Corvair Tri-State Meets - History and News
Updated 03-Jun-2024 = Copyright (c) 2024 Corvairs of New Mexico
The Start of the Tri-State Tradition by Steve Gongora
Photos and Reports from Recent Tri-State Events
* Preview of the next Tri-State
* The Official CORVAIRS TRI-STATE Web Site
MAP SHOWING ALL TRI-STATE LOCATIONS, 1976 TO PRESENT
(Click for larger map.)
STATISTICS: ALL TRI-STATE EVENTS ---- 1976 TO PRESENT
=== ==== ================= | SPONSOR | === HOW MANY ATTENDED? == | ======
No. YEAR LOCATION | CLUB | CNM RMC PPCC UTAH OTHER | TOTAL
=== ==== ================= | ======= | ==== ==== ==== ==== ===== | ======
01. 1976 Montrose, CO | RMC,CNM | - - - - - | -
02. 1986 Montrose, CO | CNM | 25 16 9 - 12 | 62
03. 1987 Ouray, CO | RMC | - - - - - | -
04. 1988 Canon City, CO | PPCC | - - - - - | -
05. 1989 Red River, NM | CNM | - - - - - | -
06. 1990 Durango, CO | RMC | - - - - - | -
07. 1991 Gunnison, CO | PPCC | 21 41 14 - 11 | 87
08. 1992 Las Vegas, NM | CNM | 56 35 12 - - | 103
09. 1993 Alamosa, CO | RMC | - - - - - | -
10. 1994 Pagosa Springs CO | PPCC | 24 27 19 - - | 70
11. 1995 Red River, NM | CNM | - - - - - | -
12. 1996 Montrose, CO | RMC | - - - - - | -
13. 1997 Gunnison, CO | PPCC | - - - - - | -
14. 1998 Lake City, CO | CNM | 39 36 12 - 24 | 111
15. 1999 Salida, CO | RMC | - - - - - | -
16. 2000 Albuquerque, NM | CNM | 55 42 11 - 8 | 116
17. 2001 Manitu Springs CO | PPCC | 27 48 39 - 5 | 119
18. 2002 Grand Junction CO | RMC | 17 39 17 - 29 | 102
19. 2003 Raton, NM | CNM | 41 25 31 - - | 97
20. 2004 Cripple Creek, CO | PPCC | 18 34 42 - 13 | 107
21. 2005 Ouray, CO | RMC | 18 39 33 - - | 90
22. 2006 Montrose, CO | CNM | 37 28 29 - 12 | 106
23. 2007 Monte Vista, CO | PPCC | 16 29 24 - 5 | 74
24. 2008 Pagosa Springs CO | RMC | 15 46 25 - 18 | 104
25. 2009 Taos, NM | CNM | 42 37 18 7 18 | 122
26. 2010 Canon City, CO | PPCC | 17 37 30 4 21 | 109
27. 2011 Red River, NM | CNM | 38 24 20 2 14 | 98
28. 2012 Salida, CO | RMC | 24 33 21 2 6 | 86
29. 2013 Cripple Creek, CO | PPCC | 19 35 33 - 15 | 102
30. 2014 Chama, NM | CNM | 38 24 18 - 17 | 97
31. 2015 Durango, CO | RMC | 41 50 23 - - | 123
32. 2016 Montrose, CO | PPCC | 25 49 30 11 9 | 124
33. 2017 Taos, NM | CNM | 43 38 23 2 30 | 136
34. 2018 Crested Butte, CO | RMC | 12 43 32 14 24 | 125
35. 2019 Alamosa, CO | PPCC | - - - - - | 99
--- 2020 ------------------| ---- | CANCELLED DUE TO COVID-19 PANDEMIC
36. 2021 Albuquerque, NM | CNM | 62 25 11 4 11 | 113 *
37. 2022 Glenwood Springs | RMC | 5 20 12 1 7 | 45
38. 2023 Salida, CO | PPCC | 19 37 56 4 5 | 121
39. 2024 Las Vegas, NM | CNM | 38 30 17 - 3 | 88 *
40. 2025 Trinidad, CO | RMC | - - - - - | -
41. 2026 Montrose, CO ? | PPCC ? | - - - - - | -
42. 2027 - | CNM ? | - - - - - | -
==========================================================================
* Information for these events is from registration and is NOT official.
==========================================================================
*** Tri-State Meets have always been sponsored by the same three clubs from two
states, but the name has not been changed from the original TRI-STATE MEET.
