Archive for month: February, 2022

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A Quick Pitstop with Bill

I got fired. Booted off the board. Ten years of service, and I get an email, not even a phone call. No pension, no gold watch, not even a Gala to go to. Crumbs and crickets. And yet I still have to write a column. Oh well.

(Only kidding, of course. Term limits.)

So I needed a new job. There has been some minor controversy about whether or not a report is required to be put online after each DE event. Easy solution – I agreed to be responsible for doing it. I go to most of the events, don’t mind writing, doesn’t require research – just take a few pictures and pay attention. Write up what the weather was, mention the sponsor, who got promoted, who attended for the first time, what kind of IPA they had at the social, who did something stupid, tell a few stories, etc. Adam is calling this position the “DE Crier.”  So I’ll do my best, but I’m going to need some help.

For one thing, I won’t make it to every event. And in that case, I will need to have some spies who will take notes and talk to me afterward so I can write it up. And send me some pictures. The other thing is that to make this enjoyable reading, I will need to tell some stories, and those will come from you. So if you are at a DE, please be cooperative (and interesting) if I come up and talk to you. What kind of stories? As we always say, it’s not just the cars; it’s the people. I have met some wonderful folks through my PCA DE activities, and here are a couple of example stories…

I met Mark Schnoerr at PCA autocrosses, where he would flirt with FTD despite driving a pretty stock 914 (unless he was beaten by his wife, Sigrid). Mark was a dual-brand guy – he also ran a BMW E36 – and he did a lot of DEs as well as autocross.

 

At first, I didn’t own a trackable Porsche but did an occasional DE in my BMW E34 sedan and recruited Mark to be my instructor. Despite its heft, the E34 handled remarkably well and was a 6-speed V-8. And Mark would not let me give a point-by to a Porsche – just pushed me to go faster. (Two days at Watkins Glen and I drove home with metal on metal brakes.)  Later, after I had my Cayman and was doing regular DEs Mark instructed my daughter and, for one magic day, my wife. Rosemary (her nom de guerre is Rosemario) was comfortable, if mid-pack, as an autocrosser. I talked her into a DE at NHMS, and afterward, she said, “no thanks – too fast.”  But she was going to be a spectator at a one-day DE at Lime Rock where I had arranged Mark to instruct my daughter. Nora wound up with a conflict and was a no-show. Mark, who can be very persuasive, talked Rosemary into taking her place. It poured rain all day. There was a river running across the No Name straight. While most everyone (probably including me) tip-toed around, Mark had Rosemary close to 115 on the main straight and 80 on No Name (“keep your foot down and the wheel straight”). She loved it. Signed up for Watkins Glen, Mark wasn’t there, she hated it, done. Oh well.

But in the “what goes around” mode I am now again in regular contact with Mark (who lives in Texas). The JB team now has an E36 which we are preparing for endurance racing, and Mark still has his similar E36, is a regular competitor in WRL endurance races and has been providing invaluable insight into how to set up our car.

The second DE tale centers on my daughter’s first DE, just days after her 18th birthday, in one of the first outings for the Cayman. Nora was, of course, a green student, and I was in yellow/blue. Also at the event were Steve Schindler and his son Dennis who was a couple of years older than Nora. Steve and Dennis, who were also in yellow/blue and green respectively, were sharing a Boxster. At some point, Nora asked me if the Schindler’s car was faster than ours. I reflected that our newer base Cayman was probably darn close to their older Boxster S and that Steve and I were doing about the same lap times (and boy, do I wish I could still say the same!). This was apparently taken to heart because when Dennis appeared in Nora’s mirror (easy to spot with the Vermont plate), and she was advised to give him a point-by, by her instructor, she declined.

Most instructors would have told her to drive into the pits, but this instructor (not Mark but one of the best!), knew his student and her car and let her continue. With attention half on the mirror, Nora didn’t get much farther before PSM saved her bacon; she came to her senses and let him by. Lesson well taught and duly learned. The event did no damage to the relationship with the Schindlers:  at a later Mt. Tremblant event, Steve’s wife Mary befriended Nora, and Nora left our B&B in favor of camping at the track with the Schindlers.

