Guy Newmark got his 356 as a graduation from his father. He’s been driving it ever since.
Archive for year: 2017
by John Dunkle
Given the title of this month’s article – I presuming some of you think I’ve finally “lost it”, whatever “it” was. But, let me explain before you send in the men in white coats with a straight-jacket? You see, I was thinking about the NER first event this year at Thompson on May 26th, 27th and 28th, and since the 26th is “Novice Day”, it had me remembering my first Novice Day way back “when” (please, don’t ask when “when was” – but, most of the roads were paved and only rarely were they blocked by a renegade milk wagon). And, for it being Novice Day, here is what I remember…
First – I have to say – I was nervous upon first arriving at the track!!! Oh sure – I pretended I wasn’t – mostly to put on a “brave face” for my wife, who wasn’t driving but came along to accompany (console?) me, but deep down to my size seven driving shoes, I was “quaking in my socks”. I had no idea what to expect, really? It was a “new world”. And everyone appeared to know exactly what they were doing and supposed to do – and were doing just that. As for me? I pretended I was doing something, even though I wasn’t really doing “anything”. And, then it happened…
A person walked up to me, and introduced himself as “my Instructor”. He was simply outstanding, and after introducing himself to me and my wife, told us BOTH what to expect (remember, this was before the Internet, e-mail, Youtube, etc. We had to depend on paper road maps to find the track and pay-phones and gas stations should we get lost in getting to the track). He pointed out what and where TECH Inspection was, what to bring – and “OF COURSE your wife can meet you over there!”. So, I made it through Tech Inspection – and you’d have thought I’d gotten a College Diploma when they affixed the sticker to my car, signifying it had passed. So, back I went to our parking spot. And waited…
Soon enough, back came my Instructor, asking me a few friendly questions about my car – was it my “daily driver”, as indeed it was. How did I like the tires? Why didn’t Porsche 911s have cup holders – you know, the regular stuff. We chatted and laughed a bit – but, in retrospect, all he was doing is welcoming us warmly and putting both of us at ease. And he did, not only for all that – but, too, when he told us “we” could head over to the Driver and Novice meetings. Yes! My wife was invited and welcomed to both meetings if she cared to attend. Honestly? I think it made her feel great to be included – and assuaged her fears quite a bit as well.
And stranger still, is what happened next. It’s imprinted in my mind as though it happened yesterday. And to this day, I use it when I conduct Novice or new comers meetings. The Chief Instructor greeted up, and asked, “Please raise your hand if this is your FIRST DE EVER”. I looked around – and quickly found out I wasn’t alone as a “Newbie”; there were others there too, just like me. Next, he said calmly and confidently “Welcome! And the most nerve-wracking experience of the event is already behind you. You made it safely to the track this morning on Public Roads where most could care less about how well they drive”.
It hit me. That’s what Drivers Education is all about. It is all about learning, teaching, driving, having fun – and it can be a family event. If anyone tells you is not any or all of that, and more? You can tell them for me – that they are wrong. Driver Education takes place at a track, not because we are racing, but rather, it is the absolute safest venue that provides a common roadway (“track”), facilities, and learning/teaching environment to teach us all how to drive for extended periods, at speed utilizing all facets of the cars capabilities, i.e. braking, acceleration, vehicle dynamics, weight transfer, suspension geometry, all of that – and more.
So, let me get back to the “family vacation” aspect and wrap this up for you. That event was a three day event, not unlike all of our NER Events this year. By the afternoon of the first day, my wife had found a new set of friends who weren’t driving either, so they ventured outside the track to the village and discovered a few restaurants, pottery retailers, and – I believe – even a vineyard where they spent the afternoon chatting about whatever folks chat about at those times. And then, she met me back at the track.
That evening, we headed out to a little bistro she’d discovered, and had a wonderful dinner, and just talked about the day and walked about the town a bit. And we did the same the next night as well, and as our group of friends continued to expand, found other families and drivers at those same establishments – new friends, new memories and often, new things to laugh about.
So, this is why I’m dedicating this month’s column to “A Three Day DE Event is the Perfect Family Vacation”. Any spouse or significant other is very welcome, and be made to feel welcome, at any NER event, especially track events. If they and you are “New” to any track – let us know beforehand, as all on the NER DE Team would like to have to opportunity to recreate for you – what was an especially wonderful first time experience for Jen and me.