*** RMC, PPCC and CNM have used different methods of counting attendance.
*** 2016: count based on attendance as PERCENTAGE of club's total membership.
*** 2017: count based on registration forms as filled out by those registering.
*** 2019: the Attendance Award has been retired from this and future Tri-States.
*** 2019: the Boydston Award has been retired from this and future Tri-States.
===============================================================================
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THE START OF THE TRI-STATE TRADITION BY STEVE GONGORA
This history of the Tri-States was written by Steve Gongora
for the 1999 "Special 25th Anniversary Edition" of the
"Enchanted Corvairs" Newsletter, March 1999.
TRI-STATE MEETS
Steve Gongora
It has been so long since the first Tri-State Meet that I don't remember who was
responsible for putting the first one together. I'm sure SYLVAN ZUERCHER had a
major part in starting this thing. I remember that our Club wanted to expand our
contact with other Corvair clubs in the area, and with the help of the CORSA
directory we made contacts with people in the neighboring states of Utah and
Colorado. The main contact in Colorado was LEO FORD, a retired FBI agent. He did
much of the organizing in Montrose, Colorado at the first event. He arranged the
dinner and the fun tour around the town of Montrose and south to Ouray. He drove
his orange and black "Nader Hater" Corvair.
Our CNM entourage included myself, JACK SELLERS, ANDY CIUPRYK and SYLVAN and
OPAL ZUERCHER. DAVID LANGLOIS, along with his brother and father, trailered a
mid-engine Corvair up to Colorado. This particular mid-engine was put together
at our shop, House of Covers, on Central back in 1975. It was a beautiful piece
of work. Jack and Andy traveled with me in my 1965 Corsa. (This car is still
alive and well and is a daily driver in the capable hands of BILL REIDER, who
gave it a unique silver-and-black color scheme.)
This trip was going to be the farthest that I had traveled in my Corvair. Since
I had Jack with me, I wasn't very worried because he was a Corvair mechanic.
In fact, he rented space at our old shop so he could work on cars, including
Corvairs.
The meet itself was fantastic because you saw how other clubs conducted their
business, and we could learn from their experiences how to make our own Club
flourish. The event was also a way to buy and trade parts. Andy was able to
purchase a brand new set of Corvair mag wheels out of the box at the first meet.
You've got to remember that this was 1976. New Corvair items were easier to find
back then. You have to look a little harder to find the same treasures today.
Another aspect of the Tri-State events was an opportunity to see some great
cars. The first meet brought on an inspiration for my car. BILL WOODMAN came
from Colorado in a late-model Corvair. What Bill had done was install BMW 2002
seats in place of the traditional bucket seats. The look and feel was perfect
for the Corvair. As soon as I got back to Albuquerque, the hunt was on for the
BMW seats. These seats are still in the car that BILL REIDER drives today.
Woodman had other nice modifications to his car. He placed the battery in the
trunk, installed mag wheels, and put black trim on the headlight bezels.
The Tri-State took a ten-year hiatus after the first meet for reasons unknown to
me. When the aspect of resurrecting the event came up, I was all for it. The
Tri-State originally included Utah, but in 1986 they did not have a strong
enough response to carry on. Colorado Springs and Denver took the ball and ran
with it. So up until now the "Tri-State" has been made up of CNM, Pikes Peak
Corvair Club, and Rocky Mountain CORSA in Denver. The hosting of the event is
rotated among each of the participating clubs. The meets have been a great way
to experience the scenery of northern New Mexico and southern Colorado. The
small towns always open their arms to the clubs and everyone has a great time.
Finally, over the years the meet has become something of a rivalry between
STEVE & RUTH GOODMAN and the GONGORA family. We are the only members who have
attended every one of the Tri-state meets since the beginning. Now it has become
a drive for me to continue this friendly competition. It is always a highlight
of the year to be able to attend the meets with my family and see the enthusiasm
of all those who come from different states and different Corvair clubs. Every-
one looks forward to seeing you from year to year. It is amazing to me the way
the longest distance traveled to each Tri-State seems to get longer every year.
-- Steve Gongora -- 1999
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PHOTOS AND REPORTS FROM RECENT TRI-STATE EVENTS
2009 Taos, New Mexico
2010 Canon City, Colorado
2011 Red River, New Mexico
2012 Salida, Colorado
2013 Cripple Creek, Colorado
2014 Chama, New Mexico
2015 Durango, Colorado
2016 Montrose, Colorado
2017 Taos, New Mexico
2018 Crested Butte, Colorado
2019 Alamosa, Colorado
2021 Albuquerque, New Mexico
2022 Glenwood Springs, Colorado
2023 Salida, Colorado
2024 Las Vegas, New Mexico
2025 Trinidad, Colorado
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