Happy 90th Birthday, Bob Vollmar!

It's not every day that you can take one of your Corvette buddies to breakfast for their 90th Birthday, right?

Two weeks ago I had the pleasure of taking my good friend, Bob Vollmar, to breakfast at his favorite restaurant, Harry's Diner, in La Jolla.

I picked Bob up at his nearby house for the short drive to Harry's.  Bob has been eating at the same La Jolla landmark since the 1960's when he moved to California.  Bob personally knows the family, including the real Harry, and his son Harry Jr. (who now runs the restaurant with other family members.

We followed all the COVID safety regulations and opted for a table outside.

We decided that this was a special occasion, so we went "big" and got the pancake stack (I opted for the additional blue berries and walnuts -- which makes them "healthy", right?!).

 

We spent our morning reliving our Corvette escapades.  Bob has owned Corvettes a bit longer than me -- his first Corvette was a 1963 Split Window Coupe which he purchased new in 1963 -- so he beat me by a few years (I bought my first Corvette in 1966).  Here is the story of Bob's acquisition of a Corvette back when you could write a letter to General Motors to ask questions!

Bob's 1963 Corvette Purchase 

 Over the years Bob has owned five Corvettes, but his favorite (and mine too) was his 2009 yellow Z06.

It was Bob who was instrumental in helping us secure our 50th Anniversary Corvette back in 2002.

Everyone at Harry's knows Bob, so it was pretty easy to get him a surprise birthday goodie!

 Good grief!  More pancakes!

It never ceases to amaze me at the fondness I have for the relationships I have with my Corvette buddies!

Happy Birthday, Bob!  Let's get back to Harry's again soon!

The Coke Machine is BACK!

It is a happy day in Cary's Garage.  The Coke machine is back in working order!

In 2003 Nan gave me a surprise birthday present - a vintage-look Coke machine, with modern electronics inside (you could think of it as a "Resto-Mod" of vending machines)!

It has a switch so that you can get a beverage out of it without inserting coins -- "Free" mode.

The handle on the front can be pushed to the left -- which dispenses a chilled "Mexican" (real sugar) Coke in a glass bottle, or you can push it to the right -- which dispenses a Corona beer in a glass bottle.  Sorry, Dexter, no Budweiser.

A few years ago the refrigeration unit stopped working.  I tried in vain to find anyone that would fix it and struck out constantly.  Then this month I was rescued by Richard Mason of  California Comport Control who removed the refrigeration unit, took it to his shop, overhauled it, and reinstalled it in the machine.  If you need air conditioning service, Richard is the best.

I waited until my good friend, Wayne Cowie, stopped by to enjoy the first wonderfully chilled Coke.  We "social distanced" on Corvette bar stools in the garage enjoying the first Cokes in many years.

Who wants to come by for a Coke or a beer?

GM Discovered Spying on Corvette Owner

OK, this is spooky.  I know the technology in new cars is amazing, but this feels like going too far.  Here is the story . . . . .

Everyone knows how much I love my Z06 Corvette!

Nan and I drove it to watch the Daytona Corvette race on Saturday July 4th at Don and Shirley's house.  That evening we drove it back home.  Everything was fine, especially since the #3 Corvette finished first!

The next day, John Elder stopped by to show me the finished product on his tricked-out 1961 Corvette. 

While walking around the garage on Sunday with John, we saw something that was not good!

A 5/16" lock nut, attached to a bolt shaft was sticking out of the rear, driver's side tire of the Z06.  Damn!

Did it penetrate the nearly-new (and expensive) Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3+ tire?  Only one way to find out!

So Monday afternoon I pulled the bolt out to discover . . . . . sadly, it did!  After the air rushed out I used a floor jack to raise the car just enough to take pressure off the tire.  Even though they are run-flats, no sense in stressing the tire, right?

So now it is Monday night.  The tire was full of air all day Sunday and through mid-day Monday. The car has not been started since Saturday night.  It is sitting in my garage, shielded from satellites (as far as I know).

