[TR] VTR Convention Update, Link to Photos

[Blake J. Discher]

Hi everyone,

All going well down here.  Welcome reception was last night, great food.
Carving station with tenderloin was the hit, and had the longest lines.
Before that was my tech session on tips for photographing your car, with Moss
Motors donating a $50 gift certificate for a photo contest that anyone here
can enter.  Then Ted Schumacher had his tech session, lots of good info, as
always.

The Brew Swap was just before the welcome party.  What started as 6-8 guys
standing around a smallish room in Detroit in 2008 has turned into a MAJOR
event on the schedule.  I'd bet there was 75% of everyone here wandering in
and out of the room and onto the great Souther-style porch of the cottage.
Lots of local brews, lots of home brews and a tasting contest.  Six entrants
brought their home brew, everyone could taste in a small cup and then vote.
Voting was close but Tom Fansher's "Tom's Special Sponge Brew" was voted the
winner.  Big thanks to Marty Sukey for organizing this fun event.

Today was a tech session on tips to prep your car for a show.  The guy was
amazing.  He has tested every product you can imagine and shared with us which
he liked best and why.  One example was a product only sold in marine stores
for cleaning wire wheels.  Cool info.  Right now Tony Vigliotti of Ratco is
doing a session on the weaknesses of the TR6 frame and how you can strengthen
it.

There are two displays from the New York Auto Show.  One is a cut-away, fully
articulated/operational, Stag engine and a full-sized back axle of the "new"
IRS suspension.  Both are electric and demonstrate the features of each.  I
doubt the've been seen since the show in 1971 or 1972.

The Group 44 GT6 is here, it arrived yesterday and as you might expect was a
huge hit.  It got a ton of attention as it was parked just outside the brew
swap.  Dave Massey has been playing the bagpipes, the weather is 85-degrees,
no humidity, and sunshine all day.  Bob Tullius is expected to fly in today.
Looks like 175-185 registrations with about 200 cars.

The convention made the front page of the local paper today with three
pictures of the Funkhana.  Nice coverage.  One of the shots featured Paul
Higley and Duncan Wood with Paul wearing a baby blue blindfold behind the
wheel while Duncan was guiding him through the course from the passenger seat
.  Rumor is that a TV station is coming out as well either today or tomorrow.

I uploaded a small gallery of pics I shot this morning as people were heading
out for the TSD rally at http://vtr.org/VTR2010gallery1/ if you care to take a
look.

Cheers from sunny Georgia!
Blake Discher