From: John Celona
Porsche Club of America Golden Gate Region
February, 2008 - Vol 48, Number 2
In This Issue Dear Porsche Enthusiast, President's Message Welcome to The Nugget, the email newsletter of the Golden Letter from the Editor Gate Region, Porsche Club of America. Competition Corner If you have any trouble viewing Nov. Membership this email, you can click here to go to the archive of PDF Dec. Membership versions of this newsletter. For Board of Directors comments or feedback, click here to email the editor. GGR Award Winners Thanks for reading. The Power Chef 40 Years Ago in the Nugget Meet the New Webmaster Porsche Roads Vintage Racing Stories Porsches Stars at Daytona 2008 DE Schedule More on the Panamerica GT3 is "Most Wanted" Crab 34 European Porsche Parade 2008 LA Lit & Toy Show Quick Links Event Calendar Classified Ads Join PCA Now Nugget Archive Pawlina Paraskova CG More About Us Executive Editor of The Nugget Zone 7 web site PCA web site Great Links President's Message --by Bill Dally, GGR President
February marks the end of our off-season as we kick off our DE and Time Trial series with an event at Infineon (formerly known as Sears Point) on February 16th and 17th. For those who autocross, you have another month to wait before we kick off the 2008 season with our return to Alameda on March 15. We will be running on a new (and larger) site at Alameda, so don't miss this event.
The off-season can be a frustrating time for those of us who are driving enthusiasts. We are itching to get behind the wheel and compete. Whether you have another two weeks to wait for the Time Trial or another six before the autocross, here are some ideas on how to fill the time:
Prepare your car. The off-season is an ideal time to get your car in perfect shape for the season. After taking care of routine maintenance and making sure you comply safety guidelines (check the dates on your helmet and belts) you can study the recent rules changes to see if you have any points left to use on upgrades while staying within your class. The new rules for tires may also open up some options. I have spent some time on this one already this winter. My white 914/6 has new springs and torsion bars that should help keep all four wheels on the ground - unlike its debut performance at Marina in November.
Practice looking ahead. Your eyes are the most important part of your body when you are driving and where you look as more effect on the line you take than almost anything else. Many beginning drivers have apex fixation in which they focus on the apex of a turn until they are past it. Only then do they look up toward the exit - almost always finding that they are not on the right line. A much smoother line results when you always look one or two features ahead. Once you turn in look to the exit - and possibly to the next turn - and let your peripheral vision deal with the apex. By looking ahead your brain computes a smooth line connecting your present position, the features you've already seen, and your current viewpoint. You can practice this in everyday driving by constantly looking ahead - but please don't hit any parked cars or pedestrians.
You can take this practice one step further by practicing picking and driving the right line in everyday traffic. It's a good idea to leave a few extra feet of space when doing this to avoid ruining a rim on a curb. Also, make sure you don't sideswipe any cars on the freeway while hitting that late apex. If, after practicing your line for a while, you find yourself thinking about turn-in points with the grocery cart at Safeway, its clearly time to get back on the track.
Adopt a project car. Almost as much fun as driving a Porsche is returning an old car to life - and, with adequate garage space, this is a pleasure that can be enjoyed on a rainy winter day. If you are at all mechanically inclined, rebuilding the engine, transmission, brakes, and other systems on an old car is very therapeutic after dealing with the more abstract challenges of Silicon Valley.
The club is currently reviewing the rules for time trial safety equipment. Our current rules require 5-point harnesses for time trial (3-point street belts are adequate for driver education track events). A recent revision to the rules also requires that the shoulder harnesses of 5-point belts pass through the seats. This requires replacing the stock seats on almost all cars - even modern cars with airbags that are quite safe with their street belts - to make them eligible for time trial. This rule creates a major deterrent that may discourage drivers from participating in time trials with street cars. We are reviewing a proposal to permit modern cars with airbags to run in time trial events with stock seats and belts. We hope to be able to report back on the results of this proposal soon. Please stay tuned. Losing access to the Alameda autocross site last year and having Candlestick repaved with a difficult surface has made it clear that getting access to a good autocross site a reasonable distance from the peninsula is a major challenge for the club which will only going to get more difficult with time. Last year we managed to piece a season together by finding a new site, Bay Meadows, and by finishing the year with several events at Marina. However, Bay Meadows is available for at most a few events each year, and attendance figures make it clear that most members don't want to drive all the way to Marina for an autocross. We are fortunate to have been granted a permit to return to Alameda for events this year, but it is not clear how much longer we will be able to use that site.
Autocross is a central element of our driving program - both in its own right and as a feeder to our time trial program. To ensure that we have a good, safe, local site for autocross in the long term, the club is looking at acquiring a permanent autocross site. This will most likely involve not purchasing a piece of land, but rather acquiring the rights to use an existing parking lot or other facility for some number of weekend days per year. Because the local chapter of the SCCA has similar issues, we are in contact with them and will likely work together on this issue.
I would like to thank all of you who replied to last month's column by putting forth suggestions for new events and types of events. I am hopeful that some of these proposals will come to fruition and some new tech sessions, social events, and/or tours will result. It's not too late to propose something. If you have a good idea for an event, please contact me or another board member and we will work with you to make it a reality. Putting together an event is a great way to get involved with the club and meet a lot of great people.
Bill
Letter from the Editor
--by John Celona, Nugget Editor
The Green, Green Nugget
Unless you've just returned from five years cast away on a small island, you've heard a lot about "going green." Green businesses, green construction, green energy, green cars-just about every field of human endeavor is feeling the social pressure to get greener. I was at a planning session for the little town of San Carlos and it was a great concern to the gathered citizens that the town figure getting greener into its development plans. Especially with global warming, oil at historic highs, and billions of dollars going overseas to pay for it, this is not a good time for conspicuous consumption of energy or resources.
Possibly no one has raised the matter with you (yet), but it wouldn't be too surprising in this climate for someone to question the environmental friendliness of driving powerful, gas-guzzling cars in circles at maximum throttle or brake. For fun. Autocross or Drivers' Ed, in other words.
