Red Experience! - The Original Florida Region Ferrari Club of America

REGIONAL DIRECTOR:
Jeff McKEE
jbmviper@aol.com
C.F. CHAPTER REPRESENTATIVE:
Jeff IPPOLITI
ferrari512@comcast.net
TREASURER:
Jay WEITZEL
janddweitzel@bellsouth.net
EVENTS & REGISTRATION:
Larry SIETSMA
siets@aol.com
SPONSORSHIP:
Joe HERMAN
herman131@aol.com
MEMBERSHIP:
David WILLIAMS
dwilliams308@earthlink.net
DEALER LIAISON:
Will CAMPBELL
wcampbell@sheltonferrari.com
TECHNICAL:
Tim STANFORD
timstanford@netzero.net
ORGANIZATIONAL:
Charlie SCARDINA
charlessca@aol.com
JOKES, HUMOR & BAD BEHAVIOR:
Dr. Bob MACK
molarmack@bellsouth.net
SECRETARY:
Bob HANDIN
ferraribob@aol.com
PUBLICATIONS & PHOTOGRAPHY:
David WILLIAMS
dwilliams308@earthlink.net
REDLINE ADVERTISING:
Melissa LUNDBERG
LundbergNSB@aol.com
CONTRIBUTING JOURNALISTS:
Keith BLUEMEL
kgbluemel@onetel.net.uk
Debbie PYLE
jdpyle@strato.net
CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS:
Keith BLUEMEL
FERRARI MEDIA CENTER
Steve PATTERSON
David WILLIAMS
ALL ADVERTISING MATERIALS, TEXT,
OR PHOTOGRAPHY THAT CAN NOT BE
E-MAILED, SHOULD BE MAILED TO:
DAVID WILLIAMS AT 6231 SHADOW
TREE LANE, LAKE WORTH, FL 33463
COVER PHOTO:
CELEBRATION EXOTIC CAR FESTIVAL
BY DAVID WILLIAMS
Am I the only one who can’t believe that 2004 is already about half
over? It’s been an action packed year so far, and we’re only just getting started!
I hope everyone fully realizes just how lucky we are to live and work in a
state where year-round motoring activities are the norm. I’m continually
amazed at how no matter where I turn, weather it be at one of our events, or
just driving along the beach on a Sunday, this entire state seems to be nothing
if not one huge car show. We all know it’s pretty cool to drive a Ferrari to
your favorite restaurant or even just out for ice cream, but when you arrive,
you’re just as likely to see not only other Ferraris, but other exotics of all
makes, models and eras. It’s great! I hope you always keep your eyes open
to the endless number of exciting cars driving around our state. Be sure to
give them a thumbs-up. We’re all just car guys at heart, out doing what we
love. With summer coming up any day now, there’s no excuse not to get out
there and enjoy your Ferraris, and let others enjoy them too. That’s the reason
we own them, that’s what it’s all about. What a waste to leave our beautiful
cars (and choppers!) locked away in garages when the rest of the world
can only wish they had the roads and scenery that we have here!
Since we last spoke, most of us attended our blow-out Sebring
Spring Spectacular back in April and more recently the inaugural Ferraris at
Disney event. The Sebring event was our largest spring event ever with over
90 cars registered for the track and who knows how many more lurking
around the paddock. On Friday we passed 20 people through our famous
Pete Argetsinger driving school. I think this is great, not only for the improved
knowledge and skills now possessed by those 20 lucky graduates, but in the
end it’s safer for all of us out on the track. Don’t ever think of our schools as
being for “first-timers” only, any time you can ride with and learn from a professional
instructor it’s never a waste of your time.
The whole weekend was outstanding. Forgetting the fact that we had
completely perfect weather and owned one of the world’s most famous race
tracks for 2 full days, we also enjoyed free use of incredibly fun go-karts
brought for us by our friends at Racers Country Club in Miami. There was also
a free cocktail party, a super-fun Friday night party, and a Saturday night banquet
complete with awards, a piano player and sing-alongs! I don’t know
about you, but I’m pretty sure that was a first for me. Our traditional low-pressure
Sunday concours was well attended with a wide range of street and race
cars and as always proves to be the perfect send-off for our drives home.
Of course this great event could never have gotten off the ground
without the generous support of Ferrari-Maserati of Central Florida in
Orlando. Others who contributed greatly were 1st Class Auto Body, Pirelli,
Putnam, and Tubi. Please support these guys whenever you can as without
their support of us, we’d all be sitting at home a lot more often.
Complete Sebring event coverage begins on the very next page of
this issue. I’d like to point out that the article was written for us by a new face
to our Florida Region family, Stacey Atlas. Stacey’s take on the weekend is
terrific and told with a very fresh slant. We really appreciate her contribution!
Also a huge thanks to all of you who responded to our e-mail request by sending
in your own photos of the event, we credited all of you on page 4.
Jeff Ippoliti wrote a great piece on the Ferraris at Disney concours
and the hugely successful Saturday night banquet and auction, all held for the
benefit of the Make-A-Wish Foundation. You’d have never known this was a
first-year event. The crowds, the music,
and the incredibly eclectic collection of
exotic machinery made for a very
smooth and professional experience.
Jeff put a ton of time into getting this
one done right and it showed from
every angle. We’re lucky to have him.
Hopefully anyone who missed it will
come out and take part in next year’s
event. Please read Jeff’s full story on
page 11 with more photos on page 17.
Coming up next for us is a
weekend of kicking back at the world
famous Cheeca Lodge way down in
Islamorada, July 23-25. This weekend
is strictly for fun, but we sure hope you’ll
drive your Ferraris there anyway. By
now you’ve all received an e-mail or
two with registration details, which in
fact are as simple as placing a phone
call. You can also find all the information
you’ll need in here on page 9, or by
checking our website.
We’re back again at Sebring
on September 24-26 for a hard-core
track weekend. Sure we’ll also sneak in
a Saturday night banquet and a few
other surprises, but this one’s for the
track guys. There’s a separate registration
form somewhere in this yellow
envelope. We’ll also be sending out email
reminders over the next few weeks.
Also coming up on the horizon
this fall is a super evening party at
Ragtops in downtown West Palm.
We’re going to pull out all the stops on
this one. We’ll keep any costs real low
and load you up with the usual surprises.
You must bring your car though! We
want to pack the place. It’ll really be a
great night, so please look for details to
come real soon.
We’re also working on putting
together a karting event at Moroso’s
brand new .9 mile purpose-built karting
track. You can also look for another
evening social with our friends down at
JMB Racing. Many of you have been
asking us to repeat last year’s successful
party at their race shop. Stay tuned!
Florida Redline 3
Jeff
McKEE
Regional Director
Barry Smith and
the Bird Man,
chillin’ at Sebring.