CCCUK Corvette Nationals 2024 20th & 21st July

[Mr. Cricket]

Once again we return to the fabulous Sywell Aerodrome hopefully with better weather than the 2023 event.

For those that haven't attended the Nationals the last two years at Sywell it really is a great venue with on site accommodation, restaurant, bar, cafe, museum and a whole load of vintage aircraft including a Spitfire, P51 Mustang, ME109, Tiger Moths and more all of which provide pleasure flights if that takes your fancy but they are not cheap!

The entire site is of the Art Deco period and period features have been retained and even reproduced in the newer Aviator hotel providing a stunning venue.

Check back for updates as attractions are added.

 

[Mr. Cricket]

Hi all. For everyone attending the Gala Dinner on Saturday 20th July you can now make your food choices.

Please send your selections to me @ nationals@corvetteclub.org.uk and the first 90 replies will secure a seat.

The cost for two courses is £30.95 per head.

The cost for three courses is £39.50 per head.

Roast Beef carries a £3.00 surcharge on top of the base price.


The selections this year are:

Starters:

Goats Cheese (V)

Chicken Liver Parfait (GFO)

Veg Soup (GF/V/VE)


Mains:

Mushroom & Spinach Risotto (GF/V/VE)

Roast Sirloin of Beef (GFO)

Chicken Supreme (GF)

Desserts:

Lemon Tart

Cheesecake

Sticky Toffee Pudding

(V) Vegetarian/ (VE) Vegan/ (GF) Gluten Free

Tea/coffee & Mints additional £2.95 per person

Once all 90 seats are filled we will as per last year request that you pay direct to our club bank account and we will make one payment to Sywell.

Please reply like below to make it simple for us to consolidate all selections at our end:

John Smith: Soup, Chicken & Cheesecake £39.50

Jane Smith: Mushroom Risotto & Lemon Tart £30.95

 

[Mr. Cricket]

With just over five weeks until the Corvette Nationals for those that have not visited the previous two events at Sywell Aerodrome it will be for now your last chance to enjoy this fabulous Art Deco venue as we look to move to a new venue for next year. In 2022 we were treated to a free airshow in fabulous weather including a Spitfire, P51 Mustang, ME109 and a flock of Tiger Moths so let’s hope for good weather this year and not the wet and windy shock we had last year. Weather related again but we are booked to be back on the airfield not the hard standing this year.

Post Gala dinner entertainment this year will be a DJ rather than a live band and that way we can cater for all music tastes!

There are a few Gala dinner places left and don’t forget, anyone can attend the Gala dinner whether you’re staying on site at the Aviator hotel, staying at an alternative hotel or even travelling home. I’ll repost the menu and costs in a follow up message.

At the two previous Nationals we had a C8 convertible followed by a C8 Zo6 and this year we had been told by GM that we could display an E Ray but that is still not finalised at this point.

Don’t forget the AGM is held at the Nationals on Saturday afternoon where you can come along and have your say or suggest ways of improving our great club. You can even put yourself forward for a committee or regional rep role!

The great Ken Lingenfelter has expressed interest in attending the Nationals this year and we really hope we can make that happen. How great would it be to pick up one of the twelve trophies on offer and have your photo taken with Ken!

I’ll leave it here for now as Peter has a follow up message regarding some other attractions we have planned.

If anyone has any questions, please drop me a line.

Venue Sywell Aerodrome

 

[Mr. Cricket]

So due to a recent question from a member, it’s occurred to me that not everyone knows how the Nationals works as maybe they’ve never been or are a new member.

Firstly, the Nationals is for all members and even Corvette owners that are not yet members but maybe thinking about joining. So if you have mates that own Corvettes but are not members encourage them to come along and see what it’s all about.

Secondly, after a question about tickets and costs, some will remember that there was an admission fee before Covid that helped off-set the cost of this event but as the club coffers were full as we couldn’t do events during Covid the entrance fee was waved to as we said at the time ‘give back to members’ We have now given notice that the entrance fee will be reinstated in 2025 as the club cannot continue to fund these events as we are with no admission fee.

Thirdly, just because you have no plans to make a weekend of the event and stay in the on-site hotel or nearby accommodation doesn’t mean you are not invited. Quite the opposite, we welcome members and non-members on both days or just one day to do a turn up and enjoy their visit.

