PO BOX 32, 51 SKYLINE DRIVE, MANSFIELD PA 16933 570-662-3103 email: vipergts@ptd.net

THE SNAKE PIT

April 2006

Greetings Fellow Viper Owners ~

The days are getting longer, flocks of geese are streaming through the sky, buds are on the trees. . . there’s no mistaking, it must be spring and VIPER season is about to open. Many of you have probably already had your Viper out for a spring spin. However, here in the northeastern part of PA where I reside, there are still cinders on our country roads. I hate paint chips and that’s one sure way to get them! I look forward to the day when the roads are clean and my Viper can slither out of the garage and I can take my first drive of the year.

Below are some highlights of 2006 thus far:

“Fun Time in Philly” - On February 11 & 12 several members of our club gathered at the Radisson in Philadelphia for our “After the Holidays” party. Despite the threat of a foot of snow, we had a good turnout. On Saturday morning several from the group attended the Philadelphia International Auto Show while the others put in some time at the King of Prussia Mall. Late Saturday afternoon, as the heavy snow began to fall outside, an informational meeting and hors d’oeuvres party was being held in the hospitality suite. Everyone was presented with a special “Viper Valentine” gift. A slide show of previous club functions was shown and several members won some great door prizes. Dinner followed downstairs at the Blue Grotto. Sunday the “threat” of a foot of snow turned out to be more that just a threat…it was for real. Following breakfast we all began the task of shoveling out and cleaning the trucks and SUV’s off for our expedition home. The drive out of the city wasn’t too bad; however, I think Ginger thought she was still in the old Driver’s Ed vehicle. She tried to use that right hand brake several times, but it just wasn’t there!!! Ginger and I extend our thanks to those that braved the weather to join us. A special thanks to Al & Trudy Berman and Dave & Betty Kavanaugh for organizing this event. The “goodie bags” they provided were great. Each one was filled to the top with special treats which were all made in the Philadelphia area. I would also like to thank our newest members, Ric & Leslie Jackson for braving the nasty roads to come out on Saturday night for the dinner. It’s always great to meet new Viper friends. We look forward to seeing you all again soon!

“Horseshoe Curve/Altoona/Harrisburg Cruise” – Carmen and Vanessa Gullage have volunteered to organize a cruise to the Horseshoe Curve in Altoona (PA) on Saturday, June 3rd.

For those that are not familiar with Horseshoe Curve we have provided the following information.

The Horseshoe Curve has been a significant landmark in Altoona since 1845, when it was built. When people were looking to build railroads that ran across the state of Pennsylvania, they ran into a problem. They did not know how to get through the mountains. Thus, J. Edgar Thomson designed the Horseshoe Curve.

It has not had any major changes since it was built. It's only minor change was that the tracks were moved six inches to accommodate larger trains.

It first opened in 1845 and has been running ever since. The only interruption in service was during WWII when it was put under military guard. In fact, the Horseshoe Curve was third on Hitler's list. Nazi saboteurs had plans to destroy it during the war, fortunately they were captured.

Every year thousands of people from around the world come and visit this national historic landmark.

Prepare to meet fellow Viper club members at City Island (staging area) at 9 AM. We will then proceed West via route 22/322. Our arrival at Horseshoe Curve should be approximately 11:30 AM. We will spend some time visiting the informational sites at Horseshoe Curve followed by lunch at a site to be determined. Carmen has scheduled another stop following lunch. We will then travel to the Harrisburg-Hershey Crowne Plaza Hotel, 23 South Second Street, in Harrisburg where we will park and take a short walk to the Bravo Building for our spring meeting. Light hors d’oeuvres will be provided by the club during the meeting. Following the meeting we will walk to a local restaurant for dinner. Providing a sufficient number of members are interested, we would consider making this cruise a poker run. If that is the case, there will be a $50 per member/couple registration fee. Half of the $50 fee will go towards the “Prize Pot” and the remainder will pay for your lunch. For those that wish to stay in Harrisburg on Friday or Saturday evening, a block of rooms has been reserved at the Harrisburg-Hershey Crowne Plaza. Secure indoor parking will be provided. Call the Crowne Plaza directly (717-234-5021) by May 30^th to reserve your room. The block of rooms is reserved under the name of Carmen Gullage. Simply tell the reservations clerk to take a room out of Carmen’s block and put under your name and credit card.

Carmen reports that this cruise is 250+ miles, start to finish. If you are unable to make it for the cruise, please feel free to join us for the party and/or dinner. However, you must let us know by May 30^th that you are coming. If you have any additional questions please feel free to contact me via email vipergts@ptd.net or 607-426-0837. You may also contact Carmen via email cgullage1435@comcast.net or 717-213-0399. To register for this event contact Ginger at vipergts@ptd.net or 607-426-0837 by May 30^th.

“Pocono Track Day” – Below is a message I received via email. If you are interested in participating in this event, please contact Mr. King or use the provided link to register.

