An excellent albeit dated listing of TRials through the years as penned by our own Matt Mullin..... There must be some reason people keep going and going, and going... come find out. Trials 1982 - Columbus, Ohio The very first Trials was held June 17-20, 1982, in conjunction with the Triumph Register of America meet in Columbus, Ohio. It was reported to be a small, but enthusiastic group of our original 6-PACK founders. The charter members of 6-PACK are: Ron and Linda Gordon, Len and Ruth Renkenberger, Jim Privitera, Kathy Marsh, Vic Nigro and Becky Alger. Richard Websters book Illustrated Triumph Buyers Guide has some pictures of Ron Gordons 71 and Carl Gonzalez 76 which were taken at the 82 Trials. Rons 71 won first place in participants choice. Club membership numbered approximately 180 people at this point. Warren Wilson would serve as chairman of 6-PACK through mid-1986. Trials 1983 - Harpers Ferry, West Virginia Approximately 100 people attended Trials 83, held in October. This tradition of a September or October Trials continues to the present day. Club membership had reached 450 people at this point. Highlights of the weekend included tech sessions, a road rally, some racing and Triumph films, and a tour of the Antietam Battlefield. The Roadster Factory had also set up shop for the weekend. Best of Show again went to Ron and Linda Gordon. Trials 1984 - Harpers Ferry, West Virginia Harpers Ferry was the Trials home base for the second year in a row. Attendees were treated to a restoration shop tour, funkana called Monopoly on Wheels, and also posed for a panoramic group photo. The banquet was highlighted by keynote speakers Brain Furstenau and Lankey Foushee of Group 44 Racing, which was as close to a factory works racing team as one could get! Best of Show went to.......Ron and Linda Gordon! Trials 1985 - Wheeling, West Virginia Oglebay Park was the site of Trials 1985. Mr. Charles Runyan of The Roadster Factory was on hand to talk shop with the 6-PACK participants, and Len and Ruth Renkenberger staged the Alley and Valley Rally. Oglebays Observatory Field provided a beautiful backdrop for the car show. Norm Gasswint won first place in the judged concours, and Steve Martin took home the honors in popular choice Best in Show. TR-6 Autumn Festival, 1986 - Indiana, Pennsylvania Trials 1986 was to be held again at Oglebay Park in Wheeling, West Virginia, but that event never materialized. The club was going through some trouble; however, a gathering of the faithful dubbed the TR6 Autumn Festival occurred thanks to 6-PACKs new chairman, Carl Gonzalez. John Swauger and his employer, The Roadster Factory, also provided much-needed assistance to pull off a successful weekend. Events included a tour of The Roadster Factory, rally, and car show. Participants choice in the early TR6 class was awarded to Lenny and Terri Lange, and the late TR6 honors went to Jim and Debbie French. At this point, the TR250 model had been accepted into the fold of 6-PACK. Trials 1987 - Dawson, Pennsylvania The site for the 87 Trials was beautiful Linden Hall, situated on a mountaintop in Pennsylvanias Laurel Highlands. The topography, as well as Saturdays weather, were reported to be very similar to those encountered in England! Attendees were treated to a road rally, a tech session, and a name-the-parts contest were the parts were put in a box, and participants were only allowed to feel the parts with their hands! Bob Wyner took home Best of Show with his early TR6. Trials 1988 - Gettysburg, Pennsylvania Nearly 40 cars showed up for Trials 1988. Events included a tour of the Gettysburg Battlefield, a road rally, tech sessions, and the traditional car show. Concours winners included Lenny Lange in the early category, and Nelson Wolfe was the winner in the late class. Trials 1989 - Indianapolis, Indiana 66 cars showed up for the best-attended Trials in the twentieth century. 