Dan is one of four friends that came up with the idea of combining their love of Cobras and picnicking and turned the idea into what they called the Double Venom Spring Fling, which became known as DVSF. Their DVSF formed the basis of what today is the London Cobra Show.
Dan was born in Youngstown, Ohio and later raised in Cleveland Heights, Ohio where he graduated from Cleveland Heights High School in 1967. Dan enlisted in Navy as a Fleet Marine Force Hospital Corpsman and was assigned to the 3rd and 9th Marine Divisions where he completed 2 tours as a front line Corpsman in Northern Vietnam.
Upon discharge from the Navy, Dan became an Orthopedic Physician’s Assistant in Lorain, Ohio and later in Milwaukee, Wisconsin while he completed his pre-medical requirements at Marquette University. Dan graduated from The Ohio College of Podiatric Medicine in 1980 and established his medical practice in Richmond, Indiana with his best friend Sue Haritatos, who is also a doctor and, in 1983 became his wife. The couple has resided in Richmond, Indiana for 37 years.
Dan has been an avid cobraphile starting with his first Superformance #760, purchased from Dynamic Motorsports in Ross, Ohio and ending with an aluminum bodied Shelby Continuation Cobra - CSX #4148 originating from Shelby American. During his cobra life Dan has met some of the nicest type A personalities and has enjoyed friendships with cobraphiles from all over the entire world.
Student
University of Dayton
Emily is a student at the University of Dayton in Dayton, OH. She is the young lady that usually pulls the winning raffle ticket from our ticket tumbler each year. Emily will speak on living with Cystic Fibrosis and her trip to Africa.
Editor
ReinCarNation Magazine
Steve is currently the Editor of ReinCarNation Magazine (formerly Car Builder Magazine), and has been an automotive journalist for more than three decades. He has served as editor of several automotive enthusiast Magazines. Steve is personally familiar with a wide range of aftermarket upgrades and cars and trucks, everything from vintage street rods to classic muscle cars to modern sports cars.
Steve has served as the Director of Marketing for Shelby American and will be sharing several colorful stories from his time working for Carroll Shelby.
Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer
Cystic Fibrosis Foundation
Marc oversees the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation's day-to-day operations with a focus on field management, information technology and the Foundation's infrastructure. The Foundation is the world's leader in the search for a cure for cystic fibrosis and funds more cystic fibrosis research than any other organization. Nearly every CF drug available today was made possible in part through Foundation support. The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation is a donor-supported nonprofit organization.
Marc has significant expertise in health care with decades of experience and a passion for helping to ensure that people with CF and their families is at the heart of everything the CF Foundation does.
Marc earned his MBA from New York University's Leonard N. Stern School of Business and a J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania Law School. He completed his undergraduate studies in accounting and finance at the SUNY at Buffalo School of Management.
Sherry and Rich, the wife and son of the late Dave MacDonald, will speak about their memories of Dave. During the early 1960's, Dave raced Cobras, Corvettes, and stock cars in NASCAR as well as in the Indianapolis 500 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Dave also drove the following of Carroll Shelby's legendary Cobras to their first ever victories:
While Dave's racing career was short, lasting less than five years, his impact on American racing history is significant, as he competed in a total of 101 races with 44 victories and 65 top 3 finishes.
Dave was just 27 years old when he lost his life in the 1964 Indianapolis 500. He was respected among his peers for his remarkable driving ability and by all who knew him for his dedication to his family.
Vintage Race Car Driver and Author
John’s interest in racing was sparked as a child by attending local dirt track races with his dad at the Waukegan Speedway in his Illinois hometown. While in college John began his racing career on a dirt track near Clemson.
In 1962 John traveled to California to attend Carroll Shelby's School of High Performance Driving, a five-day course with Peter Brock as John’s instructor. John was then able to obtain a job, with Shelby American Racing, not as a race car driver but at the end of a broom handle. Later, John was promoted to making oil pans for Shelby, earning $3.25 per hour. Finally, John got the chance he wanted at Shelby American Racing and drove a 427 Cobra at Sebring International Raceway.
In 1968, Peter Brock asked John to join his new BRE Datsun racing team. After his time with BRE, John went on to race a few years in F5000, Can-Am and various IMSA races. John's racing victories include an overall victory at Sebring and several class wins, including the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1994. John has competed at Le Mans a total of nine times.
Inside Shelby American, Wrenching and Racing with Carroll Shelby in the 1960s is the title of a book, John has written. The book is about his working for Carroll Shelby and he will be selling signed copies of his book on Friday and Saturday.
MASTER of CEREMONIES
“Boots" has been in the automotive sales industry for over 20 years. He was a racing analyst for four plus years on local sports television and radio. He is currently an Auto Expert on FOX 28 and ABC 6 in the Columbus area.
During his two-decade long career Longenette has enjoyed accomplishments both nationally and locally here in Ohio. In his free time Boots enjoys building and restoring high-end classic cars. In 2002 he was awarded the Top 100 title in the country for a 57 Chevy, and in 2003 he helped build a 23 Model T national winner. He has hand-built and ridden two motorcycle choppers, for which his 12-foot long chopper was the national winner in 2003.
Boots has helped organize and is the head judge for the yearly 300 plus cars at the Grove City, OH Rotary Cruise and Ride. He chairs many car show boards and is on the Car Show Board with the Arthritis Foundation.
Boots founded AUTO SMARTS MEDIA GROUP LLC, with a state of the art Radio Studio, in Dublin, OH, high a top Germain Automotive. Auto Smarts is currently on 21 radio stations in three states .Ohio, West Virginia and Kentucky.