Lastly, you do not have to book yourself or Corvette in to attend. You can come and go as you please while realising this event is held at a live airfield so there are some restrictions like low speed etc.

 

[Simonl]

Can you tell me how much admission is for non members please

 

[phn]

Hi there, I have never been to the nationals but am intending to go this year.

Is there any provision for camping at the site, or is it a case of find a nearby B&B or hotel?

Many thanks!

Philip.

 

[Mr. Cricket]

Hi there, I have never been to the nationals but am intending to go this year.

Is there any provision for camping at the site, or is it a case of find a nearby B&B or hotel?

Many thanks!

Philip.

Hi Philip.

As it's a live airfield there is no ground set aside for camping. We do hire the large car park adj to the showfield and some parked up trailers and caravans there last year. There are plenty of nearby accommodation options as well. See you there!

 

[phn]

Great, thanks, I'll have a look at accomodation in the area, but in the worst case I can make a day trip of it!

 

[Chuffer]

Great, thanks, I'll have a look at accomodation in the area, but in the worst case I can make a day trip of it!

For any members looking for overnight accommodation , try the Worlds End at Ecton which is only a short drive to Sywell . Also try Travel Lodge at Round Spinney , Northampton , thats not far away either .

 

[Pitre]

Can you tell me how much admission is for non members please

Hi Simon
Since COVID we've agreed that the Nationals are free entry for everyone and that's true again this year, although this will be the last time.
Future Nationals will have some sort of entry charge (yet to be agreed) but obviously likely to be less for members than non-members.

 

[Pitre]

It's now only three weeks away... there are still a few rooms left at the Aviator hotel, so if you want to make a weekend of it, it's not too late!

SATURDAY 20th Corvette Nationals Lunchtime Cruise:-
A lunchtime cruise will leave Sywell at about 12:15 and head to the Watermill Tea rooms and Restaurant, which is about 13 miles away from the aerodrome (about 1/2 hour drive each way). The have an extensive lunchtime menu or you can simply enjoy tea and a cake.
Please let me know by email if you plan to join us. We will stay at the Watermill for about an hour and leave in good time to get back to the hotel for the AGM at 4pm.

SUNDAY 21st Corvette Nationals 'Bring and Buy' Sale:-
Club members can bring Corvette-related items for sale in a supervised marquee. You must pre-register as a vendor by emailing me ASAP and supplying in advance an inventory of the items you intend to offer.

• All sale items must be labelled with your name, mobile number and the price.
• Car parts, memorabilia and anything else Corvette-related can be left here for sale.
• The number of items that can be left here is subject to available space and can only be left from 9am on Sunday.
• Unsold items must be collected by 4pm Sunday or they will be disposed of.

So, if you wish to either come on the Cruise or sell items at the 'Bring & Buy', please contact me by email as soon as possible (chairman@corvetteclub.org.uk)

 

[Simonl]

Free that’s brilliant

 

[Mr. Cricket]

For all that have selected a meal at the Gala Dinner we'll be asking you to pay into the club account shortly then we will pay Sywell for all meals in one payment. There are just a few seats left for any late comers.

Entertainment after the dinner this year is a DJ allowing all types of music for all tastes.

For those of us that have never laid eyes on a Corvette C2 L88 being such a rare and very expensive beast we will have the next best thing curtesy of Adrian and Tom Dromey who are bringing an all-expense spared L88 tribute or clone to the Nationals on Sunday. For those with very deep pockets, I believe it may even be for sale in the near future!

 

[Mr. Cricket]

We have two race car simulators that will be set up in the Cirrus room where you can pit your racing skills against another racer on Saturday and Sunday. A prize for the weekends best lap time and bragging rights to the winner!

 

[phn]

We have two race car simulators that will be set up in the Cirrus room where you can pit your racing skills against another racer on Saturday and Sunday. A prize for the weekends best lap time and bragging rights to the winner!

That's a great idea, looking forward to having a go on that!