47 cars took to the Speedway for a damp track tour on Friday, but Saturday was crisp and clear for the car show. Winners in the Concours class included Darrell Floyd (early), and Pat Pinkston (late). Ronald Boals became chairman of 6-PACK at this point. Trials 1990 - Deep Creek Lake, Maryland 6-PACK members and their 49 cars called Wisp Resort on Deep Creek Lake home for a great weekend. This event featured perfect weather and the debut of Len Renkenbergers stretch four-seat TR-6! The funkana, tech sessions, and car show made the whole weekend complete. Best in Show honors were awarded to Pat and Delores Pinkston. Trials 1991 - St. Louis, Missouri The 10th annual gathering featured events centered around the Gateway-to-the-Wests hot spots: the Anhauser-Busch Brewery, the Mississippi River and waterfront, the St. Louis Arch, and 6-Flags Resort. The name-the-parts contest, rally, and car show were also enjoyed by all. Darrell and Beverly Floyd were awarded Best in Show. Andy Huntermark was chairman of 6-PACK for the 91 Trials, and would serve until early 1994. Trials 1992 - Solomons Island, Maryland Scenic Chesapeake Bay was the setting for the 92 Trials. Weekend events included an open house at Len and Ruth Renkenbergers house, a boat tour, great seafood, a tour of Washington D.C., and a Tug-a-TR contest. Rain didnt seem to dampen the memberships spirits on Friday, and the foul weather moved out on Saturday for the car show. Best in Show was won by Mike and Debbie Gassman. It was at this point that Kerry Fores pioneered the New Look newsletter. Club membership at this point numbered approximately 475 people. Trials 1993 - Hampton Beach, New Hampshire Ashworth-by-the-Sea on Portsmouth Harbor was the setting for the 1993 annual bash. Trials participants were treated to a caravan tour of the White Mountains, a whale watching cruise, a clam and lobster bake, and a Once in a Blue Moon rally. Paul and Helen Griffiths took home the Best in Show trophy. In 1993, 6-PACK was awarded the Golden Quill Award from Old Cars Weekly and Marketplace. This achievement was repeated in 1994. Trials 1994 - Richfield, Ohio 1994 marked the TR6’s silver (25th) anniversary, and several 1969 models were on hand for the celebration. Weekend events included tech sessions, a funkana, and a pig roast at the Hale Farm and Village. A road rally through the Cuyahoga Valley National Recreation Area was aptly named the Twice in a Blue Moon rally. Out of 47 cars, Pat and Delores Pinkston were awarded Best in Show. 6-PACK membership numbered over 700 at this point. Doug Braden was chairman of 6-PACK starting in early 1994, and would serve the club through 1996. Trials 1995 - Biloxi, Mississippi Mississippis Gulf Coast offered an enthusiastic group of 6-PACK members plenty to do for the 1995 get-together. Weekend activities consisted of a funkana, a cruise on the sailing schooner Glenn L. Swetman, a bonfire on the beach, as well as the traditional car show. In addition, the Thrice in a Blue Moon rally was held. Best in Show was won by Steve Collins. Trials 1996 - Indianapolis, Indiana Seven years after the first Indy Trials, 6-PACK once again converged on the World Capital of Motor Racing for the annual gala. Fridays events included a rally and a long drive to the Covington Beef House for dinner (Not surprisingly, an MG broke down on the way back to the hotel!) Saturdays festivities included the car show, a visit to the Speedway Museum, and one lap around the Speedway track. Jim Jennings took Best of Show honors. Trials 1997 - Columbus, Indiana For the second year in a row, the Hoosier State was host to the 6-PACK Trials. Weekend events included an architectural walking tour of downtown Columbus, a drive through the countryside, dinner at the historic Story Inn, and a funkana. John Swauger (The Roadster Factory) and Doug Braden (Dougs Parts) helped thin our wallets by selling parts and regalia. Jim Holewka was awarded Best of Show. At this time, 6-PACK Local Chapters started forming under the guidance of Jeff Rust. Mark Ulhig took over the chairmans responsibilities at the beginning of the year. Trials 1998 – Whippany, New Jersey Beautiful weather was once again the norm for fantastic Trials weekend! This was our 17th annual gathering. We had a great turnout with 42 cars registered for the 30th anniversary of the TR250 and six cylinder TR power! TR enthusiasts participated in such Trials staples as the Welcome Barbecue, a tech session, Funkana, Road Rally, and a backroads tour. One of the more unconventional events was the most unorthodox Arm-Wrestling-for-the-Parts-Contest! The prizes for the Contest were provided by Nick Hanges and NAR Inc. We were fortunate to have Mr. Mike Cook, former U.S. Public Relations Manager for Standard-Triumph speak at the Awards Banquet. Best of Show was awarded to Pat