-Bill Seymour, Former NER President, current “DE Crier “

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Cold? Let Me Tell You About Cold

Many years ago the Porsche club in New England used to run time trials up in New Hampshire on the ice in the wintertime. A favorite spot was Newfound Lake in Bristol, NH. A course would be set out using as few pylons as possible and timing was done from a bob house (think fishing shack) with a large plastic window looking out over the course. It was one car at a time like an autocross, just colder and slower. Most folks just ran their winter beater with snow tires but all were welcome. After PCA national stopped providing insurance for the event, the Boston Chapter of the BMW Club stepped in and continued the winter fun. That went on for many years until lake access became a problem (too much building around the lake). There were always events in upstate NY and in Canada but that always seemed like too far to go for just a few runs. I think my phone heard me talking about ice racing because a Facebook alert popped up that highlighted the Sports Car Club of Vermont (SCCV) and their ice race schedule near Montpelier, VT. That’s only a 3 hour drive north and with an empty calendar it seemed like a good idea.  Besides, Pearl, the Audi RS4 had a new engine installed and could use some road  miles. The extra 200 hp boost wouldn’t be needed on the lake but the ride up would be fun.

 

I called my friend Jeff Leeds who had also spent some time on the ice years ago and he was up for it so we motored up on a Friday afternoon for a Saturday event. Finding a great steakhouse in Montpelier VT gave us another incentive to go. The Open Table app had found the J Morgan Steakhouse (I don’t know what happened to the P) and the food was terrific.  If we didn’t drive well at least we’d had a nice dinner. 

Registration was online at Motorsportreg.com which made the process very easy. Drivers meeting was at 9am with the first run to start at 10 am which gave us time for the free breakfast at the Comfort Inn. While we didn’t see any other drivers eating that were headed to the lake, there was a big crowd that came for the free food.

 

We had both packed pretty much all the warm clothes we owned as the forecast was for a cold sunny day. It had been cold in Boston most of the previous week so that was no surprise. What was a surprise was the morning temperature in VT. I went out to start the car and the reading in the car was 20 below zero. That car had never seen a number that low, nor had I,  and it was going to get lower.   Elmore Lake was about 30 miles north of the capital and we had to have been 10 miles out of town before the heater started to put out any serious heat. By that point the temperatures in some of the low spots had driven the gauge down to minus 27 degrees.

 

When we arrived at the site they were lining up in a nearby parking lot that looked out over the lake. To get onto the ice another waiver needed to be signed, something to relieve the local town of any liability if you and your car fell into the water. There wasn’t much chance of that happening as the drilled surface had already been measured at 18”, more than enough to support all of us. Everyone lined up for a low speed familiarization run and the cars were all lined up in a plowed pit area afterward. That gave us a chance to get out of the car and walk around to see the what was running that day.

 

There were some real dedicated ice racers there with tire spikes so long they couldn’t be used on pavement. Fortunately they were in a Super Stud class which was even faster that the regular Studded Class. Pearl was just on a set of 5 year old Bridgestone Blizzacks without studs. Good on the street but a little old and hard to be really competitive in this kind of contest. Can you hear those slow time excuses yet?

 Since these drivers were mostly from VT and upstate New York, I’d say that most had studs of some type. After all, their roads stay snow covered for 5 or 6 months of the year.

The course and the parking/pit area were plowed out (see white truck above) which made the course easy to follow. There were only about 5 pylons on the entire course as nobody wanted to stand out there picking cones.  It was an easy course to see but not so easy to stay on if you were throwing your car around at maximum speed. The plow had  left a berm that was about 5” high but there were a few spots where it was deeper. Deep enough to high center a car that required a tow from the plow. High center means that the center of the car is  stuck on a mound of snow and ice and the wheels aren’t really touching the ground. No touch, no traction, studs or not, you’re stuck.

Jeff and I really didn’t want to be “that guy” so we were careful not to run off course. Of course that meant that we had to drive a little slower but it still seemed fast to us. See excuses, above.  Early in the day there was plenty of hard packed snow on top of the ice to get a decent grip. As the day wore on there were a few spots that were polished by spinning wheels that revealed black ice. Black ice is something you can’t stand up straight on, let alone drive on. The secret is a steady throttle and no sudden steering moves to allow the car to just roll over it. The key to a fast run is to find the white stuff and stay on it.

 

 Pearl made us proud and I even had a chance to use the loud button on the last run on the ice. I didn’t use it during the day because they had a 90db sound limit and after all that driving to get there I didn’t want to get tossed off the lake early . They loved it, like they say at the track: “we may not be fast but we’re loud”.  Oh wait, that was my High School Band and it was good, not fast.

