VTR National Convention and North American Challenge XX
July 26-30, 1995
Rockford, Illinois
by Jack "Spuds" Billimack, Ann "Hammer" and Tim Buja, and Sheri "Big Mama" Pyle
TR7...6...5...4...3...2...1 The Clock Tower released the registration room to us at 5pm on Tuesday. The hotel staff proceeded to place the tables according to plan, but what looks good on paper doesn't always work out in real life. The registration room was redesigned on the fly, and the hotel staff graciously moved everything around again. Numerous ISOA members were poised for action. Several people had already arrived on Tuesday afternoon with three cars needing repairs. Several "dry" runs were made to test the check-in procedures. Everything seemed to be working well, so some (early) registrations were processed at 11:30pm.
- Wednesday July 26 - Blastoff!
- Registration opens, along with the craft, model and photo contests. New this year were the spark plug guessing and coloring contests. Both were well received by young and old alike.
- Funkhana - Both a driver and "navigator" were required for this midwest carnival type event. Driver/navigator teams tossed bean bags and fan belts, then dipped in a duck pond for the lucky message. Many participants had lots of fun.
- Tech Session - Carburetors - Dennis Trowbridge of British Motors, a Chicago area repair shop, gave a presentation on how to rebuild and tune the carbs on your Triumph. Many good hints were presented which will probably be used for years.
- Pool party - This featured the first of three door prize giveaways, with over two hundred prizes to give away. Free beer and munchies in the outdoor pavilion helped weary drivers and riders to relax. Everyone got a chance to renew old friendships and make new acquaintances.
- Registration opens, along with the craft, model and photo contests. New this year were the spark plug guessing and coloring contests. Both were well received by young and old alike.
- Thursday, July 27 - TR7 plus One
- Autocross - This was the major event for the day. Over 100 drivers converged on the Rockford Speedway, a quarter mile paved oval/figure-8 track. An innovation this year was to have the cars run in class order. Pre-published class running times allowed people to spend only as much time as they wanted at the track. Many people commented that they had a good time because they got a good look at the track from the spectator grandstands, there was food available on site, and the course layout equalized the times between classes.
- Hotel Rallye - Navigating through the hotel complex and Time Museum proved more challenging than many people thought. This was a timed event, but some people felt such little pressure that they even sat down and watched the Time Museum movie
- Tech Session - Emission Controls - Emissions testing is the wave of the future. Even though you may live in a remote area of the US and don't have to endure emissions testing now, you will soon. Dennis Trowbridge gave another presentation on how to get through your emissions test and still have a drivable Triumph.
- Tech Session - Engine & Suspension Enhancements - given by Ted Schumacher of TS Imported Automotive. All who attended were glad they did since they received lots of useful information.
- Midwest Cookout - ISOA thought the highlight of the drive would be the police escort we received as we left the Clock Tower. To our amazement, there were more memorable things to come! The first thing encountered were the fire trucks en route to put out a grass fire along the route. All those Triumphs snaking along the tree-lined River Road was a sight (and sound) to behold. After arriving at the entrance gate, cars traveled another half mile straight down a one lane road through a corn field to encounter the cookout ticket taker, who received numerous comments about "Someone's always got their hand out in Illinois."
The straight one lane road turned hilly and curvy, and as everyone turned and descended into the park along the river, they encountered TR-TV - Mike and Patty Konopka video taping their drive. The weather started to look threatening, but all hoped for the best. Hammerball was ready to go, the tug of war rope was in place, and the timers were ready and waiting for the valve cover racers. The aroma of the brats on the grill got everyone's appetite going. Bratwurst, burgers, salads, chips, ice cream and lots of beverages were ready. Everyone sensed that something big was approaching.
The weather continued to deteriorate and what happened was just this: The wind began to switch, the house, to pitch, and suddenly the hinges started to unhitch. Just then, a switch, to satisfy an itch, flew down upon a luggage rack and left a scritch... The rain was now coming in sideways through the breezeway. The Prince of Darkness decided to pay us a visit. The lights repeatedly went from Dim to Flicker and finally, off. The rain continued to fall. Now, three inches of standing water covered the valve cover race course. Several members of the Kansas City Triumph Club, who must be used to tornado weather, ventured out to the tug of war area where they handily defeated the ISOA crew. Their secret? They tied their end of the rope to a post! The rain finally stopped and the skies started to brighten, but the lights remained off due to downed power lines. Sunset was only 30 minutes away, so everyone drove back to the Clock Tower before nightfall. After subjecting us to the storm, Mother Nature treated everyone to one of the most spectacular sunsets we've seen. Back at the hotel, everyone again heard the wail of sirens coming closer and closer. This time, the fire trucks were coming to the Clock Tower. Lightning had struck the hotel, starting a small fire at the entrance to the coffee shop. It must be time to party, so everyone continued the cookout in the convention center lobby.
- Autocross - This was the major event for the day. Over 100 drivers converged on the Rockford Speedway, a quarter mile paved oval/figure-8 track. An innovation this year was to have the cars run in class order. Pre-published class running times allowed people to spend only as much time as they wanted at the track. Many people commented that they had a good time because they got a good look at the track from the spectator grandstands, there was food available on site, and the course layout equalized the times between classes.
