low to the ground, but from a safety point, the car was rock solid at speed and was definitely nowhere near it’s capabilities. Thanks for the fun Hersh!
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The night brought us to a steakhouse down the road from the hotel and about 30 of us ended up at the tables outside (great night for it).
http://www.clubcobra.com/photopost/d...010011-med.jpg A bit more drinking and carrying on earned us some points with the management (a lot of money spent), and we even bought a neon sign off their wall that read “Jack’s Place” for Blackjack. Later management wanted us to gather the cars outside for some pictures. Hmmmm…..this worked out pretty well, and one of our own decided to take one of the waitresses for a little spin around the parking lot (I’ll let you all figure out who this is
). This was good entertainment to most, but the police officer who pulled him over in the parking lot was less than thrilled. In the end, all turned out ok, and lessons learned.
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Later that night we were back at the hotel hanging out by the cars and carrying on as if we all knew each other for 20 years. It was a great thing and most memorable.
The next morning was bright and early again, and we met for breakfast and then headed to the airport. I was with Turk, who I am coming to understand doesn’t often know where he’s going.
We got lost, but eventually made it to the airport, at which time I tried to get out of his car, but he decided that he was in a hurry and took off with the door still half open, and my toes under the rear tire. That felt good when he let out the clutch, and my first thought is that it must be easier to get a license to drive these days.
Well, there were tons of cars, an 1/8 mile drag, and a slalom course for people to drive on. It wasn’t long before DV asked me to take DV1 down the drag strip. WOW!!!!! (Did anyone get pics or video of me driving?) Lots of torque, quick revving, and smooth! Loved that drive, and thanks a bunch Ed!! A bit later, someone, although the name eludes me at the moment, kept their foot in it well past the cones which were a signal to slow down. The car and driver went off the end of the track and into the grass. No injuries, but there were varying reports of car damage. All I know is that it could have been MUCH worse, and we’re all thankfull it wasn’t.
Could my day get any better? Sure! Pat Buckley told me Wayne Presley was looking for me to give a ride through the slalom in his GT. I looked at him with a skeptical eye (those who know him understand he’s often full of it), to which he responded that he wasn’t BS’ing me. I think he has to tell people that a lot, because he’s got the ultimate poker face.
I later found Wayne, or maybe he found me, and we went for a little spin! Wholly cow!!!! Wayne is surely a good driver, but that car never felt like it was going to spin or otherwise lose control. It was flat out amazing how well it handled, and the fun it was to be in that thing under hard cornering conditions. This may explain why Wayne was out on the track nearly all day. Thank you very much Wayne!
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After that we listed to the Ripchords, who also signed the trunk of the give away Kirkham, which was represented by Tom Kirkham himself. Unfortunately Jenny wasn’t able to make it this year, but we had another local young boy who suffers from the same ailment, reach his paw in the jar to pull the winner. Damn it, I can’t remember the winners name, but he mentioned his other Cobra is now for sale.
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From there, most everyone paraded through town, and many ended up back at the hotel where more good times were had sharing and laughing. Dinner was a bit quiet as we were all exhausted from a long day walking around in the sun, but a second wind was caught when we got back to the hotel again. Notice a trend here? Just tons of great people enjoying the company of other great people. All in all, I don’t think there was a single mean spirited action towards any other person all weekend, although I caught wind (pun intended) that Pat Buckley may have planted a gaseous bomb near Turk and Jamo at one point.
In the end, it took me about a half hour to say goodbye to everyone Sunday night, and after a few hours of sleep, Ron Richards, Pat, and myself drove to the airport at 4:30 am, and headed our separate ways after some casual discussions at the airport while waiting for our flights. Six or so hours later, I arrived back at home, and missing all the people I thoroughly enjoyed spending time with. Now I’m dreading work in the morning.
Thank you to all who shared some moments with me, it was very much appreciated, and will never be forgotten. Thank you Ed for all you did to organize this wonderful event. Cheers!