Thankfully, if you are ever accosted on this topic, you have a ready answer: the email Nugget. The email Nugget is GGR's "save the trees" contribution to the forest, to reducing its carbon footprint, and not least of all to Mother Earth.
As good as it was to have something pretty and printed arrive in the mail each month, each printed issue of the Nugget required approximately 500 pounds of paper. For ten printed issues (the former schedule, versus the email comes every month), that's 5000 pounds of paper each year. 2.5 tons. As quoted by Conservatree, that's about 38 trees per year which no longer need to be cut down to produce paper for the Nugget. And that's not even counting the energy used to produce the paper, the ink, the staples, and the fossil fuels burned to move all that paper around from the paper mill to the printer to the post office and finally to your home.
Put another way, with 9 autocrosses and 4 drivers' ed each year, for each event there about 3 more trees per event in existence than otherwise would be. Sounds pretty green to me.
But the email Nugget is also very green in another way perhaps more immediately near and dear to the club than future climate hypotheticals: it is very green in the sense of good old greenbacks.
Even after a lot of work to get production costs down (changing printers, changing layout and paper size, etc.), the printed Nugget still required $4,000 each month to print and mail. Advertising contributed about $1,000 of that-leaving a $3,000 hole the club had to deal with each month. $30,000 per year. Basically, the printed Nugget ate all of the portion of your annual PCA dues sent back to GGR, plus the autocross and time trial series each had to chip in an additional $5,000 or so to close the gap.
Prior to Andrew Forrest's remarkable efforts to turn around time trial attendance (this year's Perc Bliss award winner!), the cost of the printed Nugget was driving the club off the track.
You've already experienced the benefits of this if you've done an autocross recently. Cost was slated to go to $35 per event; it was kept at $30. The reason for this was the money saved with the email Nugget.
Two other benefits coming to the autocross folks from the email Nugget. First, the board has approved purchasing new timing equipment for autocross. No more stopping the event cold while folks try to figure out what went wrong with the aging pieces of equipment and their homemade connecting wires.
Second, the board has approved setting aside funds to participate with SCCA in gaining long- term access to an autocross site in the Bay Area-analogous to the way GGR's long-term contract with Thunderhill anchors the time trial series. With autocross sites becoming harder and harder to come by (there was no Alameda last year, and no Candlestick this year), this access is critical for the continued health of the autocross series, which in turn feeds participation in drivers' ed and time trials.
The green, green email Nugget. Next time you open one in your email, just think: somewhere out there, a few more trees are waving back at you.
As always, thanks for reading.
John Competition Corner --by Dan Thompson, Competition Director
Ready for the Season's Kickoff
OK sports fans, the 2008 GGR competition season is just about upon us. Our first event will be at Infineon Raceway. February 16 and 17. This venue is close for all of GGR so come out and see some Porsches in action on the track. Visitors and spectators are always welcome. This will be Time Trial #1, and we are hoping to finally get some times into the records for this track...Our 4th time will hopefully be the charm and keep the rain away for timed runs.
Our first AX of the season will be held at our old stomping grounds at Alameda. This year we will be using one of the runways instead of the tie down area we used to use. It is on the North East portion of the old airfield. This will be on March 15. Come on out and use that Porsche the way it was meant to be used.
A big thank you to Mark Blatt for securing the use of Alameda once again. He went to a lot of time and effort to make this happen. If you see him at one of our events, make sure you go up and thank him.
The runway we will be using this year will present some special issues for us. The runway is 4,500' long by just 200' wide. So our courses will tend to be long and narrow.
Hopefully, we will be getting some new timing equipment for the AX series this year and we are planning on going wireless with results immediately downloaded onto a laptop. Results should come pretty quickly with a new system.
On another subject. There has been some confusion and consternation about the seats/belts/harnesses needed for our DE/TT series. We are hoping to have much of this ironed out very soon. I know the sooner the better, and I agree. Keep an eye on the GGR website for Technical Bulletins issued about this subject, probably soon after the February Board meeting.
I also want to take this opportunity to give a big THANK YOU, to Chet and Lyn Martin for their years of service as track officials for the GGR Time Trial Series. For the past several years they have made the trip down from Vancouver Washington in their motorhome for each of our Time Trials. Without dedication like theirs, our events would never happen. Also a thank you to Sergio Meza for his service as Grid Steward last season.
On a related note our Time Trial Co-chairs for the 2009 season have been publicly announced.....it is a couple of veterans of the series. Mike Cullinan and Warren Walker. I am sure they will continue to grow the series as our current Chair, Andrew Forrest, has over the last 3 seasons.
Alright, the schedules for the AX and TT series are available to everyone on the GGR website so there are no excuses not to get out and try one of our events.