- Friday, July 28 - TR7 plus Two
- Breakfast Tour - An hour long route was laid out to take everyone through some of the scenic roads of Northern Illinois. Rally type instructions and a route map were given to each car. "Hammer" left promptly at 6am and headed directly into the sunrise at 50 mph. Somehow, the back half of the pack fell behind and missed a turn after the third instruction. "Hammer" was amazed to see a pack of Triumphs approaching her at a spot where no Triumphs should be! The best laid plans are dashed... Another car was dispatched to track down the stray Triumphs. Two-way radio communication was used to help get the pack back together. As "Hammer" entered Rock Cut State Park, she saw hundreds of rabbits lining the park road. They didn't stay long, for the morning silence was interrupted by British Iron on the move. After receiving their participation punches in the park, the cars moved on to breakfast at Old Country Buffet, which opened especially for us for an all-you-can-eat breakfast for over 200 people.
- Tech Session - Lucas Electrics - Jack "Doc" Bough of Lucas Industries gave a very informative and useful presentation on the design of Lucas electrical systems and troubleshooting pointers.
- Fun Rallye - Everyone raved about this event - good roads, interesting scenery. The 80 mile route encompassed the Rock River valley. The winner was determined by the best poker hand, with several tiebreaker questions to answer along the way. Several participants commented that northern Illinois has quite a few roads that are not flat and straight through the middle of a cornfield, and that it was possible to run a rallye with your spouse and still have fun!
- TSD Rallye - A well-run event both for experienced and novice rallyists was laid out by Kim Joiner, a former national SCCA rallye champion. There were a couple of traps which the experienced people found, but several novice drivers missed them and added a couple of minutes and miles (as well as several hundred points) to their score.
- VTR Membership Meeting - Dennis Riley reported on the health and status of the organization, and there were many suggestions for future improvements. Several people were surprised to learn how much has been done by the all-volunteer organization.
- Auction - Auctioneer Bob Streepy led one of the most spirited auctions in years. A large number of items were generously donated by the participating vendors. In addition, several owners of "used" parts brought many items. A lot of bargains were had.
- Breakfast Tour - An hour long route was laid out to take everyone through some of the scenic roads of Northern Illinois. Rally type instructions and a route map were given to each car. "Hammer" left promptly at 6am and headed directly into the sunrise at 50 mph. Somehow, the back half of the pack fell behind and missed a turn after the third instruction. "Hammer" was amazed to see a pack of Triumphs approaching her at a spot where no Triumphs should be! The best laid plans are dashed... Another car was dispatched to track down the stray Triumphs. Two-way radio communication was used to help get the pack back together. As "Hammer" entered Rock Cut State Park, she saw hundreds of rabbits lining the park road. They didn't stay long, for the morning silence was interrupted by British Iron on the move. After receiving their participation punches in the park, the cars moved on to breakfast at Old Country Buffet, which opened especially for us for an all-you-can-eat breakfast for over 200 people.
- Saturday, July 29 - TR7 plus Three
- Panoramic Photo - When the event schedule was originally laid out, the panoramic photo was to be taken on another day. There have been many horror stories about the difficulties of moving so many cars from the photo site back to the car show. These plans had to be abandoned because we had never considered that the photographer would not be able to set up his equipment before Saturday morning. VTR Chief Judge George Rabey was notified that the photo shoot was scheduled for 8:30am on Saturday. His response was "You'll never get all those cars back to the Clock Tower by 10am." "Hammer"'s response was "We CAN." George said "YOU CAN'T."
"Hammer" said "WE WILL!" The challenge was on, with the loser to publicly apologize to the winner at the awards banquet. To make a long story short, while it was a challenge to schedule the panoramic photo on the same day as the car show, the help and cooperation of all the participants made it possible for us to pull it off. Thanks for the apology, George!
- Concours/Participants' Choice - The car show was held at the Clock Tower's Convention Center parking lot. Having the show on site allowed everyone to enjoy all the amenities of the hotel throughout the day. There was a great mix of cars in both Concours and Participants' Choice, ranging from a 1948 1800 Roadster to a 1981 TR8. The quality of cars seems to improve each year. The hot day was made bearable by the large quantities of ice and water supplied by the Clock Tower.
- Banquet/Awards - Over 300 people attended the banquet at the Clock Tower to socialize with other enthusiasts and to recognize the winners of this year's events . A very special Thank You must go to our Platinum sponsors: Moss Motors, Ltd., The Roadster Factory, and Victoria British, Ltd; our Gold Sponsors: Lucas Industries and Thunderbolt Enterprises; and our many other sponsors and supporting vendors.
- Panoramic Photo - When the event schedule was originally laid out, the panoramic photo was to be taken on another day. There have been many horror stories about the difficulties of moving so many cars from the photo site back to the car show. These plans had to be abandoned because we had never considered that the photographer would not be able to set up his equipment before Saturday morning. VTR Chief Judge George Rabey was notified that the photo shoot was scheduled for 8:30am on Saturday. His response was "You'll never get all those cars back to the Clock Tower by 10am." "Hammer"'s response was "We CAN." George said "YOU CAN'T."
The 1995 VTR North American Triumph Challenge was attended by 456 people in 251 cars. The largest two groups to make the trip came from the Minnesota and Kansas City Triumph clubs. The Rockford location attracted many fine cars from the central part of the country, many of which have not attended previous conventions. The success of this event could not have been achieved without the cooperation of the attendees, the personalized service of the hotel staff, the support of the local community, and the dedication of the ISOA membership. ISOA hopes everyone had as good a time attending as they did hosting.
|