[Hal Copple]

in my approx 60 trips down the quarter mile, i have run about 5 corvettes, all thus far C5's, Z-06's, and some of them were modified.

Never lost to one. The best run was against a modified C5 at Rockingham about a year and a half ago.

He was running about what i was, low 12',s and so i challanged him late in the evening. The tower announcer loved it, pumped up the crowd, they all came up to the fence to watch. As i was putting on my helmet, several scruffy looking guys came up and told me "we got money on you, don't get beat by that red Corvette."

As a big national even was starting the next day, the Ford Motorsports van was there, they too came over and said "go get that guy!!"

As it turned out, we both ran our personal bests, but i took him 12.08 to his 12.20. When we both came back down the return road and along side the lanes, there was all sorts of pumped fists and happy waving from the Ford fans, especially the Motorsports support guys.

My business partner has two Porsches, a Turbo and a 911S, and his daily driver is a C5 convertible. Nice, very refined, but match for my car.

So unless you are running a hot Lingenfelter, best head for the exit, Snake Eater. By the way, Dennis Olthoff who with his dad put my motor together, has stomped the Mallet Corvettes all the time in his similar Superformance. Read the Million Dollar Shootout in the fall Car and Driver.

Down here in the South, banks won't loan money to folks that want to buy a new Chevy car.