Volume XV, Issue 6 -- July 2010 The Bahn Stormer The Official Publication of the Rally Sport Region -- Porsche Club of America Joe Fialka’s classic 911 returns to Photo by Mike McNalley the track! Calendar of Events ....................... 4 Irish Hills & Lake Tour ................... 5 Grattan Drivers’ Education Weekend .... 7 August Road Tour ........................11 A Few Quarts Low ............................................3 Ramblings From A Life With Cars...................13 Calendar of Events ...........................................4 Driving the Natchez Trace Parkway ...............18 July Irish Hills Run ............................................5 A Bavarian Belle .............................................21 Grattan Drivers’ Education Weekend ...............7 Great Drivers Series-David Donohue .............23 Membership Page ............................................9 Club Meeting Minutes .....................................27 August Road Tour ........................................... 11 Classifieds ......................................................29 Drivers’ Ed Track Schedule ............................ 11 September Two-Day Ontario Tour ..................30 The Official Page ............................................31 Advertisers’ Index ARESCO, Inc ......................................................... 14 Check out the latest news at Automotive Techniques .......................................... 15 our Website: BMW Motorcycles .................................................. 22 Carlyle/Mediterrano ................................................ 12 http://rsp.pca.org/ Howard Cooper ................................................. 16-17 Fred Lavery Porsche .............................................. 24 Check out other PCA events at the Gilson Motor Sports ................................................ 26 Zone 4 Website: Grand Sport LLC .................................................... 10 Munk’s Motors .......................................................... 8 http://zone4.pca.org Porsche of Farmington Hills ................................... 32 Rennstatt, Inc. .......................................................... 6 Simply Scrumptious ................................................ 20 PORSCHE®, The Porsche Crest®, CARRERA®, Storage for Your Porsche ....................................... 22 and TARGA® are trademarks of Porsche AG Store Your Toys ...................................................... 22 The 928 Leather Shop ............................................ 20 Trends In Tile .......................................................... 20 V&W Motors ............................................................. 2 Watermark Builders .................................................. 6 The Bahn Stormer For Information on, or submissions to, The Bahn Stormer contact Mike O’Rear at [email protected] or 734-214-9993 (Please put Bahn Stormer in the subject line) Deadline: Normally by the end of the third week-end of the month. Advertising Rates (Per Year) Full Page: $650 Quarter Page: $225 Half Page: $375 Business Card: $100 For Commercial Ads Contact: Jim Christopher at [email protected] Material for the The Bahn Stormer may be reprinted (ex- cept for ads) provided proper credit is given to the author and the source. Copy is the responsibility of the adver- tiser. 2 The Meaning of Friendship and More Hollywood This was my first significant injury; two weeks in the hospital and a stint in occupational and physical By Jim Christopher, therapy. Helpless is not a fun thing….. In the post- Rally Sport Region anesthesia fog, I wrote down the names of all of the President friends and relatives that truly came out in droves to visit and/or telephone – to me, it’s an incomprehen- sible number of folks that took valuable time from their lives to improve my spirits. I’ve yet to find the superla- tive to express my most sincere gratitude to those that A Walk on the Wild Side made a special effort to wish me well. Greetings from the chair! By now, most of you know on May 21st I injured myself while playing basketball. Because you folks gave me this podium of sorts, this Ultimately I ruptured the quadriceps tendons in both is my turn at a Sean Penn…. On the risk of being a legs – thankfully only post-surgery discomfort with sap, the support was really needed. I still struggle moderate pain that quickly abated. I hope to beat the with the actual reason…likely the lingering effects of orthopod’s prediction of ninety days before I can walk the anesthesia…but I was uncharacteristically emo- without mechanical assistance. Most folks rupture tional with all of this mess during the first week. only one tendon but as I hint in the following para- graphs average is just so pedestrian. Through