We hope to see you at the track soon – and if you are “new to all this”, allow me the pleasure of being the first to welcome you personally!
By Tom Tate
It may be the result of having more than just a couple of cars but it does seem to me that the cars in my garage gang up on me when mechanical or electrical issues pops up. I know that they talk to each other late at night when the lights are off because I’ve heard noises.
Maybe it has to do with the time of year. I don’t think it’s related to age or mileage on the cars because they range from 1957 to 2004 with mileage spanning 50k miles to over 200k. I’ll give a few examples and the loyal reader can make up their own mind.
Half way through last summer, Big Red decided that it was time for some attention and the starter refused to work. No click, no nothing. It did happen at home in the garage so the car didn’t strand me out on the road somewhere (my cars are good like that) but still it was aggravating.
Some years ago, the ignition switch failed to send the signal to the starter when turned the final notch and rather that replace the entire ignition switch, requiring new keys and a big expense, I just installed a push button switch on the dash that was wired to a relay that triggered the starter. That was back when some of the new cars were being sold with a big red start button so I felt like I was keeping the car up to date too. That has been working great except for the first year that I took it out of the barn in the spring with the modern start button on the dash. My push button doesn’t say start on it (thank you Radio Shack) and after a long winter I had forgotten that it was there. I turned the key the final notch at least three times and even got out to look at the battery connections before I spotted the relay that I had installed and remembered my “improvement”.
This time I went right to the relay, followed the wires and found a loose connection at the starter which was easily corrected.
The very next day my wife called from the local store to say her BMW was dead and wouldn’t start. That was after driving about 3 miles to the store. Her car isn’t trained to die in the garage like my cars are. So it started up in the garage but wouldn’t restart after a short drive. I grabbed a jump box and went over to give it a jump but even that would only turn it over very slowly. Figuring that a set of cables would provide more juice I zipped the 3 miles back home and grabbed a set of quality cables and tried again. Now the slowly turning starter could only produce a click.
It turned out to be that the original starter had given up after 12 years and 90k miles. I wasn’t going to complain but that was two starter problems in two days. Strange.
If you remember a column from last summer, the Porsches in the garage got together the night before the Zone 1 Autocross and decided they needed a little TLC. The Speedster threw a pulley off the generator the next day and the 914 chewed up a plastic shift bushing converting it from a 5 speed to a three speed the day after that. Both were quickly repaired but the timing was bazaar. These are two car that together don’t clock 3k miles per year and seldom, if ever, break. Strange.
Tires are another wear item on my cars that somehow seem connected. In years past I have put the snow tires on the Audi only when it snowed. I could get them switched in about an hour and that would mean a lot fewer miles on soft compound tires that work great on ice but not so good on dry pavement. Two years ago when we had a real winter, read over 100” of white stuff, I only switched them twice. Last year I got lazy and drove on them from Dec to March. I put them on after Christmas this year to discover one tire had a slow leak that was losing 2 lbs pressure per day, not good. I took it off, checked for a puncture or a bad valve but came up empty. It went to the local tire store who found a leak at the inside rim edge that was easily fixed.
I barely got home from the tire shop to find that the 914 up on the lift had a flat tire on the same corner. It had been up there since the Zone 1 Autocross in October without a problem, hadn’t moved an inch and suddenly went flat? Strange.
Gas leaks seem to travel in pairs too. The Speedster always smells a little like gas as the car does not have the sealed system that modern day cars have and fuel evaporates from the carbs as it sits in the garage. The ’72 911 has the same plumbing, or lack thereof, and it also has that ‘old car smell’.
The 911 has an electric fuel pump and while it only operates at 3-4 psi it will test the fuel line connections every time the key is turned. A hose clamp failed that test last year but it only took a few minutes to tighten the clamp. Apparently feeling left out, the Speedster began to drip gas at the fuel pump a week later and required that the pump be rebuilt before it would stop. Not a big job but again the timing seemed strange.
Another matched set of ills showed up when the Speedster was ready to come out of the Barn in 2012. The master brake cylinder began to leak when it was up on the lift which put a drip onto the BMW below it. There was a car cover on the car below so there was no damage and it was easier to throw out the cover than to try to clean it, there is nothing worse than spilled brake fluid. However when I backed the BMW out that Spring it also had a brake problem. It was a seized piston in a front caliper causing the brake to drag on that corner. I can certainly understand why one would seize from lack of use, nothing hurts a car more than not using it, but why would a master cylinder begin to leak when there was no pressure applied? I think these guys had been talking. Strange.