Self-Guided Cruises - Please see the Self-Guided Cruises section.
LCS Registration - Holiday Inn meeting room.
Cruise-In and Dinner - Submarine House Bar and Grill for dinner and friendship
Spend time catching up on what has been happening with your extended Cobra family over the past 12 months.
LCS Registration - Holiday Inn meeting room
8:15 am - Meet in LaQuinta Inn parking lot
8:30 am - Depart for the Nation Museum of the Air Force in Dayton
8:30 am - Meet in Holiday Inn parking lot
8:45 am - Depart for Clifton Mill
8:45 am - Meet in Fairfield Inn parking lot
9:00 am - Depart for Circleville Raceway Park north of Circleville
9:00 am - Meet in Hampton Inn parking lot
9:15 am - Depart for Hocking Hills
9:15 am - Meet in Holiday Inn parking lot
9:30 am - Depart for Amish County and Mohican State Park
9:30 am - Meet in Hampton Inn parking lot
9:45 am - Depart for the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course
Friday Evening Cook Out - Enjoy a Cook Out under the Big Tent and an evening with friends.
Water is the only beverage that will be supplied for dinner, so please bring your own beverage if your desire something else to drink.
LCS Registration - Holiday Inn meeting room.
LCS Late Registration - at the Speedway Truck Stop, located just southwest of the intersection of I - 70 (Exit 97) and State Route 42 northeast of London, Ohio. You may take either I-70 west or State Route 40 to the Speedway Truck Stop location. Highway 40 is a nicer drive than is the I-70 route.
Line up your Cobra for the parade into London
Cobra parade leaves Speedway Truck Stop for London
Cobra parade arrives in London
Visit with the vendors that are located along the LCS “Gasoline Alley” on Main street.
Ohio Cobra Club check presentation to the City of London and Madison County officials
Drivers meeting for those drivers planning on giving charity rides
Charity Rides for Cystic Fibrosis.
Leave London and return to hotels
Grand Gala dinner, evening activities and socializing with friends under the big tent.
Water is the only beverage that will be supplied for dinner, so please bring your own beverage if your desire something else to drink.
What began as the Double Venom Spring Fling and later became the London Cobra Show, had its beginning shortly before Christmas of 1999. It all began when four Cobra loving friends, Gary Osborne, Dan and Dave Semko, got together with Ed Combs, at Ed's house near Columbus, Ohio. The reason for the meeting was for a pre-holiday celebration. At the time, Ed's wife just happened to serve the group some of her chocolate chip cookies. Later, one of the men would state on the Club Cobra forum that - “Ed's wife made the best chocolate chip cookies in the world.” As you can imagine, that comment led others on Club Cobra to say that their wife was the best cook.
Eventually, the comments on Club Cobra led to a suggestion for a Cobra family picnic during the spring of 2000. It was decided that the picnic would allow everyone the opportunity for a cook-off, to see who actually did cook the best tasting food. From that small picnic of 20 or so people, it became a full-fledged international Cobra Event called the Double Venom Spring Fling or simple DVSF in 2001. The name came about, due to the fact that Ed Combs owned a Viper V-10-powered Cobra.
As the event was becoming much larger than they had anticipated, the expenses would be more than the four friends wanted to cover by themselves. These expenses were for such things as food, entertainment, police escorts, and insurance to cover potential liability. The question the four friends asked themselves was how much should they charge. As they did not intend to make money from hosting DVSF, they settled on an amount sufficiently large to cover the expected expenses.
As the number of attendees continued to increase, the expected income was likely going to surpass the actual events cost. So the friends decided that if any money was left over, they would donate it to some charity so no one could accuse them of making anything off the show. Next, they needed to decide on the proper charity. After much discussion, one of them happened to mention that the daughter of Dave Smith, owner of Factory Five Racing, had Cystic Fibrosis. So CF became the charity of choice.
The first DVSF had approximated 300 Cobras in attendance with almost 400 Cobras for DVSF II, with 300 plus for each of DVSF III and DVSF IV. The show is still said to be the largest gathering of Cobra in the world.
Prior to DVSF IV, Ed's daughter became gravely ill, which weighed heavily on him. Unfortunately, between his daughter's health issues and with the event now being so large, the friends decided to end their efforts with DVSF. It was at this time the Ohio Cobra Club, a 501 (3) (c) non-profit organization, took the event over and it became the London Cobra Show in 2005. Since the beginning, the venues have remained essentially the same and Cystic Fibrosis has remained the club's charity of choice.
The London Cobra Show, gives homage to both England and Carroll Shelby. London, for England which was the home of AC Cars, builder of the car chassis and body and Cobra for Mr. Shelby, as he combined a Ford V8 engine with the AC Cars chassis and body to give us the Shelby Cobra, that we all have come to love.
It is great pleasure to be able to say that over the years, many great friends have been made, thanks to the show. In addition, the show has allowed donations in excess of $1,125,000 to help fight Cystic Fibrosis. The Ohio Cobra Club would like to thank everyone that has made a donation or has purchased raffle tickets for helping support research that is working to find a cure for cystic fibrosis! Please visit the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation website, for additional information about CF.
The Ohio Cobra Club ad the London Cobra Show are governed by a nine-member Board of Directors. To contact a board member, please see the contact tab.
Braden D. from Westlake Ohio
Factory Five Racing Mark IV 20th Anniversary Roadster
Joe T. from Chadron, Ohio
Superformance 20th Anniversary Roadster
Mark B. from Galloway, Ohio
Shell Valley Classic Wheels Cobra
Don W. From Pennsylvania
Hurricane Motorsports 427 Cobra
