“We are very excited about our partnership with Speed,” said Chris Edwards, Carlisle Events’ marketing manager. “Speed is the premier network for car, truck and motorcycle enthusiasts, and we look forward to the exposure our events will receive. Speed produces quality television programming with the same passion for the hobby that we bring to our events that attract more that 500,000 visitors each year. It’s a perfect match.”

See the press release for more information.
The special is scheduled to air on these dates:

• Thursday, March 3 - 9 p.m., 12 midnight
• Friday, March 4 - 3 a.m., 6 p.m.
• Sunday, March 6 - 3 a.m.
• Thursday, March 31 - 5 p.m.

Maps to all of the events LISTED BELOW will be available from Dan and Jake in the Somerset Inn lobby at 4:00 pm on Thursday. We will leave extra maps at the front desk for late comers.

THURSDAY, JANUARY 13, 2005

Les Stanford Chevrolet located at 21711 Michigan Avenue, Dearborn, MI (Scott Montgomery can be contacted at 800-699-8388) will be hosting a reception at the dealership with hors d'oeuvres. David Hill will be there with some “behind the scenes” discussions about the C6 Z06. We will leave the hotel at 6:00 pm to caravan there.

FRIDAY, JANUARY 14, 2005

We will be taking a road trip to the wonderful Henry Ford Museum. (The Heritage Center was closed for a private party.) We plan to leave the hotel at 11:00 am and drive the 29 miles to the Henry Ford Museum. For members who would like to have dinner with Dan and Jake, they have arranged to eat at Cheli’s Chili Sports Bar right down the road from the Henry Ford Museum at promptly 4:15 pm. We’ll then caravan to Ed and Shirley Duprey’s home (at approximately 6:00 pm) for a “C6 Z06 Unveiling Party” with another one of Shirley’s famous Corvette cakes. Join all of us as we watch the Black Tie Charity Preview live from Cobo Hall.

SATURDAY, JANUARY 15, 2005

NOW FOR THE BIG EVENT!!! Arrangements have been made to allow us in to Cobo Convention Center one hour BEFORE the general public! So members, we need to get an early start. We will meet in the lobby of the Somerset Inn at 6:30 am to get our event shirts and tickets. (VERY IMPORTANT YOU ARE ON TIME FOR THIS!) We will then board the bus at 7:00 am sharp for the trip to Cobo Hall. We will enter at 8:00 am for our private preview of the C6 Z06 and listen to David Hill speak about this fabulous Corvette. You will then have until 1:00 pm to check out the new C6 Z06 Corvette and the rest of the show. The bus will leave at 1:00 pm SHARP for the Motor City Casino where you can lunch (Dutch treat) in one of the restaurants or at a buffet ($15.95). At 2:30 pm SHARP we’ll board the bus for the trip back to the Somerset Inn. NOTE: You might want to buy an auto show program which will be available at the center. (A great keepsake for this event.)

Cobo Hall Rule - NO COATS can be worn on the show floor. They have a coat check in the lobby, but information from our contacts in Detroit have said this leads to a huge line to check your coat and you will be late getting in with us. We are on a tight schedule and will be going in at 8:00 am SHARP with or without you. The bus company says WE CAN leave our coats on the bus because the driver stays on the bus all day. Word to the wise--Just don't leave any valuables in your coat pockets. Our friends in Detroit recommend that you wear clothing in layers and not take a coat at all.

Cobo Hall Rule - NO CAMERA BAGS allowed in the show floor area. If you are taking a camera, carry it loose and not in a carry bag. Be sure you have plenty of film with you because there is no place to buy film there.

Purse recommendation - DON'T take it with you. Fanny packs or filling your pockets is a much better idea. Let's not leave purses on the bus, just leave it at home. We're not sure if they inspect every purse, but we would expect them to do that due to heightened security around the country. Make it easier for yourself and for moving the group through the gate quicker and just leave the Gucci bag at home.