Another ongoing service item on my cars have been lights. It may be due to the length of time that I keep cars or the fact that I tend to upgrade lighting when available. Certainly bulbs burn out over time but I think there has been some discussion in the garage late at night when I’m not there.
One of the tail lights on the wife’s car failed last year and since it is an LED, while only a few of the little points had failed, the entire unit had to be replaced at a cost of $270. No more $2 light bulbs in modern cars. I was impressed with the results and decided to upgrade the Audi RS4 turn signals to LED bulbs. The bulbs were less than $10 but it took a little work because the low current draw made the car throw a light out warning signal. The solution was to wire a small resistor into the circuit to fool the sensor into thinking the standard bulb was still in place. Replacement tail light units for the 356 using LEDs became available about the same time and that made for a much brighter brake light for following drivers, long a weak point for our Tubs. I replaced the 6 volt candle like bulbs with new fixtures.
With three cars sporting bright new lights the 30 year old BMW in the garage had two bulbs go bad a week later. They just burned out due to age I know but it really did seem like it was asking for some lighting attention along with everybody else. Strange.
I know that it’s beginning to sound like the cars in my garage need almost constant attention but that really isn’t true. I give them constant attention but, they don’t really need it. In fact, I have the feeling that if I just ignored them like most car owners, they would be just fine. But then what would I do for entertainment ? Every car guy likes to tinker, right?
One last comment just to see of anyone reads this stuff to the end, besides it pertains to activity in the garage;
For years I have used dCON Bait Bits (pellets) to keep the mouse population away from the garage and out of the snow plow parked in the woods all year. They used to come in a little tray with a cover like the plastic on a cottage cheese container. Peel back the plastic, put it under the seat in the Toyotaplow truck or inside the garage door and they will find it. I use four small trays per year and tend to buy a couple of boxes every other year at the local hardware store. I just leave them out and they last all year. They were priced at about $8 per box of 4 trays. The best part was the fact that the pellets caused the critters to seek out water which made them exit the garage looking for a drink. That meant there was nothing to disturb the “old car smell” in the garage and there was no funeral service required. I did have a couple expire inside the plow truck but I just drove it with the windows down for a bit and it was fine.
I went to the local hardware store, actually four hardware stores, last week to discover that the EPA (not a car guys friend) has decided that such easy access to the pellets are dangerous to children and pets (hasn’t it always been dangerous?) and they have banned their use. Now you can only buy mouse traps in the stores that prevent access to the actual pellets which are protected in what is now called a mouse catcher. They hold just a few pellets and are priced at $16 for 4 little “catchers” that will only catch one mouse each and then must be discarded. Old fashioned spring loaded traps and sticky sheets are still there but they have to be unloaded every day if they’re doing their job and I don’t find them as convenient as the pellets. Replacement pellets are available on the internet, otherwise known as the black market, but the same number of trays I paid $8 for are now $229. A perfect example of big brother protecting people who aren’t smart enough to protect themselves at a huge cost to the rest of us. Thoughts, comments? My editor is waiting to hear from you!
by Dick Anderson
Well, 2017 has entered with a bang, at least as far as our Annual Gala is concerned. The largest snowstorm of the year, allegedly a nor’easter, chose to arrive on our event date. The gala committee, ably headed up by Kristin Larson, considered postponing or even canceling our event but contractual provisions with the Museum of Science precluded that. So on with the show we went, 130 of us attended and real-time feedback was consistently positive. The museum opened its “Blue Wing” to us and offered some fun and fascinating exhibits to view and even play with. We were able to raise some money for Homes for Our Troops with a silent auction and I was happy to present the “Enthusiast of the Year” award to Richard Viard for his “over and above“ contributions to NER. He is an avid A/X’er who volunteers as its official photographer. Additionally, he made an excellent movie entitled “Autocross – The Movie” which is available for view on our website (www.porschenet.com) and is used by other regions as well. He has run a “how to photograph cars” clinic and has another scheduled for March. He often attends our concours and social events and provides photos from them for the Nor’easter and most importantly, he’s a really good guy!
Every January your board of directors and committee chairs meet to plan the ensuing year’s activities. On the docket are discussions around improving our club to serve the interests of our membership, review proposed budgets for both DE and A/X, as well as plan for social events for the next twelve months. It’s generally, a lengthy, productive meeting and taken very seriously by the participants.