Dan
November Membership Report --by Jeff Kost, Membership Director Total Members: 2488 Primary: 1485 Affiliate: 1002 Life: 1
New Members: 27 Transfers In: 8 Transfers Out: 9
New Members
Vincent Castro San Francisco 2008 Cayman Bennett Chin Los Altos 1995 911 Alec Clark St Helena Marina Collins San Francisco Terence Collins San Francisco 1979 911 Dirk & Kim Diefendorf San Mateo 2006 997 Pamela Dillon Beck Soquel Steven & Kristen Doherty Menlo Park 1997 993 C4s Blake Feinstein Santa Clara 1979 911sc Alexis Fox Walnut Creek Sara Garcia San Jose Rainer Genschel San Francisco 1991 911 C4 Leslie & Gillian Hamilton Palo Alto 2006 Cayenne S Iling Ho Burlingame Donald & Shannon Hopkins Millbrae 2005 997 Cirilo & Teresita Jaculina Gilroy 2006 Carrera Leonard & Carol Kwiatkowski San Jose 2001 Boxster Sean Maccann Ireland 1989 911 Michal Mermelstein San Francisco Christian & Nancy Miller Saratoga 2005 Lee Neidle San Mateo 2008 Boxster S Mark Otto San Jose 2006 Cayman S Edward Phillips Menlo Park 1984 911 Robert Poltz Mountain View 1999 911 Eileen Prager Hillsborough Lars Rossen Palo Alto 2000 Boxster Judith Rowe Walnut Creek Carey Shaughnessy San Francisco 1992 Yao-Lin Tang Burlingame 2001 911 Paul Tonelli Menlo Park 2004 911 Marsha Tse San Francisco 2001 996 Turbo John Turner East Perth 2000 Boxster S Wilma & Frank Vanson San Mateo 1982 911 Anthony Ward Mill Valley 2000 Cup Gt3 Andrey Yruski San Francisco 2008 Boxster S Dietmar & Hollyjean Zapf Emerald Hills 2007 911 Turbo
Anniversaries 30 Years Peg Goerges San Jose Phillip Whalen Woodside 1963 356-C
25 Years
Steve Moore Los Altos Hills 1961 356
20 Years
James Calzia Sunnyvale 1973 911 Victoria Wolf Napa
15 Years
Ken Holladay Gilroy 1973 914-4 Georg Konradsheim Vosendorf 1973 911 Robert Sasaki Fremont 1995 993 Jeffrey Williams Aptos 1992 968
10 Years
Stanley Chang San Francisco 1989 951 Amy Dodge Hammer San Jose John Gingrich San Ramon 1993 911 Reg Johnston Bowral, Nsw 2004 Cayenne T Chip Virnig Monte Seveno
5 Years
Edward Ishizaki Pacifica 1986 Carerra Catalina Mendez Menlo Park Konstantin Ovodov San Francisco 2003 911/996 Patricia Pascoe Hillsborough Maria Paterno Santa Clara Fred Prager Hillsborough 1997 Carrera Susie Sutton Menlo Park Tom Sutton Menlo Park 1998 Boxster Joann Thompson Burlingame Wayne Vannorsdall Walnut Creek 1995 993 Richard Pierce San Francisco 2001 Carrera Tony Riley San Francisco 1999 996 Cabrio Bridget Steele Mountain View
December Membership Report --by Jeff Kost, Membership Director
Total Members: 2519 Primary: 1472 Affiliate: 1046 Life: 1
New Members: 10 Transfers In: 4 Transfers Out: 7
New Members
Roland Burton Stanford 2007 987 Calvin & Michelle Eng San Francisco 2002 911 Ted & Nancy Fischer Los Gatos 2004 Boxster Traci Gardner Morgan Hill Daniel Hernandez San Jose Thomas Huot San Francisco 2006 Cayman S Kristen Hurlbut San Jose Isabell Jaeger Redwood City Mike Lyons San Francisco Jack & Judy Millerick Los Gatos 2002 Boxster Mark Nelson Incline Village 2004 Cayenne Christopher Osborn Berkeley 1984 911 Ron & Steven Pankowski San Mateo 2008 911 Kai Petzelt Redwood City 2007 Boxster Dean Rizzi San Francisco 2006 997 Tom Youdbulis South San Francisco
Anniversaries 40 Years
James Fleming Phoenix 1959 356 Ronald Olive Portola Valley 2004 Cayenne
25 Years
Charles Arolla Santa Clara 1973 911t Kathi Hammill Saratoga
20 Years
Scott Calzia Sunnyvale Keith Kambies Mountain View 1987 944
15 Years
Geoffrey Alexander San Jose 1977 930 Monica David Sunnyvale Gene Kindred Morgan Hill 1962 356b Brian Barrington Stinson Beach Judith Williams Aptos
10 Years
Christine Currie San Ramon Christine Johnston Bowral Nsw Karen Lyter Shahoian Petaluma Jt Thompson Morgan Hill 1975 Carrera Gerald Char San Francisco 1988 951 Skipp Harvey San Jose 1979 911 Ronald Wilcox Soquel 1979 911
5 Years
Patricia Burrow San Jose Linda Clark San Francisco 1996 911 Brad Hansen San Carlos 2002 Turbo Robert Hilton Pleasanton 2001 Boxster S Floran Kepic Pacifica 2002 Boxster Kelly Maddox Walnut Creek Andy Mayhew Redwood City 1984 911 Dean Meniktas Moraga 1984 911 David Minor Tiburon 2003 Boxster Jason Peacock Bolinas David Ferlauto San Jose 1969 912 Coupe Vincent Marino San Jose 2004 Cayenne S Audrey Pierce San Francisco Jim Tabor Pacifica 1973 914s Karen Warolin San Francisco
Board of Directors --by John Celona, Secretary
GGR Board Meeting Minutes 1/9/2008
Call to Order
The meeting was called to order at 6:50 p.m. at the house of the president, Bill Dally. Present were Bill Dally, Dan Thompson, Claude Leglise, Andrew Forrest, Mark Powell, Tracey Morris, John Celona, Carl Switzer, Larry Adams, Bill Benz, and Bob Murillo. Jeff Kost was absent.
Call for agenda changes: none Call for calendar changes: none
Minutes of the December meeting were approved.
Postmortem of events Laguna Seca track day was sunny and there were lots of smiles. The Friday night social saw a sparse turnout.
Approval of 2008 Budgets Autocross Budget was approved. The fee for autocross will remain $30, with budgets aiming to break even for the entire year. Time Trial Budget was approved. The schedule is for 5 events this year. Check the web site for details.
Directors' Reports
President: nothing to report.
Vice-President:
Event Chairs need to confirm with VP their event schedules so insurance can be ordered. President to determine attendees at Zone 7 Presidents Meeting.
Upcoming event status report:
1/18/08 Harry's Social 1/19 Zone 7 Presidents Meeting and Awards Dinner 1/26 GGR Ground School 2/2 Boxster Brunch 10am at Alice's Restaurant
Certificates are ordered for the following events:
DE/TT # 1 Infineon
Certificates are in place for the following events:
Blackhawk Awards Dinner 1/13/08
Treasurer: went officially on record to thank Tracey for her help with the transition.
Secretary: confirmed that meeting minutes will go out immediately after the meeting, with changes then incorporated thereafter so they can go in the following month's Nugget.