I’m JD King (john@dominiontitleservices.com), race chairman for SCCA’s Tri-Region race group.

We are putting on a track day weekend on June 16^th & 17^th and would like to invite your group to use

the event as a chance to do some performance driving on SCCA’s National race course. There will be

an instructor for every amateur and plenty of track time, with a dinner Friday night.

I’ve included a link to both the supps (event outline) and the entry:

http://www.triregionracing.org/06pdxsupps.pdf

http://www.triregionracing.org/06pdxregistration.pdf

As I said, feel free to use this as a meet for your club too, entry into the track is free, with plenty of open

field grass parking. We can discuss details if this interests you.  You only need to pay if you actually drive

the track event. We are also working on a lunchtime ride around behind a safety car, at a brisk pace.

This will be open to anyone interested in tasting the track surface even if they are not entered in the PDX.

I’d appreciate it if you’d mention this to your members.

Thank you for helping us make this event successful.

“TATORTOGA BBQ” - (This replaces the Tator Dodge event normally scheduled in May.) Saturday,

June 24th @ 12:00 N - “Tatortoga” Saratoga Automobile Museum Cruise and BBQ 110 Avenue of the Pines Saratoga Springs, NY. Cruise in to spend the day on the gorgeous grounds of this historic museum. Parking will be on the actual museum grounds and museum tours are included. BBQ Lunch will be served. For additional information contact Scott Grayson, President of the NY/CT region at skgnyc@aol.com

“Vipers at Carlisle” in conjunction with the “2006 Carlisle All-Chrysler Nationals” July 7-9th in Carlisle (PA) – If you have never attended this fun event please plan on joining us this year! Pre-register your Viper by June 18th to get the discounted rate of $35. Registering a vehicle for the show field allows three-day admission for two adults and one vehicle. And, if you plan to register several vehicles, multiple-vehicle discounts apply to vehicles titled to same address (owner’s card required upon check-in). A

second vehicle registered is $30 while any additional vehicles will be $25 each. To pre-register, or for additional information, log onto the Carlisle Productions web site: www.carsatcarlisle.com

Regardless of what regional Viper club you may be a member of, when registering your Viper (or whatever vehicle you bring), please remember to register as part of THE VIPER CLUB OF AMERICA. Doing so will enable us to count your registration towards the Club Challenge Award. We captured 3^rd place in that contest last year. There were 54 Vipers on the show field; however, we only received credit for 47 due to incorrect registrations. With your help we can increase that number substantially. Put the dates on your calendar and plan on attending! Watch for more information on this event in the next newsletter.

“Viper Owners Invitational 9” or, VOI9 as it is commonly referred to, is scheduled for September 25-28^th in Las Vegas. Any day now you should receive your VOI9 envelope containing the information pertaining to this event. If you have never attended a VOI you are really missing a fun event. Ginger and I have attended the last two VOIs and have thoroughly enjoyed ourselves at both events. We are not into the racing end of the event, but there are so many more activities to attend that you get more than your money’s worth! I hope to hear that many of you will be joining us in Vegas.

Please Note - I received the following important message via email from Viper Headquarters:

The spring issue of VIPER Magazine is being sent out to VCA members and, unfortunately, the phone number to register for the Viper Owners Invitational is listed incorrectly. On page 8, at the bottom of the page, the number should read 866-864-2003.

Before the magazine becomes widely circulated, we are requesting that you contact as many of your members as possible, alert them to the incorrect phone number and direct them to the proper one. We greatly appreciate any assistance you can give and apologize for the inconvenience this may cause.

“Grand Canyon Cruise/Poker Run 2006” – There has been some interest in the Grand Cruise/Poker Run again this fall. It seems those that attended enjoyed traveling on the country roads in Tioga County. We will schedule this cruise for October 14^th if there is enough interest. We can possibly take an alternate route and still take in some beautiful sights. Let me know what your feelings are.

Also, the NY/CT Region invites you to join them for a track experience on Saturday, May 13^th at 8:00AM, Limerock Park Lakeville, CT. This is a unique opportunity to acquire fundamental performance driving skills and apply them on the track in YOUR Viper. It’s designed for two types of drivers; for those that have never experienced driving on a track before and for those who are comfortable driving faster with at least some track driving experience. Info: Steve Katz, Competition Director steve@katzinsurance.com

COME ON OUT AND JOIN THE FUN!

Several new Viper owners have joined the list of PA WV club members. On behalf of this club, as well as the VCA, I would like to welcome you! I hope to meet you all at a Viper event real soon!

There are still some members that have not paid their dues for 2006. Please submit your payment to VCA as soon as possible. Membership forms can be found on the VCA web page.

In closing, I remind you all to drive safely as you enjoy the spring weather. And as always, if you have any ideas or suggestions for events, or questions regarding any of the activities mentioned, please contact me. I look forward to hearing from you.

Happy Vipering,

Denny

PO BOX 32, 51 SKYLINE DRIVE, MANSFIELD PA 16933 570-662-3103 email: vipergts@ptd.net