4^th ANNUAL
2002 REGIONAL WEST COAST VSA/VCOA
ALL VOLVO MEET

By Dave Barton - So Cal VCOA Chapter Coordinator
and
Dan Palmquist

     On Sunday October 20, some wonderful Volvos from all over Southern California once again converged on the City of Perris.

     Swedish Speed, a business dedicated to keeping our beloved marques rolling, was the host for our Volvo gathering once again. We offer our gratitude to Mark Yarbrough and his staff for making this meet possible for so many years. Mark’s generosity in opening his facility for our thrills cannot be praised enough.

      I was told thirty-two Volvos were on display, with more that arrived later. It was particularly interesting to see several newcomers and I applaud them for braving the judge’s critical eye.

     The most interesting person I met was Ursula Bloor, who brought her roll-cage equipped 1999 S70T5 which she uses to race the Nevada Open Road Challenge and the Nevada Silver State Classic Challenge near Ely, Nevada.

      Ursula told me she has raced her car since 1999 in the 120 and 130 mph classes. That doesn’t mean she goes just 130 miles per hour. It means she competes in a class with the goal of keeping a 130 mph average over the entire 90-mile road course… and it’s a lot harder than it sounds!

      For you speed demons out there, these high-speed events traverse a 90-mile stretch of Nevada’s Highway 318 twice each year, in May and September. These events have been going on since 1988. The course begins in White Pine County, near Ely, travels south through Nye County, and finishes in Lincoln County, about 90 miles north of Las Vegas, Nevada.

      Highway 318 is a typical two-lane highway with long straights, twisty turns, and even a few dips, which for the faster participants may result in an airborne experience.

Entrants receive a set of course notes and a video tape to help them prepare for the event.  The cars are run in classes at five mile-per-hour increments, from 95 mph to 180 mph.  The classes are determined by the vehicle's safety equipment, the driver's experience level, and of course the driver’s and/or navigator’s comfort or “faith” level.

There is also an Unlimited Division for the very experienced drivers with full race equipped cars, which very often exceed 200 miles-per-hour on the course!  Entrants start the course at one minute or 30-second intervals depending on speed-class and it is not uncommon for passing to take place at extreme speeds during the journey.

My hat is off to Ursula for taking her new Volvo to the extreme plus winning top honors against very stiff competition!

ANOTHER POINT-OF-VIEW

     It was another gathering of fine Volvos and Volvo enthusiasts at this year’s 4th annual all Volvo show at Swedish Speed.

     The cross section of Volvo models at Southern California meets continues to be the most varied of any organized regional Volvo club event in the U.S., with Dave Hunt’s 1956 P1900, Richard Pattee’s 1956 TP-21 “Sugga”, to racecars, to various 444, 544, 122, 1800, 240, S70 and V70 models. 

     The Volvo talk started about 7 a.m. and continued past 3 p.m. with members discussing the latest upgrades and future improvements planned to improve the appearance and performance of their Volvos. 

     Thanks to Art Banks for organizing the judging of the participating cars in the show, which brings out the best of cars and the competitive edge among the owners.

     See you all at the next Volvo event.

Best Regards,
Dan Palmquist