Membership: not present
Competition:
Need to check the surfaces for the portion of Alameda we'll be using for autocrosses this year. It could more grippy and abrasive for tires than where we've been running. There was also discussion of options for new timing equipment for autocross, the purchase of which has already been approved by the board. The hope is to get more reliable equipment which automates part of the timing process. Possible dates for autocross schools were discussed. The issue is getting a suitable site to hold the schools now that Monster Park is no longer suitable. Dan is hoping to put together a 914 autocross shootout with participation from the 914 club.
Webmaster: not present
Social:
The banquet room at Harry's Hofbrau has been reserved for the Friday Night Social on the third Friday of the month, 6:00 to 9:00 p.m., for the remainder of 2008. A suggestion was made to schedule some additional social events around the Bay Area to accommodate members in various areas. Mark will come up with some ideas. A budget for the year-end banquet at Blackhawk was distributed. Prizes and door prizes are ready. Mark went over the agenda. Topics for discussion
1. Setting aside funds to participate in SCCA's autocross site.
The board confirmed a motion from the December, 2007 meeting to set aside funds to participate with SCCA in gaining long-term access to an autocross site.
2. New Seat and Harness Rules for Drivers' Education and Time Trial
There was discussion of allowing newer cars with airbags, stock seats, and 3-point belts to participate in the time trial portion of Drivers' Ed. Larry Sharp is putting together a proposal to PCA National on time trial standards to deal with this issue. The consensus was to table this issue until Larry Sharp prepares his recommendation, and then evaluate possible actions at that point.
Adjournment
The meeting was adjourned at 8:45 p.m. The next Board of Directors meeting is set for Wednesday, February 13, at the residence of the President, Bill Dally. Please email Bill Dally to add items to the agenda.
GGR Award Winners & Banquet --by the Editor
Congratulations to this year's GGR award winners. All these folks made tremendous contributions to the club over the past year. Their work (and the many others who help out) not only makes the events happen, it also makes GGR the kind of club it is. Here's a recap.
Ross & Paulette Johnson (pictured) and their daughter Kole won Family of the Year for their many efforts for Drivers' Ed and Time Trial Series, including managing registration. Larry Adams (on the left in photo) won Competitive Event of the Year for the Carlsen Concours, GGR's annual event which raises thousands of dollars for charity.
Andrew Blyholder (on the right in photo) won Enthusiast of the Year for his and his crew's tireless efforts for the autocross series. Andrew shared the award with his entire crew of drivers, mechanics, and miscellaneous ruffians. Mark Powell (on the left in photo) won Social Event of the Year for setting up and organizing the behind-the-scenes tours of race teams at Infineon and Laguna Seca. (No, there is nothing suspicious about the payment Mark is about to make to GGR treasurer and past president Bill Benz.)
Carl and Matt Switzer won the Don Matthews Award, which is presented annually to the new member(s) who most represent the enthusiasm and spirit of Don Matthews, in whose memory it is presented. Mike Cullinan won the Don Lang Memorial Award, which is presented annually to the GGR member who most exhibits the spirit of good sportsmanship and service to the Club as shown by Don Lang, in whose memory the award is presented. Lastly, time trial chair Andrew Forrest won the Perc Bliss Award for his efforts in running and revamping the time trial series, including reversing a years-long decline in attendance. This award honors Perc Bliss, the first President of Golden Gate Region. Each year, the President selects the member who has made the greatest contribution to the club during the year.
Many thanks to those folks who turned out to the Blackhawk Musuem to celebrate and enjoy a sumptuous brunch. More photos are available by David Leong.
The Power Chef
Ham & Egg Fried Rice
--by John Celona, The Power Chef
I realize that Rachel Ray has made a career out of putting entire dinners together, start to finish, in only 30 minutes. For me, about that amount of time is consumed by heating up something I've already made whilst opening the mail, wondering what I forgot to do today, and engaging in our regular debate with Ms. Kitty about what exactly she will be satisfied with this evening.
So, realistically, about an hour start to finish seems more reasonable to me. After all, most of us don't stage our ingredients in advance the way Ms. Ray does. Even then, call me a skeptic but I do suspect there are a few practice runs before she actually films.
This recipe seriously does make a satisfying, healthy, all-in-one dinner in under an hour. Your children will probably even like it. And it's great reheated the next day, so I tend to make it in large quantities and pass a container along to my mother-in-law (who, invariably, calls to thank me and tell me how delicious it is. And doesn't that make it all worthwhile?)
The keys to making this dish healthy and delicious are brown rice, lots of vegetables, and breaking a few rules of chinese cooking to drastically reduce the amount of oil required for stir frying. Normally, fried rice is made with cooled rice that is stir fried in oil to heat it up. That requires a fair amount of oil to keep it from sticking. I've found that, by stir frying everything else first, then adding hot rice at the end, you get a hot dish without all that oil. Also, chinese cooks will typically add salt to their fried rice while cooking it. I've found that adding it to the rice cooking water instead gives you a nice balance of salty ham and rice with non-salty eggs and vegetables. (Hint: it doesn't need soy sauce, either!)
Enjoy.
Ham & Egg Fried Rice The Gist
Cook some scrambled eggs separately. The stir fry together ham chunks with your choice of stir fry vegetables. Add hot cooked rice and the scrambled eggs at the end.
Ingredients
2 cups brown rice 4 cups water 2 tsp. salt 4 eggs 1 Tb. butter 2 Tb. oil or bacon fat 2 cups ham, cut in chunks 4 cups of your choice of one or more stir frying vegetables, such as: bean sprouts, chopped cabbage, bok choy, spinach, or collard greens (which were used in the photo) 1 can sliced water chestnuts, drained 1 can sliced bamboo shoots, drained 2 cups frozen peas 1 bunch green onions, chopped
Method
Combine the brown rice, water, and salt in a sauce pan. Bring to a boil, then turn down to a simmer. Cook until all the water is absorned, then shut the heat off and leave the rice in the pan. This will take about 20 minutes.
While the rice is cooking, take the peas out of the freezer to thaw. Chop the vegatables. Scramble the eggs together, then fry them in a large saute pan with the butter until just barely set. Remove the eggs to a bowl (the saute pan will also work for the rice).
