LEFT: The Gathering got into full swing Thursday night with a barbecue at Wendell Strode's farm outside town. C4s lined up on the beautiful grounds.

BELOW LEFT: "Girlie Girl Racing" star Karen Rafferty bested everybody in the autocross.

   The name is perhaps a bit awkward. "The Gathering" sounds more like a convention for eagles or maybe the title for a Stanley Kubrick film. But organizer Dave Bright explained what we already knew after attending the may 17-20, 2001 edition, now five years old, at the National Corvette Museum. Although ZR1s dominate the attendance, the balance of Vettes included about 20 Grand Sports - a strong contingent considering how rare these vehicles are - plus this many and more of the 40th Anniversary "Ruby Red" Corvettes,