Convention Report
Well the convention has come and gone and what a weekend it was. Overall it was very successful and thankfully the weather held out for the drags, although Sunday’s show n shine was a little wet.
Friday morning saw a bunch of us meeting at Bunker Hill to cruise up together. Probably had about 6 cars in the convoy, those with cruise control getting a bit frustrated by the inconsistent speeds of the car leading the convey, me!
We arrived into Bendigo safely and after checking into the caravan park we headed down to Lords to setup and enjoy the sausage sizzle and have a few coldies. There was a good turn out of cars and good to see the 567 clubs from other states with a big turnout, in particular the SA and Canberra clubs.
A few cars went out cruising into Bendigo that night headed by Karl in his 57 Wagon with Julie Loombs as the local guide. It was an interesting tour of Bendigo’s grand old buildings but maybe a bit hard to keep up for the convoy doing loops of the city!
Saturday morning and the weather looked fine with not a cloud in the sky which changed to overcast in the afternoon but the rain didn’t fall. A good turn out of around 50 to 70 cars at the drags ensured an entertaining day for all. There was quite a number of fast Chevs in the 12 to 13 second bracket including a few from our own club. Notable cars out there included Tim Perrins 56 coupe, Alan Smithsons 57 Nomad, Ross Andersons 57 convertible and his “squashed bug” look rat rod. The drags format was test n tune which didn’t stop people from lining up against each other for racing and grudge matches.
Following the lunch break the Go to Whoa was conducted after a bit of confusion setting up. Tim O’Grady in the yellow 57 sedan took top honours, although it was a close (maybe disputed) call against Karl in his 57 wagon. Karl stopped sideways, with a front and back wheel on the line!
More racing continued before the burn out competition with Steve Peterson in his white and green 57 sedan taking honours after blowing a tyre, catching on fire, and starting up again.
Saturday night at the Bendigo RSL was a ripper with the private function room packed with convention entrants and families sitting down to good food and entertainment courtesy of the band Shadoogie, who got people and up grooving.
It was an early start for the convention organisers on Sunday to meet the traders at 7:00. Drizzling rain was falling so not a good start to the day although cars started coming in around 8am and continued to flow in for the rest of the morning. A bunch of volunteers from Bendigo Rotary assisted in the parking which was tricky considering the renovation work done to Lords Raceway. By about midday the rain had gone and a decent turnout from the public came through the gates despite there being a local footy grand final on the day.
The 6th Chev Convention was held in Bendigo on the 1st and 2nd of October showcasing classic Chevs with drag racing, burnouts and show n shine.