Heat the oil or bacon fat in the skillet over high heat. Add the stir fry vegetables, water chesnuts, and bamboo shoots and toss briefly. Add the ham chunks and toss together until hot. Turn off the heat, then add the rice and toss together. Add the peas and green onions, give it a final toss, and you're ready to go.
Notes
Why cooking rice has a reputation for being difficult remains a mystery to me, much less why one would need a separate appliance like a rice cooker. One part rice to two parts water, simmer until the water is absorbed does it for me every time. Of course, the last time I cooked any type of rice other than whole-grain brown rice was some time in the 70's, so on the matter of whether this method works for white rice I will have to plead ignorance.
When I cook bacon, I drain the fat and save it in a jar in the fridge. It's perfect for recipes like this one, and is also great for just frying eggs. One tablespoon of bacon fat has the same number of calories as one tablespoon of canola oil, with vast flavor differences. As for the cholesterol, well, that's why there's all the vegetables and brown rice.
Bon appetit, The Power Chef
40 Years Ago in The Nugget: February 1968 --by Jim Bauman, Notorious ex-editor of The Nugget (presently at large) This month's cover features a snowbound 356 Cabriolet in the snow at Yosemite, near Mirror Lake. I wonder how long the driver kept the top down!
In his monthly column, GGR President Dwight Mitchell commented about the 911 continuing as the Porsche "sedan." The activites calendar for 1968 was alos published, with some noteworthy events as the Bumper Car Autocross in Santa Cruz, several "ladies" events, a ski weekend in Reno/Tahoe, and the infamous Yosemite Tour in April.
The "San Francisco Racing Drivers Club" honored two GGR members. Peter Buschbaum received the "most improved driver" award, and John Grove received the "Steve Temby" award for being one of racing's "good guys." Alrighty then!
In the classifieds, Brian Carleton advertised a Pebble Beach Concours winning 1964 356C coupe for $4000.
Incidently, it cost 6 cents to mail the Nugget!
Meet the New Webmaster All of us at GGR are extremely grateful to Paul Larson for stepping forward to pick up the reins of webmaster, especially since that required building an all-new web site! I asked Paul to introduce himself to the club and say a few words. Do check out the new GGR web site if you haven't already done so. It's great! --Ed.
--by Paul Larson, GGR webmaster
I volunteered to be the webmaster because I like looking at things on the Internet and I figured it would not be to hard to add some content and keep the website working. After I volunteered, the reality set in and I found out that I would need to design a new website. Susan [Angebranndt, GGR's longtime webmistress] who has been a big help, wrote me that the code she used was very old and was mixed up with her other websites. She contacted Richard Chew with the Sierra Nevada Region, who volunteered to install an initial setup on the server. He was developing a site using an open source program call "Drupal" and was going to help start the site. I opened an account at www.drupal.org and started learning about the program. I then met Claude Leglise (the outgoing GGR president) up at Alice's Restaurant for a Boxster brunch. He recommended I send him an e-mail requesting funds for a website. The board passed this request and I received a check about a week later. I purchased a business service with a server on December 19. 2007. Richard installed a very slim site on December 21,2007 and I was in full gear in adding content.
I looked at a few local websites and I decided to model ours after the San Diego region's website. I sent an e-mail to the San Diego Webmaster a few weeks before and he informed me that a professional company designed it. The president of the company was a San Diego member. I then started building things and would ask Rich questions on Fridays to steer me in the right direction. I was now full steam ahead and on January 7, 2008, William Dally sent an e- mail out to the board asking for comments on the future website. I then received a few e-mails with comments and I worked at learning the program and incorporating the items the board wished to see on the website. Susan mailed me a CD with a lot of content, which made it a lot easier and faster to add content. Everyone was very happy and gave me great complements on the design of the website. Paul's two flat-sixes. One has a huge advantage in vertical acceleration.
On January 11, 2008 I started the transfer and they said it would take seven to ten days. Well it did take some time. I kept putting in the wrong codes, which would stop the transfer. The transfer finally happened on January 16, 2008. The site was up, but the bulletin board and the points classification systems were not working. These sites are on another server and I was stumbling trying to get the codes for them to work. I cracked the code on January 20, 2008, and everything was finally working. The site is now in "tweaking mode" and I have some ideas on making things easier for the user. In the future, I want to add some real videos of what it looks like to drive on the local tracks. I would like to add some autocross videos. I would like to add the Golden Gate Bridge as the background in the header. I would like to add some fade-in and out pictures, among other things.
I would like to thank Rich, Susan, Claude, and the board for all the recommendations. Their desires kept me pushing for a wonderful website.
As far as a computer background, I do not have a lot of computer training. I learned Basic and Fortran back in my college days. I never designed a website and I still do not know HTML code. What I am good at is learning things fast. I taught myself how to use Auto-Cad by a one- hour walk thru and reading a lot of books. I then built some Auto-cad programs. I used "lisp", an Auto-cad language for the new programs. The website code is not that hard to learn but you must be careful. One day I typed in the wrong code and the whole site went down. I was able to backtrack and corrected the problem. You can mess up everything just by deleting one word. Still, this is fun and a good challenge.
My hobbies include family activities. I try to fly as least once every week. I own a Cessna Skylane and it happens to have a flat six motor. I own a 2006 997S and I love driving this car. I already have over 40,000 miles on this car. I drive it to the time trial events, drive it all day at the events, and then drive it home. Nothing is better then a Porsche. This is the best car I have ever owned.
Hope you enjoy the website. Check out the Links section (bottom left of the site). There are sites there that I never knew existed. Please send your comments. I still want to add a lot of the existing content but this will take some time.
Paul
Porsche Roads
--by Claude Leglise, Past President
La Honda-Pescadero Loop
Porsche cars are not meant to be driven in bumper-to-bumper traffic on 101, or to follow 18-wheelers on Interstate 5. Sure they can do it, but what is the point? There are better stretches of highway that can best be described as "Porsche roads". They have the right combination of good pavement, scenery and curves that make the drive enjoyable, especially in a car that handles well, accelerates well, and brakes well. The La Honda-Pescadero loop is one such road, right in the GGR neighborhood, that provides fun and relaxation for any Porsche owner.