You’ve been hearing me whine about my foot operation for the last three months or so. Well, I’m pleased to report that as of this writing I am “boot free.” So you’ll no longer have to hear about it (do I hear a resounding “YAY!”). What you may hear about are the things I did to while away the time as I was less than mobile. First, I bought a new Macan GTS. Bye bye, RS5, hello, hot little SUV. The downside of this is that our fleet still consists of five cars for two people. The upside is that I now own three Porsches, as well as, the old standby 2006 Infiniti (the “beater”), and my F150. Oh, and an enclosed trailer. I’m seriously thinking about downsizing. Time to sell the GT3? Might be. I also spent some time on Amazon and bought stuff I thought I needed, like a Universal Smartphone Garage Door Controller that requires a bit more work to install than I anticipated (but just think, once installed, I’ll be able to open and close my garage door when I’m in Hawaii!). I also bought some elevated shelving for the garage that installs by attaching to the ceiling joists. What the hell was I thinking? Maybe I can get Jeff, my new son-in-law, to put those up.
This is a month of alliterative things, specifically, those that begin with “P.” The Porsche club Board meeting, the “Patriots,” “Packers,” and “Pittsburgh,” in the NFL “Playoffs,” and the “Presidential” inauguration.
As of this writing, we watched an ugly performance by the Pats in a win against an improved, but not championship caliber, Houston team. Then we watched the Packers beat the favored Cowboys in a squeaker, as the underdog Steelers did the same to the Chiefs. Next weekend, the AFC and NFC champions will be decided and Ann and I will be in attendance at Gillette as TB12 leads the Pats to another AFC Championship (I hope).
Probably the most anticipated show in January will be President Trump’s inauguration. Not necessarily for the normal pomp and circumstance, but for the sideshows that will inevitably result. Who will finally agree to perform, what hijinks will Michael Moore arrange, what will President Trump tweet?
We’ll all know the answer to these sports and politics questions before this issue reaches your hands. January turns out to be quite an eventful month!
Don’t forget to check out our facebook page to ease Porsche “withdrawal symptoms” over the winter months.
Until next month . . .
Gary Cooper, one of our adventurous members, was kind enough to share an account of his trip to Amelia Island this year with us:
“After the success of three Werks Reunions on the Monterey Peninsula, past PCA President Manny Alban, being an East Coast resident, put forth the idea that the event should also be held in the East. What better place and time than the Friday before the prestigious Amelia Island Concours? When planning for the event was finalized, PCA announced the theme would be the 20th Anniversary of the Boxster. As an owner of a 2003 986, I knew I had to go to take part in this celebration of the remarkably successful little roadster.
This would involve a two day drive down to northern Florida, and a two day drive back – all to attend a one day car event. Some would call me crazy. I think my loving wife may have, as she decided the trip was too long for her – but told me to go for it… ”
Read the full story in an upcoming issue of the Nor’Easter! Not a subscriber yet? Get on the list.
Special thanks to NER’s Richard Viard for another well attended photography clinic! Over 30 NER and NCR photogs watched and listened intensely as Richard covered the technical and subjective aspects of picture taking.
Richard started the meeting with the essentials: ISO, aperture, shutter speed, and exposure. Then followed with three essential tips for car photography: motion blur, stop action, beauty, and ambiance. He finished by discussed editing, workflow, and organization.
Please join the Northeast Region of the Porsche Club of America and the Boston Chapter of BMW CCA as we host former World Sportscar Champion and Formula 1 driver Brian Redman! Brian will speak about auto racing’s particularly deadly decade of 1965-1975. The event will be held Sunday April 23, 2:00PM-5:00PM at: Boylston Schul-Verein (The German American Club), 8 County Road (Route 109), Walpole, MA 02081.
Registration is open as of March 1, 2017. Detail and Registration information here.
A little rain, a little snow. What’s the problem? We’re Porsche drivers!
About 60 folks turned out for the annual Winter Warmer graciously hosted by “Racetrack Rick” Scourtas of Herb Chambers Porsche of Boston. The weather actually did us a favor and persuaded the wise staff to pack the showroom with stunning 2017 models. Rick brought up us up to date with new innovations and all things Porsche.
Thanks to everyone who came out and the great folks at Herb Chambers Porsche of Boston!