 

[Pitre]

Hi All,
A new author has written a novel about travelling Route 66 in a 1960 Corvette.
Lesley Anne Brown has kindly agreed to attend the Nationals and will be selling and signing copies of her book.
Below is a short introduction from Lesley to give you an idea of its content:-

Corvette coveter fulfils dream of publishing a novel.
"My husband, Dave, has been an American car nut for more than fifty years. As an adoring girlfriend I tagged along and as a wife, it was one of the wedding vows I made, to remain part of the scene. However, it wasn’t until 2007 when I laid eyes on a beautiful hot-rodded Ford Model ‘A’ Phaeton in a showroom in Denver, Colorado that I finally ‘got it’.
Seven years, 32000 miles and 22 states later, we’d had one hell of an adventure in that car, living The American Dream. It is now a familiar sight at car shows around the UK, another 25000 miles added to the clock and many more fabulous memories made.
One of only a few regrets I have in life dates back to 2009. Travelling through California, we stopped at a car showroom where I spotted the car of my dreams at a knock down price of $30000 at a time when the dollar rate was almost two to the pound!
I’m still kicking myself that we didn’t buy it, but back then, we didn’t know how to go about shipping a car home and in any case we were too busy having fun to think about it seriously.
Apart from this desire, my own relationship with cars has been a passive one, but with a car mad husband and a drag racing champion (Paul Brown) for a son, my adult life has been dominated by wheels and horsepower as I immersed myself in their passions. Meanwhile, I harboured an ambition of my own – to write a novel. Like most car restorers, I suffered from procrastination and excuses. More in hope than expectation, I added ‘write a novel’ to my list of 60 things to mark my impending 60th birthday to spur me on and, finally, I put pen to paper in late 2021 when I began creating Finding Carla. More than two years later I proudly held a copy of my first novel in my hand. It was just as I had imagined it right from the beginning of this long and rewarding project.
They say write about what you know. Well I had a wealth of experiences in the USA to draw from and used these to write a tale about Carla, a prematurely retired 50-something mum and grandmother who jets off to America for the trip of a lifetime along the legendary Route 66, after her husband ups and leaves her out of the blue. All bar one of the characters are fictional, but many of the events happened in real life, with the more outlandish stories actually being true! The book chronicles the background and landscapes of historic Route 66, bringing it to life through Carla’s eyes during an exhilarating and sometimes perilous journey in a classic 1960 red Corvette. I have been delighted by the positive feedback and reviews I’ve received so far from men and women alike, including this five star review on Amazon:
‘Great read, Lesley's style of writing takes you along with her for the ride through the twists and turns of the adventure along the famous Route 66. The various characters throughout the story definitely make the book fun and enjoyable. Hoping there is a sequel to come, made me want more adventures...’ which has spurred me on to write a sequel.
I shall be at The Nationals in Sywell on Sunday 21st July for book signings and will available for a chat for anyone interested in knowing more about my adventures in The USA.
Meanwhile, Finding Carla is published by Wrate’s Publishing and can be purchased direct from me via my Facebook page Lesley Anne Brown – Finding Carla. The Kindle version is available from Amazon."
Lesley Anne Brown

 

[Mr. Cricket]

Just one bedroom left at the Aviator hotel at Sywell for Saturday night which is I believe £90 room only. Still a few places left for the gala dinner on Saturday with the menu posted earlier in this thread. Final choices are by 10th July at the request of Sywell management.

At the two previous Nationals held at Sywell we had themes and there was some talk of an aviation type theme for this year that seemed to fizzle out. At a large show this past weekend it would seem that many have resurrected this theme so be warned, some of the outfits will shock to say the least!

 

[Chuffer]

Just one bedroom left at the Aviator hotel at Sywell for Saturday night which is I believe £90 room only. Still a few places left for the gala dinner on Saturday with the menu posted earlier in this thread. Final choices are by 10th July at the request of Sywell management.

At the two previous Nationals held at Sywell we had themes and there was some talk of an aviation type theme for this year that seemed to fizzle out. At a large show this past weekend it would seem that many have resurrected this theme so be warned, some of the outfits will shock to say the least!

Does that mean possibly a few Blonde Bombers and an inflatable Jumbo Jet Suite ?

 

[Mr. Cricket]

Does that mean possibly a few Blonde Bombers and an inflatable Jumbo Jet Suite ?

worse mate

 

[johng]

In case anyone else is interested, I've just booked a room at the Aviator and it says there are still 2 more rooms available (cost is £100 rather than £90)