and Delores Pinkston. Trials 1999 – Little Switzerland, North Carolina The Switzerland Inn was a very idyllic setting for the ’99 Trials, as it overlooked a valley adjacent to the Blue Ridge Parkway. We had 52 cars registered for the 30th anniversary of the TR6! Nearby attractions such as Mount Mitchell and Grandfather Mountain were popular with the folks who liked twisty roads and hairpin curves. Weekend events included the “Revisit your Childhood” funkhana, the Spark Plug Change contest, a Beanie Baby Bidding Contest, and a Fun Rallye. Best of Show was awarded to Jim Holewka. Matt Mullin was named 6-PACK Chairman. Trials 2000 – Rockford, Illinois Rockford’s Clocktower Resort was home base for the 2000 Trials. The temperature Thursday night was chilly, so we stayed warm inside with a Chicago-style pizza party and a game of TR parts charades. Friday, we shopped at the Crimson Ridge gift shops, ran the Cow-Bear funkhana, and went on a chartered coach pub-crawl in the evening. Saturday’s weather was beautiful for the car show and road rally. Pat and Delores Pinkston took home the Best of Show trophy. Trials 2001 – Wagoner, Oklahoma The Western Hills Guest Ranch in Sequoya Resort Park was home for the 2001 Trials. This Trials was hosted by Green Country Triumphs 6-PACK Chapter, co-chaired by Sam Clark and John Phillips. A Thursday evening pizza and beer (New Castle, of course) reception provided an opportunity to meet and greet new and old friends. In spite of the 9/11 events occurring only two days prior, the Green Country folk provided a warm welcome. Friday’s highlights included a Ft. Gibson Fool’s Folly Road Rally (a poker run) and a group drive to a surprise Amish dinner on an 800-acre working dairy farm. Saturday’s weather was great for the car show set in the shade of trees overlooking the lake followed by the “Down on the Farm” funkana at the Cherokee landing strip. At the evening banquet, Matt Mullin took home the Best of Show trophy, and for the 10th time, the Long Distance Award went to Steve Wilson of Pass Christian, Mississippi. Trials 2002 – Granville, Ohio A long string of fair weather Trials came to an end thanks to Hurricane Isadore visiting the Ohio River Valley for theTrials 2003. Granville had a New England style charm to it, and the Trials participants stayed in the quaint Granville Inn and also in the Buxton Inn (located across the street and rumored to be haunted…..but no spooks according to 6-PACK resident ghostbuster Jeff Rust). Thursday evening had us dodging the raindrops and enjoying an informal dinner at the “White” house located adjacent to the Granville Inn. In addition to rain, Friday featured field trips to the Longaberger basket factory and a motorcycle museum, as well as a tech session featuring a cut-away transmission! Friday’s dinner was held at a country estate whose owner featured a great collection of antique (especially brass-era) cars. The rain cleared for the big car show on Saturday, which was held on Broadway Avenue (closed to traffic) between the two hotels. This Trials would go on record as the best-attended to date with 68 registrations!!! The “Fratkana” and “Pep Rally Drive” were held in the afternoon. Sam and Carol Clark won Best of Show Honors with their distinctive and original gray interior-ed TR6. Trials 2003 – Bowling Green, Kentucky “Corvette City” was the destination for the 2003 Trials-goers…..and a great time was had by all. The Holiday Inn accommodations were first rate. Thursday night we had an informal Pizza Party in the hospitality suite, and Friday found us touring the Corvette Assembly Plant and Museum, and running the funkhana in the hotel’s parking lot. Friday’s barbeque dinner was held at a little bar called the Spitfire Grill, which shared its building with a custom motorcycle shop (and again, a special thanks to John Swauger and TRF for picking up the tab for dinner!) On Saturday, we held our big car show on the grounds of the Corvette Museum. The day was beautiful, and a lot of folks headed out on the road rally in the afternoon. The banquet proved to be both delicious and a lot of fun, featuring door prizes a go-go and several hotly-contested silent auction items. Top honors for the weekend went to Keith Bryson’s truly beautiful black TR250.
Posted on: Thu, 02 Oct 2014 01:29:08 +0000
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