History of the Corvette Club of Michigan

The Corvette Club of Michigan (CCM) was organized in 1958. The membership that first year was around 250 Corvette enthusiasts. There were a few competition events; however, they were much different from what we know today. They consisted of tight turns, clover leaves and backing into and out of garages. Times were taken by hand-held stopwatches, and everyone was aware of the element of human error. There were other sports car clubs in the area, but related activities were highly limited.

In 1959 some of the CCM members came up with the idea of getting together with other Corvette clubs. A meeting was held here in Detroit with representatives from; the Corvette Club of Michigan, Capital City Corvette Club of Lansing, Corvette Club of Baltimore, Corvette Club of America, Corvette Club of Chicago, and the Corvette Club of Cleveland. From this gathering, the National Council of Corvette Clubs was formed. The NCCC was chartered here in Michigan, and Dick Wolf of CCM was elected as the council’s first president. It was then agreed upon to hold a convention and in 1960 CCM hosted the first NCCC convention in Detroit.

During the early years, competition between the member clubs was minimal because of the distance between the clubs and the lack of experience. The quality of the events left much to be desired. Conventions were held annually, and CCM sponsored its second. The national council continued to grow, spreading from coast to coast. A large concentration of clubs developed on the west coast, leading to the creation of the Western States Council of Corvette Clubs. That left the NCCC with all the clubs from east of the Mississippi. Eventually, both Councils united under one umbrella.

Under direction of the NCCC, more and more clubs were formed, with each club sponsoring more and more events. CCM was instrumental in compiling the first NCCC Competition handbook. However, the NCCC was getting so big, that once again it was divided. This time regions were created, and the state of Michigan was made an entire region. CCM members were caravanning to Lansing, Flint, Grand Rapids and various places in Ohio.

In Detroit, membership of CCM continued to grow, reaching first 300 members and then 350 members. Sports car interest, other than that directly related to the Corvette, also continued to grow with numerous clubs being formed. Some were linked to a specific “marquee” such as the Fiat club and the Triumph club. Some had no identity other than being sports car oriented, such as the Schoolcraft Sports Car Club or the Keynote Car Club. Each of these clubs was obtaining facilities and staging events. It finally reached a point where a “clearing house” was needed to oversee the vast number of clubs and activities. The Detroit Council of Sports Car Clubs was formed. The DCSCC now consists of approximately five clubs, all sponsoring a wide variety of sports car events at various locations in the metro area.

During this period, CCM members had shown an increasing interest in specific activities to the point that specialized, permanent committees were formed to handle the management. Our Competition Committee now oversees approximately 10 to 14 competition events a year. The CCM social committee is responsible for an additional 8 to 10 social events yearly.

In 1969 a group of CCM members caravanned to Daytona, Florida for an NCCC gathering, and the club took more than our share of trophies. Moving into the seventies the region started getting stronger, and CCM was very active. We were involved in the development of the class system, worked on the formation of sanctioning practices and a points system. Our club members were regulars in attendance at regional events and usually always present during the awarding of trophies.

The NCCC has continued to grow over the years. Currently, there are 16 regions in the United States. The Michigan Region has also developed in membership. Today there are 16 clubs in the region with several CCM members holding offices in the region. The NCCC still offers smaller clubs (in areas where enthusiasts are less concentrated than the Detroit/Metro area) the opportunity to be involved in a greater variety of sanctioned events. It offers club members the opportunity to meet Corvette enthusiasts from many other parts of the east coast. Many CCM members are active in regional events. Caravanning to western Michigan and mid-Ohio for other NCCC sanctioned events is a normal occurrence. The opportunity to choose events is available to the Corvette competitor. Additionally, many club members look forward to meeting old friends and new at the annual NCCC conventions.

In 2008, CCM celebrated fifty years as an organized sports car club. Several events were held throughout the year. The fiftieth-anniversary banquet was held at GM Heritage Center in June. Many specialty vehicles from GM’s 100-year history were on display, including several concept corvettes and one-of-a-kind Corvettes. CCM has continued to improve the quality and the number of events that the club sponsors. Our timing equipment is most accurate, and our members are highly trained. Our classes have been continually revised and updated to provide equitable and safe competition.

At the same time, the other DCSCC clubs have attained similar quality events. A sports car enthusiast in the Detroit area can usually find at least one top quality event on any given monthly weekend and usually a high-quality autocross event on a Sunday. The driver knows what class he or she will compete in and likely know many of his or her competitors personally. For additional information on competition events, please check the competition page. You can also contact the club’s Competition Director or any Competition Committee, member. There are also several links on the club’s website that will direct you to the DCSCC website, the NCCC and Michigan Region websites.

Throughout the years CCM has donated to various charities. Among the charities is the Children’s Leukemia Foundation of Michigan, the A.L.S. Association, Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, American Lung Cancer Association, and Forgotten Harvest. CCM also supports the NCCC Charity of The St Jude's Children's Research Hospital. CCM continues to donate to these charities, and throughout the year we will make donations to other charities.

Membership to CCM is open to any Corvette owner 18 years old or older. We promote the enjoyment of Corvettes through camaraderie and competition.

The Corvette Club of Michigan promotes amateur motorsport competition activities where each member can enjoy companionship and the thrill of their Corvette by exploring its performance and handling capabilities while developing their driving skills under safe and legal conditions.

The Club strives to maintain a competition program where every member can safely compete in any event regardless of their experience.

CCM sponsors a minimum of 12 competition events per year which include: Rallies, Autocrosses, Speed Events, Drags, Matching Times and a Concours d’Elegence.

Competition Awards History

**Overall Competition Records as of Year End 2023**

First Year For Top 10 & Top 5 Competitors: 1965 59 YEARS

Most Years In Men's Top 10: Bruce Wentzel 41 YEARS

Most Years In Ladies' Top 5: Mary Brotz Wentzel 43 YEARS

Most Consecutive Years In Men's Top 10:
 -Ray Meesseman (1973-2002) 30 YEARS
 -Bruce Wentzel (1992-2021) 30 YEARS


Most Consecutive Years In Ladies' Top 5: Mary Brotz Wentzel (1981-2023*) 43 YEARS

Most Consecutive Years In Men's Top 5: Bruce Wentzel (1992-2021) 30 YEARS

Most Consecutive Years In Ladies' Top 3: Mary Brotz Wentzel (1990-2023*) 34 YEARS

Most Years #1 Man: Bruce Wentzel 20 YEARS

Most Years #1 Lady: Mary Brotz Wentzel 25 YEARS

Most Consecutive Years #1 Man: Bruce Wentzel (2001-2005) 5 YEARS

Most Consecutive Years #1 Lady: Mary Brotz Wentzel (1999-2012) 14 YEARS

Most Years #1 Couple: Bruce & Mary Brotz Wentzel 17 YEARS

Dogz & Drinks Host: Diane Watson 23 YEARS