Start at Alice's Restaurant at the intersection of Skyline (Highway 35) and La Honda Road (Highway 84) in Woodside. While this Alice's Restaurant is not the original Arlo Guthrie sang about, it features a full-fledged Group W Bench under the redwood trees. Check it out. Alice also has breakfast and lunch for the hungry ones. Don't forget to fill up your tank.
From Alice's turn west on La Honda Road towards Pescadero. The fun begins right away with long esses in the redwood forest, followed by a series of turns with the proper camber, all the way to La Honda, 6 miles down the road. On the way you may want to stop near the Red Barn for a photo opportunity and, weather permitting, a view of the Pacific Ocean. A few miles past La Honda, the redwoods disappear as the valley opens up. The curves increase radius and spacing, and some dotted yellow lines appear. A welcome relief if you have been following a slow poke all this time. In San Gregorio, the General Store at the intersection of La Honda Road and Stage Road is a fun stop. On a cold day, the hot buttered rum is perfect for all but the designated driver. On weekends, there is a live band. You can also stock up on western gear and politically engaged T-shirts.
Whether you stop at the General Store or not, when you get to San Gregorio, turn left on Stage Road. This 1 1/2 lane road dates back to the Spanish era of California's history and parallels Highway 1. No high speeds here as the pavement is not in the best of shapes, but the unfamiliar scenery is worth the detour. There is room for a 911 and a Hummer to cross paths (I tested that), but be careful. Near Jacobs Farm, at mile 20, you are likely to run into a large number of beautiful peacocks, who cross the road for no apparent reason. Then at mile 22, you arrive in Pescadero. Duarte's Tavern offers both history and good food, while next door, Made in Pescadero features art and furniture created by local artists.
At the stop sign, turn left on Pescadero Creek Road. As the name implies, you are now following the valley of Pescadero Creek back up the mountain. Soon after the road leaves town, it goes back into the redwood forest. It gets dark in there even during sunny days. Memorial Park, at mile 30, and Sam McDonald Park, at mile 33, are both full of interesting walking trails through the forest. At mile 35 you are back to Highway 84, a mile or so south of La Honda.
Going up the hill, the road would be suitable for a European-style course de côte, were it closed to traffic. The constabulary is generally out in force on week-ends trying to keep the squids (irresponsible members of the motorcycle community) from hitting the pavement skin first. At mile 43, you are back at Alice's. The complete loop will take a little over an hour if all you want to do is drive. You can also make a day outing out of it and enjoy the sights and smells at a leisurely pace.
Scale: 1∂ to 5∂ Twistiness Pavement quality Scenery La Honda Rd ∂∂∂∂∂ ∂∂∂∂ ∂∂∂ Stage Rd ∂∂∂∂∂ ∂∂ ∂∂∂ Pescadero Creek Rd ∂∂∂∂∂ ∂∂∂∂ ∂∂∂∂
Claude
Vintage Racing Stories --by Michael Steinberg, GGR member
"I can't wait for this race to be over ", I said after the sun blinded me in turn 9 and once again in turn 1. Willow Springs can eat you up if your try to push to hard. Subaru WRX flat towing Herbie the 912
This is the last race of the year with VARA ( Vintage Automobile Racing Association ). A few more laps and it will be o.k. Why is this Alfa Romeo following so closely into turn 9? If he is trusting my lead, good luck to both of us. I better watch that slippery Lotus turn ahead of me, ooh great, where did he go?
As I pass through a dust cloud it reminded me of our first race of the season here at Willow Springs. Most everybody seems to be rusty and dusting off their talent from a winter's rest. The green flag is thrown and forty maniacs rush bumper to bumper 3 to 4 cars wide into turn 1. I definitely want to be inside on this turn. It seems somebody else needed my space.
Darting below me into the dirt, four wheels more off than on, a shower of machine gun rocks, pepper the car. Somehow everybody seems now be racing into the Turn 2 uphill sweeper except me. My whole windshield is shattered and I can't see in front of me. On the grid at Willow Springs
"Dang, I could have been a contender, " I thought as I slowly drove around the track. It was the only time I was able to take Turn 9 with confidence.
Our next race was at California Speedway and I was ready. My friend who owns a Cup car advised to take along a sandwich during the race. Knowing my 912 is not the fastest thing on wheels, (though it does like to corner), he said as I enter back on to the oval, from the inside road course, I will have ample time to eat or read before the next corner.
Time can pass pretty slowly once you're on the banked Nascar oval. I think my friend exaggerated slightly because I think with smaller hors d'oeuvres it would have been possible.
I did manage to push the 912 to 130 mph at 7400 rpm. A little squirrely with the short wheel base, but manageable. The only real excitement came during the high speed banked sweeper turn as a plastic grocery bag decided to play chicken with me. At this moment I am the only car around. I drop down by about six inches, the bag mimics my move.
One bag on the whole track and I am going to run over it at full speed. I never saw it my rear view mirror. After the race I found it very tightly wrapped around my axle like strings of pulled taffy. No damage but an interesting moment.
Taking home the checkered flag at Willow Springs
The VARA group is based in Southern California. Each race weekend their are wonderful and outstanding race cars to watch. Yes, a large group of Porsche racers with their 2.0 and 2.5's and 914-6's always ready to push hard. Alfa Romeo's, Lotus Elan's, Ford Cortina's, Club Ford's, Lola's, Formula Mazda's, Ralt's, Van Diemen's, Datsun's, BMW's, Triumph's, Mustang's, Covette's, Camero's, and Shelby's.
We are able to run some incredible tracks, like, Phoenix Int'l Speedway, Las Vegas Int'l Speedway, California Speedway, Buttonwillow and Willow Springs. Not too shabby for a racing season. Of course my first favorite adopted family is GGR. I wanted to be sure you knew.
I have learned a lot about racing this year and I know it will also make me a better GGR Instructor.
Looking forward to the GGR 2008 season!
