Corvette with a Cause
We have acquired a 2007 base C6 Corvette for use in our disabled veteran awareness and suicide prevention programs. We wanted a car that represented America, would turn heads and start conversations, and that sponsors and supporters would want to drive. The Corvette fit the bill perfectly.
The Corvette is America’s sports car – a supercar, actually. Corvette Racing has had multiple successes across multiple championships, including eight victories at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, four victories at the 24 Hours of Daytona, ten championship titles in the American Le Mans Series, and five championships in the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship series. Click the following link for a Car and Driver article on the Corvette’s racing heritage: A Brief Photo History of Chevrolet Corvette Race Cars [2013 Pebble Beach]
The picture at right is the first version of the car’s livery. The crowd theme represents the men and women who have served our country. The front quarter panel carries the major campaign ribbons since Vietnam. DVEN’s founder is a life member of the American Legion and the Veterans of Foreign Wars, so those logos are present.
In the future, the car will carry the logos of the companies that are helping prepare the car for its missions on the track and engaging people at Cars and Coffee events. Click the following link to see the companies that are partnering with us to reduce veteran suicide: Corvette with a Cause Partners.
Scroll down the page to watch the car’s transformation.
A big shout out to the team at Just Driven LLC; the project manager for this program. Visit them on their YouTube channel: Just Driven.
VIN 1G1YY26U575118617 – AKA C2 – Hits the Track
Getting the C6 ready for track use meant actually getting it on a track and establishing a performance baseline. We signed up for a Streets of Willow track day with Speed Ventures and wound up being there the same weekend Just Driven had their Corolla GR there competing in Round 1 of the 2023 Corolla Movement Series.
Our best time of the day was 1:38:602. With this as a baseline, we met with the Just Driven and OG Racing teams and decided the car needs the following:
- Seats
- 6-point harness
- Roll or harness bar
- Fire suppression
- Wheels
- Tires
- Shocks
- Sway bars
- Brakes
- And?
With all of this in mind, the real focus is on safety since the C6 is an experiential car, allowing sponsors and donors to experience driving a classic race car on the track [it’s a manual transmission] and we expect many – if not most – drivers will have little or no previous track experience.
Apex Race Parts are providing the new wheels – watch for the photos – and OG Racing has signed on for the seats, harness, roll bar, and tow hooks. We’re grateful and excited!
Head over to the Rally4Vets website to learn more about our racing format: rally4vets.com.
Interested in partnering with us on the car and reaching the military motorsports enthusiasts community? Email us at Info @ DVEN.org.
The C6 went to the Streets of Willow for a “shakedown” session prior to any performance upgrades. The video of DVEN founder Robert Hess learning how to handle 400 hp. [His normal racecar is a 1997 NA Miata.] You can hear the burble from the straight pipes which, because of California emissions, we need to replace. But they do sound so good!
Sponsors and Partners on the DVEN C6 Corvette Project
Just Driven, LLC – Orange, California
OG Racing – Sterling Virginia
Race-Keeper – Leesburg, Virginia
Apex Race Parts – Pleasanton, California
Research Shows Dogs Play an Important Role In Emotional Resilience
One of our key programs is helping to provide cost-free service dogs to veterans struggling with PTSD. Our current project is to raise the funds needed for “Woody’s” two-year training program.
Woody is a 10-week-old Labrador named in honor of PFC Donald Charles Wood, who made the ultimate sacrifice while serving with the 173rd Airborne Brigade near LZ Pony on May 20, 1968.
Woody is destined for a higher purpose, as he will soon embark on a two-year service dog training program. Once he graduates, Woody will be assigned to a disabled veteran, where he will undoubtedly save a life.
We currently are raising $20,000 to cover the first year of Woody’s training program. If you would like to join us in this noble mission, please click the QR code below.