it all, I never once lost perspective that while this is certainly a burp in my world, it is injury and I Movie Wisdom will heal. There are people close to us that battle I take great pride in not being normal; sense of humor, a disease every day with resolve, guts and dignity. house, wives, cars and the like – all just a little bit Remember that. Remember too, when someone you different…. With this thought in mind it shouldn’t know, even as a fringe acquaintance, goes down… surprise anyone that I glean snippets of “wisdom” call, send a card, go visit – it will be appreciated from the big screen and incorporate them into my own beyond words! These are the folks that need our life…. In The Man Behind the Iron Mask, I whole- friendship and support. From personal experience, heartedly related to Gerard Depardieux’s performance I promise you it was the support that got me through as Porthos – a Musketeer with a revered and glorious the tough parts. Okay, now I have to take a call from past; a man who loves life and continues to live it to my friend Hugo in Venezuela. the fullest, but is struggling with the arrival of middle age and its effects on his physique and virility. When Changes in Management faced with a likely forbidding, but honorable, quest he The Board voted Jennifer McNalley to replace Leon- remarks to a life-long friend, “I’d rather die covered in ard Murz as Board Member. An extremely demanding blood than an old man lying in my own p….” workload as well as supervision of his father’s medical care put too many constraints on Leonard’s time to This movie predates The Bucket List by a number of adequately serve. In addition to her new role, Jennifer years…but I suspect you can already see the thread will continue to be the track registrar. of commonality between the two: your life can change in the blink of an eye…live your life to the fullest with Porsche Parade passion and with as few regrets as possible. Now you We have a rare opportunity with the Porsche Parade have the answer as to why a 50-year old man con- being so relatively close to our region – I calculate an tinued to play basketball with college kids and drives approximate 280 miles. I hope some of you folks go sports cars on race tracks whenever he can…. and enjoy the experience. Remember, it would be great to have a couple of first-hand accounts in future (Continued on Page 11) 3 July 13 (Tuesday): RSR Drivers’ Education -- Water- September 28 (Tuesday): RSR Drivers’ Education -- ford Hills Waterford Hills July 13 (Tuesday): RSR Club Meeting -- Cancelled October 5 (Tuesday): RSR Club Meeting -- 7:00 pm at Karl’s Cabin in Plymouth July 24 (Saturday): Lake Tour in Irish Hills -- Hosted by Norah & David Cooper (see page 5) October TBD: Color Tour -- Hosted by Brenda & Mi- chael Pillay and Amanda & Wayne Walter August 3 (Tuesday): RSR Club Meeting -- 7:00 pm at Karl’s Cabin in Plymouth November 2 (Tuesday): RSR Club Meeting -- 7:00 pm at Carlyle’s in Ann Arbor August 21 (Saturday): Road Tour -- Hosted by Claire and Al Utter (see page 11) December 7 (Tuesday): RSR Club Meeting -- 7:00 pm at Karl’s Cabin in Plymouth August 24 (Tuesday): RSR Drivers’ Education -- Wa- terford Hills September 11-12 (Sat.-Sun.): Legandary road Trip -- Hosted by Matt Huber (see page 30) Notice the name change from Board Meetings to Club Meetings. This reflects an invitation September 14 (Tuesday): RSR Club Meeting -- 7:00 pm to members to come and enjoy the camarade- at Carlyle’s in Ann Arbor rie of fellow Porsche fans. Meetings include a little business and a lot of fun. September 19 (Sunday): Sunday Night Cruise at Baker’s of Milford -- Hosted by Kathy & Mike O’Rear Surrounding Area Events July 9 (Friday): Rolling Sculpture Car Show, Main Street, Ann Arbor, MI. August 21 (Saturday): Woodward Dream Cruise July 17 (Saturday): All German Vehicle Show -- Gilmore September 10-12 (Fri.-Sat.): Ohio Valley Region - PCA Car Museum (6865 Hickory Rd. Hickory Corners, MI) “Autumn Thunder” Drivers’ Education Event, Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course (Go to www.ovrpca.org for more info.) July 23-25 (Fri.-Sun.) Concours D’Elegance of America at Meadow Brook, Rochester Hill, MI September 19 (Sunday): Maumee Valley Region European Car Show - 9 AM - 4 PM at Vin Devers Autohaus, 5570 July 30-31 (Fri.-Sat.): Porsches2Oxford in Oxford, Ohio. Monroe St., Sylvania, OH (see page 14) Want a Few Chuckles? Check out Rally Sport Region’s webmeister’s blog at www.crankydriver.com/blog/rant.html 4 Irish Hills Run: Lake Tour – MIS Lap - Beach Bar Date/Time: Saturday, July 24 - 10 AM (Rain or Shine) Hosts: Dave and Norah Cooper Start/End Location: Meijer Parking Lot, Sect. M, Ann Arbor – Saline Rd., Ann Arbor (Exit 175 on I-94) Attire: Beach-wear, Swim-wear, Hawaiian Shirt, Speedo,