Driving the Corvette to a Judging Meet...

[Patrick T.]

I'm planning on getting my '67 all spiffed up, washed, waxed and detailed and will be driving the car to a Judging Meet in a couple months. What if I'm halfway up there and I run into a rain storm and I arrive at the meet with road dirt and splash marks all over the car, do I get a condition deduct for overall cleanliness? Thanks, PT

[Brian M.]

Re: Driving the Corvette to a Judging Meet...

When I arrived at the National in Windsor with the road tour after hours of rainy driving I washed it, did the same at the Boston regional in 2006. When I arrived at he Boston National with the road tour in 2007 all it needed was a little spray detailing. Good Luck.

[Keith B.]

Re: Driving the Corvette to a Judging Meet...

bring plenty of towels and cleaning supply's and clean it back up after ops. its best to bring a helper with you. have done it a time or two.

[Michael W.]

Re: Driving the Corvette to a Judging Meet...

There's usually a wash stand nearby for that very purpose. I don't of any judges that would take a deduct for incidental dirt accumulated while driving to the meet. Cars got rained on while being delivered to the the original dealers too!

[Jack H.]

Re: Driving the Corvette to a Judging Meet...

Well, cleanliness is a SMALL portion of the overall 4500 point Flight judging scale, but our meets ARE a form of concours... The standard is as Chevrolet built and shipped the car replete with then current dealer prep.

Yep, a car in transit by rail or 18-wheeler WOULD have seen some rain and minor road debris. But, it wouldn't have seen oil leaks and extraneous grease on the chassis retaining dirt. Nor would it have accumulated bugs in the radiator. Bottom line, driving a car to a meet should generate more than typical initial delivery dirt...

But, the owner is allowed to clean the car prior to putting in on the judging field (come early) and he/she gets SIGNIFICANT mileage driven credit to enhance the car's raw score. So, I can't see a few extra points of cleanliness deduction for a driven vs. trailer queen car hurting anything...

[Patrick T.]

Re: Driving the Corvette to a Judging Meet...

Thanks for the input...guess I won't have to buy a trailer after all!

[Dan H.]

Re: Driving the Corvette to a Judging Meet...

Patrick, just drove our 64 to 3 Regionals, and the San Jose National, over 5000 miles, a dust storm, thunder storm and many many bugs! It finally received a DUNTOV this year. DRIVE IT AND ENJOY IT!
Dan

[James W.]

Re: Driving the Corvette to a Judging Meet...

Patrick, just drove our 64 to 3 Regionals, and the San Jose National, over 5000 miles, a dust storm, thunder storm and many many bugs! It finally received a DUNTOV this year. DRIVE IT AND ENJOY IT!
Dan

Since the NCRS ecourages driving our cars, it also allows for some accumulation of dirt. I judged one year at Waco and one of the entrants had a white 1971 LT-1. It was an pretty original car and the owner proudly displayed a magazine article on his car that proclaimed it the most original LT-1 in existance (or something like that). Underneath the car it oozed grease, leaked oil all over the floor and was a real mess. The owner kept pointing to the Judging Manual saying it allowed for some dirt due to being driven. It was explained to him that the judging was still concours judging and when a vehicle dumps on the floor that is above what was intended. he wasn't happy. Unless you've got a greasy, grimy mess, most judges will use reason and common sense and appreciate the fact that it was driven and not trailored. I know I would.

Jim

[Jack H.]

Re: Driving the Corvette to a Judging Meet...

There's much logic here, but we don't have two standards of cleanliness: (1) for cars driven to a meet, and (2) another for those trailered to meets. That's one of the reasons we DO put our money where our mouth is by granting mileage driven credit(s) for those who brave the highways, risk that accident, and accumulate the wear/tear consequences of actually driving/using their Corvettes.

Raising your base score by up to 10 PERCENT is a HUGE advantage! The law of dimishing return makes those last few Flight percentage points VERY expensive to the trailer queen crowd. But, for those driving/using their cars, gas in the tank is a CHEAP alternative!

No other factory concours judging organization allows owner involvement to influence the car's judging results. This is an aspect of NCRS that I REALLY like!!!

[James W.]

Re: Driving the Corvette to a Judging Meet...

There's much logic here, but we don't have two standards of cleanliness: (1) for cars driven to a meet, and (2) another for those trailered to meets. That's one of the reasons we DO put our money where our mouth is by granting mileage driven credit(s) for those who brave the highways, risk that accident, and accumulate the wear/tear consequences of actually driving/using their Corvettes.

Raising your base score by up to 10 PERCENT is a HUGE advantage! The law of dimishing return makes those last few Flight percentage points VERY expensive to the trailer queen crowd. But, for those driving/using their cars, gas in the tank is a CHEAP alternative!

No other factory concours judging organization allows owner involvement to influence the car's judging results. This is an aspect of NCRS that I REALLY like!!!

Well said, Jack. Didn't mean to imply two levels of judging, just that I personally like to see cars driven instead of trailored.

Jim