 It was a great time, nice people, a well-run event and a mid class finish for us.  With darkness falling the event finished up early and we were on the road by 4. That left time for a nice dinner on the way home. A great car weekend in the middle of winter. What’s not to like? Well, maybe it might be closer to zero next time, we could spend more time out of the car.

As a reward for great service Pearl got a new outfit for Spring using my shelf paper method. For old timers, that’s a Datsun stripe, my thanks to Bob Sharp.

Tom Tate RS4 PCA NER

 

Can summer be far away?

-KTF

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Winter Beaters: Season 2 Vol. 3

What’s your name and where do you reside?
Bailey Bishop, Beverly MA
 
What’s your first Porsche experience ?
My 1986 930 which is now my dedicated track car. I purchased it in 2000.
It has ~65k Miles – hasn’t been street legal since the mid 2000s.

 

What’s your history with PCA and New England?
”I joined around the time I bought the car (930). For the most part I have participated in driving events, and have gone to the gala events a few times.”
Winter driving:
Winter Beater: My Year Round daily – 2008 Audi RS4 (stick) owned for 7 or 8 years (V8 70K)
 
Favorite and least favorite parts of winter? 
Favorite: Fresh Snow that covers roads when i can go out and play in it with my car
Least: “damp and slushy roads, and my car looks like crap”
 
What are the best and worst cars you’ve driven in the snow?
Best: My RS4 and 1989 BMW 325iX
Worst: Dodge Mini Van (with dedicated snows). It really wasn’t bad. I’ve always made sure I’m prepared for New England winters.

 
Any words of encouragement for members who don’t drive their Porsches in the winter? 
“You are missing out on opportunities to enjoy your car to the fullest, especially when driving on slippery conditions which allows you to enjoy the car at “safer” speeds” LOL
If you would like to share your Porsche winter driving experience with our NER crew, please email Luis at [email protected] !
Thank you Bailey!
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Article II Thoughts

Seven years ago when I moved back to Massachusetts from the D.C. area and switched my PCA membership to the New England Region, I never anticipated what the following seven years would entail. I made it to a few auto-x’s, attended loads of cars and coffees, started doing DE, served on the NER board as Treasurer, then VP Admin and now as the new President. Through all of that fun car stuff though, the best part has been the people I have met. People who have helped answer questions about my different board roles, instructors who answered questions/ offered tips and critiques about my driving and car set up, the few hardy souls who have ridden shotgun in my car at DE events, they have all proven true the mantra “it’s not the cars, it’s the people”.

As we move steadily into 2022 and closer to the “driving months” and as the various lingering elements of the pandemic hopefully retreat into our rearview mirrors, I am eagerly looking forward to where we go as a club.  Both in terms of “recovering” from how we have had to do things for the last two years and also how we can improve or expand the club in general.  PCA is an ever growing and increasingly diverse group of people and cars. One of the big ongoing questions the NER board faces is how do we keep our activities relevant to this evolving environment? We need to constantly be thinking about this along with a host of other items surrounding our existing club needs.  The board is comprised of a great group of people who I know will do an exceptional job, but at the end of the day we are finite and fallible human beings. Every club member should feel 100% welcome at any time to offer suggestions, recommendations, etc regarding the club. It is an open line between you and the board.  The more communication and feedback we receive the better we can do our jobs. 

Here is to having an excellent 2022!

-Robert Jacobsen, NER President

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2022 AUTOCROSS SEASON UPDATE

The AUTOCROSS Schedule for 2022 is set – mark your calendars! If you are new to the Club or your Porsche, Autocross is a great way to get introduced to Motorsport activities and meet new friends. We hope to see you at Devens in Ayer for one or more AX Events this year.

Our first event is an Autocross School which is highly recommended for anyone wanting to learn about the sport in a friendly, instructional setting.

For event dates and other information, click here: NER AutoX Info

If you have questions, contact Chris Ryan, Autocross Chair, at [email protected]

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Getting My Driver’s License

I grew up in Upstate New York on the family farm.   We raised oats, hay, sheep and horses.   At that time you could drive on the road at 14, if the vehicle you were driving had Farm Plates.  (no actual paperwork was needed  —  and the county cops rarely patrolled the roads anyway).     But the rule on the farm was different,  if you were big enough to fully depress the clutch on the Tractor (by standing on it),  you were big enough to drive it.  Now my initial actual road driving was limited to a mile or so down the road from the farm to one of the leased fields we used for oats,  and the traffic was basically non-existant.   So, remember,  the next time you are on the Ramble and stuck behind a Hay Wagon that’s using ¾ of the road and going 12 MPH,  the 13 year old at the controls has that tractor flat out – as fast as it will go,  has no turn signals, and is likely to turn  left into a field at any moment,  without checking to see behind him ( because he can’t see who’s there anyway over the 5 tons of hay in the wagon ).

