The Bahn Stormer Volume XXIV Issue VI -- July 2019 Photo by Stewart Free Tom Krueger’s 911 GT3 RS at Grattan Raceway Photo by Burghard Linn The Official Publication of the Rally Sport Region - Porsche Club of America The Bahn Stormer Contents For Information or submissions Contact Mike O’Rear The Official Page ......................................................3 [email protected] On the Grid ..............................................................5 (Please put Bahn Stormer in the subject line) Calendar of Events ...................................................7 Deadline: Normally by the end of the third Membership Page ....................................................9 week-end of the month. 944 Chronicles .......................................................11 Around the Zone ....................................................15 Material from the The Bahn Stormer may be reprinted Grattan HPDE .........................................................16 (except for ads) provided proper credit is given to the Ramblings from A Life With Cars ............................24 author and the source. Around the Zone ....................................................26 Meeting Minutes ...................................................27 For Commercial Ads Contact Mike O’Rear Classifieds ..............................................................28 [email protected] From the Back Seat ................................................31 Advertising Rates (Per Year) Full Page: $650 Quarter Page: $225 PORSCHE®, The Porsche Crest®, Half Page: $375 Business Card: $100 CARRERA®, and TARGA® are trademarks of Porsche AG Copy is the responsibility of the advertiser. Advertisers ARESCO, Inc ............................................................. 25 AutoMark Collision Center ........................................ 8 Automotive Techniques ............................................ 4 BMW Motorcycles of Southeast Michigan .............. 10 Clem’s Garage for Storage ....................................... 29 Clear Auto Bra ......................................................... 25 Copyrite Printing ....................................................... 2 Finn’s J M & J Insurance .......................................... 10 Four 20 IT ................................................................ 29 Fred Lavery Porsche ................................................ 30 Editor’s Note: These are the folks who print our newsletter. JKD3 Consulting .......................................................... 2 Munk’s .................................................................... 18 Porsche of Ann Arbor .............................................. 13 Porsche of Farmington Hills .................................... 32 Rennstatt Racing (of ArborMotion) ........................... 6 Vintage Munk’s ....................................................... 12 Westgate Insurance ................................................ 12 www.sellyoursportscar.net ..................................... 29 Check out the latest news on our website rsp.pca.org Check out other PCA events at the Zone 4 website -- zone4.pca.org 2 The Official Page 2019 Rally Sport Region Officers President Tech Chairperson Events Chairpersons Tim Pott* Tim Pott* Matt, Dru & Zach Huber 734-548-5378 734-548-5378 810-225-8372 Ann Arbor 48104 Ann Arbor 48104 Brighton 48114 [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Immediate Past President Track Registrar Der Cranky Webmeister Rick Mammel Tom Krueger Emmanuel Garcia 248-442-9008 313-570-2223 248-635-7655 Novi 48375 Shelby Twp. 48315 South Lyon, 48178 [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Vice President Track Chairperson Other Board Members Peter Grant* Christian Maloof* Jeremy Goddard* 734-604-1622 734 646-2746 248-770-1654 Ann Arbor 48104 Ann Arbor 48104 Rochester Hills 48306 [email protected] cmmaloof @gmailcom [email protected] Advertising Chairperson Insurance Chairperson Kevin Kral* Burghard Linn* Jim Dowty* 630-795-9924 810-227-1223 734-717-1060 Auburn Hills 48326 Brighton 48116 Ann Arbor 48108 [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Dan Kantrow* Membership Chairperson Archivist / Historian 734-395-6603 Glenn Trapp Glenn Trapp Ann Arbor 48105 810-227-7854 810-227-7854 [email protected] Brighton 48114 Brighton 48114 [email protected] [email protected] William Rogers* 248-974-2455 Treasurer Bahn Stormer Editor South Lyon 48178 Burghard Linn* Mike O’Rear* [email protected] 810-227-1223 734-214-9993 Brighton 48116 Ann Arbor 48103 [email protected] [email protected] Zone 4 Rep Lori Schutz Secretary Social Media Coordinator Southeast Michigan Region Mary Ann Kantrow* Valerie Roedenbeck Maloof [email protected] 734-347-8544 