Remember this is a HUGE public event in a big city. Stay together, try not to wander off and get lost. We are VIP guests now of GM and David Hill, let's show them we deserve it. Be alert, think about what you're doing and how it affects the group’s ability to stick to the schedule. And as always.... HAVE C6 FUN!!

OFFICIAL C5/C6 REGISTRY DINNER

We hope you will join us for dinner at Ginopolis' on the Grill located at 27815 Middlebelt, Farmington Hills (248-851-7193). We had a fabulous time there last year! And YES, there will be a cash bar at 6:00 pm and dinner will be served at 6:30 pm. Nate Love with Corvette Marketing will be our guest speaker and you won't want to miss his presentation.

SUNDAY, JANUARY 16, 2005

Dan and Jake will be leaving on a very early flight back to sunny warm Florida. But members, feel free to return at your leisure to visit the rest of the 2005 North American International Auto Show which opens their doors for your viewing pleasure from 9:00 am until 10:00 pm, or until it's time for you to return home. Your event ticket from Saturday is good for the whole week.
 

C5-R Successor Built upon 50+ Years of History, Three Le Mans Titles, 35 Victories and Four Championships

DETROIT – The brand-new Corvette C6-R race car will debut at the 12 Hours of Sebring in March 2005 after a full year of rigorous testing and development. The two-car, factory-backed Chevrolet sports car program will compete in the production-based GT1 class (formerly GTS) of American Le Mans Series as well as the legendary 24 Hours of Le Mans in France, a race where the Corvette has won its class for three out of the past four years. The new race car is the most technically advanced sports car ever developed by General Motors, culling years of experience from the dominant Corvette C5-R as well as the advancements brought forth from the next-generation Corvette C6 and Z06 production models.

“The Corvette C6-R is the best sports car we’ve ever built and it has been our privilege to develop it alongside the new Corvette Z06,” said Harry Turner , GM’s group manager for road racing. “History will remember the C5-R as one of the best sports racing cars of all-time and we’ve set the bar high for the C6-R. With the new C6 chassis and body structure as our starting point, we’re already ahead. We left no stone unturned in the development of this new car and we are looking forward to racing it in front of the world in 2005.”

Like the C5-R before it, the Corvette C6-R starts from production roots: the same hydroformed frame rails that roll down the assembly line at the Corvette plant in Bowling Green , Kentucky are sourced for the structure of the race car. With the new C6 production model measuring shorter in overall length (but with a longer wheelbase), race car engineers faced a new set of numbers in which to achieve their goals to make the car faster on the 180-mph Mulsanne Straight at Le Mans and other high-speed circuits.

“At first glance, the shortened front and rear overhangs on the C6 would seem to present a challenge in developing a racecar with maximum aerodynamic downforce,” said Steve Wesoloski , program engineering manager for Corvette Racing. “However, the low drag features on the C6, such as the sleek body and flush headlamps, lend themselves to an easy task of converting the production design into a low-drag race car.”

Adding a rear wing and a front splitter enabled the team to develop a package that achieves a lift-to-drag ratio better than that of the C5-R. Through a combination of Computational Fluid Dynamic studies and on-track testing, the end result will be an aerodynamically balanced package, tunable to the low drag demands of Le Mans or the high downforce requirements of Mosport.

The phrase “technology transfer” has never been more appropriate than when used to describe the matched set of Corvette C6-R and Corvette Z06. Lessons learned on the track have benefited the Z06, just as GM’s vast resources have enriched the C6-R race car. Both cars are powered by 7-liter small-block V-8 engines with dry-sump lubrication systems, CNC-ported cylinder heads, titanium valves and connecting rods, forged steel crankshafts, and plate-honed cylinder bores. While the components and specifications of the street and competition engines are tailored to their specific environments, the thought process behind them is identical.

The same six drivers that piloted the C5-Rs to an historical undefeated season in 2004 will return to the track in 2005: Ron Fellows, Johnny O’Connell and Max Papis will drive the #3 Corvette C6-R and Oliver Gavin , Olivier Beretta and Jan Magnussen will drive the #4 Corvette C6-R.