Experience with the tractors led to being allowed to drive the other vehicles with farm plates,  the WWll surplus Willis Jeep that served as the snow plow and did the trail clearing and the Ford Stake Bed,  both with non- synchromesh transmissions.   The Stake Bed was the most fun, not just because it had no muffler and made a great noise when opened up,   it also meant driving  a 20 minute trip alone into town to the Feed and Grain to pick up whatever had been ordered.   The roads at the time were still gravel and in the late spring after they had been freshly grated, they were smooth as glass.   Did you know that you could 4-wheel-drift a big (empty ) under powered truck?  It’s amazing what you can do when you are young and stupid.        

Actually getting a valid driver’s license would have to wait until I was 16 and home from school for the summer and had the time to study the rule book for the written test and practice driving in actual traffic.  ( There were rules to learn ???  who knew ).   The dreaded parallel parking test was never really a problem, and I was disappointed that I didn’t get tested on my ability to back a trailer.  By that time I could not only back a trailer exactly where it needed to be on the first pass, I could back the 4 wheel  Hay Wagon connected to the Bailer which was connected to the Tractor.        

  •   Ted Shaw
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Winter Beaters Season 2 Vol. 2

What’s your name and where do you reside?

Stan Corbett, My wife, Carie, and I live in N.Grafton

What’s your first Porsche experience ?

While still in the service, in Omaha NE, Stan was in a Hemi Club and had a 426 Road Runner.

“…We would run gymkhanas and one guy brought a 911, which I thought was cool, until I met the wrong group of 911 owners who had their nose in the stratosphere. I wrote them off until I had a friend who had a Boxster and we went up to NHMS a couple times. We went to Mosport and while we were up there, I did a bunch of parade laps each day. On the way back I said, This is too much fun not to be involved in. So I called him later that day and I had my Cayman at the end of that week… I put it on the track later that month at NHMS. I traded in my Dakota and the Cayman was my daily driver for 2.5 years. I bought a set of rims with Blizzaks and that’s what I drove in the winter.” From that moment, Stan has done almost every NER and NCR DE event every year and got 25-30 days per year since then.

What’s your history with PCA and New England?

“Since I bought it (the Cayman) I have been in PCA. I flagged at NHMS and worked control at Mosport before I joined because I was with my friend (the Boxster owner). Steve Artick let me in my first event (at NHMS) and was my instructor. I was going to the track so much my wife let me get a tire trailer and then an open trailer and tow vehicle. For several years I towed it with a Dodge pickup which I traded for an 06 Cayenne S. It had headlight issues and I swapped it for a 09 Cayenne S… I was picking up parts from the folks I bought it from and they had a 2013 Cayenne Diesel. The owner showed it to me (I knew it would tow better) and then he said “I’ll sell you that one.” “SOLD”…when not towing I get over 30MPG.” 

I used to drag race a 69 Hemi Roadrunner in Nebraska and if it wasn’t for my buddy with the Boxster, I would have never bought a Porsche.”

Winter driving:

“The Cayenne is my daily driver. The Cayman is on quick jacks. At the last Palmer event, 3rd gear took a vacation, the rev counter climbed and now it’s broken. The transmission will come out, Kevin Gross will pull it apart and see what’s going on (Kevin is a NER and Zone 1 Instructor)”

Favorite and least favorite parts of winter? 

Favorite: “It used to be sticky snow so you could make snowballs and snowmen, but not so wet you couldn’t ski. I gave up downhill skiing a long time ago but then did cross country for a few years.”

Least Favorite: “Slush”

What are the best and worst cars you’ve driven in the snow?

Best: Cayenne

Worst: Hemi with slicks in Nebraska. If you went up a hill you had to time it….(YIKES)

Any words of encouragement for members who don’t drive their Porsches in the winter? 

“I drove the Cayman as a Daily for 2.5-3 years. Buy a set of honest to goodness snow tires and exercise a reasonable amount of common sense.” – Words to live by. Listen to Stan, and enjoy your Winter, folks!

If you would like to share your Porsche winter driving experience with our NER crew, please email Luis at [email protected] !

Thank you Stan!



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