312-342-8222 Ann Arbor 48105 Ann Arbor 48104 [email protected] [email protected] * Denotes Board Member 3 4 On the Grid By RSR President Tim Pott Learning (the) Curve how I had screwed up. Little did I know at the time that this was not the end of what was to become an extremely Like most of our club’s membership I humiliating rite of passage. consider myself to be an above average After an excruciating waiting period, a second driver, certainly as compared to the non- appointment at the licensing bureau arrived. This time I got carperson general public. I have, after an even grumpier guy than before. My “just relax” mantra all, driven a race car competitively and was nowhere close to my conscious thought. I was truly tense served as an instructor at HPDE (high and nothing Mom could say would relax me. White-knuckled performance driver’s education) events hands firmly gripped the wheel at the ten and two positions for RSR and SEM (our neighbors to the east) PCA regions. on the steering wheel as grumpy-guy directed me through While I feel it safe to say that I am a reasonably competent the course. On the last turn of the last leg of my second test, driver, it should be known that it was not always thus. Believe I narrowly escaped what could have been a nasty accident. I it or not, I too had to learn. had been at a stop light waiting to make a left turn at a busy Sixteen years old was the earliest a young Michigander intersection. I don’t recall if the oncoming car was speeding could get his or her driver’s license. Informal training, prior or my nerves had gotten the better of me but grumpy tester to getting a state license, had come mainly in the form of guy had to yell “Stop!” as I had begun my left turn directly driving go-karts with my buddies and taking the wheel of into the path of an oncoming car. “Didn’t you see that guy?!” our family sedan from the hands of a tolerant parent or an my tester growled angrily. I guess I hadn’t; he seemed to irresponsible, older sibling. As the rite of passage of getting have appeared out of nowhere. Regardless, I did not have to a license approached, public schools would provide a formal ask, I knew I had flunked again. I now had become the sole driver’s education program (in a classroom as well as behind member of a very exclusive group who had flunked not one, the wheel) in order to prepare us for our final driving test but two driver’s tests. I was the only guy anyone knew or had with some poor, nervous, semi-retired cop at the local ever heard of who had accomplished this feat. Secretary of State’s office. The third time was indeed a charm. Not only was my On my way to take my behind-the-wheel test, my mom, examiner pleasant and kind but he seemed to possess some sensing my nervousness, assured me that everything would innate skill in recognizing pure, driving genius. It is also be just fine. I was a good driver and I should just relax. These possible that he was aware that my two prior testers were words assured me and I kept them running through my head, nasty, mean men. Whatever. After going about two blocks I “just relax, relax, everything will be just fine”. Even though was instructed to turn around and go back to the office. I had my examiner had a gruff and curt demeanor, I continued to passed. He signed my papers, handed them to me and told run the words through my head like a mantra, “just relax”. me I was “just fine!”. He guided me through the road test and upon returning to I’ve often thought about that humbling experience as I’ve the Secretary of State’s office he pronounced, “Well, you did instructed both young, first-time street drivers, as well as everything perfectly except for one detail. So I’m going to more experienced but new to HPDE-event drivers. Humility have to flunk you.” I was shocked and stunned; whatever on the part of the student and patience on the part of the could I have done wrong? He then informed me that my fatal instructor is absolutely key. Nobody learns quickly when error was not keeping my hands at the ten o’clock and two either student or instructor is on edge. The learning process o’clock positions on the steering wheel. In my efforts to “just takes time and is never really over, and there are always ways relax”, I had allowed my left arm to rest on the driver’s door to improve. armrest so that my left hand was actually at the eight o’clock position. While this might seem like a minor infraction to you and me, to this cop rules were rules! The embarrassment of flunking my test was bad enough (I was the only one of my peer group to have done so up to this point), but I had made the situation even worse by letting all my friends know the exact date of the test. I had even made plans for various parentless