Imagine my surprise when, on Monday night I receive the email below from General Motors.

Is that weird? 

The next issue was to decide if the tire could be repaired.  I unbolted the tire from the car.  I went back to San Diego Motoring Accessories, here in Oceanside, which is the first-class place that sold me the tires for the Z06.  Don Petty, owner, took care of everything and by Thursday I had the repaired tire back at home.

Is that sucker big, or what?

Here is a shot of the brake cooling vent on the Z06, which is easily seen with the tires removed.

Using my click-torque-wrench (a gift from Wayne Cowie -- thank you Wayne!) I torqued the bolts to 100 foot pounds, and we are back in business!

If GM knows that the tire lost all its air, do you think they know that Herod Howard and I hit 130 MPH going up the Torrey Pines Grade a few months back?  I guess they know, right?

Buff and Shine Return To Riverside

Before the Pandemic hit us all, Nan and I took Buff and Shine back to the Adams Kart track in Riverside, California for the 2020 Vintage Karting Event. 

Here is the story that I wrote for the Vintage Karting Magazine:

RIVERSIDE SUMMARY by cary thomas

The Faye Pierson Vintage Kart Reunion (1/30 – 2/1)

To Riverside they came, just as they have for the past 16 years, to rendezvous with cherished friends, and to relive the excitement of Vintage Karting.  Genuine legends of the sport, many who were there from day one, sharing a bond, an affection and a passion, came and reveled.  They came to a family-owned track that has hosted Karting for more than 55 years – Adams.  And they came from as far away as Ireland, Maryland, Ohio, Indiana, the Southeast, and up and down the West Coast.  

The California weather (where “it never rains”) made amends for the incessant rains that soaked the 2019 event by gracing the 2020 event with clear skies, mild winds, and loads of sunshine. 

As is tradition in Riverside, the event began on Thursday and ran through Saturday.  So many people look forward to the Riverside event as “the” event on the West Coast, as evidenced by the attendance; 74 drivers; 52 race entries; and 115 karts.  

Like many VKA events around the Country, Riverside exudes history.  We can never say enough about Karting’s Sweetheart, Faye Pierson, who was in attendance and out on the track (at 92) sliding through the corners.  

Jimmy Yamane was in attendance again in 2020, this time with his “Yamane Special” that he drove to the World Championship in Nassau in 1959. Now that's history!

Other notable attendees were Vince Hughes, Terry Ives, Kim Livingstone (Duffy Livingston’s daughter), Tom Thorin, Junior Neal and several VKA Officers and volunteers  (Gary Wlodarsky, President, Louie Figone (of course), VP, Joe Swantek (of course), Treas., Lynn Haddock, Safety, Jim Donovan, Cook and Rolf Hill, Editor).   (I’m sure there were countless others.  Sorry if I missed you.) 

Even though Louie is furiously busy running the event, he always graciously greets me and Nan.

Vince Hughes reserves space for us and helps us in so many ways.

The early arrivers and long-distance travelers gathered on Thursday, so many that the Donovan/MaxTorque-hosted lunch was “sold out!”  The crowd increased to capacity on Friday for more practice sessions, a full-scale Kart Show, dinner hosted by the Adams family, some great raffle prizes and the evening awards ceremony.  Saturday brought morning and afternoon driving demonstrations with some really fantastic driving exhibitions. 

Again this year we left Sparkle home and took Buff (yellow Fox Kart) and Shine (blue Fox Kart).

Shine was making a repeat appearance and ran better this year than last due to some adjustments to the carburetors.

This event marked the debut of Buff to the track.  I can't thank Vince Hughes enough for all the parts, technical support, advice, and for even being my pit crew!

It felt really good being on the track with the twin MACs!

Shine came home with another trophy -- that's three in a row for Sparkle and Shine.

Special thanks to all the volunteers who supported Louie and Joe: Tom Corso, Jim Donovan, Scott Wigginton, Frank Weir, Vince Hughes, and Jack Murray. 

  Cary Thomas