Best, Michael Steinberg GGR Instructor TT 2007 First Place Winner EP, VARA
Porsches Stars at Daytona TRG PORSCHES FINISH SECOND, THIRD AND FOURTH IN GT CLASS AT ROLEX 24; BRUMOS, ALEX JOB DP PORSCHES LEAD INTO LAST HOURS
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - January 27 - Both the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup cars and the various Porsche-powered Daytona Prototype racers led their class during long periods of of time at the 2008 Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona, giving the teams encouragement for the upcoming Rolex Grand-Am Sports Car points chase.
Starting Porsches at Daytona
In the Daytona Prototype class, both the #58 Brumos Porsche - Darren Law, David Donohue, and Buddy Rice - and the #59 team car - Hurley Haywood, J.C. France, Terry Borcheller and Joao Barbosa - lead the race overall during the first three-quarters of the race, with the #58 car rupturing a fuel cell and the #59 car - while leading the race in the 19th hour - broke a tie rod and crashed. Both cars finished the race, but well down in the standings. The Brumos Racing Porsche Riley
The Ruby Tuesday DP Porsche-powered Crawford of Alex Job Racing held a lead at the six- hour and the 18-hour marks, but the car, driven by the team of Patrick Long, Joey Hand, Andy Wallace and Bill Auberlin, suffered terminal mechanical failure in hour 20.
The Alex Job Racing Porsche Crawford
In the GT class, Porsche, Pontiac, Mazda waged a fierce battle for the entire race, with Porsche 911 GT3 Cup cars from both TRG and Farnbacher Loles both swapping the lead with the Mazdas and Pontiacs throughout the event. Near the end, however, the Pontiacs had problems, and the #70 SpeedSource Mazda gained an advantage over three of the TRG Porsches.
"Finishing second, third and fourth is huge for our team and drivers who are competing for the championship in the 2008 Rolex Grand-Am series. Naturally, we would have like to win the top spot on the podium, but some mechanical problems and some bad luck prevented that from happening," said TRG team owner Kevin Buckler. The #66 TRG Porsche of Bryce Miller/Ted Ballou/Andy Lally/Richard Westbrook finished second in GT, with the #67 team Porsche of Tim George, Jr./Spencer Pumpelly/Bryan Sellers/Romain Dumas/Emmanuel Collard third and the #64 team car of Jim Lowe/Jim Pace/Johannes van Overbeek/Tim Sugden/RJ Valentine fourth.
One of the TRG 911 GT3 Cup cars
For Farnbacher Loles, the #87 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup driven by Dominik Farnbacher/Pierre Ehret/Timo Bernhard/Dirk Werner was the highest finishing car for the Connecticut-based team (eighth in GT), and the #86 team car of Sascha Maassen/Joerg Bergmeister/Wolf Henzler/Eric Lux/Leh Keen led the class several times before control arm and brake issues sidelined their first-place chase.
The other Porsche top-ten GT finisher was the #80 Synergy Racing Porsche 911 GT3 Cup of Mark Greenberg/Daimien Faulkner/Jan Heylin/Lance Arnold (sixth).
Complete results as well as pit notes are available at www.grand-am.com.
More photos from the night racing at the Rolex 24 are here.
2008 Drivers' Ed & Time Trial Schedule Following a very quiet and successful foray into the headquarters of the Drivers' Ed National Committee at the Watering Hole Taco Bar, we are very pleased to be able to bring you the ground school and Drivers' Ed schedule for 2008. Time to start marking your calendar, checking over your chariot, and shopping for sticky tires.
Sat Jan 26, '08 Ground School Round Table Pizza, Concord
Feb 16-17, '08 Driver's Ed & Time Trial #1 Infineon Raceway
Sat Mar 29, '08 Ground School Round Table Pizza, Concord
Apr 18-20, '08 Driver's Ed & Time Trial #2 Thunderhill
Sat May 3, '08 Ground School Round Table Pizza, Concord May 24-25, '08 Driver's Ed & Time Trial #3 Buttonwillow
Sat Jul 26, '08 Ground School Round Table Pizza, Concord
Aug 16-17, '08 Driver's Ed & Time Trial #4 Thunderhill
Sat Aug 30, '08 Ground School Round Table Pizza, Concord
Sep 20-21, '08 Driver's Ed & Time Trial #5 Thunderhill
More on the Panamerica Porsche Releases More Details On Panamera
Ground Breaking Four-Door GT to be Offered with Porsche Hybrid System
ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 7, 2008--Dr. Ing. h. c. F. Porsche AG, Stuttgart, announced today that it is developing a hybrid drive version of its highly anticipated four-door Gran Turismo. The Panamera Hybrid will utilize the same gas-electric drive concept as the Cayenne Hybrid that comes to market at the end of the decade and will claim a remarkable 30% reduction of fuel consumption.
The full parallel hybrid system of the Panamera will be configured with the battery unit positioned below the luggage compartment, and hybrid module, comprising of an additional clutch and electric motor, will be between the engine and transmission. Depending on driving conditions, the hybrid module has the ability to disengage either the combustion engine or the electric motor, or to combine both drive systems as one joint power unit. This flexibility results in benefits such as a zero emissions driving mode, fuel savings in both city and highway driving and maximum performance when desired. The Panamera, which represents Porsche's fourth model line, will make its world debut in 2009 and promises to redefine the Gran Turismo category by featuring a unique design package that will afford equally generous front and rear space and seating comfort for four while retaining the sporting and unmistakable driving dynamics of every Porsche. Introduced initially with traditional drivetrains, the hybrid version of the Panamera will be offered at a later date.
Porsche Cars North America, Inc. (PCNA), based in Atlanta, GA, and its subsidiary, Porsche Cars Canada, Ltd., are the exclusive importers of Porsche sports cars and Cayenne sport utility vehicles for the United States and Canada. A wholly owned, indirect subsidiary of Dr. Ing. h. c. F. Porsche AG, PCNA employs approximately 250 people who provide Porsche vehicles, parts, service, marketing and training for its 212 U.S. and Canadian dealers. They, in turn, provide Porsche owners with best-in-class service.
