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For Immediate Release
Corvettes at Carlisle Attendance Up 11% in 2010
The Largest Corvette Event in the World Shows the Strength of America’s Sports Car
Wednesday, September 01, 2010
Corvettes at Carlisle was truly a stars and stripes weekend with the event showing an 11% increase overall and an all-time high for car registration for the show which was launched in 1982. With everything Corvette, the show attracted new car buyers and vintage lovers alike and provided attendees with a vendor shopping experience that is second to none. General Motors product specialists and engineers were also on hand, and test drives of the 2011 GM product line, including the Corvette Grand Sport, were offered throughout the weekend.
Underscoring the importance of the event, Harlan Charles, Chevrolet Corvette Product Marketing Manager, commented from Michigan, “I think it was our best Carlisle ever. The Corvette faithful were very excited to learn more about Corvette's technology and drive the new Grand Sport. We were honored to be even a small part of Lance's dream by commemorating 50 years of Le Mans racing with a special 2011 Z06 one of a kind.”
The 2010 edition of the Corvettes at Carlisle is sure to be remembered for having one of the most unusual and exciting displays of Corvettes ever presented to the public: 155 red, white and blue Corvettes were strategically placed to create a dramatic, unique American flag design. The patriotic-themed Corvettes in Chip’s Choice display also delighted attendees and gave tribute to all the men and women who have served our country and continue to do so today. A portion of the proceeds from the American Flag Corvette Display and donations throughout the event raised almost $5,000 for Homes for Our Troops, a national non-profit organization committed to helping those who have selflessly given to their country and have returned home with serious disabilities and injuries.
For fans of Corvette Racing, 2010 marks a special occasion - the 50th anniversary of a Corvette’s first victory at the legendary 24 Hours of Le Mans. Helping focus attention on Corvette’s long racing heritage and to raise awareness for amyloidosis, the rare blood disease that took the life of Chip Miller, founder of Corvettes at Carlisle, Carlisle Events and the Chip Miller Charitable Foundation helped orchestrate a once-in-a-lifetime gathering of the original 1960 Briggs Cunningham #3 Corvette, its driver John Fitch, and the 2011 GM Tribute Corvette, which bears the same white and blue livery as #3. Fans were invited to experience this special opportunity to get up-close and personal with true automotive heritage, to see history happen and to soak up the excitement that John Fitch and these Corvettes generated.
When Lance Miller set out to fulfill his father’s dream by reuniting the #3 Briggs Cunningham 1960 Corvette and its driver John Fitch in Le Mans for the 50th anniversary of the car’s victory, he was accompanied by Corvette collector and documentary filmmaker Michael Brown, who captured the experience in HD. The feature-length documentary, entitled The Quest, is expected to be released this fall. The first trailer of the coming film has been released and may be viewed at www.carlisleevents.com.
“This once-in-a-lifetime effort will never be forgotten!” Lance Miller noted. “The first time I saw the 50th Anniversary tribute Corvette at the National Corvette Museum, I was stunned. I honestly couldn’t believe that the Corvette team went through the effort of producing a one-of-one tribute Corvette to help celebrate the 50 years of Corvette racing at Le Mans. We are honored to have had the two together for the first time during Corvettes at Carlisle. This display will go down in the history books!”
Signing autographs and meeting with fans, John Fitch, age 93, was a crowd favorite as the Corvette faithful came out in numbers to see the racing icon. In addition to his distinguished racing career, Fitch is a decorated WW ll pilot and former POW. He is also the inventor of the “Fitch Inertial Barrier,” those yellow, sand-filled plastic barrels that line America’s highways and have saved countless lives in dozens of countries around the world.
On Saturday, during the Downtown Carlisle Corvette Parade, Mayor Kirk Wilson presented Fitch with the Mayor’s Key to the City and a proclamation declaring Saturday, August 28, 2010 John Cooper Fitch Day for his lifetime of achievement. “It is indeed gratifying to accept these acknowledgements,” said Fitch,”but it is equally rewarding to see so many Corvette enthusiasts gathered here in Carlisle. When we started Corvette’s racing program back in 1956, we could only dream that ‘America’s Sports Car’ would have a long, successful run. This event proves that our dream has come true.” Fitch also noted that he looks forward to returning to Corvettes at Carlisle again.
Back at the fairgrounds, the crowd was electrified when Eric Guardiano of Naugatuck, CT, won the burnout competition Friday evening with his 1994 Corvette, and on Saturday, Karin Noelle of Harrisburg, PA captured the title of Ms. Corvettes at Carlisle. Other highlights included the 2011 walk-around presentations by the GM Engineering Team, the C2ZR1 unveiling by Heartland Customs, and the NCRS (National Corvette Restorers Society) Gallery X in Building G, seminars and more.
The 2011 edition of Corvette at Carlisle will be held August 26-28, 2011 and in anticipation of another record-shattering event, registration is already open. For more information about Corvettes at Carlisle 2011, please visit www.carlisleevents.com or call (717) 243-7855.
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Journalist note: Information about the Carlisle Events Group, its event listings, auction offerings and expo center is available to journalists by phone:
Chris Hann
Director of Creative Services & Technology
717-243-7855 ext. 123
chrish@carlisleevents.com
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