911 GT3 Named "Most Wanted" --press release from PCNA
PORSCHE® 911® GT3 WINS EDMUNDS.COM 'MOST-WANTED' AWARD
Edmunds' Inside Line editors call Porsche's race-bred 911 'an unforgettable thrill'
ATLANTA, January 10, 2008 - The auto editors at Edmunds' Inside Line, Edmunds.com's online automotive magazine, had a tough job in 2007 as they tested and reviewed 268 new cars and trucks and were then asked to select only the best for their 2008 Editors' Most Wanted Awards. In the end the Porsche 911 GT3 endured their expert scrutiny, scoring a victory and driving off with this very prestigious and important award.
This year Scott Oldham, Inside Line editor-in-chief, had only one rule: the editors must have tested the car or truck by Dec. 1, 2007. All vehicles were eligible for all six slots -- speed, luxury, hauling, commuting, family and instant classic. With no price cap or restrictive 'new models only' or similar requirements, the editors were allowed to simply pick their personal favorites.
Performance 415 hp @ 7,600 rpm 0-60 mph: 4.1 sec. Top Track Speed: 193 mph MSRP $ 107,500.00
"The GT3 provides world-class performance just a couple of short steps removed from that legendary racing iron, and it does so in a package accessible to mere mortals. This is the essence of the Porsche story, and it makes this car an unforgettable thrill," said Dan Edmunds, Edmunds' Director of Vehicle Testing. Oldham added, "The Porsche 911 GT3 is our favorite Porsche. It's as if everything that Porsche has ever known about fast cars has been stuffed into this 911." The Porsche 911 GT3 is also the base model for the world's most-produced race car, the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup. Produced on the same assembly line as the street cars in Stuttgart, the Cup car is the racer of choice in the SCCA SPEED World Challenge GT, the IMSA GT3 Cup Challenge, and the Rolex Grand-Am GT Sports Car championship, including this month's Rolex 24 at Daytona. The GT3 RS, the model with improved aerodynamics and a stiffer suspension, is the basis for the Porsche 911 GT3 R/RS/RSR, the most successful racer in the ten years of the American Le Mans Series.
At 415 horsepower, the 911 GT3 is Porsche's most powerful non-turbocharged sports car and is based on the current 911 platform that debuted in 2005. With more than 40 years of road- and race-proven success, the 911 model line now features 15 variants to fulfill all sports car enthusiast whims, and as evidenced by a new 911 sales record in 2007, the iconic rear-engine sports car continues to thrill Porsche loyalists and dreamers. Porsche sold 12,493 911s in 2007, vs. 12,045 units sold in 2006.
Crab 34 European Porsche Parade 2008 --by Kathrin Brandstaetter, Porsche club coordinator
The European Parade of 2008 will take place in Sardinia from the 8th to 11th of May. This meeting for all Porsche Clubs worldwide, will take you to the extraordinarily beautiful Costa Smeralda. Highlights of the Porsche Parade 2008 include the Photo Rally "Mare e Terra" and the Concours d'Elégance in the "Marina Vecchia" at Porta Cervo. On the final evening there will be a farewell gala dinner in a magical environment along with the presentation of prizes.
Real cobblestones. Not pavers from Home Depot.
More information about the Porsche Parade 2008 can be found in German, English and Italian under the following link.
We would like to announce that from today until the 31st of December 2008 you can register yourself for the European Porsche Parade 2008 online or via fax. Please be aware that there is a limitation of 250 cars. There are plenty of places to park your tush, too.
If you have further questions please contact the Federation of Italian Porsche Clubs. A special hotline has been prepared, which is accessible from Monday till Friday 4 p.m. till 8 p.m.
Tel. +39 040 7469500
We are looking forward to seeing you next year in Sardinia.
Best regards, Your Team of worldwide Porsche Club Coordination
Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche Aktiengesellschaft Sitz der Gesellschaft: Stuttgart Registergericht: Amtsgericht Stuttgart HRB-Nr. 5211 Vorsitzender des Aufsichtsrats: Dr. Wolfgang Porsche Vorstand: Dr.-Ing. Wendelin Wiedeking, Vorsitzender Klaus Berning, Wolfgang Dürheimer, Thomas Edig, Holger P. Härter, Michael Macht
Die vorgenannten Angaben werden jeder E-Mail automatisch hinzugefügt. Dies ist kein Anerkenntnis,dass es sich beim Inhalt dieser E-Mail um eine rechtsverbindliche Erklärung der Porsche AG handelt.Erklärungen, die die Porsche AG verpflichten, bedürfen jeweils der Unterschrift durch zwei zeichnungs-berechtigte Personen der AG.
LA Lit & Toy Show LA Lit and Toy Show
Now in its 25th year, over 1,200 people attend the annual Porsche and Vintage V-W Literature, Toy/Model, & Memorabilia Swap Meet at the Los Angeles Airport Hilton Hotel. The meet has over 225 tables with tens of thousands of collectibles - posters, sales literature, toys, models, factory gift items, press kits, technical literature, small trim items, and accessories for Porsches and vintage VW's. The meet is held in two huge ballrooms on the main floor of the Airport Hilton, 5711 W. Century Blvd., Los Angeles - very close by Los Angeles International Airport. The public is admitted at 9:00 a.m. for $5 each at the door. "Earlybird" shoppers are admitted with the vendors at 7:30 a.m. for $25 at the door. Special discounted room rates are available from the LA Airport Hilton directly at 310-410-4000. Please ask for the special room rates under the promotional code "PCH."
For more information, go to the web site.
Contact by email: (Prescott Kelly, Jim Perrin or Wayne Callaway) Contact by Phone: Wayne Callaway at 909-930-1999 (Work - weekdays 9am to 5pm Pacific time)
Thanks very much to Michael Steinberg, Claude Leglise, Paul Larson, and Jim Bauman for putting articles (with photos!) together for this month's Nugget. Much appreciated. Do keep them coming. We'll print anything that won't run us afoul of the FCC.
As always, thanks for reading.
John Celona Porsche Club of America-Golden Gate Region